RP Uberpost: Red Eagles & Overwatch Supreme (Deimenried), Rebels (Jack Reid/MyNameDidntFit) and Rowan Ophelia (TeePee)
Drafted: In thread.Ivan ZakharovIvan glanced back to Grigori, who, by the grimace on his face, obviously didn't like where this was heading. He had little to no respect for the Rebels, often complaining that they were just 'whining losers who should have fought back from the beginning instead of when it suited them.' Although Ivan didn't share his rather extreme prejudice, he had largely ignored it in good humour and allowed him to express it. After all, back in Sector 14 much of their work came from Rebel groups, though rarely side-by-side on the battlefield. When they did work together, Grigori had a nasty habit of borderline abuse of Rebel fighters, but it seemed funny at the time. Ivan knew he'd have to keep a tight leash on Grigori now; the situation was vastly different to that of their life in Sector 14, and they needed every ally the could get in order to survive.
"Well," Ivan began, turning back to the Rebels, "It just so happens we too are looking for a way to White Forest." He knew that was what exactly what Grigori had not wanted him to say. A simple 'Get Lost' would have, to him at least, sufficed in its stead. "I don't suppose you know the way?"
Jack Reid"Sure, been there more than once... of course, getting there may not be easy. What, with all the Combine activity at the moment," Jack indicated one of the passages exiting the area, "C'mon, we'll lead the way."
Rowan OpheliaWhile the Rebels were speaking to Ivan and his Red Eagles, Rowan moved towards the wall of the cave/corridor and sat down cross legged. After a few moments of contemplation to block out Grigori's complaints Rowan pulled out her Tarot Card pack and started to do a reading concerning the current situation. Gwen however moved towards Ivan as if to watch closer the interaction between the Rebels and the Red Eagles. After about five minutes Rowan came out of her meditative state and looked at the pattern of cards below her where she instantly paled with shock.
She looked around her and saw that Jack was leaving the area they were in and heading towards what the cards had warned against. "Wait." Rowan said but she got no attention so she got to her feet and took a deep breath before shouting "STOP!!" Everyone around her turned to face her where Rowan suddenly got shy and turned red. "I don't think that it is safe that way. The cards say that there is a danger larger than any of us have faced in that direction." She pointed towards the way that Jack was walking and then stopped talking.
Jack ReidJack looked quizzically at the woman, "Er, I'm pretty sure it's perfectly fine down there... but if it seriously bothers you that much we can take the 'scenic' route. Have to move fast though, come on."
With that they started along the new passage, in silence until Jack attempted to break the ice, looking at the man who seemed to be the leader of the group;
"Jack Reid, and you are?"
Overwatch Supreme"Entrance is blocked, sir." The Elite said, its vox unit grating as it spoke. "We are scouting the perimeter of the rock face. If there's another entrance we'll find it."
Overwatch Supreme continued his study of the surrounding treelines and trails, his eyes scrutinizing for any sign of the other rebels who escaped the initial storming of the camp. "Deployment?" He said abruptly, his gaze ever shifting.
"On target, sir." The Elite replied, trying to keep up as Overwatch Supreme paced the area they had last seen the rebels. "Dropships are unloading their holds as we speak."
"Good." Overwatch Supreme replied, finally turning to face the Elite; his face awash with a mixture of frustration and determination. "I want them found, Captain, before they reach the sanctuary of White Forest." Overwatch Supreme almost spat the name; White Forest was proving to be a thorn in the Combine's side, but the Administration refused to give him permission to take a task force and destroy it. The Freeman situation had committed most of the Combine's forces, tying them up in mostly fruitless searches intespersed with ugly confontations in the urban areas. Freeman was winning, he thought, and it's only a matter of time before the citizens get ideas.
Suddenly the Elite put his hand to his vox tranceiver, listening intently. "Sir." He began, "We've found some vehicles half a kilometre along the eastern ridge hidden amongst the undergrowth. They look like they're being used by rebel forces."
Without hesitation, Overwatch Supreme set off in the indicated direction. "Then let us take the oppertunity to destroy them before they once more escape our grasp..."
The Elite gathered his squad and followed the Overwatch Supreme.
