Two Years After Contact - Post Apoc RP.

[Marchosias]

Stepping out of the plane, Alysson struggled to keep her composure. Holding a hand in front of her eyes, she felt so tempted to give the sun a middle finger. It hurt her eyes and pissed her off, but she figured she'd just have to deal with it. Running a hand through her hair, she took everything in. There were a lot of people. A lot guns.

Nice.

She wasn't surprised, in all honesty. The way Arisu talked, it was very clear this was something very serious. But, she couldn't help but be worried about what type of trouble this people may be.

"If its ok, I can ride vith them? They may need extra firepower if anything comes at us on the way, and you are alredy good there."

Directing her gaze to source of the voice, she focused on the woman. Out of all of the grunts, she was the only one that stood out. Perhaps it was because of the accent or her mannerisms. The way she moved was... Different. Her posture. Military, maybe? No, she couldn't be sure. Maybe a mercenary such as herself?

"Feel free to join us." Alysson spoke up with a wry smile, approaching the woman slowly before extending her hand, offering a handsake. "Alysson." She introduced herself calmly, the faint effects of the alcohol still swirling through her head, but she knew how to handle herself.

"Natalija. A pleasure, miss." vas Natalija's noncomital reply, as she accepted the ofered hand, giving the woman a polite smile... and trying hard to hide her dis-taste of the alcohol-fumes emanating from her.

She maked no efort at a firm hand-shake, keeping the grip normal and relaxed, before disengaging and turning tovard the other woman.

"And your employer is... ?" she then added.

How-ever, a sound of multiple car-engines in the distance, at the edge of the ruined airport, sudenly catched Natalija's atention. She turned to look. There they vere... 2 rusted-looking Soviet-made UAZ jeeps, vhich the Hungarian army had in ample suply before the war, but culd now be found in the hands of all sorts of salvagers and gang-members, since the state it-self all but colapsed. Both had 2 people in it, a driver, and a passenger in the back, vith something that looked like a AKM. The third vehicle looked like a enduro dirt-bike, vith a single rider, something that looked like a one-handed SMG in his hands.

From the way they vere aproaching, and at speed, Natalija almost un-consciusly found her grip firmly on her M76, dis-engaging the safety, vith a soft click.

"Joska, please tel me those are more of your guys...?" she muttered over her sholder, vatching them, and trying not to tense-up, remembering her half-forgoten military training. It vas years since Natalija vas dishonorably dis-charged from the Commonwealth army, but those instincts stayed forever.

Her response come in the way of a burst of fire from the lead UAZ's gunner in the back, not-too-acurate yet at that range. 2 rounds impacted the plane's fuselage, 3 more whistled past them thru the air.

"U ZAKLON!" Natalija shouted for them to take cover, momentary reverting to Croatian in the heat of the moment, as she her-self sprinted for one, behind the plane's boarding ramp, already sighting-thru her M76's scope at the lead UAZ... then changing her mind, as she shifted her aim to the bike. Easyer target from that range, the rider vas much more exposed.

"Gues that ansvers my kuestion..." a thoght flashed thru her mind. Possibly one of Joska's gang bragging about the lucrative deal they made, back at the opera house in some bar, and that information reaching the vrong ears... maybe one of the rival gang members.

Betwen her rapid firing semi-auto sniper, the PKM on Joska's truck, and the AKs in the hands of Joska's men, plus the handguns of the scientist's guards, she figured they had fire-superiority over the attackers. Certinly they had number-superiority. But it culd stil be tricky, if the 2 UAZ's managed to flank them and catch them in a cross-fire out of cover. And they were fast-moving targets, plus the people insyde them were kuite wel-protected, the UAZ having a prety thick skin. The bike was less a problem, even if she didnt hit the rider, 1 or 2 hi-powered shots to the bike it-self wuld likely put it out of comision and throw the rider off.

Exhaling slovly, she started taking shots at the bike, gently puling the triger on each one, in about 1.5 second inter-vals, as she rested the M76's barrel on the edge of the boarding-ramp's hand guard, for added stability. Taking advantage of the range-finder in her scope, she figured they vere about 300 meters avay. A pretty tricky shot vith a sniper at a fast-moving target from that range, but they vere geting closer by the second. More shots from them come-back, stil none-too accurate.

// OOC: Time for some action! //

 

[Xytheus]

From the bow of the ship, Tobias heard a wooden door slam, and some sounds of movement. A moment later, he heard, "That depends on who yer askin'! Yer ask my wife and she's liable to say no!" This was followed by a chuckle as the sixty-something white haired sailor tromped his way down toward amidships where the boarding ramp was.

"Well, come on aboard, so I don't gotta tell at yer." Old Bob Creedy was the operations manager of the Colonel before the Invasion, and was a retired Navy pilot. The rumor was, if it floated or flew, he could pilot it. In the days following the Invasion, he had proven that to some extent, where he both drove hovercraft to ferry supplies to the island from the mainland and flown the medivac helicopter to and from the mainland to UT's Medical Center in Galveston. It was even rumored that he'd been a SEAL. He certainly had the physique for it, even in his sixties.

Once aboard, Bob gave Tobias a hearty handshake and escorted him to his office. "So what can I help yer with, Mister Mayor? Got some shindig planned that my old tub can host?" Bob's accent was one of a kind - he was born in Bangor, Maine and served his time in the Navy mainly in the Caribbean, then once he left the Navy had moved to Galveston, making for an odd blend of Noreaster, Jamaican and Texas drawl all wrapped up in one voice.

