Forums » Role Playing
I would like to see smittens bump it himself. BY WRITING MORE!
Hort
Hort
I am writing more! I'm about half way through the next part. Unfortunately Mass Effect picked this point to start being incredibly awesome. And don't forget [usual list of excuses]. But this project is different! I fully intend to finish it COMPLETELY!
Terra II
AD 2652
"Derek Tenz, good to see you! But if you're back here again... they aren't giving you another mission!?"
Tenz grinned as he entered the briefing center and saw Lieutenant Jones, one of the most decorated heroes of the Itani-Serco conflict. Jones was responsible for an enviable body count, but was better known as a genius tactician and a bold leader. After losing his arm a few months prior he had elected to stay on Itani turf and help train soldiers rather than slap on a mechanized arm and return to combat. Currently he was responsible for maintaining the briefing center when not helping new recruits. Tenz was fortunate enough to join with Jones during one of the Lieutenant's last missions. He knew Jones to be a merciless demon in the face of a Serco, but a funny and kind inspiration to Itani.
"Sure seems that way. They aren't going to let any of us vets rest until we have records as great as yours."
"If that were the case you would be relaxing in a sim-center with your wife, drinking a drink and enjoying retirement. And you would've started a long time ago."
"Not just the wife, give a month" said Tenz sheepishly, still smiling.
"Damn that's right! You've got the kid coming soon! How is that coming?"
"Everything looks...normal. Perfectly, wonderfully, normal. I can't wait to meet him."
Jones smiled back warmly. "And I'm sure he can't wait to meet you."
Gage yawned loudly, leaning between the two officers.
"Excuse us, Lieutenant," said Tenz, shooting Gage a look somewhere between bemusement and anger.
"No problem. It was good seeing you again," replied Jones. As the group left to pick up their mission, he called to Tenz, "Good luck, whatever they're having you do."
"Thank you, sir," called back Tenz, with a small wave.
Down a corridor, through an aisle, around a corner, and against a short wall Tenz and his company stopped. The wall was solidly black, except for a green computer screen and a shallow hole. Derek carefully inserted his right mech arm into the hole and tapped the screen with his other hand.
The hole glowed blue as a wire attached itself to Tenz' embedded hand. The screen lit up.
Profile: Sgt. Derek Tenz
Height: 1.87
Weight: 82.55
Known Relatives: Maria Tenz (Wife), David Tenz (Father, Deceased 2639), Eleanor Tenz (Mother, Deceased 2641)...
The screen, now filled with text, froze for a moment before flashing to a new page of his file.
... Ashley Tenz (Sister, Deceased 2651)
Current Squad: Charles
Confirm Identity?
"Confirmation code alpha twelve charlie ten," spoke Tenz clearly, though a tear formed in his eye.
Code Accepted. Voice Match.
...
The wire attached to the mechanic hand pulsed and Tenz blinked.
...
Assignment Given.
End Session.
"What did we get?" asked Pete as Tenz removed his hand from the wall.
"As far as your future careers go? Hit the jackpot," grinned Tenz, his composure completely returned.
"Sir?" asked Mason, barely concealing his excitement.
"We're leaving the domes for two months. We'll stop in Enviona after three weeks of travel to fill our supplies. Just for a night."
"Then?"
"Calm down rookie. Then we take a wide path around the other domes. GPS will direct us to a Serco dome furthest from the combat. In which intel suggests a certain Serco general resides. We enter, we find him, we kill him."
Tenz' squad stared at him with disbelief. Mason's mouth hung open stupidly.
"You're joking!" cried Gage, ecstatic.
"Certainly not," laughed Tenz. "Command is completely baffled by the Serco plan of attack. They're launching...things. Weird things. Sending them at us, but in numbers too small to do any real damage. After a quick skirmish they retreat back to Serco territory. Apparently Commander Akan is worried about this. But the general we're after... supposedly they're the main tactician. We take them out and it'll put a damper on the big Serco plan."
"That doesn't make sense..." said Darrell, frowning. "Even if we take this person out, they must have written down their plan, or told it to someone else... I know Serco are stupid but you can't be that stupid! You're trying to tell me that only one person in their entire society knows how they're going to fight this war?"
"No, of course not," replied Tenz. "But we aren't just going to bust in, kill the general, and get out. We're picking up a package in Enviona. Inside should be the latest anti-Serco technology... apparently it can read a Serco's memory implants, even within a few hours of their death. We're going to learn what they're doing, and as a bonus remove their best strategist from the playing field."
