Storm over Pandora - Those Left Behind...

Started by Lehrrap Uniltìranyu, June 29, 2010, 11:34:47 PM

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Coyote

Campsite
0036 hrs, Sawtute reckoning









For a moment, they looked at each other, as the news they all shared got talked about and discussed.

Arik spoke in halting ninavi-- <<After we take Dragon, Iron Cloud... only small kunsips are still there. They need to stop more, drink... water-fuel, before to go on.>>

Jax nodded, and picked up with his better command of the langauge. <<So if the Sawtute are already at Sengtsil camp, then they expect this fuel stop to be here. If we attack it, they will know we are here.>>

<<But if we take the fuel, or just destroy it,>> Nef'Tys said, <<Then they cannot chase with their kunsips, srane?>>

"Feyoo-ell?" Ray'iun asked, puzzled.
"Fuel," Jax said. <<Water for kunsips. Cannot fly without it. Not possible.>>

<<We can pierce the water skin,>> Tseylian said. <<Let it spill out.>>

Arik frowned. <<Last choose. Not good, pour fuel on Eywa'evenga. Will make kill all plants, animals here.>> He waved his hand around to encompass a wide swathe of territory that would be affected by such a fuel spill.
<<And it burns,>> Jax added.

<<Olo'eytkan Kai'iu does not know we are coming,>> Ray'iun said. <<Does Warren Childz know?>> he asked, looking at the two aliens in his midst.
<<I do not think so,>> Arik said, <<We have seen not any kunsips.>>
<<They may think we are still at Iknimaya,>> Jax said.

<<So...>> Ray'iun said, <<If we take away 'fyoo-ell', they will know we are here, but they can do nothing about it, because the 'fyoo-ell' will be gone.>>

<<They can bring more,>> Jax said, scratching his hairless chin, <<But it will take time.>>
<<And in the time we have,>> Arik said, <<The Sengtsil will be alone from Warren Childs. He can no make help to them.>>
<<That will not last long,>> Tseylian said, nodding towards Jax. <<If what you say is true, we have to steal the fyoo-ell and be ready to move quickly to Mother Plain before Childz brings more of it.>>

<<And,>> Arik realized, <<Upon time we attack Kai'un and his people, this place will bring to more warriors from Hell's Gate... Scar-in-Ground.>>
<<They'll build up defenses,>> Jax said, since he didn't know the native word for 'fortify' or if they even had such a word, <<And it will be harder to attack, and they will use it to attack us.>>

<<Either way, we have a hard choice to make...>> Ray'iun said...









Results:
Group weighs whether to attack the fuel station or not.

Pros:
Sneak attack on fuel station can probably be carried out easily, especially with Dragon.
Will supply fuel for Dragon gunship.
Will take away fuel from any RDA counter-attack.

Cons:
Will alert Childs and Sengtsil to their presence.
Fuel can be replaced relatively quickly, giving limited window to move freely.
Risky attack with small force + only operating gunship; if RDA responds quickly they could lose everything.

***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Hell's Gate
FLASHBACK:
One Month Ago









Julia's jaw was set as she tried to assuage her flagging sense of loyalty, duty, and pride. Blake said nothing, but sat at  the edge of the cot, his elbows resting on his knees, and his head resting on his hands, trying to look at her without staring.

He also tried to press himself down, onto the cot and floor, seating himself firmly so that she could not see how bad he was still trembling. At least she is trembling, too, he comforted himself.

The WASP revolver sat on the other cot, next to her. It was ignored for now, as was Liz's prone Avatar.

"I... I don't want to kill people, okay?" Julia said. "I was told I wouldn't have to do anything like that. But..."
"Told by who?" Blake asked.
"Uncle Warren," she said, sniffing, and wiping a tear away from her big, gold Avatar eye.

"So," Blake said, "You come here, punch your ticket here on Pandora as an expert researcher with the best field time anyone could ask for, and go back to Earth to...?"
"I'd have all my school loans paid off," she said, blinking and slipping a smile at the absurdity of her extreme actions over such a pedestrial concern. "But the big thing was, I'd be able to get on the RDA Board of Directors. A junior Director, of course, but someone there to keep an eye on things for Uncle Warren."

"And live the rest of your life in style and comfort."
"Overcity," she said with a smile.

Overcity. The part of each human city back home that poked through the thick haze of smog and pollution; the tall spires of buildings that emerged like islands of glass and steel, clean, smooth, and polished. Living in Overcity mean tnot having to mix with the less fortunate on the ground; it mean opening your window to some of the last remaining fresh oxygen on the planet.

Life without a little plastic prison affixed to your face everywhere you went, always that little clear shaped-Plexiglass visor and rebreather as a constant physical barrier between you and your environment, between you and other human beings.

The daily reminder of the failures of Man's Hubris. The Mark of Cain, perhaps, for those who were not their brothers' keepers.

"Did it occur to you," Blake said, his ire up now, "The sick, twisted irony that the people who made Earth what it is today are the only ones who can afford to live pretending it didn't happen?"

Julia sat, looking down.

"I just want to live," she siad, "I didn't make Earth the way it is. Even Uncle Warren didn't."
"Oh, so that makes it okay," Blake said.

Julia said nothing.

"Do you like breathing the air?" he asked her.
She looked up at him, puzzled. He waved out the door.
"Poisonous to our real bodies, but as Avatars..." he breathed in, inhaling deep, the thick, wet scents of the jungle. "Isn't it nice?"

"It is," she admitted.

They sat together, in silence, for awhile. "What is it your uncle wants here?" Blake asked, finally. "He has Hell's Gate. What does he need to do all this other stuff for?"

"He wants to control it," Julia said, "Really control it. He wants to control the supply of Unobtanium."
"So this is all about money?" he asked.
"He wants to help humanity," she said, sighing. "He wants everyone to have the benefit of Unobtanium. With enough of the stuff, he thinks we can start to rebuild Earth. Or at least undo some of the damage."

"How?" Blake asked, "That... doesn't make any sense."
"It's complicated," she said, "Magnetic levitation makes oil-based lubricants obsolete; and using Pandoran wildlife to re-seed Earth... he wants to save Earth."

Blake looked at her, stunned. "He wants to be the man on the white horse, who comes riding in to save the world. Literally," he said. "Becoming filthy rich in the meantime is purely by coincidence, I'm sure."

Julia looked down at the ground. "He said he'd live here, and make Pandora independent," she said. "Get some of the local tribes to help him, and hold off the greedy transnational companies that want to come here and take everything back. He'd have the power to dictate terms since he'd have all the Unobtanium, and an army of humans and Na'vi to secure it."

Blake looked at her, stunned.

"He wants to be... ruler of Pandora," she said. "To save Earth."










Results:
Blake and Julia discuss Warren Childs's plan.

***
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Campsite
0040 HRS


It was quite as they contemplated the plan layed out in front of them. Jax looked around the group, looking at every face and thinking over the plan, a small, wicked grin slowly spreading across his face, his teeth bared as the grin got bigger and bigger.

He slammed one fist into the open palm of his hand. "<<We will strike hard and fast! There is plenty that could go wrong, but this is our chance! If we strike now and take the fuel, then our Dragon will have more for it to feed on. We could also grab more supplies for the people back home while we are at it.>>"

Jax's wicked grin continued as he slowly paced, drawing his knife and playing with it, slowly flourishing it and passing it between his hands and twisting it nimbly through his fingers. "<<The Tawtue don't know we are coming. They know we have the Dragon, but they don't know how much fuel we have, or ammo. If we strike now, we can double or triple our stockpiles and do some major damage. That'll give us enough time to move in and set up another ambush, or simply get to where we need to go.>>"

Jax twisted and threw the knife, where it buried itself deep into the tree that he had jumped out of, "<<Strike the heart and get out, they'll never know what hit them and that gives us the advantage.>>" He said.

A few moments passed and he was watched by the others, who were all looking at him in surprise. He coughed in embarrassment and walked over to the tree and got his knife back. "<<... Also, because I do not wish to lie to you all, I want to use this as a chance to strike back at that bastard Childs. I want to make him PAY for my body and my life, and if I can start by killing these Kinsips and stealing their fire-water, then that sounds like a plan to me.>>



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

Coyote

#22
Remote Site 26A
New Hidden Location










"They want to... what?" Grace asked.
"Do a long-range assault on a fixed, unsuspecting and unfortified position," Trudy Chacon said.
"And what does that mean in non-knuckledragger?" Grace asked, exasperated.

"They found a fuel depot," Blake Goodson said, "In the forest."
"They've been using it to refuel helos on long-range missions from Hell's Gate," Trudy explained, ignoring Grace's angry outburst. She had some sympathy; Grace's cigarette supply was running low and she was trying to ration her stocks by cutting back to half a pack a day-- which made her grouchy and irritable. Being essentially trapped in one of the two work stations that made up Site 26A didn't help.

"Long range missions to where?" Grace asked.
"We don't really know for sure," Trudy said, "But they have a theory that there is some sort of major operation going on in the northern lands."

Grace's eyes looked out the window as she concentrated for a bit on a fleeting memory. "Sengtsil or Taraya territory," she said, "Polar Na'vi."
Blake nodded. "That Na'vi we saw hanging out at the Omatikaya camp had the wrist bracers of the Sengtsil tribe."
"You sure?" Grace asked.
"The characteristic blown-snow look etched along it," he answered with certainty.
"Head of the class," Grace said with a smile.

