Starship Troopers: Havoc of Z-75

"Sir we are receiving a distress signal from Z-75"

"Put it on speaker"

"...Horst...Mobile Infantry, requesting...tance...contact"

Heavy static follows and then the message starts up again

"Have you run it through the filters?"

"Yes sir, the message stays like that no matter how much we enhance it"

The officer sighed, he could not make any report based on a broken transmission, but it was clear that something has gone wrong on Z-75

"You tried to hail them and got no response?"

"Yes sir, that is why we called you in, we can't write a full report from this"

"Write a report of what you can and record the message, I'll hand it to Major Paxon and let her decide"

"Yes sir"

The officer waited while his orders was carried out, then with ledger in hand he hurried to the Major's office two floors up. Due to the urgency of the matter he stood in the Major's office ten minutes after his arrival along with Lieutenant Diron, Intelligence

"This is all that we have Lieutenant Stevens?"

"Yes sir, that is all"

"Diron, what assets do we have close enough to Z-75?"

"Sir we have MI unit 7 and MI unit 15 on routine patrols in that sector"

"Isn't unit 7 traveling with Marauders?"

"That is correct sir"

"Stevens order units 7 and 15 to land the Mobile Infantry units on the ground to find and secure MI 28 and any other assets"

"Sir, yes sir"

The officer saluted and hurried out of the office, an hour after the distress signal have been received, the CO's of MI units 7 and 15 had orders to land troops on a farming colony planet named Z-75 and to help their comrades in arms, the marines of MI 28.

Upon deployment of the drop ships something seemed wrong, but it was when the ships hit the atmosphere that the real problems came to the front. Huge parts of the hull was ripped open by the buffeting winds of their descend and had the marines scurrying for their containment suits. Most of the marines made it, but most of the suits was damaged as well, as the drop ships was on auto pilot for the descend, no pilots was needed and the remaining marines from the two drop ships landed without further incident. Staff sergeant Robert Kilord suddenly found himself in command, something he was not really ready to do yet.

Daniel Regenram

Name: Daniel "Thunder" Regenram
Speciality: Heavy Machinegunner
Position: Z-75 - MI7 dropship

Daniel opened the hatch and ripped off the mask for his containment suit

"What the fuck just happened?"

The voice of Corporal Heyes spoke up

"Seems like we got hit, but there was no impact"

Daniel turned back to the interior and started to inspect the hull then he turned to inspect on of the dead Marines in a containment suit. It didn't make sense, if they got hit there would have been more extensive damage, this looked more like it was planned. He got out of his containment suit and strapped on his helmet

"What do we do now Corporal?"

"I'm not sure...move out?"

Daniel grunted

"Sir I think we should contact HQ first and let them know what happened"

"Ah yes, let's do that"

Daniel shook his head and picked up his rifle, here and there some of the Marines was moving, but he lost quite a number of good friends today. He stepped out of drop ship, his weapon at the ready, he noticed that MI15's dropship was nearby and he cautiously moved closer and banged on the door

"Is there survivors in there?"

Name: Kerrigan 'Stitch' Syphers
Specialty: Field Medic
Position:Z-75- MI7

She had barely managed to get a containment suit on and had to watch as others who weren't so lucky perished. Kerrigan watched the behemoth nicknamed Thunder open the hatch and exit the shuttle. She realized there was nothing she could do for the dead, any survivors were up and about. She pulled off her containment suit and grabbed an assault rifle before heading out to follow him to the MI15.

"God dammit what the hell was that?" She blurted out, furious about those who had died without any chance for her to help them. Her question was answered as the Corporal and Thunder spoke amongst themselves but none of it made sense to her.

"Some rescue mission this is turning out to be. Who's even in charge now? All I see are privates and you Corporal." She looked around the planet, holding the assault rifle awkwardly hoping there wouldn't be an immediate need for her to use it.

Daniel Regenram

Name: Daniel "Thunder" Regenram
Speciality: Heavy Machinegunner
Position: Z-75 - MI15 dropship

He grinned as Stitch asked Heyes who was in charge, he for one hoped that MI15 fared a bit better, but the lack of Marine deployment had him thinking that they were faring just as bad or even worse than MI7

"Stitch, keep your eyes peeled, I don't want some bug to crawl up my ass while I'm trying to establish contact with..."

Just then the door to MI15's drop ship hissed open

Name: Pvt. "Lester" Bowville
Speciality: Electronics Tech
Position: Z-75 - MI15 dropship

"Sonofabitch!"

Bowville half-staggered down the dropship's troop ramp and straight past Thunder, the butt of his Morita pressed to his shoulder. "Bad enough we're stuck on some jerkwater farm planet, then some Fleet dipshit forgets to program the autopilot for inclement weather!"

He straightened his crooked tactical helmet, took in the rolling fields and MI-7's dropship and looked over his shoulder into the dropship's troop bay. "No sign o' hostiles, Boss."