Tobias hadn't had many conversations with the old man but he knew him well enough. He boarded with a friendly smile. "Unfortuneately, that's not the case Bob. I've got a problem at the crashsite, and I was hoping you could help me. Someones stealing salvage and I need to use your boat." Tobias' plan was to put the Colonel into orbit around the crashsite while he had his men used the smaller lifeboats to get a closer look at the outer hull.

 

[Shalashaska]

"Natalija. A pleasure, miss." vas Natalija's noncomital reply, as she accepted the ofered hand, giving the woman a polite smile... and trying hard to hide her dis-taste of the alcohol-fumes emanating from her.

She maked no efort at a firm hand-shake, keeping the grip normal and relaxed, before disengaging and turning tovard the other woman.

"And your employer is... ?" she then added.

How-ever, a sound of multiple car-engines in the distance, at the edge of the ruined airport, sudenly catched Natalija's atention. She turned to look. There they vere... 2 rusted-looking Soviet-made UAZ jeeps, vhich the Hungarian army had in ample suply before the war, but culd now be found in the hands of all sorts of salvagers and gang-members, since the state it-self all but colapsed. Both had 2 people in it, a driver, and a passenger in the back, vith something that looked like a AKM. The third vehicle looked like a enduro dirt-bike, vith a single rider, something that looked like a one-handed SMG in his hands.

From the way they vere aproaching, and at speed, Natalija almost un-consciusly found her grip firmly on her M76, dis-engaging the safety, vith a soft click.

"Joska, please tel me those are more of your guys...?" she muttered over her sholder, vatching them, and trying not to tense-up, remembering her half-forgoten military training. It vas years since Natalija vas dishonorably dis-charged from the Commonwealth army, but those instincts stayed forever.

Her response come in the way of a burst of fire from the lead UAZ's gunner in the back, not-too-acurate yet at that range. 2 rounds impacted the plane's fuselage, 3 more whistled past them thru the air.

"U ZAKLON!" Natalija shouted for them to take cover, momentary reverting to Croatian in the heat of the moment, as she her-self sprinted for one, behind the plane's boarding ramp, already sighting-thru her M76's scope at the lead UAZ... then changing her mind, as she shifted her aim to the bike. Easyer target from that range, the rider vas much more exposed.

"Gues that ansvers my kuestion..." a thoght flashed thru her mind. Possibly one of Joska's gang bragging about the lucrative deal they made, back at the opera house in some bar, and that information reaching the vrong ears... maybe one of the rival gang members.

Betwen her rapid firing semi-auto sniper, the PKM on Joska's truck, and the AKs in the hands of Joska's men, plus the handguns of the scientist's guards, she figured they had fire-superiority over the attackers. Certinly they had number-superiority. But it culd stil be tricky, if the 2 UAZ's managed to flank them and catch them in a cross-fire out of cover. And they were fast-moving targets, plus the people insyde them were kuite wel-protected, the UAZ having a prety thick skin. The bike was less a problem, even if she didnt hit the rider, 1 or 2 hi-powered shots to the bike it-self wuld likely put it out of comision and throw the rider off.

Exhaling slovly, she started taking shots at the bike, gently puling the triger on each one, in about 1.5 second inter-vals, as she rested the M76's barrel on the edge of the boarding-ramp's hand guard, for added stability. Taking advantage of the range-finder in her scope, she figured they vere about 300 meters avay. A pretty tricky shot vith a sniper at a fast-moving target from that range, but they vere geting closer by the second. More shots from them come-back, stil none-too accurate.

// OOC: Time for some action! //

What was the accent? Russian? Possibly, but the woman didn't look Russian in the slightest, and her apparent dislike of the scent of alcohol cemented that in Alysson's mind. It was obvious that the woman didn't like alcohol - the slight twitch of the corner of her mouth when Alysson spoke made that obvious. Damn, she needed some breath mints. Never the less, that would have had to wait.

The sound of engines roaring caught the mercenary's attention, and when she looked towards the source of the noise and gauged the speed at which they were travelling she knew they weren't friendlies. What surprised Alysson was Natalija's natural reaction to the situation at hand. Even as she made her inquiry as to the identity of the incoming arrivals were, she was preparing herself for a fight.

'Military.' Alysson reasoned as she dashed to Arisu, grabbing her hand. "Alright, doc, keep your head low and don't die. If you die, I swear to God I will literally kill you." She warned as gunfire filled the air and she pushed Arisu down into a crouch as they made their way behind cover. Finding protection a metal crate only a few feet away from where Natalija was posted, the mercenary couldn't help but feel... Inadequate.

There was only so much she could do with a handgun, and even then she was a lousy shot. She was good enough to get by, but her father taught her how break bones not shoot. She seriously regretted not going with her mother on those hunting trips. Leaning out from behind the crate, she took careful aim and began to fire the handgun in the general direction of the motorbike rider.

'Pointless. Pointless.' She scolded herself mentally, figuring the bullets would probably start to drop off before they even neared the assailant. She sure as hell hoped Natalija, or anyone else, was a better shot than her.

 

[Michale CS]

What was the accent? Russian? Possibly, but the woman didn't look Russian in the slightest, and her apparent dislike of the scent of alcohol cemented that in Alysson's mind. It was obvious that the woman didn't like alcohol - the slight twitch of the corner of her mouth when Alysson spoke made that obvious. Damn, she needed some breath mints. Never the less, that would have had to wait.

The sound of engines roaring caught the mercenary's attention, and when she looked towards the source of the noise and gauged the speed at which they were travelling she knew they weren't friendlies. What surprised Alysson was Natalija's natural reaction to the situation at hand. Even as she made her inquiry as to the identity of the incoming arrivals were, she was preparing herself for a fight.