"So there's a connection with the northern tribe?" Na'ama asked, sitting nearby and following the conversation with curiosity.
Blake frowned. "Basically, once we took the Dragon, the RDA forces at Hell's Gate were limited to just small gunships. Samsons and Scorpions. So if they wanted to go anywhere far away, they needed to make refueling stops."

"So..." Na'ama said, "This means that... they've been going somewhere. Somewhere north."
"Right," Trudy said. "Now, our guys have found one of the refueling stops. And they want us to discuss the feasability of attacking it."

The people around the table were silent.

"Okay," Grace said, "From a military perspective, what do we gain?"
"Lots of fuel," Trudy said, "Which we need. Badly."
"But we have to attack the fuel depot," Grace said, "And subdue it..."
"Actually, that should be easy," Trudy said. "The depot is small, a single prefab like this. Probably a half-dozen people in it. We'll be attacking in the Dragon and our people on the ground."

"But this will alert Childs to our presence," Na'ama said.
"True," Trudy said, "But it also means that they won't be able to do anything about it, since we'll take away the fuel they need to respond."

"Whereas," Blake said, "If we leave the fuel depot alone, once we reach Sengtsil territory, Childs can send gunships after us because the fuel will still be there for them to use."
"You're for this, aren't you?" Grace asked, looking at Blake.
"I am," he replied.

"There is a problem," Trudy said, looking at Na'ama. "Last we heard, the RDA was moving extra prefabs into position around the region of the megnetic nexus," she said, waving her arm in the general direction of the border of the Hallelujah Mountains. "We need to know where there is a hole in their defenses that we can fly past without being noticed. If they see us, they'll jump us in the air en route."

Na'ama looked at their expectant faces. "So... you want me to look around in the jungle out there?"
"Well, try to take some of the Omatikaya with you," Blake said. "You're the only one with a functional Avatar left there," he said.

Na'ama licked her lips, nervous.
"Both my Avatar and Ariel's are still wounded," Grace said, "And besides, they're also both still here," she said, with a nod towards the next room where the two Avatars were dormant.
"So, you need to find a place for us to fly," Trudy said, "And in the meantime, Esme and I will get the Dragon prepped. And everyone else here will fly along and help fight."

Na'ama nodded, scared but willing to do what was needed.

"I'll do it," she said, and headed for the drivepod room.








Results:
Crew at Remote Site gets ready to attack fuel depot.
Na'ama, with only remaining Avatar at Hometree, will scout a place for them to fly unobserved.


***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Hell's Gate
FLASHBACK:
One Month Ago










Julia walked away from the Avatar barracks. She was slow and deliberate; her mind continued to roil with the ideas that she and Blake had discussed. She dropped off the WASP revolver in the tool shed where she's originally stashed it; it would be recovered later by the young Security OPs guy that had helped her earlier. It took longer than usual for her to return to the Avatar medical bay where Doctor Patel waited, a look of carefully drawn patience on his face... a taut patience that failed to totally hide his digust.

"Finished?" Patel asked.
"Yes," she said, then looked at him, with big yellow Avatar eyes. "Yes, I am, Doctor." She hesitated. "Are you going to be here all day?"
"That's the plan," Dr. Patel said with a resigned sigh.
"So... you'll be here to watch over the drivepods, then? By yourself?"

Dr. Patel looked at her strangely, shifting in his seat somewhat. "I guess," he said.
"Good," Julia said, "I am done here. I will be busy for the rest of the day and won't be back here."

Dr. Patel looked at her, his face carefully neutral. "Okay," he said, "I'll log the day out for you, then."
"Thanks," Julia said. She guided her Avatar to its examination bed, where she lay down... and re-awoke, back in the drivepod, in her human body.  

"How did the Avatar handle?" Patel asked.
"Fine," she said.
"Very well. I'll do some post-op exams to make sure, but I suppose we can move her back to the Avatar barracks..." he looked at her, "...once I gat it cleaned out."

Julia looked away, bit her lower lip, but said nothing. She nodded, signing out of the medical drivepod bay and leaving without a further word.




***   ***   ***




Hell's Kitchen
An Hour Later



Colonel Quaritch was walking past the row of tables when he saw the Director's niece, Julia, sitting at a table. She was forlorn and withdrawn, and her eyes had an unfocused look of someone thinking hard about something. He hesitated, shrugging it off at first but remembering that she wasn't one of his troops.

"You alright?" he asked casually, sipping at his own coffee.
"M'okay," she mumbled back, looking up at him.
"You seem kinda... out of it," he said, looking her in the eye, "Did you take care of--?"
"Yeah," she said.

For a moment there was silence between them as Quaritch thought about it and appraised her reaction. "Need me to send a team out to clean up--?"
"No," she said, giving him a wan smile, "Doc Patel said he'd take care of it."

Quaritch looked at her some more, and finally nodded. "Well," he said, "Doc Patel knows how to take care of that sort of stuff well enough. Your Avatar good to go?"

"Yeah, it is," she siad, "When Patel says it's okay, I'll move her back out to the barracks."
"Good," Quaritch said. "The barracks will be pretty empty for awhile, then. But remember, when the Venture Star shows up in a couple years, there'll be more Avatars. Special one's coming, too," he said with a smile.
She gave him a curious look. "A special one?"

"Marine," Quaritch said, "Did you know a fella by name of Sully in the training program?"
"I heard the name," Julia said, "He was a couple years ahead of me."
"Well, the guy that went through training got killed in a robbery, would you believe it? A robbery." He shook his head and clucked his tongue. "What a way to go. But rather than waste his Avatar, they had his twin brother pick up where he left off. Same genetic signature and all that."

"An untrained Av driver?" Julia asked.
"Oh, he's trained," Quaritch said with a smile and a hearty growl, "He's Marine Force Recon who's seen action. And get this-- he lost use of his legs, so using an Avatar'll be like getting his legs back. A Recon Marine in an Avatar body..." he gave a low whistle of appreciation. "That's a potent combination."

"Think he'll go along with Uncle Warren's plan?" Julia asked.

"He's a natural," Quaritch said with a smile. "Your uncle has connections back home that can get him his legs back, if he plays ball-- and I think he will, considering what we give him. But if we can switch the Avatar program over from scientific to military applications, we'll have a powerful force of leaders and teachers to lead the Na'vi into working for our team."

Julia nodded dumbly. "Yeah," she said, "Powerful."
"Well, if those traitors are still out in the woods by the time Sully gets here, we'll put him in charge of the Sengtsil and root them out. Organized and equipped for real warfare, the locals that join us will move to the top of the food chain."

"Yeah," Julia said, then shook he rhead. "I'm sorry, Colonel, It's not that I am not excited, but I just..." She trailed off.

Quaritch sighed, and looked at her with an understanding smile. "I understand," he said, "You'll be fine. See ya later. And don't forget, your uncle will reveal his new whatever-it-is they've been working on out there."

"That thing that looks like a bunch of Ferris wheels all end-to-end? Yeah, I wonder what it is, too."

Quaritch nodded and gave another reassuring smile, and walked off.





***
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

#23
Campsite
0103 HRS

Jax nodded. "Got it Rouge-1. We'll handle our end, let us know when you're on the way to strike." He said, speaking into the long-range com unit they had rigged up for the trip.

"Hey, this is your op Lost-1, don't worry about me, I got it covered." Trudy replied. Jax grinned at her relaxed tone of voice.

"I dunno what we would do without you Rouge-1. Papa Dragon still in the bushes?" Jax said, using code speak to talk to Trudy so that anyone who might intercept wouldn't get the message.

"Rodger Copy Lost-1. Papa's sulking around the rocks hunting for mice to feed on." Trudy's reply came through the com unit loud and clear: Child's was still looking for them in the Jungles, and he himself was still in Hell's Gate.

"Copy Over and Out Rouge-1." Jax said, getting a clicked affirmative from Trudy as he shut the com off before he sat back and took a deep breath.

"Game's on." He said to himself with a smile, looking up at the night sky, enjoying the peaceful moment. He closed his eyes and took another breath, thinking about that mission, thinking about weapons, thinking about who he had become, thinking about...

Nef'tys.

He blinked his eyes open in surprise. Now why was she in that list of things he was thinking about? He shook his head a little, but he couldn't get the energetic, outgoing, friendly, and frankly quite brilliant Na'vi girl out of his mind's eye.

He sighed and put his head back against the tree he had been sitting up against. "Baka. Thinking too much again." He said aloud, shaking his head a bit as he opened his eyes again, his mind back on the mission ahead of them, a smile, wicked smile returning to his face.

Revenge would be sweet.
----------------
Hells Gate Med Bay 2
2139 HRS


The last thing that Doc expected was Director Childs himself to walk into the Med Bay. "Director Childs! What a unexpected and rather unpleasant surprise." Doc said in a rather curt tone, looking a bit annoyed.

"Andrew." Childs said, ignoring Doc's nickname as he looked at the young medic. "How are Jinx and Sheppard? I heard they are both under your care..."

Doc was really pissed now. Childs was second-guessing him? "Indeed they are, and as you can see, they are both doing fine. Sheppard will be up and around in a few hours, tops, and Jinx was pretty beat up but nothing a few small joint-wraps and some food didn't fix. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm running a medical ward here, and I've got patients right now. You're wasting my time, so that probably means you're wasting yours as well."

Childs grinned. Doc was everything he had hoped for and more. The arrogance, the way he worked, the additive... just what he needed. Now all he needed was that Sully boy that Quaritch had been talking about and the next phase of his plan would be ready... though Doc and his new friends would be sent out... now.

