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RP: 4th Fleet (NSN) [Mission 6] A Not-So-Brief Interruption

Like some of the other Marines, Stan had remained steadfastly silent during Shang's briefing. Since the IPG were the IPG, they were doubtless aware of the ID-SOL's blunders. Several thoughts had been dancing through his mind, not least the destruction of the NSS Dauntless. Whoever wanted the Grand Admiral dead certainly weren't messing around.

The idea of treating supposedly friendly territory as hostile was one that Stan was familiar with, though in those days it was merely gangsters with a chip on their shoulder rather than a shadowy group hoping to assassinate a senior officer. Stan wasn't quite sure what the Marines were getting into, and if he was honest with himself it was something he was not comfortable with.

He pushed aside such thoughts as he got into the Outrider, struggling to find a comfortable position inside. Butch's comment elicited a half grin, though Stan decided to leave it at that. He was prepared to just ride in silence when Bernhard decided to ask a question. "I am Private First Class Brandt," he said finally. The ID-SOL felt that Bernhard was probably going to find out about the friendly fire incidents eventually, but there was no good reason to just dump it on him with no warning. The fact that he was currently in close proximity to the Marine was an influence on his decision, but Stan decided to pretend it wasn't.

-----------------------

Stan suppressed the urge to whistle appreciatively when he saw the changes that had been made to the HQ. It was most impressive, and made Stan feel better about the task which they had been given. If any infiltrators decided they wanted to take a crack at the defences, they'd have one hell of a time doing it.

It wasn't going to be a peace of cake by any stretch of the imagination, but the military was taking the Grand Admiral's protection seriously. Though that's to be expected, thought Stan sharply. They were hardly going to let an obvious threat waltz right through the door and blow Valken's brains out, were they? Stan remained close to the rest of the squad and took his lead from them, being unwilling to make a misstep without someone being there to correct it. Private First Class Stan Brandt... not sure who thought that was a great idea, he thought semi-sourly.
 
Outside the door to the building, four armed Marines waited. One towered over the other three. He was a blonde-haired ID-SOL and the others were short women, even by Nepleslian standards.

As the Cavaliers got out, Hardman introduced his squad to Phaedra.

"Sergeant Suzuki Momoka," a Jiyuuian woman with red streaks in her black hair bowed to Phaedra. Hardman glanced at Phaedra before continuing, "Corporals Fujisawa Miu and Shinobara Kaoru." The other two women, with blue and green streaks respectively, bowed. "Ben Linzer and Butch." The black haired ID-SOL grinned boyishly while Linzer smiled. "No one calls Boomy 'Ben,' Brick. He's Boomer," Butch said, throwing an arm around Linzer, who just grinned as widely as his bro.

The Jiyuuian women were obviously more uncomfortable with the rough and rowdy manner of their male companions. "Sergeant Volkov, on behalf of the survivors from Tange, we'd like to present this to you and Corporals Greer and Romero. For your part in saving us," Suzuki presented three identical medals to Phaedra. Each had the symbol of the UOC emblazoned on the front with Yamataian characters. On the back, it had each Marine's name inscribed.

"It says, 'Saviors of Tange' on the front, Sergeant. Our community would be honored if you would accept these and our invitation to visit Pryedain one day," Fujisawa added.


-------------------

After the introductions, the Marines were led to one of the armories where Captain Murdoch waited. The ID-SOL towered over the Marines, taller and bigger than even Hardman. Part of the image was from his two cybernetic arms with diamond sharp claws for fingers.

"Bloody late, Hardman. Should've had your boy Linzer drive. Gear up now, the Admiral is about to head out for a meeting with the Governor to make sure he knows what's going on. We interrupted a hacking attempt but they may about the meeting from the Governor's end. Corporal Toby and the others will be driving a big, obvious motorcade while you lot will take the Admiral by a second, non-descript motorcade. If the bait gets taken, don't stop to help. Toby and my boys can handle a scrap. If you lot get hit, you'll have back-up fast enough. Golems are over there," Murdoch pointed to the wall where a dozen of the new Assault Armors were lined up. "Guns..." he waved around the Armory, "Hurry it up."
 