Bowville lowered his rifle and sauntered over to the troopers from MI-7. "Hey Stitch! Stitch, what you reckon those twits from 28 just found 'mselves some willin' local company, know what I'm sayin'?"

Name: Kerrigan 'Stitch' Syphers
Specialty: Field Medic
Position:Z-75- MI15

"Sir yes sir." She sarcastically replied to Thunder keeping both eyes peeled, not that it would matter. A bug had crawled up and died in Thunders ass a long time ago, any they found on this planet would have to fight that bug before they could move in. Her eyes turned back to the drop ship when it's hatch opened.

"Hey Stitch! Stitch, what you reckon those twits from 28 just found 'mselves some willin' local company, know what I'm sayin'?"

She looked at him with an 'are you serious?' sort of glare before lowering her gun.

"What I reckon is, if we don't get our asses moving there aren't going to be any people from the 28 to tell us." She tended to get cranky when soldiers died around her. She wanted to save everyone and despite the unrealistic nature of that mandate she held to it as if it were possible.

Oblivious to the fact that he was yet again demonstrating why his drill instructor at boot had written "If it were possible, I'd order Bowville undergo liposuction for his ego." in his final evaluation, Lester reared back a little. "Eeesh, Stitch, just tryin' to make conversation."

Lester turned to Regenram - well, Regenram's chest, which was at eye level with Lester. "Damn! Thunder, didn't see you there. Little guy, always sneakin' up on - people..."

He leaned, looking past Thunder at the state of the two dropships. "Oh, holy shit! That weren't no storm up there. The fuck happened?"

Daniel Regenram

Name: Daniel "Thunder" Regenram
Speciality: Heavy Machinegunner
Position: Z-75 - MI15 dropship

Daniel cocked an eyebrow at the chattering of Lester, why of all the good troopers did this one have to survive? Probably because they will need him as bug bait

"You can kiss me if I know Lester, but I can speculate that our ships and gear have been sabotaged"

He lifted his machinegun so that it pointed skyward

"I say we set up a defensive position, take stock of who and what we have available and let HQ know what the heck just happened"

"I'll be giving the orders Private"

Daniel rolled his eyes, so hell did exist and allowed Staff sergeant Robert Kilord to survive

"Sir yes sir, sorry sir"

Staff Sergeant Kilord was struggling to adjust the chin strap for his helmet

"Set up a defensive perimeter let's have a body count of who and what we have available"

He gave Lester a flat, unfriendly look

"And you...mouth from the south, check on the communications gear and get a call through to HQ"

Daniel grumbled something unpleasant as he walked away to check on the rest of MI7's Marines

Name: Rachael "Ghost" Agymen
Speciality: Long Range. - Sniper.
Position: Mobile Infantry - Orbital Drop Shock Trooper

Slamming into the restraint harness, Rachael snarled. She hated this shit. Be a lot better if someone just gave her a jump pack and a piece of gum to chew on before she started killing bugs. But today was not the day for her. First thing this morning she found out her food was cold. Second her brother was getting married (to a fugly whore bitch), and then. THEN. She found out she wasn’t gonna have many chances to pop some skulls with .50 rounds.

The ship rocked again and her skull spanged off the framework, red blister lights flashing as breaches sounded. Cursing everyone and everything she could dream of She snapped the release and shrugged into the Evac suits. Unless it got punctured she was safe, at least until the oxygen supply ran out. Or some stupid fuck made a pass at her…

****

Groaning. Her eyes fluttering opening, Rachael felt like she’d been pile driven by a freighter. Or like a bug had decided to have her as a cushion, and had sat on her. Hitting the release, she fell forward as the sunlight shone down upon her. Grabbing her weapon she glanced at the internal readouts, verifying that the planetary atmosphere was at least survivable, even if it wasn’t the most pleasant.

Looking around she spied the rest of the survivors and moved towards them, her helmet still in place. She’d wait and see if anyone started feeling weird or mutating. Then she’d be smug in her suit. Or she’d give it a few minutes. Caution was always a good friend.

(OOC: Do you want us to post our name, specialty and current position each post? I can understand position but do we need name and specialty every time? Just wondering.)

Name: Kerrigan 'Stitch' Syphers
Specialty: Field Medic
Position: MI15 drop ship

"Sir shouldn't we have some Marauders or something? From the size of our casualties we're basically sitting ducks if any bugs decide to creep over these hills. Sir." Stitch was anxious to get moving find the 28 and get the hell off this planet, setting up a perimeter here was fine but if they stayed too long they might be staring at their grave. Before the Staff Sergeant had an opportunity to answer she heard a soldier screaming as if he'd been torn apart by an arachnid. He stumbled out of the dropship. He had several lacerations which must have occurred after they passed the atmosphere considering he was still alive but despite his screams of agony they were far from the worst she'd seen.

"Sit down private Banks let me take a look at those wounds." She basically forced him to the ground, dropping her gun and pulling off her backpack full of medical supplies.

