NationStates Jolt Archive

"You might want to stop right there"

The voice was oddly familar. THere was no doubt it was Constantine,"That building has enough Semtex on it's key structual points, at the touch of this button in front of me"

Over a hundred light years away, his hand hovered over the button. He smiled his sneer again,"So, little Drow have come out to play, have they."

*In the shadows*
"Oh shit"

"Do we get them"

"Can you see the bomb?"

"Yeah, right under the core"

"Alright... in three, two... go!"

From the shadows, six figures sprinted across the floor, knocking Shan and Jovin to the floor, and pinning them there, covering them. Constantine pushed the button...

It was if they air had all been sucked from their world, and it was still going. There was a massive roar, a blast of superheated air. And then silence. The man pinning Shan down got off him, and picked him up,"Sorry about that"

________________________________________________________________________

"I don't know how to say it..."

<snip>
Mamba was in enemy territory, but so long as they stayed cloaked they could make it there. The rebel ships in orbit were blockaded, and doing well just to hold out as long as they were.

"You might want to stop right there"

The voice was oddly familar. THere was no doubt it was Constantine,"That building has enough Semtex on it's key structual points, at the touch of this button in front of me"

Over a hundred light years away, his hand hovered over the button. He smiled his sneer again,"So, little Drow have come out to play, have they."

*In the shadows*
"Oh shit"

"Do we get them"

"Can you see the bomb?"

"Yeah, right under the core"

"Alright... in three, two... go!"

From the shadows, six figures sprinted across the floor, knocking Shan and Jovin to the floor, and pinning them there, covering them. Constantine pushed the button...

It was if they air had all been sucked from their world, and it was still going. There was a massive roar, a blast of superheated air. And then silence. The man pinning Shan down got off him, and picked him up,"Sorry about that"

________________________________________________________________________

"I don't know how to say it..."

S -- "It looked like a trap."

Tari, distant, looked around. "Something happened."

A -- "Then work faster."
_________________________________________________________________________
She nods.

"It was. Major Sam White, but everyone calls me Chalky. I'm Bravo Team commander"

________________________________________________________________________

"I didn't come here just to spend time with the children"

"I'm Shan. This is Jovin. We're generally known as Double Trouble. Pleased to meet you, Major."

The girls finished up and teleported to their friends.

"And this is Tari, and Ashra. The other Double Trouble."
_________________________________________________________________________
"I see."

She ddn't know what to say, or how to say it. What she wanted and how her life was dictated were two entirely different things.

"You girls were in the other building, hmm? Oh well, spose it's time to get out. They knew you'd try and hit here. The supplies are real, the power source wasn't. We've been operating on this planet since the war began... this only went up this morning"

_______________________________________________________________________

He sensed he'd done something wrong,"I should go"

He stood, as if to leave.

The Eagle class boosted from cruise speed into Warp Speed. They exited their Warp speed a safe distance from the planet, and quickly cloaked again. Alhuma piloted the ship in towards the blockade.

OOC: Please explain who is blockading who? which lot of ships is nearer the planet? Also are there any rebel forces on Mamba?

IC: Spodor sent his message from Alhuma to Colonel Cougar, then smiled again. He set off, towards the thickest fighting.

T -- "So, we're a threat now, are we? Yeah, let's go. We'll take you back to camp and see what else we can't do on this planet."

They teleported...themselves, and the six SHADOW operatives.
______________________________________________________________________
"Don't. You need to get some sort of rest before you head right back out. You're worn out."

The Eagle class boosted from cruise speed into Warp Speed. They exited their Warp speed a safe distance from the planet, and quickly cloaked again. Alhuma piloted the ship in towards the blockade.

OOC: Please explain who is blockading who? which lot of ships is nearer the planet? Also are there any rebel forces on Mamba?

IC: Spodor sent his message from Alhuma to Colonel Cougar, then smiled again. He set off, towards the thickest fighting.

OOC: The rebel forces are blockading the planet, but in turn are being blockaded from returning to rebel space by loyalist forces. And of course there are,the last seven pages or so have been on Mamba.

IC: Fighting was thick everywhere. It didn't matter where you went, the stench of death was everywhere.

T -- "So, we're a threat now, are we? Yeah, let's go. We'll take you back to camp and see what else we can't do on this planet."

They teleported...themselves, and the six SHADOW operatives.
______________________________________________________________________
"Don't. You need to get some sort of rest before you head right back out. You're worn out."

"We've only been here once before," said Chalky as they arrived. The rest of the team went to catch some sleep,"Keep an eye out for us. We're here for some time yet"

_______________________________________________________________________
"I'm worn out all the time, Rhenna. Another few hours isn't going to make a difference"

OOC: Good, just wasn't too sure.

IC: The Eagle flew in, closer and closer to the enemy ships. Alhuma couldn't see a secure area to fly through. If he passed too close to an enemy ship with his shields up, he would become uncloaked, and the ship wasn't good enough to fight off so many ships. He did the only thing possible. He turned off his shields. The ship was still cloaked, but now without shields. If they were discovered, the ship would be seriously damaged before the shields could be put back up.

Alhuma ghosted in, flying to go in between two big ships.

The Drow sit.

T -- "This planet has it the worst of any we've been to yet. It's like it never ends. At least we've been able to get a significant amount of supplies."
________________________________________________________________________
"James, I mean it. You need sleep."

Spodor jumped into another trench. He couldn't see over the top, even when he was on top of the firestep, so he simply got out of the trench, and within a few minutes, had erected his own, one man fighting area. He fired his pistols out, taking down the enemies. He wanted the enemy to charge, he was the best in clan Gunbad with it. He could do awesome things with it.

"This war ain't never gonna end, girl. War is never ending. Remember that. This is the life we chose.... we know this. Time everyone else learnt it as well"

______________________________________________________________________
He nodded, and sat back down,"All right, you win. I've no wish to be sedated. Just..."

Say it!

I can't

Oh? You managed it once... wheres that man from thirteen years ago?

"Would you stay with me?"

"Zero-Zero-Three, you are cleared to Bay 7. Welcome to Paradise"

"Thanks. We're coming in!" And with that the twelve gunships slid into Bay Seven, touching down on the floor gracefully.

Flight Leader Kelly tossed her flight jacket into a corner. Turning to an inter-ship transmitter, she laid down the law.

"Okay crew, listen up. I'm going down to meet with them. All of you can get down and stretch your legs. However, the first of you to cause problems will be the first to have his legs shoved up his nose. Clear? Good."

Boarding ramps extended from the bottums of the ships as Kelly strode out of the cabin. Reaching the hanger floor quickly, she stood around, looking for someone who'd say where to go next.

T -- "I thought you were going to sleep?"

S -- "That, and you must realize...we are not creatures of war. We are merely helping one of our own in his time of need."
________________________________________________________________________
She thought for a few moments. What she wanted, what would happen if she did. She then nodded.

"All right."

T -- "I thought you were going to sleep?"

S -- "That, and you must realize...we are not creatures of war. We are merely helping one of our own in his time of need."
________________________________________________________________________
She thought for a few moments. What she wanted, what would happen if she did. She then nodded.

"All right."

"What, James?"

Chalky lit up a cigarette, and took a deep draw, before saying,"I can understand that, actually. Anyway, gd'night"

_______________________________________________________________________

He smiled slightly,"You don't have to, you know. If it'll get you into trouble, I don't care"

"Good night."

The Drow stayed awake until Jovin and Ashra had to leave, conversing silently among each other.
_________________________________________________________________________
"There's not really much they can do to me here. You were permitted to come here by the Queen herself, and I was told to stay here and watch over the children by the same."

The Eagle coasted in, having cleared the gap. As soon as it was through, Alhuma gunned the engnines and started the shields recharging, at the same time putting an inter-ship message out

** This is your captain speaking, prepare to disembark by landing pod. I hope you have a nice journey, please assemble now**

He had forgotten just how far the ships field extended, but he remembered, when a warning siren sounded, and he realised that they had just uncloaked.

OOC: I'm going to bed now
need some shut eye

it's 2 AM inEngland for those of you wandering what I mean

OOC: I'm going to bed now
need some shut eye

it's 2 AM inEngland for those of you wandering what I mean
OOC:
Kinda hard to wander what someone means.

OOC:
Kinda hard to wander what someone means.
OOC: But you knew what he meant anyway.

<snip>
*Over Mamba*
The S.E.N Typhoon, an Akira class vessel on the side of the rebels, had picked up the Eagle on it's close range sensors, although they'd had thought something was coming. As the Eagle uncloaked off their port bow, they wheeled about, the ships ships coming online and the weapons charging,"Open channel"

"Channel open"

"This is Captain Jerome of the Snake Eater rebel ship S.E.N Typhoon, identify yourself, or you will be fired upon"

*****************************************************************
*Mamba, Rebel Frontlines*
OOC: It's nighttime, moron.

What Spodor didn't realise was that war was not fought with head on charges anymore. It hadn't worked in World War One for the most part, it certainley wasn't going to happen now. And his pistol shots were useless. All they did was attract attention, he was too far away from the enemy lines to do any damage. Indeed, a loyalist sniper's scope settled on the tiny figure shooting manically,"What the hell is he doing?"

The snipers spotter ((the guys who searches and identifies targets)) shrugged, even though his friend had his eye pressed to the scope,"I have no idea. You going to shoot?"

"No... no, it's a waste of ammo. He's going to get killed sooner or later the way he's acting... theres no way he's from Snake Eaters though. No, he might be a citizen of another nation who got trapped on Mamba when the war began. In any case," he said, moving his eye away from the scope,"theres nothing going tonight, so I say we pull out"

"Good deal, I'm bloody freezing down here"

"Same. Come on, let's get back to the lines"

<snip>
*Location Alpha, Udisclosed location in space*
"Stand down arms on Bay Seven"

"Yessir, disabling pulse cannons"

As the ships flew into the hanger, the pulse cannons that had been tracking them shut down, retreating back into their cradles for the time being. As soon as the ships were down,"Bring them back online"

"Yessir"

As the crews descended, the flight deck was mostly deserted. Along the entire length, ships of various sizes, all personal ships of course, were arrayed. Some of them were only a few metres, others up to ten, maybe twenty in length. They all looked scarred from many battles, and they all carried weapons of some sort. There were a few mechanics tinkering with some of them, none of whom paid any attention to the new party. Their ships didn't need servicing, so they were ignored. At the moment, they were working on outfitting a Type-9 personal shuttle with two phaser arrays, and it was taking time and a lot of effort.

Their prescense didn't go completeley unnoticed, as a man approached from the opposite direction, his feet making little to no noise on the stained floor. His DPM had orginally been woodland pattern, but repeated wounds, immmersion in many different substances and other things besides had altered it somewhat. His face was young, his eyes sharp, but with a weary look in them. Strapped to his back was a rifle, with a fairly long barrel. An L96 7.62 sniper rifle. Major Matthew Konig, back for twenty four hours whilst his commander was off in Kaymiril, visting his children for the first time in almost five weeks,"I guess you're the guys No endorse sent along, hey? You might want to pick that jacket up, and bring it with you. It'll get fried by engine exhaust sooner or later.

<snip>
*Mamba, Rebel HQ*
Chalky went back to his unit, and crashed out. They'd been on Mamba since the war began, running interference. It had taken them almost a week just to get back here from where they were, on the run almost constantly. It hadn't left much time to sleep.

_______________________________________________________________________
*Kaymiril*
"So long as you're sure"

OOC: Oh well :p. I do actually know a lot about war. Mainly WW1, and WW2

IC: **Above Mamba**

"This is Head Chief Alhuma Peacemaker from the Zombies system. We come to aid rebels. Do not fire, I repeat, do not fire.

If you are unsure of our intent, then contact Coolonel James Cougar, he should have got my latest message"

**On Mamba** Sposor realised that he was doing nothing, and just lay back, up against the wall of his little dug out. He would get some more sleep, and then wait to see if any close combat did ensue.

OOC: Oh well :p. I do actually know a lot about war. Mainly WW1, and WW2

IC: **Above Mamba**

"This is Head Chief Alhuma Peacemaker from the Zombies system. We come to aid rebels. Do not fire, I repeat, do not fire.

If you are unsure of our intent, then contact Coolonel James Cougar, he should have got my latest message"

**On Mamba** Sposor realised that he was doing nothing, and just lay back, up against the wall of his little dug out. He would get some more sleep, and then wait to see if any close combat did ensue.
OOC:Coolnel, hmm? Is that a real military rank? Oh, and you never say,'I repeat' over a radio net, as that's a call for artillery support. It's,'I say again...'. Also, this isn't WW1 or WW2, no, this is FT civil war.

IC: *Above Mamba*
The Typhoon stayed at battle readiness whilst it scanned the Eagle,"Deploy your men... but we are watching you carefully"

*On Mamba*
The troops on the frontline were thinking,"What is this guy trying to do? Get himself killed? Well, his loss I suppose"

OOC: Sorry, I r ealise it is not WW1 or 2

IC: "Thanks. Alhuma Out"

The medium sized pod detached from the Eagle, and the small blasters on the sides steered it on a pre-determined course towards an area of land known to be in rebel hands. The ride was a bit shaky as the pod entered the atmosphere, but then it calmed down again, and the pod came to a stop on some grass. The pentagon shaped pod's doors opened.

Four people came out of each door, spreading straight into an all round defence formation, the soldiers finding any possible cover, just in case. Wulf, the 2 IC sent out a radio message.

"This is Whiskey Charlie One, the Eagle has landed, I say again, the Eagle has landed. The people of The Zombies are here to help."



In space, the Eagle went into auto pilot mode, with the ships AI in charge, programmed to hang in orbit, unless it was attacked. If attacked, it would take over the ship completely, and fight back.

"Whiskey Charlie One, this is Zero. Enemy forces currently converging on your position. Be warned, light armour among them. Out"

At the rebel HQ, in a bunker deep beneath the surface, the radio room was ablaze with people. All the time, the datastreams came in, from different callsigns in different sectors. That was why there was a large holographic grid map in the centre of the room, with a number of controllers surrounding it. All units in a single sector were given a single overall command net, with the callsign 'Zero'. Other than that, they could do what they wanted within their own units.