As Phaedra exited the vehicle, Hardman introduced his squad to her. There were three short Jiyuuian woman and two ID-SOLs; the contrast between them was almost comical. The three women had different colored hair streaks which made distinguishing them all the easier. Phaedra nodded as Hardman introduced each of the squad members.

Then Sergeant Momoka stepped forward.

"Sergeant Volkov, on behalf of the survivors from Tange, we'd like to present this to you and Corporals Greer and Romero. For your part in saving us," Suzuki presented three identical medals to Phaedra. Each had the symbol of the UOC emblazoned on the front with Yamataian characters. On the back, it had each Marine's name inscribed.

"It says, 'Saviors of Tange' on the front, Sergeant. Our community would be honored if you would accept these and our invitation to visit Pryedain one day," Fujisawa added.

Phaedra was surprised at being given the medals, but she quickly regained her composure. She closed her fist around them and then slightly bowed toward the three Jiyuuian women. Phaedra recalled Corporal Motoyama bowing to her when they had met again in the bar; it seemed like a good idea to return the gesture.

"Thank you. I shall present these to Corporals Greer and Romero. And I would certainly like to visit Pryedain one day," she replied.

As the Marines filed into the HQ, Phaedra handed a medal to Laura. Bernhard was not too far behind and she handed the last medal to him.

"You should thank Sergeant Momoka, for this. For what we achieved at Tange," said Phaedra. She saluted the both of them before she turned and headed toward the armory. There Captain "Murder" Murdoch was overseeing the situation.

"Golems are over there," Murdoch pointed to the wall where a dozen of the new Assault Armors were lined up.
"Guns..." he waved around the Armory, "Hurry it up."

Phaedra wasted no time in choosing her weapons.
She chose the OI-W8-1A "Showstopper" Assault Rifle in the event of something heavily armored became a threat, and kept her Ze-ZP-02a .357 Pistol for her sidearm. Phaedra also made sure to load up on I-APE ammunition for the Showstopper, the special round being effective against both armored and unarmored targets.

Her weapons selected, Phaedra made her way over to the Golem armors and located one in her size. One of the armory techs gave her a quick rundown on the suit's systems, as well as how to actually don the armor. With a few snags in the process, Phaedra managed to put the armor on and have it working to her satisfaction. Using her Datajockey she tweaked the visor's HUD to work in combination with her cybernetic eye implant and display the information she preferred. Her settings complete, Phaedra took some exploratory steps and found that the armor was surprisingly easy to move around in.

Satisfied, Phaedra removed the helmet and began to strap on ammo pouches, two frag grenades, two smoke grenades, her combat knife, and her pistol holster. She also made sure to requisition a sling for the Showstopper and pulled it over her head; the weapon now rested at her right side.

Fully prepared for the mission, Phaedra stood by the Golem Armors to assist her squadmates in donning the armor.
 
The small ceremony was quite interesting to Eric, but he was more interested in the ID-SOL, having never had the pleasure to work with one before. Before any warm greetings could be exchanged, they were led off to an armory with a towering Captain.

If the bait gets taken, don't stop to help. Toby and my boys can handle a scrap. If you lot get hit, you'll have back-up fast enough.

Eric understood the mission well enough and was eager to get on with the mission. Watching Sergeant Volkov put the gear on and outfit herself, spurred him into action when she was close to being done. First, he had went to the Golem armor. Not very conventional armor but it looks nice. He made sure he had the rebreather attachment on the helmet he chose and then tried to suit himself up. With his Sergeant's and the tech's help he was getting it on albeit, slowly.

"We were never formally introduced, my apologies Sergeant. P3C Eric Spence, Combat Engineer, transferred from the 578th Training Brigade." When the suit was finally on and ready to go, he saluted, turned, and went to the armory's weapon station. He had already removed his .45 Zen Armaments pistol from his jacket and found a holster that would pair with the armor. He mounted it, and asked the armorer for a CQBS-A2 12 Gauge, along with a healthy amount of slug loaded magazines. He then received a heavy sling for his shotgun and let it rest against his chest as he finished strapping on all his extra gear.