Ivan Zakharov"Ivan." He replied bluntly, still feeling disorientated as they ran through the never-ending maze of passages. They all looked the same to him, but Jack seemed to know exactly which way they should be going. "****..." he muttered, looking round at the walls. "It's only a matter of time before The Combine find another entrance..."
"Or make one." Sasha replied thinking back to how easily the rock had been dislodged when she destroyed the entrance.
"That wasn't for us was it?" Andrei asked nervously, "Seemed like an awfully large force just for us..."
"Whatever they are hitting, it's big." Ivan shook his head. He turned to Jack again. "So." He began as they took a left at another nondescript junction. "Are you sure we're heading the right way?"
The group shared his sentiment and looked at Jack expectantly.
Jack Reid"Of course. It isn't the most obvious way but it's there nonetheless," Jack replied defensively, "Watch out for Headcrabs. We don't take this path often so they've probably found their way in."
The group made their way through the cave network and soon came to a gap just wide enough to fit a person through that led opened out gradually until it hit open ground. The area ahead was littered with rocks and, unfortunately, a Combine patrol.
As he saw the patrol Jack struck his arm out to one side to stop one of the other rebels walking into the open, accidentally hitting with more force than intended and causing the rebel to cry out in shock.
The patrol looked directly at them and the group could hear the muffled call for backup even as Jack looked back to the group;
"Follow me and stick to cover, if we make it to the woods we should be able to get away easily enough and continue towards White Forest," Reid prepared to sprint, "Go!"
Ivan ZakharovAfter the gloom of caves and the occasional unnerving headcrab calls, the daylight was more than a sight for sore eyes. The outside was a welcoming prospect, but the sighting of the Combine patrol soured that blessing. On their own a Combine patrol was largely useless when engaged with the right measure of cunning, but with their cover already blown and reinforcements on the way, combat wasn't an option; they had to run.
The group kept low and followed Jack's signals as they moved between cover. Pulse rifle round flitted past them like drops of rain. Their expert training allowing them to move quickly over the rough terrain. Even Grigori moved as if on air, years of experience allowing even someone has heavily armed has him to move with the ease of any assassin. Ivan signalled his squad to stack up as Jack stopped behind a rocky outcrop to let the rest of the rebels catch up. A dropship roared overhead, a fresh Strider grasped to its body. It set down not too far from the patrol and began deploying its deadly cargo.
"Bringing back any memories?" Andrei whispered dryly, remembering the very first time he saw Striders deployed in this forest, a Strider call echoing through the still air as it powered up almost punctuating that thought.
"Yeah..." Sasha replied. "But this time we're going towards White Forest and not away..."
Ivan chuckled, "Lighten up." He retorted, "This time it's 'out there' that's dangerous and White Forest that's safe. Or that's the theory at least..."
Jack ReidThey had to run, that much was obvious, with the Combine reinforcements - including a Strider - not far off they couldn't waste time with fighting.
"Go! Everyone move!" Jack yelled, the others taking their cue and sprinting the the first piece of cover.
Keeping close to the others Jack moved across the field, they were making good time until the tell-tale sounds of the Strider's main weapon charging reached their ears. As the group huddled in cover Jack started to lay out a plan;
"We have to split up. You mercs go together and Geoff, these guys and I will go the other side," as he spoke the first hail of pulse rounds peppered their cover and were quickly joined by fire from the soldiers on the opposite side, "****. RUN!"
Without a word they split up, but it wasn't working. In the first twenty meter sprint to fresh cover the entire rebel group bar Jack and Geoff were cut down. Geoff put his face in his hands and Jack placed his hand on his friend's shoulder; "We'll pull through, and if we don't we have to make sure those others do. C'mon, let's teach that ugly bastard a lesson."
Geoff forced a smiled as they moved from cover and fired on the Strider, their bullets impacting harmlessly, but drawing its attention from the others. In the open the pair tried to avoid the fire, and were successful until the second volley when Geoff's legs were torn up by fire and he fell to the ground.
"No!" Jack screamed, emptying his magazine and throwing the gun to the ground as he slid to the dirt beside Geoff, "Don't die on me man. You can make it!"
"It's over, Jack, you know it," even as Geoff coughed the words the sound of the Strider's main cannon charging signalled their impending doom.