Currently, the duty officer for Sector 04, the sector which the Zombie forces had landed, was busy controlling units to come to the aid of the newly arrived troops. They were fresh to the horrors of this war, which had already claimed over a million lives on both sides,"All units, this is Zero. Foxtrot Gamma One through Niner, move to 654789, and support Zombie troops. Provide support, and move them out. Artillery is at your disposal, over"

"Foxtrot Gamma One here, roger that Zero. Confirm location at 654789, over"

"Zero, location confirmed, over"

"Foxtrot Gamma One, orders recieved and understood, Out"

Almost as soon as the leader had finished, a new voice spoke up,"Foxtrot Gamma Five, how do we recognise the troops? Over"

"Zero, you can't miss them. They are out of place and being shot at, over"

"Foxtrot Gamma Five, understood, Out"

Outside, three SE-12 MBT's and nine Warrior vehicles moved away from the lines, and set off at maximum speed towards the now heavily under fire Zombie troops. The enemy had quickly deployed an two infantry platoons of thirty men from the Catachan 1st to capture the new arrivals, if not kill them in the process. They moved quickly, using the terrain to maximum advantage. Not only that, but the area was still contested, and as such fire was coming from both sides of the lines. As they drove along, the squad leader, Captain Ware, opened up his UHF commlink to the Zombie forces,"Whiskey Charlie Four, this is Foxtrot Gamma One. We are en route to your postion. ETA is seven minutes. Can you hold out until then? Over"

A burst of fire came in, ripping up the ground. Alhuma peeked out, then let out a burst of fire from his rifle ( basically SA-80 A2) towards the nearest enemy. His troops were well trained, and the support weapon weilders, carrying their MINIMI machine guns, were laying down hails of fire, and suppresssing the enemy they were targeting. As soon as they moved onto another arc of fire, the enemy troops would start firing again.

Wulf shouted to an MX-25 grenade launcher carrier, and told him to fire at the enemy armour.

He heard his earpiece crackle into life.

"Foxtrot Gamma One, this is Whiskey Charlie One. We are holding on for the time being, but there are only 20 of us, and the enemy may be bringing in a lot more troops soon. Over"

The 'dwarves' were quickly trying to erect little defences in the out of cover soldiers. But pretty soon the men, all sizes, were either retreating towards ditches, or towards the landing pod, which did have some pretty strong armour on it. Although none of the unit were yet dead, they had all taken hits,and it was only the defensive clothing and amulets that was keeping them alive.

One of the enemy's armour was still and smoking slightly, and around 10 soldiers were down, but they were coming onwards still.

"I guess you're the guys No endorse sent along, hey? You might want to pick that jacket up, and bring it with you. It'll get fried by engine exhaust sooner or later.

"Yeah, we're the gals and guys they sent." Picking up her jacket and tossing it up the ship's hatch, she continued. "I hate that thing so much, but it's required during flight." Pushing a strand of short hair out of the way, she moved back towards the officer.

"Anything you guys want to know or want us to know before we set off? Or will we be hainging here for a bit?"

*Mamba, Rebel HQ*
Chalky went back to his unit, and crashed out. They'd been on Mamba since the war began, running interference. It had taken them almost a week just to get back here from where they were, on the run almost constantly. It hadn't left much time to sleep.
_______________________________________________________________________
*Kaymiril*
"So long as you're sure"
Before dawn, Shan and Tari were gone again...this time, though, to start actually dealing damage. Power generators could be replaced, supplies re-ordered...might be more difficult, but...

But it was harder to replace men.
__________________________________________________________________________
"Hey, don't persuade me to change my mind."

<snip>
It was true, getting rid of men was a permanent thing. Not to mention a total morale destroyer. With Death at the forefront of everyones' minds all the time, they had come to accept death at the end of a pulse blast or knife. But never for no apparent reason.
_________________________________________________________________________
He smiled, actually feeling truly happy for the first time in a long time. Sure, his children made him feel happy and content, but without her there, it all seemed so... empty. He could never let go... never wanted to let go. But mixed in with his joy was sorrow. Sorrow in knowing that he would have to leave in the morning, sorrow that his children would get used to this life and then not want to leave, as he knew they must.

But he locked these feelings away. His doctors had told him before that doing that wasn't good for him, but he had no choice in the matter.

"Alright, I'm not trying to persuade you," he said, with a slight laugh. His laugh was geniune, certainley, but his eyes had lost something. Their sparkle. Instead, they were dull and almost lifeless, as if he was no longer human. So much death and pain had changed him slightly. But his smile still reached them, for when he smiled, that spark was still visible, if only faintly.

<snip>
"Follow me"

He led them from the hanger to the nerve centre of operations, what had once been the ships main bridge. It was now dim, but it served it's purpose. Around the edges, people poured over printouts and screens, trying to decipher the code that lay before them. A 64-bit encryption was easy, yes. But when it was encrypted with a rotating cleartext, things got much more complicated. In the centre was a large map of Snake Eater space, which was shaded in different splodges of colour,"Right, we are here, in the green space. Anything green belongs to the rebels, such as the Osea system. As you notice, we'll fairly limited to the outer systems. Anything in blue is still being contested, such as here, further towards the core. Anything in red is totally under Constantine's control. You'll notice how he controls large areas in the core, including the entire Cobrian system. Now, you asked where you can help? Mamba would be the best place."

The view changed to show the Mamba system. It was mostly blue, but with green and red dots,"The green dots represent our ships, blockading the planet of Mamba. The red dots, the loyalists, are blockading us in return. Now, some supplies have been liberated and attempted to get through the barrier, with some success. However, we need a higher success rate. Therefore, we are setting up our own task force, thirty vessels, to engage this fleet. Having spoken with Rommel earlier, he agrees that the best place for you to be. Now, I'm an Army officer, and the only reason I'm telling you is because time is of the esscense in this case."

<snip>
OOC: Just so you know: a) you godmoded by stating the damage to my troops, as I control both the loyalist and rebel forces, b)I use pulse weaponry,c)Why?Why?Why? are you using the SA-80A2. There are better weapons out there. Don't say I'm biased. I've fired the SA-80 (true, only on a SAT range, but what the hell).

IC: As stated, within seven minutes, the characteristic 'boom' of the SE-12's main guns, for they were of the older design, not incorporating the railgun. Both were still in service. The HE rounds were fired indiscrimantly into the enemy forces, who turned their attention to the slightly more pressing matter of Warrior armoured vehicles bearing down on them. One of the men in the loyalist forces slipped the straps of his LAW 66, and levelled it at the nearest one, his hands trembling through fear and the excitment that came from the heat of battle. There was a 'whoooosh' as the missile left the tube, and tore into the side of Foxtrot Gamma Eight. It detonated almost instantly, and the vehicle was set alight by the explosion.

"GET OUT! MOVE!"

The hatch opened, despite the top of the turret being engulfed in flame, and the crew bailed out, all of them ablaze. They hit the ground, and rolled to put out the flame,"Foxtrot Gamma Five here, request casevac, over"

"Zero, roger that Foxtrot Gamma, casevac is en route"

Back at the rebel HQ, a UH-60 took off from the launch pad, a section of PJ's (Parachute Jumpers, medics who come in via parachute) onboard, and moved quickly the area to retrieve the injured crew, and also to help any injuries among the Zombie forces.

OOC: Sorry abulot the Godmodding, they might not be dead just pretending. I don't want to argue with you about the SA-80, but three days ago I was on cadet excercise (yes yes cadets is a joke) and we were being assissted by five troopers just back from Iraq, each of them was praising the new SA-80. Firing on a range is different to firing in real battle.

IC: Alhuma grinned as the enemy turned again.

"All members of Tribe, push out a bit, take on the enemy while their backs are turned, watch for any incoming enemy. If necessary, clear the enemy using your close weapons, but do not take any stupid risks. Out"

OOC: I never said it wasn't a good weapon, I'm just saying there are better ones out there. Anyway, in case you haven't realised, I'M BRITISH! My entire military is structured like the British Army. Also, I'm a cadet as well, and we are no joke. Well, my CCF section isn't at least.

IC: What he hadn't realised is that not all the enemy had turned, and they were still completely capable of returning fire. Which they did. In large volumes. As the enemy tried desperatley to engage both forces, their fate was sealed by the Blackhawk coming over the nearby hill, it's miniguns armed and ready. The crew chiefs opened fire, cutting the last of the enemy down before letting the ropes out. The PJ's fast roped to the ground, and attended to any wounded on both sides of the battle. It may have been civil war, but they still had a duty to help anyone who needed it.

OOC: I don't think cadets are a joke, but a lot of people i know do. Which CCF are you part of by the way?

IC:Spodor woke up again, and rolled over, rolling into the trench.

OOC: King's School, Grantham.

IC: "You know, sleeping in no mans land is not a good idea," said a voice close above him. In the night time mist, a figure crouched down, his eyes straining against the mist to see. His outline was indistinct, but he carried a standard rifle and wore Snake Eater battlearmour. His markings also made him out as a rebel solider.

It was true, getting rid of men was a permanent thing. Not to mention a total morale destroyer. With Death at the forefront of everyones' minds all the time, they had come to accept death at the end of a pulse blast or knife. But never for no apparent reason.
_________________________________________________________________________
He smiled, actually feeling truly happy for the first time in a long time. Sure, his children made him feel happy and content, but without her there, it all seemed so... empty. He could never let go... never wanted to let go. But mixed in with his joy was sorrow. Sorrow in knowing that he would have to leave in the morning, sorrow that his children would get used to this life and then not want to leave, as he knew they must.

But he locked these feelings away. His doctors had told him before that doing that wasn't good for him, but he had no choice in the matter.

"Alright, I'm not trying to persuade you," he said, with a slight laugh. His laugh was geniune, certainley, but his eyes had lost something. Their sparkle. Instead, they were dull and almost lifeless, as if he was no longer human. So much death and pain had changed him slightly. But his smile still reached them, for when he smiled, that spark was still visible, if only faintly.

Still...Shan and Tari tried to keep needless deaths to a minimum. Their targets were primarily enemy leaders and bases.

After all, cut off the head of the snake...

Too bad they couldn't target the head they wanted to.
________________________________________________________________________
She reached out, tentatively, and turned his head, delicate Dragon/Drow fingers warming slightly in contact with human skin.

"This one's been harder on you than anything yet."

Still...Shan and Tari tried to keep needless deaths to a minimum. Their targets were primarily enemy leaders and bases.

After all, cut off the head of the snake...

Too bad they couldn't target the head they wanted to.
________________________________________________________________________
She reached out, tentatively, and turned his head, delicate Dragon/Drow fingers warming slightly in contact with human skin.

"This one's been harder on you than anything yet."

It was much tougher than liberating supplies. The officers and bases were more protected, required more time and effort to complete.

_____________________________________________________________________

He felt her cold fingers warming at the contact with his face, and didn't resist as she turned his head,"Yes... yes it has. Much harder than I would admit"

To them, that only meant more showy explosions and more cunning assassinations.
___________________________________________________________________________
"Is it because you're fighting your own people, or because of the reason you must fight?"

Over the weeks, it seemed to work. The enemy resistance on Mamba faltered. The best thing for the rebels was the small amount of people living on Mamba, only two hundred thousand. It was a small planet, and much of the industry was run by machines. In the end though, it would almost all need rebuilding.

__________________________________________________________________________
"Bit of both. I've got no choice but to fight the good fight... for the rest of my life"

Iliyakim also pressed his troops as hard as he could, within reason. His attacks were precise, and he was relentless with the enemy forces.

His shoulder had healed, but it had also scarred. No matter. It would work as well as ever.
_________________________________________________________________________
She nods, knowing and understanding.

"Just take care of yourself...for them." She looked in the direction of her children.

Soon enough, the enemy forces were set up in the last bastion of resistance, the great fortress of Groznyi Grad. It was a near impenetrable fortress, built just in case this sort of thing ever happened. It was laden with weapons, equipment, food. It could stock an entire army, which was essentially what it was doing. Orbital strikes had reduced the enemy to less than one thousand strong... over seven thousand had died in only a few weeks on this world. All for a single cause.

The fortress was equipped with it's own energy shield, as well anti-aircraft weapons, and a large trench system. The guard towers were automated, with searchlights and heavy pulse cannons. The fortress itself was built into the sheer granite cliff, to prevent attack from that side. Bringing in a force that was capable of taking down the fortress was nigh impossible from that direction.
_________________________________________________________________________
"Don't worry about me... I can take care of myself. Managed it before."

-snip-

"Hmm, so you want us to help break the blockade? Well, we're principly good at heavy hit and run missions... let me put foreward an idea."

Pointing to a point on the map, she continued. "How about we charge strait through here, using our speed and sheer insanity as an advantage? We can make multiple sidejumps all over and cause problems everywhere. We just need to confuse them enough for you to come in with some heavy firepower. Tell the C-O for the operation we're willing to go places no one else would.

By the way, can you have schematics of these enemy ships beamed to our craft, so we can tell where to hit them? Since you use the same ones, they don't need to be extremely detailed for security reasons. Just give us an idea and we'll run with it."

"Hmm, so you want us to help break the blockade? Well, we're principly good at heavy hit and run missions... let me put forward an idea."

Pointing to a point on the map, she continued. "How about we charge strait through here, using our speed and sheer insanity as an advantage? We can make multiple sidejumps all over and cause problems everywhere. We just need to confuse them enough for you to come in with some heavy firepower. Tell the C-O for the operation we're willing to go places no one else would.

By the way, can you have schematics of these enemy ships beamed to our craft, so we can tell where to hit them? Since you use the same ones, they don't need to be extremely detailed for security reasons. Just give us an idea and we'll run with it."

"No offence, but I'm not giving you the details of our ships. If things turn sour, you can take that information back to your nation, and it could be used against Snake Eaters at another time and place... your hit-and-run tactics might just work... our ships are capable of that, but not many... mostly the Defiant, Akira and Shadowblade classes. You'll want to leave immediatley"

Iliyakim cursed. The only thing to do in THIS situation was starve 'em out.

Shan had other ideas, though.

"I sense about a century and a half dead...about twice that injured, and five centuries of well."

Tari looked at her friend, incredulous. "You wouldn't..."

"I don't see any other way to get off this stupid planet. We've got to win this."

"But Shan, over time they might surrender."

"Yeah. If you starve 'em out. That'd take too long, Tari. You know what must be done."

Shan forced his concentration into the bastion, seeking out the corpses.

"I call you back...and grant you the taste for human flesh."
________________________________________________________________________
"I know you have...doesn't stop me from worrying."

Inside the fortress, the corpses of the dead rose up from where they had been lain, and although they were essentially braindead, they had one overwhelming desire. To eat human flesh, be it alive or dead. They had been sealed in a room to prevent the stench of rotting flesh reaching others, and now they hammered on the door. It held, for now. But eventually, it would break, and zombies enhanced by magick... almost impossible to stop. No one on the loyalist side had ever encountered a zombie in their life.
________________________________________________________________________
"I know you do... I appreciate that, really"

Tear down the door that holds you in...unleash yourselves from their mere stone and steel walls...and show them why they've already lost.
_________________________________________________________________________
"I know you do...just promise me that you won't come out of this as a mere shell of who you were."

They beat on the door until it caved in, and then swarmed out into the main concourse. They weren't your atypical zombies, who simply moaned,"Brains." No, they seemed to have a sort of hive mind. Fast, and vicious. They struck the first guard as one, tearing him down and ripping his throat out. He didn't get a chance to make a sound, only a slight gurgle. His radio was left though, and a moment later it buzzed,"Why are you late with your status report?"

A moment passed,"Communications with the east wall have ceased. Dispatch a team to investigate immediatley."