"That's good to hear Andrew. Perfect timing, as I have your... and their... orders, effective immediately as penned by Quaritch. He would have come down himself but he's working out a problem with our... new project."

Doc blinked and grabbed the document and scanned it with a critical eye. "Hmmm... WHAT?!? You're sending us up North?? For what?!? There isn't anything up there!" He said, looking at Childs with a bemused look on his face.



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

El Jacko

#24
Hell's Gate Medical Facility
2140hrs


"...WHAT?!? You're sending us up North?? For what?!? There isn't anything up there!" shouted Doc, rousing Shep from a haze of sleep and assorted medicines. Slowly, silently, he rose to his feet and ambled over to see just what was causing the commotion, only to find himself facing the Director himself.

"Director...didn't expect to see you here," he said, standing to a vague form of attention before continuing, "As far as I know, there isn't much up north. But seeing as there's natives here, I figure there might be some somewhere else on this rock."

"Very astute, Staff Sergeant," answered Childs, before making a cautious glance around the room, "There is indeed another tribe to the north, known as the Sengtsil. We'll be needing you three to go up and help keep tabs on our operations. The full details are in the dossier." he said, gesturing to the folder in Doc's hands, "Your flight will be leaving at 0025hrs. The outfitters will supply you with whatever you require when the shift starts. Goodnight, Sergeant."

"Yes, sir," Shep replied, happy to be doing something worthwhile again.

  As the Director disappeared down the corridor, Shep took the folder from the stunned-looking Doctor and began to leaf through it. It wasn't a plan on a whim; every detail had been carefully planned out, with a detailed patrol pattern through the Flux Vortex, right up to a final rendezvous with one Captain Danjou some 1700 miles to the north.

"But--"

"I suggest you get some rest, Doc," Shep cut in, "got a long journey ahead, and I want you in good nick."

"Oh, so you're taking charge of this now?" Doc snapped

"Yes. Is there a problem with that, Corporal?" Shep replied, "Back up at midnight, then we get can get kitted out before the morning guard shift. Goodnight, Doc."

  Without another word, Shep began to amble back in the direction of his bunk and, hopefully, a good few hours' kip.

'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

#25
Hell's Gate Med Bay 2
2142 HRS

Doc glared at Shep's back for a moment before he sighed and instead glared out over at the door. Shep was a SAS. He knew what he was doing.

Doc gritted his teeth, punching an empty bed's pillow in frustration. "I have Patients down here, you sick twisted son-of-a-b****." Doc growled at where Childs had been standing just a few moments before, only just resisting the urge to spit between his fingers.

Doc took a deep breath and opened up the dossier, flipping though the pages.

"... Urgh. Two wounded, three cases of frostbite... the doctor they have up there is a incompetent fool. Amputation?!? In this day and age?" Doc muttered, shaking his head at the medical report he saw before he went back and started reading though the dossier, his face set in a grim expression as he though over what he was going to juice out of the armory in terms of medical equipment.

"... Na'vi recruited as soldiers for RDA?" Doc muttered, shaking his head. "Bull. But still..."

Doc read though it once. Twice. Three times. And a fourth time for good measure.

There was no explanation of why he was being sent up there. The Doctor that was up there may had been a incompetent fool, but they didn't need another medic up there. They needed guards and soldiers like Sheppard and Jinx.

Doc sighed, a frown upon his face and his eyebrows furrowed in frustration as he sat back against the wall of the med bay and closed his eyes. He hated sleeping in beds. Always felt like he was being drowned, or smothered, or worse, in a bed. Couches were fine, but he also liked sitting up against the walls. A better place to get up and get into action if someone needed medical assistance anyway.

Doc took a deep breath and let himself drift off into a half-sleep. He would wake up if something was wrong... but he wouldn't wake until the crack of dawn.



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

Mako

Pandoran Forest
0200


"Jax! Jax mate?" Chris spoke with a low whisper, to avoid waking anyone or anything within hearing distance. The man was asleep against the trunk of a tree. Chris slid through the group silently and crouched next to Jax. "Jax!"

Jax yawned slighty. "<<Damn it Chris, what is it? It's late.>>" Jax muttered in Na'vi, blinking in suprise as he sat up. "Oh... thats new. Uh, anyway... what is it Chris? I thought you would be in the forest chasing that fine peice of blue tail that you like so much."

Chris chuckled wryly. "Nah mate, I got to thinking, and have we done any actual recon on this fuel site? I mean, we know it exists and all, and that it's probably not heavily guarded, but instinct is telling me that we're going in blind."

Jax rolled his neck slightly and got up. "So, lemmi guess... you want to go recon the place? Play around with the guards a little and play a game of hide and go seek?"

Chris grinned. "Exactly."

Jax grinned back. "I like it. Got your M60? Last I checked, your shot with a bow is still terrible."

"True that. It's buried in one of the saddlebags somewhere. The real trouble is going to be finding it."

"Grand... we probobly shouldn't take it anyway. Too loud." Jax stood and strung his bow deftly with one hand while he checked his knife was clear in the sheath he had made.

Chris drew his knife and began twirling it. "Now, I may be horrible with a bow, but a knife is a different story." With a flick of his wrist, he sent the knife deep into a tree trunk, missing Jax's ear by mere centimeters.

Jax snorted and wrestled the knife out of the tree, tossing it back to Chris. "And yet..."

Jax grinned and stood up. "I'm still a better shot at any range then you are." He said, a laugh escaping him as he finished getting prepped, grabbing his arrows and checking each one. "I only got seven shots. That's not quite fighting a full out war worthy there."

"Yeah, but remember mate, this is a quick in-and-out op. We don't want to get tied up too long in combat."

"Urgh. I wish the Na'vi used quivers." Jax mutted. "What is a 'quiver'?" Jax twisted and blinked at Nef'tys. "<<What in the world... Nef'tys! This is a private conversation!>>" Jax said, looking at Nef'tys with annoyance and a hint of... something else.
The energentic Na'vi girl leaped out of the tree Jax had been sleeping against. "<<Sounds like trouble that you and Chris are planning, skxawng!>>"

"And you were mentioning my blue tail?" Chris whispered with a wink. "<<You're right, but it's going to be dangerous. I don't think you should come.>>" As soon as the words left his mouth, Chris knew that he shouldn't have said them.

Nef'tys blinked at Chris. "You do know that I speak english Chris." She said, and then, switching between Na'vi and english, she said, "<<If you think that>> I will let you two <<Skxawngs>> go <<off and away>> on your own to <<scout out an attack>>, you have another <<thing coming! And that is why, in both of our languages, you can>> shut up." Jax blinked. "Sorry Chris, but you just got out voted by the two voices I just heard. Nef'tys can come."

"Well let's not waste time then. We all seem ready to go, so let's move."

"Hold up." Jax said, looking at Nef'tys. "Nef'tys, where is your bow?"
Nef'tys blinked. "<<Hang on, I'll be back in a moment.>>" She ran off to collect her bow, Jax watching her every step of the way as she ran. Jax smiled a bit before looking over at Chris, who looked like he was about to break out laughing. "Oh shove it Chris, or I'll put a arrow through your ear." Jax growled, pushing past the Marine as he started walking, Nef'tys hurrying back to join them.

"Oh the irony of it all." He turned and followed Jax and swore he could feel the steam that was coming out of the man's ears."

--------

Fuel Base Echo-Foxtrot N
0200 Hours


"I'm tellin' ya Frank, there is something moving around out there."

"Jim, you're a idiot. There is ALWAYS somethin' moving 'round out there, now shut up!"

The two guards conversation was easy to pick up, even this far out. Jax carefully scanned the base. "Jeez... these are some rookie guards if they're willing to be this loud." Nef'tys snorted. "<<Easy prey for any Na'vi.>>" Jax chuckled. "Minus Chris. He wouldn't be able to hit 'em at point blank with his bow."

Chris grinned in the dark. "Right, so I count two on that catwalk, another pair around the airlock, a group of at least 5 near the station itself and at least 3 AMPs patrolling the perimeter."

"Damn. Small group." Jax muttered. "You would have thought that Childs would have UPPED security, not bumped it down... Wait a second..."

Jax counted them again and frowned. "Something not right. I can see some emblems around... all I'm seeing is rookies. A few vets to keep them in line. Where are the vets?"

A twig snapped in the brush to their right. Chris suddenly became alert. He chided himself for his lack of attention. "Ne klltxe. Fnu!" He hissed. He slid toward the nearest tree and scaled it deftly, motioning the others to do the same.

Jax and Nef'tys were both up the trees and hidden before Chris had even spoken, Jax's bow nocked and drawn back as he scanned the ground for a target.

"Forest patrol... jeez, makes me wish I was back on base." The soft, almost invisible whisper drifted up through the trees. Two guards, slowly slinking through the underbrush, silenced assault rifles at the ready. "Could be worse. At least there are no Thanators around, and the AA turrets keep the Banshies at bay." The other guard replied softly. "True, and those blue-bodies do a good job keeping on guard as well... still, Childs the guy cuttin' the cheddar to us, so we keep working. Come on, I thought I heard something over this way." The other guard replied as the two camouflaged guards slowly slinked forwards into the brush.

Chris motioned to Jax: Knives only, on my mark. He dropped down a few branches, silently. He flipped himself upside down so that he was hanging by his legs from the branch. He drew his knife and uncurled, ready to drop onto one of the guards.

