Starzone: Liberation

[Guest Julius Quasar]

"Spread out!  Find the perpetraitor and shoot him on sight!  FOR THE EMPORER!!!"  A Hellfurion soldier ordered as four Helghast troops walked down the path towards Todd.  As two of them approached him, the rest splitting off, one of the soldiers fired his rifle, causing the other to spin around.

"What was that!?"  The alerted soldier demanded.  The one that fired, aiming at the cement ground, shook his head.

"Blasted rodents...  They are everywhere..."  The one that fired grumbled and the alerted one shook his head.

"Preserve your bullets for the scoundrel we are looking for; no sense wasting the on putred vermin."  The both nodded and slowly pressed on with their rifles lowered and looking around in an alert fashion.

Oh, s***! Todd heard the Hellfurion soldiers on their way, the gunshots, their conversations...someone shot at...a rodent?  Well, whoever they were, they alerted Todd of their presence.

Todd took cover in a perfect spot inside the sewage treatment plant.  Anyone who came around that corner would be shot to pieces, and no one could sneak up on Todd.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

"REGUL!" TAla almost scremed"Are you alright?"

"Urhh... Get...  Get away...  I'm threw with this..."  She groaned, getting to her feet, and running her fingers through her hair until she felt the small scratch of the revolver round that just barely missed her head.

"Stay where you are, scoundrels!!!  NO ONE KILLS OUR LEADER AND LIVES TO TELL THE TALE AGAIN!!!"  A leutinant spoke up, which made all the Hellfurion, and Helghast, soldiers raise their rifles at Tala and Regul.  "Hands above your heads and on the ground:  Four of you watch these two while the rest stand guard of the ones inside the barrier.  I will consult the situation with Scholar Razari."  He stepped away, placing his hand to the side of his helmet and contacted Scholar Razari.  "Scholar Razari:  This is Leutinant Vakenhoff.  Colonel Radic has been struck down and I have assumed lead patrol of--"

"Tell me, Leutinant...  Was it a vixen by the name of 'Tala', whom saved one of our spies by the name of 'Regul'?"  The old and powerful voice of the scholar interupted, causing the Leutinant to briefly look over his shoulder, then back around. 

"Err, yes, sire.  Those are the ones.  H-h-h-how did you know--"

"Hm, hm, hm...  Word spreads quickly.  I knew they would come; I also knew her fellow comrads from the planet of 'Corneria' would also intervene as well, followed by a war veteran named 'Marcus Ruddlocke,' and super soldier 'Para Astaroth.'  The leaders of Vektra send a Leutinant to kill me...?  They have proven to be more afraid of my presence they I imagined.  Nonetheless, you are to exterminate them all:  Leave NO traces of their existence and guard every entrance into the Nation's Captial."

"Yes, sire."  He obeyed and spun around to the guards, nodding to them.  "Lower the barrier and place energy-cuffs onto them."  He looked over to Tala and Regul, "Dispose of them!"

The soldiers standing behind Regul and Tala stepped up, aiming their rifles into their backs.  "Have the honor?"  The one behind Tala asked.

"With all pleasures!"  The one behind Regul responded and pulled the trigger.

An immediate sound of thunder erupted as the bullet pierced through Regul's right lung and causing her to slump to the ground.  "Make sure she is actually dead this time...!"

Regul's gaze was looking at Krystal as the life inside her was quickly fading.  Her final words wheezed out: 

"It's....  Over..."  The soldier, now standing above Regul aimed his rifle at the dome of her head and pulled the trigger one last time; her head now showing a hole as blood shot out quickly from the bullet's entrance. 

Regul now lie motionless on the ground as blood started to puddle around her head and spread to her chest.

*****************************

"I hear movement!"  The soldier in front said and stopped.

"I heard it too!  Move up!!!"  The soldier following behind him said and they both started running towards the direction of Todd's footsteps.  As they darted around the corner, they both aimed in opposite directions while  standing back-to-back.  "Clear!"

"All clear.  Patrol 2, this is Patrol 1."  The soldier facing Todd's direction said to through his helmet mike and the other patrol answered back.  He told them that there were suspected movements in his area and that he, and his companion, were going to scout the area, then press on.

[Guest Julius Quasar]

*****************************

"I hear movement!"  The soldier in front said and stopped.

"I heard it too!  Move up!!!"  The soldier following behind him said and they both started running towards the direction of Todd's footsteps.  As they darted around the corner, they both aimed in opposite directions while  standing back-to-back.  "Clear!"

