Chapter 1: The Core
"Alright," Terra said, running a hgand through her silky hair. "I'm gonna start the briefing, so pay attention, unless you have no intention of staying alive once we reach the surface."
She slinks over toward a moderatly sized computer screen, and flips the power switch. The screen illuminates, filling the dark room with blueish light. The Masse Kernel shudders violently, as Terra pauses.
Pressing a key on the nearby terminal, a map of the planet below flickers onto the brightly lit screen.
As the image boots, a high pitched voice screams over the Com-Link.
"Hey, 10 minutes to drop!" Jena screams into the cargo-hold. Outside the portholes, the flickering of atmospheric fire has dimished into a crisp light-grey sky.
"Welcome to Ari 4. As I'm sure none of you were properly briefed upon leaving the Union HQ, I'm going to say it now: Ari 4 is a mess." Terra pauses to hop playfuly up on the table, sprawling her legs on a nearby chair. "The RX-Tech corporation and The Core Empire are vying for control of several key sites on the planets surface. Something about mineral deposits."
The Com-Link hisses to life again. "Yo, brace yourselves! Chop ahead!" The Cabin lurches violently, sending nearby weapons and ammo scattering to the floor.
"Dammit, shuttup!" Terra screams into the comlink. "I'm trying to brief them! Anyway, RX Tech has 'employed' us to do a little grunt work for them. Rid them of a Core base, and we score a slice of land for the good of Sher-ya. Not a bad thing."
Terra presses a button, enlarging the map. "Jena, if her piloting doesn't kill us, is gonna drop us 5 clicks outside of enemy radar. Unfortunatly, the Cora has spared no expense with this facility, so its packing some serious A-A fire. We have two mission objectives..."
The screen changes, zooming in on the upper quadrent of the map.
"Our first objective is to nullify Anti-Aircraft emplacements at this location. The marked are contains two Anti-Air batteries that need to be shutdown or destroyed. The Union will probably throw us some extra credits if we keep em intact. After the A-A is taken down, The Masse Kernel will land, and deploy our two RX-10R2 All-Terrain APCs. These will provide covering fire as well as a mobile hospital for the brunt of the second objective."
The screen clears, and the room brightens again. "Our second objective is to seize the base itself. Most crucial is an antenna array, pictured here."
Terra slaps the screen, in frustration. "Damned signal is distorted again." The screen flickers with static, shortly before the image is lost.
"Any and all enemy resistance is to be dealt with swiftly and effectivly. Once the A-A is down, the Kernel will nuetralize any Armored units. We just have to deal with infantry."
The screen shuts down. Terra paces in front of a supply cabinet. "The surface of Ari 4 is not pretty. Temperatures can drop as low as -15° during the day, and -45° at night. The majority of the planet is either badlands, with little to no cover from the winds, and forest, which harbors the majority of indigenous life. Snowfall is frequent, if not daily."
Terra pushes a small red button on the locker, and inputs several numbers into a keypad. "These will help us survie the wasteland."
She pulls out several military BDUs. "These are light armor, standard issue BDUs, with built in thermal units. They'll keep a solider warm and protected from light arms fire for up to 10 hours in the field."
Isaias, Arielle, and Maytag each recieve Winter BDU (15% armor 2 Cold Protection)
"Its important to keep yer stamina up. Eating will help accomplish this. If yer feeling a bit weak in the field, munch on one of these. They taste like Darkon shit, but-..."
Isaias, Arielle, and Maytag each recieve 3 Rations.
Terra finally pauses and opens a box. She removes 3 headsets, with small detection equipment wired to it.
"These are OP-SATs. Operant Protocol Scanning and Assessment Technology. A small gift from the RX-Tech Corporation. These, when operational and functioning normally, will provide top of the line, accurate information about the environment you are currently in. Temperature, Wind, Weather, Objectives...you name it. Even get good enough with yer computer skill and you can detect hidden enemies...blah blah. You get the point."
The Com-link activates again. "Hey! We got 25 seconds til drop. Hang on to yer butts!" The ship lurches forward, Terra almost losing her balance.
"Suit up!" Terra shouts, fastening her BDU up, and activating the thermal unit.
She hefts her sniper rifle, and opens the air lock as the ship begins a slow descent. Colf air rushes into the warm cabin, making the crew shiver. A small minigun turret begins to shift into place, guarding the outside of the landing area.
"Alright. We're gonna break into two teams. Pair off. Then we'll move out."
The team moves out into the snowy badlands of Ari 4, just as the OP-SATs hiss to life.
