Mission 7: Protector

[Guardian Cat of Yappa's]

Captain Kelvin Duncan
1/7, 53rd CE, A Co.
End of the li- What the Hell an Elevator?
Protector, Tranquilius Beta System

Duncan hadn't been keeping track of time, all he knew was that they needed to get the hell out of this tunnel. This tunnel should run into Beta cluster he thought, the sound of heavy breathing filled the tunnel as he ran in the cluster of men that was Third platoon of his company. What he hadn't realized was that they weren't in a main tunnel, but one of the maintenance tunnels that ran beside the main tunnel. "Captain, awe, is there suppose to be an Elevator here?" 

"What?" was all that escaped his lips as he stepped up to the elevator, great so only so many men can go at once. "Shit, this isn't the main tunnel, this is a maintenance tunnel." He looked down the tunnel behind them, no sign of covvies. "Alright here's what we're gonna do, 8 men at a time, that should get all of us out of here in two to three elevator trips. Go up with first squad Benson, I'll stay down here and direct men up."

"Sir, what about any covenant-"

"I'll be fine Lieutenant, now get moving that's an order."

"Copy that Captain."

A ring filled the tunnel as the elevator doors slid open, the Lt. slid in with first squad. The doors closing before the elevator made it's descent up. "Alright men, defensive formation here, one squad goes up at a time with the elevator alright."

The Captain switched his comm unit on, "All Reaper Assets, turns out we're in the maintenance tunnels, RV will be designated once we get back into the main tunnels, Reaper actual out." He cut the line as he crouched down beside on of the sergeants.

---

 

Sergeant Maximilian Drake Fields

1/7 A Co. 1st Platoon, 2nd Squad

Touchdown, Move your Ass marine!

Protector, Tranquilius Beta System

The Sergeant Stood in the doorway to the cockpit, watching as the water plant come into view. "ETA 30 seconds Sergeant, get your men ready." The pilot called back to him, not taking his eyes out from the airspace in front of the Albatross. Though there were no signs of conflict from the view they had.

"Copy that, you heard the man, marines, get ready to move your asses." Fields called out, putting his helmet on before grabbing his re-breather he was given. "Remember boys, we need the Re-breathers so we don't pass out in the field." 

"10 seconds marines, give him hell."

"Wilco, Lieutenant."

The sound of firing bolts being pulled back and rounds chambering filled the bay as the ramp dropped. Sunlight poured into the bay, as the light turned green. "Move it second squad." The marines charged out of the Albatross, a total of 11 men stood there for a second as the albatross pulled away. "Lets get inside, We're sitting ducks out here." 

As they jogged to the entrance of the facility Fields comms cam alive "Sergeant Fields, this is Corporal Goodwin, we got a little side-tracked, on our way to the water plant now.
"


"Goodwin, Fields here, copy that. Report to me when you get here Corporal. Fields out." The door to the complex opened up, his squad moving in before it closed again, as he closed the comm line.

---

PFC Joseph Sherman

1/7, 12th Recon Battalion, Sniper Team

Enjoying the vie-eh Setting up in a nest

Protector, Tranquilius Beta System

"Sherman dammit hurry up, this is the best position out of all the nests they set up." Sherman and Savannah were told that they were on defense duty of this tunnel. As they were moving to find a position to set up, a bunch of ODSTs had shown up and started moving trucks around and such, creating blockades in each of the tunnels. At the same time they happened to make a prime sniper nest out of some scaffolding. For the ODSTs had moved a large truck infront of the base of the scaffolding, making it a safer position for the snipers to use. The tarps on it would provide somewhat visual cover until Sherman fired off the first shot.

"Alright alright Savannah I'm hurrying up." Savannah had started to climb the ladders, when Joseph looked up to start climbing. The young farmboy stopped, his young mind making a perverted scene out of his spotter climbing the ladder. "Awe I'll wait a second and let som-" 

"I already reported in that we're in the scaffolding here, now hurry up." Sherman stared in the pervish awe that a 19 year old boy would have as her behind shaked slighty before she finished climbing up onto the scaffolding. "I said move your ass Sherman." 

I wouldn't mind moving your ass he thought before he shook out of his stupor as she moved out of site, "Copy that, sorry Savannah." A sense of Embarrassment filled him as he hurried up the scaffolding to set up.

[Cabel]

[Tranquilitas Beta: Planet Protector: Water Purification Plant: Alpha Company Command Post: Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th MEU: Captain Mark “Spade” Sorelson: Date: 1 January 2548]

“Tornado Actual, this is Tornado Four. Interrogative: What‘s the twenty on the rest of the Company?” Second Lieutenant Charles Callaghan‘s voice came over the encrypted channel into his helmet-mic. A fourth platoon to defend the Water Purification Plant, and the third one of Alpha Company to boot? His Company had been spread out, more from the confusion of the tunnels and the rapid need to establish effective thorough defenses.

“Tornado Actual to Tornado Four, glad to see you ground-side. First and Second Platoons arrived when I did, and third Platoon‘s with Guardian Actual at the airfield. We‘re reinforcing an Army Platoon of the local Garrison. Deploy your men as you see fit, and have marksmen where they can get a clean shot without being dusted. Work with the Army troopers, and use any advantage you can get. Let your men know to keep their EV suits on. I‘m glad you’re here. Tornado Actual, out,” Mark replied over the encrypted channel. He‘d seen to moving the first perimeter, the sandbag horse-shoe near the main pressure door back a bit towards the secondary pressure door reinforcing the second perimeter and took the time to erect massive caltrops and other tank traps inside both pressure doors. Taking into account the Wraith tank‘s hovering ability, the aging marine with the cooperation of both the Army troopers and the marines erected those massive caltrops tall enough and sharp enough to tear the bottoms of those tanks and hopefully where the thrusters had been located along with those pesky Ghosts and any other vehicles the Covenant might throw at them. Turning his attention to the sides of the main pressure door while the caltrops were put into place or bolted into place, the Captain turned to an old trick knowing the Covenant would throw those flying beetles better known as the Drones at them and those over-grown cicadas could bypass the tank traps.

Stringing razor-sharp trip-wires both at neck and wing height in addition to other random heights throughout the first foyer leading from the main pressure door to the second pressure door shortly after the marines of First Platoon's Second Squad arrived. The wires were thin enough he hoped to not be spotted from a distance, but sharp enough to be more than a surprise to any Drones or Covenant that managed to make it that far. He’d reinforce the catwalks and upper areas with sandbags, instacrete barriers and any other nasty surprises he could think of before assigning more marines and troopers to those areas to reinforce and assist the marksmen.

[BetaWülf]

Unggoy Ultra Dakek.
Moving time.

Dakek stood straight and gave a strong and controlled salute when the Field Marshal nodded to him, though once Til looked back to the T'vaoan Champion Dakek's body shuttered slightly and his head crooked to the side. He trundled off to join up with the other Unggoy, but was quickly shuffled into the staircase with a select few others. He passed a T'vaoan Major who was chatting in his ear, lazy pushover should be doing his job! Dakek rudely shoved past him and cautiously lead his File down the staircase behind the Kig-yar and T'vaoan.

He pulled out his needler and popped his knuckles, his breathing was heavy and the anticipation of battle rushed throw him. He wanted to kill some 'top brass' Humans as they were called in the shows he had been watching, though he couldn't tell them apart so he decided he would just have to kill lots of them and just take shiny things from each one, the jingly silver necklaces they wore were good loot.

Sangheili Major Gjanee Bakee.
The warriors gather.

Gjanee looked up as the Sangheili and Jiralhanae were being called to gather, the time for honor was now. Gjanee looked over at Phran and sighed, he seemed like a good warrior and a nice enough lad, but he had his head in the clouds with all that San'Shyuum nonsense. Gjanee stifled a laugh as he thought about the Arbiters being shamed now, when they were the truest warriors when the Sangheili weren't blinded fools. He smacked the back of his hand into Phran's arm to get his attention, "Come now boy, it is time to prepare for battle" he said before stomping off towards the Field Master Legra.

He stood at the forefront of the assembled Sangheili, on the side where the Jiralhanae stood. His mace rested over his shoulders and the back of his neck, a hand draped over each end. He looked Legra up and down from a distance, he seemed nice and hardened, but a fool like all the rest. It was unfortunate to him that his entire species were all mentally handicapped in his opinion. "Are you ready for this battle, young Phran?" Gjanee asked, curious as to what he would say.

[Huka]

Field Marshal Til ‘Muramai
In the Threshold of the Hive

In the slow descent and the hearing of the whine of the Humans’ metal lift as it held the weight of elite warriors on its bay, Til unconsciously patted on his arsenal; plasma rifles, carbine, curveblades, grenades, holodrones...oh how he wanted to unleash a righteous fury with blades blazing and rending his foes like a tempest of plasma and cauterized flesh. No, not yet. Such a 'Moram tactic. With that in mind, the Field Marshal chose his carbine. He always enjoyed its precision and respectable flexibility since they started to standardize the weapon in his younger days.

Reaching out with a open hand as his thoracic protector popped the butte up enough to be grabbed and slipped over his shoulder, Til instinctively checked the completely full ammunition and brushed his inner thumb along the dark blue skin. Catching the Champion next to himself, he stood abit straight and give off his air of confident, “Frontal Mgalekgolo, prepare to shield the front line in the case of any grenades or missiles.” He warned, hearing the soft musical hum of their colonies responded in affirmative.This was a death trap, he knew that but right now, he have to charge now or risk them forging their defenses more.

Suddenly the slow lifts halted abruptly and caused the Battle Priest to query through their comlink, “The lifts have stopped. The humans are daring to impede in our arrival.” Though the Field Marshal resisted the need to berate the high-rated officer for speaking the obvious, he instead remarked, “It seems so. Cut through the floor, sizable for your Mgalekgolo.” He ordered before handing his carbine to one of his soldiers. “Move.”

Everyone started to give Til a wide girth as he reached down to his cuisse, running a claw over a slim lining before it opened out to push out a spiked cylinder. That earned a few awed whispers as the veteran pulled it out. For a moment, he felt a rush of reverence and peace while holding this. With a squeeze of his powerful hand, the cylinder telescopically extended into a spear before long plasma blades erected from either end. Several youngster stared in awe at the exotic weapon, the Zealot’s legendary energy glaive. Whirling it a few times with a distinctive eerie whisp, Til transferred energy to one end for a much long blade and stabbed through the lift floor to the emitter. The immediate smell of melting metal hitting the air while the spearmaster worked diligently to make a large near-perfect circle that took a few tedious units thanks to the supportive thickness of it.