A fully equipped riot team, armed with combat shotguns and pulse rifles, hurried over to the position, and looked around,"Unable to find the AWOL solider, nothing else to report."

As they turned to go, the zombies lurched from the shadows, moving as a solid mass. The lead solider screamed, and pulled the trigger on his shotgun. The recoil bucked the weapon, the shot tearing from the end of the barrel into the solid wall of rotting flesh before him. They tore the group down, and then moved, shuffling along, towards the main area,"What's going on? Respond!"

Within five minutes, havoc reigned in the enemy encampment. They were firing, everyone who could pick up a weapon and shoot. There was only a hundred and fifty of these... these things, but they were relentless, taking wounds that would have felled even Cougar. But they had already died once... they could not die twice.
______________________________________________________________________
If only I could promise that...

He smiled,"I'll do my best"

"What, oh well theres nothing seeming to be going on, but yes good advice."

Spodor got up again.

******

"Back inside!! Now!"

The men of the Tribe got back into cover quickly. They were followed by a burst of fire, and returned it, at twice the volume.

One of the 'dwarves' had been hit in the head, as a grenade had smacked into his head. He shrugged off the injury, picked up the grenade, and threw it back.

OOC: You don't mind me saying that you threw a grenade do you?

They beat on the door until it caved in, and then swarmed out into the main concourse. They weren't your atypical zombies, who simply moaned,"Brains." No, they seemed to have a sort of hive mind. Fast, and vicious. They struck the first guard as one, tearing him down and ripping his throat out. He didn't get a chance to make a sound, only a slight gurgle. His radio was left though, and a moment later it buzzed,"Why are you late with your status report?"

A moment passed,"Communications with the east wall have ceased. Dispatch a team to investigate immediatley."

A fully equipped riot team, armed with combat shotguns and pulse rifles, hurried over to the position, and looked around,"Unable to find the AWOL solider, nothing else to report."

As they turned to go, the zombies lurched from the shadows, moving as a solid mass. The lead solider screamed, and pulled the trigger on his shotgun. The recoil bucked the weapon, the shot tearing from the end of the barrel into the solid wall of rotting flesh before him. They tore the group down, and then moved, shuffling along, towards the main area,"What's going on? Respond!"

Within five minutes, havoc reigned in the enemy encampment. They were firing, everyone who could pick up a weapon and shoot. There was only a hundred and fifty of these... these things, but they were relentless, taking wounds that would have felled even Cougar. But they had already died once... they could not die twice.
______________________________________________________________________
If only I could promise that...

He smiled,"I'll do my best"
Shan nodded, concentrating on keeping control...because if he lost it, things could get...ugly.

"This should have 'em down soon enough."
___________________________________________________________________________
"I know you will."

-snip-

"None taken. We'll have to learn through doing then. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that our craft are quite a bit smaller than those classes, which gives us an interesting advantage and disadvantage...

Give us co-ordinates and tell us who to report to, and we'll see it done." Winking rakishly at the officer, she said playfully, "We'll be back for more soon."

<snip>
And sure enough, it did. The Black Guard refused to back down, but a trembling Major in the Jungle 9th made his way to the radio room, and sent a message to the rebel forces,"We surrender. Just...call these... things off. Please!"
__________________________________________________________________________
He smiled, still feeling the touch of her fingers on his cheek,"I've missed you"

<snip>
"I don't know the size of your ships exactly, but yes, you do. However, you are not half as heavily armed. So be careful"

As he was speaking, a woman came through the door on the far side. She seemed to glide over to him, and kissed his cheek,"Come on love, we've got stuff to sort out"

"Alright, I'm just coming"

She left again, and he looked back at the group of pilots,"My wife," he said, by way of explanation,"Another member of my unit"

<snip>
"You'd be better off at the lines. Hell breaks loose pretty quick around here"
_______________________________________________________________________
OOC: Not this time.

IC: Eventually, the enemy was decimated, and the UH-60 could actually land, under covering fire from the remaining tanks and Warriors. They created a quick defensive position, before loading up the ZOmbie troops and taking them back to the rebel HQ, which was now camped outside Groznyi Grad.

Iliyakim looked quizzically at the transmission, then looked around at the other rebels in the room. "What things? We haven't done anything."
_________________________________________________________________________
"And I, you. But it's only the beginning, really."

That didn't stop the fact that something inside that fortress was wrecking havoc, and the screams of the dying filled the air. It was a horrific sight inside. Bodies, or what was left of them after the zombies had finished, laid around, their armour cracked open like eggs, their weapons cast aside. Even the Black Guard couldn't stand against the onslaught.

What was going on? Were the rebels so inhuman that they wouldn't stop until everyone was dead. In any case, it was too late. The last remaining solider was backed up against the wall, his light machinegun in his hands. He fired, felling one zombie, before he was set upon by the last of the horde. His final thought was simple,Bastards...

__________________________________________________________________________
"I know... maybe it will get better with time. But I don't know"

Shan hadn't gotten word of the surrender, or he would have stopped. But he COULD be aware of how many living soldiers were still there.

He'd been trying to remember what the spell was to return them back to the dead since the 20th to last had fallen, but only now did he remember.

Return to the dust from which you were born.

It might or might not be enough time to spare the last one.
________________________________________________________________________
"It's better that way...to not know."

The zombies collapsed just in front of the last living solider. They collapsed into dust. He stood there, trembling, before his eyes rolled up into his head, his world went black, and he collapsed to the ground in a dead faint. His weapon clattered to the floor besides him, the power cell completely discharged. Around him, the bodies of his former comrades disintigrated as well... what was left of them that was.

With no one to maintain the energy shield, it simply collapsed. The doors weren't locked anymore, everything seemed open. The only things left were the armoured vehicles, but even those had been tore open for the creatures to get at the personnel inside.
_______________________________________________________________________
"I understand... I think"

A soldier came running into the command room.

"Sirs! The enemy sheild has just gone down!"

Iliyakim looked sharply at the soldier. "A trap?"

"I don't know...but there doesn't seem to be anyone moving in there."

A frown wrinkled the area between the Drow's eyebrows. "I need thirty men willing to come with me into a possible trap."
______________________________________________________________________
"You're exhausted...best to get some rest."

A Sergeant from the Cadian's stepped up,"Sir, my platoon is ready to move in. We can go in now, we're ready"

Platoons in Snake Eaters were always thirty men strong... this one was only lacking it's Lieutenant, killed in action the previous morning. The Platoon Sergeant had stepped up to the role, as an Acting Lieutenant.
________________________________________________________________________

He nodded,"You'll have to point me in the right direction"

"Very well. Then let's move."

Iliyakim took the platoon, going up toward the fortress.

If he was wrong, and it was a trap, then they would all die.

If it wasn't...then there was something sinister happening.

Something very sinister indeed.
______________________________________________________________________
"Behind that door...the bathroom's behind that one, if you want to clean up before you go to sleep."

They moved quietly, the only sound whispered commands from the Sergeant to his men, but these were kept at a minimum, as they used hand signals to communicate silently. They entered the fortress main gates, spreading out on either side to cover the main courtyard.

"1 Section, check those rooms, 2 Section, do the same this side. 3 Section, on me, we'll move forward. All sections, RV at the next gate"
_______________________________________________________________________
He nodded, and went to clean up before he slept. When he was in there, he took off the shirt he was wearing, and examined the marks the war had left. Two bullet wounds in his right hand side, a couple of burns that were still healing. A pulse blast in his right shoulder that had cautarised the flesh. Luckily, most of his wounds were healing nicely, or were gone thanks to the Grey class. He washed himself off, taking care with the wounds, and then went to the bedroom. It wasn't as spacious as at home... but for now, it was somewhere to sleep. Space, comfort... they didn't matter. He almost crawled into bed, and fell asleep quickly.

Iliyakim took a few men to look around.

"This looks like a necromantic attack...zombies, most specifically."

One of the pair that had gone on ahead called back, and Iliyakim hurried to them.

There was the survivor...the only one.

After a few hours, and after taking the supplies, ammunition, and information, they took the survivor back to camp.

Iliyakim hurried to communications to open a channel with Alpha Two.
________________________________________________________________________
Rhenna came in a little later (the twins had needed something), and saw him already asleep. She could see the wounds on his chest and shoulders, and just how harsh he looked when he slept.

She reached down, gently, so that her fingertips barely touched his chest, and ran a healing spell through him...enough that it ought to rid him of these wounds.

It's been very hard on him...

"Alpha Two here, what's up Iliyakim?"
________________________________________________________________________
He stirred slightly as her fingers touched him, but settled down again. It had been a hard fight so far... and the worst thing was, there was no end readily in sight.

"Mamba has been taken, at least planet side...but it appears there is a necromancer here...we did not take the last stronghold, and what damage we found was consistent with a zombie attack."
_______________________________________________________________________
She almost left him, but he had asked her to stay...and she had said yes. So she laid down beside him, feeling some of his warmth creep into her.
She hoped he'd sleep well.

OOC: 10,000 posts... 10,000 posts!

"A necromancer, you say? Well... cause for thought. Iliyakim, get out of that fortress right now, and fall back. Secure the planet as far as possible, and prepare for evac. Fresh troops will be deployed to there. Official orders from the top... including you and Gamma team are to take a weeks leave. No questions"
________________________________________________________________________
He slept fairly well, and fairly long. Something about her being there soothed him. He slept solidly for a full ten hours before his eyes opened, and he looked around. He half expected to see an open sky above him, filled with smoke and anything else. But instead, he saw a ceiling. He calmed down, and looked around.

"Understood. Anything else?"
______________________________________________________________________
She'd gotten up half an hour before to feed the twins, so she wasn't there beside him.

"Not yet. Just remember, a whole week. Think you can sit still that long?"
________________________________________________________________________

He got to his feet, and smiled as he saw that his wounds were healed. Even though she wasn't there when he woke up, there was no doubt she'd been there during the night. Even if she hadn't slept. He got dressed, and went searching for them. Duck chose now to come off his wrist, and stood atop his shoulder,So, what we doing now?

"I thought I told you to stay quiet"

Too boring. We going back to the front?

"Later Duck... soon enough"

"Doubtful. But it looks like I haven't a choice."
_______________________________________________________________________
From the other room there was the sound of laughter...mostly Akor's.

"Romeo Team are coming back," said Phil, a sly smile crossing his face.
_______________________________________________________________________
He opened the door to see what his daughter was laughing about.

"Romeo's been on Tiravino since the start of this mess. If you're ordering Gamma in, it makes sense to order in the other team that's been out constantly."

The Drow arched an eyebrow at the technician. "Why? Are you trying to say something, Phil?"
______________________________________________________________________
Akor was laughing at her brother, who was being pestered by D'anthe. She looked and saw her father and his glider.

"Duck!"

"Not at all, my friend. Nothing at all. See you in a few days"

Phil continued to smile even as the connection was severed.
_______________________________________________________________________
Duck swooped off Cougar's shoulder to play with Akor as well,Hi there kiddo

Humans.

Iliyakim severed the connection from his end, then went out to secure the planet before he and Gamma were pulled out.
_______________________________________________________________________
Akor giggled as Duck came down to play.

Rhenna looked at James. "Can I get the story behind that name?"

It wouldn't take long... the reinforcements would be there just as soon as the blockade line was broken. Which, all things considered, didn't look to be too unlikely.
_________________________________________________________________________
"The price you pay for letting children name things"

Shan and Tari were already off to the next planet, to start the preliminary strikes that Eldrad had suggested.

Iliyakim started stabilizing the planet, and checking up on civilians living on Mamba. Doubtlessly the Rebels would not be well respected, but it was time to regain some of that respect.
_______________________________________________________________________
"Akor?" She smiled.

D'anthe had temporarily stopped pestering Barrus to get a look at this new glider...and to give threats/warnings.

They were mostly threats of dismemberment if the Aeagle ever let harm befall the twins.

The civilians had taken to living in shelters during the fighting, and as such were not happy. But, in spite of all that, they did, for the majority, support what the rebels were doing. Constantine wasn't all that widely supported, but without a voice for the rebels, they could never win...

*Snake Eater Prime, President's Office*
"Sir, Mamba has fallen"

Constantine spun, and his thick fingers gripped the aide's neck in a vicelike grip,"Say that again"

Struggling to speak through the fact his windpipe was being crushed by the Lord President,"Mamba... taken... rebels"

Constantine considered this a moment, and then dropped the aide to the floor. He lay there, gasping for breath. Constantine shot a look at Amanda George, who had been promoted to his personnel staff when the war began. He had tried many times to bed her, but she resisted his advances, which only made him try all the more,"Get this man out of my sight."

She hurried forward, head bowed, and helped him to his feet, and helped him to the door, saying to him,"I'm so sorry"

As the door shut, Constantine spun around,"Ms. George, take a note, and make sure it is delievered to all our troops. The Black Guard are now authorised to carry out battlefield executions of rebel troops, as well as any loyalist's who attempt to desert us. Is that clear"

She had hidden her shock and revulsion well, looking up at his cold eyes,"Yes, Lord President, absolutely"
****************************************************************
SNN Newsflash
"Good evening, welcome to the six o'clock news, with me, Bob Major. Our main headlines today; it has been confirmed that rebel forces have taken the planet of Mamba. As is well known, Tom, this planet is one of the major industrial centres of the nation, and home to the Cadian regiement. Civilian losses were almost non-existant in this conflict here."

"And what of the end?"

"The end came suddenly in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The loyalist forces of President Constantine were holed up in Gronzyi Grad, a seemingly unpenetrable fortress. However, they broadcast a surrender request at 0745 that same morning, requesting the rebels call off the attack. Yet, the rebels were not attacking at that point in time"

"Do we have any idea of what happened?"

"There was only a single survivour of what had happened in there, and he has been deemed unfit to give a statement due to his mental health. We understand he is currently being treated by rebel medics on Osea"

"Thank you, Bob. In other news..."

_______________________________________________________________________

"Yes, very much so."

Duck responded to D'anthe with a single meaning,Same goes for you, buddy

Before the blockade was run through, Iliyakim started having the Mamba machinery rebuild civilian homes.

It would at least help some.
_______________________________________________________________________
Shan and Tari were on Belka, doing pretty much the same as they'd been doing on Mamba. Taking supplies and blowing up enemy power sources.

And enemy bases.
________________________________________________________________________
Hey, I've been taking care of these children for longer than you've been in existence, pal. And these aren't the first children I've had under my wing.

The civilians threw themselves into the task with great gusto, glad of the help the rebels were giving them. They had been effectively oppressed since the beginning of the war by the loyalist troops. Some of them had gone and been brainwashed, they said. It was a terrible war, a terrible waste of human life... but sometimes, you had to do that in order to save human life... or an entire country
________________________________________________________________________
Belka was one of the main suppliers of weapons to Constantine's forces, and was heavily fortified. It would be a very tough nut to crack. Also, Shand and Tari were completely alone on the planet. No other rebel forces had yet reached it.
_______________________________________________________________________

Duck was about to flare, but James called him back to his shoulder,"You know, D'anthe, you could be a little nicer. He's not going to let them come to harm... and face it, they aren't exactly exposed to much danger here"

Belka required stealth...and different tactics.

