The Forsaken Ones

[Ping]

"Well, he basically threatened to kill me because I was involved with his cousin's disapearance, Mia. She was part of a family of nobleman, Jack's Family. She basically got sick of her family pride and arrogance, especially from her father, and decided to move out - so to speak. I shipped her off to Asgard, where she's currently living with a close friend of hers. Though between you and I, I think its something more than a "close friendship"

 

"Wait a sec...that's not a kidnapping, that's getting smuggled willfully." Sullivan grinned. He couldn't help but be impressed by the task this man had done. "I've only just met you and I already like your style. You don't seem to care too much about what that nobleman thinks, or anyone else, for that matter. If you have anymore stories, feel free to tell them."

[DrPhil2501]

"I've only just met you and I already like your style. You don't seem to care too much about what that nobleman thinks, or anyone else, for that matter."

 

"You flatter me." Deck chuckled, and raised a hand. "But I'm certainly no hero. I've done questionable things, but I can safely say most of them were for the right reasons. I do what I feel is right."

 

"If you have anymore stories, feel free to tell them."

 

"Oh, I do... But perhaps another time, if we get a chance." Deck promised. "Right now, we have a job to do."

 

Deck was about to walk out of the cockpit, but stared at the control panel. Azreal seemed to be handeling the piloting of the ship okay. He continued onward, to the ship's main area where Evans was hanging out.

 

"I assume we've got some type of strategy planned out?"

[Jedi_Man]

(apparently I'm on the ship so please just bare with me here)

Sam listened to the banter of the group. He laughed at some of the things and stood up to go to the armory. He liked to know what they would be using.

Upon entering the armory, he saw Null in there. Paying him no heed, he went over to the weapons locker which was already open, and gazed at the selection.

"Hmmm, nice choices, eh?" Sam asked Null. Sam grabbed his personal rifle off the rack.

"With this puppy I could hit a Plague soldier in the center of his head from five- no, six hundred yards. I know, because I did back on Zar-" Sam cut himself off there. No point in talking about the past.

"Well, anyways, I count my bullets, so don't get any funny ideas about my little baby here." Sam said.

Ares interjected, " Sir, I hope you know that your rifle isn't actually your-"

"Yes, Ares, I know, It's a type of human personification, I'm really attached to it, it's like how you call my Helmet home when really your home is the hou-" Sam cut himself off again. He stepped out of the armory to sit back down at his seat.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Null looked over at Sam and nodded in agreement.

 

"Yeah, the one thing Eridanus did for us."

 

He took notice of what Sam tried to say but decided against it.

 

"Come on Larson, let's head back and go over the plan so everyone's crystal clear on what to do...and I know what you're feeling, trust me."

 

He left the armory and made his way back to the others.

 

"Alright everyone gather up!"

[Carsew]

Jack turned his chair towards Null, putting his palms together. He didn't care what the others thought of him, he would prove in the forthcoming battle how he hade earned his rank. He thought about one time, when he had almost gotten killed, but when he did that, he saved the lives of the whole squad. He smiled and waited for Null to speak.

[Ping]

"Alright everyone gather up!"

 

Sullivan looked towards the main quarters from the cockpit. "Well, looks like we'll might be fighting soon," he said to Deck. "I'd put this thing in auto-pilot if I were you. Oh, and just in case I don't get the chance after the briefing, I'd like to say good luck. I've got a feeling we're going to need it." With that, Sullivan walked towards where Null and the rest of the crew were gathered.

[DrPhil2501]

"I'd put this thing in auto-pilot if I were you

 

"Technically, its already in autopilot." Deck pointed out. "That Azrael AI has full control over the ship, from my understanding."

 

Deck sat down on a near-by chair for the debriefing, focusing his attention on Null the Master Sergeant. He waited patiently for everybody to gather around.

 

Deck sat back in his chair, layed back and relaxed.

[ForeverNight]

"I assume we've got some type of strategy planned out?"

 

Evans snorted, "knowing what this group appears to be like, I'd say that's a bad assumption." He paused. "In fact, this feels like one gigantic problem just waiting to happen."

 

"Alright everyone gather up!"

 

"Oh, goody, we're finally getting a plan made." Evans said dryly. "I assume you have a plan that's more than: Run towards the enemy and hope to not get killed?"

