Starzone: Liberation 2

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Marcus ignored Lupe's intentions and kept on trudging; moving ahead until he was towards the front of the platoon.  He looked off to the sky around them, trying to see if he could see any signs of the sky with it's clouds, but everything was blocked off by the constant flowing of grayish snow over them.  As they continued, a soldier suddenly stumbled over his own feeting, grunting, "Whoa-oa-oa," as he fell, and broke his fall by the heavy snow.  Gathering his equipment that had fallen off and his rifle that was hanging down his elbow, the soldiers around him just glanced briefly down at him and continued on as he sighed frustratingly to himself picking up his things.  Stopping he threw his hands hard into the snow as though he seemed to have losted something in the heavy snow.

As Regul walked by the soldier, she couldn't help but feel some pity for him and a sudden flow of politeness filled her mind.  Closing her eyes briefly, she spun around and began walking back to the soldier, "Poor fella'..." and knelt down beside him.  "Hey," she began half-loudly due to the howling of the heavy wind, "Did you lose something?"

He looked to her sharply, "You tell me...!"  Looking back down to the snow in defeat, he slung some aside, "My wife gave me a necklace with her and my daughter inside, and it must've fell into the snow.  NOW, I can't find it!"  He then grunted frustratingly to himself as he tried to push some more snow aside.

Leaning over to the snow in front of her, "Here, let me help."  The soldier looked up to Regul slowly and nodded.

"...Thank you..."  She rose a hand to him not to thank her and they both started to dig for a necklace until her hand hit something rough and metallic.  She then gripped it, pulling it out from the snow, and brushing it off before holding it out to him.

"I do believe this is yours?"  The soldier chuckled slightly, looking to the necklace, then to Regul and back to it, and patted her on the shoulder before shoving it into his pocket.  Then, he got up, holding his rifle in both hands and trudged on.  Regul, smiling to herself slightly, got up as well and continued on a little bit behind the soldier.

[Kursed]

    At the soldiers mention of his wife and daughter,ears came to Krystal's eyes ,although hidden behind her helmet that incased her entire head she  remembered the last war. 'How many wifes and daughters are now without their Father/Husband.' She thought as she trudged on.

[Ris Grestar]

The fox and wolf duo were steadily making their way through the deep, glistening snow, though they had no exact definition in mind.

"Dude, I thought you said it'd warp us there!"

"It warped us to where they -were-.  They must have moved since I took their coordinates."

"Gosh dang it..." grumbled the younger--the fox.  His blue eyes remained on the snow ahead of him, his companion constantly a few feet ahead.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, the wolf said, "Stop stressing.  We'll find them."

"H-Hey!  What'd I say?  How was I stressing?"

That resulted in another long sigh.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

As the platoon trudged on down the hill, a small sihlouette of a figure zipped across the hilltops like a stealthy predator with red glowing eyes trailing behind itself.  Suddenly, it stopped atop a hill, snow falling down little by little as it sat as still as a statue, watching the platoon walk further.  But, there was something different about this figure:  Something about it was not Hellfurion, nor Helghast.  It seemed to be more of a rogue operative, but it could barely be seen through the thick clouds of snow during the blizzard.  It kept it's still posture -- hunched over crouched with it's hands clasped onto the hilltop below him -- with his long scarf flapping in the howling and descolent winds.

Regul and the soldiers continued on with the snow continuously pounding their wills and courage to go on while others stopped to take a breather -- their oxygen being robbed from themselves of the planet's hazardous atmosphere.  Fellow soldiers would persuade them to press on, few rejoining the platoon, while the rest waved them off, saying they would catch up with them later.  Regul, eyes shielded with a visor and mouth cover to protect her lungs from the atmosphere, kept a watchful eye on her surroundings to make sure any Hellfurion scouts were spying on them.

Marcus led the platoon with his rifle holstered around his back and blowing his breath, which formed into clouds, that brew around the sides of his helmet like the rest of the platoon was doing.  Seeing no further path, he raised his fist to the air, causing the platoon to stop in their tracks, and he knelt over to rub the ground in front of him.  His gloves mostly pushed through heavy snow until he felt a sudden emptiness of the surface.  Looking back to the platoon and standing up, he patted his hands together and walked back to them, baring the bad news:

"PATH ENDS HERE!!!  WE'LL NEED TO WALK ALONG THIS PATH TO FIND A ROAD OR STRIP OF LAND THAT LEADS US DOWN THIS HILLSIDE SAFELY!!!  MOVE OUT!!!" 

Several of the platoon mates grumbled and groaned due to the sudden negative news and followed right behind Marcus.

[Kursed]

"Marcus I sense someone nearby  But oddly  it's not hellfurion or Helgast I suggest  we proceed with Caution." Krystal told Marcus  cloud of steam coming from the muzzle of her  face mask as it pushed her exhaled breath out into the frigid air.

"Marcus?"Lupe asked looking  at him  worriedly although it was impossilble to see her eyes through her full helmet.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

"What?"  Marcus bluntly replied, turning his head slightly to the side.  The sounds of constant crunching of snow was heard all around the platoon since their feet stepped in what seemed like two to three feet of snow. 

