The headquarters company of the Durasteel Tigers is located in an underground bunker, still solid and intact after heavy combat. Rayshielded and concealed from satellite observation, the bunker's location was once a top government secret, and many high-level officials lay in hiding here during the pirates' attack and occupation. The walls are massively thick ferrocrate with durasteel plating along the inner wall as well as the outer, with a layer of composite along the outside to confound ground-penetrating sensors.
Inside, the command center consists of parking and maintenance space for dozens of heavy armored vehicles, repair facilities, ammo bunkers, and armories, all connected by a maze of corridors designed to make storming it very costly. All the vehicle facilities are close to the entrance, the interior corridors are much too narrow, barely wide enough for two armored soldiers to pass side by side. The maze of twisting passageways were once all alike, but the Durasteel Tigers have posted markers at key intersections. People familiar with the Durasteel Tigers' route markings are generally able to find their way without error.
[Exits : [LZ] Landing Zone(#568E), and [CB] Central Belden(#565E) ]
Another day dawns, and luckily, Davis has been laying low, so no 4AM wakeup and shouting. Wake up, shower (a luxury guys in the field don't have) and on with the uniform. It's coed showers, like Starship Troopers, and occasional flirting, but no actual contact. It's against the rules anyhow, but mostly it'd be like doing your sister, which is creepy for most people who have sisters. Anyhow, time to get to morning muster....
Pvt Micheal Harris probably isn't likely to have a chance to ogle his fave. spec ops captain so...oh well c.c Out of his league anyway.
Pvt Micheal Harris will just do his shower thing then. Sure, he'd peer just a bit at any female soldiers. I mean, mostly just because it's been a WHILE, not that he's interested in doing anything with them in particular. At most, they might get a fake eyebrow waggle, which is probably nothing new. No impolite staring n' such of course. These are his allies, not his sex toys. Piles into muster after that, yawning.
Lack of Cpt. Novak is probably just as well. Because Davis. Anyhow, yeah, there's a bit of banter, but nothing more than that. 'Don't shit where you eat' is the general rule. At muster, Davis calls you all to attention in that crisp way he has, and then Magnum shows up looking dumpy and ... himself. "At ease," he says to everyone. "OK," he says, and reads off today's planned events. "Harris, you're on shopping detail today," is really the only note of significa.
'Shopping detail' is the slang for going out into town and picking up supplies. He's named off two others for the task, and says, "The shopping list is same as ever," which also draws grumbles, because it means the food will be the same blah as usual. As opposed to new and interesting blah.
Michael Harris has a light tone to his visage. None the less, one might call his look swarthy. His hair is short and brown, typical for service, but with a slight squarish outline. He's quite obviously scarred from either training or battle and his framing MIGHT belie some combat readiness but...he's a bit on the chunkier side with what looks to be a very average build. His movement is surprisingly dexterous however...especially for such a wide, stocky looking frame. It sure isn't all muscle though. His left eye is probably missing, as an eye patch on that side is a permanent feature. His unremarkable grey uniform has even less remarkable patches on it, barely visible in a slightly darker grey, showing that he's only at an E-1 grade.
Carrying: Heuvelman IA2XSM, and Pvt Micheal Harris's Tanker's Vest With Plates
Pvt Micheal Harris just sorta offers a salute and what have you. He's generally kind of stone faced if he isn't actively joking or something. Maybe his scarred-up face just looks angrier than he actually is. Who knows? He'll just have to be ok with it though, now won't he? Ah well, they're bound to hook him up with Ben again, so he starts meandering over in that direction.
1LT Ben Magnum is, in fact, not part of the shopping party. A Corporal and another Private are assigned, and they'll come over. Both guys, and the Corporal, Wilson, asks, "Ever done the shopping before, Harris?"
Pvt Micheal Harris ehs. Shakes his head. "Can't say that I have. Just more grunt work, isn't it?" He doesn't care. One reason to get out into the 'muck' (eyebrow waggle) is as good as another. He shrugs a bit. "I guess you guys are going to have to show me the ropes." He doesn't have much else to add. He's kinda new to the task.