Shan and Tari laid very low, going into different supply depots under cover of invisibility, and set and hid sigils to teleport them simultaneously to Alpha Two's holding space.

They also snuck into power sources and weapons manufacturing plants, setting different spells and all but completing them.

It would all go down at the same moment.
_________________________________________________________________________
D'anthe flapped his wings once, taking him up enough to perch on Rhenna's shoulder.

There will be a time when your war will be over, and they will return with you to your planet.

The planet wasn't actually home to that many troops. It was assumed - wrongly, of course - that the facilities were guarded well enough by a limited contigent of still loyal Colonial Marines and neural A.I controlling the weapons. It was because of this that it seemed easier than it actually was to break into these places and get ready.

_________________________________________________________________________
"I don't need you to tell me that. I know whats going on"

It took three days to get to all the major targets, and from the safe spot they'd selected for that particular day, Shan and Tari planned out the final stage.

"Do you want to teleport stuff out, or blow stuff up?" The young brown-eyed mage looked at his companion.

"I've been to Alpha Two a couple more times, so I'll teleport the things."

Shan nodded. "Then go on. I know when to finish the spell."

So they did. It was timed so that the bases would explode as the supplies vanished.
______________________________________________________________________
"D'anthe, enough. You're supposed to be watching that he doesn't do that again."

Barrus was reaching for the doorknob. Akor had been mostly content to stay inside...but for some reason, Barrus only wanted out.

D'anthe flew from his perch to chase the toddler further into the house.

"He has a problem with another glider taking care of them...he realizes the need, but he doesn't like it."

*Mamba System, far side of the blockade line*
"This is Orca One, we are ready to attempt to break through the blockade line"

"Orca One, you do realise that you are unsupported in this effort. Ships are en route to you now, could you wait a little longer?"

"Negative on that. We have reinforcements for the planet, and they need to get through"

There was a pause on the other end, as the controller for that sector thought about the pros and cons of this situation. The system was blockaded, and these ten ships carried three thousand men in total. However, the blockade was fairly light... if they could find some sort of break in the line,"Orca One, you are ordered to hold your position for another moment... we may have a plan"

*S.E.N Fraiser - Warfare class - command centre*
"Sir, they are once more requesting that they be allowed to proceed into the blockade line"

Fleet Captain Anthony Deegan studied the data readouts, and looked at the holomap again. He sighed, and focused in on the Mamba system. The ten transports were ready to move out, but the blockade was still in place. The task force that was on it's way would be at least another four hours arriving at that location. It was a balance... but there was a weak point. An area that the rebels had deemed 'The Corridor'. It was the least heavily guarded of the entire line... it was worth the risk,"Tell them to run the blockade. It's their own risk though"

"Roger that sir"

*Blockade*
"That's it, people, we have a go. Move out in Omicron formation, and keep it tight. Weapons armed, shields to full power"

The ten Orca-class transport ships moved steadily through the void, breaking into the corridor. Almost instantly, they were fired upon, by a Shadow-class Infiltrator. Luckily, it's weapons were light, and it did little damage before it was disabled. For the next twenty minutes, they ducked and dodged, losing one ship to sustained fire from two Galaxy-class vessels. However, the remaining nine made it through, with the rebel ships in orbit giving them covering fire as they made it closer.

*Planet's Surface*
The seemingly never-ending streams of dropships came down, carrying supplies, men, armour, enough to secure the planet and help the people living there recover as much as possible

"Captain Iliyakim, I'm Major Vostok, of the Green Jacket's. We'll be taking over here from now on. All your men are being given a tiny amount of leave on Osea."
_________________________________________________________________________
"He's going to have to get used to it. Duck's done a good job so far. He's not let me down yet"

"Thank you, Major." The Drow Captain handed over a datapad. "This should inform you of everything relevent happening currently. The blockade has been defeated?"
______________________________________________________________________
"I know. He still doesn't like it."

"No, we ran the blockade line. The area is clear, for the moment. Which is why haste is of the utmost importance"

_________________________________________________________________________
James glanced at his watch, and groaned,"I've got to go... unfortunatley"

Iliyakim nodded. "My men will be ready to go soon."

Only fifteen hundred were left...it was a testament to how badly the battle had gone.

Within an hour, all old rebel forces were ready to leave.
_______________________________________________________________________
Rhenna nods.

"Take care of yourself."

They were all loaded up and shipped out as fast as the transports could go. Luckily, there were no more casualties on the way out, and soon enough they were back with the main bulk of the fleet, near Osea. Iliyakim and his men were free to go whenever they wanted.
______________________________________________________________________

He nodded, and then on instinct, without any thought, pulled her in for a kiss, however brief.

In all honesty, Iliyakim considered trying to sneak into the battles at Lyn-da-Vid or Tiravino, but he wasn't the type to disobey orders he'd have given to anyone else.

"Gamma, meet back here in a week's time. Until then, just don't get into trouble."
_______________________________________________________________________
She kissed him back, letting it last for a short time.

They all nodded, and went off to do their own thing. A week to pass on leave... well, just because they weren't fighting, didn't mean they couldn't help fix the place up. So, that's what they did.
________________________________________________________________________

After a moment, he drew away, smiling. He winked at her, and opened the door to leave.

Iliyakim found a corner of the world that had taken serious damage, and settled in there for a week to work.

Being Drow, and being him, he could and would push himself longer and harder than about anyone else. Having a Thalack along meant he could also help with the heavy lifting.

So much wrong...and how much of it damage done on my orders?
_______________________________________________________________________
After Belka, Shan and Tari returned to Rendelmar to rest properly for a few days.

Upon their arrival, however, they found something quite different waiting for them.

Vedt stood there, scowling.

"Which one of you imbeciles thought that necromancy was a suitable attack in that situation?"

Both of them shrank back. Vedt angry was never a good thing.

"Answer me." The Right Hand's voice was soft enough to be barely audible, but the tone could have etched a monogram on a diamond.

Shan stepped forward, trembling slightly. "It was my idea...and my spell."

Vedt's gaze flicked to Tari. "Leave."

She didn't need to be told again. She slipped through one of the corridors.

As soon as she was out of sight, Vedt whirled on Shan.

"And what made you think that you could just arbitrarily disrespect their dead like that?"

Shan had taken a few steps backwards at the outburst.

"I...they..."

"Complete sentences, dalhar. I cannot read minds with skulls as thick as yours."

Shan winced.

"The rebel forces couldn't have gotten into the fortress. Starving them out would have taken too long...probably long enough to get them reinforcements. It was the most efficient way that I could see."

"You could see. Amazing that you see anything, blind as you are. Do you think that the loyalist troops will not use this as an excuse to fight harder? Do you not think that this endangers each and every person you're supposed to be fighting to save? Necromancy is only to be used when?"

Shan mumbled something.

"WHEN? I asked you a question, and I expect to be answered clearly."

"Only when there are no other alternatives."

"And that is when?"

"When there are no other options, when the mission is of significant importance to risk the consequences, and when you're using your own dead."

Vedt's blackish-blue eyes narrowed.

"And tell me why you were forbidden in that case?"

Shan sighed. "They had the choice of starving them out, or trying to. And Tari and I might have been able to get in. Since there were other options, it wasn't worth risking the consequences, though it is a significant assignment. And the corpses I used were theirs."

"And what are the potential consequences of necromancy?"

"Separation of the necromancer's soul from his body and death."

"The definite consequence?"

"A darkening of the soul for each casting."

"And that effects what?"

Shan regretted coming home. He was just getting the same lecture that he'd heard so many times.

"The effects, dalhar. We would not be going over this if you'd understood the concepts."

"The effects range from a weakening of the caster's ability to use magick to the desire to kill and destroy."

"Exactly. You will not be going back there."

"WHAT?!? But Tari and I were assigned this because we couldn't spare anyone else for long periods of time. What's going to happen to her?"

"She will have to make do on her own."

"That increases the chances that she'll die exponentially!"

"And THAT is your fault. We can't send anyone else out. We CAN'T. But we can't let you fall into the sort of temptations that you'll run into over there. Leave now."

"But..."

"LEAVE!"

Shan slunk away.
_________________________________________________________________________
Akor grabbed onto his leg. "No go."

The people working there were glad of the help. Osea had been decimated, mostly by the loyalist artillery desperatley trying prevent Iliyakim's forces advancing on Oured.
_________________________________________________________________________
He crouched down next to her,"I have to, honey. It's my job"

The thought of it left a bitter taste in Iliyakim's mouth. He knew what had to be done...but that didn't mean that civil war on this scale was a good thing.
_________________________________________________________________________
She refused to let go of his leg.

No-one blamed him though, maybe that was the worst thing. In any case, there were other things afoot. No one on the rebel side knew that Constantine had authorised battlefield executions, both for the rebels and deserters from the loyalists, and this gave them a slight advantage. Fear. On the loyalist side, fear was rife. But they couldn't run. No, the Black Guard were everywhere.

Back at Location Alpha, they were still working on cracking S.I.O.N's encryption codes. Almost seven weeks into the war, and they still hadn't managed it. Even though they were using the latest hard - and software, they didn't have the processing power to work as fast as they would have liked. Romeo Team had returned from Tiravano, and Emily Crawford was pacing in her room. Each team had been allocated a room, and she was pacing a hole in the titanium hull, which was carpeted actually. Her slim, willowly figure was about five foot six tall, with light brown hair, tanned skin, and brown eyes you could just fall into. But her figure belied the solider beneath. She could get to places the others can't, having been a champion gymnast in the army itself, and honing those skills for combat after she joined the unit. Her commander, Major Walsh, looked at her,"Sit down, Emily"

"Where are they?"

"Pining over Iliyakim again?"

"No... well, maybe a little"

"Look, he can take care of himself... plus, you two aren't even involved."

"A girl can dream, right?"

"Sure. But unless you make a move, dreams will never become reality"

She sighed, and looked out the window into the asteriod field,"Too true, Liam... far too true"

__________________________________________________________________________
"I'm sorry honey, I don't have a choice"

The week dragged on on Osea, keeping Gamma involved in reconstruction work. Not technically their job, but not explicitly not their job.
________________________________________________________________________
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes.

The week dragged on all over the conflict. It seemed that the attack on the Mamba blockade would never come ((No endorse and Fattie Slug, posts are waiting for you))
_______________________________________________________________________
He brushed the tears away from her eyes, and looked at her,"Are you scared?"

For 21 of the 26 hours Osea had in a day, Iliyakim had taken to either directing reconstruction or actively helping in the rebuilding process. He'd learned how to build, long ago, before he'd become a soldier.

The other five hours were allotted to eating and sleeping.
______________________________________________________________________
"Don't want oo go."

Elliot approached him on Day Five,"Hey, Iliyakim, leave generally means rest. You more than anyone else. Go back to the base, get some rest, come back in a few days"
___________________________________________________________________________
"I don't want to go either... but I have to. I'll tell you what, I'll give you something to keep safe. Then, I have to come back to get them"

He reached into his shirt, and brought out the pendants. He took them off, and put the chain around Akor's neck. It reached to her knees, but he smiled,"These are very special to Daddy. I need you and your brother to keep them safe for me, do you understand?"

"I get four hours of sleep a night. Other than that...this world needs rebuilding."
______________________________________________________________________
"Okay."

The rest of the team stepped out,"Iliyakim, go back to base"
________________________________________________________________________
"Good girl. Now, let me go. I promise I'll be back"

Iliyakim chuckled. "All right, mutineers."
____________________________________________________________________
She let go of his leg, but didn't look very happy about it.

"Sometimes, mutiny is the only way to get things done around here"
_________________________________________________________________________
He sighed, ruffled her hair, shot a last look inside, looking straight into Rhenna's eyes, and then closed the door. He took a deep breath, and headed into the woods near Che'el. He found the spot, and rooted around for the equipment,"Now, Rhenna, what have you left me?"

"So you say, so you say. When is the next ship back to base?"
_____________________________________________________________________
There were many odd types of weapons and equipment...some to protect, some to conceal...and some to destroy.

He wouldn't know what all of them did, but it was certain that Iliyakim would. And Iliyakim would be considerably easier to find than any other Drow operative behind Snake Eater lines.

"Just over there. They leave in five minutes. Here's your gear"

A bag was tossed to him,"We'll see you in a few days. Get some rest, kick back and above all relax."
__________________________________________________________________________

He gathered it all, and teleported back to the Dauntless. He stashed the gear, and then took off for Location Alpha. He would arrive around the same time as Iliyakim would.

"Highly planned, then." Iliyakim shook his head. "I'll see the lot of you in a few days. Be ready to tell me where you want to go by then."

He headed for the ship, boarding and then rearranging his belongings. At least they mean well.

"You'll be telling us where to go, mate"

The journey wasn't that long, about two hours, before Iliyakim was given a shuttle and sent to the base. James had landed just before, and was busy unloading the equipment that Rhenna had given him. He was looking through one box, containing some form of grenade-type object, when he found a Glock 20 pistol. He frowned, his own pistol had broken from sheer overuse a week before hand. He couldn't have saved it, and was currently using a different one. However, he was impressed with the weapon he now held in his hand. Wolf had come to meet him,"What you got there, James?"

"A new weapon"

"Looks like someone did some serious work on it"

"More than a little. First of all, the feeding ramp is polished to
a mirror sheen. It's not going to have any feeding problems. The slide's been
replaced with a reinforced version. And it meshes perfectly with the frame.
The frame itself has been iron-welded and scraped down multiple times for
maximum precision. The front strap part of the frame has been checkered to
make it dig into the hand. That prevents any slipping. The sight system's
original, too. It's a 3-dot type. It's got an enlarged front sight, giving it
superior target sighting capability. The regular hammer's been replaced with a
ring hammer. That enhances the cocking control and increases the hammer-down speed. They also reworked the grip safety to accommodate the ring hammer. Looks like they eliminated it altogether. This is a tool for pros. The thumb safety and the slide stop are extended to allow for more precise handling. The base of the trigger guard is whittled down, so you can use a high grip. And the trigger itself is a long type for easy finger access. The trigger pull is about 3.5 pounds. That's about a pound and a half lighter than normal. The magazine well has been widened to make it easier to put in a new magazine. The magazine catch button has been cut down low to make it harder to hit by accident. The mainspring housing has been changed to a flat type to increase grip. And it's even been fitted with stepping so that it doesn't slip from the recoil when firing. On top of that, they added cocking serrations to the front part of the slide. That lets you load and eject cartridges faster in an emergency. Whoever did this is a professional. No question - this thing could shoot a one-hole at 25 yards in a machine rest."

"Where'd she get something like this?"