A second later the blue light lit the air around them and they were all but disintegrated in the impact.
Overwatch SupremeAll the scout reports came in the same; No further entrances found. "Keep running." Overwatch Supreme said under his breath. "Wherever you run we will find you and destroy you."
This setback was serious; the scouts had not found another entrance in the next kilometer. Time was wasting; Overwatch Supreme ordered the redeployment of the ground forces. This took time, and as such he ordered the remaining dropships to redeploy the Striders further along while the troops regrouped from their search and loaded up.
"Have them sweep the area ahead." He told his Elite guard, "Leave no patch of ground unsearched." As the Elite relayed the orders to the Striders the dropships lifted off and they began their relocation.
Minutes before landing they recieved the message on the in-ship communications. "One of our patrols has located the rebel group. Strider CMB-S13 has been deployed and is engaging the targets."
"Excellent." Overwatch Supreme smirked as the dropship redirected itself to the Strider's positioning beacon.
Rowan OpheliaAfter the rock fall and the close escape the group had from the combine Rowan followed close to Ivan's group in near enough silence from someone who had had years of hunting in the forest alone for food. She was also a bit shaken from how she seemed to know that the combine were there even though they couldn't be seen nor heard.
After taking the scenic route they came to open ground where they were soon spotted by the Combine, which was a large problem. Rowan was close to some cover, only another short dash for it and she could use her woodland skills to get away from the combine presence. After a short breather she made a dash for it until the words that everyone had been dreading were shouted out. Rowan kept on running but also turned to face the strider that was near them. As she reached safety in the thick vegetation ahead of her a memory suddenly arose in her mind.
She was lying down in a crater, around her a battle still raged on. She gingerly touched her aching head but luckily there was no blood just a head ache which hopefully would not result in concussion. She checked the possessions she had on her, all she could find was the pistol which hadn't been much use a few minutes earlier with only half a clip remaining. She pulled herself towards the edge of the crater and took a look at the battle around her. In the near distance there was a strider but she could also see the same group of soldiers that she saw earlier retreating into the forest. As the coast looked relatively clear of the enemy she took the chance and ran towards them using cover when she could. She had nearly caught up with them when the air in front of her shimmered and because of her momentum she had no time to stop so she just ran into the shimmering air.Rowan with a gasp came to on the ground in the forest with Gwen meowing with concern.
Ivan ZakharovIvan nodded in acknowledgement and signalled the Red Eagles to stick close. Fortunately the mountainous nature of area they were in meant that what open ground there was had extensive fields of boulders and other rock formations, which the group easily moved through as the Strider came about to deliver a hail of pulse rounds.
"Keep moving!" Ivan shouted as the Strider emitted a screeching call, swiftly followed by the sound if its pulse cannon firing.
"What about the old lady!?" Grigori replied. The rocks around them almost seemed to disintegrate as they sprinted from cover to cover, chunks of stone riccocheting around them as pulse rounds bit into the rock formations. Each cover point barely lasted a few seconds of sustained Strider and Combine Soldier fire before being almost completely razed.
"We have to keep moving! We go back and we're all dead!" Andrei strained to be heard over the destruction around him.
"He's right!" Ivan replied, catching his breath.. "The next part of the forest is just ahead! We're nearly there!" Suddenly the Strider's fire stopped hitting the rock.
"What's going on?" Andrei asked as the group pushed on, using the gap in fire to move further towards the forest.
"Must be Jack." Ivan replied hastily. "He's giving us a distraction. Let's keep moving" A strange sound became audiable, gradually increasing in pitch as they were merely 50 metres from the forest's edge.
The group paused in a cluster of large rocks. A puzzled look came across Andrei "What the hell is that noise?" He was answered by the sound of a huge explosion from the direction Jack and his men had gone. He spared a glance over the rock they hid behind. "****! They're down!!" He shouted as the Strider reacquired the group and, once more, pulse cannon fire surged into their cover, dust and small rock fragments flying through the air.
"Looks like our distraction is no longer working." Ivan said dryly, shielding his face from the rock particles. Once more the strange sound built up in pitch and volume. "Oh ****. Quickly! We've got to get out of he-"
Before Ivan could finish a bright light flashed as a ray of brilliant blue lanced past them, swiftly followed by a loud explosion. Time seemed to slow down around them as the hulking boulder behind them exploded, showering huge chunks of rock down on the group. The shock forced many of them to lose their footing and fall to the ground. As the debris settled, it felt like time caught up again and the aftermath wasn't all too pleasant. As Ivan's hearing returned he was greeted by the pained sounds of Sasha. He looked to see her flat on her back clutching her left arm. The rest of the group scrambled to their feet to help her as the Strider lurched forward to press home its advantage.
"We have to get out of here!" Andrei called. The Strider attempted to start another Warp Cannon charging sequence, but at it reached maximum power there was a loud bang as a firey explosion beneath the Strider's carapice caused it to recoil and scream as if in pain. "Weapon malfunction! This is our chance! GO!" He tried to run toward Sasha, but his leg gave way as he grunted in pain. "****!" He shouted. "You go! I'll catch up!"
"Are you kidding?" Ivan retorted, picking Andrei up and supporting him on his shoulder. "Ahead is White Forest. It's ours by right; either all the Eagles make it, or none do!" As he turned back he saw Grigori scoop Sasha up, as if picking up a small child, clearly unstrained by her weight.
"Let's go!" Grigori barked, leading the way.
As the group entered the forest on the other side, they saw the Strider recover, struggling to keep pace on the uneven ground. They only had to travel a little way in before they lost sight of the Combine attack force. They kept moving deeper to a heavily vegetated area of the forest.
"This is as good a place as any." Ivan sighed, setting Andrei down against a nearby tree.
"Thanks." He wheezed. He clutched at his leg as if to forcibly stop the pain.
"OW!" Came a scream from behind Ivan. He looked back to see Grigori stood over a rather furious and pained looking Sasha. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I said put me down, not throw me down! I'm not made of iron, you idiot!"
"Are you alright?" Valentina asked as she knelt beside Sasha to examine her arm.
"Do I look alright to you?" She retorted angrily.
Valentina seemd unmoved by Sasha's mood."What happened?"
"Rock." She replied bluntly. "Fucking huge one... clipped my arm." She indicated her upper left arm.
After a quick examination, and many pained cries, Valentina shook her head. "Nothing life-threatening" She began, "Although it looks like the rock may have shattered your humerus." She looked up at Ivan who stood at her side. "If we can get to White Forest we can administer treatment..." She said, putting Sasha's arm in a makeshift sling "It isn't going to be pleasant, and it isn't going to be quick, but it can be repaired if we start fast enough."
"Well then, let us hope we can get there without incident." Ivan replied. He looked out into the forest, seeing shimmering spheres in the distance; the hallmarks of the portal anomalies and a sure sign they were headed in the right direction. "Though whether we can move quickly enough will be another matter entirely..."
Rowan OpheliaRowan awoke to the sounds of metal ripping apart and the now almost familiar sounds of battle. She took a quick check of her person and found her body to be intact and her bag of nic nacs was just beside her. By her head was Gwen who was low to the ground and keeping under cover. As Rowan pulled the bag over her head to secure it she started to crawl forward to see out of her cover. To her left she could see a commotion and hear a huge explosion in the vicinity of a strider. She could also see the Red Eagles as they got covered in shrapnel from a nearby explosions. While the nearby combine were distracted by the explosions Rowan started to make her way towards the Red Eagles using the available cover.
As she headed towards the location of the Red Eagles they started to move away towards deeper cover. "De Ja Vu" Rowan murmured to herself. With the new knowledge from her recent memory resurgence she looked very carefully at the surrounding air before carrying on when she was confident that the area was clear of weird anomalies. Using her knowledge of tracking and hunting she used the undergrowth, shadows and cover to stealthily make her way towards the Red Eagles.
She made her way there without any incident and as she got closer she could see that a couple of the Red Eagles were injured. Without a word to the Red Eagles she got several ingredients and resources out of her bag and started to apply several herbs and bandages. As she finished on Sasha she made her way over to Andrei and while she walked over she picked up a couple of sturdy branches. These were then used to brace his leg and she applied the same sort of herbs after checking that the wound was clean and clear of debris.
Once her duties were complete she took a look at her surroundings and the blood visibly drained from her face as she saw the shimmering air in the distance.