"Just a few scratches, nothing fatal so stop screaming you're drawing attention." She jabbed him in the arm with an injector full of morphine, not giving him much option to object.

"This is gonna hurt." She said more as a warning before pulling a small spray canister out and blasting the wounds with a white aerosol substance which began to bubble on impact. He flinched and tried to move but she forced him back down.

"Stay still and let me do my damn job." She pulled out her needle and began to stitch the wounds, three in total each ranging between four and six inches. The morphine was kicking in and he settled allowing her to close up the wounds. Happy with her work she slapped on some cloth bandages to protect from further infection and helped him to his feet.

"Here take this." She said handing him her assault rifle after noticing he didn't have one on him.

"Just be careful or you'll rip the stitches out." She finally softened her tone a little, having had a patient she could finally fix. It was like a long drag off a cigarette killing her urge and relaxing her if only a little. She ducked into the shuttle and snatched another gun, this time a shotgun and took position near Banks on the south end of the perimeter.

"Chknsht", Lester mumbled at the Staff Sergeant's retreating back, then, turning, said to Regenram, "Oh, and my Daddy told me never kiss a boy on the-"

Regenram's towering form was already several yards away, heading back to MI-7's shuttle.

"First date."

Ohh-kay. First things first. Orders were get a comlink established with HQ, and Mrs. Bowville's darling boy would oblige. He took a breath of the stuff that passed for atmosphere on this mud-ball - Gotta revise my opinion about the two-eight; no sane human could think about knockin' boots while breathing this shit - then a flicker of movement in the grasses caught his eye.

His Morita was up at his shoulder before he could think - then, looking down the sights, he realised the approaching figure was a trooper, one he recognised (not that the extended barrel of her "Hawkeye" long rifle wasn't a big hint).

"Shhh-it, Ghost! Will you not do that to a boy?" That's it, smartass, yell at the trained sniper. "Please?"

He lowered his rifle and walked over to her. "Thought I was first out of our boat anyway. You all in one piece?"

Name: Rachael "Ghost" Agymen
Specialty: Long Range. - Sniper.
Position: Mobile Infantry - Orbital Drop Shock Trooper

Walking over the crest of the hill Ghost watched the group for a moment before she headed down to them.

"Shhh-it, Ghost! Will you not do that to a boy?" That's it, smartass, yell at the trained sniper. "Please?"

He lowered his rifle and walked over to her. "Thought I was first out of our boat anyway. You all in one piece?"

Checking her suits external analysis once more, and finally satisfied that the readings were correct, she reached up and released her helmet, taking a breath of what passed for breathable atmosphere.

Turning her head she looked at the other trooper, saying nothing, just looking at him with a cold expressionless gaze. A gaze that named her. She was a ghost. A solid body with no soul.

Turning away she looked around, spotting the higher points around the squad, selecting the best locations to fire from. Resting her weapon in a safe position she slipped from her bulky suit, it would encumber her motion to much later, later when it came time to kill bugs, or anything else.

Standing in the glossy black skinsuit she gestured to the highest location, and headed out. From there they could possibly obtain a radio transmission point, and it made it nearly impossible for bugs to get to them. Well, except the fliers.

Lester stood there in the grass for a second, four, ten, after Ghost walked past him. Finally, he swallowed and turned his head. Still walking away from him. Okay. That's good. That's fine. Just... keep walkin', Ghost. Keeeeep walkin'.

He moved his suddenly-unsteady feet, heading back to the downed MI-15 dropship. That look had given him the willies.

Sergeant Nauri rose from her crouch next to a wounded trooper as he entered the ship. "How we doing, Lester?"

"We're okay, Boss. Extensive damage to both our drop ships, not that that weren't obvious. Seven hit ground. Casualties, coupla losses, but Stitch is doin what she can. Ahhh... Hate to break it to you, Boss, but Kilord of Seven is ranking officer. He's settin' up a defensive perimeter."

"I take it you got a problem with that, Private?"

"Other 'n the fact he's a chickenshit, Boss, I guess not."

Nauri shrugged. "He give you anything to do?"

"Uh, yeah. Get the comm working, try and raise the Buford."

A smile played at the corners of Nauri's lips. "Think I like him already. You got your orders, Bowville. Make sure these dumb shits" - she motioned at the injured 15th troopers lying on the deck - "don't go anywhere, okay?

"Everybody else, muster out on the bounce! We got a perimeter to reinforce!"

Lester watched as the handful of troopers headed out through the troop hatch, then did a quick inventory - yep, what backpack comm untis they had were screwed - and climbed up the metal ladder to the dropship's flight deck. For once, he was glad of the autopilot; from the damage to the deck, it had saved him from having to wipe the gore from what would have been left of the Fleet pilots off the controls.

The comm unit was busted; it took him a few minutes to replace a couple of relays and test the circuits' integrity, but finally the little green light that indicated a working system flickered on.

Then a red-light flickered on next to it. The orbital antenna. The ship didn't have one any more.