[Cyborg Ninja]

"Oh, goody, we're finally getting a plan made." Evans said dryly. "I assume you have a plan that's more than: Run towards the enemy and hope to not get killed?"

 

"With all due respect sir the current plan will work, perhaps you've just been away from the real action for far too long... sir." Null stated being slightly irritated.

 

Null walked around for a few seconds before beginning.

 

"I'll state the plan one more time. We fly towards the Plague Recon Cruiser until it detects us. We quickly kill all power so all the ship scans is a dead ship. They will begin to send a boarding party while we put on our zero gee armor and exit our ship. Azrael will have a surprise waiting for the boarding party. We cut a hole where The Plague connected our two ships and enter from there. Once inside Azrael will jam their communications which will prevent them from signaling help. We will have our own private frequency on which to talk to so they won't be able to hear us. Once inside we split up into two groups. Group 1 will covertly take out any enemies that get in our way while they head to the bridge. Group 2 will head to the engine room and plant as many explosives as they can. Group 1 will secure the bridge and Azrael downloads as much info as he can. Once he’s download everything we send the ships back in the direction it came and trigger its distress beacon. We regroup and head back to our ship and fly back, and The Plague recieve a nasty surprise.”

[Jedi_Man]

(I feel as if Forever's comments were directed towards me...)

Sam leaned forward, interested in the plan they had.

Sam quietly whispered to Ares "Calculate odds of sucess."

Ares was silent for three seconds then responded " Sir, much of this is based on chance. That you stop the ship in time to be deamed a dead ship, that none of you do something stupid in the vacuum that sends you into a zero gee tumble, that-"

"Odds, please."

" Very low, 1 to 5 I'm afraid. Your all well trained soldiers, but at least two of you haven't seen action for over a year, I know you haven't seen anything for at least five years. But you're among the best, or else you wouldn't be here. That ups it to 1 in 3, still stacked against you I'm afraid sir." Ares finished.

[ForeverNight]

"With all due respect sir the current plan will work, perhaps you've just been away from the real action for far too long... sir."

 

Evans raised an eyebrow, it looked like he'd be taking a stroll through Null's file if he survived this, any Master Sergeant who felt that he could talk to an officer like this had to be special. Though he was slightly miffed, mainly because the sergeant had heard the comments and not put them in their proper context.

 

["]Once he’s download everything we send the ships back in the direction it came and trigger its distress beacon. We regroup and head back to our ship and fly back, and The Plague recieve a nasty surprise.”

 

Evans looked at Null blankly, waiting for something else to appear, something.... helpful. As it was, he did not like the plan, it left far too much to fate, who was a conniving, vengeful bitch that would just as likely screw you over as help you. Damn him having command. He raged within the safety of his own mind, not that he'd have a better time of it, but he'd like to think he'd put together a plan with less.... complications and chances...

 

"You mean to say master sergeant that we're relying on chance to see us through?" Evans looked at the his hands again before looking up, his thoughts ordered. "We're going to get within the detection range of a Plague cruiser -which we don't know yet, considering we've never captured one- shut down everything quickly and play dead ship while hoping they don't do an infra-red scan and see that, our engines are running?" Evans shook his head. "Not only that but we're going to try and board a cruiser? Just us? You've fought against the Plague Master Sergeant, just like everybody else here, it's never that easy."

 

Evans looked at the Master Sergeant, hoping that he'd see something in the younger man's eyes to betray what he was thinking, to get an idea of how far he could trust him with his life...

 

((Not meaning to be confrontational CN; and I think I've rp'd with enough Sam Larsons by now to get their general feel Jedi , actually they weren't it was more just what a 40 year veteran would think after seeing such a rag tag group go forward with next to nil planning.))

[DrPhil2501]

"You mean to say master sergeant that we're relying on chance to see us through?... "Not only that but we're going to try and board a cruiser? Just us? You've fought against the Plague Master Sergeant, just like everybody else here, it's never that easy."

 

"I dont like the idea of dying either..." Deck added. "But I'm sure you were already that our odds of survival heavily relied upon chance, before you accepted this mission."

 

He rested his arms behind his head. "Besides, there are a few ways to avoid infrared. Like using the IES stealth system, which absorbs heat caused by shipboard operations - including crew members. That heat gets stored into the Lithium sinks stored within the Hull, rendering us "invisible" to infrared detectors."

