M5: Rumble in the Jungle

[Huka]

Field Master Til Je'at Ra'ha 'Muramai

Narrowing his brow, Til felt something was wrong. Checking the map and the holographic figures of his warriors, he've noticed Ekdo moving from his position. While this annoyed him to great ends in the back of his skull, the Field Master looked over the map once...then twice. Something, Someone, was missing. 

His eye traced over and over on the map, his claws grabbed onto the surface of the table. Speaking each lance name at each point, his eye widened when narrowed down the missing piece of his board. The Arbiter! Where is the Arbiter!? 

 Looking around, his mandibles clicked furiously without him realizing, then he was about to contact Ekdo to know of his reason of moving out of position before he heard a Sangheili's voice on the direct and secure comms. If anyone have seen his face under his mask, it would be of fury and grave dread. Demon here! Those blasted turrets were supposed to repel orbital landing in their territory and he knew it was impossible for someone to pass the Kill Zone without his knowledge!

 His claws clenched in his fists and a deep noise rumbled from his chest. And the Arbiter...his cousin. That snapped something. Looking to Sorsa, he growled with a lifeless drone under his mask, "Remember the plan, Brother. Make sure nothing stops it! From the enemies or our own..." 

 Then he let out a quick noise that sounded like a viper and suddenly a small collection of Yanme'e buzzed around him as he walked over to the edge of the corvette. Clicking his mandibles, he connected his navigation glyph to Ekdo's identification codes before leaping down. Flicking his wrist, his energy sword flared alive, and he leaped, vanishing under his camouflage while his Yanme'e fluttered and moved into the jungle to investigate the sighting.

[Daenerys Targaryen]

Sergeant ODST David Williams

ODST

Help from Below

David watched the private as she moved toward him, her responsiveness to another Sergeants needs were duly noted as she saluted and began to speak. "I'm not sure, sir. But if I had to guess, it's a big ass bug. My pod crashed into it... lucky for me it was enough to kill it, but where there's one, there's bound to be more... caution is advised." She reported swiftly, gazing up towards the sky as she finished, as if expecting to see a swarm of those damn things descend upon them. Some of David's squad looked toward the sky themselves, as if expecting the same thing.

"Well then, thank you private. Dismissed." David replied, nodding to the private before he turned back to the rest of his squad. "Ok ODST, I am not going to pretend like this is a normal operation, but we are going to treat it as such. Forward recon into the treeling until we find out all the dangers this planet, and the covenant, still have to offer. Remember, jungle conditions means low light, so keep your headlights on as we move." David ordered, shifting his eyes to cause his visor to depolarize and then quickly turn dark once more. "Be careful, I'd like to hope that thing is the only one left on this rock, but that probably isn't the case." Williams was going to continue, but the whining sound of pods breaching the atmosphere filled the sky once more. David looked up to see one pod turn off course, crashing into the nearby treeline.

The Sergeant, along with most of his squad, grimaced, most of them knowing all too well what a fast drop like that could do to a body. But before any of them could really react, a voice buzzed up over their comms. "Sargent Williams. Do me a big favor, and help me get out of this big ass tree that I'm in." Requested the Staff Sergeant, her pod now securely placed in a tree, from what her IFF tag showed.

David let out a small sigh of relief before responding, "That is a big tree you got yourself caught in, Staff Sergeant. if you could pop your hatch and try and shimmy down it, I am sure me and the rest of my squad could catch you if you fall. You're lucky that you aren't too high up there." After a small signal from Williams, the squad began moving into the treeline, toward the IFF tag of Anna Jones.

Major Domo Lusa 'Qorahee

Absolute Retribution Lance

Covenant Corvette

“I am at home in forests and jungles, but this...this one is unwelcoming of our presence. It is angry at the disturbance we have caused, so the sooner we get off this planet, the better.” Added Ziin as he moved closer to the front of the Lance. He was more beat up than the rest, relying on more primitive weaponry to fight the angry insects that dominated this planet. Lusa nodded slowly as she flexed her mandibles. This jungle did not welcome them. She had seen jungles before, but nothing like this. The trees spiraled high into the sky, matching some of the highest towers on Sangheilios, and the mighty plants masked their more sinister hosts.

As of now, the lance had not had much trouble, the only thing required from them was to shoot and kill any insectoid stupid enough to try and venture toward one of their barricades. The smell of carapace melted by plasma hung thick in the muggy air of the jungle, and stuck to the thick saliva at the back of Lusa's throat. A small hiss to loosen some of the putrid saliva into her stomach almost sent her into a coughing fit. "Yes, let us hope these vermin put themselves to good use taking care of the vermin that pursue us." She stated, clasping her mandibles shut once more, gripping her hands tightly along her needle rifle. "Ziin, shall we stay and wait for vermin forces, or move to meet them?" Lusa asked questioningly, turning toward him.

[Deleted]

Sangheili Ultra Vinza'za 'Wodamai
Covenant Fortifications

Vinza'za watched as the Unggoy minor nervously got on the turret overlooking the area that had been cleared earlier.  The small creature could hardly hold his plasma pistol properly, let alone use this turret.  Vinza'za looked around at the soldiers accompanying him.  Their restlessness continued to grow, and he saw an Unggoy Ultra who seemed to have the respect of his brethren.  He seemed to know what he was doing well enough to be entrusted on the plasma turret.  Yaddap seemed to be his name as for what Vinza'za could pull from his HUD, and Vinza'za quickly approached him.

Speaking calmly, Vinza'za said, "Ultra Yaddap, the Unngoy atop that turret seems to know little of what he is doing; I would like for you to go up and relieve his control over the weapon.  I trust you can use it better than he."  

Vinza'za saw no reason to be disrespectful to the lower races unless they stepped out of line.  He knew the Unggoy could be just as zealous as any Sangheili given the right leadership.  Trust among the Creche could do as much good as fear, if not more.

[Deleted]

HN Samantha Jackson
Task Force 77/ Alpha Company/ Third Squad
Marine Landing Zone

Sam kept a eye on the tree line as her squad began setting up sensors; though a good size area had been cleared massive trees still lined the area, so far there had been no signs of any Covenant forces, and there were rumors going around about slightly larger than normal animals. Her hand tightened on her MA5B as she kept looking at the jungle, hopefully the rifle would be more than enough to take down a few critters. 

"We need another one over there where Jackson is standing" 

At the sound of her name she looked over the the other members of her squad; though she usually would be assigned to the first squad, with 1Lt. Sorelson, logistical bullshit had her with third, but it was ok. "Sorry for almost throwing up on you on the way down" said one marine as he moved past her, she couldn't remember his name. Evans maybe? "It happens," she replied stepping back to allow them to place the sensor, she glanced around the clearing once before turning her attention back to the jungle.  

