NationStates Jolt Archive

Haldros whirled off his cloak, giving it to Alasthamine as well, before drawing his blades and heading toward his brother-in-law.

Oh boy....

Cougar watched him go, hoping to high heaven he'd made a good choice

Iliyakim was jerked from his sleep by a sharp blow to the abdomen. He had his sword up and out by the time his eyes were open.

OOC: Note: The bits of dialogue you are about to witness have been altered from their original form. They have been formatted to fit your language.

"Haldros? What are you doing here?"

H -- "Out. Into the field. I will not kill a sleeping man."

I -- *standing, half confused* "How are you here?"

H -- "Do you think I would let the man responsible for my only sister's death go unpunished? Into the field. I'd kill you in battle."

I -- "If that is what you come for, I am standing and I am armed. Run me through...it would be your right."

Haldros lunges at Iliyakim, slamming into the side of his face with the hand that held his sword. "I will not demean myself by murdering a thing like you. Be a warrior, Iliyakim. I know you can."

I -- *sighing, rubbing his cheek* "To what point and purpose did you come here, Haldros? If it's to kill me, then do so, if it's not, then for what?"

The noise had roused the others, but Cougar had told them to stay back, saying,"Just wait. We can only hope Haldros doesn't kill him"

Iliyakim glanced at the crowd assembled.

"I see. You as well, then?"

H -- "Not even close. Who would want to be known as brother to someone who had confused his priorities so much that he allowed his wife and children to be butchered?"

Iliyakim draws his sword at this point. "I will cut down any man that would say that I did not care for my family. I remind you Haldros...they were your sister and niece...they were my wife and daughter. I had nothing apart from them."

H -- "There's the old fire. Now, we'll see if you're still any good with the blades you've allowed to rust."

As he said this, both warriors drew their second blades.

And it justs gets worse and worse...

At some unseen signal, the two lunged at each other. The glint of what little sunlight came through the rain flashed off their swords, and the sound of metal on metal rang out without end.

While this was going on, the Drow conversed...although humans would be unable to hear it over the clash of blades.

H -- "Why resist now? When you know it's true. In life you dishonored them, in death you disgrace them. Why continue drawing breath, Iliyakim?"

I -- "Do you think that was my choice?"

H -- "I know it was yours. Why, Iliyakim? What was your logic? Do you want to cause them further pain?"

Iliyakim's next blows came swiftly, furiously. Had it not been that his brother-in-law was striking out of blind rage, Haldros was sure he'd be in at least twelve pieces by now.

H -- Blind rage is right...he weeps... "Why do you continue? Why?"

Now. With a deft flick of the wrists, Haldros disarmed Iliyakim, then knocked him to his knees. Both men stayed as they were for a few moments, laboriously drawing in breath.

I -- "I have no words." He hung his head. "I have no words."

H -- "I do."

Iliyakim looked up at Haldros.

H -- "My sister cared for you, for a long time before you shared her sympathies. When she came to visit me and my family a mere month before her death, she told me that she felt safe...because no matter what, you would do anything in your power to preserve her...to preserve the daughter that was in the other room, with her aunt, to preserve the child that she yet carried. And during the two centuries that you were married to my sister, I could not have been more proud to call a man my brother."

He knelt down in front of Iliyakim.

"You do not disgrace them, do not hurt them, do not shame them because you live and they are dead. Those who have passed wish you no ill. The only way you sadden them now is your willful decision to not live."

He stands. "Think on it."

He left, tossing the tool kit down before Iliyakim.

A different way to do things, certainley... but no doubt effective

The set up was simple. Another camp, looked like a transit area. But they all wore the same clothing, and none wore visible badges of ranks. The team would all have to watch to see who seemed to be the one giving orders.


Aldaris settled in a respectful distance away, and took up the watch when Trafa got back.

slightly relieved, Jason replied "Well, there's obviously something big in there, the security has probably been doubled by now. How we'll get inside the base is going to be harder." Then he added "thanks for helping me out down there. I'm sorry."
"If I didn't help you, how could I expect you to help me?" Fen asked, "And don't worry about it."

A different way to do things, certainley... but no doubt effective
Iliyakim picked up his tool kit, then stood up and walked back to his tent. It was as though a weight had been lifted from him...but another one put there in it's place.

Haldros passed Cougar.

"Now it is your turn, Colonel. He is broken, and can now grieve...and you can put him back together...you and your people. He just needs a little while to clear his head...and to check his heart. He shouldn't hinder your next mission."

At some unseen signal, the two lunged at each other. The glint of what little sunlight came through the rain flashed off their swords, and the sound of metal on metal rang out without end.

While this was going on, the Drow conversed...although humans would be unable to hear it over the clash of blades.



He knelt down in front of Iliyakim.

"You do not disgrace them, do not hurt them, do not shame them because you live and they are dead. Those who have passed wish you no ill. The only way you sadden them now is your willful decision to not live."

He stands. "Think on it."

He left, tossing the tool kit down before Iliyakim.


Tylas had watched the whole thing----from a good distance away, anyways. Whatever the older warrior had done, it seemed to have visibly changed something about the Drow. Tylas, still tired, went back to sleep.

Iliyakim's body ached as he sat back in his tent, and he could feel his weary muscles calling out for sleep.

He also knew that he wouldn't be able to.

So instead, he laid out his tools in front of him, and activated his Thalack just enough to start working on it. Hopefully, within a few hours, Inthuul would be fully functional and sane once more, and he would have purged his mind of enough of this excess emotion to rest.

I'll have to deal with it sometime...I'll have to deal with everything sometime.

His hands moved slowly, deftly, working each component of his glider back exactly into place...cleaning out the contaminant, and reprogramming where called for.

"If I didn't help you, how could I expect you to help me?" Fen asked, "And don't worry about it."

"So look, how are we going to get inside this place? I can't find any entrances except for where the guards came out." Jason said.

"Did cougar give us a floor plan or map of this place?"

"Unless he gave you one, then no, no maps." Fen replied

Aldaris settled in a respectful distance away, and took up the watch when Trafa got back.

Trafa grinned.

"Aldaris!" Trafa hissed, high enough for Aldaris to hear, but too low for the men in the transit area to hear. Trafa gestured for Aldaris to come to him, but he kept his eye on the camp, zoomig in.

Alright...remember the face, and try and place it...

OOC: Over to you again SE.

Trafa grinned.

"Aldaris!" Trafa hissed, high enough for Aldaris to hear, but too low for the men in the transit area to hear. Trafa gestured for Aldaris to come to him, but he kept his eye on the camp, zoomig in.

Alright...remember the face, and try and place it...

OOC: Over to you again SE.

The face was lined, but it was obivous this was the man in command. Quite old, in his mid fifties, and wearing a barely visible Major's insignia on his chest ((British Solider '95 style combats, for those of you who know what I am talking about))

After the radio confirmation by Sgt. Bhakta. It was Deokumar's turn to blow up the enemy convoy. Deokumar stood their in the shadows with his kukri knife grasped in his right hand. He steadily held the knife and slowly cutted the fencing. After that he began snooping around in the shadows for the the trucks but to make sure the enemy was not around.

He pulled up his NVGs and looked at the images and map of where the trucks are positioned but they were no use because he was already at the spot. He cursed at the photos in a whispering tone. He grew tired because the enemy must have been put on alert or the Colonel made the course very tricky so he would end up in a firefight.

He began he search deep into the enemy truck depot to search. He put his knife back into its sheath and pulled out his rifle with a flash/sound suppressor. He pulled down his goggles and began his search by switching his night vision and thermal vision back and forth to spot heat traces of the enemy or vehicle engines.

With the proper tools to hand, the repairs took less than an hour, and Iliyakim activated his Thalack, to see if he had managed to repair it.

Inthuul activated, and reset his inner chonometer...and immediately started barraging his master with a rapid series of questions and scolding.