Lester pounded the panel. Great. A working radio and no way to send a signal to orbit.

Movement on a nearby ridge caught his eye. Lester squinted through the cockpit's forward viewport. Was that...?

He pulled a pair of binoculars from a thigh pouch. Yep, it Ghost, in nothing but a tight, black skinsuit, and she was -

Damn, Ghost, I take back all the mean things I've ever thought about you. Well, okay, half. You've got the sweetest portable comm relay unit I've ever laid eyes on!

Lester keyed in a command sequence and held down a button labelled "SYNC". The red light turned green. He picked up a handset, keyed in the uplink frequency. "This is Mike-Indigo Oner-Five calling Tango Foxtrot Charlie Tango Oner-Two-Seven. I say again, this is MI-15 calling Corvette Transport John Buford. Do you read me, Buford?"

Static. Shit.

"This is MI-15 calling Corvette Transport John Buford. Buford, are you receiving, over?"

More static. Then a woman's voice, calm and clear: "Mike-Indigo Oner-Five, this is the John Buford. Receiving you loud and clear. We tracked your landing. Didn't look good. What's your status, over?"

Lester slumped in the pilot's chair. "Damn glad to be hearing your voice is my status, Lady Fleet. Other 'n that, yep, we hit hard. Major mechanical malfunction on board both landing boats during drop. Several casualties, a good deal fatal, 'cludin' Lieutenants Riley and Holman. Staff Sergeant Kilord of Seven is ranking CO. We're settin' up a defensive perimiter now, but my guess is Seven and Fifteen're at twenty-five percent combat effectiveness, thirty-five if we're lucky."

"Sorry to hear it, Fifteen. Stand by." Silence for maybe ten seconds. "Fifteen, continue as you are. We'll do what we can for you up here, which isn't much. Tell Sergeant Kilord to call in once he's done establishing the perimter. Over and out."

"Acknowledged, Buford. Thank you. Fifteen out."

Name: Castel "Specter" Hawk
Specialty: Spec Ops - Recon
Position: Hell if I know.

Specter glanced around at the few remaining survivors. He had a bad feeling about this. He looked down at his helmet. He could see his reflection in the full face, one way visor. His armor was of a special variety. It was black, of course, but was of a much lighter variety than the standard marine armor. Not nearly as bulky, and it doesn't restrict movement. He pulled his helmet back on and picked up his Hawkeye rifle. He sighted down the scope to ensure there was no damage. None that he could see. He pulled out the magazine, checked the rounds, and then replaced it. Time to move.

He looked around briefly before moving to a high spire near the drop zone. He scanned the surrounding area. No sign of movement, and no sign of hostiles. No sign of the base, either. He crouched down and stopped moving. He turned into basically a statue, and only his eyes moved, scanning the area constantly. He would most likely stay up there until the group moved on.

(Sorry for the short post. Not much for me to do, really.)

Daniel Regenram

Name: Daniel "Thunder" Regenram
Speciality: Heavy Machinegunner
Position: Z-75 - Field Perimeter

Daniel have found surviving Marines who wasn't actually planning to kill Kilord at that exact moment

"Hey Thunder, must hurt to take orders from a guy six years your junior?"

Daniel just grunted

"Sarge wants us to set up a perimeter, get your asses in gear, if what ever made 28 send out a distress signal gets a whiff of us we are sitting ducks"

He ducked back out and almost bumped into Kilord, he leaned in and whispered

"Syphers asked if we shouldn't request for Marauder units, what do you think Private?"

Daniel gritted his teeth first and then replied

"Sir, at the time I doubt that it is a good idea, we have lost a lot of Marines already, our defensive position is shaky at best and it's obvious that our craft have been tampered with"

He looked as he noticed movement and saw a black clad figure slip away from the ships heading for higher ground

"We could use the firepower from the Marauders, but what if they have been tampered with as well? We would lose more Marines and equipment"

He knew that he was leading Kilord like a new born puppy by the nose, but if he came right out and said it, Kilord would try and reprimand them again. Kilord seemed to think a bit and then a sort of understanding came to his eyes

"What if we asked them to do a full inspection of the Marauders before sending them down?"

Daniel smiled to himself, not allowing it to show though

"I think that would work perfectly sir"

Kilord turned around and headed back towards the MI 15 dropship, probably to go give Lester some shit, Daniel shrugged and moved out, other Marines joining him shortly as they start to set up a standard perimeter.

"Hey Thunder, I hear that you would have made Major by now"

"Yeah, but each time we get to base he punched the officer that promoted him"

The tale is well known and everybody chuckles about it, Daniel just shakes his head and grins

"Look lively guys and girls"

He spoke into his comm unit

"Do we have any eyes?"