As his squad mates finished donning their gear, with a few inputs in his datajockey he started tagging them on his helmet's HUD and one by one, they started showing up on the map. When the man tagged as Talbain finished, Eric went to get a few words in before the rest of the squad finished. "Sorry about earlier Corporal. I'm Private Spence, Combat Engineer."
 
Whatever Talbain had wanted to discuss with Bastilen got put on hold for the impromptu award ceremony. While he had no idea what it was about he did make it a point to stand silently while the woman said what she had to. Respect demanded as much.

Inside the armory Captain Murder's instructions had caught the Corporal off guard. He hadn't expected the Grand Admiral to be on the move outside the compound, at least not this quickly. As far as equipment went he knew what he would be taking on a footslog mission. A Styrling Auto Twelve, five drums of slug rounds, two boxes of fragmentation rounds, two relaxant grenades, a purple smoke grenade, a combat knive, and three drums of ammo for his HAS.

He went about collecting up his weapons and the gear he would need to mount on the new armors to carry it first. Making sure to pay attention to the people suiting up before him so that he wouldn't need to waste time figuring out the armor as well. By the time one of the new marines came up and introduced himself, Talbain was armored up and starting to stuff his armor's pouches with the ammunition he was going to be dragging along.

Spence said:
Sorry about earlier Corporal. I'm Private Spence, Combat Engineer.
Click to expand...

Talbain finished stuffing a drum of ammo into it's pouch before turning to face the newcomer. "Welcome to the Cavaliers Private, I'm Talbain." Reaching out the Corporal started checking Spence's load out to make sure it was all secured properly while pointing out the other squad mates as he listed them off. "Your squad mates are Romero and Greer, both medics. Wreno who's another tech type. Stones is an assault man, follow his lead and you'll be ok. Then there's Brandt, don't get between him and something that needs dead. Sergeant Volkov or I tell you to jump then you jump, none of that how high garbage." Satisfied with his inspection of the technicians gear Talbain returned to packing his own load out.

"Gear checks out. Go help one of your squad mates gear up." It was as much of a dismissal as Eric was going to receive from the ID-SOL.

Finishing up with is own loadout Talbain finished powering up his armor. He hadn't really expected the shift in weight from a personal armor, it was a huge difference from the Muur armors that marines had been forced to rely on for a long time. Next on his agenda was to try and find some NRM Disposable Missile Tubes. Sure they weren't strictly Marine equipment but they were common enough and useful. It also gave him some time to make the tweaks he needed to his HUD and to set up his communication channels.
 
Wulfe was still expecting, deep down, that this would be another mission in power armor. He had been in the position of a footslogger before, and ironically enough it was also regarding the Admiral's personal security. He decided that one mission on foot was already a mission too many.

After mulling over how life was unfair and how he'd miss the shields and inches or armor that his HOSTILE provided, Wulfe got into the business of putting the Golem on.He had been expecting the armor to feel heavier, because of its bulk, but after he was in he noticed he could move with some degree of freedom. The marine flexed around, testing the movement before he went to pick up his weapons.

He picked a Showstopper as his primary weapon, stashing five I-SLAP magazines on his ammo pouches and one I-APE magazine for good measure. He picked his usual sidearm with him, as well as two extra magazines. He also picked four frag grenades, one smoke grenade and one stun grenade for good measure.

"Ready." He called out after being done, testing to see if the ammo pouches and grenades were properly secured and sheathing his Combat Knife on the chest area of the armor.
 
Bernhard and Laura were helping each other. First, she helped him in and then he helped her. The way the two worked in unison was as though they had never had any time apart. Their synchronization was something to behold as the two of them ran through the checklists of medical goodies they had in their bags. There was no flirtation, no teasing. Both had their heads in the game.