Iliyakim put away his tools, then looked at Inthuul. Instead of answering him, he lays back down and closes his eyes.

"Let me sleep. You've been worthless enough recently that you can let me do that."

The crab just started poking at him. "Do you want me to deactivate you, or do you want to go bother someone else?"

Inthuul bpped at him, irriated, before scuttling off to see what he had missed.

The exchange might not have seemed exactly friendly...but both partcipants understood how concerned Iliyakim had been about his Thalack.

After the radio confirmation by Sgt. Bhakta. It was Deokumar's turn to blow up the enemy convoy. Deokumar stood their in the shadows with his kukri knife grasped in his right hand. He steadily held the knife and slowly cutted the fencing. After that he began snooping around in the shadows for the the trucks but to make sure the enemy was not around.

He pulled up his NVGs and looked at the images and map of where the trucks are positioned but they were no use because he was already at the spot. He cursed at the photos in a whispering tone. He grew tired because the enemy must have been put on alert or the Colonel made the course very tricky so he would end up in a firefight.

He began he search deep into the enemy truck depot to search. He put his knife back into its sheath and pulled out his rifle with a flash/sound suppressor. He pulled down his goggles and began his search by switching his night vision and thermal vision back and forth to spot heat traces of the enemy or vehicle engines.

Soon enough, the faint traces of heat started to appear, but it was actually body heat, and a tiny amount of actual exhaust heat. Due to Snake Eaters hydrogen fuel cell technology, the actual emission was very small, and it was actually only water. There was a tiny amount of heat, but it was miniscule.

With the proper tools to hand, the repairs took less than an hour, and Iliyakim activated his Thalack, to see if he had managed to repair it.

Inthuul activated, and reset his inner chonometer...and immediately started barraging his master with a rapid series of questions and scolding.

Iliyakim put away his tools, then looked at Inthuul. Instead of answering him, he lays back down and closes his eyes.

"Let me sleep. You've been worthless enough recently that you can let me do that."

The crab just started poking at him. "Do you want me to deactivate you, or do you want to go bother someone else?"

Inthuul bpped at him, irriated, before scuttling off to see what he had missed.

The exchange might not have seemed exactly friendly...but both partcipants understood how concerned Iliyakim had been about his Thalack.

Wolf was the first to notice the Thalack, and smiled as it scuttled along,"Welcome back to the world of the living, little fella"

It stopped, then moved to stand in front of her, chattering at her amiably.

She smiled,"I don't understand what you are saying, but you seem happy enough"

It kept talking...occasionally letting its 'voice' raise in pitch to signify a question, or turning in one way or another to talk about a place or a person.

He went on a rather long rant, at the start of which he turned toward Iliyakim's tent, then, out of "conversation material," he stopped "talking."

Well... that was confusing

"I can see you're not too happy him leaving you like that. Didn't have much of a choice though"

Blat

She smiled, and let the 'crab' continue on it's way

So he did. He didn't know what he was up to, just that it would probably be some time before Iliyakim woke up.

He would eventually come across Cougar and Matt arguing the finer points of bullets. The conversation went something like this;

C -- "Are you using those new green tip rounds when you use an assualt weapon?"

M -- "Definatley"

C -- "These guys don't wear body armour. Those tungsten carbide tips go straight through 'em"

M -- "What's your point?"

C -- "I don't like to have to shoot a guy three or four times to make sure he's dead"

Ooooop?

Matt looked down, and saw the Thalack scuttling on the ground, laughing heartily,"Do you even know what we're talking about, crabby?"

The crab opened his mouth and let a round of...something...hit the ground just beyond the humans' feet.

Basically, somewhat.

C -- "I barely understand my wifes... which is infinatley more annoying than this one, to be fair. But I think that means he understands to a certain degree"

OooooOOruuuuu

"And I'm going to have to assume that means he agrees. Is your master asleep?"

B'doo

"I'll take that as a yes"

The Thalack made some sort of noise to the affirmative, then continued on its way. It actually made its way back to the sandpit that he and his master had hidden in some time before. He went in and grabbed a little silver object that he had somehow dropped, and then started back toward his master.

Iliyakim slept, meanwhile...but not the light, uneasy sleep that had been his wont...a deeper sleep...a trance-like state used in Sarnor Zotreth to analyse and accept trauma. He would come out before he was ready...but only because the trauma he was dealing with was done so long ago, and so great...more a part of him than something he could just get rid of. A missing piece of his heart...rather than emotional baggage following a mission gone terribly wrong.

But I could always go home afterwards, he thought, as he woke. His body throbbed from the beating he'd taken at Haldros's hands -- his head most notably, and his arm was sending lancing pains through an entire side of his body at regular intervals.

Sitting up, he undid the bandage, cleaning the wound and applying the salve Cpt. Grey had given him, before redoing the bandage.

Inthuul returned at about that point, and scolded him for doing something like that with one hand, before hopping up beside him to help his master with it.

"It's not like I lost an arm."

You wouldn't be arguing if it were Pellanymma tending to you.

"Most men are wise enough to not argue with their wives. However...she is no longer here to do that...and you are not her."

"Unless he gave you one, then no, no maps." Fen replied

"Hmm. Well, you want to go down and try to find an enterance now, or should I try again, or should we both go?"

"I'd say do some recon from up here first, get a bit of a better feel for the base." Fen replied

"Right then." Jason said. He zoomed in with his Glasses.

"You want me to launch a microphone down there so we can hear what they're saying?"

"If you can get it there without them realizing, then go for it." Fen replied

Iliyakim picked up his tool kit, then stood up and walked back to his tent. It was as though a weight had been lifted from him...but another one put there in it's place.

Haldros passed Cougar.

"Now it is your turn, Colonel. He is broken, and can now grieve...and you can put him back together...you and your people. He just needs a little while to clear his head...and to check his heart. He shouldn't hinder your next mission."

Cougar nodded as the Kaymirilian Airforce Lieutenant walked past him, saying nothing, but thinking clearly.

Let us hope, Haldros, that you are correct

OOC: UM, HELLO! Anyone out there?

OOC: I am. But you knew that. While we're waiting for everyone else, Cougar could go chat with Iliyakim. Or something.

OOC: ALright, i think he will...

IC: Cougar crouched down next to Iliyakim's tent-structure, and looked at the Drow, before saying,"How you feelin'?"

"Like Haldros has been practicing since the last time we sparred," was the wry response.

"Come in, Colonel...if you can find room."

This wasn't a complaint about the lack of space, but a statement of fact. There was limited space inside these lean-tos.

Cougar sat outside. The night was clear, and his breath came out as a cloud as he breathed,"It's alright, I like the cold out here. It keeps me sharp"

The Drow nods. "Fair enough."

"I see that your crab is up and about. Hopefully, so will you, soon enough"

"Were I called to leave now, I could."

"Don't worry, you can rest easy for now. The second part of this operation will take place in roughly twenty four hours."

"That will not be easy on the teams that left as Tylas and I returned."

An old truth: weary men make mistakes.

"Then they should have completed the assignment they were given quicker. It is their own fault... that, and have the past eight months taught you nothing about us? We go harder and faster and longer than anyone else in the Snake Military, and on par with Sarnor Zotreth. These people have to be able to handle it"

"The past eight months have shown me that you are very little different than us...but they have also shown me that most of them are very different than you."

"Is this me personally, or my entire unit?"

"Your unit. If this trial were based on how many of us were able to keep up with what you can do as an individual, then none of those here now would be."

Cougar looked at his hands for a moment, and smiled slightly,"My unit and I have driven ourselves since day one. I believe that you would be able to best me, Iliyakim"

"A man that has defeated the demons of the world need not be so modest. There are many men who never get past their own demons. Many."

"I have defeated demons of the physical world, Iliyakim. But, in my head, the demons are ever raging. They never sleep"

"Inner torment brings outer strength. I may not be the best one to speak on this...but that is not a healthy way to live."