He knew there was snipers and recons in the two units, but if they made it through he didn't know

Name: Tali 'Talon' Turaan
Speciality: Specialist. Intelligence/diversion/demolition

Position: Drop pod


The incident upon entry into the planets atmosphere had interrupted a very important part of Private Tali Turaan's day. Sleep time. She had been working out all that morning, and spent a good portion of the time before the crash working on her rifle and gear. Perhaps that was why when the emergency evacuation orders had sounded she was disorientated for a moment, and then confident a few seconds later. She had ripped open her locker after dragging her sluggish ass off the bunk, shouldered her webbing and pack and slipped one hand under her helmet and the other around her rifle before quickly making it to one of the last pods.

But when she woke up on the ground of the planet, everything was spinning for what seemed like ages. To those who could see her, still strapped into her suit and restrained by the chair she had gained a rather impressive welt and bruise over her left eye. It had occurred prior to sitting down, having been jostled into a wall of the ship. She spent a few more minutes disorientated before stepping out of the pod and scanning her surroundings. She turned toward somewhat fuzzy outlines and voices. Friendly if not annoyed voices. Tali would go there.

Stripping out of the suit, and dumping the helmet on the ground she felt around inside the drop pod for the cargo compartment she had put her gear into. It hissed as the thumped her fist into it from frustration. And pulled her second skin out and slipped it over her shoulders, clipping it tightly. Next was her helmet and then finally her rifle.

She walked over to the rest of the group, her steps heavy and off balance. Her rifle shouldered but lowered. The world was still a little blurry through her left eye, but she had pretty good vision out of the right. Just not the greatest depth perception just yet.

"I know they wanted to put us through more drills on our evacuation times, but shit man...going a bit far aren't they?" Her entrance was not sneaky or unseen, in fact on reaching the group she had tripped on the dirt and floundered a second before correcting herself. A loud sigh escaped her lips realizing just how wiped she felt.

"Where should I be? Sir."

"I'm guessing you don't need anything blown up yet?" Her question was posed as she patted the waist pouches attached to her harness and pack, she carried her usual portion of high explosives and detonators.

Name: Pvt. "Lester" Bowville
Speciality: Electronics Tech
Position: Z-75 - MI15 dropship

"Bowville. Any luck?"

Kilord was walking toward him, a black carry-bag in one hand.

"You got it, Sarge. Solid uplink to the Buford. Fleet wants to talk to you a-sap."

"Hm. Exceptional work for you, Bowville. Here." The sergeant handed the private the bag. "Seismic sensors. These'll let us know whether any Bugs are digging their way toward us. I want ten metre intervals, fifty-metre radius from the ships. Work your way in from the north-east; Regenram's team is coming in from the south-west. Do you get me, Private?"

Bowville tried hard to stop rolling his eyes. "Ten metre interval, fifty radius, nor-east start. Affirmative, Sarge." He turned to walk away.

"Oh, and Bowville?"

"Yes, Sarge?"

"Remember: The pointy end? Goes into the ground." Kilord smirked and walked toward MI-15's dropship.

"Yeah, fuck you too, Sarge," Lester mumbled and trudged off.

Ten minutes later, he was still working, deep in his own private pity party. Why is this miserable hole an agrarian resource? Fuckin' soil's dryer and tighter than my first girlfriend; gotta hit these damned sensors so hard I'm almost breakin' 'em jus to get 'em placed.

He hit the initialise switch on the one he'd just planted, got up, plodded another ten metres, pulled the soft-head mallet and another sensor spike from the bag (which he let drop to the ground), then knelt down, placed the spike and raised the hammer.

Thwack.

Thwack.

FROOOOOOMPFF! The ground in front of Bowville exploded, showering him in dirt, as a massive, clawed shape tore its way up from below. He screamed and fell backwards square on his ass, fumbling for his Morita.

Oh look! Some part of his brain said brightly. I hadn't even planted the sensor, let alone turned it on, and it's already detected a Bug! Ain't modern technology just amazing? The rest of him was trying to juggle getting to his feet and firing the Morita, neither of which he was doing particularly well.

The Warrior Bug screech-snarled amid the hail of bullets and advanced on Lester, who gave up on walking and settled for scrambling backward, one hand still firing the Morita. Aimforthenervestem aimforthenervestem aimforthenervestem...

"Bowville!" Kilord's voice sounded in his headset. "Quit making that racket on an open channel! What part of standard comm protocol do you not under-"

"FedNet newsbreak, Kilord! Bug incursion on the perimter! Wouldja like to know more?"

Name: Kerrigan 'Stitch' Syphers
Specialty: Field medic
Position: Field perimeter

Hearing shots fired and the screams of Lester the young doctor looked over to Banks.

"Cover this spot, I'll be back." She said before bursting into a sprint. When she arrived Lester was firing semi-wildly at the warrior bug who seemed to be oblivious to her arrival. Using that to her advantage she walked casually up to it and in one swift move planted her gun at the nerve stem and plugged a shotgun round right into it. The bug dropped motionless to the ground and Stitch casually replaced another round in her shotgun. She then walked over to Lester offering a hand to help him up. Unlike many she was not afraid, not that it wasn't frightening but she accepted she was going to get ripped apart eventually, that firm knowledge that she was already dead allowed her the freedom from herself to do what was necessary. Keep a calm demeanor and perform her job to prolong other MI's lives.