"I don't know... but in any case, I've never used a weapon this fine in my life"

"Suits you though"

"I think I'll keep it"

As these two were talking, Emily Crawford was in the observation booth above the hanger, under the illusion of being bored. Everyone knew she was waiting for Iliyakim.

Iliyakim got into his shuttle.

I hate these things, I hate everything about these things, and I hate flying in these things. I hate flying them even more. No choice, though.

He let it go to the asteroid field on autopilot, then switched over to manual flight and wove an intricate pattern through the field itself, coming at last to the base itself and setting down.

"Well, Inthuul, it looks like, despite my lack of piloting skills, we made it through alive."

Amazing.

"Now to figure out how to turn them off..."

He set the shuttle through its cool down/shut down sequence before opening the door and stepping out.

"And the most reluctant pilot in the unit appears to be more skilled than he realises," came a dry response from Cougar, who pointed at the port nacelle. It had been clipped heavily, but Iliyakim can't have noticed. The tech boys ran towards it, and started to seal it. James smiled, saying jokingly,"I know you hate them, Iliyakim, but please, we're limited as it is."

Emily's face had lit up, which had got a snigger from Ferien, back as well from Lyn-da-Vid for twenty four hours. The man had gotten less liked in the unit ever since the Kaelis Ra incident, and was now downright unpopular. But they tolerated him, because his skills were no doubt some of the best.

"Skilled pilot, or incredibly clumsy. Sometimes it works out the same."

Iliyakims eyebrows raised as he saw some of the contents of the box.

He went over and picked up a cubic object.

"These...be very careful with these. You can set them to go off at a specific point in time, or tell them to go off immediately...this does as much damage as a nuclear bomb, but leaves no radiation. They're also fairly easily set off."

"I think you'll do better to keep a hold of all this gear. Except this," he said, holstering the pistol,"I keep this. Anyway, listen, I'm heading out in the morning, but you're to stay here until your leave is up. Let yourself relax for a while"

"Three days. I'd still be on Osea, save for a minor mutiny. What still needs to be hit?"

"Lyn-da-Vid. Yuktobania is a no go area at the moment, as is Belka. We've got the fight of our lives on in Lyn-da-Vid at the moment, and with your success rate, we need some magick"

"We'll see what we can't do...oh...and have you seen the reports from Belka?"

"Large amounts of random explosions, blamed on us. I heard the reports as I was coming back across the border"

"None of our forces were there. This much I know. But I'm not surprised they were blamed on us."

Iliyakim was meanwhile checking out the other items in the box.

"This, you should pass out to everyone you can. It will serve as a nearly impenatrable shield...but they only last half an hour."

"You know this equipment far better than I do. Just make sure it gets to everyone it can"

Iliyakim nods.

"These items are very hard to get...especially so many at once."

"Then don't ask questions... we have benefactors in places outside the official realms of politics"

Iliyakim nods. "I'll see to the proper distribution and instruction on their use."

"Good man... and whilst you're here, you might want to do something, anything, about Emily. She's driving the rest of us nuts"

"...."

After a brief silence, Iliyakim nodded.

"I'm not promising I can do much of anything, Colonel. Women are difficult creatures. But I will promise to try."

"Hey, anything is better than nothing. Look, just... maybe... give it a chance. You never know until you try, right? Look, I'm going to head up to the bridge. I'll see you there later, where I'll brief you before I leave."

"Hey, anything is better than nothing. Look, just... maybe... give it a chance. You never know until you try, right? Look, I'm going to head up to the bridge. I'll see you there later, where I'll brief you before I leave."
"I said I would try, Colonel. But at present, there is a war on."

He heads off, letting Inthuul carry the box. He saw Ferien just standing there, that irritating sneer on his face.

"If this were a place you could stand and loiter, Carlos, there would be a sign. Go make yourself useful. You've been here two weeks, from what I've heard. Isn't it about time you rejoined your team?"

He stood there, looking taller than he was with nothing to compare his height to. He was also fully aware that she was watching him. No matter, though. He REALLY didn't like the man he was addressing.

OOC: Sorry

IC: The 'tribe' had spent a while at the GHQ on Mamba, and then, having met up with Spodor, had gone up to space and boarded the Eagle.

The Eagle had easily run the gauntlet, and made it through the blockade. Then, Alhuma had sped off through space, to come to the Dauntless

"Open a channel"

"Channel Opened"

** This is Alhuma Peacemaker, and the Tribe of the Bear on board the Eagle. Requesting permission to dock**
OOC: 1) It's not the Dauntless, it's a disused Dauntless-class crusier. 2)You've never been given the location.

IC: Silence. Nothing was there. It was like they were broadcasting at nothing. Which, in fact, they were. Having never been given the position of Location Alpha, they couldn't be broadcasting to it.

<snip>
"You heard wrong, Captain," said Carlos, sipping at his pint,"I've only been here a few hours. We pulled out just before you did, moved to work on Tiravano, before coming back here for a little bit"

It was well known that Ferien did not like Drow. Ever since Rhenna had shown him up, he didn't like them. Coupled with the fact he disliked Cougar and resented his rapid promotion, this made him surly and unmanagable. He was a deadly sharpshooter though, which meant they had no choice but to keep him in the unit. He disliked Iliyakim because of things other than his being Drow though, but no one knew quite what they were.

It was a bad sign of things. If a unit could be fractured like this on the side of the rebels, imagine if it spread. The results could be catastrophic, for the rebels at least. THe only real thing they had unifying them was a wish to see Snake Eaters restored. James had made it clear from the very beginning that they were to do their jobs regardless of what they thought of each other whilst in the field, but on leave, they could let some steam off. Now, if that resulted in two people getting together, or two men having a punch up because of common differences, that was how it was.

Ferien sipped at his pint of bitter again, and looked hard at the Drow before him,"Tell me, how many people have you sent to their deaths in these few weeks?"

There was a tiny gasp from Emily, and Chalky stood up to rectify Carlos' behaviour. It was out of order, to do that to anyone in the unit. War was hard, people died. But you never accused people of sending others to their deaths, no matter what the circumstances.

OOC: D'OH. I will delete that.

IC: Alhuma met Spodor at GHQ on Mamba. The fighting had been all bt finished, the last major stronghold was defeated, what by, he cuold not tell though.

He looked around for the person in charge, wondering what he and his squad could do to help the rebels.

~snip~
Iliyakim ignored the movements of the other humans...for now, anyway.

"How many have I sent to their deaths? Far fewer than you would have in a similar situation. This is easily proven...or we could just call you weal rivvil, you can come up with some insipid remark, and we can start throwing the punches that you've wanted to be thrown ever since I showed up as a cadet."

There was little to no doubt about it...Iliyakim was angry...not the raging anger that made men destroy blindly...but the cold and precise anger that had seen so many victories over the past weeks.

OOC: D'OH. I will delete that.

IC: Alhuma met Spodor at GHQ on Mamba. The fighting had been all bt finished, the last major stronghold was defeated, what by, he cuold not tell though.

He looked around for the person in charge, wondering what he and his squad could do to help the rebels.
They could help with the clean-up operation, or they could move to another front. Lyn-da-Vid was a battleground of epic proportions, and they could use the reinforcements

~snip~
Ferien had crossed a line, and was on the verge of laying into Iliyakim, but Chalky got there first. As Carlos' fist began it's movement, he stepped in, twisting the sniper's arm behind his back, and leading him to the door,"Go to bed, and get ready to leave in twelve hours. That's an order!"

Carlos muttered something under his breath about Chalky, which only made him more angry,"What was that, Captain?"

"Nothing, sir"

"It'd had better be the last nothing"

Carlos, shown up in front of everyone there, stormed off to Bravo room, to calm down. Chalky went back inside, and placed the pint on the far side of the bar, before looking at Iliyakim,"Calm down, or you'll burst a vein"

Alhuma requested transport to the Eagle, and then said that he could go and help out on any of the planets being fought over.

"I will also take my slightly annoying little friend" he said, and motioned for Spodor to come.

Ferien had crossed a line, and was on the verge of laying into Iliyakim, but Chalky got there first. As Carlos' fist began it's movement, he stepped in, twisting the sniper's arm behind his back, and leading him to the door,"Go to bed, and get ready to leave in twelve hours. That's an order!"

Carlos muttered something under his breath about Chalky, which only made him more angry,"What was that, Captain?"

"Nothing, sir"

"It'd had better be the last nothing"

Carlos, shown up in front of everyone there, stormed off to Bravo room, to calm down. Chalky went back inside, and placed the pint on the far side of the bar, before looking at Iliyakim,"Calm down, or you'll burst a vein"
Iliyakim nodded, and forced is body to relax. It brought him from an apparent five and a half feet back to his normal height.

"It won't be over with him until I've either beaten him in hand-to-hand combat, or until he's beaten me. I'd rather not serve on the same field as him if he's going to question my tactics."

The Drow knew it was likely to happen, anyway. In the mean time, he had a job to do.

One that he wasn't quite sure how to do. And that job was...to try and sort out Emily before everyone got sick of her.

Personally, he'd rather have gone back out into the fighting. But that wasn't currently an option.

"Come on, Inthuul. We've got to figure out what all we have here."

"Yeah, I guessed. But we've all got a job to do right now. That comes first, you know that"

Chalky followed Iliyakim's gaze to where Emily was sittting, and put two and two together,"James told you to screw the nut, I guess?"

"He told me to talk to her. And it's probably high time, to whatever end."

He nodded,"It most likely is. Good luck to you, man. I'm going to get my head down"

Chalky finished off the pint behind the bar, and walked away from the bar. It was now just Emily and Iliyakim in the bar. Well, we say it was a bar, it was more a makeshift drinking pad, where the members of SESOU could come on their downtime to have a few drinks, if they so chose to. Most of them either avoided it like the plague or frequented it. But they all knew their own personal limits.

Emily had sat herself back down on the comfy sofas. The 'bar' had once been the command deck for the hangers, but now all that had either been automated or they had been moved to the bridge. The sofa was plush, in a deep green colour. She seemed to sink into it, a glass of water on the beech table in front of her. He had her boots off, and was stretching her toes, all in an effort to avoid having to look at him. Like a schoolgirl. But she was a naturally nervous person when it came to other people. As a medic though, she was very skilled, and a brilliant gymnast and swimmer. It was these qualities that made her such an effective member of SHADOW.

Alhuma requested transport to the Eagle, and then said that he could go and help out on any of the planets being fought over.

"I will also take my slightly annoying little friend" he said, and motioned for Spodor to come
"This is the Typhoon, I suggest you leave soon, before they close the net up. Move to Osea, the fleet is located there. You can request briefings from them"

He nodded,"It most likely is. Good luck to you, man. I'm going to get my head down"

Chalky finished off the pint behind the bar, and walked away from the bar. It was now just Emily and Iliyakim in the bar. Well, we say it was a bar, it was more a makeshift drinking pad, where the members of SESOU could come on their downtime to have a few drinks, if they so chose to. Most of them either avoided it like the plague or frequented it. But they all knew their own personal limits.

Emily had sat herself back down on the comfy sofas. The 'bar' had once been the command deck for the hangers, but now all that had either been automated or they had been moved to the bridge. The sofa was plush, in a deep green colour. She seemed to sink into it, a glass of water on the beech table in front of her. He had her boots off, and was stretching her toes, all in an effort to avoid having to look at him. Like a schoolgirl. But she was a naturally nervous person when it came to other people. As a medic though, she was very skilled, and a brilliant gymnast and swimmer. It was these qualities that made her such an effective member of SHADOW.
Iliyakim and Inthuul settled on a different couch. Iliyakim carefully removed the explosives, setting them down gently so as not to set them off. The next things that caught his eyes were a pair of boxes. He lifted one out, and opened it. Inside were neatly packed rows of tiny cylinders. Taking one, he twirled it, and it came up as a small, sparrowlike bird.

A box this size would contain about...four stacks...with probably five layers...and eight of these per stack...160 in this box...and the same in the other. This would cost easily as much as a Thalack. This patron that apparently only Cougar knows is very generous, indeed.

Emily couldn't help but look across at what Iliyakim was doing,"Hey, what you got there?"

Her voice was rich and layered, a classic Tiravano accent.
__________________________________________________________________________
All over the Empire, the densly packed empire, the fires of war raged fiercely. Lyn-da-Vid, one of the most beautiful planets in the known galaxy, was the most war torn of all the planets in the Empire. It had been a stalemate since the beginning of the war, something that did not favour the rebels.Already outnumbered, the last thing they needed was attrition and constant trench warfare. A ground war of that nature would lead, ultimatley, to their defeat.

All across the major city of Lyn, civilians tried to avoid being caught in the line of fire. But it was inevitable that it would happen. On this day, it was raining like nothing else, and the mist that was rising obscured vision through thermal goggles, so they had to rely on their ears to survive. The sounds of gunfire could be heard throughout the city. In a damaged building, a child sheltered from it all. A section of Light Infantry passed through, sweeping the building. One of them caught sight of the young girl, dressed in the torn rags of her clothes. He signalled to the section commander, a Corporal, and then took his helmet off. He was human, just like her. A squad of rebels, she recognized. He laid his weapon down, and reached out to her, his armour like a glove more than anything else to his hand,"Come on, I'm not going to hurt you"

She cowered for a moment, and then, slowly, reached out to him. He took her hand, and helped her up,"Do you live here?"

She shook her head, and pointed to the now destroyed apartment block the other side of the street. She was shaking as she looked at it, and he noticed this,"Corporal, we've got to take her back. She'll die out here"

"Trooper, we have our orders"

"Fuck our orders!"

The corporal sighed slightly,"Good point. Let's take her back with us, maybe her parents got out before the place was bombed to pieces"

They took her back, and put her in the civilian accomadation behind the lines, which had been hastily erected for just this sort of thing. When she was asked her name, she didn't answer,"Traumatic stress, no doubt. Happens in war situations. It doesn't matter though, the nanites will tell all."

The scanner picked up two living relatives on the planet... her parents. Both in the same place. The trooper who had insisted they take her watched as they were tearfully reunited, and smiled as his face changed to it's normal visage. Eldrad turned away, and looked at the squad of Black Guardians behind him,"Brothers, we must continue on Tiravano. We will move through the webway, and aid the Snake Eaters"

"Yes, Farseer"

They simply vanished... as if they had never been there.

"A Velxun'yrr...an entire box of them, actually. Designed originally to be little spy cameras, their uses have increased to communication device, trap detector, and syringe. There's more than enough in here for everyone in SHADOW to have one, and to distribute many to each planet."

He flicked his finger, sending the little "creature" over to her. He then looked down at his hand and scowled slightly, trying once again to remove the titanium splinter that had gotten lodged into his palm two days before. He thought it was about an inch long, but only a millimeter or so showed above the skin. It was both irritating and painful.

She held out her hand, and the Velxun'yrr landed on her finger. She took a moment to look at it, marvelling at the design, before she noticed his hand,"Something in there?"

"Splinter. Happens sometimes, during construction work."

"Looks painful, do you want me to take a look at it?"

"If you would."