[Spartan 999]

Field Master Sorsa Re'ha Je'at 'Xirsasai
Corvette War Room

Sorsa glanced over at Til, somewhat bemused by the other Zealot' abrupt departure. He glanced over at the map to roughly the location his brother had been looking. After a few moments of staring and thinking, he noticed that the Arbiter had vanished. Odd. Whoever had been able to defeat Tibur had to have been incredibly skilled or lucky. Still, he knew that Til would be able to take care of himself, even if there was a Demon out there. The thought brought back memories of the times he himself had fought the uniquely armored humans. The one who he had come into contact with more than once over the years had been perhaps his deadliest opponent, even after its eye had been burned out by his energy sword in their first encounter.

But he shouldn't dwell on the past at a time like this. He would have to stick to the plan, otherwise they might as well be unorganized animals like the insects that lived in this forest.




Major Domo Ziin Sha'toree
Just Outside the Corvette

Ziin turned to Lusa when the other Major inquired as to what they should do. He brought up a small map on his HUD that showed Field Master 'Muramai's three rings. They could move up a short distance without disrupting their creche's position too much, and he did feel the need to shoot down some humans.

“We can move up closer.” He said, hefting his needle rifle. “But don't break ranks, except for Gat and Raz. You two, get to good overlook positions and cover us when necessary.”

[Deleted]

ODST Staff Sergeant Anna "Deep Red" Jones

ODST Help Form Below

"That is a big tree you got yourself caught in, Staff Sergeant.
if you could pop your hatch and try and shimmy down it, I am sure me
and the rest of my squad could catch you if you fall. You're lucky that
you aren't too high up there."  The Sergeant said to her as he and his men began moving towards her position. She knew that point already, but she didn't know what the planet had to offer, and wanted and needed someone to watch her back as descended down the tree. She waited till the squad reached her tree to to hit the hatch release. The hiss of release as almost inspiring to Anna, however the hatch failed to fall off as it should.


"Damn it,another malfunction.Keep cool DR, you've had worse situations." She said to herself while using what little leg room she had, she began to place her weight the hatch door, slowly but surely the hatch began to open Anna knew from her time on Skjope that she was pushing on a branch, and a mighty strong one at that."Come on you stubborn contraption open the hell up!" She shouted, just as she did the branch snapped and the hatch opened up falling. It was seconds long seconds before she heard the crash on the jungle floor. Once so the pod leaned forward slightly. "Uh, Sergeant how well can you guys catch and run?" She asked knowing that the only thing that was keeping her secured in that tree was the very branch she broke.

[Dufflepud]

Field Marshal R'ha Katolai
Crashed Corvette
Overseeing Ghost Deployment

"How many do we have?" R'ha asked of the Sangheili Ultra that stood at attention before him. The warrior was a vehicle specialist by the name of... something. He would have to find out later.

"We managed to salvage just under a hundred sire. The Revenants and Wraiths were all destroyed," replied the Ultra.

"No matter. I want every soldier with any piloting experience in a Ghost. Initial sightings have lead me to believe that the humans are preparing a massive, mounted assault. I want these ghosts in the forest, flitting about the enemy and causing as much havoc as possible. They must emulate their namesake as best as possible."

"Of course, your holiness."

"Very well. Carry on."

With that, R'ha began to move back towards the front fortifications. As a military leader, his troops seeing him at the front lines would instill courage and confidence. Initially reaching for his fuel rod gun, R'ha instead pulled out his massive recurve bow, stringing it effortlessly and nocking an arrow. His boots padded softly against the ground, a very odd feeling after spending so much time aboard a rigid space faring vessel. His forces milled about, each preparing in his or her own way for the coming onslaught.

He halted at one of the makeshift barriers his troops had erected, a silvery-purple amalgamation of various bits of debris they had found in the massive swath of destruction beyond. It was an odd sight to behold, appearing as if a massive beast had dragged its talons across the earth, leaving deep scars where it had once been teaming with life. Somewhere in the distance, a piercing, viper-like sound echoed.

Reaching for his communicator, the Field Marshal opened a channel with the rest of Reticent

"Status report," he commanded. He didn't have to say who had made the order, as his was a gravely, distinctive voice.

[McStubbsberry]

Private Scott Lugar
Task Force 77
Marine Staging Area

Scott was digging a small hole in the ground to place one of the sensors. PFC Brown was on over watch, casually scanning the immediate area. It was their last sensor that their team was to setup, the other two man team was one or two sensors behind. They made some idle talk, passing along names and where each of them came from. They were nice enough guys, but Scott had a feeling he wouldn't see much of them in the coming days.

"What the Hell is that?!" Scott heard Brown yell from a few feet behind him. The private turned around and there was what appeared to be a giant moth hovering above them. The men from fireteam Bravo also saw it and immediately opened fire. The giant moth screeched and dove towards the two Marines. Scott and Brown also fired on the enormous insect. Before one of the men could react, the moth landed ontop of the Lance Corporal of fireteam Bravo and it tore through his armor and bit deeply into his shoulder. Lance Corporal Bradley screamed out in pain as PFC Kelly drew his knife and stabbed it into the insect's cranium, finally killing it.

"Holy shit," Brown gasped. "Let's help them!" Scott and Brown rushed to the aid of the downed Marine. PFC Kelly was trying to roll the carcass off of his team leader's body. Bradley grunted in agony. Private Scott and PFC Brown assisted Kelly in pushing off the moth, revealing a massive bloody wound.

"Medic," Scott shouted towards the staging area.

[David]

Rear Admiral David Vardy
Bridge - UNSC Killimanjaro
Reviewing Paperwork.

As David kept reviewing incoming reports and forwarding off orders, David was interupted by a beep on the COMMS panel. Looking up, David glanced at Kim. "Report"

"SIr, UNSC Sratoga has dropped a buoy, requesting permission to sychronise with the rest of the fleet." Kim reported

Nodding, David smiled. "Make it so."

Pressing a few buttons, Kim nodded.

"Good." David replied. Now that the Sratoga was present, they had more of a chance.

[Dufflepud]

[OOC: Guys, feel free to add/invent native species as long as they're reasonable, but please try to avoid simply making them giant versions of earth insects. This is an alien planet. Be creative!]

[Daenerys Targaryen]

Major Domo Lusa 'Qorahee
Absolute Retribution Lance
Outside Covenant Corvette

“We can move up closer. But don't break ranks, except for Gat and Raz. You two, get to good overlook positions and cover us when necessary.”

Lusa looked back and forth between the corvette and the jungle, the smell of burning carapace only strengthened as time went on, insect species coming back to their now destroyed homes. Every once in awhile, Lusa would notice large ones moving toward them, and would quickly dispatch them with a few needles from her rifle. "We are only depleting our ammunition, dealing with these pests.." Observed Lusa, taking a step toward Gat and Raz. The female Sangheili observed them closely and let out a small guttural hiss. "You have been clawing this tree for a while, climb it then, find a low branch to watch over us and shoot anything that might dare to swoop in on us. Alert us to the rest." Lusa ordered, the two Kig-Yar overjoyed to finally be able to stretch their legs in such a jungle covered environment. They were more at home here than she was as well.