Jax drew his knife and twirled it around two fingers before he had it ready, slowly slinking to the best position to strike. He gave the simple one handed fist that said, "Strike".

Chris returned the motion and dropped like a stone, covering the man's mouth and slitting his throat in the same motion. He landed in a crouch and quietly lowered the man to the ground.

Jax attacked from the front, his blade going right into the neck of the guard before he twisted his hand, practicly seperating the mans head from his shoulders, putting the body down. "Jeez... and thats what happens when your knife is more like a longsword." Jax muttered.

Chris picked up the fallen man's assault rifle. It felt like a toy in his hands, but it would do for the moment. He turned his attention to Jax as he slung the rifle over his shoulder. "That was too close, we can't let that keep happening."

Jax grinned as he lifted the other rifle up to his hands with a deft use of his foot, popping the clip, clearing the chamber and grabbing the unused round, loading it into the clip, looking the rifle through, loaded the round back in, and cycled the bolt. "Keep a ear out then. Sweet, 3.5-7.5x zoom optical..." The Assault rifle fit in Jax's grip, still being small enough to use the weapon. Nef'tys came down and handed Jax his bow and arrows, which he strung across his back. "So whats the game plan here Chris?"

"Recon. We've got to get closer, figure out the best entry points and exit routes, weakest sides and places to avoid."

Jax sung the rifle low in one hand. "Alright, sounds good. Nef'tys, what do you think?" Jax said, looking over at the Na'vi girl.
She shrugged. "You two know your people best. We will follow Chris's plan."

"Then follow me." He strode down into the valley, quiet, alert for more vet patrols.

--------

Coyote

Fuel Base Echo-Foxtrot N
0200 Hours











<<Where is everyone?>> the voice whispered in his ear. The ear flicked, but otherwise he did not budge-- nor did he have to, recognizing Tseylian.
<<Go to make look-about,>> Arik answered, straining his ninavi to reply.
Tseylian muttered something that Arik thought had something to do with "clumsy oafs" and a sense of frustration.

<<Nef'Tys is with those ones,>> Arik added helpfully.
It did not improve her outlook. Next to her, Ray'iun moved up silently, followed by Sek'Mut, and they spoke quickly in low whispers.

"The big kunsip," Sek'Mut asked Arik, "It is coming?" He waved his hand back towards the far-away lands of Iknamaya.

Arik looked at him, and pointed to his radio. "I will hear from Trudy," he said, "If she can sneak past the RDA perimeter, she'll be on her way."

"How long will it take them to get here?" Sek'Mut asked.
"Thirty, forty minutes," Arik muttered.
Sek'Mut looked at him, his brow furrowed in uncertainty.

"Um," Arik said, thinking quickly, "About, um, one dinner time."


<<Then we may as well get ready,>> Ray'iun said, and nocked his bow. Next to him, Sek'Mut, Tseylian, the other Sengtsil warriors and Omatikaya, as well as Eeanataw, got ready to exploit the battle for themselves.

Arik shrugged, pulled up his own M-60, and sighted in.



***   ***   ***




Dragon Gunship








The Dragon skimmed the treetops, the howl of the ducted-fan engines washing through the thick jungle canopy, sending birds and beasts alike flying in startled panic. Stampedes started and flocks started, bursting from the trees like fireworks plumes, but the massive war vessel was gone while the chirps, howls, and shrieks of the omnipresent animalia were still at their peak.

"Hang on back there!" Trudy said through her helmet comms.
"We're good," Oscar called back. He, Blake and Na'ama held on for dear life, exposed through the top hatches on the gunship's upper back. They had M-60s, and their job was to keep alert for any attackers coming from above and behind-- be they human or local. Oscar was himself; Na'ama was using her Avatar while her human body was relatively safe at the Remote Site with only Ariel for company... and to keep a watch out in case RDA infiltrators got lucky and tried to attack their new hidden base. Blake had his breather mask on.

Inside, Trudy Chacon and Esme flew the massive helo, while Grace Augustine held on inside, trying to make sense of the scanner readouts. She didn't know much about how to use them, but she could at least yell whether there were strange blips on the screen, and the readout would at least be kind enough to give her a bearing and distance to call out.

The Dragon gunship had snuck past the string of RDA outposts by ducking down into a ravine, a deep rift in the rock carved by a massive river, one that allowed the vessel ample room to evade detection as they flew first to Kelutral (where they had picked up Na'ama's Avatar) and then on to the heading given to them by Arik.

In 30 minutes, the massive gunship would be there.

"Groundhog, this is Dragon, how you marking target, over?"





***   ***   ***




Fuel Base Echo-Foxtrot N
0200 Hours









"Dragon, this is Groundog, will mark with..." Arik glanced at Sek'Mut and caught his eye. "Flaming arrows?"
Sek'Mut looked at him, and frowned, but nodded. He dug in his pouch and brought out a flint, and began striking.

"Just... don't hit the big water-skin!" Arik reminded him, pointing to the fuel bladder.









Results:
Dragon on the way.
Recon team has 30 minutes to do their damage; as soon as the RDA security raises the alarm, the support element will open up and provide cover fire.
Na'vi know not to hit fuel bladder.


***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Hell's Gate
FLASHBACK:
One month ago










Julia went to her uncle's office, standing at the door with a grim look.

"It's done, I take it?" Warren Childs asked. She nodded. "Good," he said with a reassuring smile. "Very good. You did the right thing. Those things were going to end up being used as tools for terrorism, and they were just Avatars. Not like you killed a real person, after all."

"I know," she said, "it's still a lot to take in, though..."

"Sweetie, why don't you take a few days off--"
"Actually, I want to keep busy," she said suddenly. "Stay focused, if you know what I mean. Actually, if it's all right..." she said.
"Yes?" Childs asked.

"I was thinking that... I could take over the Avatar program," she said. "Augustine is out of the picture; there's just my Avatar and Dr. Patel and his staff... it would give me good management experience for my resume and I'd be up  to speed by the time the Venture Star gets here."

Childs's face broke into a grin. "That's my girl!" he said, "You've got a bright future planned out-- good. Good initiative. I like that idea. Okay, tell you what. I'll have HR draw up the paperwork and I'll sign it. Move your stuff into Augustine's old office... tomorrow morning?"

Julia smiled. "Thanks, Uncle Warren."



The Next Day



Dr. Patel kept his face carefully neutral as the Director's niece explained the situation to him. A pair of maintenance crew were moving in boxes of things, boxes full of Julia's supplies, while filling the boxes with Augustine's belongings to take out.

"I intend to follow a strict schedule," she said, "A typical 8-hour work day. I want everyone to see that things are normal and under control. I intend to run a tight ship, and I'll be here from 8 to 4. If you want to work late on extra projects, that's your prerogative, but I want you bright-eyed and bushy-tailed each morning. Got it?"

Patel gave her a steady, cool but appraising look. "Of course... Madame Director," he said.

Julia responded with a curt nod and a cool look of her own before dismissing him from her thoughts and striding towards her new office.









Results:
Julia "finishes her mission"... asks for command of the Avatar program at Hell's Gate-- which now, officially, is just her Avatar and the medical support team.
Informs Dr. Patel that she will adhere to a strict workday schedule...

***
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

El Jacko

#28
Hell's Gate Medical Facility
2200hrs

  Shep feigned sleep for some time after leaving Doc to his own devices, his mind occupied by rambling snatches of the mission requirements and whatever bits of his own plans he could slot around it. He still had the vector heading of the Dragon gunship logged in his datapad, which granted a rough area in which Site 26 should be located. Working this into the plan wouldn't prove too difficult; half of the area he wanted to search was already in the mission pattern, he just needed an excuse to make a detour. What could prove difficult would be spotting the site and noting it's location without alerting Jinx to it. While the man was useless with machinery, he could notice the slightest detail, and to be honest, a metal cabin the size of a shipping container isn't particularly discrete.

  Other than the first search pattern it was something of a linear mission, albeit with some deviation to try and search for the Dragon gunship in various locations command deemed 'suitably camouflaged areas'. From memory, Shep could pick out a few more, starting with the Hallelujah Mountains and some valleys obscured by trees. After that was a straight run hopping along fuel depots up to Sengtsil territory to the rendevouz.

- - - - - - - - - -

  As time wore on, Shep found himself planning in circles, forgetting details, and generally confusing himself. Nonetheless, he attempted to continue, but eventually succumbed to his mind's needs and drifted off.

- - - - - - - - - -

2300hrs (ish)

  A drug-fuelled haze was dug in deep when Shep first noticed something was off. Firstly, he was certain he was awake. At least, more awake than when he fell asleep. Second, and probably more importantly, he couldn't move. Probably a side effect of one of the drugs, he thought, or possibly the muscle relaxants again.

  With some considerable effort, he forced his eyes open, and found himself staring at the ceiling. Slowly, he began to regain movement, first in his eyes, then his head, but with this came an odd tingling sensation in the rest of his still-paralysed form. Then he noticed something else odd. There was a large, blue figure crouched at the side of his bed, right on the edge of his peripheral vision. The two golden eyes seemed to shine in the darkness of the silent ward, giving the ceiling above him an eerie glow.

  Immediately his mind jumped to the somewhat fantastical conclusion that the base had been successfully infiltrated by a particularly curious native. As he thought this, the figure to the right began to move silently, eyes still fixed. The dull sound of a knife being unsheathed mingled with Shep's increasingly heavy breathing.