Cougar leaned back, and laughed slightly,"God, don't I know it. I know what it is like to loose family, Iliyakim. And not just my parents and siblings... my children as well"

The Drow started at this last revelation.

"You lost one? You have my sympathy...there is no greater loss."

"I lost a child I never knew existed... your sympathy is welcomed, but not needed. I will do what I must to make sure I can still do my job"

"My sympathy does go to Ayal moreso than to you, Cougar. My wife miscarried once, and it was harder on her than ever it was on me."

Cougar nodded, knowing he had to make sure Iliyakim didn't find out about the real circumstances of the child's death... or, as it was, murder,"I shall send her your sympathies when I next send a message"

Iliyakim nods, then turns to Inthuul, who was still attempting to wrap the bandage.

"Leave circulation. Now you see why I wanted to do it." He guestured for the crab to leave him alone, and it made an irritated noise and did so, while Iliyakim took up wrapping his own wound.

"Never give a thing made for war a bandage and expect it to use it as such."

Cougar nodded,"Another reason I am taught in all forms of war, including triage and emergency medicine"

"We are taught how to heal minor wounds, but not beyond that. A Thalack, however...he can function as a sword when needed, but he has no ability to heal."

"Then our training must have benifitted you in some way"

"I can do some of what I could not do with magick with these tools you humans have. Amazing, really, how far you advanced without magick."

"Magick is not the be-all and end-all, but nor is technology. I believe that you need a blend of the two in order to exploit the advantages of the other."

"That may be. There is much that your people have that Kaymiril lacks...and much that you lack that Kaymiril has. That not only makes the relationship between nations profitable, it makes the relationships between individuals from our worlds possible. A Drow will not talk to a creature if talking to that creature is a waste of time."

Cougar nodded slightly, and his hands rubbed together to keep them warm. He blew on them slightly, and then said,"Very true. I remember when I first met Ayal, she would barely talk to me. I was lucky enough to win her heart"

"At least come out of the wind."

Cultural note: That's a formal invite into a Kaymirilian dwelling.

"The cold does not seem to agree with you as much as it did."

The Drow waited a moment, for Cougar to resituate himself, or refuse.

"I would offer you something stronger than coffee to drink, but there is none here, for obvious reasons. But come...there are many tales we can tell, both warriors. Old battles...including the battle for love."

"No, it's alright, I'm fine out here. Just getting much closer to winter here... the snow is beginning to fall. Too much time in the open, and humans can develop frostnip in fingers and toes. It's not serious, I'll be fine"

Cougar dug into his beltpouch (for he almsot never removed his load bearing harness and assualt vest), and found a hip flask he had owned since his days in the Colonial Marines,"Scotch. It'll knock you back some, but it does the job. As we are talking of past battles, you should start. You are longer lived and more expierenced than I"

Tylas woke up, noting that still no one had returned but him and Illyakim. He got up and began rummaging through his napsack, finally deciding on and making some beef stew. As he sat sipping the broth, he saw that Illyakim and Cougar seemed to be having a quite intense conversation. Not wanting to intrude upon it, he tuned them out, and instead began taking a walk around camp. It was a brisk night, but Tylas liked that. It made him feel alive, and alert.

Trafa grinned.

"Aldaris!" Trafa hissed, high enough for Aldaris to hear, but too low for the men in the transit area to hear. Trafa gestured for Aldaris to come to him, but he kept his eye on the camp, zoomig in.

Alright...remember the face, and try and place it...

OOC: Over to you again SE.


Aldaris moved swiftly and silently over towards the waiting Trafa, he then crouched down and took a look at the tableau below them.

OOC: Sorry for my absence, I've been in Maryland, getting checkewd out for the U.S. Army.

"No, it's alright, I'm fine out here. Just getting much closer to winter here... the snow is beginning to fall. Too much time in the open, and humans can develop frostnip in fingers and toes. It's not serious, I'll be fine"

Cougar dug into his beltpouch (for he almsot never removed his load bearing harness and assualt vest), and found a hip flask he had owned since his days in the Colonial Marines,"Scotch. It'll knock you back some, but it does the job. As we are talking of past battles, you should start. You are longer lived and more expierenced than I"
"The greatest battles of my time happened while I was still too young to pick up a sword. The Threat is still not spoken of in Lothra...or, I am told, in Vashano, by officers far older than I am...those that remember. That, Colonel, would be a story worth telling."

He paused for a moment, thinking. What can I tell that would be of interest? Kaymiril has lived in relative peace, save from factions within her own borders...perhaps it is of this that he should know.

"Isolationist countries have very few wars, to generalize. Before Kaymiril VII came to power, our last great war had been under the reign of Kaymiril II. We had a brief skirmish with a child-king of some smaller nation whose name is now unimportant, about...I would say sixty years before we came into contact with you. Why, then, would such units as Sarnor Zotreth be necessary? Why are we not all nobility, for the mere show of force, if we live in a peaceful realm?

"It is because, as much as we would deny it to outsiders, Kaymiril is fairly unstable, within her own borders. The Marils allow freedom when the populace is content with their reign, but when they see signs of uprising, they will rule with an iron fist.

"So, we train, that we may keep the rightful balance. If the Marils became corrupt, then it would be our duty to direct the populace in their rebellion. If the rebellion was unjust, it is our duty to put it down.

"The best such rebellion that I can recall happened just shy of a century and a half ago...against the Necromantic Class of mages. It used to be legal, but a highly watched and very small class. They decided that the way the Marils ruled went away how things "ought to have been," and that their rule, that of Death, would be a far more...productive...regime.

"They started in the province where the Kestrals reign, Iy'arn province, the most stable and peaceful province in the Queendom. The dead began to walk, began to claim the living for their ranks. We were sent out almost immediately, as soon as the local mages and militia had failed to silence the opponent. The rebellion grew like wildfire, until the country was engulfed in Civil War...those that wished to end the Maril rule, and those that wished to maintain it. Many of us sent our families, briefly, to other lands in our region, long-time allies, official alliance papers signed by Kaymiril the Great, in her own hand. It was the only way to keep them safe.

"What, however, is a warrior when faced with a horde of zombies? The dead are more numerous than the living, and must be killed specifically. It was then that I first met your wife. She always wore a mask and cloak, but one could see her scales, and know she was of Dragon descent...perhaps even Tellryon. She and her companions had hearts of either ice or stone, I know not. The undead fell before them as wheat falls before the scythe of a farmer. The conflict lasted for years before finally ending. I have smelled the dank and rotting flesh of my parents and sister as I put them back to rest, I watched my brother Iohn fall to them. I watched comrades rot and die as I fought right next to them, and I have felt the icy undead touch. Some, that were particularly powerful in life, will leave marks when they touch you."

He rolled up his sleeve to show Cougar the imprint of four fingers, permanently branded to his upper right arm.

"I have never seen a more gruesome battlefield...one littered with the bodies of the newly dead while the stench of the older dead draws all flies and gnats in the land while they and their masters attack."

He rolled his sleeve back down. "Now, Colonel, it is your turn."

Jason grabbed one of his microphones. He threw it as hard as he could a safe distance away from the guards. hopefully, the super-sensitive microphone would pick up any chatter.

ooc: Your turn, SE.

Aldaris moved swiftly and silently over towards the waiting Trafa, he then crouched down and took a look at the tableau below them.

OOC: Sorry for my absence, I've been in Maryland, getting checkewd out for the U.S. Army.

Trafa grinned, and pulled Aldaris down.

"Found our target. Looks like we're going to have to work harder than I thought..."

Still holding the scope, Trafa moved his head away, and gestured for Aldaris to take the scope. Once he did, he patted his backpack.

"Looks like this stuff will be more useful than expected. Ready to make a plan yet?"