Just as she leaned to help Lester up she heard another scream, this time back from where she came from. Again she burst into a run until she got back to the line seeing multiple MI's fire at a bug who was dragging Banks away from the perimeter.

"Son of a bitch. Kill him!" She yelled, not wanting to see her previous work on the private wasted. She charged at the bug firing shots as fast as she could while it tore up Banks, gore flying everywhere everything from one of his hands to an entire leg before finally the MI's behind her took the bug down. She arrived at Banks to see him still alive but bleeding out of every place imaginable. One of his eyes had been scratched out leaving only his one eye to look up at her. She knew she couldn't fix him but dragged him back to the perimeter anyway.

"Just hang in there private, I'll get you patched up." She lied hearing him mumble about not wanting to die, it touched her right where it hurt. The humanity.

"Just... hang in there." Now safely behind the perimeter she ripped some cloth off his uniform and tied off his leg and arm where it had been severed to slow the bleeding. His one remaining leg she propped up on her knee to stop blood from flowing there. She quickly bandaged his face and slammed an adrenaline shot in his chest. His stomach had been punctured several times as well, it was amazing he'd lived his long. She was elbow deep in blood, her face, clothes, everything. There was more blood on her than likely left in the privates but she wouldn't stop working until he stopped breathing.

Name: Rachael "Ghost" Agymen
Specialty: Long Range. - Sniper.
Position: Mobile Infantry - Orbital Drop Shock Trooper

The screams over her comnet made her blink, her Barret M82A1 shifting angle as she selected her targets. A gentle pull of her finger and a neurocore imploded. Shift and pull. Shift and pull.

Taking them down one at a time was gonna take too long, and run them out of ammo. So she shifted targets. Racking out the shell she placed a black tipped round in the chamber. Racking it in place she sighted on the tanker bug that was rounding the ridge, heading for the remainder of the squads.

She took a deep breath and let it out, the barrel settled in place and she fired. The round screamed through the air, punching through the tankers carapace armour and deep into the plasma core of the foul bug.

A chain reaction ripped through the creature, glassing a two hundred meter area around it, and a good two dozen bugs.

Shifting her sight once more she ticked the trigger and watched as a flier dropped from the sky, it’s intended target unaware of their own near death experience.

Name: Tali 'Talon' Turaan
Speciality: Specialist. Intelligence/diversion/demolition

Position: Defending perimeter

Tali Turaan had been in the process of sitting down on the ground when the first bug made it's attack. Of course the 'enemy engaged' sounds kicked her into overdrive and the splitting headache and foggy vision crisped up nicely. Jogging rather roughly over to partner off with another trooper, she shouldered her rifle and scoped out the area directly in front of her. There was yet to be any significant attack made on this part of the perimeter, but across the way she could hear lots of gunfire. But she didn't turn around to gawk at the scene. Her job was to not let anything get through this line.

For several seconds nothing happened, it was quiet and not even the wind seemed to be blowing. She felt uneasy. That was when the ground directly in front of them began to shake and vibrate. Tali felt it in her bones, and raised herself from the knee she had been resting on. Soon the ground erupted and a swarm of bugs made their way up out of it.

"Direct fire on the hole...block it!" she yelled out loudly. "Fire!"

The guy beside her did as she said, ripping a few bugs apart...more replaced them.

"Hold," she ordered, not having much authority, but just the urgency of not wanting the line to break showed the importance of this call. She pulled a canister off her webbing and slammed it into the grenade chamber of her battle rifle. Cocking it back she aimed at the center bug in the hole, fired and watched as about six bugs exploded into pieces.

Without pausing she ripped another canister off her webbing, twisted the top until it started to beep and lobbed it through the air down the hole. A few seconds later and a much more powerful explosion erupted. Sending dirt and grit flying through the air like a geyser. More ground collapsed in, but it stopped the bugs for a while.

"Sir, we have tunnels all over the place!" Her voice carried well, "there looks to be a rock formation behind us, but our perimeter is closing up fast. Sir." She was never one for formalities, but if adding his title gave her words a bit more punch, she didn't hesitate.

Just keep one way open...for the love of god.

She tried to stop her mind from imagining the ground directly under her being a tunnel with a mass of bugs just waiting to spring the trap. Unlucky landing spot. The ground over to the right about three hundred meters exploded, and she dropped to a knee quickly out of shock. Her eyes widened, the bruised one watering from the effort. Tanker!

Name: Pvt. "Lester" Bowville
Speciality: Electronics Tech
Position: Z-75 - Defending perimeter

Lester's eyes were glued to the snapping jaws of the Warrior; he didn't notice Stitch march up behind the monster. He did notice, though, when its lower thorax blew apart from the shotgun blast, splattering him with green ichor.

He blinked. Stitch was standing over him, offering her hand. "Thanks-"

A distant scream, and she bolted without a backward glance.

Well, that was nice. Still, a field medic's work is never done, huh?

Lester got to his feet, slapped a fresh magazine into his rifle and braced it properly, then walked forward to regard the hole the Bug had emerged from. Strange how there was only one. He pulled a grenade, tossed it down then made to double-time it back to the ships.

Oh shit. This place is crawling! He saw Stitch and her squad tear up another Bug, loud cracks as Bugs fell to Ghost's cannon, Bugs rending troopers alive. Then...

Awwww, please, no. “Any troopers near the western ridge,” he yelled into his comm. “Tanker Bug and escorts movin' up! Somebody whiskey tango FOXTROT?!” Lester shielded his eyes as the lumbering Tanker Bug and its accompanying Warriors vanished in a hungry fireball.

He resumed his sprint. He'd heard rumours about some new micro-plasma-fusion-thing explosive in a twenty-mike shell, but he'd thought they were bullshit. What else did Ghost have tucked inside that skinsuit of hers?

Heh. Try finding out, young Lawrence, she'll probably cut your hand off. Then your balls. Then she'll start hurtin' you.

Shadows flickered across him, and he looked up to spot a diving wing of Hopper Bugs approach the main encampment. One tumbled out of the air – Ghost again, no doubt – and the others peeled away, too quickly for him to draw a bead on.

Then the other Tanker crawled its way out of the ground some three hundred metres away.

Two Tankers, a wing of Hoppers and at least one swarm of Warriors? For fuck's sake, he his motley band of troopers weren't that important!

Weren't they?

Bowville changed course, sprinting back toward the MI-15 dropship and pounding up its ramp. He began ransacking the munitions lockers. There's gotta be a Javelin anna coupla nuke warheads in here somewhere... Yes! He rushed to the reinforced locker. No! It had a security keypad and he sure as shit didn't have the authorisation to open it.

“... say again, I am declaring romeo delta delta delta! I need a fire mission on our coordinates a-sap!” Kilord. He was still up in the cockpit. He'd have the code!

Lester was up the ladder like a monkey. “Kilord! Get off the horn and unlock the fuckin' Javelin! We gotta kill a Tanker!”

“Shut up, Private,” Kilord said, his face pale and covered in sweat. “We need the Buford's orbital artillery -”

“Which'll still take two minutes to get here! We'll be Bug food by then! Get-” Another pattern of shadows flitted across the ship's forward view port. He looked up, then down at the co-pilot's seat. “Nemmind.” He sat down next to Kilord, pressed a sequence of keys and grabbed a joystick to the right of the main flight controls. With a whine, the dropship's point defence guns began to track the airborne Hoppers.

Bowville moved the stick and the crosshair reticle on the viewport slid right. Any second now and them chiggers will... The Hoppers folded their wings and dove toward a knot of MI – and Lester pulled the trigger.

The guns roared, tracer fire filled the air and the wing of Hoppers were pulped before they could reach their targets. “Okay, ugly,” Lester murmured as he re-oriented the guns toward the Tanker. “Let's give you a little somethin' to think about.”

The tracers tore through the air. The Tanker bellowed and the odd spray of orange goo leapt from its body, but the cannon fire was mostly ineffectual. Still, the gargantuan Bug's attention was off the infantry closest to it.

“Come on, dumb-ass, right this way,” Lester snarled.

“Lester, what're you doing?!?” Kilord yelped. “That thing's coming for us now!”

“Just a suggestion, sir,” Lester replied, “but maybe if someone went below and got the Javelin launcher? Oh, and sir? The business end? Toward the Bugs.”

Name: Castel "Specter" Hawk
Specialty: Spec Ops - Recon
Position: Perimeter Outskirts

Specter raised his rifle as more and more bugs started crawling out of the ground. He sighted and the barrel moved as he tracked various targets. He squeezed the trigger and a nerve stem exploded. The barrel moved. Another stem. And another. And another. And add a few more to that. A tanker appeared some distance off and was almost immediately taken out by the other sniper with the specialty round. Interesting that she got her hands on those. He didn't have any himself. He had the armor.

He noticed the second tanker appear and then get pelted by point defense rounds. It only seemed to piss the beast off and get his attention. Which, Specter assumed, was the whole point. He squeezed the trigger again. Another warrior down. He changed the angle and squeezed the trigger. A hopper fell from the sky. Another followed, and another followed that. They finally caught wind of his position and started to fly towards him. He squeezed off another few rounds before they reached him.

He stepped over the edge and began sliding down the side of the slope. He raised his rifle as he slid down in a half crouch and continued taking down warriors assaulting the forward defense post. He shifted angle as he slid and took down several more. He hit the ground, rolled to his feet, and snapped off another shot as he moved toward the line. He fired again and another dropped. Shift and another down. He put a round through the nerve stem of one of the warriors that had taken down an MI. He stopped at the main MI group and dropped to a crouch. He raised his rifle and fired off shots, each one hitting home in a nerve stem.