"I like it," said Gage.
"I don't," commented Darrell. "A lot of this seems inefficient. This'll take two months just to get there? What if the Serco plan goes into effect before we get there? Why don't we just have our higher-ups working on their own strategies instead of stealing others? This just smells bad to me. Very desperate, and very weak. You're telling us the whole story sir?"
"I am," said Tenz, smile fading. "I agree, I don't think this is the best way to deal with the odd Serco offensives. But I'm guessing the idea for this mission is coming directly from Commander Akan, and not one of our guys devoted to strategy. However, I don't think this is the only counter attack we're coming up with, and at the very least we're getting rid of a very important Serco. You should cheer up. Most soldiers would do anything for a mission like this. Assassinate a Serco general? When we get home, we'll all be heroes." He smiled again. "They'll probably let us retire."
Darrell nodded. "I suppose you're right. I guess I just don't like the idea of being stuck with the same six guys, one of which is Gage, for two months."
"Hey!" cried Gage. "It won't be that bad. Besides, Enviona's got that brand new Gentlemen's Club. I'll even buy your first girl."
Darrell laughed.
AD 2652
"Derek Tenz, good to see you! But if you're back here again... they aren't giving you another mission!?"
Tenz grinned as he entered the briefing center and saw Lieutenant Jones, one of the most decorated heroes of the Itani-Serco conflict. Jones was responsible for an enviable body count, but was better known as a genius tactician and a bold leader. After losing his arm a few months prior he had elected to stay on Itani turf and help train soldiers rather than slap on a mechanized arm and return to combat. Currently he was responsible for maintaining the briefing center when not helping new recruits. Tenz was fortunate enough to join with Jones during one of the Lieutenant's last missions. He knew Jones to be a merciless demon in the face of a Serco, but a funny and kind inspiration to Itani.
"Sure seems that way. They aren't going to let any of us vets rest until we have records as great as yours."
"If that were the case you would be relaxing in a sim-center with your wife, drinking a drink and enjoying retirement. And you would've started a long time ago."
"Not just the wife, give a month" said Tenz sheepishly, still smiling.
"Damn that's right! You've got the kid coming soon! How is that coming?"
"Everything looks...normal. Perfectly, wonderfully, normal. I can't wait to meet him."
Jones smiled back warmly. "And I'm sure he can't wait to meet you."
Gage yawned loudly, leaning between the two officers.
"Excuse us, Lieutenant," said Tenz, shooting Gage a look somewhere between bemusement and anger.
"No problem. It was good seeing you again," replied Jones. As the group left to pick up their mission, he called to Tenz, "Good luck, whatever they're having you do."
"Thank you, sir," called back Tenz, with a small wave.
Down a corridor, through an aisle, around a corner, and against a short wall Tenz and his company stopped. The wall was solidly black, except for a green computer screen and a shallow hole. Derek carefully inserted his right mech arm into the hole and tapped the screen with his other hand.
The hole glowed blue as a wire attached itself to Tenz' embedded hand. The screen lit up.
Profile: Sgt. Derek Tenz
Height: 1.87
Weight: 82.55
Known Relatives: Maria Tenz (Wife), David Tenz (Father, Deceased 2639), Eleanor Tenz (Mother, Deceased 2641)...
The screen, now filled with text, froze for a moment before flashing to a new page of his file.
... Ashley Tenz (Sister, Deceased 2651)
Current Squad: Charles
Confirm Identity?
"Confirmation code alpha twelve charlie ten," spoke Tenz clearly, though a tear formed in his eye.
Code Accepted. Voice Match.
...
The wire attached to the mechanic hand pulsed and Tenz blinked.
...
Assignment Given.
End Session.
"What did we get?" asked Pete as Tenz removed his hand from the wall.
"As far as your future careers go? Hit the jackpot," grinned Tenz, his composure completely returned.
"Sir?" asked Mason, barely concealing his excitement.
"We're leaving the domes for two months. We'll stop in Enviona after three weeks of travel to fill our supplies. Just for a night."
"Then?"
"Calm down rookie. Then we take a wide path around the other domes. GPS will direct us to a Serco dome furthest from the combat. In which intel suggests a certain Serco general resides. We enter, we find him, we kill him."
Tenz' squad stared at him with disbelief. Mason's mouth hung open stupidly.
"You're joking!" cried Gage, ecstatic.