When the heated end met its cooled beginning, the Zealot pulled out and have gravity demand its dominance as the heavy slab of metal fell down a short survivable fall to a open door. “Clever nishum.” He sneered but he wasn’t deterred in the least. Quickly accessing his channel, Til coordinated, “When your lifts are punched through, send your Mgalekgolo first.” Then he switched the stair lances while gesturing his own first bond-pair to move into the hole, “All troops, prepare divert attention to your positions. Fight well and we will survive this. On the sound of the Hunter war-hammer, bring your ferocity to the scum.”

Waiting a few heartbeats, the Field Marshal nodded and the first brave Mgalekgolo leapt down into the hole, facing the hanger entrance with its shield up and the expected sound of murderous hails of bullets came pinging against the ship-graded hull defense the moment the titan was seen. A roar of defiance came from the first assaulter before the drumming blasts of its singular fuel rod capsules sounded in the air. In the wake of this destruction, its eager twin moved in to join its brother for deadly combat.

Soon more sounds of the Mgalekgolo breakers sounded the music of war before Til shouted out a war-cry, leading by example of jumping down the hole via tether with a subtle vanish via camouflage. Not even a heartbeat was waited on before Sangheili and Jiralhanae filed with the spur of glory and righteous fury to guide them, armed with heavy arsenals and wicked weapons.

Spec Ops Ultra Praem ‘Nikuysmee
Infiltration

“Careful.” The Infiltrator whispered coldly as if the enemy could hear them from this position, placing a hand over the pilot’s shoulder as they neared their objective, the heavy dropship dropping its measly load of troops to the water processor’s gate. Thinking on his next time before a sinister thought came to mind, “Yamne’e, grab the armed Unggoy and prepare to drop them on the equipment and the heavy dropship. Primarily the equipment before we can asset.” He ordered, turning his head towards the heavy-specialists rubbing their plasma charges wrapped on their harness, nevermind the methane tanks themselves were armed for extra power.

“Warriors, prepare for the flames!’

[Cabel]

[Tranquilitas Beta: Planet Protector: Water Purification Plant: Alpha Company Command Post: Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th MEB: Captain Mark “Spade” Sorelson: Date: 1 January 2548]

Having seen to using whatever they could find to add adhoc armor to the M13’s, M13A’s and the warthogs, Mark gestured to the marines and army troopers to take up their positions that both entailed defense and flexibility. The aging Captain knew an inflexible defense often meant the careless deaths of the personnel manning those positions as well as the defending unit or units being overrun hence Mark had opted for a flexible defense. He’d chosen to use a flexible defense knowing if there had been gaps, which there were bound to be reinforcements could plug the holes or the entire line could fall back while being covered by friendly suppressive fire and it also meant that the risk of the entire line being overrun had been reduced. Hearing the faint, distinct sound he and other marines had come to know came with a Covenant dropship, he'd given a gesture for the marines and army troopers on the catwalks to lay prone and unmoving from their concealed perches. The other part of the plan, which he’d passed along, had been for the marine and army troopers along the three perimeters including inside the vehicles lay prone behind the barriers long enough for the massive tank traps, trip-wires and other nasty surprises to cause a ruckus in the Covenant ranks. The APC‘s, Warthogs and heavy weaponry pits had been disguised to appear as civilian powered machines used within Water Treatment/Purification Plants while the heavy weapons had been placed beneath freight pallets with their barrels kept from view.

The plan, as Mark had run the men under his command including the Army Troopers through, had involved the men laying prone and hidden behind the barriers while everyone remained unmoving as possible. Mark had been in enough ambushes, and firefights to know if the opposition hadn‘t known the layout of the land that or its key points that it was in the defender’s advantage. Keeping as low as possible near the warthog rather than beneath it with his stomach pressed flat against the deck, he could hear the thrumming from beyond the main pressure door and could faintly hear the sound of troops landing in the sand that made up the planet’s barren surface. Mark knew each of the men and women under his command, regardless of being marine or army trooper or even a stalwart civilian not that they had any of those around, kept their weapons at the ready and controlled their breathing. Listening to the age old fight or flight response ingrained into the base reptilian mind everyone carried beneath their more developed human mind hadn’t been an option here, since each one of them knew from Mark to the only twice proven Private that if they lost the Water Treatment Plant they’d lose the engagement from dehydration. The notion they had to hold this ground had been left unspoken, not that each of them waiting behind instacrete and sandbag barriers or on the upper balconies knew they couldn’t fallback. He’d even quieted the warthog’s radios, if he could or shut them down to make it appear to the Covenant there hadn’t been any UNSC presence at the Plant and that his own helmet-radio could intercept any encrypted transmissions over the MEB’s channel. As soon as Mark had given the signal for the men to lay prone, hidden behind the barriers or their vehicles, the lights to the plant’s interior had been powered down although at the same time the power could be quickly turned back on to blind the Covenant attackers. The power to the lights in the vehicles with the exception of the weaponry had been reduced, and even the power to the suits and the helmets of the defenders had been reduced creating an empty darkened plant.

[BasedGoody]

Barry Barrington

"My feet hurt like Hell." Michael groaned as he boots clapped on the ground of the tunnel. They had been jogging for a solid ten minutes in an attempt to get to the water planet. The Private First Class had been complaining for half their journey already and was slowly drifting back. All three marines were in peak physical condition, yet Michael had carried Goodwin through an under-fire airfield. This gave him slight bitching rights.

"Wow, really? Are you telling me they didn't heal after the third time you said it?" Barry scoffed. The Private felt Michael's smile and heard his chuckle even behind his masked face. Goodwin shook his head.

"You know I'm like you marine's father, right?" The Corporal questioned, "I gotta keep you kids safe." Barry and Michael blew air out of their nose in approval as they continued on.

---

Unggoy Ultra Yaddap

"My feet hurt like Hell." Tabban groaned as his feet trudged through the sand. They had been moving for a valid amount of time in an attempt to find their Chieftain Garatus. The Major had been complaining for half their mission so far and was lagging behind. All three Unggoy were in average physical condition, but none were really trained for long distance running. Yaddap and Judded felt as if he didn't deserve any bitching rights, however.

"Wow, for sure? Are you telling me that they haven't fixed after like the billionth time you said?" Judded scowled. Tabban's light laugh radiated through his gas mask. Yaddap nodded.

"You guys know, I'm, like your parent." The Ultra sighed, "I have to go and keep you guys safe." Tabban and Judded grunted in acknowledgement as they moved on.

[Faclan]

SSA-012 - Yanme'e Swarm
Approaching the water plant.
Clever girl/Human...

Hanging from the roof of the dropship the Swarm was mostly silent as they listened to the plan. Carrying Unggoy to drop them as decent sized dive bombs would normally excite the swarm; explosions were fun and sending the noisy nosey Unggoy to their deaths on the blessing of the Sangheili more so. But when they would each have to carrying one by themselves rather than double teaming the carrying operation didn't sound fun. It wouldn't be impossible in normal air...but this planets air forcing them to wear masks would mean they would have to go fast or else they may be forced to land. And they didn't trust the Unggoy at all to not blown up when they touched any kind of ground, weather or not the Yanme'e were still attached to them. In all they hoped the Dropship started off at a good altitude so they could try to glide as much as possible to conserve energy to get out of the blast zone after the Unggoy were dropped.

Clicking in confirmation as they were told it was time to drop the Swarm fluttered their wings as they flipped out and latched their feet around the upper arms of their assigned Unggoy, all except the Ultra. The Ultra nodding to her swarm as she dropped out first to take stock.

Thankfully they did indeed start high up in the air, the Ultra passing this onto the swarm as the Unggoy walked to the open hole in the floor in sequence and dropped out with the Yanme'e attached to them. The Ultra dove down quick to try and take a look around the facility they could barely see as it seemed as if it was shut down. But the Ultra wouldn't believe the Humans would be that stupid to abandon such an important facility to just be taken over or destroyed...but she couldn't see any humans and from how high up she was right now couldn't smell any either.

The order was given to move before their wings gave out but to be careful as it was too quite. The Swarm nodding as they headed toward target number 1, the large door. But then the Ultra and her swarm found the nasty surprise that was waiting for them by the sneaky Humans.

The first two swarm members, both soldiers, screeched in pain as they ran into thin sharp wire as they were about to hit the door - one of the wings of the soldier cut off completely as he banked dangerously to the right and let go of the Unggoy. The second soldier wasn't sliced or cut by the wire but his Unggoy was, the foolish fool panicking and smacking the detonate on its pack; taking the Unggoy, the soldier carrying him, the wire, and nearly two more swarm down as it exploded in mid air. The cut soldier tumbled and crashed through a glass window above the door, lost to sight as the Ultra had to act fast.

"Back! Back! Down! The Humans set traps!" The Yanme'e had seen the large road blocks on the road but they had assumed that that was all that was there. The Swarm quickly dropping altitude as they placed the Unggoy on the ground as carefully as they could and behind cover as the Ultra joined them.

This was going to be much harder than initially though, and the Humans hadn't even shown themselves yet. The Ultra quickly explaining their literal barrier to entry to the Sangheili as she tried to squint and see if the wire was lower...maybe the Unggoy bombs could just run.

The Soldier that had crashed through the window slammed on the ground and rolled several times before he slammed into something yellowish and squishy before stopping. Screeching in pain again the Soldier started to panic as he found his mask to no longer be on his face! Leaving the sandbag wall he had crashed against the Yanme'e started to crawl, its single wing twitching slowly, away from where several Humans were hiding as it desperately searching for where its mask had gone.


Kael Gel - T'vaoan Champion
In the Field Marshals elevator.
Down into Aecor's Depths.

Pleased to see Roh moved to be behind the shield bearers Kael gave him a nod before she kicked up her rifle into her hands and followed Marshal Til into the elevator. Kael had doubts about this plan, as like the Kig-Yar at the front she saw this as them heading down to present themselves to the Humans down there and ready to accept bullets where they were waiting for them. But this was the best they had beside the stairs. And that would be even tighter quarters than this. As the elevator slowly descended Kael mostly spent the time whispering things to her troops.

"If you have no arm shields, and even if you do, find a Kig-Yar with a shield to be your combat partner for this. We will need their cover for the intial engagement. Once the intital volley is done and we mov." A loud clunk stopped her orders as she looked over to the wall to see that the elevator had stopped. Human mediling obviously. But Til had a plan as he started to cut them an escape hatch - so Kael just nodded in approval and returned to her orders.