'Military.' Alysson reasoned as she dashed to Arisu, grabbing her hand. "Alright, doc, keep your head low and don't die. If you die, I swear to God I will literally kill you." She warned as gunfire filled the air and she pushed Arisu down into a crouch as they made their way behind cover. Finding protection a metal crate only a few feet away from where Natalija was posted, the mercenary couldn't help but feel... Inadequate.

There was only so much she could do with a handgun, and even then she was a lousy shot. She was good enough to get by, but her father taught her how break bones not shoot. She seriously regretted not going with her mother on those hunting trips. Leaning out from behind the crate, she took careful aim and began to fire the handgun in the general direction of the motorbike rider.

'Pointless. Pointless.' She scolded herself mentally, figuring the bullets would probably start to drop off before they even neared the assailant. She sure as hell hoped Natalija, or anyone else, was a better shot than her.

"Natalija. A pleasure, miss." vas Natalija's noncomital reply, as she accepted the ofered hand, giving the woman a polite smile... and trying hard to hide her dis-taste of the alcohol-fumes emanating from her.

She maked no efort at a firm hand-shake, keeping the grip normal and relaxed, before disengaging and turning tovard the other woman.

"And your employer is... ?" she then added.

How-ever, a sound of multiple car-engines in the distance, at the edge of the ruined airport, sudenly catched Natalija's atention. She turned to look. There they vere... 2 rusted-looking Soviet-made UAZ jeeps, vhich the Hungarian army had in ample suply before the war, but culd now be found in the hands of all sorts of salvagers and gang-members, since the state it-self all but colapsed. Both had 2 people in it, a driver, and a passenger in the back, vith something that looked like a AKM. The third vehicle looked like a enduro dirt-bike, vith a single rider, something that looked like a one-handed SMG in his hands.

From the way they vere aproaching, and at speed, Natalija almost un-consciusly found her grip firmly on her M76, dis-engaging the safety, vith a soft click.

"Joska, please tel me those are more of your guys...?" she muttered over her sholder, vatching them, and trying not to tense-up, remembering her half-forgoten military training. It vas years since Natalija vas dishonorably dis-charged from the Commonwealth army, but those instincts stayed forever.

Her response come in the way of a burst of fire from the lead UAZ's gunner in the back, not-too-acurate yet at that range. 2 rounds impacted the plane's fuselage, 3 more whistled past them thru the air.

"U ZAKLON!" Natalija shouted for them to take cover, momentary reverting to Croatian in the heat of the moment, as she her-self sprinted for one, behind the plane's boarding ramp, already sighting-thru her M76's scope at the lead UAZ... then changing her mind, as she shifted her aim to the bike. Easyer target from that range, the rider vas much more exposed.

"Gues that ansvers my kuestion..." a thoght flashed thru her mind. Possibly one of Joska's gang bragging about the lucrative deal they made, back at the opera house in some bar, and that information reaching the vrong ears... maybe one of the rival gang members.

Betwen her rapid firing semi-auto sniper, the PKM on Joska's truck, and the AKs in the hands of Joska's men, plus the handguns of the scientist's guards, she figured they had fire-superiority over the attackers. Certinly they had number-superiority. But it culd stil be tricky, if the 2 UAZ's managed to flank them and catch them in a cross-fire out of cover. And they were fast-moving targets, plus the people insyde them were kuite wel-protected, the UAZ having a prety thick skin. The bike was less a problem, even if she didnt hit the rider, 1 or 2 hi-powered shots to the bike it-self wuld likely put it out of comision and throw the rider off.

Exhaling slovly, she started taking shots at the bike, gently puling the triger on each one, in about 1.5 second inter-vals, as she rested the M76's barrel on the edge of the boarding-ramp's hand guard, for added stability. Taking advantage of the range-finder in her scope, she figured they vere about 300 meters avay. A pretty tricky shot vith a sniper at a fast-moving target from that range, but they vere geting closer by the second. More shots from them come-back, stil none-too accurate.

// OOC: Time for some action! //

Joska and crew did what they did best, avoid trouble. They spun the truck around and it was then that it became apparent that they had used some salvage from an Invader craft before - on the side panels of the truck. Metal pieces had been chained to the sides, the hood and the doors. Chained because unless you had access to a very hot furnace, you couldn't weld anything to Invader metal. They took up positions in the truck and started loading up weapons.

"Oi! Anyone down there can use big gun?" Joska himself held the Kalashnikov RPK-74 aloft, oversized banana clip loaded, complete with bipod, while he reached with his other hand to grab his own trusty AN-94.

Arisu had ducked into the plane for a moment, and popped back out, grinning and bearing a very odd-looking weapon. She lifted her eye to the scope and squeezed off a shot.

Everyone's hair seemed to stand on end nearby for a moment as the concentrated EM pulse flew out and struck one of the UAZs, frying its electronics and causing it to stall instantly. It was still moving, but that was just inertia at this point. She ducked back into the plane, being narrowly missed by gunfire, while she let the coilgun recharge.

@Marchosias
@Jageroux

 

[Michale CS]

Tobias hadn't had many conversations with the old man but he knew him well enough. He boarded with a friendly smile. "Unfortunately, that's not the case Bob. I've got a problem at the crashsite, and I was hoping you could help me. Someones stealing salvage and I need to use your boat." Tobias' plan was to put the Colonel into orbit around the crashsite while he had his men used the smaller lifeboats to get a closer look at the outer hull.