"Certainly not," laughed Tenz. "Command is completely baffled by the Serco plan of attack. They're launching...things. Weird things. Sending them at us, but in numbers too small to do any real damage. After a quick skirmish they retreat back to Serco territory. Apparently Commander Akan is worried about this. But the general we're after... supposedly they're the main tactician. We take them out and it'll put a damper on the big Serco plan."
"That doesn't make sense..." said Darrell, frowning. "Even if we take this person out, they must have written down their plan, or told it to someone else... I know Serco are stupid but you can't be that stupid! You're trying to tell me that only one person in their entire society knows how they're going to fight this war?"
"No, of course not," replied Tenz. "But we aren't just going to bust in, kill the general, and get out. We're picking up a package in Enviona. Inside should be the latest anti-Serco technology... apparently it can read a Serco's memory implants, even within a few hours of their death. We're going to learn what they're doing, and as a bonus remove their best strategist from the playing field."
"I like it," said Gage.
"I don't," commented Darrell. "A lot of this seems inefficient. This'll take two months just to get there? What if the Serco plan goes into effect before we get there? Why don't we just have our higher-ups working on their own strategies instead of stealing others? This just smells bad to me. Very desperate, and very weak. You're telling us the whole story sir?"
"I am," said Tenz, smile fading. "I agree, I don't think this is the best way to deal with the odd Serco offensives. But I'm guessing the idea for this mission is coming directly from Commander Akan, and not one of our guys devoted to strategy. However, I don't think this is the only counter attack we're coming up with, and at the very least we're getting rid of a very important Serco. You should cheer up. Most soldiers would do anything for a mission like this. Assassinate a Serco general? When we get home, we'll all be heroes." He smiled again. "They'll probably let us retire."
Darrell nodded. "I suppose you're right. I guess I just don't like the idea of being stuck with the same six guys, one of which is Gage, for two months."
"Hey!" cried Gage. "It won't be that bad. Besides, Enviona's got that brand new Gentlemen's Club. I'll even buy your first girl."
Darrell laughed.
Nice.
Im liking this one more since whatever happens cant change the fact that in the end Serco kicked the itani out :P
Btw, werent itani supposed to be all against mechanical implantations and enhancements, thus the whole stupid conflict against the poor innocent serco?
Im liking this one more since whatever happens cant change the fact that in the end Serco kicked the itani out :P
Btw, werent itani supposed to be all against mechanical implantations and enhancements, thus the whole stupid conflict against the poor innocent serco?
Yeah? Are my guys using mechanical implants?
The mech suits are clearly described in the backstory...otherwise I definitely would not be using them (I usually hate the concept of mechs). It's says something about Itani developing mechanized suits for farming outside the domes, and then modifying them for combat.
Speaking of Serco kicking Itani ass... if you want a peek into what's going to happen for Derek and his crew you can check the backstory. This story (as opposed to the one on Deneb) is going to fit almost exactly into the chronology of the thing. So maybe if you look for a backstory entry around 2652 (or perhaps a little earlier, and then skip to the bottom of it...) you may be able to get an idea of what's going to happen.
If that makes any sense, which I don't think it does. :)
The mech suits are clearly described in the backstory...otherwise I definitely would not be using them (I usually hate the concept of mechs). It's says something about Itani developing mechanized suits for farming outside the domes, and then modifying them for combat.
Speaking of Serco kicking Itani ass... if you want a peek into what's going to happen for Derek and his crew you can check the backstory. This story (as opposed to the one on Deneb) is going to fit almost exactly into the chronology of the thing. So maybe if you look for a backstory entry around 2652 (or perhaps a little earlier, and then skip to the bottom of it...) you may be able to get an idea of what's going to happen.
If that makes any sense, which I don't think it does. :)
Hmm...didnt think they were mech suits since the guys are walking inside a building.
I also imagined the itani mech suits to be more of the kin of terran marines from SC, if you have seen the SC2 trailer, it sounds more like what itani would be using, which makes sense.
I also imagined the itani mech suits to be more of the kin of terran marines from SC, if you have seen the SC2 trailer, it sounds more like what itani would be using, which makes sense.
I've always kind of pictured them like the thing from the first Alien movie (except not open). But only Inc can let us know for sure
hmmm, say like terran goliaths? sounds too large...
Oh well, we all have our ways of picturing stuff.
Oh well, we all have our ways of picturing stuff.