He got up and walked over to her, holding out the hand.

She reached into her pocket, and stood up to get a better look at it,"Hmm... looks deep. This is going to hurt"

She clamped the tweezers she had drawn from her pocket around the end of the splinter, and pulled back sharply, taking it out of his hand. She also brought out a small styptic, knowing from experience things like that tended to bleed.

Iliyakim had prepared himself for the painful sensation that normally accompanied splinter removal, so he neither flinched nor cried out. Blood did start to well up, but Iliyakim put his thumb over the prick, to stop the bleeding on its own.

"Thank you."

"That's one big splinter," she said, examining it under the light,"Don't worry about it, least I could do"

"Metal doesn't tend to splinter small." Iliyakim flexed his hand, trying to shake a feeling other than pain into it. He found he could move it more easily and less painfully than he had been able to, which was good enough for him, for now.

"In any event, would you like to help me go through this box?"

"Umm... sure, why not?"

Any chance

OOC: There is a point to this, anyone who is watching or participating.

He sat back on one side of the box, while Inthuul scuttled up to the top of the couch to give her room to sit, as well.

"So, what is all this stuff?" she asked, as she sat down next to him.

"Some explosives, some sheilds, a few things I haven't figured out yet, and the velxuni."

She studied each of these things, before turning the conversation elsewhere,"So... hows it going for you? The war I mean?"

"There are good days and bad, in relative terms. We've helped take both Mamba and Osea, and will be headed to Lyn-da-Vid in a few days' time."

"Don't you ever wish it would just stop? You know, all the pointless death and destruction?"

"Many times and frequently. However...we're merely players in this game of fate. Your empire is called Snake Eaters. View it as such...two serpents battle, one against the other...one smaller, one larger, and one must see the other dead before the battle ends."

"You know, without a major political figure to fight for us on that front, we'll never win this war"

"Were I to pick, I would choose Barbarossa. He is a well respected and trusted figure in your people's eyes, and good friends with Kaymiril herself. Were he to ask for her help, she would not hesitate to move Kaymirilian fleets into this struggle."

"No one knows where he is anymore. He went underground soon after the election... we reckon he was on the verge of being capped ((capped=killed)) by the Black Guard."

"Is there absolutely no way to find him?"

"Not that we know... I'm sure there is a way, but I don't know it"

He nods. "Hard to believe, though, that he would be able to stand idly by while this was going on to his country."

"I don't think he's standing idly by... no, far from it. Look at the reception we've got from everywhere we've been. They've welcomed us with open arms... I think this was in the making far longer than we realise."

"Perhaps. It can't have hurt that the loyalist forces take little to no thought to civilians."

"Through no fault of their own. Look who is in charge of them. Everywhere you go, they are always there. The Black Guard."

"The Black Guard, more than anything, are losing this war for Constantine. Especially on the political front. A nation, especially a democracy, will rebel against a ruler that would treat them like dogs."

"Perhaps. Fear is what is keeping the loyalist's in line at the moment... nothing more. Constantine is despotic... he'll stop at nothing to squash this rebellion, and turn this country into a dictatorship"

"But the more rebels he kills, the more innocent lives he takes, either by manipulation or by death, the more 'rebels' will emerge."

"POintless, isn't it? Just like I said in the first place. This war is pointless... and when all is said and done... Snake Eaters may never be the same again."

There was a hint of sadness in her voice.

"It may not be...but that might be a good thing. A glass that is broken, and then reforged, is often many times stronger than the original. It bears the scars of its brokenness...but it is still beautiful.
And would you call it pointless, fighting for the democracy you love, the country you would die to protect, to prevent it from becoming something hateful to you, and to every true Snake Eater, right back to your original Assembly?"

"I'm loyal to the end, Iliyakim, to my purpose. I know what my purpose is, I've known since I was five years old. I have to fight for this country, for the way of life I love. The thing is, everywhere I go, I see more pain and death, for people who don't deserve it. But they strive onwards in the hope that one day in the future, the country they love will be restored."

There was a conviction in her voice that he hadn't heard before.

OOC: Mods and S.E., it won't let me use the subscribe function, this is the only reason I am using a

Tag.

"Thanks, I will do that"

He and the Tribe got to the Eagle in orbit, and cloaked rapidly, before shooting out through the small gap remaining. Then Alhuma set a course for Osea, where he would look for the ship Osiris

"I don't know the size of your ships exactly, but yes, you do. However, you are not half as heavily armed. So be careful"

As he was speaking, a woman came through the door on the far side. She seemed to glide over to him, and kissed his cheek,"Come on love, we've got stuff to sort out"

"Alright, I'm just coming"

She left again, and he looked back at the group of pilots,"My wife," he said, by way of explanation,"Another member of my unit"


"You'd be better off at the lines. Hell breaks loose pretty quick around here"
"Then let's get going! When we're done, we'll either report back here or to the local commanding officer for further orders. Don't worry, we'll be back."

----------------------------

The flight leader hopped into the command seat and began setting about launch procedures with gusto. Her fingers flew over the control panel, pausing only to open up a channel with the hanger control. "Gunships Zero-Zero-Three requesting launch clearance and jump clearance to the Mamba blockade, or the rendevouz location for the fleet to break it. If the Mamba conflict has been resolved, then direct us to the most recent space problem, we can brief in flight."

All twelve ships powered up their engines, their warm hum filling the hanger.

ooc: I'm terribly sorry that I didn't post earlier. My internet has been MIA since friday. It appears to be working now, since the dude said that it's fixed.

"I'm loyal to the end, Iliyakim, to my purpose. I know what my purpose is, I've known since I was five years old. I have to fight for this country, for the way of life I love. The thing is, everywhere I go, I see more pain and death, for people who don't deserve it. But they strive onwards in the hope that one day in the future, the country they love will be restored."

There was a conviction in her voice that he hadn't heard before.
I wasn't questioning your loyalties, but...

"Very few people deserve this. I wouldn't put my worst enemy through something like this, though I'm forced to accompany my men through it -- people I have come to regard as friends and family. But history tells us something. History from my nation, from yours...from so many cultures across even more star systems...even if we should fail in our endeavor, and all be wiped out, someday Constantine's regime will be overthrown, and men and women of courage, like Cougar, like you, like the entirety of SHADOW and every soldier and civililan willing to aid us in our cause of liberating Snake Eaters from this atrocity, will take charge, and Snake Eaters will begin a new era of peace and prosperity."

~snip~

"Zero-Zero-Three, take off clearance approved. Mamba jump coordinates have already been uploaded to your databanks. Have a safe journey. Once you arrive, hail the Hydra"

~snip~
She hesitated, then smiled at him,"Thanks. It seems that age truly does bring wisdom"

~snip~
OOC: Where did that ship name come from?

IC: The Osea system, at high warp, was still about a twelve hour journey through both friendly and hostile space. Most Snake Eater ships took a longer way round. Longer, but much safer.

She hesitated, then smiled at him,"Thanks. It seems that age truly does bring wisdom"
"Age brings experience. Thought combined with experience brings wisdom. Even among my people, there are many fools in my age group."

"I'll have to take your word for that"

As she was talking, she stood, slipping her feet back into her boots, and made her way towards the door. She stopped a moment, leaning against the doorframe,"Take care of yourself out there, Iliyakim... people here need you as well."

And with that, she was gone.

Human women have to be the oddest creatures I have ever come in contact with. In any event, I've spoken with her...probably not about what I was supposed to speak with her about, but I did speak with her.

He went back to catalouging everything in the box that Cougar had brought with him.

He was left to his own devices. After all, there were only three complete teams back at the moment, along with himself and the support staff.

"Zero-Zero-Three, take off clearance approved. Mamba jump coordinates have already been uploaded to your databanks. Have a safe journey. Once you arrive, hail the Hydra"

"Confirmed. Flight Leader Kelly out. See you on the other side!"

The warm hum of the gunships increased to a powerful roar as the craft leapt into open space. Running at half speed, they neared the jumpzone quite rapidly. Kelly opened the comm channel for the last time before they hit the other side. "Well, let's hit the jump and see what happens. Keep loose and let's burn em up!"

The twelve ships extended into infinity and winked out of space time, their hyperdrives purring from the tremendous energies involved.

---------------------------

The ships spiraled out of the jump, the hyper-tunnel collapsing behind them. Immediatly their sensors went crazy

"Cap'n, you sure this is where we want to go? He wasn't kiddin about them odds!"

"Cut the chatter or you're gonna float there." Flipping a few controls, Kelly hailed the Hydra. "This is Gunship Squadron Zero-Zero-Three. We were sent from some friends. Those guys at base sent us to this system to help you with your blockade problem. Request either permission to come aboard or for some sort of brief rundown before we hop in."

He'd have worked through the night, going through the box, if Inthuul hadn't hit him over the head (literally) and made him go to Gamma room and get some sleep.

In the morning, he reported to Cougar, taking a Velxun'yrr with him for the Colonel.

"Confirmed. Flight Leader Kelly out. See you on the other side!"

The warm hum of the gunships increased to a powerful roar as the craft leapt into open space. Running at half speed, they neared the jumpzone quite rapidly. Kelly opened the comm channel for the last time before they hit the other side. "Well, let's hit the jump and see what happens. Keep loose and let's burn em up!"

The twelve ships extended into infinity and winked out of space time, their hyperdrives purring from the tremendous energies involved.

---------------------------

The ships spiraled out of the jump, the hyper-tunnel collapsing behind them. Immediatly their sensors went crazy

"Cap'n, you sure this is where we want to go? He wasn't kiddin about them odds!"

"Cut the chatter or you're gonna float there." Flipping a few controls, Kelly hailed the Hydra. "This is Gunship Squadron Zero-Zero-Three. We were sent from some friends. Those guys at base sent us to this system to help you with your blockade problem. Request either permission to come aboard or for some sort of brief rundown before we hop in."

"This is the rebel ship Hydra, flagship of this force. Welcome to hell, ladies and gentlemen"

And hell it was. In front of them, on the rebel side, were four Galaxy-classes, five Intrepids, three Defiants, another three Akiras, and two Soverigns. There was no doubt, it was a heavily armed convoy, aiming to punch through the blockade. In the middle distance, four Templar (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/SnakeEaters/Common%20Naval%20Ships/Templar.jpg)-class linebreakers could be seen preparing to enter the fray.

"We're preparing to enter the battle... however, do you require briefing before hand?"

He'd have worked through the night, going through the box, if Inthuul hadn't hit him over the head (literally) and made him go to Gamma room and get some sleep.

In the morning, he reported to Cougar, taking a Velxun'yrr with him for the Colonel.

James had been up all night himself, but instead, his AEagle, more commonly known as Duck (his daughter had named it), had instead supplied him with copious amounts of coffee. He looked around as Iliyakim entered the bridge,"Good morning, Captain. I trust Inthuul made sure you slept well?"

"When doesn't he, is the question. I found two boxes of these among the other things in the box you brought."

He flung the small cylinder in his hand, and as it flew, it changed into a "sparrow" and stopped in front of Cougar.

-snip-
"Hell, eh? All the more fun for us.

About the briefing, twould be nice. The big things are what can we damage to and what do you want us to do? I figure we can waste some of their escourts and aggrevate some of their larger ships. Also, can ya try warn us when you're gonna fire a large burst at an area so we can get out of there?"

"Velxun'yrr, right? Excellent."

Rhenna, you have outdone yourself once more

"In any case, take a seat. I'll brief you now, and then I'm off again"

James was already dressed for battle. He wore an assualt vest, along with webbing harness for the pouches around the belt. On his thigh, in it's holster, was the new Glock pistol, complete with two magazines. He carried another three on his waist. Slung over his back was his M4 assualt rifle, along with all the modifications he had made to it. In his chest pockets, he carried up to three hundred rounds for this weapon, and another three hundred either in magazines or loose in his backpack. He also had a few frag grenades, the pins taped to the housing to prevent them going off prematurely. He wore woodland DPM's (Disrupted Pattern Material, known as Battle Dress Uniform or BDU in the States), but his face was unpainted for now. In one hand was what looked like a skateboard helmet. He wore this because of it's small size, light weight, and also he could tape a strip of adhesive to the top and attach a torch or other attachments. As Iliyakim sat down, he motioned to the holographic display, which shifted to show Lyn-da-Vid. It was coloured blue, meaning it was disputed.

"This, as you know, is Lyn-da-Vid. It is currently the most contested planet in the entire war. It's large civilian population is the perfect bed for either recruitment or popular support for your aims. However, it is this planet that is costing us most in the long run. Every day we remain in a stalemate, the enemy is able to bring in fresh troops to the area. Now, that's not to say we can't either, but the enemy has greater naval strength and greater manpower. You already know what I'm going to say to you, which is to break the stalemate by any means possible. I am also going to be planetside as well, but I will be operating deep behind enemy lines, running disruption with local resistant groups. You're a better large scale commander than I am, which is why I'm asking you to do this. You are to collect your team from Osea, and transfer to the Apollo, which will then take you to the planet. Current rebel forces include the bulk of the Lancers armoured regiement, the Household Marshalls, a combined infantry and calvary regiement, and also a large number of Para's. Are there any questions?"

"Hell, eh? All the more fun for us.

About the briefing, twould be nice. The big things are what can we damage to and what do you want us to do? I figure we can waste some of their escorts and aggrevate some of their larger ships. Also, can ya try warn us when you're gonna fire a large burst at an area so we can get out of there?"
OOC: I don't think you understand the concept on which the S.E.N works. I'll put a link (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=431420) up, so you can read about it. It doesn't work like R.L navies.

IC: "These ships are tougher than they look. The enemy is using the same technology as us, so the weak points are the same. However, be warned, size can be misleading. The Defiant class is one of the most heavily armed and armoured in the fleet, but it is also one of the smallest. So, don't be fooled. However, your primary mission should be interference. Distract them and allow us to get a clean shot. The linebreakers will go in first, to punch a hole in the line and let us get inside. After that, wreck havoc. Be forewarned, the Typhoon is leading the remaining rebel ships on the other side in a joint attack at the same instance we start ours, so watch your arcs of fire. I'm guessing you don't have weapons like us, therefore you actually need to be facing the target or in the general direction in order to maintain a lock. Leave the bigger ships to us, they'll wipe the floor with you"

~snip~
"Yes, actually. Is there any way for you to locate President Barbarossa?"

"Yes, actually. Is there any way for you to locate President Barbarossa?"

"President Barbarossa, for he is still rightfully the Lord President of Snake Eaters, has been unseen for at least six months. It is believed he went underground following an assassination attempt by forces unknown. His whereabouts are currently a mystery, but we are working on it. Why?"

"President Barbarossa, for he is still rightfully the Lord President of Snake Eaters, has been unseen for at least six months. It is believed he went underground following an assassination attempt by forces unknown. His whereabouts are currently a mystery, but we are working on it. Why?"
"It was pointed out to me last night that we are fighting not only a physical war, but a political war. In order for us to even have a fighting chance on that front, we need someone up there fighting for us. Someone known, someone strong, someone trusted. And also, someone who knows what he's doing. The best person for that is President Barbarossa. The rest of us, we're fighters. Lyn-da-Vid does not worry me so much as the Administratum does."