As medics, they both had an olive green messenger bag with a bright red cross. Inside were all the medical tools and treatments they might need in the event of a firefight. Bernhard was unsure about the decision to remove burn cream but Laura assured him that medical nano achieved the same effect in the end. Given that she was more educated on the more technical aspects of their equipment, Bernhard accepted her judgment.

"And hypolathe!" Laura finished, replacing the hypolathe into her bag. "If we have idiots wounded, I'll let you treat them," Bernhard said as he moved towards the weapons lockers.

He pulled out his M2 rifle and its attachments. Side-mounted flashlight, 16in bayonet in his pouch, 40mm launcher underslung, and 3 point sling. He took three HE rounds for the launcher. Bernhard eyed the new Zen pistol in his locker. It had been a Lewis Pasco present to all the Marines, which Laura had kept for him. After a moment's examination, he shoved it into his holster. Then there was the toy he'd never been able to play with. A Type 31 NMX saber.

"If you take your sword, I'll bring mine!" Laura smiled next to him. She had seen where his eyes were. Both of them had swords that they could never use... until now! Bernhard grinned, pulling the sword and its scabbard out and tying it around his waist.

Beside him, Laura pulled out Bernhard's Zen .357 SMG. It was his replacement firearm after his original IAW had conveniently gone missing to help some random oppressed people. She started stuffing high capacity magazines into her ammunition pouches, mostly hollowpoint rounds but a couple FMJ magazines too. Simple iron sights were a bore but Bernhard had not spent money to get the holo sights.

"You like that gun, don't you? Heard from Matty how you stormed the Admiral's house with one after I'd left," Bernhard commented. "It's a cute gun. Cuteness is the most deadly ammunition because it never runs out! Right, Sergeant?"

And then the familiar mischievous look came upon Laura's face. The reminder about that raid and how Chief Santiago had started it off.

"It's considered good luck to slap the Sergeant's butt before a mission," she whispered to Bernhard. He nodded as if he believed that, passing her ammunition for her own Zen pistol.

She pulled out the sheshka she had gotten years ago and ran her finger down the flat of the blade. Laura whispered something to Bernhard, who agreed to go along with the plan because it was Laura.

Quickly, she scampered over to the unsuspecting Phaedra and smacked her bottom playfully. "For luck since the Chief isn't here!" Laura announced, scampering away before Phaedra could retaliate.

Just then Sergeant Hardman and his fully equipped squad joined the Cavaliers. The three Jiyuuian women were in front and stopped when they saw Laura and Bernhard posing like idiots with their swords drawn. They looked at one then the other and then just bowed deeply to them.

Bernhard and Laura sheathed their blades without a word and returned the gesture. And then the two medics were suddenly being hugged by one of the Jiyuuian women. "Thank you," Fujisawa whispered to Laura.

Butch, Linzer and Hardman watched silently. They may be crude, crass and churlish, but they were smart enough not to spoil the moment. After having fought and lived with these women, all three knew that all of this was a way for all of them to heal old wounds.

"So, are we all smacking Sergeant Volkov's rear for good luck?" Hardman asked finally.

"No, get your kit and head out. The Admiral's waiting," Murdoch growled as he too re-entered the Armory.
------------------------------------------

The motorcade sped down the highway, led by a towering Warbear. It was playing jingles like "Admiral Valken is Coming to Town" and "Send in the Marines"

"Better watch out, better not cry, better not pout, I'm telling you why! Admiral Valken's in town!"

"He's making a list, he's checking it twice, he's gonna know if you're naughty or nice!"

"He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows you're awake, he'll sic the IPG on you, so be good for your own sake!"

"Oh, Admiral Valken's in town, oh yes, he's in town! Admiral Valken's coming to kick yo' ass!"

"When someone makes a move, of which we don't approve, who is it that always intervenes? Navy and IRC? They have their place, I guess. But first, send the Marines!"

Behind the semi-dancing Warbear blasting out music, a pair of K4 hovertanks followed. Behind them, six Outriders and then another three K4 tanks. It was an obvious display of military grandeur on an open highway with no other traffic.