"After we move from the elevator room look for flanking routes or other cover and break from your partner to give the Humans more targets they have to focus on. Work together and we'll break through them with ease."

Moving from her place so Til could continue cutting she was distracted with a report from Murmillo Eal, the one she had moved to replace Roh, as the stair team had apparently began their assault as well. "Mistress, the Humans have set of physical barriers as well as themselves behind them, progress is slow and we are losing numbers."

Hissing a bit Kael tapping her claws against her rifle before replying, turning her head from the bright light of Til's cutting impromptu cutting torch. "The stairs would be part of a larger structure and should be able to take a pounding, get some Jiralhanae to give you their spike grenades and use a Kig-Yar for cover to throw them. They should have a weak enough explosion to not compromise anything. Or just send some Jiralhanae in front with their axes, have them hack through the barriers." Eal replied with an affirmative Mistress, passing the suggestion and request into the Chieftain as Til finished his breach hole.

The tanks went first, hopefully taking any of the actual tank shells down there, before Til went down second. True to her position and reputation Kael jumped down right after him, rifle held upward and then forward as she landed and quickly moved to the side so others could land. Unlike Til however Kael was silent as she waited to see what awaited them, the fear that she was about to die squashed as she kept her breathing steady in her helmet.

(No Cad/Euigne since nothings happened to them yet - but Kael is sending ya a request betaW P: .)

[LaxKnight]

PFC Jennifer Killinger 

14th Armored Co. 

Now the Fun Begins 

“Wilco Guardian Actual. Anvil 1-3 out,” Jenny said in response to her father’s orders. After she said that she then replied over the private line, “I love you too, Dad.”

She knew what he wanted but she learned a long time ago that though she’ll try, she can never guarantee safety. With a new objective she pushed a little on the throttle to get to a good spot. Soon they made it to the hangar. Around this time she received a message from Tornado Three Actual.

“Tornado Three Actual to Anvil 1-3,” He contacted the PFC, “I hope you don't mind the company of my two Warthogs to keep the aliens away from your shiny tank if need be.”

Jenny looked out her small viewpoint to see them coming up on her sides. “Roger Tornado Three Actual. She ain’t shiny but I would like to keep the paint on her this time,” she said.

She looked around for where she wanted to set up. She wanted somewhere that had cover big enough to protect a tank but away from people so she wouldn’t have to worry about running anyone over. If she was going to be firing with the main part of the tank behind cover that meant she’ll have to rely on the turret cam to fire. Nothing she hasn’t done before. Jenny found a hangar door that would be adequate.

Just as she moved forward there was a clatter further in the hangar. She looked and saw a large Hunter fall down after it and opened fired. Jenny wasn’t close to it thankfully, set up near where the hangar runs into the tunnels. She drove behind a hangar door with enough clearance for the gun without hitting anything if she hid behind it. She pulled backwards so she can shoot while having most of the tank shielded.

“Firing main cannon!” she said over the com. She aimed for the Hunter and the tank shuddered slightly with when she fired. As the other Covenant forces fell from the lifts she lit them up with the machine gun also on her turret.

[RiddL]

Staff Sergeant Kai -Wolf- Blacklock
153rd ODST Sniper
Protector

Kai layed down in the building near the scaffolding, rifle next to him as he surveyed the tunnels. He looked down and saw another team of snipers beneath him, climbing into one of the nests he and the other ODSTs had made while preparing defences.

He had chosen to come down to the planet without his spotter, realising that he wouldn't really need Cub if things started to heat up. The room he sat in was pitch black, making it easier to hide him with his armor, he had also placed a muzzle on his rifle to hide the flash when he fired the long range weapon.

He listened to the two Marines below him and gave a small sigh as the shooter started to make his way up the scaffolding and into the makeshift nest.

He stood up and went over to where he kept his rations of food and water, removing his helmet as he took in a large mouthful of water and took a bite out of a protein bar to settle the battle jitters that usually overcame him.

He made his way back to where his rifle lay and sat down, holding two more protein bars.

He threw them down to the sniper team and called down to them.

"Eat up Marines, we have a hell of a wait ahead of us. Get comfortable and stay Hydrated. Time your shots and don't worry about anything shooting at you, I'll take care of them." He said as he stepped into the light.

[Huka]

Hipidu Nuci Hegy & Sinigu Nuci Ribi [NPC]
Vanguard of the Advance Wave

Hipidu gave off an annoyed growl with the humans’ little pelts pinging a unruly song on his prepped shield the tick that his heavy frame appeared from the Field Marshal’s sizable hole. He could feel and ‘see’ every human in the room from the quivering pulse of the neural net held within his sanctified harness. The incendiary gel of his assault cannon gathering between his ‘fingers’, the Vanguard lifted and fired two half-charged bolts at the larger collections of humans hiding behind their pitiful position of metallic crates and idle vehicles before his body was pushed back a few steps at a sudden barrage of ballistics stronger than the tiny rifles of the infantry.

The mgalekgolo’s helmet-clad head turned and spines quivered at the sight of a human tank’s outline behind clever cover with a human’s heart pulsing in its shelter. The shuddering report of the war-machine’s main cannon firing touched the outer eels first before the titan moved with a howl. Hipidu knew his objective and he was going to keep to it; protect the Covenant infantry with his life!

When he felt his brother and the rest of the lift’s troop join into the fray, the first Bond Brother angled his shield to protect the familiar pulses of his Field Marshal before the high-speeding cannon slug smashed hard against his thick plating of shield and cuirass, sending the titan hurling through the air in a pained cry.

The elite Sangheili cloaked under camouflage moved low and tumbled into cover with carbine already firing at the humans in the span of Hipidu soaring through the air. The wails of his brother’s colony screaming out in fury as the rippling body smacked into the ground in a rough roll, loose lekgolo squirming or died from the vicious concussive force from the young mgalekgolo.

“Brother!” Sinigu howled in absolute fury while keeping in his stoic position to give the Field Marshal’s force enough time to cover. It took the slightest tick before his wrath was pointed at his brother’s fatal wounder; a tank. Logic and Madness clamped on a single coin in that moment before a vengeful howl ruptured from the active bond brother as stream of fuel rod gel fired while the Lekgolo variant of ‘adrenaline’ started to pump; everything was intangible but he and the tank, little else mattered. Not the demands of the Field Marshal to stay put, not the newly arrived Mgalekgolo from the three lifts trailed by more Covenant forces and not the obstacles that stood in his way, sending things-living or inanimate-flying or crushed under a boot of five short tons. 

[MrKill]

[ MISSION UPDATE!

A catastrophic earthquake, due to the previous excavation of the now defeated Covenant Fleet, has caused major tectonic plate movement near the cost. The epicenter created a magnitude of 11.7 on the Richter scale. Both Alpha and Beta shield domes have collapsed in certain areas and the underground network has been operationally destroyed - however sections remain intact, trapping people within the tunnels.

Heavy to total casualties in some areas have been reported on both sides. Civilians in the traffic tunnels have been squashed to death, while Marines and Army troopers at Kristopher Airfield are either trapped behind enemy lines or retreating to the now crumbling Beta dome. The Covenant waves have been broken as the surface cracked, and are now vastly disorganized - along with the UNSC.

Kristopher Airfield has collapsed completely. It's runways have slumped down into what used to be the underground hangers. ]




Please remember to RP this realistically. There is no realistic way you'll stay on target when an 11.7 Earthquake is hitting you - even if it's a few miles away - you'll still be tumbling around and getting tossed left and right. Remember that when you post.

[BasedGoody]

Pvt. Barry Barrington

"Almost there..." Michael huffed out. Barry plastered a fake smile under his respirator. He pumped a fist into the air weakly. Goodwin huffed air out of his nose approvingly. The three had slowly separated from each other, with Goodwin five feet ahead of Barry. Barry resided three feet in front of Michael. The three were still at a light jog after such prolonged running. The fire-team held out together though, each one not wanting to let the other down. 

Barry knew his mind strayed from O'neill and Lloyd, given both of the privates had their guts splayed over an airfield. Nevertheless, paying his respects for the dead would have to come after the combat at hand.

---


"Home streeeetch!" Michael laughed before tripping and skidding on his knees. Barry slowed to a stop to help up the tired soldier. Goodwin had slowed too, but hopped up and down on his feet.

"Come on, we're close. We can make it!" The Corporal yelped out

"Sorry coach. Put me in, I can do it." Michael moaned as Barry helped him stand up.

Suddenly a large rumble glazed over the world. Cracks very slowly appeared below them, breaking through the tunnel. Michael gasped and fell back onto the ground. Dust lazily dropped onto their heads. Barrington's mind clicked in an instant and his head snapped to the others. The horror on their faces were the only reassurance he needed to prove his theory correct.

"EEEEEEAAAARRRRTTHHHHH QUUUUUUUAAAAAAKKKKEEEE!" Goodwin yelled out. His echo through the tunnel was muffled by large rocks crashing down onto the floor below. Barry yelled out in synchronization with Michael as a bloody crunching sound rang through their ears.

The Private spun to Goodwin, whose torso squirmed while his legs were crushed by a piece of roof. Barry slid next to him in time to watch the last drop of blood drip out of his mouth. He watched as his Corporal, mentor, and overall friend's last breathed slipped out. Calling it a breath was being too nice. It was a choked gurgle.

"Oh my GOD NO NO NO!" Michael screeched out, backing up. The rumbling grew louder in their ears as pipes and rocks crashed by them.

"Mike! Come on Mike let's go!" Barry cried out. He felt as if he were being strangled with how tight his neck was. Tears welled up in his eyes. 

"Man we're gonna die-" The PFC. wailed as a large pipe landed over his skull. His neck snapped to the left, ripping off the other half of his face. Blood engulfed him and he smashed into the ground. The color drained out of Barry's face and he dropped to his knees. Everything was slamming down next to him, the dust so thick he could barely see. In his final moments the Private looked up to the roof. 

His mind raced with a million thoughts, but they went by too fast to recognize. Barry tried to speak out, but only a squeaky cough was emitted. The piece of roofing above him dislodged, causing the Private to close his eyes and wince. A lone tear streaked down his face as he raised hands hands out beside him.

BARRY BARRINGTON - KIA

[Huka]

Field Marshal Til ‘Muramai
And the Outside Factor occurs

The quake was unexpected and certainly not reported to happen! Til shouted out something inaudible to even himself in the privacy of his helmet as the earth trembled and knocked his aiming off one of the humans, feeling his head smack against a metallic crack but his very form shuddered that it was hard to tell if he was even on the ground. Felt like being in a drop pod through a high-powered tempest and that had happened one occasion.