After the two took to the trees, Lusa turned back toward Zinn and spoke up once more. "We move further into the trees then, I suggest that you lead the way, knowing more of this type of world than I." Lusa offered, sweeping her arm toward the thick jungle beyond them. "You also be the judge of how far we go." She added, as the rest of their lance picked up their gear and got ready to move forward. 

Sergeant David Williams
ODST
Rescues

David and his squad had finally reached the tree the female ODST had stuck herself in when the hatch to the pod failed to open completely. The male Sergeant cursed silently as he watched the Staff pry at her pod, bending branches as she did so. "Sarge.. what if she falls?" Asked Susie Bircholt, David's right hand. She seemed to be more worried about the Staff Sergeant, then themselves, other members of the Squad slowly backed away from the tree as the branch the pod sat on continued to bend. After a while, she finally got her hatch popped, but the branch supporting the metal casket had broke off as well, tumbling to the ground at their feet. "Uh, Sergeant how well can you guys catch and run?" She asked, her voice sounding a bit nervous. David would be nervous too, asking a squad of fellow ODST to catch her from a towering tree before her pod took her to the ground the hard way. 

"I'm not going to lie to you, this is the first time I've heard that line. So I'd just jump for it. Better going down on your own choice rather than getting yanked down by your own casket!" David called back up, signalling for his ODST to come in closer. "When she jumps, we grab her, letting us break her fall, then as soon as she is down, we make a break for it. I don't want to be around here when that pod comes loose." He ordered, looking between and around his men. They all seemed to nod in agreement to his words, especially the last part. David looked back up. "Well, Staff? Jump!"

[David]

Sgt. Baker
Drop Room - UNSC KILLIMANJARO
Preparing to DROP TO THE BASE

OOC: See what I did there? lol.

Sitting in his tight little coffin, Tom idly flipped through his toggles and switches, a well rehearsed cacophony of clicks and whirs as panels came online and equipment warmed up. Of course, Tom had done this numerous times and wasn't really fazed by the whole "Drop into hell" aspect anymore. The drop was the least of his worries. If these reports by Col. James Brody were to be believed, there were giant ass bugs down there. Not to mention jumped up Covenant warriors, twitchy after they had their ass handed to them. Made them all the more dangerous in Tom's seasoned opinion.

Opening his COMM, Tom linked to the rest of his squad. Amanda, David, Bruce. They had all made it out O.K in the last engagement, Though Bruce required some surgery on his leg after the plasma had ripped through some of the skin and such. Amanda seemed unfazed by the situation. Then again, she had a heart of steel and a resolve made of Titanium A. David on the other had, was starting to show cracks in his emotional armour, seeming at times to be over-emotional and unfocused. Tom hoped he would pull it together.

"Ok guys. You know the drill by now. We're going in hot. Terrain is, as you know, forested and apparently very leafy. Last reports also indicate giant ass bugs. Apparently aggressive, so if you have the opportunity, shoot them." Tom said, uncounciously gripping his MA5B as he did so. "So stick a cork up your ass and lets get to it. Bruce, there's extra Diapers in your POD should you need em."

"Screw you too Sarge." replied Bruce with a slight sneer in his voice.

Laughing, Tom replied "Sorry, Not on a first date. And you ain't exactly my type."

Grinning as the others joined in the laughter, it was a good indication that they were not too amped up over the situation. Which was good. Then, with a bang, Tom felt his pod prepped for launch, and then heard the AI Lambert count down from 10.

On 5, Tom felt the pod orient towards the drop area, on 0, He felt the pod lurch, a momentairy bit of free fall, followed by the blaring anthem of the ODST's blaring across the freq. Usually the regs demanded that COMM's be kept clear, but at this point, Tom felt it was appropriate. This is what ODST's did. They didn't fuck around on Space ships, They planted feet firmly on the ground and kicked some ass. THAT, is what Tom penciled in for. THAT, is what Tom wanted to do with his life.

As the pod fell, Tom chinned a control in his helmet that squelched the channel, leaving the pod silent and Tom alone with his thoughts. This was ironically, the most peaceful times in Tom life. Hurtling through the Vaccuum of space, in a pod that would burn through the atmosphere, and all Tom was doing was thinking about Amanda. Ahh yes, Amanda, the secret love that he had nursed since being penciled into the ODST Corp. He never explained his emotions fully to Amanda, knowing that A) It was against regs, and B) It would make their life hell, being together on the field of battle.

Nodding, Tom brought himself from the pleasant haze of the memories of their time off on the Killimanjaro and brought himself into Combat mode by again, touching his weapons. His MA5B that was strapped down muzzle down to the floor between his legs, his MA6D Pistol clipped to his side. He had a string of 4 frag grenades clipped to his belt and a combat knife sheathed in a special holister behind his back.

As the Pod touched the atmosphere, Tom looked out the window with interest, his visor polarising automatically to reduce the glare of the quickly brightning flames as the Pod streaked through the atmosphere. Soon, internal temperatures rocketed as the pod produced more and more friction and the pod skin started to slag away. Tom meerly breathed through his nose, keeping calm about the situation. If he died, He knew he would have given his all to the Corp and his life would have been well spent.

Soon the pod cleared the turbulent atmosphere, and Tom's chute deployed. He saw that he was right on target for the landing zone that was locked into his computer, but he noticed Bruce's pod was straying a little.

"Bruce, adjust your course. Don't wanna have to play hide and seek today." Tom said, Grinning as he did so.

"Acknowledged Dad." replied Bruce. Tom imagined he had a grin on his face.

"Ok Squad, remember. When we get there, be on the lookout for Covenant and bugs. Big ones." Tom said with a shiver.

Recieving acknowledgements, Tom strapped in and waited for the somewhat gentle touchdown that would occur. Or so he thought.

*SNAP* was all Tom heard before his pod started tumbling. Tom quickly identified the cause of his issue, the main 'chute snapped off. Reaching up, Tom slammed the aux. Chute, which blissfully, did deploy.

Breathing heavily, Tom didn't panic, He knew that either the chute would deploy or he would be dead by now. He fired his stabilizers and the pod righted itself, the chute deploying fully, slowing his decent to a survivable velocity.

Crashing through the trees, Tom felt the lurch and thunk as the pod scraped through the foilage before landing with a giant squelching noise. Curious, though, as he was told it wasn't very marshy.

Popping the Hatch, Tom then snagged his MA5B, Yanked the lever and racked a round into the chamber. Scoping out the immediate vincinity, He then looked at his pod. The squelching noise he heard was his pod landing on a giant bug. Looked like a mutant dragonfly. If that was as big as they came, He was ok with that.

Looking around, He saw other HEV Pods scattered around the area... And his stomach lurched as he saw one crushed by a giant tree. the base of the tree looked like it was struck by the HEV Pod at a good clip.

Looking closely at it, Tom saw the name Wesley Black painted on. Looking down. Tom saw blood seeping out of the squashed edges. There was no need. Tom knew. Luckily... or unluckily, he saw his dog tags on the ground and picked them up. Gripping them tightly, Tom looked at the pod. "I didn't know you buddy, but I sure wish I did. You died a hero. Ooh-Rah."