I can only say, Go On:)
I especially like the Alien cameo...
Can't wait for stuff to come out of the walls
I especially like the Alien cameo...
Can't wait for stuff to come out of the walls
Good read.
You mean the EVA suits from Alien, or the dock mech from Aliens....
Umm...actually I've never seen Alien. Just some scenes from the end when Sigourney Weaver (sp?) fights the Alien mother or queen or whatever you call it.
That again, is Aliens Smitt. In Alien, there is only 1 Alien, hence being called Alien. :P
...unlike in Aliens, where El Guapo returns with the whole family.
... and the space marines :)
Then back to Alien 3, where it's just one again... but it's a dog like one this time...
But enough about Alien, write more Smitters!
Then back to Alien 3, where it's just one again... but it's a dog like one this time...
But enough about Alien, write more Smitters!
Onia, Deneb H8
AD 4430
"It still hurts!" whimpered the Itani.
The Captain turned to Lambin. "Private Lambin, will you please kick Smit in his privates to take the pain away from his finger?"
"What, no!" cried Smit, while Lambin grinned and took aim.
"Sorry man, orders," he laughed before winding up and connecting foot to crotch. Smit dropped to the ground at once.
"Now then," said the Captain, "We need to get out of here as soon as possible, and make for the city like we're supposed to. If that battle is any clue, the defenses are holding off the Serco good but we still need to get to HQ. Should be an hour away if we travel fast, but I'm guessing we'll pass a Serco encampment or two so we should try to be a bit stealthy too, so lets call it three hours. Load up with whatever you want from the shuttle, but move fast and quiet. Smit you want anything?"
Smit groaned, still rolling on the ground. "Ice?"
"Hmm..." the Captain rummaged around in the shuttle compartments. He tossed a few items to Smit, who just let the packages hit him. "How about a spare clip and some extra food stuffs. That benefits the whole squad."
The rest of the Itani stuffed a few more supplies in their pockets before turning to the Captain. "Let's roll, should be straight north-east from here. Smit can you walk?"
"Not yet..."
The Captain turned to Lambin and gave him a nod. Lambin smiled again and took hold of one of Smit's legs, dragging him behind the other Itani as they pushed through the tall grass.
***
Two and a half hours passed before they emerged from the grass. Smit had miraculously managed to regain his feet, and now trotted a few feet behind the others. Lambin strode right beside the Captain. The private was well built with an easy going face, and held his weapon nonchalantly. The other two Itani marched behind them. The two, Marcus and Jerry, had grown up together, gone to school together, enlisted together, and gone through every training exercise and mission together. Still, an outside observer would never be able to guess that they were such close friends. Marcus was tall and muscular, with short black hair. He carried his rifle in a "ready position" so with a quick aim and squeeze he could dispatch an enemy. Jerry was much shorter than the average person, and could easily be mistaken for overweight at a distance. But up close it became apparent that his bulk was all muscle. Long sandy-blonde hair obscured his eyes; strands stuck together from the mixture of grease and sweat that would accumulate. One of Jerry's favorite parts of going on a mission was that it was an easy excuse to avoid showers. He carried his gun loosely in one hand, gesturing with it wildly whenever he spoke.
And then came Smit. Although like Marcus he was taller than most, it would be quite difficult to pick out even a single muscle on his wiry body. He held his rifle so tightly that if the squad were ambushed it would take minutes for the young Itani to free it.
Although they had emerged from the grass, the relatively thick dust-fog of Onia limited their vision to about half a mile in any direction. The squad stayed alert, and the Captain silently worried as to the total lack of Serco. It was highly unlikely that they could totally avoid all encampments, unless the Serco had broken through the Itani defenses. He half hoped that they would soon stumble upon a group of the mechanized red. Of course, he would never let his squad in on his own worries. It was a Captain's job to stay confident, and inspire his troops to be better than they were.
"Captain, do you hear that?" asked Lambin. An almost silent quiet but deep humming sound filled the air.
"No..." whispered the Captain, but he held up his hand and the Itani all stopped. "Wait, yes, yes I do." The humming slowly grew louder. "Weapons ready... and tighten up," he said, puzzled.
The Itani huddled with their backs together, each looking down their rifles' sights in a different direction. The humming grew still louder, and the Captain squinted in a vain attempt to see further in the fog.
Smit tensed, and nudged the Captain suddenly. "Cap!" he whispered. "Look up!"