Finding himself on his side, holding onto the ground for dear life in one claw while his other wrapped around his stomach, praising himself for not eating before leaving the ship. His good eye tried to focus but everything was moving bad, barely making out the most forward Mgalekgolo smacking a falling boulder out of the air as it fell from instability like everything in the room but what awakened his worst pains was the sound of metal twisted and debris exploded from one of the lifts’ holes while the screams of unfortunate soldiers who were tethering down their holes were crushed under untold tons of earth. The ones already out rolled and moved for stable cover, giving warnings and roars as this naturally unforseen occurrence, the curse of Til's legion.

Roaring out in fury and sickness, the Field Marshal quickly tried to get contact to the outside world before something no doubt try to disrupt his last massage, “We need extraction! Drop Locusts for mining through the collapsed ways!” He ordered at the top of his lungs before he saw a massive shape coming over him. Rolling himself away as fast as he could, the near death experience of having one of his own Mgalekgolo falling atop of him shook through his core before the roaring collection of eels was crushed under a falling piece of this planet. This world’s balance was fallible!

“Active lances sound off!” He ordered as he pressed himself against his cover as if it was his only defense against an angry world. One by one in shaken voices, more than a quarter of the pseudo-sect survived, including the War Priest, who was repeating a sermon involving the defiance of the Heretics’ worlds. Right now it just gave Til a headache while he summoned his will to calm and focus. “Mgalekgolo take cover until necessary!” He ordered, knowing they will be the most coordinated of the Covenant forces here.


Spec Ops Commander Praem ‘Nikuysee
The Defiance of the Humans run deep...even through their world

Upon seeing their objective shake in terrible tremors and the northern ice tumble from their resting places, Praem gripped at a handle on reflex with a impassioned look despite the wounding of his assigned swarm as the quake was a insignificant distraction as well as a opportunity. The facility was obviously trapped but where was the main problem, with the quake it might reveal of his prey while he and his fellow hunters remained cloaked in his commander’s stealth spirit.

His mandible clicked on his swooped helmet’s internal comlink, “Swarm, continue your objective and retreat on opportunity.” he ordered with his dry coldness hissing from his throat before clicking off. One of his young operatives looked at him, eager to use his beam rifle but remained passive for now.

[UPDATE: Locust Drop-Off on next posting of whomever]

[Faclan]

Cad - Kig-Yar Major.
The cracked surface.
Bet he didn't even make a wish

Taking the time before it was there turn to fight to pray Cad kept watching the elevator after it had well disappeared. One hand on his scarf and the other just hanging at his side. But finally he stopped and turned back to his file. "When we join the battle the Humans will be on their last legs, we will not be giving them an inch and will grind them into dust." His file just nodded before all the Kig-Yar froze and looked down at the ground, the smallest of tremors felt by nearly all of them. But they couldn't shout out a warning before the real quake started.

The Kig-Yar that wern't immediately tossed to the ground dropped regardless as they tried to spread out while staying as low as they could to try and remain where they were. But this proved to be fruitless as the sheer force of the shifts in the earth made any kind of attempt fruitless as screams from broken bones and injured joined the general screams from the Covenant..

Activating his shield Cad growled as he tried to jam it into the ground to keep his position as an earsplitting crack overcame all the screams as the earth itself split open, welcoming those around it to death. Widening his eyes at this massive split Cad was soon distracted as a tumbling rock smashed into his left leg, the injury from the previous mission helping it to be broken once more as the Kig-Yar squawked loudly in pain, sticking out his now shield arm in the shock and only barely recognizing that a fellow Kig had grabbed hold if it as the shield seemed to be holding strong, tears flowing down Cads face as he kept his eyes shut as the shaking stopped, now willing to look down at his leg now...


Eugenius - Jiralhanae Advisor.
On the broken surface.
Trying to hang on.

Humming a little tune to himself Eugine watched the last spines of the Mgalekgolo disappear down the elevator shaft as the assault official began. Stretching a bit the elder shrugged a just sat down on the ground with his staff laid across his lap as he listened to the idle chatter of the Pack behind them. They had some time until it was time for their wave to descend to break the remains of the Human line. He did look up as he heard a request of Garatus to get some axes into the stairs to break down the cover as Eugine chuckled.

"Typical Kig-Yar, lacking the strength to get past a barricade or any kind of tools suited for the job. What would they do with," was as far as he got before he was bodily lifted up and thrown against the ground as the very earth itself seemed to think that his comment was in bad taste.

It was as if Rukt himself had kicked the planets backside and told it to get up and moving as the screams of the pack and the remaining forces around them melded into a small noise trying to overcome the cracking of the very ground itself. A fissure soon appeared near the sore elder as he did his best to dig his claws and otherwise hold onto the ground so he wouldn't be tossed toward almost certain death. But upon seeing several soldiers tumble toward the crack Euigne grunted and tried to stick his staff out as he called for them to; "Grab on!" Many were too disoriented to find a hand hold but two Kig-Yar and an Unggoy managed to hold on as Euigne roared as he could feel his claws being pulled at painfully and his bad hand could barely hold the staff to keep the three soldiers still alive. The staff was in no danger of breaking but Euigne certainly was.

"Nephew! Assistance!" The shaking had thankfully stopped, but it could start again at any moment and Eugine wanted to be away from that split.


SSA-012 - Yanme'e Swarm.
The Northern water plant.
What objectives...

Still staring at the silent factory the Ultra of SSA was slightly glaring at the evil Human building as the thin wires were finally starting to show up with little gleams against the light. They indeed just seemed to be up higher and not around the large road blockages down on the ground level...The Unggoy could just walk then. Clamber their way over the debris and have a little party at the door before exploding. The Humans still hadn't revealed themselves yet so its not like there was any danger for them to avoid.

Then the shaking started.

The Yanme'e didn't even need an order before they all just leapt off the ground and flew away from the churning earth. Basic instincts took over as the bugs fled from the collapsing Hive. They stopped a good fifteen feet off the ground, but a click from the ultra made them go further away from the Unggoy as they were tossed around. The inevitable soon happening as one of their packs ruptured from being slammed against the cover they had been behind and then they all exploded in a shower of blue blood and bits of charred carapace.

The building they were supposed to bring down fared better, although all the windows shattered from the side to side shifting of the base and a few crumbles and crashed were head from inside as the Yanme'e just hovered and watched the destruction around them. Some of it was good, as many of the wires snapped and flailed around before falling to the ground as well as the large door starting to buckle a bit, but now the Yanme'e had no more bombs to drop on the door. Which now would have been the perfect time with it damaged as it was. The ultra hissing with her Swarm in annoyance as the non-master Sangheili spoke to them.

"Objective fail. No more Unggoy bomb. Only way in now window and try to open inside."

The Soldier that had crashed through the windows made an odd clicking sound of relief as his claws found the breathing mask he had lost on the crash landing. His single wing still twitching in pain as he bit back into the respirator just in time for the building to start to thrash and throw. Screeching in fear as the soldier couldn't fly away from this issue he just curled into as tight as ball as he could and covered his head with his arms whilst biting down hard on the mask.

The shaking finally ceased but the bug remained in a ball, shaking a little as it breathed short and fast with its arms still over its head - thankfully keeping its mask this time.


Kael Gel - T'vaoan Champion
Trapped underground.
Aecor...save us.

Staggering back from the concussive force of the tank shell impacting the living wall of armor in front of her Kael was certainly thankful that Til had though to bring them, but as the Human tank reloaded and the hulking blue ones on their side returned fire Kael and her file of Commandos moved out of the elevator shaft and into cover so they wouldn't get in the way of those still rappelling down - but then everything went mad.

The violent shaking was shortly followed by a loud snapping noise and screaming as the stuck elevator failed and plummeted down onto those that were too slow to avoids its path. Next came down parts of the roof as pure fear filled Kaels enclosed helmet as she dived to the side to try and avoid the worse. But as soon as she landed a sharp shake made her get thrown to the side and slammed the side of her helmet against the wall of the tunnel. Screeching in pain as the face plate of her helmet was shattered Kael did her best to shield her head, with her arms and actual arm shields, and take cover as it seemed like the very tunnel itself was going to collapse and entomb them.

But it suddenly stopped and left comparative silence inside the tunnel...Kael slowly raising her head up and shifting to toss her useless helmet off her head as she tried to look around. The moans of the injured and trapped was mufled by the earth around them and the ringing in her ears from the noise and cracking against the wall, but she soon found that her file was alive. But Vesa and Tal were uncincious and her focus rifle was also missing. Forgetting about the Humans for now Kael and Pela worked as quick as they could to remove the unconscious Commandos helmets and sitting them against the nearest solid thing they could before trying to help some of the trapped Covies.

"Here Field Marshal..." Kael called out as she now had no radio as she made her pistol ready to draw in case the Humans had fared better than the Covies.

[TyroneKing]

Private Everett Brooks
Kristopher Airfield
Tough Luck
 
Everett stepped off the Pelican that had brought him to the airfield and swung his rucksack over his shoulder. He frowned as he took stock of his surroundings. A few runways, AA guns and a few buildings wasn't what he'd expected at all. A Marine strode purposely towards Everett. "Are you Private Brooks?" demanded the Marine. "Yes Sir." replied Everett saluting him. "Well, you better follow me then." said the Marine before turning and walking quickly toward the nearest building. Everett followed closely. The Marine entered the building and stopped beside a lift. He pressed a button on the wall beside the lift and entered the lift as the door opened. Everett quickly ran inside.

The Marine pressed a button labelled 'Hangar 2' and the lift doors closed. The lift began to descend slowly. Everett was panting. "Bloody low atmosphere." he said. The Marine shook his head. "You should have used your oxygen mask idiot." Everett noticed the Marine had a mask hanging lose from his helmet. Everett checked his rucksack. An identical mask lay inside. "God dammit." he said. The lift doors opened and the Marine strode out into a large hangar. Everett followed and scanned the hangar as he did so. Pelicans and Albatrosses were stored in lines. People moved around each vehicle examining and checking them for faults. The Marine boarded a tram followed quickly by Everett. The tram took off along a rail. After a while, the tram stopped in an almost identical hangar. The doors of the tram slid open and Everett and the Marine stepped off the tram. 

The Marine took a left and strode quickly toward three Marines standing around a crate. The Marine stopped and turned to Everett. "There's your squad. Go say hello." The Marine strode quickly back to the lift. Everett approached the squad. "Excuse me, I'm the new Private in your squad." The nearest Marine turned and looked Everett up and down. "You sure?" replied the Marine. "Yes Sir." said Everett. The Marine held out his hand to Everett. "Sergeant Dawson Harvey. I had the pleasure of seeing the last Private blown to pieces. Everett shook Dawson's hand. "Private Everett Brooks. Thank for the lovely thought" replied Everett. 