And then, a swarm of patchwork armored vehicles sped down the highway towards the motorcade. Just as the Warbear switched its tune to "It's Killing Time!" the ground beneath it crumbled as explosives detonated underground caused it to sink, toppling the Warbear and taking it out of the fight.

Corporal Toby's K4s swung into action, taking flight and opening fire. Behind them, power armored Marines jumped out of the Outriders and began opening fire against the lightly armored vehicles, which ground to a halt and disgorged their occupants. It became a stalemate fight as the attackers were too numerous and possessed a number of heavy weapons, while the Marines were ordered to lay down suppressing fire and draw out the enemy. If they requested reinforcements, the IPG would watch out for them and hit them with its own Commando units.

--------------------------

Farther away, another, smaller motorcade of black cars was winding its way down a side street. The four vehicles were all painted in mourning colors and the middle vehicle was a hearse. Unbeknownst to everyone, it was the real motorcade the Admiral was using to travel.

"Never thought I'd be traveling in a hearse to meet the Governor," Dominic Valken commented to the IPG man sitting next to him. "We all make sacrifices, Admiral," the young lady smiled back. She and her twin sister were the Admiral's bodyguards. IPG Military Police, trained to guard the highest ranking personnel.

In the other cars, the Cavaliers and Hammers drove, scanning the faces on the street. Their windows were all tinted black so no one could see inside. It would have been very suspicious for funeral cars to be occupied by armed and armored soldiers.

Around them, tall apartment buildings rose above them, casting dark shadows over the streets. They were using road vehicles since air vehicles, if shot down, had a bad reputation with gravity.

Bernhard watched the towers go by, each window could be a potential firing spot. He sat behind, in the second car next to Talbain. Wulfe was driving and Eric was riding shotgun. Laura was riding shotgun in the fourth car, which was driven by Ben Linzer with Bastilen and Stan in the back. Phaedra and Kaoru was riding with the Admiral in shotgun as the other IPG bodyguard drove the hearse.

Hardman, Butch, Fujisawa and Suzuki rode the first car.

The motorcade came to a redlight, stopping as some street bums pushed their carts across the road. And then, guns appeared out of the shopping carts. Pedestrians started pulling assault weapons from bushes and the bullets started flying.

Hardman ducked, swearing loudly, as the bullets crashed against the bullet-proof glass. "We're under attack, get out there and hit them!" Hardman shouted over the radio.

"Hammers, secure the building on our left! Cavaliers, hold position and kill the bastards!" Valken roared, pulling out his pistol. He too was in a Golem and wanted to get out now that the firing had started. Staying inside made him a sitting duck.

"Omega Squad is fifteen minutes out. Save some turkeys for us," a Commando leader said.

Code: 
Turn 1/3
 
Bastilen, in classic style of him, had remained quiet for most of the trip. Without much to complain are grumble about, he had little to say about the goings on. Even when carefully pulling on his Golem armor. His own IAW AR kit was not assembled or set when he tugged it out of the box. So, he had to tug an unmodified standard out into the field. His weapon carred the standard dot-sight and foregrip. Though, Bastilen figured he didn't need much else. Strapped to his side were his two pistols, and leathered under that was his Marine Axe.

As bullets began to pelt against his window, the now lumbering tech began to slowly register what was going on outside. He looked to his fellow Marine sitting next to him in the fourth vehicle, before stepping out. The soldier set onto his feet, and rolled down the window of his door. Then, taking sight of the incoming fire, he set the barrel of his IAW over the edge of the door. With a bit of firing comfort, he began to send bursts of fire up the street towards the bulk of enemies.
 
Previously...

It happened suddenly; a smack on her butt. Phaedra whirled at the attack, only to see Laura scampering away, a grin plastered on her face.

"For luck since the Chief isn't here!"

