Canidey
09-11-2007, 03:52
LOCATION: Approximately 1.5 miles inside the northeastern border.
0607 hours.
The dark sky was slowly giving way to a predawn gray, making the shadows look strange and ominous. The foothills slowly coming down to the plains from the mountains had sparse tree cover and lacked outcroppings or other distinguishing natural features save for the snow that blanketed everything. The trees seemed to shiver as a deep throated rumble grew in volume, accompanied by a high pitched clacking noise. One tree deposited its load of snow on the ground as a white and gray mottled vehicle bounced by on its treads.
Restraints keeping them from being jostled too much, twelve soldiers sat inside, eleven of them looking worried or frightened. Major Geoffrey Joer frowned at them. An older man with graying hair, he was one of the small percentage of Canid soldiers who had anything remotely resembling combat experience, and that had been nearly twenty years ago. He didn't belong here, he knew, but he had felt a need to get away from his desk and checking what was probably a faulty fence alarm was a good enough excuse. For their part, the other soldiers were probably even more nervous because of his presence. The APC shuddered to a stop as the engine coughed and died.
Major Joer unhooked himself and tapped the back of the driver's helmet with his augmetic hand. “What's the problem?”
The driver glanced back and shook his head, “I don't know, sir. It just quit on me.”
“Right, well we're close enough to hump it there.” He turned back to the others, “Sergeant, we're proceeding on foot.”
“Very good, sir.” The sergeant hit the hatch release and the rear ramp lowered. “Alright, then. You heard the major, let's go.” The rest of the squad unstrapped themselves and moved out of the APC. As major Joer exited, the point man spotted something.
“Movement. Maybe a few hundred yards ahead. Could be people, but there's some larger shapes as well.” Joer glanced around for trooper Cotfield, easily identified by the antennae protruding from the box on his back. He was reaching for the receiver when he heard a pair of sharp cracks and his vision blurred. When it cleared he lay on the ground next to a rock or something.
He was finding it difficult to breathe when the sergeant entered his vision. “Stay with me, major. You've been shot in the neck. O-” there was another crack and the sergeant's head exploded, the corpse falling across Joer's chest. Now there was gunfire all over as the squad shot into the darkness, the heavy weapons on the APC began to chatter away occasionally bringing a metal spanging sound out of the darkness. That tickled his memory, that meant something, something important. The answer came a moment later when there was a boom followed by a whistling right before the APC exploded. Vicars could here the crew screaming as they were trapped, burning alive in their own private crematorium as the ammo cooked off. In the light of the fire, he could see what he thought was a rock was actually Cotfield's body. Silhouetted and with scant cover, the rest of the squad were gunned down while Joer added his own gurgling scream of rage to the cacophony around him.
That scream soon cut off once his attackers came into view. As one of the hostiles came into the light and pointed their weapon at him, the last thought of Major Geoffrey Joer was I don't believe it. It's-.
OOC: Just an opening thus far. Please TG me if you wish to become involved.
0607 hours.
The dark sky was slowly giving way to a predawn gray, making the shadows look strange and ominous. The foothills slowly coming down to the plains from the mountains had sparse tree cover and lacked outcroppings or other distinguishing natural features save for the snow that blanketed everything. The trees seemed to shiver as a deep throated rumble grew in volume, accompanied by a high pitched clacking noise. One tree deposited its load of snow on the ground as a white and gray mottled vehicle bounced by on its treads.
Restraints keeping them from being jostled too much, twelve soldiers sat inside, eleven of them looking worried or frightened. Major Geoffrey Joer frowned at them. An older man with graying hair, he was one of the small percentage of Canid soldiers who had anything remotely resembling combat experience, and that had been nearly twenty years ago. He didn't belong here, he knew, but he had felt a need to get away from his desk and checking what was probably a faulty fence alarm was a good enough excuse. For their part, the other soldiers were probably even more nervous because of his presence. The APC shuddered to a stop as the engine coughed and died.
Major Joer unhooked himself and tapped the back of the driver's helmet with his augmetic hand. “What's the problem?”
The driver glanced back and shook his head, “I don't know, sir. It just quit on me.”
“Right, well we're close enough to hump it there.” He turned back to the others, “Sergeant, we're proceeding on foot.”
“Very good, sir.” The sergeant hit the hatch release and the rear ramp lowered. “Alright, then. You heard the major, let's go.” The rest of the squad unstrapped themselves and moved out of the APC. As major Joer exited, the point man spotted something.
“Movement. Maybe a few hundred yards ahead. Could be people, but there's some larger shapes as well.” Joer glanced around for trooper Cotfield, easily identified by the antennae protruding from the box on his back. He was reaching for the receiver when he heard a pair of sharp cracks and his vision blurred. When it cleared he lay on the ground next to a rock or something.
He was finding it difficult to breathe when the sergeant entered his vision. “Stay with me, major. You've been shot in the neck. O-” there was another crack and the sergeant's head exploded, the corpse falling across Joer's chest. Now there was gunfire all over as the squad shot into the darkness, the heavy weapons on the APC began to chatter away occasionally bringing a metal spanging sound out of the darkness. That tickled his memory, that meant something, something important. The answer came a moment later when there was a boom followed by a whistling right before the APC exploded. Vicars could here the crew screaming as they were trapped, burning alive in their own private crematorium as the ammo cooked off. In the light of the fire, he could see what he thought was a rock was actually Cotfield's body. Silhouetted and with scant cover, the rest of the squad were gunned down while Joer added his own gurgling scream of rage to the cacophony around him.
That scream soon cut off once his attackers came into view. As one of the hostiles came into the light and pointed their weapon at him, the last thought of Major Geoffrey Joer was I don't believe it. It's-.
OOC: Just an opening thus far. Please TG me if you wish to become involved.