Regul kept looking around herself, making sure she still didn't see anything, and walked up to Krystal.  "Is it me or is there a feeling like we're all being watched?"

[Scott7]

"Marcus I sense someone nearby  But oddly  it's not hellfurion or Helgast I suggest  we proceed with Caution." Krystal told Marcus  cloud of steam coming from the muzzle of her  face mask as it pushed her exhaled breath out into the frigid air.

"I Think She's right..." Scott Commented, though Froze for a second-and-a-half as a fimilar chill krept down his spine...

[Kursed]

"We're being whacthed." Krystal noted her telepathy Confirming  Regul's suspicion, however even with her tatical Visor system the snow prevented her from seeing very Far. She Had to rely on her other senses to find this 'stalker.'

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Frigid snow is descolent for these beings.  It could be avoided with shelter to the south, but I shall keep my heedings for later.  If they do not survive, then they will surely be tortured alive, the stalking figure thought anonymously to itself and skurried down the hilltop it was on and hopped onto another.  This time, it's glowing red eyes looked across the field of view of the Vektran troops marching along the gaping hillside and saw a halfly destroyed building on the other end.  Hopping off the hilltop, it then began to plummet down the hill and soon it was racing along the ground and up the hillside to where the Vektran troops were. 

Suddenly, the Vektran troops near the back saw a blurry figure zip by them and immediately opened fire, along with shouting and yelling.  This caused everyone to look around and rush back to where the men were yelling, only to see that the foot prints the figure left to be instantly covered by the blizzard.

The figure, now crouched on the building about thirty meters from the platoon, watched them closely while not moving an inch.  "I best stay here.  The relentless shelling of the Hellfurions would surely tear me to unholy ribbons," it said quietly to itself, looking to the blizzard that hid the Hellfurion base amid the mountains.

[Kursed]

"MArcus  don't shoot whatever it is it's currently not hostile and we're giving our position away  Stop firing and spread out!" Krystal hastily told Marcus as she told  her group to spread out. (where is para?)

[Guest Para Astaroth]

After Krystal told Marcus the command, Marcus walked over to her and leaned in to her ear, "Para's backing off.  He got called on another 'assignment'."  He pulled himself back, looking around, "Situations here are getting more F.U.B.A.R than expected."  He then rallied the soldiers, ordering them to shut up and listen.

"ALRIGHT!  I KNOW YOU GUYS JUST HAD A SUDDEN EVENT THAT CAUSED YOU TO BECOME MORE AWARE OF WHAT'S AROUND YOU; KEEP IT THAT WAY!!!  OTHERWISE OUR SORRY FURRED ASSES CAN KISS THE FRIGID SNOW GROUND FOR ALL WE CARE!!!  IT'S US OR THEM!!!  NOW, MOVE OUT!!!  SPREAD OUT SO WE CAN'T ALL BE SHOT DOWN SO EASILY!!!"

After the order was initiated, Marcus trudged on ahead and cursed under his breath at the more unfortunate bad news.  Keeping a tensed posture, he looked out into the blizzard, not seeing hardly much at all, and looked back to the path in front of him.  But, he would often stare down at his feet while walking and cursed more to himself.

[Scott7]

He wasn't able to see it very well... but the blurry figure did assure him that it wasn't his first Suspecion wasn't Valid.

"That was deffinetly not Narsh..." He muttered under his breath as he kept close to Krystal's side...

[Kursed]

"Seems  more like a snafu to me."Krystal  muttered.

"Whose narsh?" Krystal asked looking to Scott.

[Scott7]

"Seems  more like a snafu to me."Krystal  muttered.

He rolled his eye's under his visor as he just tried to ignore that. And It honestly felt bit crule...

(You'll know about him later on in the Hotel...)

[Guest Para Astaroth]

While the platoon progressed through snow up to their knees, the area only one hundred meters around them soon began to clear up and the path they were taking soon revealed itself to be a massive hillside that dropped about four hundred feet before sloping down onto another hillside.  Marcus looked around as the surroundings became clearer and soon motioned with his right hand out to his right for the platoon to spread off in that direction.  Not asking why, the platoon immediately spread out and began to search the areas around the path they were taking while Marcus squatted down by the hillside -- staring off blankly at the hillside that was barely visible from where they were standing right below them.  Looking down, he thought cautiously, Pretty long drop...  Better make sure the platoon doesn't step on any uneven ground and fall...

Regul fanned off and walked slowly over what seemed to be ruins of once was a standing skyscraper.  Looking around in search of any resourceful objects, the figure hopped down from his perch, landing quietly in the snow covered ruins, and slowly walked around large destroyed structures from the skyscraper.  Kneeling down to feel for anything, Regul laid her machine pistol down beside her while the figure slowly made it's way around to a piece of rubble right behind Regul.  Slowly peering it's head around the corner, he watched Regul until the right moment came.  Seeing no objects resourceful enough, Regul sighed picking up her machine pistol, holstering it, and stood up in her place.