"Well... there's a little problem with that, sir. When that ship came down, it brought up a lot of what used to be on the sea floor. Pretty well all around that thing are rocks and wreckage and all sorts of junk. I've got some good - very good - collision warning sonar on the Colonel, which lets me sound out about fifty yards on all sides of her."

He stood and grabbed a well-worn manila folder down from one of the shelves in his office, plopping it on the table between them. "I got it all mapped out. I can get you within fifty yards of that ship from the front side, that is, the side that faces land. My lifeboats don't draft deep enough for you to hit the junk down there so you'll have a straight shot in, but then folks from shore will see the old gal floating there as we set you down." He pointed to a spot on the chart as he explained.

"Now, if we bring her around back, we'll be hidden from view behind that flying saucer but the nearest I can get is 100 yards. The first fifty I can tell you are pretty clear of debris that might gut a lifeboat, but then you've got fifty yards of being real careful-like til you get close enough to get to the hole in the back of the thing."

He sat back and crossed his hands behind his head. "Of course, if you got other ideas, feel free to look over the charts and lemme hear em."

@Xytheus
@Saint Allison ( Feel Free to post an intro in here, so we can coordinate )

 

[Michale CS]

"Hm..." She looked over to Gerard, wondering if he should come along. Nah, best he stays here. Plus, she certainly didn't want to get attached.

"Hey," she said to him, "I'm going to see if I can get some... work with that lady, alright? You stay here... or er.." She didn't want to order him around. "Well don't leave this place unless you're coming along." Saying that, she patted at his head in what she thought was a sisterly manner. That done, she headed for the curator's office.
​

"Okay. I'll stay here. It's nice here anyway. I'm going to see if they need help washing dishes. I'm good at that." Gerard bragged and headed to do just that.

Once in the curator's office, Nora waited her turn and once admitted, she was asked to sit.

This was very much more like talking with an auntie rather than an interview. There was tea on the table and little cookies, presumably hand made.
"First of all, what's your name?" She asked, and once she had it, she continued.

"Pleased to meet you, Nora, I am known as Squall and I shall be quite frank with you. While it is true that we only claim things that are obviously left behind by their original owners, we occasionally have... small disputes with other groups about town. Our policy is to live and let live, but if violence is initiated by those we conflict with, we do not expect our people to just gently go into the night..."

She leaned forward, grinning in an almost predatory way. "We fight. And I hope you're all right with that. Cookie?"

And just like that, the transformation from 'mama bear' into a quaint little auntie reversed itself.

@Greenie

 

[Greenie]

"Okay. I'll stay here. It's nice here anyway. I'm going to see if they need help washing dishes. I'm good at that." Gerard bragged and headed to do just that.

Once in the curator's office, Nora waited her turn and once admitted, she was asked to sit.

This was very much more like talking with an auntie rather than an interview. There was tea on the table and little cookies, presumably hand made.
"First of all, what's your name?" She asked, and once she had it, she continued.

"Pleased to meet you, Nora, I am known as Squall and I shall be quite frank with you. While it is true that we only claim things that are obviously left behind by their original owners, we occasionally have... small disputes with other groups about town. Our policy is to live and let live, but if violence is initiated by those we conflict with, we do not expect our people to just gently go into the night..."

She leaned forward, grinning in an almost predatory way. "We fight. And I hope you're all right with that. Cookie?"

And just like that, the transformation from 'mama bear' into a quaint little auntie reversed itself.

@Greenie​

How cute, Nora thought to herself. He was a little like a puppy wasn't he- Goddamit, what the hell am I thinking?! She was sure glad her thoughts were soon no longer on puppy like boys and instead on the old lady from before. She seemed like quite the nice woman indeed. Squall? She'd never heard that name before, though she knew the meaning of the word. Hm...

She pushed a few lazy strands of hair away from her face before looking to Squall, face impassive. "I'll be honest as well," she started after a little moment. "I'm not much of a fighter. Not because I'm a pacifist by any means. I'm just not good at it. What I'm good at is running and hiding. However, if I have a weapon, I'm not scared to use it."​

 

[Marchosias]

Joska and crew did what they did best, avoid trouble. They spun the truck around and it was then that it became apparent that they had used some salvage from an Invader craft before - on the side panels of the truck. Metal pieces had been chained to the sides, the hood and the doors. Chained because unless you had access to a very hot furnace, you couldn't weld anything to Invader metal. They took up positions in the truck and started loading up weapons.

"Oi! Anyone down there can use big gun?" Joska himself held the Kalashnikov RPK-74 aloft, oversized banana clip loaded, complete with bipod, while he reached with his other hand to grab his own trusty AN-94.

Arisu had ducked into the plane for a moment, and popped back out, grinning and bearing a very odd-looking weapon. She lifted her eye to the scope and squeezed off a shot.

Everyone's hair seemed to stand on end nearby for a moment as the concentrated EM pulse flew out and struck one of the UAZs, frying its electronics and causing it to stall instantly. It was still moving, but that was just inertia at this point. She ducked back into the plane, being narrowly missed by gunfire, while she let the coilgun recharge.

@Marchosias
@Jageroux

Natalija's full focus vas on the bike, as she squezed-of a cople more shots. Finaly, the 4th shot hit home, the bulet penetrating the bike's chasis... and the rider's left leg, on the vay, severing it cleanly off. At the sight, she almost vinced in sympaty, for the rider. The bike started wobbling and smoking heavyli mid-ride, before it sudenly fliped-over, back over front, faling hard on its side, and crushing the rider under it, slyding a dozen more meters forvard, before it sudenly exploded.