"Your point is valid. However, we don't have the resources to truly locate him at the moment. Once we access S.I.O.N, however, our people will be able to locate via the information within. We've got the best analysts in Snake Eaters working on this thing... that's one thing we can beat them on, the quality of our intel."

"Perhaps there is another that could find him more quickly."

"I've considered it, but at the moment, there is no one free to take the mission on"

"There is a class of mage...more legend than anything...that is said to have abilities outside the normal range of Kaymirilian magick. It is also rumored that there may be one or two working in a cooperative endeavor with our side of this war."

They awoke as though from a deep slumber. the Hybernation slivers worked well. When not needed, their powers came into effect, and the entire hive of slivers went deep into slumber. The hive itself was an intricate network of tunnels, 30 miles outside Snake City to the west, deep within the planet.

Danger, fighting, this planets situation has changed. we must leave.

Thus it was, that the Generation 2 left Riptide for Snake Eater Prime. the Slivers deep within the Hive awoke, and slithered to the surface. first up on the surface, were the colorless slivers. They stretched, and yawned, and looked around to see what they could see.

Cougar's reaction was textbook denial, but it was believable,"If they are operating with us, I haven't been informed of it by anyone. Taking into account that they could be mere legends, we cannot trust to luck. Put the idea from your mind for now, Iliyakim. I'll have the team look into it, and forward you any information"

"As you say, then. I will look into the situation at Lyn-da-Vid, and will have plans ready when my team lands. Will we be expecting any additional troops, or only what we have?"

-snip-

"I think you'll be surprised at what we can sustain sir, these ships are fresh off the assembly line and packed to the gills. But thanks for the heads-up. We have non-axial weapons too, so we can keep track of things pretty well all over.

We'll run your interference, just please don't hit us while we're out there. We'll aim for whatever looks delicate, and everything that doesn't, so let's get going!"

ooc: so does this mean you've got nothing out there under 100 meters? IF so, that's still okay, a fast strike vehicle might surprise them, if only for a short time. Or was that not the point of the link?

~snip~

"Look at the situation, and have a plan. New troops is a grey area.. somedays you might get them, others you might not"

"I think you'll be surprised at what we can sustain sir, these ships are fresh off the assembly line and packed to the gills. But thanks for the heads-up. We have non-axial weapons too, so we can keep track of things pretty well all over.

We'll run your interference, just please don't hit us while we're out there. We'll aim for whatever looks delicate, and everything that doesn't, so let's get going!"

ooc: so does this mean you've got nothing out there under 100 meters? IF so, that's still okay, a fast strike vehicle might surprise them, if only for a short time. Or was that not the point of the link?

OOC: No, it wasn't the point, the only craft under 100 metres are the Cobra fighters.

IC:"Alright... we won't hit you, we're not that inaccurate you know"

"Look at the situation, and have a plan. New troops is a grey area.. somedays you might get them, others you might not"
The Drow Captain nods again.

"I will be prepared for either situation."

"Good man. Now, you'll have to excuse me, I have to leave in five minutes. Good luck, Iliyakim."

The colorless slivers could sense no immediate danger, yet what had happened? they did not know. they decided to adopt a human form, and go walking snake city, until Generation 2 arrived.

there were 300 slivers total in the hive. 30 groups of ten humans walked to Snake city, yet humans they were not, but in truth Slivers in human guise.

The only clues they were slivers, were their eyes, which were still then slits like a cats, and their skin, which had scales here and there.

The colorless slivers could sense no immediate danger, yet what had happened? they did not know. they decided to adopt a human form, and go walking snake city, until Generation 2 arrived.

there were 300 slivers total in the hive. 30 groups of ten humans walked to Snake city, yet humans they were not, but in truth Slivers in human guise.

The only clues they were slivers, were their eyes, which were still then slits like a cats, and their skin, which had scales here and there.
On Snake Eater Prime, it seemed as if everything was normal. The war had yet to reach here.

"Good man. Now, you'll have to excuse me, I have to leave in five minutes. Good luck, Iliyakim."
"And to you, Colonel."

Iliyakim rose to leave.

James looked at him with intent in his eyes,"Don't forget, you're on leave at the moment"

On Snake Eater Prime, it seemed as if everything was normal. The war had yet to reach here.
The Sliver humans seemed relieved, and thus, spent money visiting shops, going to theaters, going to resturants, and in general, acting like an average everyday group of friends.

"Somewhat difficult to forget. No worries, Cougar...working out strategies for Aklyen is not a stenuous task."

The Sliver humans seemed relieved, and thus, spent money visiting shops, going to theaters, going to resturants, and in general, acting like an average everyday group of friends.

They were treated like any normal bunch of humans, no one was paying much attention.

"Somewhat difficult to forget. No worries, Cougar...working out strategies for Aklyen is not a stenuous task."

"Aklyen... oh, that game. Never actually played myself."

"I think you would find it quite challenging, at least at first."

"Then I'd be interested in learning to play... maybe when this whole damn buisness is done, you and I could get together and you could teach me. In any case, see you soon. And once more, good luck."

He left Iliyakim, and went down to the flight deck, where the team was waiting inside the Dauntless. He walked inside, the door sealed, and he lifted off, taking the craft out of the hanger doors, engaging the cloaking device and heading towards Lyn-da-Vid...

Iliyakim took what data was available on Lyn-da-Vid (he would get the updates every two hours) and began to strategize.

He also saw to the distribution of the materials that had been delivered, and saw that everyone who had recieved any had the proper instruction in how to use it to best advantage.

OOC: It'll take about ten hours for Gen2 to get there, so I'll let you decide when it pops up outside your system.

Iliyakim took what data was available on Lyn-da-Vid (he would get the updates every two hours) and began to strategize.

He also saw to the distribution of the materials that had been delivered, and saw that everyone who had recieved any had the proper instruction in how to use it to best advantage.

He was left to his own devices for the most part of the next few days.

When the time came to return to Osea, he was there on time, with his unit's supplies.

And they were waiting for him. The Apollo was in orbit, a Shadow-class infiltrator, and was merely awaiting the word from Iliyakim. This was the only way to get men and supplies through the enemy ships.

He boarded.

"We're going to Lyn-da-Vid. Let's try to get there quickly, and in relatively one piece."

"Don't worry about it, Captain. These ships were designed to get places quickly, in secret. You couldn't ask for a better ride. We'll be there in three hours"

OOC: No, it wasn't the point, the only craft under 100 metres are the Cobra fighters.

IC:"Alright... we won't hit you, we're not that inaccurate you know"
ooc: I don't understand...
IC:

Kelly was slightly annoyed at the commander here, but it was alright. Soon enough the battle would start, and there'd be no time for idle chat.

"Roger that. Say the word, and we're off. I assume you want us to be right on the tails of those linebreakers. We'll hang in their fire-shadow until there's enough of a hole in there to dart through and then let her rip."

Waiting for an answer, Kelly began communicating through the inter-ship channel. "Break off into your trios, and hold tight. I want this place lit up like a festival to the Gods. Watch your fire though, friendlies will be coming from the other side while we engage. Meet back up at the rebel command ship when this is over and done with, ask for directions only if necessary. Gods speed, and don't get spaced!"

A chorus of 'Roger's replied to her orders, and the ships began drifting into their formations.

~snip~

OOC: No idea sorry

IC: The Eagle came into orbit around Osea. It uncloaked and waited for the flagshi to hail them.

ooc: I don't understand...
IC:

Kelly was slightly annoyed at the commander here, but it was alright. Soon enough the battle would start, and there'd be no time for idle chat.

"Roger that. Say the word, and we're off. I assume you want us to be right on the tails of those linebreakers. We'll hang in their fire-shadow until there's enough of a hole in there to dart through and then let her rip."

Waiting for an answer, Kelly began communicating through the inter-ship channel. "Break off into your trios, and hold tight. I want this place lit up like a festival to the Gods. Watch your fire though, friendlies will be coming from the other side while we engage. Meet back up at the rebel command ship when this is over and done with, ask for directions only if necessary. Gods speed, and don't get spaced!"

A chorus of 'Roger's replied to her orders, and the ships began drifting into their formations.
OOC: Doesn't matter. You now have a listing of all the fleets, so you've got some frame of reference.

IC:
"Hold tight to the linebreakers sounds like the best plan."

"Sir, we're recieving a communication from the Typhoon"

"On screen, Ensign"

The viewscreen turned itself to the comm channel, and Captain Karat sat in his command chair,"Captain Gorbac, are you ready to begin the operation?"

"Yes, Karac. We're ready when you are."

"Operation: Freelance is green?"

"Yes, yes it is."

"Roger that. Typhoon out."

Gorbac looked at his bridge crew, and then motioned to his comm officer to open a wide hailing band to his fleet,"This is the Hydra, all units, commence Operation: Freelance."

There was a brief pause as all the ships confirmed their orders, and then they began to move forward. The battle had truly begun...

"Don't worry about it, Captain. These ships were designed to get places quickly, in secret. You couldn't ask for a better ride. We'll be there in three hours"
"Good. Meanwhile, I have assignments for each of you, as soon as we get planetside."

He stood in the center of the group, making sure he had everyone's attention before beginning, and prolonging the silence to indicate the gravity of the situation.

"The Colonel has made it clear on no uncertain terms that Lyn-da-Vid is not only crucial, it is also lethal to us. He wants us to change that situation. This will require a concentrated effort from several fronts at the same time."

He handed out the datapads, one to each of his team members. "Each datapad has both strategies for if you have more or fewer troops than anticipated, as well as if you have the number of troops anticipated, within a given range. It also includes plans for possible enemy countermoves and how to defeat them. Spend the time to the planet going over them...because this starts as soon as everyone's in place."

Twelve black shapes slid into the fire-shadow of the linebreakers. The gunships were running as dark as possible, only picking up on passive sensors. Their shields and weapons were warm, their faces stern, and their trigger-fingers itchy.

They were to leap into the fray immediatly after the linebreakers did their jobs. And they were to do something so crazy that no one in their right minds would, they would side-jump, or jump in a direction not along the main axis of the craft, in a gravity well during a battle. Only the most elite and insane tried doing that, as most never lived to tell.

The Gods will decide the ending.

~snip~
They all took their datapads in silence, and looked down at them, before splitting off and making their own plans along with the ones Iliyakim had provided. Contingency situations. Never hurt to make them.

They also spent the time cehcking their equipment again, resting as much as they could allow, eating and drinking something to avoid having to soon after they landed, and other things besides.

~snip~
The intial barrage had overwhelmed the defences of three enemy ships immediatley, destroying them in a hail of phaser fire, whilst ten more were so badly damaged it would be childsplay to destroy them. But Gorbac sent out another message,"Don't destroy them if they can't fight anymore. Prepare for boarding actions"

The rest of the fleet followed close behind the linebreakers, capitalising as much as possible in as short a space of time. This was something Snake Eaters excelled in, lightning strikes to maximum effect. And it was obvious from the way they fought. Extensive planning wasn't needed. A quick brief, they could use it to maximum effect.

OOC: This thread is on hold until I return on Friday. Apologies to all for this.

They all took their datapads in silence, and looked down at them, before splitting off and making their own plans along with the ones Iliyakim had provided. Contingency situations. Never hurt to make them.

They also spent the time checking their equipment again, resting as much as they could allow, eating and drinking something to avoid having to soon after they landed, and other things besides.
Iliyakim spent the time in a similar manner, with one further bit of advice before they set down.

"If you need something, contact me. There will be nothing unimportant these next few days and weeks."
_______________________________________________________________________
Tari, meanwhile, had showed up at Alpha Two the day before Iliyakim left, but hadn't run into him. She needed to see where she was needed, and get there.

Iliyakim spent the time in a similar manner, with one further bit of advice before they set down.

"If you need something, contact me. There will be nothing unimportant these next few days and weeks."
_______________________________________________________________________
Tari, meanwhile, had showed up at Alpha Two the day before Iliyakim left, but hadn't run into him. She needed to see where she was needed, and get there.

They all nodded. They seemed oddly at ease with what they were about to do... but this was no surprise. They trained for war fulltime, nothing else. The ship came out of warp, and they were summoned to the transporter room. This was to make it easier to send them to different areas. They all got teleported down to their positions, and Iliyakim was on the southern continent, where the fighting was more fierce than anywhere else on the planet. No surprises here of course.
_________________________________________________________________________
Raven was at Alpha Two as well. Mantis had got himself shot, and was currently getting checked out, before going on some extended leave. He was extremely lucky. The round had hit him in the head, but in such a way that it didn't kill him. The chances were something like one in a million.

As soon as Iliyakim got there, he met up with the men in charge and started implementing his plans.

He moved troops, gave orders...changing according to need and ability. This was open warfare at its most complicated...especially for the loyalist troops.
____________________________________________________________________
It was actually Keris that noticed Raven first, and flew over while Tari was occupied with something else.

She landed on his shoulder and "chirped" at him. It could be translated by Garth as a question to why he was here.

And thus the meatgrinder wore on. Men were killed, blood was spilt on both sides. The loyalist forces, as Cougar had said, had greater manpower, greater supplies, greater everything really.

As the hours turned into days, rumours began to filter back from the frontline. They said the White Devil was on the planet, causing havoc behind enemy lines. This was basically true. Alpha Team had landed roughly a week before, and had been launching surprise ambushes on enemy supply trains, encampments and convoys. However, no-one knew if the rumours were true or not, but it was enough to get the hairs up on the loyalist necks. Black Guardsmen stalked the lines, watching. To capture the White Devil would warrant an instant promotion, maybe up to three ranks in a single bound.

________________________________________________________________________
Wants to know why you're here

"Mantis nearly got himself killed. He's getting checked out now"

The loyalists generally were better armed.

Which is why Iliyakim had planned for the use of some of the Kaymirilian "explosives."

He had to drop them himself, though, to ascertain that they didn't hit any of his troops.

The spells packed into the cubical objects were deadly within the areas they hit.
______________________________________________________________________
Shan got himself in trouble, so Tari's working this assignment on her own now.

Fear and trepidation stalked the lines on both sides. All over the planet, the fires of war raged. It was difficult to see how this war could do good, on the face of things. But, you had to look deeper, to the fundementals on which this war was being fought. Civil liberty, freedom, democracy as a whole. It was on day nine of Iliyakim's time on the planet that he would witness something that defied all belief.