If looks could kill, Laura would have instantly died from Phaedra's frigid gaze. But her expression faded; the mention of Chief Leon Santiago brought a sense of sadness Phaedra had not experienced before. She had not even had the time to think of him recently as she had been fully wrapped up in her duties.

"I hope he is alright..." thought Phaedra.

"So, are we all smacking Sergeant Volkov's rear for good luck?" Hardman asked finally. Phaedra scowled.

"No, get your kit and head out. The Admiral's waiting," Murdoch growled.

"Thank you Captain Murder..." thought Phaedra with relief. She donned her helmet and exited the armory.

------------------------------------------

Phaedra remained watchful as the motorcade winded through the city streets. She felt it in her gut; she just knew they were going to be attacked in the second convoy. And then the bullets started flying.

"We're under attack, get out there and hit them!" Hardman shouted over the radio.

"Hammers, secure the building on our left! Cavaliers, hold position and kill the bastards!" Valken roared.

"Cavaliers! Hold position and take out those hostiles! Protect the Admiral at all costs!" shouted Phaedra into the comm. She opened up the door and crouched behind it. Peering through the bullet-proof glass Phaedra picked her targets; the nearest hostiles too foolish to find cover. She then popped out from behind the door and fired controlled bursts with her Showstopper at her assailants.
 
Stan watched impassively as the street rolled by. Though he knew they were anything but, the sense of vulnerability had not faded. He hated it. At least last time the enemy would actually show themselves and fight. Of course, "the enemy" was unlikely to oblige his requests. His gaze briefly fell to the weapon in his hands: an IAW with a holo-sight. It was basic, but it would definitely do the job. He also had a HHG and a Marine Combat Axe, but Stan was hoping that he would not have to use them.

The sense of calm was shattered as the motorcade rolled to a stop and seemingly innocent civilians revealed themselves to be packing weapons. Stan managed to get the first part of a curse out before biting his tongue as Bastilen looked at him.

Springing out of the vehicle - the unfamiliarity of the Golem armour making the ID-SOL slightly unsure of himself - he also took cover behind one of the car's doors. He felt a vague sense of discomfort as he got a better look at the "civilians". Up until now he had been shooting at Nekos and Squids rather than Nepleslians and it took a bit of getting used to (even if they were trying to take his head off).

Taking a cue from Bastilen, when Stan popped up to take aim and fire at their assailants he braced the IAW against the top of car door (though not before checking that there would be no friendly fire). He tried to time his bursts to cover the periods where Bastilen's own gun was silent.

The ID-SOL had heard Phaedra's orders and could only force out a quick affirmative. The suddenness of the situation had made it feel like trying to do anything else was inviting tragedy.
 
The motorcade rumbled down the street while Eric sat tense and alert in his seat. He gripped his shotgun's handle tight one minute and released the next. Being his first live combat mission, he was on edge and a little bit afraid. He trusted his armor and weapons only as much as they looked, he didn't have the trust that only can come from true experience and it showed. He subconsciously reached for his chewing tobacco to calm his nerves. When his hand opened the pouch, he looked down to see where it was, knowing that just the sight would calm him down. That's when the ambush hit.

The bullets hit the car and he jumped from surprise, sitting there dumbfounded for a few seconds before his training kicked in. He shoved the door open with his shoulder and let it swing open. Using his momentum, he swung his body to a standing position and brought his shotgun to bear at some insurgents near the sidewalk parallel to his vehicle. He let loose with his shotgun and sent deadly high powered slugs at anyone with a gun. The blood was pumping through his ears and he was barely able to make out the radio and communications coming through his helmet. He mumbled an acknowledgement to Volkov's order as he continued to pump slug after slug into, or at least near, anyone who was stupid enough to raise a weapon. His adrenalin pumping throughout his body was making it difficult to keep a steady bead on his targets and it wasn't long before his bolt locked back empty.
 
Talbain had spent most of the ride evaluating the terrain for tactical value. With the enemy able to ambush on their terms he doubted there would be anything obvious unless they were packing weapons to deal with power armors. When the bullets started impacting he chambered a round and set his weapon on automatic then took a moment to check out the bums that had been in front of the convoy.