Just at that moment, a suden wave of... electrifyed air or something... washed over her. She jerked around, only to see the scientist woman vith some kind of odd weapon in her hands. Glancing back at the UAZ, Natalija culdnt see any discernible damage to it though, asyde from its forvard lights going off. She chuckled to her-self under her breth... "Egg-heads and ther toys... next time, use a good old RPG7 to blow it to bits! Simpler and more efective..."

She shifted her aim at the UAZ now, down to 5 rounds in her clip... they have got alot closer, less then 100 meters by now. It maked the people insyde easyer targets... but it also maked them more accurate. Something one of Joska's guys found out the hard vay, as the next volley of shots from the second UAZ catched him, 2 rounds perforating his chest, and left thigh, and one more round coming perilusly close to Joska, ziping right past his left ear, as he held the RPK aloft, being a prety exposed target atop of the truck. The man vas dead before he hit the ground, his AKM slyding out of his grip, to stop not too far from vhere Alysson vas crouched.

"Stop babling, stay low, and SHOOT damn it!" Natalija grovled in anoyance to Joska, then added: "I got the lead one, have one of your guys help me out, rest of you focus the second one. Put that PKM to good use and make swiss-chese out of that other one!"

Just as she sayed that, she had to hastyli duck down, as one shot ricochet right-off the landing ramp rail she vas crouched behind. They vere obviusly focusing the source of the sniper-shots that taken out their biker buddy.

"Jebote!" she cursed, roling away from her cover, and taking a prone posture now, beside the plane's front landing gear. It offered beter cover, and more steady sniper-aim, and also given her a beter vantage point on both UAZs. As she suspected... they vere spliting-up, one going to the left, the other to the right, intending to flank them and catch them in a cross-fire. If that hapened, all of them wuld become alot more vulnerable, since no cover wuld protect them from both vectors of fire at once.

"If they flank us we'r fucked! LAY DOWN SOME SERIUS FIRE!" she had time to yell once more, before she started sighting at the lead UAZ, and the gunner in the back. Again, she fired in 1.5 second intervals, forcing her-self to stay relaxed and focused.

One curius thing she did notice, focusing on it now, vas tha the lead UAZ, the one hit by vhat-ever that electric-weapon the scientist used... seemed to be losing speed, compared to the other one.

 

[Saint Allison]

Domino felt like a hot slimy pan of mac n' cheese sitting in the Texas heat. The beach chair he occupied really should've been retired when Obama was president, but at least the view from its frayed seat was nice: An extraterrestrial shipwreck glistening in the sea.

Brushing the wind-blown grains of sand off his forearms and getting to his feet with a groan, he slapped a balding man in the seat next to him like he owed him money (which in fact, he did). "Wake up, Chad, it's your turn to watch for land sharks and sea aliens. I'm going to be inside spending some time alone with Agnes, so don't disturb our privacy if you can help it, a'ight?"

Not waiting for a response from the waking man, Dom ducked into the tent set up in the coastal shrubbery, relishing the cool(er) air. He smiled approaching his cot, seeing his love nestled under the covers, her curves unmistakable to his gaze. She had been with him since before he got out of the Air Force, and "the invasion" had only strengthened their bond. Laying a quiet hand on the mattress frame, he gently wrapped his fingers around her slender neck, feeling his pulse mix with hers. As he peeled back the sheets, he tightened his grip to a murderous intensity and with a yank, pulled her out of her resting state and up into his arms.

Agnes beamed up at him from her cradle with a gloss black grin common among those whose diet is composed entirely of 7.62mm cartridges. She was a Springfield Armory M1A, dressed in a form fitting Enhanced Battle Rifle stock, with the crimson crown only those of the Trijicon family were allowed to wear.

He spent an undetermined amount of time inspecting and cleaning the rifle's throat, letting himself get lost in the detailed surgery. His trance was broken by a stumbling and smirking Chad, his sun burnt lips spouting: "Dom, you're going to want to see what York just brought back from the depot! Holy shit... this is going to change EVERYTHING!"

 

[Shalashaska]

Having been huddled behind cover, Alysson was forced to impatiently remain behind the metal crate that protected her from the flurry of bullets. She had stared wild-eye'd at Arisu when the scientist went into the plane and came out with some... Thing that made her feel uncomfortable. If another one of her employers got killed by someone other than her again her reputation would be ruined! She was quite thankful that the Asian woman managed to keep from being reduced to a swiss cheese, but she still despised the fact she was unable to do anything.

At least until an assault rifle slid across the ground to her.

"Goddamn convenience. " She chuckled under her breath as she grabbed the AKM, her brows furrowing as she stared at it. Her father taught her how to handle rifles and handguns - assault rifles were another matter. But, she knew enough to shoot one. Leaning out from behind cover, she leveled her weapon on the tires of the UAZ that seemed to be slowing. Perhaps it was due to Arisu's toy? She didn't know, but she was more than willing to take advantage of the situation. With her finger on the trigger, she gently pressed it as the rifle began to fire, the steady rate of fire and recoil causing her body to jerk. "Holy... Shit..." She cursed under her breath as she attempted to help provide sometime of gunfire to the fray - even if she wasn't used to assault rifles, surely she could shoot out a tire, no?

@Marchosias
@Michale CS

 

[Xytheus]

"Well... there's a little problem with that, sir. When that ship came down, it brought up a lot of what used to be on the sea floor. Pretty well all around that thing are rocks and wreckage and all sorts of junk. I've got some good - very good - collision warning sonar on the Colonel, which lets me sound out about fifty yards on all sides of her."

