Boros - Legionaire War: Jihad In The Streets
So the plan has been made. Well kind of. The mission really is to find a target worth blowing up. Guard posts and light vechile convoys are nice but a big juicy target is always better. Willow and Zank set out from the underground warehouse a little before dark. Though with the fires from the nuke in the distance and the moon light overhead visibility is still decent. We find them in a alley way having worked there way quietly into the denser part of the city not the city center but a less industrial part of town. Patrols are denser and the Solider more heavily armed but targets of opportunity are not in short supply here. <English>
So we find Willow and Zank just below the building severing as a small hub for Legions operations through the massive city above. As far as they have read the plans they should come up in the basement or next to the target building. The sewer smells and the two move in the near pitch darkness with caution to avoid any chance of detection from above. <English>
Zank chuckles "I'd like the pay back yea." he says and looks up the ladder. He puts his hand on the rungs and ascends it quickly bag on his back. He reaches the top and looks down....he pauses then grasps the handle and pushes. There is a soft click and the panel opens with surprising silence. He peeks into the room above and whispers down "looks clear..." <English>
Some time after mop up operations have come to a head with those Harpoon's and the Tactical Nuke that got communications back up, There was an encrypted call put out to the Destiny using old codes from back in the war. Likely Kyoshiro Mibu trying to get back in contact with the Alliance Commander in charge of the operations. "Hello... is this thing on?" THe sound of Kyo's voice comes over the Bridge's sound system as the comm officer patches through the signal, along with him tapping his finger against the microphone. There is likely loud an annoying feedback from that.
Heather Jacy is weary. Her crew are weary. Her ship has sustained battle damage, there have been casualties, and they're running on fumes sleep-wise. But she walks slowly over to the comms console. "Commander Mibu," she states tiredly. If he can't recognize the sound of her voice by now, there's no hope.
McGuire's voice joins the annoyance, "I thought it was frequency seven four four...oh hey, there she is." He shuts up to let Kyo do the talking.
Video pops to life of Kyoshiro and Fao on the CIC of the Jia, not the bridge, which is more appropriate for their current communications. "Commander, congratulations on your Victory. The ground forces landed without a hitch, even got a supply drop last night from one of our suppliers. We should discuss how we should proceed in making a beachhead."
McGuire remain quiet for the moment.
"Is this a conversation we three need to have in person?" Heather Jacy asks. She glances over at the comms tech, who nods to confirm the frequency is encrypted. "Can you give us the situation on the ground a little better? We have some fighters still airworthy and I can lend CAS, but I need to know what I'm sending them up against."
"The transmission is Encrypted. No need to head this way." Kyoshiro assures Jacy before continuing. "They seem pretty dug in down here. At least in the cities. THere are pockets of resistance. Zank and Willow are checking out and running some geurilla operations currently in the closest city to where we are. Hoping ot take out some vital infastructure." There is another pause. "CAS will help from both you and Esmeraldas, but I've only got a battalion here. We set up and FOB. We're waiting on a site-map of the city and her defences. There seems to be a lot of Anti-air emplaced there. I'm thinking we need to take out that here on the groun and secure an area for you to land some Marines."
McGuire is quiet, only giving a slight nod, having nothing to add to that. He's not sure if he should talk about the children involved in this mess on a pophacy level, so he keeps his mouth shut.
"I'll send out my recon shuttle to orbit your location. I'll have visible and IR imagery to you of the surrounding area within the hour," Heather promises. A nod to her XO, who turns to pass the orders on. Jacy continues, "We're going to start tracking the locations of any hostile transmissions, try to map them that way as well. We'll keep you updated. We don't have time to get a full assessment so we'll keep you updated with the raw data as we go and the assessments in slower time." That's pretty sporty of Commander Jacy, revealing raw data - and thus the Destiny's capabilities - to a non-Alliance party.
Kyoshiro gives a nod, "That would be much appreciated. I'll give you an update on what ever Willow and Zank are up to as soon as they get back in touch with me." There is a pause, "Make sure your people get some rest. We got a long road ahead of us and as quick as we must be, we move too quick we can loose our footing and star making mistakes. This was just the begining, but at least the begining of the end." He looks to Fao, "Anything else before we end the transmission?" HE asks the older man. McGuire reaches off screen to adjust the signal and brings up the last mapping they obtained through the last launch to their new location. He listens and looks to Kyo, "You covered it all Mibu." He looks to the screen a moment. "You look like hell Heather, get some sleep."
Jacy grins wearily. "Yeah, I'm gonna take a few. If you need anything, have my comms patch you through, you can wake me." She nods quietly. "Hang in there, we'll be dumping information to you."
"The Computer is ready to handle it... And I'll make sure to send you the update first thing." Kyoshiro says reguarding the information dump. He's about to shut down the video transmission before turning back "Oh and ah... Willow wanted me to tell you. No more nukes..."
McGuire nods, "I second that." He turns back to the computers and begins his work.
Heather's grin widens fractionally. "Copy that. Sorry about the mess."
"It happens... See ya on the other side..." Kyoshiro says before turning off the video feed, making sure that Fao has enough time to establish the data uplink.
McGuire steps out of the Jia and rolls a cigarette. The first call out after communications came back on, and it's to Alliance. Although Commander Jacy sounded agreeable, he still just doesn't trust Alliance. Lighting the cigarette, he walks off the ramp to the move to the ledge to look out and over. <English>
A moment after Zank has climbed up the ladder from the sewers, Willow follows. And she gives a faint chuckle. "Of course it does. It is the basement of the building that the sewers open into, so... we are hopefully unlikely to come across any here," she comments. She has a knack for having remembered the blueprints that she'd seen, even though she hasn't particularly mentioned such a thing. <English>
Stepping along with Fao and placing a cigar between the lips and lighting it, joining the older man in a smoke, Kyoshiro nods. "It could have been worse. Not sure how she was going to take my message from Willow to her... She even appologized... that's a first. Must be the fatuige getting to her." <English>
McGuire says to Kyo, "She needed to know that a Parlaiment Opritive was on site and active. That keeps Alliance in check while we suss this out." He pulls another drag from the cigarette, looking up at the sky out of habit. <English>
Zank realizes how small the room he's crawled into is. It a closet of some kind. "hold on there's a door so we can breath our own air" he says suddenly sensing the lack of that personal space bubble. As she makes her way into the closet he opens the door slowy. Soft hard red light meets them and low sound monk like singing greets them. Across the space that looks to be some perverted Chaple is a room full of black class armor and robbed people...seemingly lost in some weird ritual. Zank freezes and slowly looks at Willow...... <English>
"She was quick to give over infomational access and clearance to the Destiny's intel files. That's for sure. Seemed to agree on my points. It's good to havea friend in parliment." Kyoshiro says with a nod, not that they'd call Willow a friend. Kyo didn't have a reason to fear her, maybe not sure he trusted her, but she hadn't done anything yet to betray an trust he had put in her. Her brownie points were stacking nicely. <English>
Climbing up and into the closet, Willow lifts a hand to lightly pull the handkerchief down from it covering her mouth and nose. When he opens the door, she looks past him and blinks slowly. "Oh, how lovely," she mutters softly beneath her breath. "The important part of this mission is getting that bomb set. Go out the door and down the hallway to the right. That should take you to the main part of the basement. Get the bomb set. I'll take care of this," she says in a very quiet voice. <English>
McGuire says, "My worry is who in Parliament it is. You know how I don't trust Alliance. That's why Lines and I get along so well. But Parliament? The minds behind everything. I'm betting even this experiment gone wrong." He shrugs, all these thoughts are way above his pay grade, but he's an over thinker anyway. <English>
"Oh, I'd like to know that too. Though you do tend to over think things too." Kyoshiro says, "It could be one of the more freedom minded individuals who happens to sti on the Commitie overseeing The Operatives who 'don't exist'. You never know. THey just needed enouh reason to commence the orders and make it Parliment's problem. We found Willow in deep cover after we took down their Financial Network, who had a number of High Ranking Alliance members in it." He looks to Fao, pausing to take a few drags from his Cigar, "Besides, id you ever ask her yourself?" HE shrugs, "We are given the cards we are dealt. We are Romani, we offer a token of friendship in one hand, but keep a dagger behind our backs incase our friend turns into a piece of gusa." <English>
Zank is frozen. But it's by not only fear by rage. Everything that was done to him that when Legion took him and made them there play thing of torture. It surfaces breifly ina flash of agony and rage across his face in the red light. His breathing deepens and his hand moves towards the pistol at his side. He stops when Willow speaks and her voice snaps him back for a moment. He nods slowly and almost hesitants as he gets to the door. <English>
McGuire nods, "That we are Mibu. I fought against it for a long time, but like my first name suggest that I'm fated, I gave in to it. And here we are, front line in a war that Alliance turned their backs on until we back Legion in a corner where from our own defences. A ship full of children who's next actions will define this war for us. You and I know Heather joined our cause a while back, going agaist Alliance orders. That endeared me to her a bit. Her involvement brought Alliance in full time now. It's all been a journey my friend. The out come is yet to be seen, but I'm looking forward to for some reason." He pulls a deep drag. <English>
McGuire adds, "I did ask her and she craftfully changed the subject. She'll never tell." <English>
The redheaded woman lifts a hand to brush aside a stray lock of her hair, studying him for a long moment as she does so. She noticed the emotions that toy with him, though she doesn't ask after any of them. "See to the mission. The bomb. That is what is important," Willow says quietly, giving a nod to him. She brushes past him to ease out the door, her hands moving to the katanas she wears in order to draw them and have them at the ready as she stealthily stalks into the 'chapel'. <English>
Zank watches her move and he opens door and heads down the hall. He finds his way into the main room and starts to set up the nova bomb. it's a quick process but Zank is care full and makeing sure it's done right. he's having trouble focusing but he's still managing. <English>
Kyoshiro nods slowly, "I wouldn't expect she would..." He takes a few long drags from his cigar stepping away a moment, thinking carefully. "THis isn't public knowledge, but it's something I remember from long ago. The Operatives are under the control of the Commitie on Domestic Relations. Three Senators from the House of Lords, Three from the House of Commons and another Three from the 'Elect'." He turns to face Fao, "If you care to look into it. Lord Abernathy, who's son was using funds in his name to fund Legion is on that Commitie." <English>
McGuire smiles slightly, "Recompenince by sending their best. Makes sense." He pulls another drag and pulls his duster arounding tighter to cut back on the mountain winds. "I'm just glad she's on our side." He does not say anything else, but his mind says 'yet' to himself. He blows out and pulls another quck drag before snuffing out the smoke. "Now that we're starting to get external information thanks to Heather, we can best arrange our assults and try to clear those anti-aircraft guns. Like you said, clear an LZ for Alliance troopes." He knows a good plan when he hears it. <English>
"We should have a full picture soon enough yes." Kyoshiro says to Fao, "At which point we can pick out soft targets like AA implacements and other vital communications and operations infestructure. My guess is they're using a lot of stolen Alliance equipment." <English>
Stepping quietly through the unpleasant red lighting of the room, Willow keeps her attention on the Legion folks. 'Praying'. Her chin ducks slightly as she listens, and one of her eyebrows quirks up a touch. Yet she stays silent. Right up until she attacks, and even that has only the sound of a man screaming as one of the katana's slices through flesh and bone of an arm. Weapons are drawn by the Legionaires, and it becomes a full out battle within only a few seconds. And it turns into butchery in those moments to come -- the katana's are sharp, and wielded by one who knows their capabilities. She is graceful, acrobatic, and proves herself to have been extensively trained. By the time all is said and done, blood is slick on the floor, and she leaves treadless footprints in it as she starts to head back towards the door they'd entered from. <English>
Zank completes his work and stands to leave. He didn't notice a single legionnaire enter the basement. The man was silent and got behind the distracted brown coat. The man attacks coming at Zank with a short blade that stabs into his side. wrapping his arms around Zank who screams and reacts violently. Zank isn't an assassin or has he ever been when would be considered graceful fight. And it shows here. This is a brawl. Zank back peddles and slams the attacker into the brick wall of the room. It stuns the man long enough for Zank to break free. Zank spins to face him. He pulls the blade from his side and he throws it aside. His face is covered with rage and dripping with sweat. The two men charge each other with hate in there hearts. The legionnaire tries to swing and punch Zank who ducks low and grabs him by the waste slamming him back against the wall. The legionnaire counted by slamming his clenched fists down in Zank back and punching his fresh wound. Zank again cries in agony as his grip lossens and the mans slips free. The two circle each other until the again charge. Zank now raises his booted foot and kicks the man in the cheats causeing him to stumble. Zank charges and again tackles the man. They fly down the hall way crashing into the chapel with bang . Zank ends up on top fists flying is a rage of unfiltered release. His screams echo as he punches the man over and over his own fists bloodying as the mans face cracks beneath the blows. The man is long either dead or close "YOU WANTED TO BREAK ME!!! IT WORKED!!" he yells as he pulls out his knife and slits the mans throat. Zank breaths heavy starring at what he's done. <English>
With her handiwork finished, she gives a flick of first one of the katanas and then the second one, blood slithering down the groove to splatter off the tips of the blades. She sheathes one of the weapons, turning at the crashing that occurs behind her, and she tilts her head to one side. Then she shakes her head faintly. This is not quite how the plan was supposed to play out. Striding swiftly over towards Zank, she snatches that back of his collar as she goes, dragging him off of the dead Legionaire. She's not a weak woman, not in the physical sense of the word nor the mental sense of the word. And whether he fusses over it or not, the dragging continues back to that closet that they had intially come through. And if she must, she bodily shoves him back down into the sewers, closes the manhole cover, and locks it in place so that he can't come back up for her. "I am sorry, my friend. See to the mission. I will see to your freedom," she says quietly. She doesn't even know if he can hear her words at all. But that said, she straightens and stalks out of the closet, drawing the second katana as she goes. She doesn't have much time, so she'll just have to make it all count. And she rushes towards the stairs of the basement to head up to the main floor and what would be ground level. <English> Zank is brought back to it all with the splash of the sweet water. "Willow!!!" he screams up at the manhole cover. The sting of his wound sobering him to his stupidity. He climbs the ladder banging on the cover "DAMMIT WILLOW!" he yells again coming down the ladder and looking for another way up he starts to search the tunnels looking for a ladder to bring him back. "not again." he says to himself "not again!" he says. The detonator in his pocket a reminder of what's to come. "stupid space ninja..." he says looking and looking for a ladder. <English>
McGuire says, "I need a new engine. What's in the Jia will allow her to function, but she's not cleared for combat at this moment. We come up again a Harpoon, we'll be in trouble. I can fly her around a Harpoon when she was whole, but she's hurting Mibu. I need a new engine." He keeps looking out over the ledge, holding his duster around him tightly. <English>
McGuire looks at the sudden brightness in the distance. He sighs slightly, "I hope their on the way back now. We're going to need all hands on deck." He pulls out his pouch and begins to roll a cigarette. The wind shifts briefly, but it's been a nice night so far. Pouch returned and cigarette lit, he turns to Kyo. "You see that?" <English>
The screaming from down stairs has gotten the attention of legionnaires on the upper floors. They start to come down weapons drawn looking for the sign of trouble. Zank still searches for a ladder up beneath the surface intent on helping his commrade who felt like playing hero today. <English>
Sometimes, a person simply feels compelled to take certain actions. Preventing Zank from letting his anger overwhelm is better judgement as well as override their mission goal seemed like a good series of actions to take. With him locked down in the sewers, she has no way of knowing how much time she has before the bomb will go off. As she suspected, the screaming drew attention. And she opted to wait on the stairs with her katanas drawn so that they would essentially be bottlenecked there to make it easier for her to cut them down. And that is exactly what she sets about doing as they start to come down the stairs. <English>
Zank searchs the tunnels for what seems like forever. He dose find a hatch up though. He quickly climbs up the ladder his fresh stab wound throbbing. He climbs quickly muttering curses as he peeks open the hatch finding himself in side alley a block or so away. He quickly climbs out and starts to find his way back towards the blocked off street and building. Legion has the alleys guarded but Zank hasn't got time to plan proper and moves towards the street looking for one of the alleys.
The legionnaires in the building are not fools and while the first few rush the stairs the other back off leveling there weapons down at Willow trying to find aim around there stupider comrades. <English>
Ah, but Willow is no foolish fighter either. She steps gracefully up to the landing, katanas held easily at the ready. She darts forward and kicks at the first Legionaire's knee, and as he's falling to the floor she runs through the man behind him. The blade is withdrawn from that man, then stabbed through the first man as she lightly steps over him. She tugs the blade free, then flicks one of them, sending a scattering of crimson blood to splatter across the face of the next one. She lunges forward as though about to attack them further, and the next one backs away in fear of his life. And as Willow turns away from them, she sheathes the katanas and then jumps through the hall window, her head ducked a little and putting one of her shoulders into the glass. There's a showering of glass out of the frame as she goes through it, and she ducks and rolls as best she can upon hitting the ground. Which happens to be just barely in one of the alleys that Zank is near. <English>
Well this is awkward...Zank hears glass shatter right as he finishes slipping on a set of Legions armor. He has found the entrance to the alley way guarded by a single solider. Zank quickly dispatched the poor soul and went about robbing the man of his garb in hopes of slipping in and pulling Willow out of her one women show. Zank stands there looking very strange. Half dressed as himself the other half legion. He quiet a second before he says "took you long enough" he says with a very small smile hidden by the shadow of the alleyway. <English>
Rolling smoothly, gracefully, to her feet, Willow lifts her right hand to idly brush aside a trickle of blood from the glass. Her green gaze turns to Zank, and she looks him up and down before shaking her head. "You. I told you to see to the mission. Where's the kaboom?" she asks, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then she steps over towards him, shards of glass trickling from her clothes. "Come on, we need to put some space between them and us. I'd expect they'll be after us soon enough," she adds. <English>
Zank narrows his own eyes. "do they teach ya nothin...i set this thing off as soon as ya told me to we'd both be dead." he say taking off the now useless disguise. He nods to the end of the alleyway. "come on we're gonna wanna be more than a few blocks away for this..." he says. <English>
Zank adds "pulse I wasn't leaving ya in there" he says walking past her not looking back. <English>
"They teach me plenty. I just didn't learn a lot about that particular sort of explosive," Willow says, raising an eyebrow slightly as she looks to him. "And I didn't tell you to set it off. I just told you to see to the mission," she points out, a smile teasing a little at the corners of her lips. She brushes a bit of glass from one of her shoulders, and then she gives a nod. "Then lets be away so we can blow them up," she adds, giving a nod. She watches after him at that last statement, and then just shakes her head a little bit and mutters to herself in a language that isn't English. <English>
Zank mutters to in a language not English. Gallic actually. He switches back. "for the record the mission was to set off the bomb..." he says. Leading the way away from the area he stays quiet. They travel a good distance two or so miles off in silence. They find a roof an Zank pulls out the silver detonator. "want the honors" he asks holding it out for her. <English>
Willow gives a brief bit of laughter with a mild snort. "A -sane- person wouldn't have chosen the path I did, now would they?" she points out, a bit of a sparkle showing in her green eyes. She understands Gaelic, after all. "The mission was to blow up the building," she adds, giving a nod to him. She moves along with him, her stride a bit swift to keep up with him. And as he offers the detonator, she gives a slight shake of her head. "I think you earned that one. It's all yours." <English>
A Nova mine gets its name not from how big the explosion it makes but from how it explodes. When the charge explodes for a split second a super dense material is exposed to a charge of electricity. This causes the material to become super dense and unstable. It collapses in on itself sucking in all surrounding matter. This inturn has an opposite effect as it expands rapidly outward tearing molecular binds part in a blue flash of super heated gasses and debris....this is all supposed to happen in the vaccum of the black. To ships...
It's happening here on Boros in a basement. The charge implodes and explodes in a fury of blue flame that erupts on the backs shattering metal and brick. The building cracks at the implosion and then is blasted apart the ground heaving and pavement cracking under the shock wave. Flames shoot hundreds of feet into the air and the night is breifly turned to day that can be seen for miles. The roar of the explosion rolls across the city shattering windows and setting off alarms not yet destroyed. Silence falls over the city as the shock wave rolls away front run center of its creation. <English>
McGuire stands at the ledge looking out over the darkness. In the distance, the light rises up bright and fades back into darkness. Fao turns to Kyo, "Did you see that?" <English>
The blast wave echoes across he city. Zank has to brace slightly at the shock wave hits them. he has his hands on his ears and he's just grinning. "I love those things" he says <English>
Willow raises an eyebrow slightly as she looks to Zank. "I learned a thing or two," she comments in Gaelic, winking at him. It's not the only language she knows, but she's not sharing that as of yet, it would seem. Lifting a hand, she idly combs her fingers through her curls, looking in the direction of the building they set the bomb at. And as the explosion tears through the building, one of her eyebrows quirks upwards, and she gives a slight gesture towards the building. "That's... pretty impressive," she comments in a soft tone of voice. <English>
Kyoshiro looks over towards Fao, then back to the city. "Yeah..." He steps forwards a bit, "Looked like a Nova Mine..." He hadn't seen one of those seince the war. <English>
McGuire nods, "'Swhat it looked like." He looks back to the city. "That should keep them busy for a while." He begins to roll another cigarette. "Think we'll be seeing the kids by morning?" He muses aloud. <English>
"I don't know. I'm trying not to think about it right now..." Kyoshiro says, knowing Llew was out cold at the moment or in some sort of weird or odd trance. <English>
Zank chuckles at her reponse and wink. He watches the explosion and lets the light fade. "saw 4 of them crack a cruiser during the war...ripped one of the spires clean off the base engine platform...." he says as the fire and yells of confused soldiers fill the streets. "we should get back and get some rest we can plan our next move tommrow..." he says wincing as he feels his side for the gift from the legionnaire. "dam" he mutters <English>
The redheaded woman tilts her head slightly to one side, studying him for a lingering moment. "I find that easy to imagine," she comments, giving a nod to him. Her attention shifts back to the building lit up by the explosion, and then she brushes a bit of hair from her face. "You're hurt," Willow says, a statement and not a question. "Poison?" she asks, her brow furrowing a little bit. <English>
McGuire lits his cigarette and turns to look at the ship, "I need to check on the girls, and then try to get some sleep myself. Long hours and being old is starting to catch up with me." He pulls a deep drag and clears his throat as he blows it out. "I'll check the main room for any updates before retiring." <English>
"Right, let me know how that uplink is going..." Kyoshiro says with a nod before looking back out over the cliff and smoking his cigar. <English>
Zank tries to look at the wound his shirt stained bloody but the armor held mostly expect for the front of the blade. " don't think so...shoulda felt it by now if it was unless my adrenaline is keeping it at bay" he says "I'll be fine" he insists but the blood loose makes him look a little paler. <English>
Willow frowns a little bit, her brow furrowing slightly. Then she gives a small nod. "That's possible," she muses, a thoughtful tone to her voice. "We should bandage it up for you, at least," she offers, a flicker of concern to her voice. "We'll head back towards the base of operations... hopefully it'll not take too long to get back there," she adds. <English>
Zank nods "yea sounds shiny" he says. "maybe see if any of them crates has food supps" he says "we earned a meal tonight." <English>
McGuire walks past Kyo, towards the ship, "Good night Mibu." He says in passing. <English>