Solemnly, Tom closed his eyes, and then when he re-opened them, his squad arrived. Looking at them, He nodded. "Lets make sure his death is the last one for a while." Tom whispered.

Nodding, They silently fell out. Fanned out in a loose V formation. Tom, naturally took point while Amanda went behind and to the left and Bruce and David, fell behind and to the right. They cut a quick, cautious pace, Tom stopping occasionally to scope out the situation. Along the way, they saw a lot of big ass bugs. 

"Sure wish I had a giant ass can of bug spray" Amanda muttered, Eying one of the big bugs buzzing about.

"Or a giant flyswatter" replied David, Who was keeping his weapons directly on the bugs.

"Can the chatter" replied Tom, as they moved on.

"Oh he's so Patton when he's pissed." smirked Bruce.

"Keep giving me lip and I'll Patton your ass into the ground boy!" replied Tom, Grinning. It was hard to keep a straight face with these guys. Which also showed how much of a family they had become. If only he could make Amanda... a little more. But he held his peace.

Soon, Tom saw on his track some other yellow dots which indicated friendlys ahead. one of the tags identified one [yellow]David Williams[/yellow]. So Tom opened up a COMM.

"Baker to Williams. Need a hand?"

[Deleted]

ODST Staff Sergeant Anna "Deep Red" Jones




 It didn't take Anna too  long to grab her assault riffle and make sure the safety was on, she then strapped it onto her shoulder. Not willing to waste more time, she turned around so her back would be facing the Sergeant and his men. Taking a deep breath she she crossed her arms over her chest, just like basic had taoght her to do. "Okay here I come." She said in a warning so they could adjust themselves quickly for the catch. She leaned back keeping in mind that she had to remain in a vertical line, as she did this she felt gravity pull down, all the while she praying that the ODST's down below would catch her without folly.

[AlphaWolf]

Hospital Corpsman Second Class Mark Phillips
Staging Area
Dirtside

    Mark had managed to get his hole deeper.  Now, if they got attacked by Covies, he'd at least have a bit of a berm to hide behind and shoot from.  The foxhole wasn't quite finished, but it was usable.

"Medic!"

    Mark's head perked up at the familiar yell, although usually it was "Corpsman!".  Quickly spotting the source of the yell, he shoved his E-tool into the dirt and, grabbing his pack and weapon, ran to the source of the yell.  Arriving at the scene, his HUD quickly identified the casualty, as well as the Marines standing around.  Setting his pack and weapon down, Mark looked up at one of the Marines, a Private Scott Lugar.

"Report."

[Deleted]

Major Johnathon B'Sheau Killinger
Task Force Seven Seven; Executive Officer
Marine Forward Operating Base (F.O.B)

[/color]"Medic!"[/color] someone screamed out. What? John thought quickly. They'd been on the ground for five minutes and there was already a casualty - either wounded or dead, they were still a casualty. The Major looked over to where the frightening yelp came from. First Platoon. Unfortunately, First Lieutenant Sorelson hadn't arrived yet on his pelican, but the rest of First Platoon was still deploying. He scanned the area with his HUD until he found a name that was clear enough to read.

"Private Ellis, what's going on over there?" The Major asked. The Private never responded. "Private Ellis, this is Killinger. Status report!" John tried again. Ellis still didn't respond. Shaking his head, the Major decided he'd check out what was going on for himself. This were going smoothly and a sensor grid of the rough area was already transmitting back towards the Kilimanjaro's database, like he'd been ordered to do so from Colonel Brody.

Killinger slung his MK280GPLMG across his back and pulled the shoulder strap tight so it wouldn't slid off his armor. He took a breath and jumped over a creator caused by a MLA round and jolted across the uneven forward operating base; sprinting as fast as he could. He passed soldiers digging in with their E-Tools.

The Veteran Officer was on their location in a minute, maybe less, he didn't really know. What he did know, however, was there was someone wounded and a big fucking bug dead to a bunch of Marines. The briefing reported that the animals would be twice the size as normal, but this... Moth like bug... Was at least ten times the size of an Earth Moth. "Holly shit..." The Major muttered, before looking away towards a growing cluster of men. Everyone was interested to know what had happened.

It didn't take long for the Major to find out what was going on. HM2 Mark Phillips was present, and if a Corpsman was present after a medic call, it meant that he was the first one to respond to the call. He had his room, but four other Marines were peeking to see what the injury was. The Major slipped through the large gap between the four marines and ushered them back towards their holes by pointing towards the closest trench. They got the message.

Knowing that the Corpsman needed space, the Major routed to his left to avoid blocking the sunlight to get a better idea what had happened. A Lance Corporal lay on the ground with large bite wound. The Moth like creature pierced the Corporal's armor. He didn't need any more time to tell the Corpsman to get the man back to a UNSC Ship. Though, the Corpsman hadn't begun examining the wound in the first place. He was still asking for a report.

"Phillips. Tag that man and get him to a pelican," The Major said, getting his point across quickly. "If the creature was poisonous, the UNSC ships in orbit will have better equipment to treat it." The Major added after a few seconds, thinking about the possibilities. He moved away from the Corpsman and kicked the Moth, a frightened Private First Class sitting nearby. There was also a Sergeant - a Sergeant Dexter, who must have followed him from the other side of the F.O.B.

This Sergeant was a member of a whole different company.

"Major?"
"Help me move this thing before I answer any questions," The Major said. "Then I'll respond."

Together, the Major and the NCO moved the Moth like creature out of the way, dumping the body into a creator left by the orbital bombardment.

"Now, Sergeant, what do you need?"
"Well, sir, I was wondering what had occurred here. I heard the shout for the medic."
"You left your corner of the perimeter to ask this? Why didn't you raise me on the comms channel?"
"I, uh... Didn't think of it, sir."
"Heat of the moment, I suppose. Regardless, look for yourself. A Marine was bit, that's all I know."

The Sergeant nodded and heading towards the corpse.

Killinger signed and produced a cigar from his vest and lite the consumable.

He spotted Private Lugar from the corner of his eye and grinned, moving towards the private. He crouched beside the youngster, "Not what you'd expected for your first real combat scenario, hey?" The Major asked jokingly. The Private was now on a contested planet where both Covenant and UNSC were about to battle, and the first thing the UNSC fights was a bug. It was, officially, combat. A Marine was also wounded in the process.

[Deleted]

ODST Lilianna

Lilianna trotted off back in the direction of her squad, finally meeting up with the rest of them. "Glad to see you're okay." Hicks replied. "Yeah, but I crashed into a-" "Big bug, yeah, I know." Hicks said cutting her off. "Alright ODST's, group up, I don't want anyone splitting away from us." Hicks said. "Move out" Lilianna stood beside Ripley and took point while Sanders and Hicks watched the flanks. "So... how big, exactly, was that bug?" Ripley asked, turning to Lilianna. "Big enough to carry a human off." Lilianna replied. "Damn..." Ripley said, looking up at the sky. "Don't worry.. as big as they are, we'll hear them before we see them." Lilianna said, keeping her head forward as she walked with her squad.