 

Like most people, the average joe wouldnt understand a word he just said. But Deck didnt care; as long as the plan worked, nobody would care.

 

"So who goes on whose team, out of curiosity?" he queried Null.

[Carsew]

Jack gave heavy thought to why the mission was relying so heavily on chance, even though he knew this when he signed up for it.

 

"Besides, there are a few ways to avoid infrared. Like using the IES stealth system, which absorbs heat caused by shipboard operations - including crew members. That heat gets stored into the Lithium sinks stored within the Hull, rendering us "invisible" to infrared detectors." he heard Deck say. He nodded.

 

"Yes, but does our ship have it?" Jack asked, trying not to sound cocky or angry.

 

"So who goes on whose team, out of curiosity?"

 

Jack turned to Null and nodded.

[Jedi_Man]

(I know, it just felt like that. And My character is smarter now, he's an adult! *Insert cheesy superhero music*)

Sam sighed, everything was looking grim.

"Not to ruin your dreams, but I doubt that we have an IES stealth system. They are highly expensive, and would more likely be found on the ship of a diplomat or some millionaire, trust me on that." Sam said, and he knew, his old ship was equipped with one.

"If we have anything, it's probably a radar deflecting shield, but we would still generate enough heat to trip sensors on every ship with in fifteen or more clicks." Sam continued.

"But turning the ship off, letting us drift for a while with only the most essential life support systems and then opening the ship up to the vacuum so we could get over to the Plague ship, that would let the ship cool off rapidly, so nothing looks like its been used in a while." He finished.

[Cyborg Ninja]

Null looked around at the group. He could tell some if not most of them were concerned about the plan.

 

"To answer you sir the plan is risky but I assure you it won't be by chance. While this ship does not have an IES stealth system, it does have a little something like that. On my command Azrael will put up what looks like some sort of shielding around our dead ship. In reality our ship will have the appearence of one of their's. During my last mission with Azrael, we were able to learn the Kandoid's language...well he was at least. He'll send out a distress call in the Kandoid language where the ship will pick it up and make its way for us. We pretend our engine's have failed, our troops are injured, we're about to lose communication, and we found something to help "The Path".

 

"So who goes on whose team, out of curiosity?"

 

Null was beginning to learn the other team member's personalities and how they would do in combat.

 

"I'm glad you asked. Clearly Captain Evans and I will lead both groups. I will be on Group 1 and he'll lead Group 2. Deck, Tech, and Sullivan will come with me which means Jack, and Larson are with you Captain."

[Ping]

"I'm glad you asked. Clearly Captain Evans and I will lead both groups. I will be on Group 1 and he'll lead Group 2. Deck, Tech, and Sullivan will come with me which means Jack, and Larson are with you Captain."

 

"Glad to hear it." Sullivan replied. Although he had qualms about leaving this mission up to chance, he was sure that things could be much worse, and besides, the rest of the crew answered most of his questions. "I realize that we're going to put on zero-g suits, but what's to stop them from seeing us before we board their ship? Our ship might change appearence, but we won't."

[ForeverNight]

"I'm glad you asked. Clearly Captain Evans and I will lead both groups. I will be on Group 1 and he'll lead Group 2. Deck, Tech, and Sullivan will come with me which means Jack, and Larson are with you Captain."

 

Evans nodded, it appeared that the sergeant did come up with 4 when he added 2 and 2. Great, a noble. That thought however wouldn't leave him. He didn't know when the noble class had appeared, but they hadn't been there on Earth and they'd done just fine without them.

 

"So, where's group 2 headed, and how many doors will we need to create on our way in?" Evans asked Null after Sullivan worked in his question.

 

"Well, I'd suggest overwhelming firepower," Evans added, directing the comment towards Sullivan. "Seems to take care of most of the Plague related problems." He cracked a grin to at least give the impression of a joke.

 

Damn, a bloody noble, a soldier suffering survivor's guilt and me. Evans mentally sighed, doing his best to keep the despair off his face. This is going to be one hell of a long mission, isn't it?

[Cyborg Ninja]

"I realize that we're going to put on zero-g suits, but what's to stop them from seeing us before we board their ship? Our ship might change appearence, but we won't."