"I guess you better meet the other two." said the Sergeant. Without warning, the ground began to rumble. The squad were thrown off their feet. "It's a god damn earthquake!" shouted one of the other two Marines. The ground began to shake fiercely. Everett struggled to his feet in time to see a fissure form through the centre of the hangar. Everett was thrown on his back. Parts of the ceiling began to fall to the ground. Pelicans and Albatrosses were crushed and overturned. Finally, the ceiling gave way and the runways began to crash down into the hangar. Everett curled into a ball and waited for the worst.

[MrKill]

(OOC: Hey, TyroneKing, are you at Alpha's Airfields or Kristopher Airfield? Kristopher Airfield had all the surface installations destroyed and had (Key word. ) about 3, 000 troops pouring onto it. An air insertion would have been impossible, especially with four Covenant ships hovering nearby. I'd recommend you make a slight edit and say you descended to hanger 2, took a tram to the Kristoper Airfield, then were shown your squad.)

Colonel Johnathon Killinger
Seventh Marines
BETA Cluster

...Oh shit

It had come. It had gone... and so had nearly one third of the Marines from Lieutenant Bishops's platoon. The earthquake, the most powerful one ever recorded on this planet, had stopped for the time being but John knew aftershocks would start hitting them. He had gotten, at most, a minute warning on his HUD from sea nodes that detected the plate movement. It didn't even give him time to shout out to his men, though, and he prepared himself.

He could still see his daughters tanks' barrel, all thought the newly formed divider between them didn't allow for him to rush to her aid. He could, and did, however help a wounded Lance Corporal up to his feet after pushing a piece of debris off his leg.

"Marines! Sound off if you're alive!" John shouted, looking back of his shoulder. The Covenant wave assault hadn't been stopped. They were still there, just on the other side of the wall that had been created by the collapse of the airfield above them. It was only a matter of time before the Covenant reorganized and restarted the assault. With Kristopher airifield lost, by natural causes, John had no choice to pull back into one of the cities. The tunnels were unstable and he didn't know if they had collapsed or not - so much for a good defensive plan.

A total of twenty Marines sounded off and he was hoping that Lieutenant Bishop had heard more where he was. The Colonel grouped up his men, found four undamaged Warthogs, and told them to get to the surface of the closest BETA dome. The Warthogs left carefully, their tires shifting on their suspension as they drove over rubble that may - or may not - have had a deceased casualty under them.

The command building the UNSC Army Major was at was completely and utterly destroyed, meaning that the chain of command had been drastically reduced. If there were any Army Troopers left that weren't grouped near where the Marines had been regrouping at, they'd be 'in command' of the Kristopher Airfield. The position was still defensible, and UNSC Army Commanders may want to keep it that way. John, however, wasn't about to let his Marines get crushed to death.

He activated his radio, and because he knew it was already working underground, he sent a burst transmission to Captain Sorelson and the rest of the landed Battalions officers with a rank of Captain or higher a sitrep. "Actual to all Company and above commanders, sitrep to follow." He said, taking a stressed breath. "Kristopher airfield has collapsed. We've suffered an unknown amount of casualties and pulling back to the nearest BETA Dome. What are your statuses?"

"Jenny! You good?" John said into his private channel, which had previously been linked to his daughter. The anticipation was unreal as he waited for any type of response. How he didn't have a heart attack by now was surprising.

[John]

Captain Malcolm Walker
1/7, 1st Bat., Company C


Captain Walker had gotten into teh tunnels after the Gunny found an entrance. And just in time, too. No sooner than the last person entered, than the ground began shaking. Comms went dead because some jackass decided to make his fear audible on the net, and debris fell. The tunnels were holding, but inevitably some men got hit by the little pieces.

"All Cobra Callsigns, soundoff!" he called over the comms to his Lieutenants after it calmed down a bit. They reported that, apart from a grand total of five Marines everyone came out of it with a few scratches or bruises at most.

Then came a young Lieutenant with a platoon that wasn't part of his Company. HE didn't recognize the kid, but he introduced himself as Callaghan. He said that he'd taken a wrong turn during a patrol, and didn't know how to get back. The Captain allowed him to stay, and just as he was going to transmit a sitrep, the Regimental Commander's voice was heard.

"This is Cobra Five. Copy all, Actual. Cobra is shaken, but all good. So far, we have had no resistance at the tether. What we do have is a stray platoon, however. One Lieutenant Callaghan, from Alpha. Please advise."

was the Captain's reply.

[BetaWülf]

Jiralhanae Chieftain Garatus the Deathless.
Rukt's fury knows no bounds.

Garatus chuckled when he received the request for some of his Packs assistance "Acknowledged, I'll send some assistance their way, Garatus out," Garatus said before turning to look at a pair of Minors and barking. Garatus turned when his Uncle spoke, chuckling at his comment before becoming very stark as the fur on the back of his arms stood up. Something was coming. Before his Uncle could finish his sentence the very ground began to quake, places in the ground being torn open even. Garatus(along with most everyone else) was thrown to the ground by the horrific disaster striking them. Garatus took hold of his gravity hammer and swung the blade with all his might into the ground and yelled "Grab onto me!" to the others around him, his Uncle close by having only his claws to hold on with.

His Uncle managed to save several of the lesser species using his staff, but they wouldn't be able to hold on forever(including Eugenius) before he would slip down. His Uncle called out for help and Garatus shot out his free arm and took hold of Eugenius's forearm. Garatus pulled with all the strength he could muster with his lone arm, every muscle in his body bulged with the strain and his face turned purple as the veins in his forehead and arms pulsed wildly. With the last of his strength and available adrenaline he pulled his Uncle and his living baggage up from the skewed ground and up onto the flatter section he was on.


T'vaoan Major Roh Gel.
Mama! No!

Roh was descending the staircase when it hit, sending himself and others around him bouncing off the walls. He managed to grab onto a metal rail after slamming into it painfully, gasping for breath as chunks of the ceiling fell down around him. He shakily worked his way up the staircase along with some of the Unggoy and Kig-yar, but before they could reach the exit two large pieces of concrete blocked the above ground entrance. They were trapped. The Unggoy and Kig-yar frantically pounded against the slabs and yelled for help for several minutes before going silent a 'ping', 'ping', 'ping' could be heard on the other side.

Soon enough the slabs concrete began to move and were pulled outwards, when their eyes adjusted to the light they could see a pair of Jiralhanae with axes, whom began pulling them out and clearing the doorways. Roh managed to make it out on his own and onto the shattered earth. It was not long before the news of his mother being trapped reached his ears, he clenched his fists and let out a saurian roar before sliding down against  large rock. "By Aecor" Roh said as he ran his  hands through his feather main.

[LaxKnight]

PFC Jennifer Killinger
14th Armored Co.
Buried

"Jenny! You good?

Her eyes twitched for a moment. Why did her head hurt? What was that annoying beeping sound? Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she groggily reached a hand to her head only to find that it made contact with her helmet. Her focus then narrowed to the various HUD elements lighting the inside of her helmet. The lights made her a little queasy. She closed her eyes as she tried to regain control of her stomach and remember what happened. She must have taken a serious hit. The last thing she remembered was that she blew up a Hunter then shot at by another one so she drove behind the wall to avoid it. Then everything started shaking violently…

Jenny opened her eyes again then looked at the HUD again. She realized that part of her screen was static, the part that would normally be connected to the turret cam. She then looked for the source of the beeping noise then realized that it was a critical damage alarm. She hunched over the various gauges and lights and found that she sustained damage…everywhere? How? A shot from a Hunter wouldn’t have caused that much damage. When she looked out the slits used for viewports and found that her view was completely obstructed by rubble.

The tanker tried to open the hatch to see what was on top of her Rosey but found that she couldn’t get it to budge. After a few more tries she flopped back into her seat. She then put the tank in drive and tried to get it to move. There was a tiny amount of movement, enough to hear the rubble shifting to make it more difficult to escape. Realizing she wasn’t making any more progress, she stopped and flopped back in her seat in defeat. What the hell happened?

She then remembered her Dad was calling her. Over the private com channel she said, “I’m trapped. I don’t know what’s happening.”

Jenny tried to remain calm but there was a tinge of fear in her voice. What if she was stuck here?

[TyroneKing]

Private Everett Brooks
Kristopher Airfield
Dust and Death

Everett remembered nothing after the earthquake. He slowly checked himself for any injuries. A piece of rubble had landed on his left ankle. Everett tried to drag his leg free. It came out, but with a snap. He had dislocated it. Everett tried not to scream out. He then looked around him. He slowly sat up and looked around for the Sergeant and those other Marines he saw. Everett found the Sergeant first. A crushed arm lay outstretched from under a piece of rubble. He almost retched. Everett found a gap between two rocks and dragged himself out through it. It wasn't much better. Rubble, crushed vehicles and other Marines were all he could see. He glimpsed Covenant also stumbling around trying to regroup.

"Marines! If you're alive, sound off!" came a voice from somewhere Everett could not identify. "I'm alive!" shouted Everett. About fifteen others called out too. "Alright then." came the voice again. "We got to get out of here to the nearest BETA dome." Everett got to his feet unsteadily. One of the Marines he saw before the earthquake walked over to him. "You survived? Well good for you! I'm Private Wolfgang." Everett nodded at him. "Your Sergeant is in there." Wolfgang noticed Everett's ankle. "You need help." Wolfgang supported Everett from his left side. "Lets see if Private Shaun Redmond is alive." said Wolfgang. Everett assumed he was the other Marine he saw.

A Marine rolled out of the rubble beside them. He stood up and nodded at Wolfgang and simply looked at Everett. "Oh look who's alright!" exclaimed Wolfgang. "Best get moving eh?" Shaun didn't reply. Wolfgang, Shaun and Everett began to follow other Marines to some Warthogs. Six still worked but were damaged from the falling rubble. "Mount up and get moving!" shouted that same voice. "Who is that?" asked Everett. "Lieutenant Bishop." replied Shaun. All the Marines mounted the Warthogs. Everett, Wolfgang and Shaun rode together. The Warthog convoy began to pick its way through the rubble.