Corp Wilson says, "Basically, yeah. They only dropped us with so many supplies, and it's a big deal to slip through spacecraft. Anyhow, the planet has a big enough agricultural sector that there's no reason not to live off the land. So what we do, is we go down to where the grocery stores were and we grab up the stuff since the city is mostly abandoned anyhow. Occasionally you'll see a squatter, cause not all the citizens evacuated when we took the city over. But it's usually pretty quiet."
Pvt Micheal Harris nods, his face darkening. "Yeah. Squatters." He sighs softly, enigmatically to folks not in the 'know' and offers a thumbs up. "Thanks for the brief, Corporal. So, who's taking point? You guys want me to drive?" He grins a bit at that one. He's obviously half kidding although he's probably GOING to end up driving whatever they take out.
Corporal Wilson nods. "You're driving, yeah. Me and Jenkins," he gestures to the named man, "will make the pickup. You'll stay with the jeep." He shrugs, "That's the official procedure, anyhow. Got to leave someone with the jeep." That said, he heads out to where the jeeps are lined up, and climbs into the commander's seat. Jenkins climbs in back to man the tribarrel.
Pvt Micheal Harris shrugs. Salutes. Wherever the force needs em. He follows after the others n' such.
Climbing in, starting up, and moving out are simple enough tasks. Wilson gives directions to get you out on one of the major roads. The road itself is littered with debris from the damaged buildings on either side, though no total blockages. It's maybe a twenty-minute drive to the location, which looks like a typical large grocery store. You can park along the curb, since no one's gonna bother you about parking, and Wilson and Jenkins hop out and head for the door, which is missing. So really, for the doorway. This building has seen some damage, too, though nothing catastrophic.
Central Belden was once a proud metropolis, home to millions. Now, its tall towers lay in ruins and debris litters its thoroughfares. Fallen towers and demolished mansions, offices and homes, city utilities, trade centers, monuments, all pounded to rubble - first by the pirates arrival and the citizen's stern resistance, then by the Durasteel Tigers forcing entry and driving the pirates out.
There is little obvious about the Tigers' occupation, their vehicles and forces spread througout the city at the company level, small clusters of vehicles parked in underground garages, or else moving through the ruins, maintaining a watch. Drones flit through the air, seeking signs of the enemy as well, more obvious, and more expendable.
[Exits : [HQ] Durasteel Tigers HQ, and [O] Outskirts of Belden ]
[Players : Micheal_Harris ]
[Things : FNA21 1100K Skimmer Jeep #663(#663X) ]
Pvt Micheal Harris definitely is gonna hop on the tri-barrel at this point. He's keeping a pretty watchful eye as best he can here and fully intends to have access to some heavy firepower. Better to have it and not need it than the other way around. Otherwise he'll sit quietly, waiting on his comrades to finish up.
1LT Ben Magnum rolled 2d6+1 Result: 10 1LT Ben Magnum rolled 2d6+1 Result: 12 1LT Ben Magnum rolled 4d6+4 Result: 25 1LT Ben Magnum rolled 4d6+4 Result: 10 1LT Ben Magnum rolled 3 extra dice for hit locations. 4 1 1
And well that he does. As the two men go into the store, there's an explosion strong enough to throw debris on the jeep, and two men lean out from around either corner of the building, one in front and one behind, and begin firing. Two shots spang off the jeep's coping and splatter Harris with hot steel. The one doesn't look to have done much damage, but the other one left a hole in the armored skirt. It'll make it hard to handle, if you manage to get out of there.
Pvt Micheal Harris doesn't want to leave these 2 behind if they DID survive...however unlikely that seems. He opens fire at the one in front of him with the tribarrel. Hell, it's already pointing there. He also signals command if he CAN, asking for orders.
Pvt Micheal Harris just radio's back something like: "Command! This is Private Michael Harris. Jenkins and Wilson are most likely incapacitated and I'm under attack by two hostiles, currently engaged. Please advise!"
Pvt Micheal Harris rolled 6 extra dice for autofire. 3 4 3 6 5 1 Pvt Micheal Harris rolled 4d6+4 Result: 21
The bad guy who comes under an avalance of tribarrel fire is mostly safe with the cover of the building corner, but the sun shines on a dog's ass once in a while, and a lucky shot takes him in the upper chest, and he drops. The other one ducks back behind his corner, out of sight. Making the radio call, the return message is prompt: "Shopping One, we'll send a combat car. Hang in there." Because it was a 20-30 minute drive for you guys to get here, if your relief left right this instant, you'd be on your own for that long. The jeep's got several damage indicators showing red, but it's not out of the fight yet. The doorway is full of smoke and piled with debris, hard to tell what's going on there.
Pvt Micheal Harris will go ahead and hop into the drivers seat, then, wielding his SMG/PDW one handed and start the damn thing back up if it's stalled. Either way, he's going to gun it at the end of the building where the guy was ...and says a little prayer to entities he doesn't himself believe in.
Smoke billows out from under the skirts as you gun the engine. But it lifts up after a moment. It's got excess power to compensate for the hole in the hull leaking air, though it won't take a lot of them. Harris sets course for the far end of the building, maybe 5 meters away, but a slow course, so he can get his IA2 up and ready before he clears the edge where he last saw the attacker, who so far makes no move.
Pvt Micheal Harris rolled 2d6 Result: 4 1LT Ben Magnum (OOC) says, "OK. He's got the drop. He was gonna shoot at the jeep regardless. He's in ambush now, so he gets a 12+mods." 1LT Ben Magnum rolled 2d6+1 Result: 12 1LT Ben Magnum rolled 4d6+8 Result: 19 1LT Ben Magnum rolled 1d6 Result: 6
As the jeep coasts around the corner, Harris can see the enemy has taken cover behind some debris. He is waiting, and he fires into the jeep. And he seems to know what he's doing. Or else the jeep's just not that sturdy a vehicle. Well, it's a super-light 3-man transport, not a combat car, and there's a reason combat cars are ... well, built a lot heavier than jeeps. The shot has set something on fire, underneath him, and he's got to bail out as the jeep is quickly engulfed in flames. It continues to coast another meter or two before the engine whoomphs and there's a screech as it hits the ground and grinds to a stop.
Pvt Micheal Harris will take that move to the corner, bringing up his SMG with a snarl and opening fire. He's starting to SERIOUSLY hate everyone here. He'll definitely hit the comms, short range though they are, in case there's any help nearby. "This is Private Michael Harris. I've lost my vehicle and my other 2 are unknown. Request ANY kind of backup out there. I don't know how many others I'm dealing with."
1LT Ben Magnum (OOC) says, "-1 for your movement and -1 for his cover, so -2, +1 for your dex, so it'll be a net -1. Auto 6, and you'll need a 9." Pvt Micheal Harris rolled 6 extra dice for autofire. 6 5 2 4 1 3 Pvt Micheal Harris rolled 3d6+4 Result: 18
The spray of fire from the SMG spatters into the cover, sparking off it in a couple places, but the guy takes one of the shots right in the chest and goes down. There's no response on the radio.
Pvt Micheal Harris checks INT(1) + MEDIC(1): 2d6 + 1 + 1 = 12
Pvt Micheal Harris's view darkens as he peers down at the fallen combatant. ... He shakes his head slowly. He doesn't have time to finish this guy off. Firing anything will give his position and...you know what? He just doesn't have the stomach for knifing this guy in the throat if he doesn't HAVE to. From where we're at, is it easy to navigate into the building?
Pvt Micheal Harris checks INT(1) + MEDIC(1): 2d6 + 1 + 1 = 13 1LT Ben Magnum (OOC) says, "Nice. He's a little worse off than the last guy, but basically in the same condition. They'll get a roll every minute to come to, actually, but they won't be in good shape when they wake up." Pvt Micheal Harris checks INT(1) + MEDIC(1): 2d6 + 1 + 1 = 8
With some elbow grease, he manages to clear the big pieces of debris from the entrance, and then the smaller pieces. The first body he pulls free, Jenkins, is almost certainly dead. There's a piece of building material where half his head used to be. Another couple loads of debris uncovers Wilson, whose meds have triggered. He's still out cold, cause he's been mangled pretty bad, but there are signs of life.
Pvt Micheal Harris will leave it at that. He wants to help Wilson MORE but...that's not really an option at the moment. He'll try to carry him somewhere a LITTLE 'further' into the wreckage. He's just looking for a place to hunker down, as you said, and wait out reinforcements. Hopefully he's got enough good hard cover left to fend off anyone who's still coming. He...honestly didn't WANT to leave the 2 baddies just lying there dying but...he's in no position to be beneficent either.
Harris can easily drag Wilson deeper into the store. The booby trap was obviously right at the entrance, and the interior is in pretty good shape, all things considered. All things being looting (by civilians who didn't evacuate as well as by the Tigers) and time (though most of the perishables were looted before they could go messily bad). The damage will make you guys not visible from the street, so there's that, too.
Pvt Micheal Harris is pretty terrified at the moment. That isn't going to STOP him, because then they'll both die here, but it doesn't mean he isn't afraid. He knew damn well that this was risky TOO but...everything's a trade-off in risk management anyway, wouldn't you say? He tries to find a spot to kind of 'hide' Wilson's body away from possible firepower and collapsing building and then goes to check on the locks on any doors around the facility, assuming he isn't going to run into anything. He has his weapon out and he's certainly trying to check his corners, so movement speed isn't important. Just firing lines, sound of movement, you know the drill.
Pvt Micheal Harris checks INT(1) + RECON(-3): 2d6 + 1 + -3 = 3
Harris manages to drag Wilson back behind a pile of cans of some canned meat product that even the looters haven't grown desperate enough to loot yet. Hopefully they won't try in the immediate future. He makes a circuit of the building and locks a loading dock door that'd been left open, and a fire exit he checks out seems like it won't open without sounding an alarm. It might be an exit-only kind of thing. The employee's-only entrance, however, is ajar.
Pvt Micheal Harris isn't going near the damn door. Sure it might lock but...he can't really sweep anything for more booby traps here. He's going to hunker in the corner with Wilson, chirp his damn radio again and watch his firing lines. He's had about ENOUGH of being blown up all over the fucking place. c.c "IS ANYONE FUCKING OUT THERE?" He's not yelling, he's just freaking a LITTLE and is semi-pissed.
It's about 5-10 minutes of securing the store and there's no answer on the radio yet, though the relief guys won't have gotten close enough yet to hear. The headsets only have a 2-3 km range, and base is maybe 20km away. With the time, the relief is probably still 10km out, if they left base quickly. Which makes it odd that there does sound like someone pushing their way through the debris at the front. Though, after that shout, there's an abrupt silence.
Pvt Micheal Harris never wondered how much sounds traveling in here.
Maybe he was a little louder than he meant to be?
Pvt Micheal Harris must have been.
He doesn't have to wait very long. Only a minute or so later, he can hear more rubble shifting, and a shadow blocks the light from someone coming through the entrance. The vision amplification in his helmet shows it's another enemy trooper, about 15-20 meters away.
Pvt Micheal Harris rolled 6 extra dice for autofire. 5 3 1 2 1 6 Pvt Micheal Harris rolled 3d6+4 Result: 20
He might've thought he was being stealthy, but he wasn't expecting an ambush. The guy possibly doesn't even know he's under attack until your spray of powergun fire takes him down. After that, he's in no condition to do anything about it.
Pvt Micheal Harris watches the line for a moment more, listening hard for any other sounds. After a quick sweep he'll move back over to Wilson, give him a cursory once over and then peer around the OTHER corner, gun up, JUST in case.
Pvt Micheal Harris checks INT(1) + RECON(-3): 2d6 + 1 + -3 = 6
Pvt Micheal Harris doesn't dare shift out of his location. He tries to breathe as quietly as possible, keeping an eye (Ha!) out for movement. He presses himself up against the wall by Wilson and keeps his weapon up and scanning. He's trying to make as little noise as possible and blend in with any shadow that might be there.
He spends the next maybe 10 minutes like that. Then a few more audible groans from the guy he shot, and ... some movement. Maybe he's regained consciousness?
Pvt Micheal Harris doesn't want to start snapping shots at 'movement'. He grimaces and narrows his eyes slightly. He'll go ahead and sneak slowly, quietly, back over to the over corner he had his original vantage point from and peer around carefully...
Pvt Micheal Harris checks INT(1) + RECON(-3): 2d6 + 1 + -3 = 7
Nothing that he can see. Maybe some noise from the entrance. He also doesn't see the guy he shot.
Pvt Micheal Harris will sneak to the other corner again, seeing if he has any other viewpoints? He's just going to try to keep a bead on whomever's trying to kill him. This is the best position he's got and he can't keep dragging a wounded guy around. Pvt Micheal Harris is going to stay put. Maybe they've got more explosives, maybe not. Being out in the open with a wounded ally isn't going to improve his bomb dodging skills.
Harris moves up to where he last saw the enemy, who's only made it as far as the other end of the rubble, dragging himself kind of messily out of there.
Pvt Micheal Harris grits his teeth. WHY CAN'T THIS MOTHERFUCKER JUST LIE THERE UNTIL THEY'RE GONE!? Now he...he has to, I mean...just in case... ... His mouth sets in a grim line. His gaze almost loses it's focus for a moment, staring off past his target. ...Well, let's be honest here: This guy is one of the OpFor that set a trap and blew up his guys who were just trying to get supplies. Maybe this motherfucker kind of deserves it. Hell, he's bleeding out...he may die a more slow, painful death anyway. ... "Rest In Pieces, motherfucker." *opens fire*
Pvt Micheal Harris rolled 6 extra dice for autofire. 4 4 5 6 4 6 1LT Ben Magnum (OOC) says, "3 hits."
Your close range burst basically splatters the guy messily. But it's at least quick for him, and he won't be able to ambush your rescue team, who would have had to do the same as you just did.
Pvt Micheal Harris knew he couldn't let him go, that's for sure.
You make another radio call, and this one is answered. "Shopping One, this is Blue Six," a combat car from base. They're within range, so they have to be pretty close. "Estimating about 2 minutes to your position. You OK?"
Pvt Micheal Harris sighs loudly. A sigh of absolute relief. He responds, "Blue Six, Shopping One returning. 1 loss, 1 down, I'm healthy. Place was booby-trapped and we were ambushed. I've got 1 kill and two takedowns. Takedowns are outside on the perimeter of the building. I can NOT confirm kills. Please be careful dealing with them. I'm currently holed up in the store with Wilson, waiting on exfil."
"Copy that, Shopping," comes the reply. And then a very long 2 minutes. Very long. Then you hear the unmistakable sound of a combat car pulling up outside. There's a brief snap of a powergun shot, and the radio chirps, "You inside, then, Shopping?"
Pvt Micheal Harris winces from the powergun shot. He knows what just happened. It had to be done. Again, they might have just died slowly and painfully ANYWAY so... ... They knew what they were getting into, going into combat. He replies, voice a little choked but he's still stoic. "Affirmative, Blue Six. In the corner of the building with Wilson. B..by the spam cans. You guys hungry?" He laughs a bit bitterly but....
There's a commotion by the entrance, and your guys come in a minute later. "Shopping, it's us," is called over the radio with a chuckle. Not necessary, but they don't want any accidents, either, if they can help it. Two troopers come in, and one of them has a litter. He'll help you get Wilson onto it, and one of them will cover you guys while you and the other carry him back to the combat car. Presumably that's Jenkins in a body bag fastened to the roof of the combat car. That's a normal way to transport bodies. And you don't leave the dead behind if you can help it. Once you and Wilson are in the combat car, with the one gunner they'd left there to cover the outside, and presumably driver and commander inside, the two rescuers make another trip inside. Hustling as they go, but it's about five minutes before they return, one carrying groceries - cans of food, by the look of it - in two fat sacks. They climb into the combat car and call out, "OK, Sarge, shopping's done, let's bolt." A moment later, the fans pick up RPM and you're moving out.
Pvt Micheal Harris is happy to see em but boy does he look tired. He mutters something about booze and whacking it.
The Sarge comments back, "Not on my car, dammit. Wait til you're back at base."