An officer of the Para's was captured whilst allowing his platoon to escape. They would have made an attempt to rescue him, but they never got the chance. As they watched, a Black Guard Captain walked up, the pistol held calmly in his hand. He levelled the weapon, as the platoon sergeant yelled wordlessly, realising what was about to happen. He ran out, and was cut down by sniper fire. The Captain smiled thinly, and squeezed the trigger. The round smashed into the officer's head, just above the right eye. He was dead instantly, the scarlet flash giving it away as the bullet exited to the body. He turned to look at the platoon, who gaped, unable to act. He raised his other hand, and they saw the detonator. He pressed the plunger, and the Semtex in the building detonated, sending them all sky high. He then glanced at the body of the officer, fired another two rounds into his head, and walked off, cool as you like, back towards the rebel lines.
_________________________________________________________________________
"That's crazy! She'll get herself killed!"

Iliyakim ground out an ancient profanity...battlefield executions. An entire platoon gone.

Plans had to be changed. In Aklyen, this ("battlefield executions") was a rare gambit...but only because the countermoves made by a master would be devastating.

It was time to show Constantine those counter moves. Playing the ancient strategies with modern technology (from both Kaymiril and Snake Eaters), he thrust at the enemy legions...and sent the word out to the rest of the rebel forces.

Constantine has ordered battlefield executions.

He knew not what anyone else would do...but as for him, and the men under him, they would fight longer, harder, more viciously.

And any around him could almost swear that the green in his eyes had taken on a glow...a deadly one.
______________________________________________________________________
Perhaps. But that was always a risk. Look at your friend.

The rebels fought with much more vicious moves, going to the extremes to make sure they got their missions done. Against all odds, they seemed to push the enemy back, if only by a few miles. It was a major victory, their first advance that had not then succumbed to the counter-attack. Many thanked Iliyakim for this, whilst others believed it was the simple fact that the Lord President's actions that forced them onwards. Regardless, someone somewhere was doing something right.

___________________________________________________________________________

"Very true, I guess... how is she?"

Iliyakim didn't care who got what credit. He was there to do a job.
_____________________________________________________________________
"Just back from home. I'll probably be heading out to Lyn-da-Vid tomorrow, though."

Keris returned to her master's shoulder and updated her.

"How bad was it?"

The war had now been raging for two and a half months, and it showed no sign of slowing down just yet. Although the rebels found their ranks swelled by dissidents on the loyalist side who escaped the Black Guard and their executions.

As it was, reporters had started trying to interview Iliyakim, trying to get his perspective on the whole damn buisness.
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"He got a bullet in the head... he's alright, just very shaken"

Reporters from non government-controlled stations would be allowed in for brief slots of time. They were allowed to get opinions, allowed to get reasons...but he would never speak of his tactics.

He allowed himself to express the lack of justice with the battlefield executions...it was yet another subtle play.

If he did it right (and he might not, he wasn't a politician), he might just be able to garner more sympathy for his side and more hatred for the enemy. He would tell of the atrocities the loyalists committed...show the corpses...let the reporters view the battles.

He would show them this Hell.
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"I think I would be, too. I have time before I have to leave, I might be able to patch him up, depending."

And report they did. Public opnion was turning against Constantine. Many people did not like the way the war was going, simply because of the sheer numbers of people involved and the sheer number of dead. Everyday, casualty lists seemed to swell with hundreds upon hundreds of new names. They were freely avaliable, but that didn't help. Parents, husbands and wives, children, grandparents... everyone lost someone.
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"The grey class are looking at him right now... he's taking extended leave, to get back on his feet"

That was another topic Iliyakim made sure to hit.

"No reasonable President would upset the balance of his country so drastically. No reasonable man would plunge his nation into such turmoil for his good pleasure. Never since this nation was founded has Snake Eaters experienced so much death from civil strife. Not even the Helghast invasion of thirty years ago can compare to the death toll and horrors committed every day in this war."

He paused, like he often did before he was to make a point.

"The changes Constantine has wrought have brought this nation -- not a nation I was born to, but one I have come to view as home -- they have all brought suffering and misery. This is why we fight and risk that we will die. And should he be victorious, we will all die. We do not fear death half as much as we fear life under his rule. Snake Eaters was a giant among nations while the peace lasted. The trade and relations with other nations it enjoyed was nothing short of remarkable. So proud a nation, with such proud people have refused to succumb to this fascist regime. And we will continue to do so."
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"Ah. Well, they're better healers than ever I'll be, so I guess I'd best get moving."

She gets to the door before turning and grinning.

"After all...reactors don't blow themselves up."

*Undisclosed Location*
"So... that is how it is, is it?"

Jacius Barbarossa stretched his legs out from under him, and stood up, feeling the weight of the pistol under his jacket. He sipped at the glass of water in front of him. He walked over to the window, and looked out over the land. He sighed, and closed the window, the azure sky still bright over him.

Ever since the attempt on his life, he had gone underground, not telling anyone where he was going. He now hid, not knowing what to do. To come out of seclusion would be to risk his life for his country... to remain would see the death of his country as he knew it...
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"In a shock turn tonight, ex-President Barbarossa has emerged from the underworld to become the political face of the rebel forces in the civil war. Jacius Barbarossa, who was replaced by Damien Constantine by a substantial majority in last years elections, went underground following a rumoured attempt on his life. The party responsible has not been named, but many conspiracy theorists claim that Constantine was behind it. Mr. Barbarossa arrived by private transport on the rebel-controlled world of Osea earlier today, and made a boradcast. Attempts by the government to stop him fell upon deaf ears, and the broadcast was sent around the galaxy."

*Cut to clip of Barbarossa on plinth*
"This nation was one of the greatest in the galaxy. Now look at us. We are reduced to killing each other in a struggle for our beliefs. But maybe this was the way that it should be. I for one will not bow to Constantine's terror. His executions on the battlefield are a blatant breach of human rights. His actions speak of a man who wishes to destroy this nation, not save it. He is a dictator! I ask you, citizens of Snake Eaters, to join us. Help us make this nation great once more!"
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"Hey. Look after yourself out there... just be careful. For me, if for no one else"

Iliyakim gave a sigh of relief as Barbarossa returned.

He could now get back to being a soldier.
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"You too."

With that, she vanished, to whatever end.

Barbarossa started campaigning endlessly, it seemed like he was everywhere at once. Pleading for support, he won it. The entire Fourth Fleet disengaged, and joined the rebels, Fleet Admiral Strangeways proclaiming that they had enough of the hypocrites on the loyalist side, the way things were being run. With their help, the battle for space was now level. Things were beginning to turn in favour of the rebels, for the first time in the whole conflict.

On the Kaymirilian border, a message was broadcast: We are now the rebels in this conflict. Return to your homes... the danger is past

In the midst of battle, a Black Guard saw a chance to kill Iliyakim, and he took it, foolishly trying to get close to him, to deal a fatal blow with a pistol at close range. Imagine that. One of the leading rebels, destroyed in a single motion.
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He watched her leave, then got ready to go himself.

The message was sent back in short order to the Fourth Fleet.

We've no intention of invading your country, so long as our aid is not required by Barbarossa. This is by order of Valsharess Kaymiril VII, Monarch of Kaymiril and Commander of the Fleets and Armies.
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The battle had already gotten Iliyakim's blood singing hot through his veins.

He saw the Black Guardsman coming for him...and he closed the distance.

Grabbing the human's wrist, he wrnched it, knocking the gun out of his hand and then forcing the man to the ground.

His pistol found the back of the man's skull.

Here it was...the life of an enemy, the life of one of those fascist fanatics, his to take.

Iliyakim's grip began to tighten gradually on the trigger.

See now what you earn, scum.
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This whole "help take Snake Eaters back" thing had lost some of its fun, now that Shan was confined to Rendelmar.

Tari still did her best...sneaking, stealing, destroying...it was really all she could do.

Then we leave you in good will

The ships turned, and headed towards the fighting.
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From nowhere, Cougar's voice seemed to reach Iliyakim's ears,"Put the gun down, Iliyakim"

He was there, standing in the middle of a raging battle. He looked worn out, tired from so much fighting, but he stood tall. His eyes blazed with passion,"If you pull that trigger, you may as well join the other side, because you're no better than them"

His voice was soft, but carried over the sounds of the battle. He was calm, an island in the storm.
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Raven had gone back out, but something kept nagging at him. He kept worrying about Tari... how, he wasn't sure. He just knew something was up.

The Maril fleets stayed at the border, where they were.
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Iliyakim's eyes blazed as he looked at Cougar, but he knew it to be right. How many times had he given others similar advice?

His pistol whirled, the butt connecting solidly with the man's head.

"Take him away," he said to a nearby team, one that had been assigned to collect dead and POWs from the field.
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For now, though, Tari kept herself well...more cautious, since she had no one to watch her back.

James nodded to his friend, before shooting dead two men who were charging at them. He seemed to do it without thinking, the hammer of the weapon falling twice, one bullet per man,"Killing a man in combat and killing him in cold blood are two different things. Never forget that, Iliyakim."

"Inthuul...phor."

The glider took to its "wings" so that Iliyakim could implement the next phase of his strategy. The "game" had gone almost perfectly, thus far.

Cougar watched him leave, before seeminlgy melting away from the battlefield. No one knew quite how he did this, but he just could. It was an innate talent of his, going unnoticed when he wanted to.

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Raven, meanwhile, was taking a nap in one of the deserted buildings in Lyn, the second major city on the planet. It was dangerous, but he had no choice. Having been up for 96 hours straight had a major effect on his system.

Suddenly, the rebel forces changed.

They let themselves be pushed back on the Western end of the field, leading the Loyalists into an intricate trap.

On the Eastern end, they brought out technology that they had begun to devise...heavily Kaymirilian in influence, but that's what you got when a Drow Captain can't sleep at night.
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Tari summoned a spell as she saw someone in the place she'd selected temporarily as a hiding place, but she dismissed it when she saw who it was.

She conjured a 12-hour blanket over him, then continued a little lower into the building to the little place she'd set up for herself.

It was due to fade away in less than six hours.

The loyalists fell straight into the trap, seeing their oppurtunity and blindly rushing for it. They wanted this war over and done with quickly, and this had led them to be careless at times, to the point of foolishness.
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He didn't wake immediatley, having already been sleeping for sometime. However, a few hours later, he woke up to find himself under the blanket. He raised his eyebrows, and then wrapped it round himself, shivering slightly. He set up his hexamine stove in front of him, and set it going, cooking something hot to eat to both perk him up and warm his body.

THe trap was complex, and what soldiers it didn't kill, it would result directly in their capture.
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Tari was about ready to leave, but she decided to go up and check on Raven first, if he wasn't gone already. She saw him setting up his cooking device.

"Careful with that. Last time I tried lighting a fire, the building about blew up five minutes later."

The battle was soon over, the enemy withdrawing to new locations. However, they left many behind, be they dead or captured. It was the only way.

A month and a half ago, this war had looked unwinnable on Lyn-da-Vid... now, it looked closer to the rebels.
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"I'm assuming it was you who wrapped me up?"

Iliyakim had his people clean up. They would begin the cremations for the dead, and the treatment for the wounded.

All the dead were cremated, Rebel and Loyalist alike. All injured were treated...preference given to rebel soldiers, or those that were in need of immediate medical assistance...

And the POWs were shipped to holding facilities on Osea.
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"Well, I wasn't going to just let you freeze."

*Snake Eater Prime*
"Just what is the problem with killing this damn Drow!" Constantine roared, his fist slamming into the table. The glass on the edge wobbled on the edge for a moment, then fell to the ground, shattering on impact with the marble floor. The assembled people, mostly military leaders, flinched in spite of themselves. Many of them believed that Damien Constantine was on the verge of insanity. He barely slept, and from what they understood, was on a series of uppers and downers in terms of drug use. Right now, he seemed to be on a high, by no means a euphoric one, but a high nonetheless,"What is he, in-fucking-vincible or something?"

"Sir, we've tried many times to cap..."

"Oh, don't give me that political shit right now, General. We're losing this war, and losing it badly. If this keeps up, the war will be over in six months, if not less."

"We're doing everything in our power to hold them up."

"Well, obviously you aren't doing enough, General"

"I will try harder!"

"No, you won't"

Constantine drew a pistol, and shot the general dead. The two guards at the door ran forward, and dragged the body away. Constantine snorted with disgust, and pressed a button on the desk,"Ms. George, inform Lieutenant Colonel Garrison that he is now the commander of the Guard"

"Yes, sir"

He turned to look at the shocked faces of the others in front of him,"Now, I hope this gives you all the incentive to push these damn rebels back. Also, do whatever it takes to kill Jacius Barbarossa... oh, and Cougar as well. Bringing him in alive would give me great pleasure... torture and then kill him myself."
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"I guess not. You want some?"

He offered the foil bag towards her, the stuff inside resembling chicken casserole.

Back on Lyn-da-Vid, Iliyakim opened Codec communications with the rest of Gamma.

It was time to hear how the war had been going on their fronts, and come up with new plans.

It was something he tried to do every two days.
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"Okay..." She reached out to take a little bit in delicate Drow fingers. "What is it?"

For the most part, they told good stories, and the strategies were working well. Elliot was working with less men than had been anticipated, but had performed admirably in spite of this, holding the enemy to a stalemate.
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"It's chicken casserole... a mixture of an animal that is a staple in the human diet, and vegetables mixed with some spices."

Iliyakim sent some of his men to reinforce Elliot's. The plans he was working with could take fewer men than he had, and he had a need for men to start pushing forward in that area.

The war was going well...but it was time to take the game up a step. And that's exactly what he described during that planning session.
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She popped the bit she'd taken into her mouth. "It's not bad." She conjured a couple of warm drinks, handing one to Raven.

"It's sweet and caffinated. What more could you ask for?" She grins, taking a sip out of hers.

"Is it just me, or do you percieve this whole thing as a game in the long run?" was the general consensus from Gamma team.
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He sipped at it,"Could it be any sweeter?"

"War is not a game...but it is like a game. The better player...or tactician...will win. Aklyen strategies work very well in real warfare, I find more and more. Especially when the other side can't see what I'm doing. Faris would have beaten me already. But Constantine is proving very much a novice, indeed."
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"Yes, actually. Why? You want it sweeter?" She conjured a packet of sweetener and held it out.

"I'm going to be heading to Snake Eater Prime this afternoon...there are a few things that need taken care of."

"And we wonder how we understand you. Imagine if you said that to a civilian, they'd never understand you"
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He took the sweetener, and mixed it in,"It'll help for a while. Taking care of Constantine?"

"Precisely. But I do try to put the strategies into Snake Eaters terms."
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"Not in the way I'd like to...I'll be infiltrating his office, liberating his intoxicating substances for the public to see, and cursing each and every pen in his office. His will now be the devil's handwriting."

She grins.

"Well... we shall see"

They all signed off, to go back to what they were doing.
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Raven smiled,"Vicious. Twisted... I like it. Just be careful."

Iliyakim turned back to what he was doing as well, to send some of his men to Elliot's location, and to get back to war. He would grant the enemy no respite, even though he could afford to keep his own troops rotating.

In fact, his entire plan hinged on that.
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"Of course. This isn't the easiest or safest assignment ever. I just hope I don't get caught. Because I have no doubts as to what would happen."