Part 11: What Is That Stuff Made Of?
Chapter 9 - What Is That Stuff Made Of?
"Commanders log: April 21th, 0900 hours.
Just as Hero's team was prepared to deploy along the east coast of the USA we received a request for help from a local human faction around the Great Lakes area. Their settlement lays directly between the territories the cult controls and naturally they are now applying pressure on the settlement to either join the cult or be removed. Obviously we are not going to let that happen while we are fighting in the area anyway, but the Great Lakes area is also well suited for a very large base site.
Hero's team will be diverted to the settlement where the local population has mostly evacuated, having no militia or fighting force of their own. The mission is to simply make planet fall inside the settlement and hold it against an immanent cultist attack."
-- April 21, 1000 hours --
Vallhallan: God damn it, when are they going to make those promised improvements on the sphere?
Rabbit: Worse is that Vina thinks it'd be so fun to ride in it once.
Hero: Get your lunches together and lets look around. Seems quiet.
Pumpkin: Villagers must be safely away, I don't sense them.
Quicksilver: Or all dead.
Pumpkin: Possible.
Hero: Let's hope that's not the case.
Pumpkin: Nothing so far.
Quicksilver: Got something! Psionic coming out of the green house on the hill.
Quicksilver: Scratch that, got some more hostiles in some serious looking armor.
Hero: They're setting up on the hill... Fall back! They've got the high ground, get back.
Hero: Val, hit 'em with a rocket when they're close
Vallhallan: Right. They're still chasing you.
Hero: Hit the shack, turn and fire!
Pumpkin: Got one!
Hero: Here's the rest.
Rabbit: Both of them are down.
Quicksilver: Blew a chunk out of the wall, what are you using over there?
Rabbit: AA12, new shotgun Haggis cooked up just in time. Armor piercing slugs.
Hero: Damn, the psionics reviving them. Val, where's that rocket?
Vallhallan: Coming up!
Vallhallan: Fuck I pulled it!
Quicksilver: What?
Vallhallan: I wasn't expecting these things to have recoil! It's like an alien bio-weapon just farted all over my arm with incredible force.
Quicksilver: Sorry I asked.
Vallhallan: Ha, suck it. I still got them!
Hero: Yeah yeah, praise Reticulan rockets for being powerful enough to compensate for your aim.
Vallhallan: Hey!
Hero: Move up, let's take that hill now.
Pumpkin: Wait, I see something. Around the corner.
Rabbit: I see them! Psionic fleeing back to the hill!
Rabbit: Bigger problem! This guy's not staying down!
Hero: That ought to keep him down.
Rabbit: Yeah, but what are they making their armor out of? We could use stuff like that.
Quicksilver: I've got eyes on the runner. She won't be a problem.
Quicksilver: Target is down.
Vallhallan: Nice shot.
Hero: More problems incoming. Val, hit them!
Vallhallan: You got it.
Video Footage
Vallhallan: I'm out of rockets, but that guy is toast.
Quicksilver: You only brought two shots?
Vallhallan: Hey, you want to go ask the Reticulans for more ammo?
Quicksilver: Okay yeah, good point.
Hero: Uh Val?
Vallhallan: What- Oh son of a bitch! How did he survive that!
Rabbit: Seriously, we need that armor.
Vallhallan: Garrhhh!
Quicksilver: Shooter on the hill! Val's Down!
Hero: Cyborg and the heavy armor are both still up, gotta deal with them first.
Pumpkin: Heavy armor is down
Pumpkin: Or maybe not.
Rabbit: How many times can these guys keep getting up?
Quicksilver: Cyborg is down at least.
Quicksilver: And the psionic.
Hero: Shit, so is pumpkin!
Rabbit: Heavy just took a face dive into the dirt. He has to be dead this time.
Hero: Silver, med kit now! Vals going to bleed out! Rabbit, cover fire on the hill sniper.
Rabbit: He's running. Looks like you scared him off.
Hero: Huh, I only hit him once. With their armor that couldn't have been too scary.
Vallhallan: Arghh.. I'm up...Feel like shit.
Pumpkin: Thank you, I'll live too.
Hero: Rabbit and Silver, with me. Val, pumpkin, get back to the sphere.
Quicksilver: Whats the plan Cap'?
Hero: Find the runner, secure the area.
Quicksilver: Just the three of us?
Hero: We'll fall back if we see any more heavy hitters.
Quicksilver: Eh, I don't see anything out there.
Rabbit: Last one must have run away.
Hero: I'm willing to call that a day, almost lost Val and Pumpkin.
"Commanders Log: Mission Report.
Hero's Team has returned from a successful mission. However Val and Pumpkin are badly injured and will be in medical for several days. The local faction is very grateful for our assistance and will aid us in setting up a base in the area. This is much needed room to expand our facilities, but the downside is that the locals have no garrison and are in a hostile position.
The situation isn't turning out as well as I had hoped it would. With two missions completed three of my soldiers are stuck in medical for extended times. This rate can obviously not continue, and is further complicated by the arrival of the alien space ship. Obviously I can not have my soldiers unavailable for action when that ship shows up. With 10 soldiers remaining for active deployment I can not afford to send them into a grinder against the cult. Or at least not without drafting more soldiers, an option I am weighing again."