Cougar scratched his head,"Being only thirty six, I don't actually think I have tales that I can tell that compare. Much of my work is classified. I would struggle to actually find one that I could tell you"

Soon enough, the faint traces of heat started to appear, but it was actually body heat, and a tiny amount of actual exhaust heat. Due to Snake Eaters hydrogen fuel cell technology, the actual emission was very small, and it was actually only water. There was a tiny amount of heat, but it was miniscule.

As Deokumar continued his search, he saw thermal signatures at were he was looking at. He muttered the word "bingo" to himself. He thought to himeself that if he ran like an ape, he would get caught or worse-dead. He wanted to recon the area to make sure any way he went, he would be successful. He flanked to the left to observe what is happening. If he stayed to long at his hiding spot observing, it would be too late to blow up the truck. He sat there at his hiding spot observing the enemy soldiers moving all over the place.

He then moved to another spot that was closer to the trucks so he can prime the explosives and set them under the truck. After that, he saw the last enemy soldier walk away, now was his chance to place the charges.

Deokumar made a stealthy dash and dove under a truck. He rolled over to be completely consealed in the shadows and made a quick observation and then tried to figure out a way to escape. A few examples of escape plans are:
1.) He would hold himself under the truck when they roll out and then drop and then escape.
2.) He would maneuver back to the insertion point when he cutted the fencing.
3.) Find a new escape route near to the trucks but still in the shadows.

Deokumar will see how the situation is. Deokumar's 2 choices were: 1 and 2. If those 2 don't work he will use method 3 for escape. Now Vijay has made his choices and escape and evasion plans, he then pulled out the explosive block and placed it on the underside of the truck and put the timer on.

He then made a quick observation of his environment and quickly crawled to the next truck to place the explosive and time. He did the same procedure until all the trucks had explosives under them.

While under the last truck. Deokumar made a clean break for a nearby crate. He looked around to see if any one was around and then began to cut the fence with his kukri and then stealthily escaped the compound.

Cougar scratched his head,"Being only thirty six, I don't actually think I have tales that I can tell that compare. Much of my work is classified. I would struggle to actually find one that I could tell you"
"I would think that a man of your reputation would have at least a few stories that could be told. Aside from that, even if you told me, where am I going, Colonel? Into your unit, or to my death."

"I would think that a man of your reputation would have at least a few stories that could be told. Aside from that, even if you told me, where am I going, Colonel? Into your unit, or to my death."

Cougar took a swig of the scotch, and nodded,"Very true. I suppose it doesn't matter."

He paused a second, and rubbed his hand across the blond stubble on his chin before saying,"Well, I guess there are a few I can say, regardless. Have you ever heard of the Borg?"

The Drow thinks for a few moments, then looks to his Thalack.

"Inthuul, reference 'borg.'"

Almost at once, a stream of sounds came from the Thalack. Iliyakim let him finish, then turned to Cougar.

"It sounds something of an odd race."

"Odd, and ruthless. They could no longer be classed as a single race. They progress by a process known as assimilation, which alters the person on the recieving end into one of them. They share a hive mind, which they call the collective. A single conciousness, spanning hundreds of light years."

He paused, and then continued,"We first encountered them roughly three years before I first met any Kaymirilian. They had attacked a colony world, and all contact had been lost. Before we knew it, it was an all out invasion. Their ships are made to perfection, for that is what they strive for. Perfection. Snake Eaters was deemed by them as worthy of assimilation into the Collective. Many Borg Cubes assualted our space, eliminating our resistance. They can adapt to almost all forms of attack or defence, meaning that something will only work once."

He took another swig,"The real battle came on PX-176T, a world that had been discovered recently, and was now the focus of some of Snake Eaters technological developments. Almost two million Snake troops, spread across the whole world. Against almost five million Borg. I was there, Iliyakim. I saw as people were assimilated, and rose again to fight their companions on the side of the Borg. So many dead, or wounded. By the time the battle was over, the main battlefield was nothing but a mass of metal and flesh. The world was scorched from orbit... I was one of the last to leave. You've never seen anything like it, a world systematically destroyed by massed weapons fire. I pray never to have to see anything like that again."

Another pause,"Told you it didn't quite measure up"

"It actually sounds quite similar, in its own way. We both fought against forces not quite alive...but not truly dead, for much the same purpose, to much the same sight."

"We had no choice. But, they will return. Because we beat them. And that intrigues them. Helghast aside, the Borg are our greatest enemy."

"We are aware of them. According to Inthuul, T'puuli essentially sealed the space around our world from their machines. I do not know how much of the Empire her protection could cover...but planets, yes, in their own time."

"Then you are lucky indeed. But come, I have told one story, and I believe it is your go yet again"

"True. I have told you that Kaymiril is peaceful, for the most part...most of the greater incidents that I have experienced have been similar to the one I told you. But the greatest struggle I have ever had was as a man, not as a soldier. I am not certain it is a tale that you would wish to hear, Colonel."

"Irregardless, tell me anyway"

"You know that I was born in Lothra province, which is very agricultural. After I became an officer, I was allowed to sometimes travel back home. On one such occasion, I accompanied my parents to meet with some friends of theirs, from the far side of the province. I'd been there before, a few times, when I was a boy."

"For about an hour, the entirety of the two families sat and talked...how the farms had fared, how each family's grown children were doing in their own endeavors, and such things. With the other family was a young woman that I barely remembered, sitting next to her much younger brother that I had never met before. Her older brother, that had been a friend of mine, now had a place of his own, as well as a wife, and was expecting a child. In any event, after the required time where both families met, the elders of each family separated themselves to talk together, and I took the opportunity to reintroduce myself to Pellanyma. She was a beautiful young woman, and you know how men are when they are young, still being young yourself."

He stopped and chuckled at the memory.

"She hated me. Her mother was an artist, her father a farmer, and she despised everything to do with violence...including soldiers. Those that held rank among them most of all, slight though it may be."

"It took many more trips, a careful correspondence over five decades, and more effort than a sane man would waste on anyone, but I managed to persuade her to become my wife...on the condition that she remained in Lothra. She didn't want to leave it. I could not persuade her to come and live with me in Vashano, so I maintained a house for her, with her help, and did not see her...or the daughter born a century later, as often as I would have liked."

A slightly pained smile now touched the Drow's mouth.

"Maybe not even enough, for the short time I had with them. Take my advice, Colonel...your job is not the most important thing. When you are old, you will not wish that you had worked more...you will wish that you had spent more time with the people that mattered the most to you. Do not make my mistake, and spend so little time with them that you must regret the time you lost."

"I have lost too many people already in my life, Iliyakim. I will not lose my wife and any children which she may bear in the years to come. I was, and still am, foolhardy. I still don't know why Ayal fell in love with me, but I do know this, I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"And such is the way you should feel. I think, though, you mistake my advice. Tell me, Colonel, how much time have you spent here in these past months that you could have been at home? Time is the most precious commodity, for once it is gone, you cannot gain more. What matters more...our ability to soldier *makes a guesture encompassing the camp and all the cadets attending*, or the time you spend with your wife and friends?"

"You are my responsibility. Perhaps I should have been at home more, in fact I wish I had been. But, I could not. I will not leave my men alone. My wife understands...and she is away for weeks at a time, our time is limited."

"A difficult situation," was the diplomatic reply.

Didn't you just point out that we should be able to take care of ourselves? I wonder...is all humanity so full of contradictions?

"Indeed it is. I know what you're thinking, that I contradicted myself. Allow me to clarify to you, I believe everyone has to be able to look after themselves. But, I am loyal to my men and my family, and I would not abandon either of them"

Iliyakim could feel an almost irrepressible surge of anger run through him, before he surpressed it.

An irrational almost-outburst...that, if nothing else, will need looked into.

"I see. In any event, I believe it is your turn, again."