[Cabel]

[Task Force 77: Alpha Platoon: Alpha Company: Tropical Planet: Staging Area: Perimeter]

He’d finished stringing up claymores, tripwires, sensors and other booby-traps that had the intended purpose of giving anything that penetrated the UNSC staging area’s perimeter a nasty surprise, and give the marines of the Task Force enough time to react. Mark had never been one to have his men do things he wouldn’t first, and the tropical planet had been one of those times. Throughout his career, in the various tours, he’d seen to stringing the perimeter to scouting an enemy’s position to even more menial tasks dictated in by the Corps. The perimeter lay as secure as possible, or at least as much as the marines had been capable of given the high humidity and the immense fauna on the planet. Finding a sandbag and tarp hootch to have a little reprieve from the heat, if not the ever constant humidity, the First Lieutenant set his rifle down against the side of the sheltered foxhole before taking a seat next to it. He’d only taken his water filled canteen out to stay hydrated when the screams of several marines caught his attention. Grabbing the MA5C rifle and tucking the canteen back into the breastplate, he’d leap out of the foxhole and ran towards the source of the screaming. The fact the Fleet had tracked the Covenant corvette that had escaped the Supercruiser to this planet meant that the screams had meant a variety of things, from a Covenant sapper team to a sighting of a local specimen of fauna to even some green recruit fresh from Boot pissing on himself.

Passing sandbag and tarp hootches to open foxholes manned by marines and crates of supplies, Mark refrained from leaping to assumptions. The planet had been overgrown with flora and in any other situation could have passed for a greenhouse on one of the UNSC‘ many remaining colonies, with wildlife capable of fitting into a scientist‘s Petri-dish. He’d barely made it past one of the landing pads for the Pelican Dropships when something tripped him. The ground came up quickly, and instinctively Spade twisted his body and rolled coming out on his feet. Swinging his rifle around, Mark settled the iron sights on an insect he’d played with as a kid. A giant Pill Millipede or Roly Poly stared back at him, with its antennae flitting around had managed to sneak into the marine’s staging area without anyone noticing. Looking around, he’d find at least a dozen such Pill Milipedes had snuck into the staging area to feed on decaying flora on the jungle floor. Insuring the insects hadn’t been out to make a meal out of him, Mark picked himself up and dusted himself off before hurrying across the staging area to the source of the screaming.

[Daenerys Targaryen]

Sergeant David Williams
ODST
Feet First Onto Squadies

"Baker to Williams, need a hand." The voice over the radio almost gave him and his squadmates a heart attack as they looked toward the Staff Sergeant in a now swaying pod. She was up there now, ready to throw life and limb into the hands of her fellow soldiers. The branch had broke, and the pod she now stood in was about to break free, letting gravity do its work on possibly all of them. David's squad moved into a formation to catch her as she tensed, preparing to jump. 

"Shit, gave me a heart attack, Baker. Too late for that now." David responded, stretching his arms out with his squad mates to form a net in between their group. They all tensed, but allowed their arms enough slack, adjusting themselves to catch the soldier. 

"Shit Sarge, this look like it is going to hurt." Piped up Suzie, grimacing behind her dark visor. 

"Probably." Responded David, looking up between the ODST and her pod. 

"Okay here I come." Called the Staff Sergeant into comms as she stepped from her pod, falling toward them. The sudden lack of weight caused the pod to tip toward violently, and all members of the squad audibly gulped. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. What seemed like three very long seconds later, the soldier came crashing into the 24 arms stretched out below her, breaking her fall but sending all of them tumbling to the ground. Several of the squad mates let out groans of pain and discomfort as they picked themselves up. 

David, the first to get up, walked quickly up to the Staff Sergeant and offered a hand, gazing up to the pod that was only seconds away from falling from its divot in the tree. "Well, staff, I'd get your ass in gear." He stated, ready to break into a sprint. 

[Deleted]

HN Samantha Jackson
Task Force 77/ Alpha Company/ Third Squad
Marine Staging Area

Sam hadn't been on the planet for ten minutes and she was already hating the heat, not to mention the humidity which made everything worse. She was still watching the jungle when the shouts started from the other side of the clearing, she turned and raised her gun at the sound of gunfire, but the noise quickly died down. The brief silence was then filled with shouts for a medic, she did not care what man needed help, she just started running. Sam pushed past several marines, not worrying too much about if she knocked someone over, they would be ok. The young corpsmen reached the small group of marines standing near what looked like a giant moth, the thing had a knife sticking out of its head, she moved through the marines who were now leaving to handle other jobs. 

HM2 Mark Phillips was already accessing the wounded marine, he was from her group, not to far off a Major stood giving orders, she looked at the marine with the shoulder injury then back to where the giant moth had been, "If the creature was poisonous, the UNSC ships in orbit will have better equipment to treat it."  , the Major had a point, a puzzled look crossed her face, "How the hell did something with no teeth bite him?" she asked glancing at Mark as she knelt down across from him to help with the marine. 

[Deleted]

Major Johnathon B'Sheau Killinger
Task Force Seven Seven; Executive Officer
Marine Foward Operating Base

"How the hell did something with no teeth bite him?" HM Samantha Jackson asked. She must have approached at the call for the medic, like a dozen other Marines and Marine Personnel like Corpsmen had. At first, the Major thought about sending her back to her perimeter point. Return to her squad, but he decided that it was relatively secured and a F.O.B usually had Marines all over the place. If the defensive line held, it would be okay for Marines to roam the field.

And, of course, their was still the problem that presented its-self in more ways than one. Without the field flat, they couldn't really deploy vehicles and pre-made base structures such as a command post - which usually deployed under a Albatross Dropship. They called them a Fire-Base, but in the end it was a simple surface structure that provided the command staff with a tactical asset.

The defenses like anti-missile and anti-personnel weapons would follow shortly after.

"It's got teeth, Jackson." The Major replied, respectfully. He moved over towards the Moth like creature and kicked its head. It rolled to the right, where the Major suck his knife into the base of the creatures skill. It's jaw limped open, but the Major pried it the rest of the way. "As you can see, it's got teeth," The Major said, pushing his finger over one of the razor sharp teeth. "Sharp ones, too." He added, retracting his hand and pulling his knife free.

"This is Major Killinger to all deployed Marines at the F.O.B; I want you to watch your sectors for wildlife. If they appear to be aggressive, don't think twice about blowing them the fuck away. We've got a man wounded on the ground, I repeat, we've got a man wounded on the ground." The Major said, broadcasting on an open, yet secured, channel for the Marines.

He cleared his throat and returned his attention to the bug. He snickered. "The only good bug is a dead bug..." He said, chuckling. He referenced an extremely old, yet good movie, Starship Troopers. He took a long drag on his cigar and moved away. He noticed First Lieutenant Sorelson approaching. So he was on the ground? the Major thought.