  Wild conclusions soon gave way to blind panic, spurred by the cocktail of medicines and the appearance of more figures in the darkness, stooped to avoid the ceiling, knives drawn. And still, Shep found himself completely immobile; still suffering from the strange paralysis and hence, completely helpless. He tried desperately to move any part of his body, turn his head, scream out, but nothing would happen.

  In a feverish state he resorted to the only action he could, clamped his eyes shut and forced himself to stop breathing. Soon, the tingling sensation faded as his mind dulled, starved of oxygen. As he reached the verge of unconsciousness, sensation came rushing back, and he snapped bolt upright to face...


  ...the illuminated dials of a clock. No menacing figures, no armed natives. Just the steady hum of the base systems and the soft glow of the clock. Telling himself it was an effect of the medication, he turned over to go back to sleep. However, the image of the native remained fresh in his mind, the figure slightly too small, the face all too familiar...
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Tanhìyärina'

Tseylian took her position overlooking the water-skin-- the hunsìpä syuve-- and nocked her arrow.  Sek'mut would mark the position when given the signal.  He had a small fire lit, and was preparing his arrowhead with a bit of tinder.  She glanced over at Ray'iun, who was crouching not far away.

Never in her wildest imaginings had anything like this happened as a result of her spirit quest.  It was blurry still, to her, those first few days, alone in the cold snow.  The only thing that was clear was Eywa's voice, singing on the howling winds, humming through the blowing snow, calling to her from the depths of the ground itself.  So she had followed... and now she was here, an arrow aimed at a large pile of sawtutea kunsìpä syuve, waiting.

And Ray'iun, right there.  They had been close once, but... so much had happened.  She blinked hard and looked back across the tip of her arrow, pulling it back slightly to test the string.  She was still more comfortable with a spear, but she had to admit that the Omatikaya had taught her well.

Her eyes slid the other way, passing over first Arik and then Nef'tys, along with a few other Omatikaya and Ayuniltìranyu.  As if it were not strange enough for her to have shed her warm skins and spear for mere decorative beads and an arrow, but she had made a tsmuke-bond with Nef'tys, who had treated it so flippantly at the time... and she was tutor to one of the Sawtute in ayuniltìrantokx.  He had become much better, but he still crashed around like a child sometimes.

That other one, Jax.  The one in Hun'nar's body.  He seemed to have taken to it rather well.  He spoke more fluently than any of the others, perhaps, and his command of his body was good.  She wondered how much of that was instinct from Hun'nar and how much was Jax's desperate need to fit in, now that he had no choice.

He would never see his home again.  Even if the Sawtute had killed their Eywa, as they said, even if all the orange trees had died, except perhaps the ones they lived in, there was still something about home.  Even now, on the fringes of Sengtsil territory, she felt the stirrings of home within her heart.  Very softly, she began to hum one of her people's hunting songs, the one they sang when a group of Na'vi brought in one of the great sea creatures from a successful hunt, and the village rejoiced while working to salvage every scrap of their water brother who had given his life so that they might have food and shelter. 

From a short ways away, Ray'iun took up the drone, softly, that accompanied her song.  Tseylian smiled as she looked back out across the tip of her arrow, waiting.
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Fuel Base
207 HRS


Jax took a deep breath as he, Nef'tys, and Chris slowly slunk through the forest towards the base. The base wasn't really on alert, minus the Veteran patrols.

Jax frowned. They were talking too long for an in-and-out. They needed to get moving soon or find something interesting or someone was going to find two bodies in the forest. He and Chris had done a good job hiding the bodies, but someone scanning slowly and methodically like these Veteran patrols were would find the bodies.

Chris slipped up to Jax, finally catching up from his rearguard position. "Ready to move? We're going to have to make it quick." Chris spoke in a low whisper.

Jax looked over at Chris. "Hold for just a moment longer... something doesn't feel right..."

"This way." Chris motioned to his right. They continued down the embankment, nearing the perimeter fencing of the compound.

Jax slunk through the undergrowth, Nef'tys close by as he drew up to the fence, and scanned the area with his new assault rifle. "... Clear." He softly called back, motioning for Chris to join him and Nef'tys in the cover of the shrub they were hiding in/behind.

"Right, so at this point, we want to A: provide ourselves an advantage during the assault, and B: cripple as many systems as we can."

Jax nodded. "Good  call. But let's be systematic about it. Don't touch or mess with anything that could do too much damage before the assault. Chris, try to find a power box. I know you learned how to jury-rig a bullet. You haven't forgotten, right?"

"Aye," Chris said with a nod and a wink. "So power systems then? Sounds like a plan."

"Exactly... if you can, make it a LONG fuse. Try for at least ten minutes." Jax said, bringing a hand up to his radio and looked at Chris and Nef'tys. "You guys got your radios?"

Chris instinctively reached for his neck. "Yep."

Nef'tys nodded affirmative. "<<I shall go with Jax. You'll be fine on your own Chris?>>" Nef'tys looked at Chris with a critical eye as Jax chimed in, "That's actually not a half-bad idea. Me and Nef'tys will look for weak spots and take out some more guards. If you get in trouble... well, we'll know. Besides, you sneaking around on your own is probably a better idea than three large blue christmas trees sneaking onto the base."

Chris nodded his approval. "Right then, let's not waste time, eh?" The smug note in his voice didn't escape Jax.

Nef'tys missed the smug note, and nodded before slinking back into the forest some and starting off to the left. Once Jax was sure she wouldn't see or hear it, he slugged Chris in the arm, giving him a momentary dead arm. "Just don't get killed, neh?" He said, before slipping away after Nef'tys.

"God almighty, the bloke can't take a joke..." Chris mumbled as he slipped off in the other direction.

- - - - - -

Jax and Nef'tys trip around the compound was quick and quiet, broken only by the muted sound of a SA-2 flying in low and quiet. "<<Hold up.>>" Jax said softly to Nef'tys, pointing at the SA-2. "<<Let's see what they are bringing in...>>"

- - - - - -

Less than 5 minutes after entering the compound, Chris located the primary power source. In the middle of setting the impromptu charge, he picked up the low whirr of an SA-2's blades. Exposed on the rooftop, he made his way toward the nearest ventilation shaft. Using an overhang for cover, he crouched and watched as the Samson touched down.

- - - - - -

"<<A kinship?>>" Nef'tys said, blinking as she looked at it. Jax meanwhile was checking their time. 6 minutes till the Dragon arrived and all hell broke loose. Jax watched as people exited the SA-2 and brought up his assault rifle, using the scope to look at them. "... Sheppard..." Jax muttered, seeing the figure talking with two other men, another soldier and what looked to be a very serious young man.

Jax reached to his radio and turned it on, speaking softly, "<<Groundhog, this is Lost 1. I'm on the ground and watching. Be advised, we have three possibly friendlies on the ground, just out of the kinsip.>>" He hoped that Arik would get the message. "<<Aussie, what's your status?>>"

- - - - - -

Chris was startled by how loud his com volume was. One of the Marines that had exited the Samson turned and looked in his direction. "Uhh, I was fine. I'm not sure about now...." The marine slowly made his way across the rooftop toward the ventilation systems.

- - - - - -

"<<Punch out Aussie.>>" Jax hurriedly said into the com before he looked over to Nef'tys. "<<We better get moving, I need a better vantage point.>>"

- - - - - -

Chris slid back into the darkness around the corner and waited for the curious marine to get close enough. All the while he ran through some possible escape routes. His best bet lied with a literal leap of faith.
"Dear God, what have I gotten myself into?" Chris muttered under his breath. At that moment, the marine stepped around the corner.

- - - - - -

"I thought I heard something..." Mike muttered to himself as he stepped around the corner of the ventilation systems, looking the wrong way. The last thing that Mike registered was the bioluminescent glow of a native and two amber orbs in the shadows as they leapt towards him. Then his world went black.

- - - - - -

Chris slowly lowered the man to the ground, his neck broken. He took off at a dead sprint across the rooftop, stopping briefly to finish his Jury rig.

- - - - - -

The guards patrolling were not ready for what they saw. They didn't know that someone had gotten into the base... and they sure as hell were not expecting to see the figure of one of the natives sprinting full speed across the top of the building. "TARGET TARGET!" One of the guards yelled before swinging his assault rifle around and opened fire on the blue blur running across the roof.

- - - - - -

"Damn it Chris..." Jax swore under his breath as he brought his rifle around. He and Nef'tys had made it back to the 'starting point', and watched as Chris started running. Jax swore again as he brought the rifle off and started to prove why every marine was a marksman, taking his time to pop the head of a guard that would have intercepted Chris. "Run faster Aussie..."

- - - - - -

Chris ducked at the sound of assault rifle and small-arms fire that rang out through the night air. Bullets crashed into the rooftop and flew by as he continued his run. A marine suddenly appeared in front of him and leveled his rifle at Chris' chest, but before he could get a shot off, he was thrown to the side, his head practically leaving his shoulders. "Thanks Jax." Chris heaved. He reached the edge of the roof and dove, soaring through the air and into a tree 20 feet beyond the fence. He dropped his rifle mid jump and prepared for a rough landing. Grabbing the first branch he could get his hands on he stopped his fall, nearly dislocating his shoulders. He laughed in relief and quickly made his way to the ground and back into the forest.

- - - - - -

Jax slid off to the side, watching the compound carefully as Nef'tys guarded him as Chris jogged up to them. "Did you set the charge?" Jax asked cautiously to Chris, looking at his fellow marine for a moment before looking back to the compound, his eyes focusing on Sheppard, who looked like he was looking right back at Jax.