A giant white trail of thrust, the kind that can only be made by a capital-sized ship moved slowly through the sky above them, just visible through the dust.
"It's going where we are... is it ours?" asked Smit tentatively.
"Can't tell. But I think we should maybe hurry."
The group started running in the direction of the ship. Suddenly the Captain heard a clanking noise just ahead of them. "Cover!" he hissed.
The Itani ducked behind the nearby boulders. But they had given up stealth in their hurry, and voices with a sickening metallic tone floated towards them.
"There is noise! We are supposed to be last group. Let us check."
From just over the top of the rocks, the Itani could see tall figures emerging from the fog. "Five," whispered the Captain. "On my shot."
He closed an eye and craned his neck to rest on the sights of the ER-18 rifle he held. For half a moment, he tracked the lead Serco, and then squeezed the trigger. The charged bullet implanted itself in the Serco's skull and did its work, destroying the enhanced brain; the Serco crumpled.
"Itani!" cried another Serco as the other four Itani squad members leaned out and started shooting. The Serco ducked behind cover of their own and blind-fired a few shots.
The Captain lobbed a grenade at the Serco before ducking back behind his rock. He pointed at Marcus and gave a swift hand signal. Marcus nodded curtly and stood up, pinning the Serco with a wave of bullets.
Just like training the Captain thought. As instructed, he lowered his head and bent low, sprinting to another boulder to the side of the Serco. He heard a yell from behind him, but like taught he kept his head down and kept on running. As the destination boulder entered his peripheral vision, he dove and rolled into cover behind it. He stood up immediately and emptied a clip at the Serco, now with a better look at them. He heard a cry and a sizzle as another shot found home, before ducking back behind the cover. The Captain closed his eyes and took a breath... everything seemed to slow down, giving him all the time he needed. As trained he opened his ammo pouch. Four inches below the hip on his right leg, square on the side. The pocket flap slid easily off the button as his hands pulled in just the right way. The rock chipped and shards flew by his head, a few cutting his ear, but the Captain did not wince. An explosion just on the other side of the boulder deafened him, but the Captain did not need to hear. He pulled the next clip from the pocket while hitting a switch to drop the empty one from his gun. He slid in the new ammo and cocked the rifle.The Captain opened his eyes again and leaned out the shattered side of the rock and saw two remaining Serco. His squad had done well, but this needed to end. He took out one of the Serco and saw the other turn back to him. It raised its gun, but a shot from one of the Itani pierced the side of his skull and erupted out the other in a shower of sparks, killing the machine at once.
The Captain blinked once and time returned to normal.
"Cap!!!" wailed Smit, but something was wrong, something more than one of Smit's hypochondriac meltdowns.. Jerry was calling too. The Captain lowered his rifle and sprinted back to his squad, sliding feet-first next to a figure on the ground. Marcus was coughing up blood, which ran down his cheek into the alarmingly large pool he was lying in. The Captain's eyes widened as he saw a sizable bullet hole through Marcus' chest.
"Stay with me, Marcus!" he yelled as the Itani's eyes slid in and out of focus. Like his teachers had shown, he opened another pocket while talking to Marcus. "One syringe full of this stuff'll stop the bleeding instantly then we can patch you up. Wait 'til you see this Marcus, it's amazing. Works instantly..." The Captain pulled out a needle and a container of yellow liquid. He filled the syringe with the liquid and deftly ripped back Marcus' shirt. The Captain saw the wound, the pulsing bleeding wound, and for the first time his hand fumbled as he lined up the needle.
"Captain!" cried Jerry as Marcus' hand seized.
The Captain's hands shook; he could not line up the syringe. Marcus' whole body writhed, splashing blood on the surrounding Itani. Finally the Captain simply jabbed the needle in, but even as he lowered the plunger injecting the medicine, Marcus stopped twisting and was still.
AD 4430
"It still hurts!" whimpered the Itani.
The Captain turned to Lambin. "Private Lambin, will you please kick Smit in his privates to take the pain away from his finger?"
"What, no!" cried Smit, while Lambin grinned and took aim.
"Sorry man, orders," he laughed before winding up and connecting foot to crotch. Smit dropped to the ground at once.
"Now then," said the Captain, "We need to get out of here as soon as possible, and make for the city like we're supposed to. If that battle is any clue, the defenses are holding off the Serco good but we still need to get to HQ. Should be an hour away if we travel fast, but I'm guessing we'll pass a Serco encampment or two so we should try to be a bit stealthy too, so lets call it three hours. Load up with whatever you want from the shuttle, but move fast and quiet. Smit you want anything?"