"All clear.  Patrol 2, this is Patrol 1."  The soldier facing Todd's direction said to through his helmet mike and the other patrol answered back.  He told them that there were suspected movements in his area and that he, and his companion, were going to scout the area, then press on.

Todd could hear the Hellfurion soldiers, so close now...he decided NOT to come out of hiding just yet.  He heard what "Patrol 1" had said (his voice had echoed down the tunnel), about scouting the area, then moving on.  He decided not to attack unless absolutely necessary, he didn't want to risk attracting reinforcements.

If I could just hold out until they're gone... he thought.

He was glad that the flood from the sewers had shorted out his transponder, so the Hellfurions and Helghast couldn't track him.  Unfortunately, his communicator had shorted out, so he couldn't eavesdrop on any general transmissions of the Helghast or Hellfurions.

[Kursed]

"You've just sealed you death>" krystal growled she did one last thing to regul she sealed her spirit into the jewel of her diadem  before it dissapeared insdie her dieing body.. "she didn't deserve this. 'Krystal growled trying to think what to do next with her hands cuffed she couldn't reach her sword. 'Regul if you can hear me  I could use a little help here.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

"Strip them of their weapons and equipment!  Leave nothing behind!!!"  The Lieutenant ordered and the troops started strip-searching the soldiers, removing ammo, comms, and any other weapons the captured unit had.  Marcus' eyepatch, which was taken off and exposed his scarred eye that had a dead white pupil and iris, and Para's headpiece was removed as well.  All the unit's men's helmets were removed. 

"Your turn, comrad."  The soldier that executed Regul said and the one behind Tala pressed the rifle to the back of her head.

"NO!  Not just yet."  The Lieutenant ordered aloud, raising his hand to the soldier.  "Scholar Razari has requested that we should only eliminate the Vektran troops and Regul; no one else."  The soldier behind Tala lowered his rifle and stepped back.

"Much apology, sir."  The soldier said and awaited new orders.

"Alright,"  The Lieutenant spoke up as he saw a Helghast dropship approaching their position, "Line the Vektrans up, NOW!"  The soldiers did as they were told, lining them up against the transport Regul and Radic came in, and shot the Vektran troops in cold blood.  The troops reported back to the lieutenant as the dropship made it's approach to the rendezvous point.

[Kursed]

Krystal growled thinking  trying to find something without the Aurora she couldn't do any major damage it was clearly out of their range. with her sword gone she couldn't do anything even though it was usless to anyone here. diving into the gards minds wouldn't be plasuabel as there were too many of them. she looked to Tala then Marcus and Para.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Para and Marcus both looked at one another, then watched the dropship come in.  "There is not much we can do.  All we can do for now is just submit to them."  Para spoke up.

Marcus looked back to Krystal and tensed his eyebrows and thought to her, I believe I have a way that we can take their dropship if we get these cuffs off.

The dropship landed, kicking up sand and then setting down before opening it's back doors.  "Load the prisoners in the back and report back to your posts!  You all did a job well done."  The Leutenant ordered and the soldiers came over and grabbed Marcus, Para, Krystal, and Tala by the arms and escorted them into the transport.  As soon as the four made it inside the transport, their cuffs immediately disappeared and they took their seats inside.

[Kursed]

"well marcus do it my swords gone and I can only paralyze one person." krystal thought to marcus (or was it para?)

Tala sighed she wasn't as goo fo a telepath as krystal so  she couldn't do anything.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Sensing Tala's pityfullness, Para patted her hand, smiling comfortably to her.  "Don't worry.  Even a regular vixen can make a big difference."

I have a spare eyepatch in my coat pocket that the guards overlooked, but it was drained of it's energy source.  So, if I can manage to salvage enough energy from a reliable source, then I will be able to use it to hack into the dropship's mainframe and cause it to set a crash cource.  He looked out the small window in the dropship.  Problem is that its an eighty-twenty percent chance we will survive the impact, given that this dropship is sturdy enough to withstand the crashlanding.

[Kursed]

They negleted to take my staff we might be able to use it's shield to protect us from the crash. krystal thoought.

"Then that counts me out I'm a she-wolf." Tala sighed.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

"That does not matter.  We are considered family; species or not."  Para said, this time taking her hand.

Then, by all means use it to save us.  We are going to need all the protection we can get.  Marcus thought back as he looked around for an reliable source.  He soon smashed one of the video screens that happened to be inside the dropship and plugged it's components into his back eyepatch.  Now, all we have to do is wait...

[Kursed]

"That does not matter.  We are considered family; species or not."  Para said, this time taking her hand.

Then, by all means use it to save us.  We are going to need all the protection we can get.  Marcus thought back as he looked around for an reliable source.  He soon smashed one of the video screens that happened to be inside the dropship and plugged it's components into his back eyepatch.  Now, all we have to do is wait...

'You'll have to crowd near me the shieild isn't that big and I think my personal sheild is fried.' Krystal replied slowly pulling out her staff.

[Guest Julius Quasar]

"AAAAHHH-CHOOO!" the wet, murky air in the sewage treatment plant was getting to Todd, who sneezed.

"Gesuntheit!" the two Hellfurion soldiers near Todd's position said. They then looked at each other in shock, realizing neither of them sneezed.

"WHO'S THERE!?" they shouted, into the corridor.  No answer.

The 2 soldiers made gestures to each other to go in and investigate.  As they moved in, back to back, they found themselves in a dead end.  They both stood side by side, now, confused.

"Well, that's peculiar, I-AAACCCKKK!"

The soldier who spoke was ambushed from behind by Todd, who came out from behind the huge vertical pipe.  He slashed the soldiers throat with his left hand, using a standard Helghast combat knife.  He then swung that soldiers arm to the right, and placed his own right hand onto that soldier's rifle, pulling the trigger as he dragged him backwards.

*ZAP!*

The stream of bullets that shot from the rifle hit and killed the other Helghast soldier.

Todd grinned, standing over the two dead Helghast.  He stole the communicator off of one of them.  He listened in...

"Load the prisoners in the back and report back to your posts!  You all did a job well done."

Todd's eyes went wide with horror.  "Oh, s***!  They musta got the others!  I gotta get outta here!" he whispered.  He holstered his combat knife.

"Hey!  Everything all right down there!?" an unpleasant sounding voice echoed in the tunnel, coming from Todd's new communicator, as well as the communicator of the other dead soldier.  Todd cringed at the voice, and moved the bodies of the 2 dead soldiers.  He then hid in another part of the sewage treatment plant, this time he had a great vantage point, he could seen, yet not be seen, in the big octagonal room where he had first come out.  He was now targeting from his vantage point the main entrance to that room as he heard footsteps.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Alright.  Good.  Marcus thought back to Krystal as he turned to Para and Tala.  "Ok, you two.  Stand near Krystal while I get this hotwired."

"What fuh--  Oh, I see."  Para replied, knowing what Marcus was doing.  Marcus nodded while he finally attached the last wire into his reserve eyepatch and several blips popped up in front of his face.  He slid a few aside and pressed a few of them until he got a countdown screen.  "Ok, get next to Krystal, NOW!"  Marcus removed the eyepatch and quickly sidestepped next to Krystal, while Para held onto Tala by the arm while standing next to Krystal.

[Kursed]

Alright.  Good.  Marcus thought back to Krystal as he turned to Para and Tala.  "Ok, you two.  Stand near Krystal while I get this hotwired."

"What fuh--  Oh, I see."  Para replied, knowing what Marcus was doing.  Marcus nodded while he finally attached the last wire into his reserve eyepatch and several blips popped up in front of his face.  He slid a few aside and pressed a few of them until he got a countdown screen.  "Ok, get next to Krystal, NOW!"  Marcus removed the eyepatch and quickly sidestepped next to Krystal, while Para held onto Tala by the arm while standing next to Krystal.

"You may want to smash in closer."KRystal mutter kneeling down and activating her staff sheild.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

They did as she ordered and the countdown on the blip finally reached zero.  As if on command, the ship started to sway and dip with small explosions happening on the outside.  Soon, the whole ship flashed red as the lights went out and a robotic voice chimed through:

"WARNING!  WARNING!  ALL SYSTEMS DISABLED!  ALL SYSTEMS DISABLED!  IMPACT IMMINENT!"  The voice kept repeating as the ship starting losing altitude extremely quickly.

[Guest Julius Quasar]

Someone came through the main doors, into the sewage plant treatment octagonal reservoir room.  It was an elite soldier!  "Hello!?  Where the ruddy hell are you two!?  Have you found that 'Todd McCloud fellow yet!?" he said, coming down the stairs.

Wait for it...wait for it... Todd thought.

The elite Helghast soldier stood in front of the tunnel.  "HELLO-OOO!?"

he called, his voice echoing down the tunnel.

*ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-ZAP-BOOM!* Todd unloaded a steady stream of bullets into the elite soldier, and a shotgun round blast from the auxiliary barrel of his Helghast machine gun.

"AUUUGH!" the elite soldier fell dead to his knees in front of the tunnel, right where Todd wanted him.  Todd reloaded his machine gun's "shotgun barrel", and checked his ammo supply in the rear drum cartridge.  Empty.  He reloaded, and kept watch.

[Kursed]

"I do have a question though umm how in the world are we going to get anywhere without a vehicle?" Krystal asked reaching out of the shield to take a part from the exposed electronics  and quickly fixing her shield it seems the emp only fried one cirtical componet in the the devise that kept her shield working the only thing that wasn't emp protected.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

"We'll use what we find."  Marcus replied.  "...That is, IF we find anything..."

[Kursed]

"I have as far as weapons is my sword and staff."Krystal replied, athough they had taken her sword she had another hidden within her jacket.

"They took all my guns ,but my sheild is still working."Tala noted "I just wish Regul was still with us."

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Tala's words about Regul echoed in Marcus' mind as he paused for a moment.  Reminds me...  Too much of a certain someone...  He thought of his past fiancee.

"Alright, just use what you have, people!" 

"IMPACT:  30 SECONDS

[Kursed]

Tala's words about Regul echoed in Marcus' mind as he paused for a moment.  Reminds me...  Too much of a certain someone...  He thought of his past fiancee.

"Alright, just use what you have, people!" 

"IMPACT:  30 SECONDS

Krystal was about to Tell Tala about the spirit she had with her before the computer announced their crashing time. she  set the top of her head to the staff bracing for the impact.

[Guest Julius Quasar]

A few more Helghast soldiers came in, on after the other.  Todd would wait until they were in a different position before shooting them dead, and he moved to different positions and vantage points in the room, so as not to give any more soldiers any ideas on where he might be or have been.

He killed another elite Helghast soldier, and when he listened on the comm channel, which didn't say anything about him or the sewage treatment plant anymore, he then came out of hiding, gathered up their ammo and ordinance, then he moved slowly out of the room, and out of the sewage treatment plant itself, taking care to avoid enemy soldiers and snipers.  Todd then spotted a Helghast APC outside, empty.  He grinned.  Perfect.  He got inside it, and started to drive it.

"I'm coming, guys!" Todd said.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Soon, the ship roared across the sky with a black trail of smoke behind it and then slammed into the ground, skipping several yards, kartwheeling several more, and then coming to a skidding stop as the ship hissed in place and smoke arising from all around it.  The back door delatched and flew across the ground and Marcus stepped out, holding an emergency pistol in his left hand with his emergency eyepatch on the collar of his torn coat, looking around.

"Well, we made out in one piece," Marcus inferred and turned to the group inside.  "C'mon!  The coast is clear for now if we don't get the heck out of here!"

Para stepped out and holding a hand out to anyone coming out; Marcus did the same.

*************************

Off in the capital city with one enormous structure sprouting out of the city with spiny collumns on the sides, a bald figure looms in front of his window with his menacing lime green eyes glaring down at the ship that had crashed several miles away.  Hands behind his back like that of a military general, his figure was tall:  War trench coat with medals on the left chest cavity, outfit of a dictator, and physique like a weary veteran.  Stepping to one side and turning away, he mumbled under his breath, "Diligense.  No more shall I endure their oppression and see the Vektran Army stand upon our sacred land and march amongst it with their filthy footsteps!  SUMMON THE GUARDS!!!  PROTECT THE CAPITAL CITY BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY, SOLDIERS!!!!!!  WE WILL FIGHT TO THE VERY LAST FABRIC OF OUR BREATH TEARS AT THEIR LUNGS, AS WE RISE UP FROM THE RUINS OF OUR CITY!!!!!!"  Scholar Razari announced in a thunderous, yet powerful, voice with a fist raised to the skies and the troops of the Hellfurion captial positioned themselves more organized than they were in the other cities.

Their final stand will be at this location, near this very hour....

[Kursed]

Krystal thanked maarcus as  she grabbe his hand and got out.

"Will he ever get over his older fiancee?"Tala asked para as she grabbed his hand.