"How much time left before the assault?" Chris asked, taking a deep breath as he looked back at the compound.

"Maybe two, three minutes. Why?" Jax said, looking at Chris cautiously.

"Perfect." Chris said with a grin. "So what's the plan now Skippah?"

Jax sighed and shook his head. "First: never call me that again, second, we regroup with the others and get this party started..."



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

Dr M

Pandoran orbit
FLASHBACK:
Three days ago


Lawrence Derrith was sitting comfortably in what would probably constitute a first class seat. His eyes went through the documents as he sipped tea from an elegant cup.

"Mister Derrith, we will be at reentry altitude in five minutes", a voice coming from loudspeakers announced. ISV Silver Sun was nearing its destination.

Conflicts of interests among boards of directors weren't anything new to him. It also didn't surprise him when - after the red tape was removed in haste - it turned out that it was possible to squeeze a launch of a small interstellar spaceship inbetween the two regular-schedule ones. The documents they provided were also very informative for the amount of time they supposedly had. Warren Childs. Suspicious omissions in reports. Changes in daily logs. Parker Selfridge.

This wasn't the first time he had to clean up after "misunderstandings" on the corporate level. Being on the safe side, but with limited budget, Lawrence took four mercenaries with impressive resumes, a supply of newest generation weapons and combat equipment and headed for what promised to be the most lucrative job yet. He checked his watch - it was time.

He took the last sip of tea, packed his suitcase and headed towards the shuttle airlock. Just like the ship, the shuttle was also small and - assuming no marketing tricks - undetectable for the old-gen radar that Hell's Gate employed. The mercenaries he hired were waiting in full armor. Lawrence could swear he remembered their names, but prefered to address them by numbers.
"Alright! Everyone used the toilet?"
He was met with silence.
"I take it you've read the briefing documents - Hell's Gate, employer wants to know what's happening, we need to find Selfridge, ask about Childs. Don't go trigger happy until ordered to, this mission should either proceed in secret or fail. Everyone ready?"
The group nodded - or at least seemed to. Lawrence pushed a button on the intercom and said "We're ready." He then sat in his camo outfit opposite of the rest. The helmets they used were bulky with the front panels resembling two-way mirrors and the armor seemed to weigh a lot. In comparison, Lawrence looked pretty light. He proceeded to attach a gas mask and rebreather to his head as the airlock shut and the shuttle could be heard detaching.

Thirty minutes later, they were in stable flight. Lawrence pressed the intercom button again. "Find us a spot to land, outside of Hell's Gate." It was best to avoid trouble.

Another fifteen minutes and the shuttle gently touched down on a rocky clearing. After deboarding, Lawrence took a multi-purpose map out of his pocket and pondered it for a while.
"Okay. Hell's Gate is... over there", he said, supposedly pointing towards it. The shuttle's engines revved up, almost knocking him over. "Good luck", they all heard in their earpieces. With their way back gone, at least for some time, the group started their march towards Hell's Gate in silence.

El Jacko

Hell's Gate Medical Facility
0000hrs

   Beep - Be - click!

   Before the alarm clock could ring out properly, Shep silenced the beeping box and attempted to get out of bed, only to end up in a heap on the floor. Within a few seconds, Doc appeared over him, blotting out the glare from the lights overhead.

"What exactly was in those pills earlier?" asked Shep
"Well, for a start there's the sleeping pills and mood stabilizers," Doc replied, offering a hand to help him up, "hence the drowsiness, plus a few broad spectrum antidotes and a mild muscle relaxant, hence the immobility."
"I've already complained about those relaxants," grumbled Shep in return, "but seeing as this was the first time in a while, I'll let it slide. Now, can you do something to wake me up?"

   Leaving Shep propped against the wall, Doc rifled through the store cupboard until he found the item in question.

"As much as I don't want to, I suppose I haven't got much choice," he said, removing the pen from its sterile packaging, "150mg of Epinephrine solution; Adrenaline to you. It's not a perfect fix, but it'll do the trick."

   Somewhat unceremoniously, he stabbed the pen into Shep's thigh, triggering the release of the drug. Within seconds, Shep felt his heart rate rise and breathing hasten, soon followed by what could only be described as a 'rush'.

"Bloody hell, that was fast," Shep stated, "Right, we got work to do. Where's Jinx?"
"Got him in the next ward-" replied Doc.
"Right," Shep cut in, "Do your best to get him awake and ready, then meet me at the Armoury."

Doc nodded. "Try to find me some good first aid kid Shep... and something with some kick. I don't need someone getting in my way when I'm trying to get to a patient."

Shep nodded back to Doc and left. "Go get Jinx, and remember, the Armoury."

Doc rolled his eyes as he watched the Ex-SAS leave. "Right, like I would forget... and I'm a monkey's uncle as well." Doc muttered, grabbing a slightly smaller dose of the Epinephrine solution. "50mg will wake him up better then a cup of coffee... wouldn't normally do this but we need to get on the flight line."

Doc walked into the other ward and turned all the lights on as he looked over at Jinx. "Rise and shine sunshine! Time to get up and smell the recycled air!"

Jinx muttered a few incoherent words as Doc walked over to him and then hit Jinx with the low dose of Adrenaline. Jinx was up and on his feet in a few seconds. "Woah! Damn Doc, what the hell was that?" The soldier said, his eyes going wide for a second before he cooled off.

"Epinephrine. You would call it Adrenaline, or 'Juice'." Doc said. "Come on, we're on the flight line, orders from the top. Shep's getting our gear as we speak..."

"Damn. And here I was hoping for another few hours of sleep..." Jinx muttered as Doc led him off towards the Armoury, grabbing a bag and various assortments of tools and equipment as they left.

- - - - - - - - - -


Hell's Gate Outfitters
0012hrs


   Shep offered hasty thanks to the outfitter, then with some effort heaved the two bulging kit bags onto his shoulders. At that moment, Doc and Jinx appeared, both slightly annoyed, although Jinx more so.

"What you got there then?" asked Jinx, between yawns.
"New toys; I'll dish 'em out in the Samson. Doc, I don't know what kit you need, but I've got a pretty comprehensive first aid kit in here." Shep replied, nodding to each bag in turn.

"I've got most of my personal gear, but that first aid kit will come in handy, with some modifications." Doc said, walking past Shep. "Lets get to the Samson so we can get moving. They're wasting my time and theirs so this better be important."

Jinx took one of the two Kit bags from Shep. "Ugh... earliest morning fight possible. You have to do this often Shep? How the hell do you have a skip in your step?"
"Same reason you're awake," Shep replied, "Although probably with a bit more go-juice."

- - - - - - - - - -

Hell's Gate Main Hangar
0020hrs


   The main hangar, usually a hive of activity, was something of a ghost town when Doc, Shep and Jinx emerged from the airlock. The only sign of activity was a few lights at the far end; as they got closer, the odd voice or clang of metal would echo down the line. Just as they arrived, twin gas turbines began to spool up as the SA-2 Nighthawk whined into life.

"Mornin, lads!" shouted Shep, "To whom do I owe the pleasure?"
"That'd be me," came the reply from underneath the cockpit, before he hauled himself out to greet his long-term passengers, "Senior Airman Bill Harris, at your service." he said in a faux-British accent.
"...And his trusty co-pilot Ted Heath!" echoed out from the rear of the aircraft, sounding similarly twee.
"How splendid to meet you," Shep responded, taking the English accent one further before dropping it altogether. "Who's shootin then?"
"Mike and Nick; they're inside rigging the door guns. Both trained by yourself, I hear?" said Bill.
"Nice one. We ready to go then?" Shep pressed.
"Pretty much. Just got a few more checks, than we're good to go."

   Less than 5 minutes later, and with kit bags dumped hastily on a crew seat, the sleek, customised Nighthawk drifted into the dense Pandoran air and off into the night.

- - - - - - - - - -

SA-2 Nighthawk
Shortly after takeoff


"Right then fellas, got yer new toys here." Shep said, unzipping the larger of the two kit bags. A slight gasp escaped Jinx as he set eyes upon the extensive arsenal within. Many might have called it a shade too much, but Shep didn't want to take any chances. Straight off the top, he picked a particularly large bullpup assault rifle and handed it to Jinx, who promptly stripped it, checked it and reassembled it in mere seconds.
"Nice. Just what I always wanted!" he replied, with the air of a child at christmas.

   Doc made a somewhat disgruntled noise, only to find a different rifle pressed into his own hands soon after.
"I figured you'd have a steady hand, Doc," said Shep, "So that one's got the extended barrel and a better sight on it. The ammunitions a bit more specialised, so don't go treating it like a bullet hose." Shep paused for a moment, then dug a bit deeper and produced a large green canvas satchel.
"That's more like it!" Doc exclaimed, impressed Shep managed to pick out the right piece of kit.
"Outfitter stuck a few extra supplies in there before he handed it to me, but I'll be damned if I know what they are." mumbled Shep, once again up to his elbows in the kit bag.

   He wasn't far wrong. Upon opening the satchel Doc found extra supplies of anti-venom, bandages, even a small defibrillator. Apparently the outfitter knew what he was doing.

   For a short while, Shep handed out handguns, silencers, ammunition, bandoliers of grenades and combat knifes, until all remained in the bag was a large black box. Delicately, he flicked the various catches and opened it to reveal his prized rifle, cleaned, polished and packed carefully with a supply of armour-piercing rounds.