 

"The suits themselves will be black which makes us very hard to spot in space especially if you're more concerned about the ship. There is a huge blindspot in The Plague cruiser where they can't see anything. We'll launch ourselves there and make our way to their airlock."

 

 

"So, where's group 2 headed, and how many doors will we need to create on our way in?"

 

"Group 2 is going to sabotage the engine room sir. Larson's AI should be able to guide you to there and should be able to sabotage it as well. If not a few bombs that Azrael can detonate will do the trick."

 

Null felt a slight ringing in his head, like he did during his first fight with the Plague. He quickly shook his head and tried to rub it but remembered that his helmet was still on.

[DrPhil2501]

"Group 2 is going to sabotage the engine room sir. Larson's AI should be able to guide you to there and should be able to sabotage it as well. If not a few bombs that Azrael can detonate will do the trick."

 

In a way, Deck was glad he wasnt on Group 2. He wouldnt have to go through the hassle of setting off explosives; the whole process was messy. Plus, Deck could see a reason why Null chose him to be on his team - the conflict between Deck and Jack may compromise the mission. But still, there was one problem.

 

"Well those are some fine choices you made, Master Sergeant." Deck added. "But I sincerely hope one of the Captain' team members have good enough skill with demolitions. Otherwise, it be worth sending one of us Tech Experts over to the other team. But apart from that, if everything goes well, I have no complaints."

[ForeverNight]

"But I sincerely hope one of the Captain' team members have good enough skill with demolitions.

 

"I can handle demo just fine. The, uh, plunger goes down and the explosives go off, right?" Evans chuckled a little. "I've used explosives enough in the past, may not be my specialty, but I can make due, unless these are old enough to predate the exodus by a decade or so."

[Ping]

"The suits themselves will be black which makes us very hard to spot in space especially if you're more concerned about the ship. There is a huge blindspot in The Plague cruiser where they can't see anything. We'll launch ourselves there and make our way to their airlock."

 

Sullivan nodded, understanding what Null had told them. Good, nothing can go too wrong, he thought.

 

"Well, I'd suggest overwhelming firepower. Seems to take care of most of the Plague related problems."

 

Sullivan chuckled a bit, getting the joke. "Well, that's always a good option," he laughed.

[Jedi_Man]

Ares said over the TEAMCOM, " Yes, my skills are sufficient to sabotage their engines. For a good time, unless they should happen to guess the new password into their system." Ares made a chuckle.

Sam smiled, enjoying the idea of being able to do some good in this war.

[Cyborg Ninja]

"I can handle demo just fine. The, uh, plunger goes down and the explosives go off, right?"

 

This actually got Null to let a laugh out.

 

"Yes, my skills are sufficient to sabotage their engines. For a good time, unless they should happen to guess the new password into their system."

 

"Excellent, we'll make sure we don't The Plague that chance then."

 

Null was about to speak again when Azrael cut in.

 

"As much as I enjoy such basic human dialogue I must interrupt this little "chit chat". I've calculated we'll be seeing the Plague Cruiser in exactly 11 minutes and 7 seconds. I would suggest getting over to the armory now and getting yourselves set with the suits and weapons...Oh and I hope you enjoyed your flight." Azrael said over the PA system.

 

"You heard him, let's get a move on." Null said as he made his way towards the armory.

[Ping]

"You heard him, let's get a move on."

 

Sullivan made his way to the armory. He already had his weapons and ammo, but he figured getting some extra gun magazines wouldn't hurt. After inspecting the armory's stock, Sullivan took a zero-g suit, and decided to just go along with the weapons and ammo he had now - having two pistols plus a shotgun and a sniper rifle was probably more than enough needed. Sullivan put on his zero-g suit, loaded, cocked, then holstered his two pistols, inserted a drum magazine into his shotgun, cocked it, held it at the ready and slung his sniper rifle behind his back. Sullivan cracked his knuckles in anticipation. He couldn't wait to crack a few Plague heads.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road."

[ForeverNight]

Evans shed his duster and fedora and sighed in frustration as the hardened plastic/metal replaced the flexible cloth that he preferred. He selected a basic assault rifle and logged it with the suit along with his revolvers. His HUD was in the process of booting up and all he could see at the moment was his fireteam's vitals, rounds remaining in all 3 guns and suits nearby.

 

He keyed the TEAMCOM. "Team 2 report in."