(( OOC: TinCanHitman has approved of this creature being in this RP, though at sparse numbers. ))

Admiral Eric Klix
UNSCS Sratoga[
Marathon II Super Heavy Guided Missile Cruiser

"The planet appears to be significantly more oxygenated than most planets within UNSC territory." The Tactical Officer reported. The UNSC Fleet was, in fact, beyond the territory that was previously UNSC controlled. They were passed the outer colony lines that was developed before Harvest was attacked. This planet, however, was well beyond that outer line - much like the operation with the SuperCarrier.

It was new territory that the UNSC would never be able to claim unless a miracle happened and the war between the human and the Covenant ceased. "How so, Lieutenant?" Eric asked, looking towards the Tactical Officer. The Sratoga wasn't linked into the information network the rest of the fleet was linked into - at least not yet. They needed to deploy a communication bouy in order to access the information the UNSC fleet was sharing with each-other. They synched when they regrouped by the SuperCarrier. The Sratoga never got that chance.

Since this was unexplored space; there were absolutely no communication bouys deployed yet. That means that the Sratoga communications towards the fleet would take a few minutes to receive and if they did respond, it would take a few minutes to respond to the communique. The easiest way to fix that problem was to deploy a comm bouy, where the UNSC Fleet would relay their messages there. It would significantly increase the speed of long range communications. The single was, after all, traveled hundreds of thousands of kilometers.

"The planet is largely dense vegetation - a jungle. All I've got is long range sensor scans, but this would be a perfect planet to base a new civilization on, sir." The Tactical Officer said. The AI appeared. Klix had to replace Dino after he reached his service longevity. After seven years of service, the AI was decommissioned. The Admiral was assigned a new one. Female programming who took the form of a goddess. It was ironically too, that the AI picked the name Athens.

"Yes, Lieutenant. This planet has a heavy oxygen rate, but you know what the UNSC would use it for at this point in the war. The stratosphere alone is extremely thick - Admiral, this planets ozone layer is completely intact. No radiation or pollution detected despite the UNSC's fleet bombardment to create landing zones. I've detected some small anomalies I'd like you to consider." The AI said.

"What are they, Athens?"

"Well, Admiral. Like I said, the planet's stratosphere is thick, which means that it's hemisphere is thicker, which means that this planets Oxygen levels are extremely high. With this systems star, or sun, approximately roughly the same distance as Reach to it's sun I have run some simulations simultaneously on information gathered from Reach's forestry and our long range sensors - Animals here are likely going to be extremely large. The canopy of this planet is containing moisture within the undergrowth, so it's also easier to live if you're a plant. I've spotted an ODST Emergency Beacon broadcasting on the emergency channels." The AI reported.

Eric's eyes widened. "And?" He said after a few seconds, the AI wasn't finished.

"Well, sir. The anomaly I detected was a patch of heat around this pod. At first I thought it was just the H.E.V's deceleration rockets, but I investigated further. I noticed that each heat signature had an individual life sign. Sir, this ODST didn't die from impact, he was killed by predators who roam this specific forest. I'm uploading a basic long range image on the tactical screen."

Eric shot a quick glare at the planet. "We don't have accurate intelligence, but I want this forwarded to Vardy as quickly as possible. Communications, launch a single comm bouy and link us with the Kilimanjaro." He ordered.

Within minutes the comm bouy was launched and a communications channel was linked.

"David, this is Eric. Our long range sensors have detected an anomaly found by the Sratoga's AI, Athens. I'm relaying the message to you VIA text to your personal data pad. The report is from my AI. I think we should consider this before deploying more Marines." He said. They were both Admiral, and they had been friends for a long time.

// United Nations Space Command //
Encryption Code: Green
Public Key: file/ Comm Bouy 'Sratoga' 00A1//
From: UNSCN Admiral Eric, S. Klix.
To: UNSCN Vice Admiral David, ?. Vardy.
Subject: Humidity report.
Classification: EYES ONLY (BGX Directive)

--- REPORT FROM UNSC AI-0043 'ATHENS' ----

Planet, -error; name //file unknow//-, is a large, densely vegetated planet.

This planet has a thick, oxygen rich plant life, which has resulted in a large canopy with think undergrowth beneath the visible forest flooring. Sensors indicate that the electromagnetic radiation is barely reaching the canopies surface. This means that communications with the Marines within the forest will be significantly reduced. The thickness of the canopy is acting much like a full rock cave. Radio signals will likely be scrambled.

Due to this planet being heavily oxygen rich, the animal life are, naturally, larger than most specimens we've seen in a while.

Upon finishing my set series of simulations, I noticed an anomaly. The forests internal temperature was increasing at a certain point. Through the use of long range sensors, I've managed to accurately identify the source of the heat signatures. This bug (Click 'This Bug for picture') has been identified. It is a predator within this world. A group of these creatures were surrounding a lone ODST pod, the occupant clearly killed by these creatures.

Thus, I've recommended a course of action.

I would avoid blindly deploying Marines into the planet and giving them a warning about this creature. It is nine feet tall and roughly fifteen feet long. And if the intelligence I have gathered means anything, it's also extremely deadly. Please advise on course of action.

// END MESSAGE //

With the report opened, selected and sent, all Eric had to do was wait for David to access this communication bouy to establish a data transfer - where he'd be synchronized with the rest of the fleet. It was only a matter of minutes.

[Cabel]

I‘m getting too old for this, he realized as he approached the group of marines including Private Lugar, Major Killinger, Corpsman Jackson and Corpsman Phillips gathered around what remained of a giant moth. He‘d been a bit out of breath, but nothing that had been inexcusable from his age. “I came as quickly as possible. I‘d ask what happened, but it seems that Private had an encounter with one of the native fauna. I tripped over a few Pill Milipedes...Roly Polies on the way,…massive ones near the landing pads. They‘re relatively harmless unless you‘re a decaying fern or a House salad,”

“The eastern perimeter‘s secured. We‘ve cut back some of the trees, providing a two hundred foot killing zone and on that side there are some steep hills. An eighteen meter drop with a fifteen degree grade, if I had to take a guess…a steep grade. We set up a second outer perimeter using some pungi sticks aimed outward covered in pits. If we get anything on that side, we’ll know about it. The claymores, and other surprises will catch the Covenant or give any of the local predators an incentive to rethink their plan,” Mark reported. “I was personally stringing up some of the nasty surprises…it‘s a steep hill. If we have to, we can just roll rocks down on the Covenant,"

[Deleted]

Lance-Corporal Devereaux
ODST "Havoc three-two" Alpha team
Just in the jungle

After the squad assembled on the edge of the dropzone, sergeant MacTavish explained the situation again. There was a Covenant crash site, where they had put up defenses and fortifications. Eventually, the ODSTs and the marines together would have to attack this place. However, before they could do that, they needed intelligence and that was where Viv's fireteam came in. A four men team would have to move through the forest, and would almost have to be on top of the base to conduct reconnaissance. Then they'd have to double back through the forest again to let everyone know what they'd found out because they wouldn't have contact because of the canopy.