Valken said:
Hammers, secure the building on our left! Cavaliers, hold position and kill the bastards!
Click to expand...

By this point the Corporal was already pulling the safeties off of one of his relaxant grenades. "Relax grenade going out!" Allowing it to cook off a couple seconds before stepping out of the vehicle he chunked it towards the bums blocking the front of the convoy then turned towards sweeping the street sides with bursts from his slug throwing deathstick.
 
Wulfe ducked as the bullets started flying, some pinging against the bulletproof glass. The marine reached for his weapon and then listened to the squad radio as he got up again and looked at the ongoing battle in front of them.

"Hammers, secure the building on our left! Cavaliers, hold position and kill the bastards!"
Click to expand...

That settled it for him, and although he couldn't fathom why the rest of the marines wouldn't drive out of the kill zone in their perfectly safe armored vehicle, Wulfe rolled the window down and fired at the enemy with the Showstopper. He used the door to support the weapon and reminded himself of the basics of reacting to a near ambush, which involved pouring as much fire to the enemy positions as possible so another group could assault their position.

He fired his weapon in automatic, but in shorts bursts to not lose accuracy and focusing on the largest groups of enemies, or the most exposed. Once the weapon clicked empty, the marine reached for another magazine and reloaded, getting down to stop exposing himself to the enemy fire.
 
Admiral Valken had been about to step out when he was shoved back inside by Operator Huang. She had kept quiet about the orders Valken had given them. The IPG's response would have been to keep driving. The Marines had bundled out and started firing, staying in the killing zone, chosen by the enemy.

But Admiral Valken was a naval commander, not a ground commander. He hadn't written or read the book on IPG ground tactics, let alone the NSMC's handbook. So he had responded as any redblooded Nepleslian, by getting out and shooting back.

"Other side, Admiral. Towards the building!" Operator Huang Li Jia shouted from the driver's seat. Operator Huang Li Xia covered the hearse with her M2.

----------------------

Wulfe's car smashed through the front entrance of the apartment complex and crashed into the opposite wall.

Behind him, Sergeant Hardman and his Hammers followed through the broken entryway. Fat, healthy hobos with military haircuts and Paragon guns started to appear. They were promptly cut down by the Marines' gunfire. All three ID-SOLs were hefting shotguns and firing them together, though Butch being the strongest, fired two Auto-12s from the hip because he thought it was cool.

Their Jiyuuian compatriots complemented them with Styrling Ripshots. While the ID-SOLs laughed like kids on the playground, the Jiyuuians were deathly silent save for the chatter of their guns. "Butch, Kaoru, right flank!"

"Boomer, Bubblehead, left flank," Hardman barked. "Leader Girl, Stones, with me."

They didn't pause to count the mercs they'd just killed. Just that there more than they had fingers.

---------------------------

Bernhard grabbed Admiral Valken as he exited the hearse, shielding him from the "hobos" down the road who were firing wildly. Most of them were being cut down by the squad's accurate fire. He saw a merc running while firing from the hip only to take a bullet to the head from Bastilen's shot.

A pair of them seemed to explode as Showstopper rounds bore into them.

Li Jia appeared in front of him, M2 raised. Behind them, Laura came up, squeezing off a round that took what might have been a real hobo down.

"Cavaliers, into the building!" Laura shouted to them.

"Get off me," Valken snarled as they got into the building. Just as Bernhard let go, a Paragon merc got up from the pile of dead and was gunned down by the Admiral.

And then the Admiral fired another round into him.

"The Admiral is scary when he's mad. Saw him kicking one of the guys who kidnapped him after we rescued him," Laura whispered to Bernhard. That made Bernhard re-assess his commanding officer in a new light. With an increase in respect for the man.

Outside, the bums on the road were easily gunned down, especially after the relax grenade started to take effect on them.

Code: 
Turn 2/3
 
Bastilen broke rank from the car he was in, climbing back into the vehicle and out the other side for cover. Free of the dark car, he ran in a crouch gliding over the ground like the rat he was. He occasionally snuck peeks over the edge of his collar armor, but made short time of the distance between him and other aspects of cover. The occasionally streaking bullet caused him to jolt in small bursts of speed, and it was little time until he made way to the opening into the building.

At that, he turned and crouched, poking his weapon out. He began firing back at anything that wasn't wearing their colors. Short bursts of bullets went back out, as he provided covering fire for anyone coming in after him.

"Let's go!" he roared to the others, his rifle coughing fire in between words. "More rubble, more trouble!"
 
Talbain started to work his way backwards towards the beach head that Hardman and his squad was establishing in the building. Facing outwards to keep fire on anyone that would pursue into the breach. This situation was rapidly becoming worse as far as he was concerned.

"Any drivers still in their vehicles. Park in the lobby. Get them out of the street. All Cavs, we're forming a perimeter on the lobby facing out. Prepare to extract the zone." By this point the Corporal was downright pissed. Less about how the situation was playing out and more about the implications of their route plan being leaked.

"We can't afford to stay and play games, commandos can finish this."

Talbain continued to make his way while looking for targets to unexist. Trusting to the rest of the squad to make sure nothing unfriendly got to stay alive inside the perimeter being formed. He needed something to take aggression out on and kept facing outward.
 
Spence felt more than heard his car drive off without him. He checked his map and seeing the bundle of soldiers in a building behind him, he let his empty shotgun fall into the sling and drew his sidearm. He let off a few rounds at the endless seeming mercs and with a lull in the fighting he turned and ran into the building, knowing is anyone could keep him safe in Nepleslia, it was them. He saw the rounds skipping off the pavement, and that only made him run faster.

He burst into the lobby, glad for the break from the high stress combat. He fumbled with a magazine for his shotgun but he couldn't quite get it locked in without dropping it onto the ground. He grabbed it and slammed it in probably harder than the norm and took a position against the wall watching the rest of the lobby while the doors were cleared.
 
Stan wasn't far behind Bastilen, retracing the other man's route like he was attached to him by a rope. The gunfire only acted as an extra incentive for the ID-SOL, who sprinted across the area between the car and the building like he was on fire.

They had managed to take down a few of their assailants, but it felt like they were still coming. Stan gritted his teeth. Once he arrived at the building, he decided to make a quick check of the interior of the perimeter. Though the commotion outside was distracting, the last thing they needed was to expose their backs to someone they missed in the fighting.

If the perimeter's interior turned out to be clear, Stan assumed a position next to Bastilen and provided extra covering fire for the rest of the Cavaliers.
 
"Acknowledged!"Wulfe yelled from inside the car, trying to be heard over the weapons' chatter.

With a motion of his arm Wulfe managed to get the seatbelt off him and then attempted to open the door, which wouldn't bulge. The marine gave it a kick, but still no luck, and only after putting both of his legs into it that he finally managed to bust the door open.

The marine jumped out of the vehicle and grabbed his showstopper, giving it a quick check for any damage and then reloading before falling in step with Hardman as the rest of the marines started to get into the building.

"Right behind you!" He called out to Hardman.

Then it was time to go after some mercenaries.
 
"Hostiles are down; head for the building, Cavaliers," said Phaedra. She scanned the rooftops with her weapon aimed; she did not want to take any chances.

"Any drivers still in their vehicles. Park in the lobby. Get them out of the street. All Cavs, we're forming a perimeter on the lobby facing out. Prepare to extract the zone," said Talbain.

Phaedra joined the rest of the squad in the forming perimeter around the building.

"Good call, Corporal," said Phaedra, nodding to Talbain. She made her way to where the Admiral was standing over a pile of mercenary corpses. She barely acknowledged the presence of the nearby IPG agents.

"Admiral, all visible hostiles are down," said Phaedra, her Showstopper still at the ready.

"I suggest we keep moving, sir, especially if our original route has been compromised. Perhaps we can take a random course that would prove to be unpredictable?"
 
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