He stood and grabbed a well-worn manila folder down from one of the shelves in his office, plopping it on the table between them. "I got it all mapped out. I can get you within fifty yards of that ship from the front side, that is, the side that faces land. My lifeboats don't draft deep enough for you to hit the junk down there so you'll have a straight shot in, but then folks from shore will see the old gal floating there as we set you down." He pointed to a spot on the chart as he explained.

"Now, if we bring her around back, we'll be hidden from view behind that flying saucer but the nearest I can get is 100 yards. The first fifty I can tell you are pretty clear of debris that might gut a lifeboat, but then you've got fifty yards of being real careful-like til you get close enough to get to the hole in the back of the thing."

He sat back and crossed his hands behind his head. "Of course, if you got other ideas, feel free to look over the charts and lemme hear em."

@Xytheus
@Saint Allison ( Feel Free to post an intro in here, so we can coordinate )

"Damn, you read my mind." Tobias took a second to look over the map. "Though, I'd like to put her into an orbit around the crashsite." He moved his finger in a circle around the site. "I feel that might be more inconspicuous. And my people know about the big holes. I'm trying to find something of a small entrance. So, while you circle the crash site I want to get up close with my men. It's possible the entrance is below the waterline." He looked up from the map. "Which reminds we'll need to pick them up from the entrance to port Bolivar before we head out."

 

[Michale CS]

How cute, Nora thought to herself. He was a little like a puppy wasn't he- Goddamit, what the hell am I thinking?! She was sure glad her thoughts were soon no longer on puppy like boys and instead on the old lady from before. She seemed like quite the nice woman indeed. Squall? She'd never heard that name before, though she knew the meaning of the word. Hm...

She pushed a few lazy strands of hair away from her face before looking to Squall, face impassive. "I'll be honest as well," she started after a little moment. "I'm not much of a fighter. Not because I'm a pacifist by any means. I'm just not good at it. What I'm good at is running and hiding. However, if I have a weapon, I'm not scared to use it."​

"Good. There's been a tussle and an explosion at the stadium nearby. It's in a bad part of town, but because of the attack, people are avoiding the place. This means a lot of people left a lot of stuff behind, as that stadium was being used as a trading post. There's also a good possibility that you'll see some dead folks, and even possibly just parts of dead folks, so if you're squeamish this isn't your particular mission. I'm taking six people with me to filter through the wreckage and try to find anything salvageable. It's grisly work, but it has to be done. Are you up for it?" Squall asked, sipping at her tea like she'd just described a poetry recital.

@Greenie

 

[Michale CS]

Domino felt like a hot slimy pan of mac n' cheese sitting in the Texas heat. The beach chair he occupied really should've been retired when Obama was president, but at least the view from its frayed seat was nice: An extraterrestrial shipwreck glistening in the sea.

Brushing the wind-blown grains of sand off his forearms and getting to his feet with a groan, he slapped a balding man in the seat next to him like he owed him money (which in fact, he did). "Wake up, Chad, it's your turn to watch for land sharks and sea aliens. I'm going to be inside spending some time alone with Agnes, so don't disturb our privacy if you can help it, a'ight?"

Not waiting for a response from the waking man, Dom ducked into the tent set up in the coastal shrubbery, relishing the cool(er) air. He smiled approaching his cot, seeing his love nestled under the covers, her curves unmistakable to his gaze. She had been with him since before he got out of the Air Force, and "the invasion" had only strengthened their bond. Laying a quiet hand on the mattress frame, he gently wrapped his fingers around her slender neck, feeling his pulse mix with hers. As he peeled back the sheets, he tightened his grip to a murderous intensity and with a yank, pulled her out of her resting state and up into his arms.

Agnes beamed up at him from her cradle with a gloss black grin common among those whose diet is composed entirely of 7.62mm cartridges. She was a Springfield Armory M1A, dressed in a form fitting Enhanced Battle Rifle stock, with the crimson crown only those of the Trijicon family were allowed to wear.

He spent an undetermined amount of time inspecting and cleaning the rifle's throat, letting himself get lost in the detailed surgery. His trance was broken by a stumbling and smirking Chad, his sun burnt lips spouting: "Dom, you're going to want to see what York just brought back from the depot! Holy shit... this is going to change EVERYTHING!"

The pair, egged on by Chad, headed out around back to see just what it was York brought back -

It was an APC, retrofitted with panels salvaged from the Invader craft, complete with run-flat tires. Other than shredding the tires, there was probably nearly no way to stop the thing (other than running out of fuel).

Indeed, everything had changed.

@Saint Allison

"Damn, you read my mind." Tobias took a second to look over the map. "Though, I'd like to put her into an orbit around the crashsite." He moved his finger in a circle around the site. "I feel that might be more inconspicuous. And my people know about the big holes. I'm trying to find something of a small entrance. So, while you circle the crash site I want to get up close with my men. It's possible the entrance is below the waterline." He looked up from the map. "Which reminds we'll need to pick them up from the entrance to port Bolivar before we head out."

"Circling eh? I reckon I could do that, but after a few go arounds it might start to look suspicious. When do I pick up your men?" The old man queried, already straightening up and getting ready to make that trip in case it was one of urgency.

@Xytheus

 

[Greenie]

"Good. There's been a tussle and an explosion at the stadium nearby. It's in a bad part of town, but because of the attack, people are avoiding the place. This means a lot of people left a lot of stuff behind, as that stadium was being used as a trading post. There's also a good possibility that you'll see some dead folks, and even possibly just parts of dead folks, so if you're squeamish this isn't your particular mission. I'm taking six people with me to filter through the wreckage and try to find anything salvageable. It's grisly work, but it has to be done. Are you up for it?" Squall asked, sipping at her tea like she'd just described a poetry recital.

@Greenie

"Oh right, I heard about that earlier..." Nora pushed a lock of hair behind her ears as she listened to Squall. Squeamish? Not really. Sure she didn't revel in looking at blood and guts and what not, but it didn't make her want to throw up or faint. She was stronger than that.

She didn't really have any expression on her face, save a little determination showing. Scavenging, or salvaging, was what she was good at. She needed to do this if she wanted to stay safe, she supposed. Gerard would be fine here, she was sure. She could scrap up a few supplies and leave, go on her own once more. Or not. It was hard to say what she wanted even for tomorrow.

For now though, she nodded. "Yeah, I'm definitely up for it. Is there anything else I should know, or you need to know?"​

 

[Saint Allison]

The pair, egged on by Chad, headed out around back to see just what it was York brought back -

It was an APC, retrofitted with panels salvaged from the Invader craft, complete with run-flat tires. Other than shredding the tires, there was probably nearly no way to stop the thing (other than running out of fuel).

Indeed, everything had changed.

@Saint Allison

Dom stared at the APC in stunned admiration. "So this is why we've been scrapping all those panels off the wreck... Fuck me, York!" He laughed as he gave one of the tires a swift kick with his steel toed boots. "These must be run flat? No way..." he trailed off, leaning down to look underneath. "...It's even got axel shields? We'll be unstoppable in this thing!" Moving to the back of the personnel carrier, his smile was diminished, but not banished. "Oh... haha I see why we were able to afford this bitch."

The back door was missing.

The APC didn't have an Achilles heel, it had an Achilles ass. Anyone with something that went boom could easily incapacitate the occupants... and judging by the scorch marks on the seats, it appeared that might have been just the case in the past.

"Hey York!" Domino called to the man sitting on top of the de facto tank, "You got any ideas for fixing this hole in your bumper? Because I'm thinking heading over to the wreck to nab some scrap -Right the Fuck Now- sounds like a pretty damn good remedy... jus' sayin'!" He stood with his arms crossed, an excited grin on his face.

@Michale CS

 

[Xytheus]

Circling eh? I reckon I could do that, but after a few go arounds it might start to look suspicious. When do I pick up your men?" The old man queried, already straightening up and getting ready to make that trip in case it was one of urgency.​

@Xytheus

"I don't think it'll look that suspicious. People will think you're just carryin' a party that's interested in the wreck. And I need my men picked up at noon. At the entrance to the port. If that's not too much trouble."

 

[Michale CS]

Dom stared at the APC in stunned admiration. "So this is why we've been scrapping all those panels off the wreck... Fuck me, York!" He laughed as he gave one of the tires a swift kick with his steel toed boots. "These must be run flat? No way..." he trailed off, leaning down to look underneath. "...It's even got axel shields? We'll be unstoppable in this thing!" Moving to the back of the personnel carrier, his smile was diminished, but not banished. "Oh... haha I see why we were able to afford this bitch."

The back door was missing.

The APC didn't have an Achilles heel, it had an Achilles ass. Anyone with something that went boom could easily incapacitate the occupants... and judging by the scorch marks on the seats, it appeared that might have been just the case in the past.

"Hey York!" Domino called to the man sitting on top of the de facto tank, "You got any ideas for fixing this hole in your bumper? Because I'm thinking heading over to the wreck to nab some scrap -Right the Fuck Now- sounds like a pretty damn good remedy... jus' sayin'!" He stood with his arms crossed, an excited grin on his face.

"Exactly what I was thinking, bud. You don't wanna wait til dusk though? A midday run? Sure, why the fuck not? Who fucking looks at that wreck anymore anyway?" York gave a thumbs up. "But maybe we should take the usual car. Driving this baby around is sure to get attention, I tell you what." He pulled the car around back, and between them, they got it covered up with a bunch of camo tarp.

"So, we should probably take the tow truck, in case we find a big enough piece - we'll need the stronger winch." York suggested, as he started marching toward the flatbed tow truck, which used to be used to haul trucks, SUVs and even the occasional big rig cab back before the Invasion. Nowadays, it was a salvage machine.


@Saint Allison

"I don't think it'll look that suspicious. People will think you're just carryin' a party that's interested in the wreck. And I need my men picked up at noon. At the entrance to the port. If that's not too much trouble."

"No problem, boss. You can count on me. We'll tally up what you owe me for my time and my gas after we've done used them up, ay?" The old man stood. "I'll have to run over to Midge's and fill the old gal up on some of those corn leavings. Thank God the Colonel doesn't mind running drunk."

Midge was, back in the day, a moonshiner. Now, she was mass-producing biodiesel (and a healthy amount of moonshine) for the folks of Galveston. Her son Perry was a mechanic, and he had boned up on how to convert standard gas engines over to ethanol and biodiesel. Between the two of them, they had a lot of work - at least as long as the parts held out. There was already rumblings about getting a bunch of folks back into the abandoned GM plant in Arlington to get that fired back up again. It would be work, and good work too. The near four hour drive meant that not many from Galveston would be heading up there to work, but once Arlington was back running, Texas would be in business as far as getting back on the manufacturing map in post-Invasion times.

@Xytheus

 

[Michale CS]

"Oh right, I heard about that earlier..." Nora pushed a lock of hair behind her ears as she listened to Squall. Squeamish? Not really. Sure she didn't revel in looking at blood and guts and what not, but it didn't make her want to throw up or faint. She was stronger than that.

She didn't really have any expression on her face, save a little determination showing. Scavenging, or salvaging, was what she was good at. She needed to do this if she wanted to stay safe, she supposed. Gerard would be fine here, she was sure. She could scrap up a few supplies and leave, go on her own once more. Or not. It was hard to say what she wanted even for tomorrow.

For now though, she nodded. "Yeah, I'm definitely up for it. Is there anything else I should know, or you need to know?"​

"No, girl. Get your things ready. We're heading out just after lunch. Bagels, and some cabbage soup. Leona's got quite a green thumb. There's leeks coming up in her indoor garden now, we'll have some more flavor in our lives soon." Squall went on about her friend as if they were preparing for an afternoon of window shopping. Which, after a fashion, they were.

It wasn't long after Nora got back into the main room of the old hospital that she spotted Gerard again. They had him fixing benches, obviously salvaged from the garden. He was crouched down and applying a lot of elbow grease to using a wrench to tighten up bolts on the old wrought-iron and cedar bench. He was being overlooked by a middle-aged man who seemed to be supervising the operation, from the tool belt he wore.

Gerard at this point was utterly in his own world, and didn't notice Nora enter the room at all.

If she wanted, she could simply prepare, and let him work, not saying any more to the man before she left for her run.

Or... she could say something.

@Greenie

 

[Michale CS]

"Goddamn convenience. " She chuckled under her breath as she grabbed the AKM, her brows furrowing as she stared at it. Her father taught her how to handle rifles and handguns - assault rifles were another matter. But, she knew enough to shoot one. Leaning out from behind cover, she leveled her weapon on the tires of the UAZ that seemed to be slowing. Perhaps it was due to Arisu's toy? She didn't know, but she was more than willing to take advantage of the situation. With her finger on the trigger, she gently pressed it as the rifle began to fire, the steady rate of fire and recoil causing her body to jerk. "Holy... Shit..." She cursed under her breath as she attempted to help provide sometime of gunfire to the fray - even if she wasn't used to assault rifles, surely she could shoot out a tire, no?

@Marchosias
@Michale CS

Even with the unfamiliarity with the weapon, the fact that it was headed toward her, and slowing, made it relatively easy to flatten the passenger's side front tire, at which point the UAZ swerved once then slowly began to grind to a halt. The men inside, including the driver, began disembarking and setting up positions around the disabled vehicle, apparently getting ready for an extended shootout.

The other UAZ, apparently confused by the sudden slowing, slowed themselves to try to figure out this new plan.

That's when Joska seemed to break his cover. He made a quick serpentine run from his truck, keeping to what little cover there was, and unhitched something from inside his belt. With a quick heft, the cylinder flew from his hand and definitely appeared to stick to the disabled UAZ with a solid clank which indicated that it was magnetic.

That was before the explosion, which tore the front quarter of the disabled UAZ apart, sending shrapnel flying. It was unclear at this point how many were killed or injured by that.

What was clear, was that Joska wasn't a thug leading a gang of thugs.

He, perhaps, had some explaining to do to some people.

Meanwhile, the rest of Joska's men turned their attention on the other vehicle, taking advantage of the confusion and laying down suppressing fire.

Arisu hadn't brought just Alysson with her, but other than the pilot, copilot and technician from Japan, one other man, who had only been scarcely seen by Alysson on the plane - she thought he was just another crew member or backup pilot, climbed out of the plane and literally scaled the side of the plane, lying atop it with some sort of longarm that had been strapped to his back. That might take a little while to setup, but it was indeed higher ground, and might be overlooked when you took into account all of the weapons fire and explosions that the attackers had to deal with suddenly.

@Marchosias
@Jageroux

 

[Greenie]

"No, girl. Get your things ready. We're heading out just after lunch. Bagels, and some cabbage soup. Leona's got quite a green thumb. There's leeks coming up in her indoor garden now, we'll have some more flavor in our lives soon." Squall went on about her friend as if they were preparing for an afternoon of window shopping. Which, after a fashion, they were.

It wasn't long after Nora got back into the main room of the old hospital that she spotted Gerard again. They had him fixing benches, obviously salvaged from the garden. He was crouched down and applying a lot of elbow grease to using a wrench to tighten up bolts on the old wrought-iron and cedar bench. He was being overlooked by a middle-aged man who seemed to be supervising the operation, from the tool belt he wore.

Gerard at this point was utterly in his own world, and didn't notice Nora enter the room at all.

If she wanted, she could simply prepare, and let him work, not saying any more to the man before she left for her run.

Or... she could say something.

@Greenie

Nora was avidly waiting for lunch. She wasn't actually a foodie, but bagels were something she had grown up with, heck her parents used to sell them in their grocery shop. It had been a good while since she had eaten them, and she would be looking forward to having some again. Cabbage soup would have been on the iffy side, but post apocalyptic situations made you crave things you never would have. Needless to say, Nora was rather pleased, even if it was hard to tell.

She looked toward Gerard, standing there for a while as he worked. Hm... So he was good at getting things done. Well, he had been a whole lot of help carrying her stuff here. She hadn't known he was good with tools though. Then again, she didn't know squat about the fellow, aside from the fact that he was rather simple.

She continued watching for a little while before walking over and crouching nearby. She stayed quiet for some time before working, not wanting to distract him from his work. "Wow, nice work there," she told him.​