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"Alright, Onyx Wind... lock and load! We're going in."
Valen stands and replaces his helmet, the sound of the seals hissing slightly, and makes a circular motion with his finger pointed upwards, pivoting from the elbow. He then makes his way slowly towards Drop Pod Hotel, the eighth and final in the line of pods.
Valkyrie turns and walks towards the center of the War Room, where all of you will be able to see her once in your Drop Pods.
"Strength and honor, boys! Come home soon."
__________________ "There's a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a sword in his hand."
Tristan sprints to Bravo pod. Once there he reaches over and places a hand on the visor of Alpha. After a second of scilennce he pops Bravo open and manages to work his massive armed and armored body into the pod. "Oh! One last thing Mom! Since comms are being touchy, will we have MAC support?"
Sammael walked at a steady pace across the room to his assigned pod, Acolyte floated nearby and had to be strapped in securely to the pods interior, the first drop he had failed to strap the drone in it had smashed into his helmet on impact leaving both damaged and lowered their mission effectiveness dramatically.
The pod door closed and for a moment there was only the silence before external communications came online. The Spartan tightened his fist who would come back alive from, if there was one thing he had learned it was dropping into a battlefield was safer than the unknown.
Acolyte buzzed flashing up machine code into Sammael's HUD
"Friendly or no, X65, all non-Covenant are to be treated as Red-lit Hostiles, meaning we return fire only. Covenant are a Green Light all the way; but keep your heads and maintain caution about when to engage. That's especially the case on those MAC rounds, X218... only when there is no other alternative. I don't want to send a flare up for whatever cavalry might be present."
"MAC support will be online and operational. It will simply be a matter of whether or not I get the transmission requesting the artillery. But I promise, the moment that I have confirmation on a target... well, they say Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. You boys just tell me who's so scornful down there and we'll see what Hell has to say about it afterwards."
As each of you enters the pod of your choosing, you disengage your weapons and place them into the securing panels beside you, enabling their various safety functions. You magnetize the contact point on your back and both of your feet, and fasten down the harness across your chest. Your pulse races as your heart pounds, but your hands remain steady as they work the various buttons and switches as you ready your pod for jettison... this was never an easy way to travel.
As a Spartan, the common misconception is that you do not feel fear or anxiety. The truth of the matter is that you felt it the same as any man or woman... you just don't pay it any attention. It doesn't shut you down the same way, or cause you to hesitate or waver; for some of you, it has even become a fuel... an energy that feeds into your prowess and sharpens your skill. Honed and directed, it becomes the razor-sharp point of the spear of your wrath.
It wasn't just the things that could go wrong with the drop, such as a miniature meteor striking your pod in descent and causing it to careen off-course. And it wasn't just falling, as a rock to the ground, it was like being a bullet in a S2AM pointed directly at the floor. Things were about to get shaky.
__________________ "There's a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a sword in his hand."
John steps into his pod and assumes the familiar position for orbital drops.
"Kaylee, mal, status reports."
"Good to to sir."
"Positive"
"Then we go where angels fear to tread."
__________________
Happiness is the most insidious prison of all.
-Alan Moore
Vemrya, The Knight
Ognya, The Mage, Wielder of Fire
Volsung lopes over to his drop pod, disengaging his weapons and making a last minute check of his suit as he went. "Doc, bring up the medical portion of your programing. We're going to need it more then the other stuff. Once you're done with that, close the pod and seal it."
"If I must."
"Yes, you must. I would prefer not to burn to a crisp before the mission starts."
The pod door closes behind them, making a faint hissing noise as it seals to hold in the atmosphere, while Volsung opens the storage compartment to stow his med kit and guns.
"Combat suits active. All routines have been preped."
"Tactical suit is up. You hud should be on full. Roaming search?"
"Yes. I want you in ASAP."
"Activated."
"I walk through the valley, in the shadow of death.
"I fear no evil, for I am the enemies demon."
"War is hell."
"And I speak unto the devil what he is to do."
Argyle's HUD flashed. She was Alive. Not here, but alive. That was what he wanted to know.
May they be so lucky, as to be in heaven 5 minutes before the devil knows their dead."
"And when they reach hell."
"They shall know they screwed with the wrong race!"
To avoid harming the sanity of the DM I can no longer:
* Cast flesh to stone on a annoying Druid
** Cast Rock to mud on a Druid statue
*** Scoop mud into little ceramic pots
**** Plant tree's in individual ceramic pots
***** Claim that I have helped them become one with nature
Tristan looks at his HUD and said to Bell, "Bell, I want you to focus your processing on trying to keep an open line between our targeter and Valkyrie." she responded instantly saying, "I'll do my best X 213." Tristan reactivated his combat HUD and opened a team wide comm channel. "You guys ready to rain some hell?" he said excitedly.