Daniel Regenram

Name: Daniel "Thunder" Regenram
Speciality: Heavy Machinegunner
Position: Z-75 - Field Perimeter

Suddenly all hell broke loose as Daniel was trying to set up the perimeter on his side, he looked on as warrior bugs started to crawl out of the ground, the first Tanker exploded, taking more warriors with it, but the second Tanker was something that needed more intense and immediate attention. They were in dire peril as it seems that they were on top of a warren, there was no COs giving orders

"We're on a godamn warren, fall back! Get to the rock formations!"

Shortly after his shout he heard the cannons from MI-15's drop ship opening fire, he looked and saw that it was Lester sitting next to Kilord in the cockpit

"Good work kid"

He glanced at the tanker and leveled his machine gun at the Warrior bugs surrounding it, he opened fire, the heavy depleted uranium rounds punching through their armor like it was tin, he laughed as the machine gun ripped through the ranks of warrior bugs

"Fall back godamnit! Somebody get hold of a Javelin and blow that fuckin' thing to kingdom come!"

He was slowly falling back, sweeping his fire from one side of the perimeter to the other side, giving the other MI's time to fall back towards the rock formations

Name: Kerrigan 'Stitch' Syphers
Specialty: Field Medic
Position: Rock formation

The man was geysering blood but he was still breathing and so long as he was she wouldn't give up on him. She remained fully attentive to her patient while chaos erupted around her even when the first tanker blew up she barely spared it a glance. It was only when Thunder started calling people to fallback that she took notice. she slung her shotgun in her belt and hefted the man up on her shoulders in a fireman's carry.

"Don't worry Banks, I won't leave you for these bastards." She knew she wouldn't receive a reply but knew from his one remaining hand gripping her tightly that he was thankful of her persistence in keeping him alive. She fell in behind Thunder, even in the Fireman's carry she was weighed down heavily by the man who must've weighed a good eighty pounds more than her. She found a small pocket in the rock formation and set him down.

"Here." She put her pistol in his hand more to comfort him than expecting him to use it. He was tore up pretty bad, who knew how much longer he would live but somehow he had kept himself alive. She respected the willpower he had. She looked around at the other MI's, rampant and random fire was met with an infestation of bugs of all types. There were other MI's to treat and she hated leaving him but she had no choice, she'd treated him the best she could.

"Hold tight. I'll be back." She ran her hand down his cheek before forcing herself back into the fray, raising her shotgun and firing a few shots but more for suppressing fire than expectations of a kill before she found the next injured MI. She had her back turned to the bugs and was oblivious to the one that had zeroed in on her as she got herself covered in another MI's blood.

Name: Tali 'Talon' Turaan
Speciality: Specialist. Intelligence/diversion/demolition

Position: Defending perimeter

During a reload, Tali had watched the hole she had previously filled in creep open again. Unfortunately her partner in crime on this part of the perimeter had been standing too close and had been slashed across the shoulder. Tali had put the bug down quickly, but not quick enough after slamming another magazine home. Grabbing him by the harness she had pulled him back, still firing. Determination on her face.

"Medic!" she called loudly over the gunfire, before moving off to the side to draw attention off the injured man.

It seemed to be working, and she took the nerve stem out with small concentrated bursts of fire, moving from one target to the next. The call for retreat finally came, but from who she didn't know. A few more bugs were put down before she removed another canister off her webbing and slipped it into the grenade chamber of her rifle. Firing it up and out into another thick swarm of bugs.

The tanker was moving away from her position, but almost as if to keep equal pressure on the perimeter it seemed the bugs were becoming more persistent. There was a rocky outcrop back behind them, and it seemed the group was heading there. The medic had arrived, and Tali gave her room to work.

She had gone through half her clip before she realized one of the bugs had diverted it's attention back onto the injured soldier and medic. It moved quickly, making a beeline for them. She cursed, running over to intercept. She fired several shots before getting only a few meters from it, then her heart sank. Click...click...click

Tali looked down, she still had ammunition left and instinctively tried to clear the rifle of a jam but to no avail. Dropping the rifle beside the medic, she reached around to pull her family engraved katana from it's diagonal sheath. It unclipped crisply and she made a smooth clean cut straight through the bugs nerve stem.

Usually, a sword against a bug would see you pinned in seconds, but as a last resort and with a bug not caring for your presence it gave you some room. Of course, hacking legs and mandibles left right and center did make a bug less mobile and harder to injure you. And it was fun...but not when dealing with a swarm.

"Get him out of here ASAP...we're about to be overrun."

Crouching down, she slipped the katana now covered in a green ooze back into it's sheath. There was no time to follow ceremony. Picking up her rifle, she pumped another grenade into the advancing swarm before taking a few seconds to clear the jam. Then, she begun to fire. And wouldn't stop again unless it was to reload, or the bugs no longer gave her targets.