Smit groaned, still rolling on the ground. "Ice?"
"Hmm..." the Captain rummaged around in the shuttle compartments. He tossed a few items to Smit, who just let the packages hit him. "How about a spare clip and some extra food stuffs. That benefits the whole squad."
The rest of the Itani stuffed a few more supplies in their pockets before turning to the Captain. "Let's roll, should be straight north-east from here. Smit can you walk?"
"Not yet..."
The Captain turned to Lambin and gave him a nod. Lambin smiled again and took hold of one of Smit's legs, dragging him behind the other Itani as they pushed through the tall grass.
***
Two and a half hours passed before they emerged from the grass. Smit had miraculously managed to regain his feet, and now trotted a few feet behind the others. Lambin strode right beside the Captain. The private was well built with an easy going face, and held his weapon nonchalantly. The other two Itani marched behind them. The two, Marcus and Jerry, had grown up together, gone to school together, enlisted together, and gone through every training exercise and mission together. Still, an outside observer would never be able to guess that they were such close friends. Marcus was tall and muscular, with short black hair. He carried his rifle in a "ready position" so with a quick aim and squeeze he could dispatch an enemy. Jerry was much shorter than the average person, and could easily be mistaken for overweight at a distance. But up close it became apparent that his bulk was all muscle. Long sandy-blonde hair obscured his eyes; strands stuck together from the mixture of grease and sweat that would accumulate. One of Jerry's favorite parts of going on a mission was that it was an easy excuse to avoid showers. He carried his gun loosely in one hand, gesturing with it wildly whenever he spoke.
And then came Smit. Although like Marcus he was taller than most, it would be quite difficult to pick out even a single muscle on his wiry body. He held his rifle so tightly that if the squad were ambushed it would take minutes for the young Itani to free it.
Although they had emerged from the grass, the relatively thick dust-fog of Onia limited their vision to about half a mile in any direction. The squad stayed alert, and the Captain silently worried as to the total lack of Serco. It was highly unlikely that they could totally avoid all encampments, unless the Serco had broken through the Itani defenses. He half hoped that they would soon stumble upon a group of the mechanized red. Of course, he would never let his squad in on his own worries. It was a Captain's job to stay confident, and inspire his troops to be better than they were.
"Captain, do you hear that?" asked Lambin. An almost silent quiet but deep humming sound filled the air.
"No..." whispered the Captain, but he held up his hand and the Itani all stopped. "Wait, yes, yes I do." The humming slowly grew louder. "Weapons ready... and tighten up," he said, puzzled.
The Itani huddled with their backs together, each looking down their rifles' sights in a different direction. The humming grew still louder, and the Captain squinted in a vain attempt to see further in the fog.
Smit tensed, and nudged the Captain suddenly. "Cap!" he whispered. "Look up!"
A giant white trail of thrust, the kind that can only be made by a capital-sized ship moved slowly through the sky above them, just visible through the dust.
"It's going where we are... is it ours?" asked Smit tentatively.
"Can't tell. But I think we should maybe hurry."
The group started running in the direction of the ship. Suddenly the Captain heard a clanking noise just ahead of them. "Cover!" he hissed.
The Itani ducked behind the nearby boulders. But they had given up stealth in their hurry, and voices with a sickening metallic tone floated towards them.
"There is noise! We are supposed to be last group. Let us check."
From just over the top of the rocks, the Itani could see tall figures emerging from the fog. "Five," whispered the Captain. "On my shot."
He closed an eye and craned his neck to rest on the sights of the ER-18 rifle he held. For half a moment, he tracked the lead Serco, and then squeezed the trigger. The charged bullet implanted itself in the Serco's skull and did its work, destroying the enhanced brain; the Serco crumpled.
"Itani!" cried another Serco as the other four Itani squad members leaned out and started shooting. The Serco ducked behind cover of their own and blind-fired a few shots.
The Captain lobbed a grenade at the Serco before ducking back behind his rock. He pointed at Marcus and gave a swift hand signal. Marcus nodded curtly and stood up, pinning the Serco with a wave of bullets.