OP-SAT
Temperature: -10°
Cold: 1
Wind: 2 MPH
Current Weather: Clear
Distance to Current Objective: 1 Kilometer.
She slinks over toward a moderatly sized computer screen, and flips the power switch. The screen illuminates, filling the dark room with blueish light. The Masse Kernel shudders violently, as Terra pauses.
Pressing a key on the nearby terminal, a map of the planet below flickers onto the brightly lit screen.
As the image boots, a high pitched voice screams over the Com-Link.
"Hey, 10 minutes to drop!" Jena screams into the cargo-hold. Outside the portholes, the flickering of atmospheric fire has dimished into a crisp light-grey sky.
"Welcome to Ari 4. As I'm sure none of you were properly briefed upon leaving the Union HQ, I'm going to say it now: Ari 4 is a mess." Terra pauses to hop playfuly up on the table, sprawling her legs on a nearby chair. "The RX-Tech corporation and The Core Empire are vying for control of several key sites on the planets surface. Something about mineral deposits."
The Com-Link hisses to life again. "Yo, brace yourselves! Chop ahead!" The Cabin lurches violently, sending nearby weapons and ammo scattering to the floor.
"Dammit, shuttup!" Terra screams into the comlink. "I'm trying to brief them! Anyway, RX Tech has 'employed' us to do a little grunt work for them. Rid them of a Core base, and we score a slice of land for the good of Sher-ya. Not a bad thing."
Terra presses a button, enlarging the map. "Jena, if her piloting doesn't kill us, is gonna drop us 5 clicks outside of enemy radar. Unfortunatly, the Cora has spared no expense with this facility, so its packing some serious A-A fire. We have two mission objectives..."
The screen changes, zooming in on the upper quadrent of the map.
"Our first objective is to nullify Anti-Aircraft emplacements at this location. The marked are contains two Anti-Air batteries that need to be shutdown or destroyed. The Union will probably throw us some extra credits if we keep em intact. After the A-A is taken down, The Masse Kernel will land, and deploy our two RX-10R2 All-Terrain APCs. These will provide covering fire as well as a mobile hospital for the brunt of the second objective."
The screen clears, and the room brightens again. "Our second objective is to seize the base itself. Most crucial is an antenna array, pictured here."
Terra slaps the screen, in frustration. "Damned signal is distorted again." The screen flickers with static, shortly before the image is lost.
"Any and all enemy resistance is to be dealt with swiftly and effectivly. Once the A-A is down, the Kernel will nuetralize any Armored units. We just have to deal with infantry."
The screen shuts down. Terra paces in front of a supply cabinet. "The surface of Ari 4 is not pretty. Temperatures can drop as low as -15° during the day, and -45° at night. The majority of the planet is either badlands, with little to no cover from the winds, and forest, which harbors the majority of indigenous life. Snowfall is frequent, if not daily."
Terra pushes a small red button on the locker, and inputs several numbers into a keypad. "These will help us survie the wasteland."
She pulls out several military BDUs. "These are light armor, standard issue BDUs, with built in thermal units. They'll keep a solider warm and protected from light arms fire for up to 10 hours in the field."
Isaias, Arielle, and Maytag each recieve Winter BDU (15% armor 2 Cold Protection)
"Its important to keep yer stamina up. Eating will help accomplish this. If yer feeling a bit weak in the field, munch on one of these. They taste like Darkon shit, but-..."
Isaias, Arielle, and Maytag each recieve 3 Rations.
Terra finally pauses and opens a box. She removes 3 headsets, with small detection equipment wired to it.
"These are OP-SATs. Operant Protocol Scanning and Assessment Technology. A small gift from the RX-Tech Corporation. These, when operational and functioning normally, will provide top of the line, accurate information about the environment you are currently in. Temperature, Wind, Weather, Objectives...you name it. Even get good enough with yer computer skill and you can detect hidden enemies...blah blah. You get the point."
The Com-link activates again. "Hey! We got 25 seconds til drop. Hang on to yer butts!" The ship lurches forward, Terra almost losing her balance.
"Suit up!" Terra shouts, fastening her BDU up, and activating the thermal unit.
She hefts her sniper rifle, and opens the air lock as the ship begins a slow descent. Colf air rushes into the warm cabin, making the crew shiver. A small minigun turret begins to shift into place, guarding the outside of the landing area.
"Alright. We're gonna break into two teams. Pair off. Then we'll move out."
The team moves out into the snowy badlands of Ari 4, just as the OP-SATs hiss to life.
OP-SAT
Temperature: -10°
Cold: 1
Wind: 2 MPH
Current Weather: Clear
Distance to Current Objective: 1 Kilometer.