[Huka]

Field Marshal Til ‘Muramai
Human Subterranean Hanger--Status: Temporarily trapped
Personal Note: Enclosed Space

Til was standing in place for a moment, hidden eyes wide and in trance of past memories; remembering the tight space of a brig and screams of fellow infiltrators being tortured for information from heretical scum. The soft shifting of the collapsed hanger’s rocks making his good eye drift without conscious while his ears heard the muffled sounds of his surviving force making calls and grievances. And with a blink, time and sense returned with a stiff of the elite champion’s back before he moved to check on his warriors. The best had their share of sores and bruises but they’ll tough it through like the warriors he beat them into being, the worse...were broken bones or severe pains. Even had a Sangheili trapped under the tons of rock from the stomach down, how he survived was but a cruel miracle. He wailed in pains at his organs being crushed so slow and agonizing that threatened to pop at anytime...and the Field Marshal was never cruel to his own warriors.

Personally taking the whimpering soldier head in his hands, Til gave the parting words, “May your Spirit leave its mortal shell and aid us to victory and honor, Brother.” Knowing his end, the helmet-faced soldier closed his eyes before his gracious commander ended his pains with a energy dagger to the throat, severing arteries and spine in one clean thrust. Pain was as subtle as possible. Sighing out in his filtered mask, Til actually kept to his posture and rest the nearly severed head on his lap. Feeling the presence of the fallen warrior's lance and Maha around him, they remained momentarily silent in respect before Maha whispered, "Sir...our connection to the outside is deeply cut. I can barely get a signal out of our predicament." 

"Have faith, Battle Priest. We have the Mgalekgolo on our side..." Til answered without a falter of confidence. With a click of his mandible, the surviving seven of their twelve erected themselves from their Master's electronic signal. "Dig towards the enemy." He ordered and without a bat of a eye (if they had any), they lumbered towards the wall of stone together before adjust for a stable position, lifting their cannons. Their dirtied outer eels pulsated in a secretive connection alien to all but themselves, willing the weapons to charge their ammunition and fire lances of incendiary gel in selected points. 

As they worked, Til looked up towards the ceiling and tried to feel for the Spirits in this dark moment. A gamble if there ever was one...he just hoped his message went through.

Major Loka 'Tolahee [NPC]
Commanding Officer of the Anti-Fortification Lance of Boiling Grace 
Ruined Lesser Human Airstrip

 The earth shook under his platform's ground-pounding locomotives for those precious ticks and that was enough to make his hearts tremble for his brothers on the field, almost afraid that his drop-pod would be swallowed by the gluttonous planet's gaping maw. Thankfully the Kig-yar shipmaster dropped them away from the scene itself, now he waited for the cocoon-like pod to disengage and pop open for his Locust to step out into the field. One front limb after the other, Loka worked the sizeable cockpit of his vehicle with stoic ease. Rotations of experience working their unconscious skill by glyph control under claw and boot.  Checking on his vehicular-connected HUD, the maroon-armored veteran could see his lance trailing behind him in an arrow point formation with him as their tip. Recovering soldiers started to move away from the approaching troop, seeing the front of the Locusts' heads slide back to reveal gaping mandibles holding a internal focus cannon in similarly to their much larger cousin-the Scarab as they approached the lift that have buried their Field Marshal and first assault unit.

"This is Major 'Tolahee of Boiling Grace. We are here to serve." He announced through his comlink towards the Field Master and Jiralhanae Clan Chieftain.

[Llau]

First Lieutenant Alex Bishop
1 / 7, Alpha Company, Third Platoon
Airfield, Protector
What the hell?!

The violent shaking of the planet happened almost in an instant; lasting minutes, and yet, it seemed like it was lasting much longer than that. He had walked back over to make sure his Platoon was ready when the earthquake happened. The ground shook and swayed with tremendous force, causing the ground to crack and split, and everything around him started to crumble as he was thrown off of his feet, and tossed around like a rag doll as he desperately tried to make it somewhere safe enough, while managing to save someone before the ceiling caved in on them, by staggering to his feet and tackling them near a warthog. After the massive earthquake stopped for the time being, he opened his eyes and turned over onto his back as he started to cough up the dust that was kicked up from the fallen debris. Good news is, he and whoever he saved were alive, but the bad news was, they were trapped underneath fallen debris, which the warthog they were near took most of the brunt of the debris, and gave them some leg room, but he could only sit.

As he continued to cough, he tried looking for his weapon, but realized he must have lost it during the earthquake. Frowning, he took out a flashlight from his belt, and checked to see if it wasn't broken. When it turned on, he looked around, coughing a little. It was quiet, and he started to put his headset back into his ear, as he looked up to see that the marine who manned the gun was caught under the debris. He reached a hand over to where their arm was sticking out of the pule to check for a pulse. unfortunately, he couldn't feel anything, even though their life signs weren't registering on his HUD - which he had a small hope that maybe his helmet was busted. 

“Shit...” He murmured.

Next, he quickly looked over to the marine he was able to save. It was the private who he saw earlier dropping her gun. He was on his way over to her to talk to her when the whole earthquake changed everything in a moment. He, himself, was slightly injured with cuts and scrapes, but nothing to severe. She looked alright to him at least.

“Private Elms? Wake up, private.” He said to her, checking her over to see if she didn't have any injuries either.

In the meantime, he was getting some of his Platoon, reporting to him that they were okay and/or trapped as well, while very few were checking in.

“Shit...” He breathed. “Guardian Actual, this is Tornado Three Actual, reporting in. I'm fine, and a few others are fine as well, but we're trapped underneath debris. I have yet to hear from the others in my Platoon.” Part of him was hoping that maybe their communication devices were busted and couldn't sound off, but he knew that it was highly likely that they were all KIA.

Now there were two things he was worried about. The Covenant and strong aftershocks. They really needed to get out of here...

[MrKill]

Colonel Johnathon Killinger
Seventh Marines
BETA Cluster

Adrenaline.

A hormone that humans naturally create. For short instances, a person under intense duress can accomplish feats otherwise unobtainable when the body is relaxed, also known as an adrenaline rush. It allows the human body to accept information quicker, become stronger, more agile. Time seems to slow down, and for some a tunnel vision overlays. Pain is forgotten, it is the human fight or flight response.

And John was using every bit of it with help from nearby Marines to dig a path towards his daughters tank. Knowing that her life was in danger was enough to set the aged but healthy officer on a path for redemption, to save her after he had ordered her into the spot. He would never forgive himself if she died buried under the rubble. Unfortunately, by the time he was half way through creating a hole for himself and the Marines around him, the adrenaline rush had worn off.

"I'm coming." He said into the comms link before cutting the channel. He, through heavy breathing and perspiration, had moved about a thousand pounds in debris already in the short time since he got his daughters message. Other Marines didn't even know what he was doing, digging into the rocks. John assumed that they did, and if Jenny was pinned inside her tank other marines were pinned nearby as well.

"It's going to take days to get the alive and dead out, sir." A Corporal shouted as he chucked a piece of debris down the pile. With a sigh, the man went back to work. He wouldn't get a response from the Colonel, he wouldn't leave his men behind like this - not while they were alive - and he was most certainly not abandoning his daughter. Not when her tank was an arm reach away. The barrel, so close, but yet so far.

A Private First Class pulled a piece of rubble with a grunt, but the pile started to shift; before she got out, she was crushed by an avalanche of dirt, concrete and barb wire. The entire section of wall collapsed down onto her and there was nothing John could do but watch as the young Marine was buried; killed instantly as the rubble stopped shifting.

"Everyone stop!" John shouted. A moment later the section he was in went quiet, only breathing and coughing audible. "The pile is unstable." John added, stating the obvious. He stared at his daughters tank barrel and had to make the toughest call he'd ever have to make. The pile was just to thick and too unstable for them to dig her out.

"There's enough room over here for someone small." John said. "I need a female volunteer, I'm to big to fit."

A surviving Sergeant and a Lance Corporal volunteered on the spot.

Lance Corporal Jessica Hemesey - NPC
Seventh Marines
BETA Cluster

"I will, sir." Jessica replied to the Colonel.

The man showed her through the hole, just enough to crawl through. There was no way the bulky six what ever the fuck he was man would fit through this when she, a five four frame, barely managed to get through with her gear on. Once she arrived on the other side she noticed that most of the tank that had been positioned here was buried, the barrel sticking out of the rubble like an old firing position on a mountain side. She could hear the groans of the Marines nearby.

"What do you want me to do, sir?" Jessica asked.

"Try to dig them up." The Colonel replied.

No fucking shit Jessica thought. She had heard of Captain Obvious, but Colonel Obvious?

"Yes sir." She replied.

She begun to dig her fellow leathernecks out, one piece of rubble at a time.

Colonel John Killinger
Seventh Marines
BETA Cluster

"Another four of you will volunteer to stay here with me," John said. "The rest will hike out and try to make it to Alpha Airfield. You have your orders, move." John said. There was no fuss, and most of the Marines left the same way the Warthogs did. Four Marines, another Lance Corporal, the Sergeant who had previously volunteered, and two Privates remained with John. He had completely forgotten up to this point about the replies he had received on the command network.

"Cobra Five, I hear 'ya. Try to find your boy and regroup at a destination of your choosing. If you can't find him in a few hours declare him MIA and move back to the Alpha Airfield to regroup with surviving Marines. We'll launch a search party when we're reorganized. Out."

John sighed. He hated telling commanders they had a time limit to finding the Marines under their command. He turned to Jenny's tank. "That goes for us too." He said, a stressed tear running down the grime that had formed on his face. "If we can't dig any more Marines out in two hours we'll have to leave them behind. We can't spend the entire time digging people out when the Covenant are on the other side of that debris wall."

"Yes sir." The Sergeant replied, gripping her gun tighter.

"Lance Corporal, how are you doing?"

"Fine." She replied with a grunt. "I've got the tank turret uncovered, sir, but more debris just slides back down."

"Keep trying. Sergeant, would you mind if you helped her?"

The Sergeant replied by her actions. She stripped her armor off, already observing the Lance Corporal crawl through, and followed. The Sergeant was roughly five seven, so it was a tighter fit. Once she was on the other side she reported that she had been cut but kept the degree to herself as she muscled through any pain she might have inflicted. John was, for a moment, proud of each one of the Marines in this room.

But the conflict between dad and duty was tearing at his soul.