Just like training the Captain thought. As instructed, he lowered his head and bent low, sprinting to another boulder to the side of the Serco. He heard a yell from behind him, but like taught he kept his head down and kept on running. As the destination boulder entered his peripheral vision, he dove and rolled into cover behind it. He stood up immediately and emptied a clip at the Serco, now with a better look at them. He heard a cry and a sizzle as another shot found home, before ducking back behind the cover. The Captain closed his eyes and took a breath... everything seemed to slow down, giving him all the time he needed. As trained he opened his ammo pouch. Four inches below the hip on his right leg, square on the side. The pocket flap slid easily off the button as his hands pulled in just the right way. The rock chipped and shards flew by his head, a few cutting his ear, but the Captain did not wince. An explosion just on the other side of the boulder deafened him, but the Captain did not need to hear. He pulled the next clip from the pocket while hitting a switch to drop the empty one from his gun. He slid in the new ammo and cocked the rifle.The Captain opened his eyes again and leaned out the shattered side of the rock and saw two remaining Serco. His squad had done well, but this needed to end. He took out one of the Serco and saw the other turn back to him. It raised its gun, but a shot from one of the Itani pierced the side of his skull and erupted out the other in a shower of sparks, killing the machine at once.
The Captain blinked once and time returned to normal.
"Cap!!!" wailed Smit, but something was wrong, something more than one of Smit's hypochondriac meltdowns.. Jerry was calling too. The Captain lowered his rifle and sprinted back to his squad, sliding feet-first next to a figure on the ground. Marcus was coughing up blood, which ran down his cheek into the alarmingly large pool he was lying in. The Captain's eyes widened as he saw a sizable bullet hole through Marcus' chest.
"Stay with me, Marcus!" he yelled as the Itani's eyes slid in and out of focus. Like his teachers had shown, he opened another pocket while talking to Marcus. "One syringe full of this stuff'll stop the bleeding instantly then we can patch you up. Wait 'til you see this Marcus, it's amazing. Works instantly..." The Captain pulled out a needle and a container of yellow liquid. He filled the syringe with the liquid and deftly ripped back Marcus' shirt. The Captain saw the wound, the pulsing bleeding wound, and for the first time his hand fumbled as he lined up the needle.
"Captain!" cried Jerry as Marcus' hand seized.
The Captain's hands shook; he could not line up the syringe. Marcus' whole body writhed, splashing blood on the surrounding Itani. Finally the Captain simply jabbed the needle in, but even as he lowered the plunger injecting the medicine, Marcus stopped twisting and was still.
Woo update! I sure hate seeing this story get to the second page of RP forums...
So I think the next update may continue with this group. There's an important plot point I was trying to reach before switching back to Derek Tenz, but poor Marcus' death turned out to be much more dramatic and post-ending than I had originally anticipated.
It kind of surprised me, but it was actually kind of hard to write this death. Here's a completely undeveloped character that I didn't even have a name for until about an hour ago (until then I had typed INSERT_NAME wherever his name was referenced), but once I got to the death thing I just kind of felt... bad. I've never experienced anything like this before, but it was actually sort of difficult to type the last line where he kicks the bucket.
And then I rewrote it to flow better.
And then a third time right before I clicked "Post"
Anyway, I hope this was as moving for all my loyal readers (yes, both of you!) to read as it was to write, although I'm sure not. But that's okay, writing is about writing, not the reception (, says Smittens as he goes on IM to prod upper case into reading this). Expect a shorter update sometime soon to bring the story up to my originally intended plot-break.
So I think the next update may continue with this group. There's an important plot point I was trying to reach before switching back to Derek Tenz, but poor Marcus' death turned out to be much more dramatic and post-ending than I had originally anticipated.
It kind of surprised me, but it was actually kind of hard to write this death. Here's a completely undeveloped character that I didn't even have a name for until about an hour ago (until then I had typed INSERT_NAME wherever his name was referenced), but once I got to the death thing I just kind of felt... bad. I've never experienced anything like this before, but it was actually sort of difficult to type the last line where he kicks the bucket.
And then I rewrote it to flow better.
And then a third time right before I clicked "Post"
Anyway, I hope this was as moving for all my loyal readers (yes, both of you!) to read as it was to write, although I'm sure not. But that's okay, writing is about writing, not the reception (, says Smittens as he goes on IM to prod upper case into reading this). Expect a shorter update sometime soon to bring the story up to my originally intended plot-break.
LOL. Awesomeness Smittens. Gotta remember the groin kick trick on my troopers.
Sad that enhanced Serco troopers are unable to detect the presence of Itani better than that.
It's a damn shame alright.