After they prepared themselves, the left everything the would not need behind with the rest of the squad. Viv took off her backpack and started taking things out, like rations (except for one), and everything else but two extra canteens with water and spare ammo that she could not carry on her. Others followed her example, and one of them didn't want to bring his radio, but after some convincing, he strapped it onto his back again.

After they were all done, the other men wished the team luck, and then they moved in the jungle. Viv was impresses by the sheer size of the vegetation, but was also afraid that if everything was as big as this, they would have to avoid the wildlife.

[McStubbsberry]

Private Scott Lugar
Task Force 77
Marine Staging Area

"Report," said the Corpsman who had arrived first and immediately began working on the injured Marine.

"It's fucked up, sir. Private First Class Brown was the first to spot that, thing. He got my attention at about the same time as Lance Corporal Bradley and Private First Class Kelly spot it. They immediately opened fire and it attacked the Lance Corporal. Tore right through his shoulder armor, the man didn't have a chance there." By the time Scott recounted everything that had happened in the last minute, which felt like an eternity when they battled the creature, a small group of Marines had come to investigate.

Major Killinger had also came, he sent the Marines on their way and appeared to be piecing together what had happened. He spotted Private Lugar. "Not what you'd expected for your first real combat scenario, hey?" 

"Hell no, sir." Scott knew better than to salute the Major here. In the old wars on Earth, that was a sure way to get your commanding officer killed by sniper fire. It was the same rules here. Unlike the Covenant who take pride in showing off what they have achieved in their ornate armor, the UNSC was a bit smarter than that, instead opting for less flashy BDUs and small insignia. "I remember killing things like that when I was younger, or at least close mutations to what that monster is. I think it bit me in the ass doing that," the private half-heartedly joked.

[David]

Sgt. Tom Baker
Forest Floor - Unknown Planet
Rendezvoused with other squads

((OOC: Kill, I dropped a beacon a couple of posts ago, your already synched with the fleet.))

"Shit, gave me a heart attack, Baker. Too late for that now." replied Williams

Grinning, Tom signalled for his team to keep sharp while he move forward. Looking around, he saw a few more ODST's and curiously, what looked like a Staff Sgt, up in the trees. Raising an eyebrow, Tom grinned. He knew no serious harm would befall her. He watched as 6 other ODST's linked their arms together to help break her fall.

Then, The Staff Sgt. shouted "HERE I COME!" and then Tom watched as she plummeted towards the ODST human trampoline... and watched as she landed on target, but causing the rest to fall over, some groaning with pain. That would hurt for a while Tom surmised.

Looking at Amanda, Tom smirked. "Would you do that for me?" he asked, grinning.

Amanda got this uncomfortable look on her face and she turned away. "Of course." she muttered. Tom could have sworn he saw her cheeks turn red before she turned.

Nodding, Tom figured he may have crossed a line. Opening a private COMM to Amanda, He muttered. "Hey, Sorry. I meant it as a joke."

"Its ok Tom. I know." she whispered back. "I was just.... caught off guard."

Nodding, Tom cut the channel and looked back at his squad. Ok. Lets get our bearings and move out." Tom ordered. "Wait, hold up, incoming transmission from Col. Jason Brody.

Col. Jason Brody
UNSC Forward Base Alpha
Command Tent

Thanking the Lt, Jason grabbed the padd that he profferred and looked at it. Scruitinising the data, Jason decided that a classic pincer manuever would cut those Covenant bastards to size.

Walking over to the COMMS, Jason opened a channel to the ODST detachment. "Attention all ODST units, this is Col. Jason Brody. We are going to perform a classic pincer manuever on these bastards. Two squads will proceed to grid 20 X 34, Two squads will proceed to 10X25, The rest will follow up the middle to grid 15X27. Good hunting. And good luck."

Closing the COMMS, Jason walked back over to his desk, and sat back down. He took a moment. He knew damn well some of those ODST's wouldn't be coming back. That was the hardest part of the job to stomach.

Sgt. Baker
Forest Floor - Unknown Planet
Recieving Orders.

"Attention all ODST units, this is Col. Jason Brody. We are going to perform a classic pincer manuever on these bastards. Two squads will proceed to grid 20 X 34, Two squads will proceed to 10X25, The rest will follow up the middle to grid 15X27. Good hunting. And good luck." and then the comm cut.

Nodding, Tom looked at his squad. "Ok guys, We will proceed to grid 20X34. Lets start humping!"

"PFFT!" snorted David.

"Oh grow up." replied Amanda. "Both of you."

"Yes Mom." replied Bruce.

Walking up to Bruce, Amanda slowly, sweetly, took her hand, caressed the side of Bruce's helmet, Before taking her other hand and slapping the other side of the helmet.

"Anything else?" Amanda snarled.

"N...No Ma'am." Bruce replied.

"Good. lets move out!" she replied, taking point.

".... Yes Ma'am." the ODSTs replied as they meekly followed.

[Deleted]

ODST Lilianna

Lilianna and her squad walked for what seemed like hours, their feet soundlessly striking the dirt as they marched onwards towards their goal. It was then that Hicks threw up a fist, and the squad halted. "Do you hear that..?" He said quietly. Lilianna couldn't hear anything at first... but then, the feint sound of what sounded like a helicopter could be heard. It grew louder and louder until Lilianna turned her head. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw two more of those large insects headed straight for them

"MOVE IT" Hicks said, instantly the squad took off into a full sprint, Lilianna easily keeping up with them all. The massive creature swooped down, forcing the ODST's to hit the deck. It wasn't long before the other one threatened to drop down right on top of Lilianna. Lilianna quickly rolled out of the way, just barely avoiding being trapped under the beast. Lilianna then quickly scanned the area, and scrambled into a near by hole. The hole was just big enough to fit inside, but too small for the insect. The creature scratched at the hole with it's legs, trying to claw it's way in. "Lilianna!" Ripleys voice came over her radio.

"Go!" Lilianna called back, hunching as far back as she could in the hole. "I'll be alright, just get to safety!"
"Damn it, you better come back to us in one piece!" Ripley called back before following the rest of her squad, running away from the other insect.

The creature kept clawing at the hole for what seemed like forever to Lilianna, but finally, it gave up, flying away to leave her be. It had just occurred to her that her squad hadn't radioed in. "Hicks? Sanders? Ripley!?" Lilianna said frantically over her radio. "Lilianna?" Came Ripley's voice. Lilianna felt a rush of relief wash over her. "Are you alright?" Came the other females voice once more. "Yeah... I'm fine... how are you guys?" A pause. "We're safe, but we don't know for how long." Lilianna silently made her way out of the small hole and retrieved her assault rifle. "Alright.. I'll try to find you." Lilianna said, walking in the direction she saw her squad run.

Once again.. she was a lone.