"Very nice," Jinx thought out loud, "That standard issue for special forces or something?"
"Not quite, I've made some modifications... " Shep replied, trailing off as he began to assemble the rifle, slowly and deliberately.
"Modifications like what, exactly?" Jinx pressed.
"Artificial diamond refractor scope, also does thermals," Shep said automatically, still focused on the rifle more than the conversation, "custom-tooled barrel, fires the same square rounds as the M60, just with a bigger charge. And I've tuned most of the other parts to disassemble easier and lock together better."
"Sounds like a lot of work for 1 gun"
"You reap what you sow." Shep concluded, indicating the nicks along the side - one for each confirmed kill.

   The flight continued in silence for a few seconds, until a voice crackled through Shep's com unit. "Entering Sector 15 now, should be at the depot in about 10 minutes"
"Good to hear, hold the course," Shep replied, before flicking to a different channel. "Fuel base EF-N, this is SA-2 Nighthawk on final approach. You got those external tanks rigged yet?"
"Ready and waiting, Staffy."
"Crackin. Out"

- - - - - - - - - -

Fuel Base EF-N
0210hrs

   With practiced grace, Bill drifted the Nighthawk lazily down from the trees and in to a gentle 3-point landing. The site officers were already stood waiting at the landing pad, and stepped forward to shake hands with Shep as he dropped from the Samson's crew cabin. The commanding lieutenant, whom Shep recognised by voice from the shot conversation earlier, bore a grim expression.

"Everything alright, lieutenant?" he asked, as Doc and Jinx jumped down from the Samson. The two door gunners exited the other side and began directing the fuel crew.
"Not entirely. We lost contact with one of the forest patrols a short while ago. No distress calls." replied the officer.
"Odd...still cou-" Shep stopped as an odd noise from the far side of the unit caught his ear. "Mike, you hear that?"
"Yeah, I'll go check it out. Probably a viperwolf or somthing..."

   A few seconds later, panicked shouts echoed over the compound, followed by a crackle of small-arms fire. Shortly after, a native leapt from the edge of the roof and crashed into the forest. Instinctively, Shep went for his com unit.
"Mike...Mike, you there?"

   Seconds passed, without response.

"Well s***. He was a pretty good shot, too." said Nick, who, in the silence, had ambled round the Samson to see what was occurring. Shep mumbled a response as he felt his eyes wander, drawn to a patch of forest that seemed to vary in luminescence from the surrounding area.

"I wonder..." he said, removing a flashbang from his bandolier.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Coyote

Fuel Base EF-N




Quote from: Jax"<<Groundhog, this is Lost 1. I'm on the ground and watching. Be advised, we have three possibly friendlies on the ground, just out of the kinsip.>>" He hoped that Arik would get the message. "<<Aussie, what's your status?>>"




In a thicket, Arik, frowned slightly. He'd maintained his bead on the small portable shelter, ready to rake it with machine-gun fire if anyone came charging out, screaming. The sudden arrival of the kunsip gave him something new to worry about, and he didn't like that.

He also wondered just when he'd starting thinking of them reflexively as kunsip instead of SA-2s.

He was noticing a sudden and uncomfortable increase in activity when suddenly the night air erupted with the disjointed pops of multiple rifle rounds.

"Crap-crap-crap," Arik muttered, sweeping the barrel of his M60 back and forth, looking for a good target. A pair of RDA SecOp-looking goons ran outside. Whoops.

Arik squeezed the trigger, and lightning erupted from his own weapon; the thumping of the bullets and eruptions stitching across the ground sending the RDA guys scattering. A howl told him he;d at least nicked one, but he silently cursed his inability to have scored more damage. Nearby, Tseylian glanced with a disapproving look as further away, Sek'Mut's face was unreadable as he drew back his bow and sent a shot into the dark.

With a whssssh --*thump*! the howling security trooper was silenced, cruelly pierced by a fence-post-sized arrow that went through his body armor like it wasn't even there.

"Party's on now, folks," Arik whispered in his mic. He took aim at another figure and squeezed off another burst, sending the person to the ground. Hurt, killed, he had no idea; but the man was too busy hugging dirt to be a danger to anyone else. Arik used the opportunity to shift his position so his muzzle-flashes didn't become traceable.

From all over the forest, short howls and yips of the Na'vi filled the air --Omatikaya and Sengtsil war cries both filled the air with a cacophony of noise that was disorienting and morale-eroding for the SecOps guys. They knew they were surrounded by people far better equipped for this kind of warfare than they were. Arik picked a new spot, next to Aniuket. She, too, had her bow ready.

"Iron Cloud coming?" she asked, not taking her eyes from her target area.
"Srane," he said automatically, "On the way."
She saw a target he didn't and let the arrow fly. He saw a man running, almost impaled in the foot by the arrow, which stuck into the ground. Between the arrow tripping him and the sudden surprise of its appearance, he tumbled in an ungraceful heap on the ground, and was immediately pin-cushioned by three more arrows from all around the clearing.

Someone from the fuel compound shouted something, and a burst of fire from an M60 crackled back into the bushes they were hiding in. Arik pulled Aniuket to the ground as bullets ripped overhead, sending leaves and branches cascading all around them. Howls and calls of outrage came from the treeline, as the Na'vi fired back into the clearing.

"If they have any brains at all they'll retreat," Arik said in his throat mic. "If they haven't retreated in the kunsip by the time the Dragon gets here then let's just clean 'em out."

"Why don't we just clean 'em out anyway?" Jax asked.
"There but for the grace of God go I," Arik muttered by way of reply. The microphone crackled like Jax --or someone-- was going to reply, but suddenly decided they had nothing to say.

"Groundhog, this is Dragon, we'll be in your area in ten mikes," the voice of Trudy Chacon said, "Get your marker ready."

Arik nodded, in his excitement forgetting that Trudy would not see the gesture. "Gotcha," he said, "Sek'Mut!" he called, and waved towards the portable shelter.

The tall Na'vi warrior struck flint, sparking an arrow tip wrapped in tightly-packed dried leaves dipped in pitch. He raised his bow and drew back, releasing the burning missile into the air. It arced gracefully overhead and struck into the ground next to the shelter. Shouts of alarm sounded and someone yelled to put it out, but every man that tried to approach with a fire extinguisher got driven back --or impaled-- by a hail of arrows.

"They got reinforcements coming, big-time!" an RDA trooper called form the SA-2. He sounded nervous.

From far away, the howling screech of the Dragon's massive turbofans could be heard by some of the forest animals, and flocks of winged creatures took to the sky, and a couple of confused yeriks stumbled through the camp, like deer fleeing a wildfire, their eyes wide in fear and reflecting bright in the soft glow of Polyphemus. The animals bolted away before anyone could react.

In the clearing, the handful of remaining helo crew and fuel base crew huddled in what little cover they had, looking to Shep for direction as the time to make a decision was forced upon them.










Results:
Scout mission accidentally turns into an attack.
RDA personnel caught in a closing vice; need to make a decision as Dragon looms close.

***
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

El Jacko

Fuel Base EF-N
0212hrs

   Shep's hand paused as he reached for the pin on the flashbang, frozen by more shouts, gunfire and war cries from over the main compound. With haste he ran to the shack at the edge of the landing pad, jumping at the wall and standing on a window frame to get a view over the top. The site bustled with half-awake soldiers, fighting in vain against a foe none of them could pin down, all the while trying to dodge a hail of arrows and bullets.

   It was clear this was a losing battle. It was also clear to Shep that the force attacking them was no ordinary group of Na'Vi hunters; his thoughts drifted quickly to the exiled Avatar team and their close ties with the natives - already the source of a great deal of trouble for him.

   Pushing that thought aside, he set his com unit to the base frequency and ordered the guards take cover inside the compound; hopefully minimising losses. That done, he bolted for the Samson, and the open safety of the landing pad.

"Looks like you've attracted a small following", commented one of the site officers. The tension in his voice was clear.
"If I'm right, it won't be small for much longer," replied Shep, fully aware what the hostile force had in their possession, "You got a Gatekeeper on site?"
"Used to, but Hell's Gate called it back after they lost the Dragon. We've been making do with the AMP suits since then." said the other officer.
"Right...that may complicate matters-" Shep began, once again cut off. The sounds of conflict outside had fallen quiet again; a silence that was once again pierced by a sound from the patch of forest Shep had focused on before.

"Nick, keep an eye out. Don't fire unless I'm attacked" Shep said over his shoulder, retrieving his flashbang and removing the pin. Casually, he tossed it at the brighter patch of forest and drew a pistol. In his mind, he counted the seconds of the timed fuse, briefly turning his head away as it went off with a spectacular crack. Almost immediately, the landing pad heard a stifled scream.

   Silently, Shep picked his way through the undergrowth in the direction of the sound. In the background, he heard another soldier jump from the Samson and jog to the edge of the forest, adopting a firing stance. Shep was soon at the location his grenade went off; the floor was clear. Remembering previous experiences, he kept the pistol ready, and looked up. A familiar blue figure was hanging from the branch above, knife drawn.

"Fancy seeing you here..." muttered Shep.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Fuel Base EF-N
0211 HRS


Jax watched as Shep moved across the battlefield, not fully paying attention to the man as he took potshots at RDA guards. A few hit, a few missed, he was trying to keep them of their guard. Nef'tys had moved off with the rest of the people, as had Chris. Jax had told them what he was doing. They didn't like it, but they listened. They needed to keep the guards even more off balance in order for the Dragon to get in and get the fuel.