To avoid harming the sanity of the DM I can no longer:
* Cast flesh to stone on a annoying Druid
** Cast Rock to mud on a Druid statue
*** Scoop mud into little ceramic pots
**** Plant tree's in individual ceramic pots
***** Claim that I have helped them become one with nature
Once you were all in your drop pods and everything was set, the hatches containing the pods began to pressurize. This would keep the War Room, and the rest of the interior of the Dawn Evader from being exposed to the dangerous elements of space.
A red light came on within the large bay and began flashing. There were three long wails of a siren, and then the Drop Pods were each fired in turn. One at a time, they hurtled through the void between your ship and the atmosphere of Helion below. With no air resistance, this part of the drop was smooth and easy... despite the G-forces already pulling at your body. Kallanos' stunning azure light seemed to shine even brighter outside of the ship somehow; maybe it was a difference in the UV-shielding in the glass, maybe it was mental... it didn't matter. It was merely a bit of beauty before the potential harshness that lay ahead; the calm before the storm.
"Pucker up, boys! Hoorah!"
As you began to enter the atmosphere of Helion, rocketing towards whatever geography was beneath you, your pod started with the shaking. Gradual at first, it increased as the density of the air did. Soon, the display panel that showed the external heat reading spiked out at just over 2,000 degrees F. As your teeth rattled together in your head, you breach the upper atmosphere and enter into the lower layer of cloud cover, which moves about more like thick woodsmoke than vapor. However, it finally thins enough to afford you your first intimate glimpse at the planet.
Spoiler
You continue to plummet, seeing the rapidly-approaching sinkhole bearing the mark of Nav Point Alpha. It was a large circular expanse that, from here, only looked to be the size of a dinner plate. Before long, the HPPM (Horizontal Plane Proximity Meter) in your pod begin beeping. That damn thing is so annoying, you remember as you deactivate the noise-maker.
"Everyone doing alright so far?"
__________________ "There's a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a sword in his hand."
Tristan hits a particularily rough patch of air and feels his head smack against the restraints. He smiles and yells happily. "WOOHOOOO! Hahaha! I'm doing fantastic!"
One by one, the group unit that was called Argyle responded. He was on target, and to himself, almost an observer.
"All biological readouts within expected paramiters, lower than normal. Suit funtionality at 100%, I am Ready Valkyrie."
"Suit redouts normal, full up... Now. HUD finished, and I've cleared up the tiny bit of static. I've still got lock with you, static acceptable, How's it on your end?"
"I knew we were going it muffled, Onyx 3 O23-Argyle is ready to go."
As always, the way he spoke was a little disconcerting. Almost as if he was a kid controlling a remote controlled droid (Very few. All of them were gone now for the war... To say that they were quickly destroyed by the Covenant was a understatement). However, it was old news. And if things got hot, he would return to first person.
To avoid harming the sanity of the DM I can no longer:
* Cast flesh to stone on a annoying Druid
** Cast Rock to mud on a Druid statue
*** Scoop mud into little ceramic pots
**** Plant tree's in individual ceramic pots
***** Claim that I have helped them become one with nature
"Well, X65 is doing just fine, he's just having a little trouble communicating, we're having a little trouble with the compensators. It shouldn't be a danger to him, so me and Mal are just leaving it alone. Its much nicer when he isn't filling the airwaves with his sarcasm."
"Hate...You...Kay..lee..."
__________________
Happiness is the most insidious prison of all.
-Alan Moore
Vemrya, The Knight
Ognya, The Mage, Wielder of Fire
"Verdomme!" Volsung suddenly exclaims "I think I damn near caught an asteroid with my pod just then. Other than that, my pod is still in one piece and my suits readings are all in the green."
Falling ever closer to the target the G-force only lightened by the suits strength nether the less was felt, Sammael watched the planet grow ever closer too many had died of a bad landing too many good men and even the occasional Spartan.
“Hoorah” Sammael responded weakly through clenched teeth he was almost fearless anywhere except moments like this when he felt helpless. He liked the ground under his feet and once more feared a death without taking the enemy down with him.
Code:
[Hoorah]
The Spartan’s mood lightened, the strange AI seemed to pick up the oddest quirks at times there was a mystery there, it hid far more intellect than the average simple AI the UNSC used.
OOC: Alright gentlemen... I need you each to roll a Fortitude save. Keep it in a spoiler, and use the site die roller. I have a link in the OOC thread that will show you how if you don't already know how!
In turn, each pod slammed into the ground with enough force to crush a Scorpion battle-tank. Luckily, that's exactly what these Drop Pods were designed to do. Dust, ash, and sand had risen up in a plume around you, obscuring any sight... for those that managed to stay conscious from the fall.
__________________ "There's a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a sword in his hand."
Argyle waited to hear the landings from the other 6 pods. It was odd, landing first... He said the cry, as it was to keep everyone on the right count. At to tell everyone he was concous. On the off chance that all the others with linked suits were also out cold. Unlikely....
"I've Landed. Im Aware.
"Suit running at optimal."
"Suit links are maintained. I have a sketchy line to Valkyrie, but it wont hold."
The last one thudded home.
"Oppenin' the can."