[AlphaWolf]

Hospital Corpsman Second Class Mark Phillips
In the Wire
Staging Area
Dirtside

    Mark pulled out a pair of black nitrile gloves and pulled them on while the private gave his report. Nodding, Mark gently moved the wounded corporal's hand, only to be met with a spray of blood.  Uttering a string of words that probably shouldn't be said in the presence of people like the Major, Mark shoved the corporal's hand back into the wound and looked around for a free pair of hands.  Grabbing Private Lugar, he handed him a pair of gloves.

"Put these on, now."

Mark ripped open his bag as someone else came running up.  Glancing up, Mark saw that it was Sam.

"Sam, get me a 14 in his other arm.  Saline."  Mark grabbed a hemostatic bandage and tore it open.  "Major Killinger, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could arrange a priority dustoff.  One yellow casualty."

Turning back to the private he had given a pair of gloves, Mark directed him to kneel.

"OK, what I'm going to do is move his hand, then you're going to take this bandage and apply pressure to the wound."

First Lieutenant Adrian Johann
Command Post, Third Platoon, Alpha Company
Staging Area
Dirtside

    Adrian watched as a group outside of the wire screamed for a medic and his corpsman took off running, along with another corpsman farther down the perimeter.  As Remington reported that they had finished stringing wire and sensors, Adrian directed them to the position of the wounded man, as it appeared that no one was watching the trees.  Adrian rapidly transmitted a message to Major Killinger informing him of the deployment, then got up and started walking his section of the perimeter, interacting with the troops.

[Deleted]

Major Johnathon B'Sheau Killinger
Task Force Seven Seven; Executive Officer
Marine F.O.B

""Major Killinger, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could arrange a priority dustoff. One yellow casualty." HM2 Phillips said quickly, also addressing the other medic that was around. Killinger knew the priority dustoff recommendation would come, but the Major had already told the Corpsman that it would be better for the Lance Corporal to get back to a Navy ship in orbit. Regardless, the Major spun around and looked towards the sky. His HUD was broadcasting the callsigns of the pelicans, and the majority of the landing pelicans had already taken off.

One was about too, as well. John recognized the callsign; it was the Pelican he came in on. Obviously, troops were still unloading ammo and supplies from the troop deployment pod. As John accessed the pilots frequency - the Pelican begun to lift off the ground. It engaged its flight mode and shot forward, angling up as quick as it could.

"Foxtrox Two November, this is Major Killinger! How copy?"
"Solid copy, sir!"
"I need you to return to the ground. We've got a priority one dustoff - yellow casualty. We've got a man wounded on the ground and he's bleeding pretty bad. I need you to get him to a UNSC ship where the surgical teams can repair this man."
"Understood, sir."

The Pelicans rate of ascension slowed and the noise tipped back down towards the surface of the planet, then started descending back towards the Marine FOB. While the pilot may have been frustrated, he was dedicated. He came in fast, engaged his hover and titled the noise of the aircraft high into the air, the engines trust sending dirt and dust into the air.

By the time the debris, dust and dirt cleared, the pelican was safely on the ground - a safe distance away from any marine or the casualty. John smiled and looked towards the rushing Phillips. "That pelican's waiting for you. You've got your dustoff, Phillips!" He said, linking back with the pilot.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." John said honestly.
The Pilot thumped up him from the pilots seat and looked back towards the troop ramp - which was deployed for easier access to the pelican's troop bay, or, ironically in this case, the blood tray. The Major moved away, knowing the Lance Corporal was in good hands. He moved towards First Lieutenant Sorelson, who had just made his report.

"You said your section of the perimeter was secure? Good, good. Alright, I want you too take a squad of Marines two hundred meters passed the tree line and set up another sensor array. Be careful, we know that the wild-life on this planet can be lethal. We need to start expanding our sensor perimeter so we can start getting more accurate intelligence on what is coming and how far away it is." The Major said.

The more sensors, the more accurate reports from the devices they received. And they had plenty, too. Every pelican carrying a Marine was stocked will at least a dozen sensors each. The perimeter grid had been established, now it was time to get a grid further out.

The Major accessed the command channel and located Colonel Brody. "Sir, perimeter is secure. I'm deploying sensors two hundreds meters into the forest, just past the tree-line. It'll give the UNSC, which means us too, a more accurate data on what is coming, where it's coming from and how long it will take to get here. You can begin deploying the pre-fabricated buildings." The Major said.

He looked around. There was enough room to deploy small buildings, but it looked like the command building would have to wait until the ground was more level. The creators from the orbital bombardment were actually starting to become more of a problem now. Only if they had a big shovel. Or, they could just land a Cruiser on this spot. That'll do it... John thought, grinning. He knew it would be suicidal.

[Huka]

Field Master Til Je'at Ra'ha 'Muramai

  Static answered R'ha for a good second, before Til's voice answered in whispers and finally replying, "Field Master 'Muramai going to retrieve the Arbiter's corpse as per protocol and avenging his noble death with blood, Mighty Field Marshal." In the veil of blended light and his scattering of Yanme'e keeping all attention on his quarry. The Field Master's mind was a pounding threshold of agony and fury, his lungs burned in his aggravation, and his heart howled for vengeance. He and Tibur might not see eye-to-eye, but they did had the bond of common room brothers, in their time together on the battlefield during the Heretic cleansing before the finding of the Humans, they watched each other's back. 

 Reticence, that is what Til takes now. Silent and wrathful like a wraith in the howling winds of the sand, engulfing his enemy and leaving behind a shriveled husk. Something he have seen many times in his youth, in the merciless Helian Desert. If the Demon escapes him, then he will turn his vengeance in its summoners.
   

[McStubbsberry]

Private Scott Lugar
Task Force 77
Marine Staging Area

Scott was scared, though he wouldn't show it. They taught basic life-saving skills at boot camp, but that training is very, very different from the real thing. He put on the gloves and knelt by the Corpsman. "OK, what I'm going to do is move his hand, then you're going to take this bandage and apply pressure to the wound."

Private Lugar took the bandage and prepared to press it in the Lance Corporal's gaping shoulder wound. There was already a lot of blood, but a calm washed over Scott. Something clicked in his mind that completely erased his fear. He had to act quickly and precisely to help save this man's life and his brain reacted to do just that. "I'm ready when you are, sir."

[Deleted]

ODST Anna "Deep Red" Jones

    It take long for Anna and  Sergeant Williams squad to run away to a safe distance as the tree feel; A loud thunderous crash told Anna deep down inside that she was lucky to be alive."This What I love about being an ODST." She said with pride and sarcasm, obviously not enjoying jumping down a tree."Attention all ODST units, this is Col. Jason
Brody. We are going to perform a classic pincer manuever on these
bastards. Two squads will proceed to grid 20 X 34, Two squads will
proceed to 10X25, The rest will follow up the middle to grid 15X27. Good
hunting. And good luck."  The Col. said over the com.

"Right soon as I find my squad 10x25 is my destination." Anna said looking at the Sergeant."IF you boys need a hand in the near future just call for DR, and me and my boy's won't hesitate to back you."She out stretched a hand to shake Davids.