[Cabel]

[Tranquilitas Beta: Planet Protector: Water Purification Plant: Alpha Company Command Post: Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 7th MEB: Captain Mark “Spade” Sorelson: Date: 1 January 2548]

There had been some rattling, evidence of an earthquake that lasted for a few moments at least while the Water Purification Plant had largely remained intact. Due to the importance of the facility to the colonists on this planet, the architect of the Plant had seen to shock absorbers as a precaution, massive coil springs that left a gap between the foundation of the building and the bedrock surrounding it which allowed the building with its tanks of water and crucial machinery to ride the quake in relative safety. Mark had lived through more than a few quakes in his hometown of Seattle, and on other planets including the late Planet Zenith to know a strong earthquake when he’d felt one. He’d read up on what information his security clearance had provided on the Planet Protector to know that the planet hadn’t experienced any periods of tectonic shifts, and hadn’t been seismically active meaning that whatever the Covenant had managed to accomplish or screwed up in their excavation had weakened the planet’s crust enough to warrant a violent reaction. If he lived through this, he’d make sure to shove his boot so far up an Elite’s or a Grunt’s backside or even one of the hirsute Brutes’ backside that his counterpart could feel firsthand a re-enactment of their own handiwork.

“Actual to all Company and above commanders, sitrep to follow,” he heard John’s voice come in rather quietly over the earphones he’d worn on the encrypted frequency of the MEB. “Kristopher Airfield has collapsed. We’ve suffered an unknown amount of casualties and pulling back to the nearest BETA Dome. What are your statuses?” Mark had lowered the volume on the earphones so that only a slight whisper could have been heard. He’d been about to reply when he, and every other marine and trooper within the Plant had detected more commotion from their Covenant counterparts beyond the main pressure door. Slowly inching along on his stomach to a sandbag barrier of the nearest perimeter, he’d take out the M6B Magnum sidearm with its smart-scope and slowly held it just enough to where the scope had been able to peer over the top of the barrier without the weapon’s nickel finish being spotted. Using the scope’s second zoom function he’d been able to see the scope’s findings transmitted through his HUD, he’d been able to spot a Drone with a single wing curled up into a ball backed against the main pressure door. He’d been certain the Drone had to have been the Drone that had crashed through one of the windows near the main pressure door following at least one explosion which had probably marked the rest of Covenant party having encountered the razor wire.

Quietly lowering the sidearm, he‘d slide it back into its holster on the chest of the EV suit or what passed as slightly heavier armor. He‘d take a moment to quietly contact using an encrypted frequency to one of the sharpshooters present, either marine or trooper to take aim at the Drone curled up near the main pressure door with a tranq dart in order to sedate the alien without alerting the raiding party outside the Plant of the presence of the defenders although considering both the Battle Rifle and the DMR lacked silencers the odds were the Covenant would know something was up. The response from the Army marksman came quietly back over Mark’s own headphones, and the marksman quietly lined up his scope’s crosshairs on the cowering Drone and Mark slowly counted in his mind time until the marksman squeezed back on the trigger. The marksman had been forced to quietly and manually load a tranq dart capable of being chambered in the DMR, and within moments squeezed back the trigger. A single tranq dart tore from the barrel as quietly as it could have before bridging the gap from a catwalk to the Drone, and almost as quickly found its target in an exposed fleshy base of one of the wings. Raising the magnum sidearm with the scope again, Mark zeroed in on the Drone and hoped the tranq dart had been enough to sedate it for the duration of the operation. When the Marksman’s response quietly filtered back over the encrypted frequency that the Drone had been rendered unconscious, it had assuaged Mark’s concern about the errant insect.

“Tornado Actual to all Callsigns present, the Covenant are bound to have heard that shot. If the razor wire hadn’t been enough to raise their suspicions, their concerns will be duly rewarded after hearing that shot. They’re going to send in the little canine aliens, the Grunts with charges first. Those little guys are their greeting cards, and are used to soften defenses. They don’t know how many of us are here, and let’s keep it that way. When those Grunts tear through that door, I want those on the front perimeter to take those things out and then fall back to the second perimeter. MG crews, chamber armor piercing rounds with your belts and keep a good bead on the Elites. Sharpshooters…Marksmen when you see the Drones, take ‘em out. Draw them in. The M-41 triple-barrels will open up on ‘em. Auto-cannon gunners, take out that dropship and other targets when you have a chance. Focus on that dropship when that door is breached. If a position is about to be overrun or isolated fall back. The elevators are out of the question. I repeat, the Elevators are not the Alamo. This real-estate is prime, for both our people and theirs. Rocket teams, count your arsenal. Tornado Actual; out,” Mark said quietly into the encrypted frequency used both by the marines and the Army Trooper platoon stationed at the Plant. “Tornado Actual to Guardian Actual, we’re still holding. All Callsigns report in, and Rorke's Drift has not been damaged. A little rattling, but no damage. Covenant raiders are outside Rorke's Drift. Repeat, raiders outside Rorke's Drift. Presence has not been detected. Tornado Actual; out,” he said in a whisper, over an encrypted frequency the 7th MEB utilized and lowered the volume even further.

[RiddL]

First Lieutenant Alexei -Titan- Krevchenkov
153rd ODST
Protector BETA Cluster

Alexei was thrown off the truck he was standing on and nearly lost his weapons as he started running for the nearest exit, that of the Beta cluster. He turned his head and watched as clumps of cement and metal crushed the truck he was sitting on thirty seconds before and felt a an incredible pain emanate from his leg.

He looked down and saw a small piece of pipe jutting out from just above his knee and gave out a yelp of pain as he put weight on it while he ran. He put one of his hands on Tuesday pipe and as that leg went down in the run, he pulled on the pipe and felt warm blood slowly flow out of the wound and down his leg.

He made it out of the tunnel and turned back, only to have his head snap back as a small piece of cement the size of a marble fling out and crack the visor of Alexei's helmet.

Alexei fell onto his rear and let out a small groan as he removed his helmet and put one of his hands against the bloody wound. He slowly got to his feet and made his way to one of the cars that hadn't been destroyed by falling pieces of debris. He opened the door and took out his knife, using it to cut one of the seats into strips of leather and fabric.

He used the leather strips and tied them just above the wound to restrict blood flow to his injured leg, then he used time of the fabric strips on the wound itself to try and stop the blood from leaving his body entirely, partially succeeding as the fabric soaked up the blood but brought the blood to all but a halt.

He sheathed his knife and saw a large amount of Marines run towards the tunnel, a small group splitting of to see him.

"Sir, are you OK?" Said a private as he looked at the giant ODST stand up straight.

"I'm fine, where's the Colonel?" Titan replied as he straightened up and rubbed dust out of his eyes.

"That way sir, with a couple of Marines with him, digging out survivors." A sergeant answered as the group started moving again, trying to catch up with the others as they slowly went into the unstable tunnel.

Alexei started hobbling towards where the Colonel was located, pushing through the pain as he came to a halt before the man.

"Sir, First Lieutenant Alexei Krevchenkov, Angel 4 actual reporting in Sir, need a hand?" he asked standing a little straighter, ignoring the pain in his leg.

[wynterofonyx]

(This is my first post on this site ever in the actual Roleplay so if I messed up I'm willing to make corrections, I just wanted to get started already.)

Jarai 'Xirsasee, Sangheili Ultra
The Fallen Field

Jarai and his Creche approached the mining site at the broken airfield. His sturdy feet kept his composure during the aftershock of the quake while others still stumbled: "The worst of it is over brothers, let us secure the area, eliminate any survivors. We await the arrival of the Locust." Major Dankrai approached Jarai from behind: "The bulk of our force is active sire, we are still strong in number." Jarai nodded: "That's good, in that case we should secure the perimiter without any trouble, remember to form a defensive perimeter around the mining zone." Dankrai nodded and trotted off. 

Something raised Jarai's attention, he stalked through the debris and found a half-wrecked utility shed, twisted and turned from the magnitude of the earthquake... But big enough for shelter, and the scent of human... Was fresh. Jarai flared his mandibles is a snarl and raised his foot smashing in the door. All he saw was a single marine with a severed right arm and in the left holding his magnum firmly. Jarai gazed at the marine. His code didn't allow him to attack a helpless foe. Jarai waited, and the marine began to raise his handgun, but not towards Jarai, but himself. Jarai's eyes were pools of eagerness and conviction, the marine saw no salvation in surrendering. 1... 2... Bang!

Jarai walked out of the shed, wiping the spattered human filth off his white, blood stained armor. The patrols trotted before him and nodded, reporting back to their stations afterwards. Jarai looked up in the sky, awaiting the Locusts: "The airfield is ours, let's keep it that way. Be on guard brothers, the humans are still heavy in number... The survivors... I want any and all of them dead." The majors led their troops to different sections of the airfield in a clean sweep.

[Kart]

Field Master Legra 'Adantai
Gathering up the pieces

I plan for Humans, I plan for Demons, and of course, I get an earthquake.

Legra was already half-convinced that the Forerunners had it out for him, and this only supported that theory. The earthquake itself had not injured him in any way--he'd barely even stumbled before his bodyguard helped support him--but it had cast his carefully laid-out plan into chaos. Lances and files milled about, trying to regain some form of order across the broken earth. Others had not fared nearly so well as him--he spotted toppled soldiers and vehicles strewn about, and more than one warrior was nursing an injured limb.

Legra could pass for a strategist, with sufficient planning. Sudden earthquake relief was not his forte. "We need to make contact with the Field Marshal!" He shouted over to Garatus. "If we are to salvage this invasion, we must recover before the Humans do!"

It may already be too late.

Snarling to himself, Legra pushed away the defeatist thought. No, he thought. We are not already defeated. There is always hope for victory.

As if in answer, he heard the immense sound of Locusts on the move behind him, joined by a voice.

"This is Major 'Tolahee of Boiling Grace. We are here to serve."

Legra barely gave the Major a glance before he pointed toward the debris of the lifts. "Find any trapped warriors, Major 'Tolahee, and free them as swiftly as you can. We must regain our feet immediately!"

Not checking to see whether his orders were followed, Legra cast his gaze about, trying to assess the situation. Within all the chaos, he fell back on his old training. Seek your commander. He activated his communicator, in the hope that somehow a signal could be reached to the Field Marshal, trapped down below.

"Til! Stand fast! We have Locusts, and we are coming to free you!"

[Guardian Cat of Yappa's]

Captain Kelvin Duncan

1/7, 53rd CE, A Co
Somewhat alright
Protector, Tranquilius Beta System

One moment Duncan was walking out of the elevator with the last of 3rd squad, the next he was leaning on the wall as pieces of the tunnel collapsed. "Hug The Walls!" was all he could yell before the noise became to great. Dust filled the air and tried to blind the marine, who was becoming slightly disorientated from all the shaking. Luckily for the marines in the tunnels, the IED's in the maintenance tunnel didn't go off. 