Cougar sighed,"Already? Damn. Ah well, a tale of battle, or a tale of emotions, though the latter are few and far between"

"The story teller gets to choose whichever tale he prefers."

"Then I will not bore you with tales of woe. Instead, a tale of battle."

He paused, and looked at the stars for a moment, before pointing at one,"Tiravano Major. A world orbits that, mostly covered in water. A few years back, we had pirates attacking the surface trade routes that criss cross the oceans. We were despatched to deal with it, and it was lucky for us that the leaders of the clans were planning to meet and plan a major raid on one of the ports. They were aboard a derelict freighter, scuttled in one of the shallow bays that is no longer used by the general populace."

He smiled, the memory coming back,"Four of us went over, myself, Captain Wolf, Captain Grey and Lieutenant Colonel Tyler. Major Konig and Lieutenant George watched and provided sniper cover. We approached under cover of darkness, and infiltrated the ship. The intel we recovered allowed the attack to be foiled before it had begun, by bombing the ships of the pirates whilst they were still at sea. But, the limpet mines we planted also made the pirate clans distrusting of the others... the ultimate goal for our unit. Drive them apart, and keep them that way. That is the story of my life... working from the shadows, very rarely used in open warfare"

"I have been used for both. Open warfare, infiltration...never assassination, though. Although officially, there are no Kaymirilian assassins working for the government, the rumors -- rumors centuries old -- hold that there are."

One hundred and twenty of them, to be precise. Some are still children, very young. But they do exist...

"The nature of SESOU means my unit is used as the special forces soliders. Anti-terror operations, deployment behind the lines, that sort of thing. That, is our forte."

"Sarnor Zotreth does what most units will deem impossible. In all reality, though, what we do is take the most logical improbability and make it happen."

"We've been said to make the impossible possible. Because we don't throw men at a problem, and hope that it solves itself. Irregardless, I believe we have come full circle"

"My turn again, then? I don't know what to tell you. I do my job to the best of my abilities, then get up the next day to do it again. I've never really thought about it in terms of stories. My life is not something I would be entirely proud to share with my children and grandchildren."

"Neither mine. It is one of my dearest wishes that my children are never shown the horrors that I have seen. That is assuming that we have any children."

Jason grabbed one of his microphones. He threw it as hard as he could a safe distance away from the guards. hopefully, the super-sensitive microphone would pick up any chatter.

ooc: Your turn, SE.

"Sergeant, how long before we are ready?"

"Six hours, Major!"

"Can't you make it any shorter?"

"Not without jepordising the units operational capabilities. I assure you sir, I am doing the utmost to finish as fast as we can"

The major sighed,"Very well, carry on"

Trafa grinned, and pulled Aldaris down.

"Found our target. Looks like we're going to have to work harder than I thought..."

Still holding the scope, Trafa moved his head away, and gestured for Aldaris to take the scope. Once he did, he patted his backpack.

"Looks like this stuff will be more useful than expected. Ready to make a plan yet?"


"I have been ready, what do you think we should do?" Aldaris took the scope and looked in the direction Trafa had been observing, "Allow me to guess, our target is the Major, correct?"

"Neither mine. It is one of my dearest wishes that my children are never shown the horrors that I have seen. That is assuming that we have any children."
"You're young enough, that if you want children, they will come in time. But to wish that they do not know this sort of life...what if a son should follow your career choice? I realize that as a Snake Eater citizen, he would not be obligated to...but such things have been known to happen."

"You're young enough, that if you want children, they will come in time. But to wish that they do not know this sort of life...what if a son should follow your career choice? I realize that as a Snake Eater citizen, he would not be obligated to...but such things have been known to happen."

"My children, in this case, the aforementioned son, are free to enter the military if they wish so. That is not the problem, Iliyakim. The regular military operates on an entirely different level to my unit. Whilst they are by no means rigid, they have a set of rules that is enforced upon them. We have no such rules... as I said earlier, we do the impossible. And to be selected for even the first phase of SESOU training is an honour, extended to only a few hundred per year. The average pass rate from a class of fifty students is five, maybe six people. After only the first phase."

"My children, in this case, the aforementioned son, are free to enter the military if they wish so. That is not the problem, Iliyakim. The regular military operates on an entirely different level to my unit. Whilst they are by no means rigid, they have a set of rules that is enforced upon them. We have no such rules... as I said earlier, we do the impossible. And to be selected for even the first phase of SESOU training is an honour, extended to only a few hundred per year. The average pass rate from a class of fifty students is five, maybe six people. After only the first phase."
"Ah. You extend the assumption that he would not pass. Fair enough. No Drow has passed yet...who knows if it's possible."

"I pray he would not pass, Iliyakim. If he did, I would be proud of him regardless. But to even be selected is reason enough."

"Why be proud of him for a time he can't remember, should he be selected and not pass, Colonel? He would not know it happened...merely be aware of a gap."

"I can still be proud of him. In my heart."

Iliyakim chuckles, as if to say humans are such strange creatures.

Cougar just shook his head,I'll never understand Drow

Iliyakim lit a small, contained fire (yes, it is magick, but it won't burn anything down, which is better than I can say for a normal fire) between himself and Cougar.

"Do we keep continuing as we have, or not?"

"I don't see why we can't. Neither of us has anything better to do right now. I cannot return home... the President has ordered me to stay."

"The sort of orders that seem pointless and annoy soldiers considerably more than anything else."

"To violate them is to risk being discharged... and I cannot do that. There is too much left to do."

"And that will always be the case."

"As long as I can fight and move, I am still useful to my country and the way of life I protect."

"That is a dangerous mode of thought. In your profession, you do much for your country...but your country does precious little for you."

"Perhaps. But there is something a friend of mine told me once. We're not tools of the government, or anyone else. Fighting was the only thing I was good at... but at least I fought for what I believe in"

"Which is the reason a man needs to fight. But a balance must also be achieved. Why should a man risk everything, and know that his government will turn its back on him, should anything go wrong?"

"The real question is, why not? If that one man won't do it, who will? It's a risk we run every day"

"Your logic is not one that I understand. Should I pass, and join your unit, then I will not have the same troubles in logic...I am not a Snake Eater."

"Let me clarify. We do the impossible, yes? No. We do what other men deem impossible. If everyone looked at a situation and said,'No, it's impossible', it would never get solved. And it would simply get worse and worse as time progressed. But, if one person says,'It's difficult, but not impossible', he is taking a risk. But he understands that risk, and accepts it as part of his life. By adopting that ideal, we can do what others cannot, because we can look at things from a different perspective, one unclouded by rules and regulations. You, of all people, should understand what I mean by this."

"That is not what I see as a flaw in your logic, Colonel. You've seen Sarnor Zotreth work, you've seen me work, you should know better than that much."

"Then, I cannot see where my logic falls apart"

"And you likely won't. I already explained it to you, as best I could."

Cougar shrugged,"Humans are illogical by nature. It's part of what we are"

"Perhaps it is. Then again, you believe in free will, instead of destiny."

"I suppose I should know better. But a man can hold his own beliefs"

"True enough. In the end, what does it matter?"

"Not a great amount. There is only one constant in life, as we both know."

"Yes...we all must die...we just take different paths to getting there."

Cougar rested his head against the tree,"I've already died once. It's not as bad as people make it out to be"

"And what of death do you remember?"

"A brief second of blinding pain... and then utter tranquility"

"Then it sounds as though there are indeed a great many things worse than death."

"Indeed there are, my friend. Indeed there are. I sense you ask me about death and it's feeling for a reason"

"I will admit that there were many times I wished for death."

"We have all wished for death at some stage or another. Perhaps to avoid the physical pain, or maybe to circumnavigate the emotional turmoil within."

"Or we have perhaps felt that life is no longer worth living."

"Life is ALWAYS worth living, for some reason or another."

"There was a time that I would have told you that wasn't true. When a man has been reduced to less than nothing, has lost everything, even his dignity...and his hope...I have known what it is to have no reason to live, Colonel."

"That time is passed, Iliyakim. You must move on. I shall be honest with you. The upper echelons are thinking of offering you a place in SHADOW. This is the hardest unit to get assigned to in SESOU. But, to get it, you must be the best you can be, and not let your past get the better of you"

"My past is a part of me. I cannot deny it, but I can assign to it its proper place and time."

"Then, let it live there, and don't let it trouble you unduly"

"That is easier said than done, Colonel."

"That much I know"

"That being said, I look forward to being out of this camp tomorrow. Although I wonder...what about those that do not show up on time?"

Irritated at the bandage around his arm, Iliyakim undid it. He looked at it, to see just how bad it was, then focused a healing spell into it. Over the next hour and a half, it would return to its uninjured state.

Nothing against Capt. Grey's work, but human-style healing was not convenient for a Drow.

"They'll be brought back by teams, and made to work even harder in this mission"

Iliyakim nodded. "I have my doubts about some of the teams. Trafa and Aldaris might make it, but Bhakta and Dekoumar...and I have more serious doubts against our unit clowns' abilities to make it. The one is clueless, the other a child."

"Jason and Fen? Interesting. I am unsure about any of them. You and Tylas were sure to return quickly, of that much I was certain. But, we shall see, won't we"

Iliyaim nodded. "You and Captain Wolf seemed surprised at how early we returned."

"We're more used to the assignments taking slightly longer. You worked quickly and with effectiveness"

Rapid Response Team... hmm, that's Victor.

"Sergeant, how long before we are ready?"
"Six hours, Major!"
"Can't you make it any shorter?"
"Not without jepordising the units operational capabilities. I assure you sir, I am doing the utmost to finish as fast as we can"
The major sighed,"Very well, carry on"
"So Jason can you hear anything useful?" Fen asked after a period of time.

"Given the distance to travel, our average walking speed, what information we had going in, and the obstacles that were there, as well as the time we started, that was about the time it should have taken. Had we left later, we would have been back slightly sooner."

Cougar laughed slightly,"That's generally the case, in my expierence"

"True enough. In our case, we were waiting for the cover of nightfall."

Iliyakim indicated the purplish streaks in his hair (most of his makeshift dye had washed out in the rain, during his bout with Haldros), and his dark skin. "After all...It's more difficult to see a dark object in the dark."

Cougar nodded,"Very true. But it's important to note that nighttime is not pitch black. A pitch black object stands out to those whose eyes are adjusted to the light levels night time brings"

"The guard patrolling at the time was an idiot. I drained the energy source for his lighting apparatus and rendered him unconcious before he knew what he was doing. That, and for so sensitive a target, why was it so poorly guarded?"

"It was by no means poorly guarded, but a two man team stand a greater chance at less risk than a full six man team."

"I see...It was still an easier task than I had believed it would be, in retrospect."

"Most of them are, when you look back at them"

"Perhaps. Perhaps they are."

"It's not very often that you look back at a mission and think how difficult it was... it's more about how you managed to get in and do the mission with such ease."

"True enough. Marnus, for instance...that was easy enough...especially considering the numerical odds."

"Speed, accuracy and the element of surprise. All were there for us to exploit"

"I remember. It was not all that long ago."

Cougar sensed the subject was raw,"No, it was not. Not at all."

It was a raw subject...but only because of what had immediately followed. Still Iliyakim was a man of private grief, not public, and wished to circumvent that.

"There have still been many difficult missions...the necromantic attack, for instance...all of us that were in Sarnor Zotreth at the time, and made it out alive, wondered for a long time afterward exactly how we managed to survive it."

"Forgive me for saying this, but it is my belief that were it not for Ayal and her mages, you would not. That is not a slur on your skill, nor is it bias to her. But it is obvious that they had some power that you lacked."

"We are of that opinion. But many of them fell, as well. You can ask her about it...she will remember. Since then, Necromancy has been forbidden."

"She will not tell me. There is much she will not tell me"

"Ah. It is fair...there is much you cannot tell her."

"In actuality, I tell her more than I should."

"Tell me...how much do you ask her about? She rarely spoke...but when asked a question, would answer it, in some form or other. We could never get what class she was, but other than that, she was truthful."

"I don't ask, because I know she would not tell."

"You don't ask because you think she would not tell. There is much she probably does not ask you, because of the same assumption."

How little you know of your cousin, Iliyakim

He shrugged,"Trust me, I know she would not tell."

The Drow shrugged. "Weth nesst z'klaen z'reninth vel'bol uk z'klaen, t'yin."

"Very true."

"So Jason can you hear anything useful?" Fen asked after a period of time.

"Fen, we need to get in there as soon as we can. They'll be moving whatever is in the base in 6 hours time."

At the moment, Konig called over to Cougar,"James, we've got something"

Cougar nodded, and said to Iliyakim,"Get some rest, you'll need it"

"Fen, we need to get in there as soon as we can. They'll be moving whatever is in the base in 6 hours time."
"Any suggestions?" Fen asked, "And any idea where whatever it is, is?"

"Any suggestions?" Fen asked, "And any idea where whatever it is, is?"

"The only things we know is that it's something big. Have you seen any enterances we can use?"

Iliyakim nodded, but having just woken up, decided that he'd follow Cougar's advice later. Instead, he got a change of clothes, and started walking toward the stream.

You'll freeze.

"I will not."

By my calculations, it is only a irath or two above the freezing point of water now.

"Which means the water will be at least ten above."

What do you think you are?

"I have no idea."

You're an idiot, that's what.

"Good enough. Hold these."

Iliyakim tossed his Thalack a fairly dry set of clothes, then jumped into the small pool that had served as a communal bathing area -- naturally, Captains Grey and Wolf had a time where none of the cadets or other members of the unit could come near, but now was not then.

He scrubbed his hair clean of the dye in the near-freezing water, then clambered out, changing clothes and casting a heat spell around himself, just enough to dry off.

"See? That's not too bad."

"The only things we know is that it's something big. Have you seen any enterances we can use?"
"Into the compound, yes, but since we have no idea where it is being stored, don't know which entrances there are." Fen replied

"Into the compound, yes, but since we have no idea where it is being stored, don't know which entrances there are." Fen replied

"That's good enough. We'll have to start from there and try to find it."

"That's good enough. We'll have to start from there and try to find it."
"Want to take point again?" Fen asked

Tylas had finished walking around the camp, and noticed Illyakim.

"I see you took the dye out of your hair. Hows the arm doing?"

Tylas had finished walking around the camp, and noticed Illyakim.

"I see you took the dye out of your hair. Hows the arm doing?"
"It'll be back to normal soon enough. Did you rest well?"

"It'll be back to normal soon enough. Did you rest well?"


"Yes, and no. For some reason, I feel that that assignment was easier than the others given. Im not complaining, of course. It might just be that the other teams are slower, or that we simply worked more efficiantly...but considering no one is back yet...."


as an afterthough, he added "anyhow, has Cougar informed you as to what we're doing tommorrow?"

"Not entirely, no. I do know that we'll be leaving on a team mission...all of us...and that has me nervous."

"Want to take point again?" Fen asked

"You know where the enterance is, you take point."

"Alright." Fen replied, "First I'm going to make sure you know at least three exits." He proceeded to point them out, for Jason to find, "Got them? If this drops in the pot, I'll need you to get me out."

Deokumar had to find a spot to watch the trucks to see if the explosives successfully did its job. Deokumar radioed to Bhakta that he set the explosives and will stay near the compound to observe what happens. Both of them will meet each other when the mission is a success.

After radioing Bhakta. Deokumar had to find a spot to what, the nearest thing was a bush. Deokumar rushed to the bush and went into a prone position. Deokumar then primed the explosives on a timer of 10 minutes. If the enemy found the explosives and disarmed them, a light will blink on and off on Deokumar's remote. So the explosives can be manually detonated.

Both Deokumar and Bhakta waited at their positions for the enemy convoy to arrive.

"Alright." Fen replied, "First I'm going to make sure you know at least three exits." He proceeded to point them out, for Jason to find, "Got them? If this drops in the pot, I'll need you to get me out."

Jason took a mental snapshot of each exit.

"Got it. Let's go."

Fen headed down toward the base. Once around a hundred meters away, he began using cover a great deal more extensively.

Jason followed fen Religiously, not wishing to mess up again.

Fen arrived at the best entrancce, and spoke into the throat mike, "Anyone nearby?"

"Looks Cler." Jason Replied.

Fen proceeded forward, "Warn me if you see anyone nearby," He commented as he oriented on his mental map, and continued toward the largest building.

"I have been ready, what do you think we should do?" Aldaris took the scope and looked in the direction Trafa had been observing, "Allow me to guess, our target is the Major, correct?"

OOC: Sorry, didn't see the post, and schools in the bitchy year now. If I don't post after two days, telegram me the post and I'll get back to ye, but my time's becoming alot more constricted.

IC: Trafa nodded.

"Well, obviously my approach would be to snipe the asshole right here right now, but we were pretty much told not to use it by the Colonel. Instead, I suggest a distraction tactic. I've done this kind of job before, so you'll have to do the distraction, you're a less obvious target than me in the open anywho."

Trafa took another look through the scope, and grunted.

"What projectile weapons do you have with you?"

OOC: Sorry, didn't see the post, and schools in the bitchy year now. If I don't post after two days, telegram me the post and I'll get back to ye, but my time's becoming alot more constricted.

IC: Trafa nodded.

"Well, obviously my approach would be to snipe the asshole right here right now, but we were pretty much told not to use it by the Colonel. Instead, I suggest a distraction tactic. I've done this kind of job before, so you'll have to do the distraction, you're a less obvious target than me in the open anywho."

Trafa took another look through the scope, and grunted.

"What projectile weapons do you have with you?"

"How should I distract them, walk into their camp invisible, appear, hide again, and start killing things?" After some of the things he'd done before, this was actually a pretty good plan.

"And I carry no guns, I do my work close in."

Fen proceeded forward, "Warn me if you see anyone nearby," He commented as he oriented on his mental map, and continued toward the largest building.

Jason nodded.

"Do you want me to keep watch here, or find a better, more camoflauged place?" He asked as he checked the rifle for Sleeper Rounds.

"Are you safe there, or if you have to move, can you keep you're eye on me?" Fen asked

"I'll keep a look out. Let me know if you need me to move into the building to cover you better." He pulled the bolt back on the Rifle and the Round clicked into place.

"Will do." Fen said as he neared the main building and checked for guards, failing to find any he asked Jason, "Anyone nearby, and do you see any semi-easy access in?"

ooc: God mode...

"There's a door right there, but that's the most guarded place. Try for a window or something..."

"How should I distract them, walk into their camp invisible, appear, hide again, and start killing things?" After some of the things he'd done before, this was actually a pretty good plan.

"And I carry no guns, I do my work close in."

Trafa nodded.

"Perhaps, although they might have equipment that'll detect you, but if so, improvise."

Trafa peered through the scope again, and then turned to Aldaris.

"I need you to get all of them facing North West of my posistion."

Trafa pointed to a spot of trees.

"About there. Get as many distracted as you can, try and get them ALL to look that way, and leave the rest to me. Feel free to kill any of them, just keep them transfixed."

Trafa then unsheathed this Hunting Knife, and looked at a very leafy tree to his right, and grinned.

"I'm going to scale that tree. The moment you stop seeing me, you being the distraction. I'm going to leap in and stab the asshole in the back, or slice him up. Actually, we'll then mop the remainders up. Kill everyone, although, if one's left over and he really begs, just knock him out. Cougar might find him useful. Afterward, we'll go and sweep for anything of value here, documents, the like. Once we've done that, we pile the bodies up, steal a radio, and torch the camp. You comfortable with that?"

hey all, this is the former The Cleansed Ones. My account go deleted! so I made this new one. Im hoping im still part of the thread.

hey all, this is the former The Cleansed Ones. My account go deleted! so I made this new one. Im hoping im still part of the thread.

OOC: Yeah, just carry on.

OOC: Yeah, just carry on.

k.

ooc: God mode...

"There's a door right there, but that's the most guarded place. Try for a window or something..."
Fen looked aroung, "Can you see any?"

"I think I can handle that, assuming you move when I make the distraction."

Aldaris dissappears from sight, and from most sensors, he now only radiates in the high ultraviolet spectrum, due to the way the light waves are bent around his body.

He silently moves out, and draws his blade, preparing to reap a grisly harvest.

Jason looked at the building for a little.

There was a window a little higher up. It was open a little.

"there's a window right there that looks promising. Can you jump that high?"

"I think I can make it." Fen commented, "Anyone looking in my direction?"

"Doesn't look like it. Go for it."

Fen dashed over, jumped, caught the windowsill and pulled himself up into the room. Looking around, he saw it was a bathroom, a girls bathroom no less. Hearing someone comming, he dashed into a stall and waited for the girl to leave.

Fen dashed over, jumped, caught the windowsill and pulled himself up into the room. Looking around, he saw it was a bathroom, a girls bathroom no less. Hearing someone comming, he dashed into a stall and waited for the girl to leave.

OOC: Um... can you say perv?

IC: The girl was looking in the mirror when she saw Fen's boots in the stall. Now, in this unit, no women wore boots. Nothing sexist, but they didn't. Boots meant a man. Also, the boots weren't Snake Eater issue, so it was a foreign intruder. She hit the button on the wall, and the alarms began to blare. At the same time, she screamed at the top of her lungs, the sound reaching the patrol outside, who burst in, weapons in hand, to find her pointing at the stall. Two of them crept forward, and pulled the door off it's hinges, to see Fen,"OUT. FECKING OUT! NOW!"

Fen winced at the sound of the alarms, and worse when he was busted. He decided to go with them, see if he could get something out of them, thought Cougar would likely ream him out. He exited the stall.

ooc: lol, thought it'd provide a more interesting development.

Jason listened over the microphone Shit he thought. He had to get in and find Fen and get him out. They had already broken one of cougars commands on not being seen...he wondered how the status on the "No killing" rule was now. He decided that the sleeper rounds wouldn't work if he needed to incapacitate somebody to save his life. He switched the magazine with Shock Rounds.

He figured the best way to find fen was trying to tail the patrols. He launched a spy camera through the window to check out the inside of the room. He saw the stall where Fen had been, and the guards leading them away, as well as the woman.

Jason Leapt up and grabbed the window sill. He pulled himself up to see over the sill. Seeing nobody there, he climbed into the room and dropped to the ground.

He peeked around the door to get a look at where he was

OOC: SE, can you please describe where Jason is at the moment?

Jason listened over the microphone Shit he thought. He had to get in and find Fen and get him out. They had already broken one of cougars commands on not being seen...he wondered how the status on the "No killing" rule was now. He decided that the sleeper rounds wouldn't work if he needed to incapacitate somebody to save his life. He switched the magazine with Shock Rounds.

He figured the best way to find fen was trying to tail the patrols. He launched a spy camera through the window to check out the inside of the room. He saw the stall where Fen had been, and the guards leading them away, as well as the woman.

Jason Leapt up and grabbed the window sill. He pulled himself up to see over the sill. Seeing nobody there, he climbed into the room and dropped to the ground.

He peeked around the door to get a look at where he was

OOC: SE, can you please describe where Jason is at the moment?
OOC: I never said the guards had left... and couldn't you come up with something a little more orginal. As in, not taken from Splinter Cell. I'm a fan and all that, but at least I don't lift every tactic from it.

IC: One of the guards was flex-cuffing Fen when Jason dropped into the stall. The camera had obviously missed him, and the other guard saw Jason clamber through the window. He raised his weapon, and fired a pulse round past Jason's head,"FREEZE! DON'T FECKING MOVE!"

Fen mentally cursed Jason. He had good intentions, bad execution. If he'd held off, they might have lost one person, as it is, it appeared they were both in trouble.

OOC: Yeah, a shock round was all I could think of that was "non-lethal and quick".

IC: Jason did as the guard said. It was pretty obvious they were both screwed now.

Both of them were flex-cuffed and led away to a cell at the far end of the camp. It was concrete walled, with one a single entrance to the block. No windows. The cells were built to take only one. Jason and Fen were seperated and put into different rooms. Their equipment was taken from them, and stashed at the far end of the camp. Over the course of the next few hours, they were beaten to retrieve information,'Why are you here? What is your mission? Who are you working for?'

Every time he was asked, Fen replied with his name, and kept silent on the other two questions.

The beating was easy to withstand. It was not the first. Jason was rather impervious to physical pain, but mentaly, Jason was going crazy. He knew it would be a matter of time before SafetyNet turned on and he died. After that, nobody would come to revive him, and he would be dead here.

Somewhere in YarenZero, a computer whirred to life. A tired, sleeping, technician woke up. Text was filling the screen, displaying Jason's Vitals. The technician saw what it was concerning, and perked up, as if somebody had dumped a cold bucket of ice water on him.
"Stefenson!"
"Yes?"
"Submit this to the Advisory General and King Josef."

Back at the cell, the pain had numbed Jason, he knew the SafetyNet was kicking in now. He had to stop it or hope somebody came for him.

Cougar swore as he was handed the notice,"Stupid bloody fools. Tell Delta to move now, as soon as fecking possible!"

*************************************************************
Less than two hours later
With no time for an CTR (Close Target Recce), Delta team had split into two groups. One, containing it's sniper and a spotter for him, had taken up a position overlooking the compound. Armed with a semi-automatic sniper rifle and a light machine gun, they covered the remainder of the team as they sliced through the wire mesh fence. They made short work of it, and moved forward silently. Leading the team was Lieutenant Colonel Norm Hooten, and he led them well. A SESOU veteran of almost twenty years now, he had served alongside Cougar for a long time. In his hands, he cradled an MP5N, an extra magazine taped to the side of the one inserted into the chamber.

Quickly and quietly they searched the compound, sticking to the shadows, not inviting confrontation. There was a tense moment when a figure rushed them from the side, about to yell a warning to his friends. He tried to attack one with his rifle butt. It was knocked aside, a hand was clamped over his mouth, and his neck was broken, quiet as anything. His body was left among some nearby crates, hidden well enough to avoid detection. Eventually, they found the cell-block, and readied to break in. A door charge was placed on the steel door, done in such a way that it would shatter the locks and hinges. The team withdrew, and Hooten nodded to his demolitions man, who smiled, and pressed the plunger. At the same time, the explosive on the door and the one on the fuel dump (placed earlier) detonated. The fuel dump went up with a merry bang, rising above the tree tops.

Ah, the beauty of PE4

A stun grenade sailed through the door, detonating as it landed. A brilliant flash of light, a brief surge of heat and a deafening sound. Following it almost instantly was the four man team, divided into pairs. One pair to clear the rooms, the other to find the trainees. The weapons spurted hot leaden death into anyone who opposed them. Shoot to Kill was the policy of the day. Outside, just to add to the confusion, the sniper team fired indiscrimantly into the mass now trying to put out the fuel dump before it caught the vehicles.

Hooten kicked the door down into the room where the trainees had been beaten for information, finding Jason there, tied to the chair, blindfolded. He also saw the terrorist raise his weapon.

RAT-TAT!

The man dropped, two holes appearing on his forehead. Norm ran over to Jason, his knife slicing through the ropes quickly,"MOVE!"

Fen was literally dragged out his cell, and the team then pulled them out of the camp, exchanging fire with the enemy as they pepper-potted backwards, one lot covering the other as they retreated towards the snipers. Having reached the ridge, they kept up a steady volume of fire, pinning the enemy down whilst Hooten called for an extraction,"This is Delta One, requesting evac"

"This is Eagle Two, roger that Delta One. ETA two minutes"

One minute and fifty seconds later, the chopper came over the hill, it's twin miniguns adding more volume to the firepower raining down on the camp. It landed and the chief loadie hollered over the noise of the rotors to get on board. Fen and Jason were basically thrown onboard, before they were given flak jackets ("Just in case") and sat at the back of the cabin. The whole operation had taken twenty minutes to do... and the camp was in flames as a result. It's thermal signature had been picked up on a passing military satellite, and the Air Force had deployed two Cobra fighters to decimate the place with pinpoint bombing runs.

As the chopper touched down, Cougar stood there, his face like thunder. He nodded to Hooten, who dropped Fen and Jason off before taking the chopper back to Murska Air Force Base. As the trainees approached him, he merely said,"Get back to base. Now. Report to me in ten minutes"

Iliyakim had a fire going...being very careful to burn dry wood, to prevent smoke. He sat by it for warmth, and because he was boiling water to cook with.

Having eschewed the food options for the day, he'd gone hunting -- a good distance away from camp, cleaning and discarding the non-vital parts of his kill where some scavenger was likely to find it -- and gathering, and was paring a tuber-esque plant into the pot.

A good hearty stew would be ready in a few hours...a good meal before a team mission.

There should be enough for everyone to have some.

Fen, face the colour of bleached bone, nodded. Taking off, he returned to report as ordered. He knew that if he left this meeting with Cougar with any hearing in either ear he'd be exceptionally lucky.

Jason reported to where cougar had told them to meet.

Cougar was standing there. His facial expression had not changed at all, and his stance was one of anger. When he spoke, he spoke softly, but his voice carried the emotion across,"One of you, I don't give a flying fuck which, tell me what just happened?"

"We arrived at the compound." Fen started, "We then attempted to infiltrate the compound, we failed. We attempted again, this time entering the main building. We were then caught, interrogated, and liberated." He concluded, having summerized the events. While he was nervous as anything, he did his best to report in an even tone, and cover all the major points.

Cougar's fist hit the tree, splintering the bark. It made a sickening crunch, but he didn't flinch,"No, I'll tell you what happened. You fucked up, and you fucked up bad! You went in, you got seen, fair enough. You should have pulled out right then. Going back in was fool's play! The enemy knew someone was around, and thus they were ready for you to come back in. For gods sake, you two, haven't you learned anything at all? You could, and should, have pulled out right there."

His voice had remained soft, and continued to do so as he continued,"Thanks to you, I was forced to redeploy a team to bring you out. Thanks to you, a job that could have been done silently had to be done with maximum aggression and force. By all rights, I should wipe your minds right now, and send you both home"

"Yes sir." Fen replied, realizing that they should have pulled back, rather than going for broke, and annoyed with himself for not seeing that.

Jason nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Now, Jason, give me a damn good reason not to send you home!"

"Sir, I would have to say I have much to learn. Send me home if you wish it, sir."

Jason truly meant this. He was not a stealthy person, which his last challenge was based on.

"I don't want to send you two home. And I'm not going to. You put a lot of people at risk tonight, and that was a mistake. Get out of my sight!"

Cougar didn't care if Jason was a stealthy person or not. He needed to diversify his skills.

Jason left and went back to the tent. He sat down. In any case he was still screwed. His Glasses and watch were still at the base, and by now, the Techs at YarenZero were wiping them clean of info and preparing the destruction process.

Fen promptly left. He could tell they'd barely sneaked by, and to stay might incure Cougar's rage even more. He decided he would devote himself to improving on his skills even more.

Cougar pulled his hand away, and examined the damage to the tree. He repaired it using the White Flame, and then went to lie down, with a headache.