The door flew open, kicked. As usual it just fell off. The dust was still blinding, almost totally so. Activating his IR made it better, he could actually see. He was looking around at the other pods, checking lifesigns for the unconcious.
To avoid harming the sanity of the DM I can no longer:
* Cast flesh to stone on a annoying Druid
** Cast Rock to mud on a Druid statue
*** Scoop mud into little ceramic pots
**** Plant tree's in individual ceramic pots
***** Claim that I have helped them become one with nature
Tristan's drop pod slammed into the ground hard and one of its retrothrusters mis fired. it bounced into the air and smashed down again on its side. His eyes lose focus as he blacks out slightly. Then Bell chimes in his ear, "X217. Its inadvisable to sleep immediately after a drop." She said with a matter of fact tone. "Bell..... was that a joke?" Tristan asked incredulously. His AI stayed silent. Tristan opened a comm to the others "It was a bumpy ride, but I wouldnt have had it anyother way." he kicks off his door, which had been jammed in from the landing. "Whose still alive?"
"Armors in the green, guns and my med stuff are still intact, so I guess I'm good to go. Have a nice drop Tristan?" Volsung asks as he kicks the pod door to get it to open. He grabs his kit and stows it on the suits "holsters". Volsung jumps down out of his pod and onto the planets surface, and starts off towards Sammaels pod. "On my way now boss."
The pod flew onwards the ground streaming ever closer. Alarms flashed, the Spartan’s eyes darted to the display. Sammael let out a curse, just seconds from the ground and one of the pods main shock-absorbers had failed. He gritted his teeth and prepared for impact. The impact shook the pod, pain spread through his body. His vision blacked out as he fell unconscious luckily the Suits shielding had taken the lethalness out of the crash.
"It was my favorite kind of landing. The kind where i get to do it twice. Headed to OW-013 now." Tristan gets up and pulls his hammer from his back. he begins running to the dust cloud where OW had landed.
"You needn't tell us. Argyle responging, and this unit can actually tell where I'm going without falling off a cliff. Dust still has normal visibility around 50 apparently".
"Restoring quickly near us. They can probably see, their further out. Volsung, we can probably handle it, and we pack emergency supplies just in case."
"Doesn't happen. Samuel's see sheilds begining to restore, might this unit suggest you all set up a safety perimiter until everyone is up."
To avoid harming the sanity of the DM I can no longer:
* Cast flesh to stone on a annoying Druid
** Cast Rock to mud on a Druid statue
*** Scoop mud into little ceramic pots
**** Plant tree's in individual ceramic pots
***** Claim that I have helped them become one with nature
John felt the landing before the sensors registered that he had landed. He punched the door off the pod and stretched. "I agree, we do need to set up a perimeter. And we need a secure comms channel so that we don't broadcast our presence more than necessary. And don't give me that 'But drops broadcast our presence' stuff, we look like meteors on the way down."
__________________
Happiness is the most insidious prison of all.
-Alan Moore
Vemrya, The Knight
Ognya, The Mage, Wielder of Fire
You each arrive at Sammael's pod and find the door still shut, showing a sizable dent where it sat in its frame. Likewise, the pod seems to be spewing some sort of liquid from the rear quadrant and you can all smell hydraulic fluid.
In addition to the situation with OW-013's pod, you also notice that you have seen nor heard anything from Hindrance.
__________________ "There's a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a sword in his hand."
Argyle moved towards the door, seeking to grab at the frame.
"Any other units noticed that Hinderence has been quite. Perhaps someone should check on him, because I'm not seeing that he has taken any hit, perhaps his communicator is damaged."
Grabbing at the door, he yanks, and should take it straight off. Like the doors were desinged to do...
To avoid harming the sanity of the DM I can no longer:
* Cast flesh to stone on a annoying Druid
** Cast Rock to mud on a Druid statue
*** Scoop mud into little ceramic pots
**** Plant tree's in individual ceramic pots
***** Claim that I have helped them become one with nature
Argyle has a difficult time getting under the frame of the door, with the seal being so tight on these pods and Spartan fingers being larger than average. However, one good punch to the already dented area gave more than enough of an edge to grab a hold of. A second after this, O23 rended the door from its placement as the rush of sealed air from inside bursted past you all. Inside, Sammael's body lie motionless, still held in place by the restraints and his magnets.
__________________ "There's a beast in every man, and it stirs when you put a sword in his hand."
Volsung reaches in and unstraps Sammael from the pod, catching him as he starts to slide forward. "I had forgotten how heavy these things are when there's no one in there to move them." Volsung grunts as he pulls Sammael out of the pod and inserts an attachment from his med kit into a port on the suit. "Alright, suit diagnostics show his vitals are fine, but I'm going to pop the suit to wake him up and check for a concussion." He says, pulling off Sammaels helmet, rolling him on his side and hitting him between the shoulder blades a few times.
__________________
Spoiler
Go forward in all of your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.
-The Doctor Onyx 5: Volsung Crowley Yellow-eyes
Thanks to Kymme for the avatar of wealth and taste
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