But there was a snag. Specifically, Sheppard and the two people he had with him.

Only Jax knew who Sheppard was, and was specifically trying to avoid shooting near him or the men who had come in with him. Not sure why, but one of them was carrying what looked like a medical bag, and the Geneva convention still stood in his mind. No shooting Medics.

Time seemed to stand still as he watched the facility, the sounds of the Dragon keeping it at about nine minutes away. He watched the guards carefully, opening up on various targets until he had run out of ammo.

He discarded the assault rifle and drew his knife, moving across the trees to try to find another vantage point to start letting his arrows fly.

He moved quickly, steadily, and expertly until...

*SNAP*

Jax's eyes went wide and he cursed to himself mentality. In his haste he had stepped on a broken branch and had make it crack even more. He quickly retreated into the shadows, eyes peeled for whatever could come next.

A small figure swirled through the air, a grenade! Jax dove for the cover of the tree, getting up and around it, plugging his ears and squeezing his eyes shut. The super-sonic *CRACK* of the -Bang part of a Flash Bang went off and dazed him a bit as the sound amplified in his ears. The ringing was a bit annoying but it was better then if he had caught it out in the open. He took a deep breath of relief. He had been expecting a actual grenade. A Flash Bang meant someone was coming. And he could deal with 'a someone'.

He held his knife at the ready and slunk into the tree, using the best shadows and lights for cover, blending in well to the Bioliuminessence of the night as he watched a figure approach. Jax identified him quickly. "Sheppard." He muttered to himself, cautiously getting out of the tree, knife ready and eyes on Shep at all times.

"Fancy seeing you here..." Shep's mutter was slow to pick up from the ringing in Jax's ears as he flipped out of tree and held his knife to the side, showing Shep that he wasn't planning anything. "Same could be said for you Sheppard." Jax said.

The two looked at each other, Jax now effectively a good two feet taller then Shep. "Interesting time to visit the forest Shep. Finally decided to take the offer we discussed?" Jax asked, his eyes scanning for anyone that might had followed Shep.



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

El Jacko

#36
Forest Edge
0215hrs


"Interesting time to visit the forest Shep. Finally decided to take the offer we discussed?"

"Not yet, lanky," Shep replied, "I'm on assignment. What's more troubling is why you're here?" Shep finished, holstering the pistol and looking up at the somewhat elongated Jax.
Jax blinked. "Oooh, classified information there. Sorry SAS, can't tell you that on risk of death..."
"Hmm... I should've expecte-" Shep started, cut off as his com link shouted in his ear.

They got reinforcements comin, big time!, came the transmission, loud enough even Jax could hear it. Turning away slightly, Shep muttered back through the unit.
"How big..?"
Radar trace is huge...way too big to be an animal...
"Bringing some big toys along, are we?" Shep said, turning back to face Jax.

  Jax split into a toothy grin, giving him the image of a cat who had just eaten the Canary. Shep's mind flinched slightly, but his face remained set.
"Oh yes... Mmm, what was the line? Speak softly and carry a big gun?"
"I'll have to request that you don't make a mess then." Shep said after a short pause, mentally going over the intrinsic value of the site; more importantly, the purpose of the site. It quickly occurred to him just why a small, out-of-the-way depot was such a valuable target.

"I think I may be here for a similar reason..."
"Smart man." Jax replies, cautiously walking to the side of Shep to get a better look at the compound with the scope he had ripped from the worthless assault rifle. "Heh. Childs is gonna be RIPPED about this one."
"I'd appreciate it if you held off with the fireworks until after we've left," Shep said deliberately, "It doesn't look good for appearance's sake if I hold fire during an assault."
Jax chuckles, a dark grin coming to his face as he puts his knife away and pulls out his bow, his arrows grasped lightly in his hands. "Say... Sheppard... you've had to run to get refueled under fire before... right? So I have to ask... what the f*** are you still STANDING AROUND FOR?"

Jax lets out a Na'vi war cry and makes a obvious, very slow slice at Sheppard's head, obviously not really trying to fight him. Shep dropped to the ground as Jax swung at him; he heard a faint curse through his com-link before a burst of gunfire rang out from the Samson, visibly tearing dark holes through the glowing foliage.

"Cease fire, CEASE FIRE. I'm still here, you twonk!" Shep shouted through the link; Nick quickly realised the mistake and mumbled an apology. Looking up, Shep saw a flash of blue as Jax swung up into the tree.
"Jax..JAX! DON'T-"

The arrow had already left Jax's bow before Shep could say another word. The panicked shout was cut short by a dull thump and a resounding clang as the stave-sized arrow rent a hole in the Samson's flank.

"Wonderful...that's two door gunners within half an hour," Shep mentioned to nothing in particular, before turning to Jax, "That was unnnecessary."
Jax looked at Shep, dumbstruck. "He was firing at us. I'm not about to let that continue." he said, after lancing Shep with a stare that could curdle milk.

"He was doing as ordered. As far as I knew it could have been any native hiding in here; applying cover was a necessary precaution." Shep stated angrily. This long term 'mission' was going downhill quickly with the steady loss of it's crew. However, he noted that Jax was only reacting as any soldier would, and eased off.

"I can hardly blame you for taking action," Shep said, his tone more relaxed, "But I stand by my view of Americans being trigger-happy." he finished with a smile.
"Damn straight, though I'm justified in this case considering that I've spent the last few months on the run and either hunting or being hunted," chuckled Jax. "Now then... I suggest you start running. I don't have a lot of arrows, so I need to make 'em count, and you need to get refuelled and out. Savvy?"

"Quite. Just do me a favour and leave a few alive. Base lieutenant is scared out of his wits, he'd be a good survivor," Shep said, recalling the officer's wavering voice as he sheltered in the Samson, "For appearance's sake."

Jax grinned and pulled another arrow up to his cheek as the heavy thud of the Dragon began to roll across the forest. "Better start running then...I might slip, and at this range...I can't miss even if I tried."

"I'll trust you...I presume the offer still stands?" Shep asked, turning to leave.
"Naturally..." Jax replied, already halfway up the tree.
"Oh, one more thing," Shep called up as he walked away, "Don't go north..."

Fuel Base EF-N
0220hrs

  As the distant rumble of the Dragon approached, Shep dashed back to the Samson, radioing the pilot to get ready to go. The fuel crew had already fixed the tanks, and were in the process of filling the aircraft.
"She full yet?" Shep called out as he dived through the open door.
"Just a few more seconds; we'll finish it hot"
"Crackin. Jinx, you're on the port gun, I'll take starboard," he said quickly; Jinx wasted no time in getting the gun up and running, as Shep tried to contact the site officer. Meanwhile, Doc busied himself tending to the perforated, but miraculously still-alive Nick.
"Lieutenant, we're leaving. Our flight cannot be compromised. I suggest you take cover." he stated bluntly, switching the unit off before the officer could reply.

  A few seconds later, two bangs on the aircraft hull signalled Harris to take off, and the Nighthawk drifted deliberately upwards and turned east to begin it's search pattern. Off to the side, a floating mass revealed itself under landing lights as the Dragon gunship. Quietly, Shep hoped Jax would take heed of his request and at least use tact.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Mako

Fuel Base Echo Foxtrot
0215 Hours


The roar of the Dragon gunship filled Chris' ears as it soared over the canopy and into the clearing. "The cavalry's arrived mates!" Chris howled through his comm. He watched as the ship opened fire on the few unexposed guards surrounding the compound. The Samson on the roof took this opportunity of brief distraction to flee the compound. As Trudy turned her attention toward the fleeing craft, Chris heard Jax cry franticly over his comm: "Let them go. We've got what we came for." "Are you daft?" Chris spat over the comm, "What if they alert Childs?" "They won't."

--------

Niwantaw

The Nighthawk
0220hrs


Jinx stared at the Dragon gunship as they drew away from it. "I think we're going to need a bigger gun if we're going to encounter that again" He muttered and leant against the MG. "So what are we looking for again?" he asked Shep.
Only mostly AWOL.

El Jacko

SA-2 Nighthawk

   "We just found it." Shep replied, watching the mass of metal carefully from his door gun. The crackle of gunfire faded quickly as the Nighthawk picked up speed, while the thunderous roar of the Dragon's turbines could be felt for some time.

"I'm not prepared to go anywhere near that thing while it's manned," Shep said finally, just as Jinx was about to enquire, "But I am prepared to shadow it." He finished, switching his com unit channel to contact the pilot over the roar of the engines.
"Bill, reckon you could stalk the Dragon, find out where they live?" Shep asked.
"Probably. I'll set down under the canopy along their approach vector, pick up when they come over." Bill replied, banking hard to one side and startling a roosting flock of bird-like creatures.
"Nice one. If they clock us, bug out. I don't want my luck to put us in danger again this soon." Shep said, somewhat seriously.
"Will do, Sarge."
"Crackin. And don't call me Sarge." he finished.

   With practiced accuracy, the Nighthawk dipped through an opening in the canopy, scattering small animals and glowing leaves along the way. Bill finished the display of skill by perching the SA-2 on top of the colossal branch of a particularly stout tree, throttling the engines down and trimming them to keep the aircraft quietly balanced. Shep tried to keep his focus on the forest ahead of his gun; yet he couldn't help but laugh when he heard Doc mutter something about a showoff.

"And now, we wait..." Shep said, absently.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan