Alarm bells rang in hanger one. Darkwind and Heridden Barbarossa made sure that their teams had their equipment ready to go. In a matter of minutes the team was assembled in the Skyranger and the heavy weapons platform was loaded in behind them. I used my command console to set the pilot's way-point.
Within the hour the drop ship arrived on scene. It was pitch black outside and the pilot noted that he couldn't see a thing on the ground.
Mario activated his remote tank and moved quietly out of the back of the drop-ship He turned on his headlights but was unable to find anything immediately around the drop ship. As he moves further away from the Skyranger the ground team hears a loud explosion!
"What was that?" I asked across the room to Mario.
"I don't know commander, It's not within my field of vision but I know it came from this direction..."
Meanwhile Spartan grabs his smoke grenade and tosses it out of the Skyranger to provide some cover for the team.
"Wait for the smoke to spread before heading out" Cautioned Spartan.
While the smoke spreads and the ground team moves out of the drop-ship into the protective smoke, Mario continues scouting ahead. "I think I found the source of the explosion..."
An alien lay motionless on the ground, it's weapons a few feet away from it. "I think it misfired it's weapon and took itself out. how lucky. I'll just finish checking out this side of the ufo before I swing around and check our flank." Mario mused as he scanned his field of view.
Meanwhile the two ground teams had moved out of the Skyranger and into the smoke screen.
They readied their flares and began throwing them into the darkened forest around them.
"I see one just outside my headlights, here are the coordinates..." Mario reported as he took a glance at his own coordinates. Quickly and efficiently he relayed the location of the hostile to the rest of the team.
"Mario. I want you to try something. Remember the part in your cross training about baiting? Show me what you learned..." I leaned forward and stroke my chin softly as I carefully watched his tank through multiple screens, the right forward Skyranger video feed as well as his own video feed array.
Mario caught the attention of the alien by moving closer then slowly withdrew from the alien, moving around the edge of the ufo. The alien cautiously followed, trying to get a clear shot on Mario.
A flare lands behind the alien, instantly illuminating it and the trees around it.
"Time to send another little gray man to hell." Growled Darkwind as she dropped her flare, kneeled and carefully placed a high caliber bullet into the mind of the confused alien.
Those around Darkwind had to stop for a moment and stare. It was as if she had been waiting for that moment all week, she had fired before anyone had even a chance to raise their weapon.
"You have to want it more than anything else." Was all she would say in response.
"OK guys, I'm checking the flank now, thank god for flares eh?" Mario smiled as he started up a grass covered hill. He was greeted at the top by several green blasts of fire coming from just out of his field of vision. "Taking fire!" He commented with surprise as he leaned closer to his screens.
Mario moves in closer, taking a couple direct hits but they thankfully deflected, spiraling off into the night sky. Once closer he activated his high beams and tried to disorient the alien. "I think I have him guys, go nuts!" He cheered as the little gray man lifted it's hand to try and block the light invading it's eyes.
The ground team, moves to create a firing line. Each soldier begins their deadly assault on the alien's location. Like a tidal wave of bullets the ground and trees splinter and fly into the air like fresh snow caught in the wind.
Upon viewing Mario's video feed in slow motion I saw in detail the result of the carnage. The alien had taken two bullets but still held it's ground. A third bullet connected in the little gray man's chest, blowing it's way through. The bullet was larger than a rifle round, it belonged, along with the kill, to Argatson.
"OK breach team, you're with me, let's move up while Mario makes his last sweep." Heridden commands his team. Moving forward through the darkness, guided by the odd brightly glowing flare, towards the grounded ufo.
"Ashley, check around behind the ufo and meet us at the entrance." Heridden spoke quietly as he motioned to the left side of the ufo.
Mario finished his sweep of the area and reported no additional aliens in the area. All that was left was the ufo itself.
Dash Gunmetal prepares a flare at the entrance of the ufo to illuminate the inside.
At Heridden's approval, he popped open the ufo's door and tossed the flare inside.
Meanwhile. Argatson yells out a warning as the alien corpse in-front he had just been looking at jumps up at him!
He quickly brought up his auto cannon...
and perforated the crafty alien with multiple armor piercing rounds.
Steve enters the ufo and spots an alien that had come out of the back room to investigate the noise.
He raises his pistol and efficiently drops the alien, taking cover as it falls to the floor.
"Got one. No more are visible, come on in and lets finish this place up." Steve reported through the radio. Heridden Barbarossa, Dash Gunmetal and Ashley Smith all enter into the ufo and take position, covering the two doors that lead into the front of the ufo.
Heridden moves up closer to the alien corpse to move it out of the way of the door. As he leans over the corpse the door opens. He and the little gray man on the other side of the threshold stare blankly at each other for a split second before Heridden reaches for his pistol. The little gray man pulls it's trigger, it's alien gun springs to life and green fire travels near instantly into Heridden's chest.
"CAPTAIN BARBAROSSA!" Yelled out Steve as he squeezes his trigger. He holds his rifle tightly in his hands as he forces it on target, filling the alien with holes.
"Get a medic in there now, man down!" I shouted as I brought up the captain's vitals. His heartbeat was rapid as he gasped for air.
Dash Gunmetal rushed forward past the alien to clear the front room while Steve followed up to Heridden. Heridden groaned loudly as his skin smoldered, the green fire was spreading along his skin and deeper into his chest. Steve pulled out his med kit and fumbled with the tools as he went over his basic medic training in his mind. "Hang in there captain!" He commanded sternly.
Ashley Smith took the left door and met Dash Gunmetal at the door to the engine room. They breached the room quickly but found no signs of any more aliens.
Heridden coughed deeply as the green burns pierced his lungs. His eyes grow wide as his vision goes blurry, the image of Steve yelling at him begins to mute as he struggles for air. And then there was nothing but the high pitched sound of captain Heridden Barbarossa's vitals going flat.
TO BE CONTINUED!
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MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Stats increases:
Spartan:
Throwing Accuracy + 2
Hugh Mann:
TU's + 3
Health + 1
Strength + 2
Dash Gunmetal:
Throwing Accuracy + 1
Archangel:
Stamina + 4
Health + 3
Ashley Smith:
Rank UP! - Sergeant
Throwing Accuracy + 2
Clone 1:
Rank UP! - Squaddie
Kills + 2
TU's + 4
Stamina + 2
Reactions + 1
Firing Accuracy + 3
Argatson:
Kills + 2
Stamina + 3
Health + 1
Firing Accuracy + 2
Darkwind:
Rank UP! - Captain
Kills + 1
TU's + 3
Stamina + 1
Health + 3
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hope it was worth the wait :3