The ground continued to shake for ,what Duncan thought, was a week's worth of time. Slowly however the tunnel settled, the center of the roof had cracked opened, bring down dirt and wiring and such with it. "Rebreather's on Marines!" were the first echos to be heard by the Captain. "Benson," his body forced a dry raspy cough to clear out the dust in his lungs, "Report in." The Captain needed to assess losses to his company, but first he needed to find the Lt.

---

Sergeant Maximilian Drake Fields
1/7, A Co, 1st Platoon, 2nd Squad
Preparing for a firefight

The bugger coming through the window had almost blown their cover. An over eager private almost jumped up and shot the P.O.S. when he impacted against the sandbags. Drake had to take a second to withhold the kid before something stupid happened. Lucky for them though the bugger crawled away, and it wasn't even ten seconds later that the facility shook a little bit. Hushed whispers moved around in his squad.

"Cut the chatter, hostiles outside the door." the words so light that it had to be passed around for a second before the squad hushed. meanwhile commands from the captain slipped into everyone's ears as he informed the company what was going down. "Copy that sir, 1/2 is ready for hell." was all the marine had to whisper into his mic.

---

(No post for sherman in this one, will post with him in my next one)

[Faclan]

Cad - Kig-Yar Major.
The cracked surface.
Trying not to pass out.

"Cad!? Cad, pull me up Mate!" Kot shouted at Cad over the moans and cries of the wounded as Cad finally opened his still crying eyes. Taking a look down to see that it was Kot that had grabbed onto his arm, the other Kig's feet just dangling over the edge as he had a good grip on Cads non shield arm. The blade of Kots Impaler pistol jammed into the ground helping to keep him from falling as Cad slowly nodded and tried to pull Kot up so he could get his claws into the ground and help to pull himself back up.

It didn't take more than a glance for Cad to see that his left leg was very broken, shoved at an unnatural angle, and once Kot had got his feet and holstered his heavy pistol he put his arms under Cad's and helped to drag his Major up the incline and to safety. De-activating his shield and covering his eyes with his hands Cad just tried to focus on breathing as Kot patting his chest and said he was going to try and get some gel for his leg as Cad continued to lay on the ground.

Thankfully neither Kig-Yar had lost their breathing masks but Cad could hear the panicked squawking of many that had and were trying to find them as some good news was shouted finally as well. The split in the earth wasn't do the depths of the planet and was only thirty or so feet down into the ground...many hadn't survived the fall but some had. The non-injured still masked troops starting to work on getting some lines to try and get them out as species stigmas were thrown out the window in this crisis; Unggoy working side by side with Kig-Yar, and Sangheili with Jiralhanae as they tried to rescue their comrades in arms. Or at least as many as they could before the aftershocks began again.

But Cad just kept laying on the ground as Kop finally came back and tried to help ease the pain in Cads leg as the others worked or tried to take stock. "Kot...were are the others?"

"Alive, helping to pull others out Sir."

"Good...Gods the pain." Cad quietly hissed out as Kot tried to help as much as he could.


Eugenius - Jiralhanae Advisor.
On the broken surface.
Well...setbacks.

Thanking Rukt and the spirits of this accursed land as he felt his Nephew grab hold of him Eugine did his best to hold on with his good and bad hand to his Nephew and his staff respectfully as he pushed with his feet once he was turned around. Thankfully the Kig-Yar and Unggoy kept hold of the old staff as well and finally everyone was out of the steep slope and on the ground. Roaring in exertion as he pulled with all his might to try and ease the strain on the Chieftain before they were finally out of immediate danger. Flopping on his back Euigne nodding at the three he had managed to save from the fall as they thanked both Jiralhanae profusely and then quickly went to help those that needed help.

After a bit of laying Euigne sat himself up and took a breath as he nodding to his Nephew, handing him the still full canteen of good ale he had in thanks as he patted Garatus' shoulder. "My thanks Garatus, hopefully I won't ever have to repair the favor as that would mean you were in mortal peril, but should that come I'll be there to help. Or is there is something you want that I have its yours." Sticking his staff in the ground Euigne pulled himself to his feet as he started to look around and try to see what was happening. Locusts were approaching to try and dig out the now trapped first wave, Garatus' little Kig-Yar friend looked to be injured bad but alive, but it seemed as if the plans had been thrown out the window as the force tried to re-organize and count the injured and dead...Eugine soon sat down near Garatus as he took out his book and started to record about this. He wondered how the small Humans had fared under ground through this event.

But he looked over as it seemed like a Sangheili ultra and his troops here about to join them. Eugine waving his staff a little before setting it back down and returning to his writing.

(Thas you wynterofonyx :> )


SSA-012 - Yanme'e Swarm.
The Northern water plant.
Timid flying scouting.

Slowly lowering its shaking arm as the earth had finally stopped heaving as well the soldier started to try and look around. To see if it could see the Swarm before trying to click out and talk to them. But a quiet hiss and a sharp pain in his back made him twitch as he tried to look back...but before he could see anything everything went all blurry and the soldier collapsed onto his side with his arms and legs flopped every which way. Seemed the tranq worked perfectly as in just a few seconds the bug was fully asleep before it had been able to tell the swarm anything. And better yet it had flopped with its back facing the door sot he Swarm wouldn't know what happened unless they were right next to him.

The Ultra was now not only annoyed but flat out angry that the Sangheili just told her and the others to go check the windows then and find out numbers so he could call in a proper number of forces. The Swarm shared her resentment as they hated being treated as disposible pairs of eyes for the Sangheili...for Queens they would do without question but these Sangheili often saw themselves entitled because the Queens had allowed them command. But she replied with an affirmative as they began they slow fly toward the windows. A few with weapons out but most just with empty hands as a quick hiiiiisk broke across the otherwise silent grounds of the factory.

Looking around to try and determine the source of the noise there were too many possible places that it could have come from...and none of them had been hit so they didn't pay it much attention as they saw the Soldier that had fallen start to rise and then fall. Poor ally had probably just been tossed around by the quake as his wings had been damaged as they could still sense his breathing as they approached. With a few clicks the swarm started to disperse. One of the Engineers heading down to check on their fallen swarm specifically, four going to examine the buckled door, and the remaining five including the Ultra starting to hover around the windows to look through them and see what could be discovered. Two of them fluttered up the roof to get a better look around and a chance to rest there wings as the Ultra entered through the broken window. The remaining two still fluttering outside the windows as they moved around.

(Also Cabel I talked to Huka and apparently the Phantom is stealthed(and the only one here currently, so just buggy bugs comin atcha), so you may still be able to see if or that the bugs dropped out of thin air. But just lettin ya know.)


Kael Gel - T'vaoan Champion
Trapped underground.
All I can do is wait...

Staggering out of the stairs after Roh, as he had stayed behind to try and make sure everyone with a pulse was out, Murmillo Eal sighed as he finally left as well. The entire operation had been thrown into disarray by the quake. Spotting The Mistresses child collapse against a rock Eal tapped his helmet as he tried to get some kind of message from Kael...but there was nothing. One of his majors trotted up to him and asked about orders from Kael, but he just shrugged. "Her comms are down...either her helmet was damaged or she was - we'll have to just work with the main force until an opportunity for us to work shows up. Go help the others re-group," Eal quickly added as the Major saluted and moved off as Eal moved over to Rohs side and offered a claw to help him up.

"Mistress Kael is strong, she wouldn't let a little earth squash her like a Yanme'e. Come on, we need to try and get organized before the Humans do and put this to our advantage."
(Poor Roh D: )

----
Helping a Sangheili roll out from under some rubble Kael glanced at the massive wall that was separating them from the Humans...Kael was glad for that at least. They have vehicles that had likely survived the original dumping of debris, and could have torn them apart with them while they tried to get some semblance of order out from this disaster. But Kael re did the strap on her holster to keep her pistol in its holster as she worked to help an Unggoy.

Many of the Kig-Yar and T'vaoans that had come with them had not fared well in the shaking or fall from the elevator as their frail skeletons meant that many were already dead or so injured that death would be coming for them swiftly. Kael and Pela helping those they could and helping along the Kig-Yar and their own Entourage members that were slowly dying with a little prayer to Aecor. If they had a Huragok around here many of them could likely be saved...but they didn't so the losses were pretty severe. At least many of the large Mgalekgolo had survived - Kael looking away as they started tot try and open them a path.

It was when she was helping a Major out of some rubble that she looked up at the distant spec of light up the elevator shaft...Roh had been sent down the stairs. The stairs that may have completely collapsed and buried her Fluff under hundreds of tons of rocks. Closing her eyes against the distant speck Kael deeply sighed as she hoped with all her might to Aecor that that wasn't true. But she was thankfully distracted with some bad news as Pela let the unhelmeted and unconnected Kael know that Vesa and Tal were actually injured and not just unconscious. Vesa's blades had cut her foot badly when a weight ahd fallen on them and Tel seemed to have a broken hand and possible more. Hopping off the rubble to be with Pela Kael took the two canister of gel from the back of her belt and handed on to her still awake Commando as they both worked to try and treat the injuries so that when they were awake they could hopefully do something when they were awake.

[wynterofonyx]

Jarai 'Xirsasee, Sangheili Ultra
Digging in and Cooling down

As he points his lances into defensive positions he noficed a waving stick. Jarai gestured to his brother Yaro and his file to follow and Jarai navigated over to the brutes through the debris with remarkable resiliency: "Honor to you and your pack Jiralhanae, we are pleased there are survivors." The Unnogy medics waddled over to their wounded: "My Creche offers field-medical treatment, as well as combat support, and ammunition." Yaro looked up at his brother Jarai before letting his gaze fall back upon the brutes. It was clear Yaro was a bit uncomfortable interacting with the reputable savage species. Jarai pointed towards the locust drop-off zone: "The ammo bearers are over there, tell your men they may take what they please, but don't take it for granted, our supply isn't limitless."

Jarai checked on the status of the Unnogy medics briefly. They were truly the best for the job. Due to their very ordinary need to use breathers and gas tanks they were aware of the delicacy ones anatomy had the potential to be. They also trained in bulk, and grabbed the concept very quickly... Plus it gave their CO's yet another reason not to use them as cannon fodder. Jarai turned to the brutes again: "Your injured will be fine, at least until pick up." He gazed at the one writing: "The humans have fled the position, and locust will be here soon to mine. Just in case I have lances in defensive positions." Yaro observed the medical Unnogy at work since he really didn't like being around the Jiralhanae for his own reasons. Jarai glanced at him briefly, seeing through his brother's silent behavior.