Suddenly, two arms wrapped themselves around her neck -- one grasping over her muzzle -- but she quickly broke free, throwing a blind left roundhouse punch, but the figure easily ducked under the blow.  Regul aimed her machine pistol but the figure quickly grabbed her wrist, pushing it downwards and causing Regul to let out a brief yell of pain before her muzzle was pressed shut by the palm of the figure.  It then pushed Regul against the large structure and leaned in, "Be silent.  I am not here to harm you, betrayer."

Looking at the figure as though it were a wild beast, she could distinctly make out it's appearance due to it being right in her face:  Donning a Hellfurion helmet with the distinctive red cloth around it's eyes, seeming to be blind, but wearing torn clothing battle clothing that had a reddish, long sleeved under garment with white designs on them, and the oxygen pipes on the mask torn off -- hanging from the sides.  His voice did not have the robotic tone like the Hellfurions, but of that which seemed to have an actual helmet over his whole entire head.  "I have watched the amassed onslaught from afar, witnessed your undaunting betrayal to the Vektrans, and how you were given another chance at reality.  Your stature among this battle is roaming about -- nowhere standing on either side."  He then looked over to the side, "Both sides hold shadow that demands to be released,"  he looked back to Regul, "I am that shadow:  The one that daughts upon the wicked and purge the land of those who bring upon them death.  I strike when the moment is unseen and bring forth the punishment forthcoming."

The figure's hand soon gripped tighter around Regul's muzzle, causing her to look more terrified into the figure's scarf then back down to it's hand, which caused her to breathe more hastily and coherent.  "You...  Are one of the storming masses of ones needing to be purged."  He then brought up a dagger, which it's blade stretched all the way to his elbow, to the side of her head, where it rested against a blood vessel traveling along her head.  Sweat soon began to drip down from her fur as she stared at the blade helplessly.  "But,"  it included, "You still are blind to the real meaning of this war, just like the rest.  Their meaning for ending this is meaningless -- the Vektrans and their allies.  Lay down your arms and prove yourself to me that you have meaning to this war:  Fight with only the weapons you have kept cherrishingly to yourself from the beginning of your time until now."  He let go of Regul, whom collapsed onto her knees, grasping her throat and coughing -- gasping for air -- while she looked up to the figure holding his dagger down beside him.  "I have seen potential meaning in your fighting of this war.  Now, use what has been wielded up inside you and unleash it onto the ones you seek to eliminate."  It then pulled out what looked like a third dagger -- the second holstered behind his belt -- and laid it down in front of Regul.

He turned and leaped to a higher structure about ten meters high and ten feet from Regul, "Now, go!  Fulfill your task and continue your duty.  I look down upon your friends and even yourself while you fight; I, too, will aid while keeping to the shadows.  May the divine winds of the gods keep you safe."  And with that, it zipped across other structures, eventually leaping off one of them, fanning it's arms and legs out, then gliding off into the hazy blizzard.

[Kursed]

appearing out of the frigid winds Krystal soon stepped near Regul. "Are you alright  I sensed you were in pain..."Krystal  asked worriedly as she looked at Regul through her face plate.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Clearing her throat and looking to Krystal rubbing her neck, "*Cough*, yeah, I'm fine -- *Cough, cough*  Just...  Ugh, just lost my balance on some of the rubble and landed wrong; that's all."  She then walked over and picked up her machine pistol, holstering it while conceiling the dagger the figure gave to her down in her boots.  "Thanks for asking, though," Regul chimed in patting Krystal on her shoulder pad and walking further in the ruins.

Marcus' ears perked up, thinking he heard something, and looked over his shoulders, to the skies, then back down to the long drop before him.  He stood up and walked away from the hillside and past a few platoon mates to a large ruined wall that a few Vektran troops were taking a short breather next to.  He pulled out a data pad, flipping it on and several small holograms popping up, pulling out the pen from the top of the pad and sliding the unwanted holograms to the side before tapping onto the pad and respectively scribbling something on it.  He tapped it three times, putting the pen back on the top of the pad, a large hologram flashing red, and it turning off.  He then slipped it back around the back of his belt as he rested against the ruined wall with the Vektran troops, but a little bit away from them, and slid his goggles up onto his helmet.  Rubbing his eyes, he gave a brief glance to his soldiers in lower rank than himself and secretly pulled out a photo of himself with his past fiancee.  Taking a moment to reflect, he then sighed to himself, shrugging, and quietly ripped it to shreds before kneeling down -- burying it in the heavy snow.  He gently patted the snow atop the ripped photo and stood up, brushing his knees off of snow sticking to his suit.

[Kursed]

"What  was that?" Lupe asked walking up to Macrus  battle rifle across her shoudler.

"Could you stay near me, Regul?" Krystal  asked  beginging  to get the feeling something was up

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Regul smiled and turned to Krystal, "Look, I know you fear for the safety of others, but I can take care of myself."  She patted her chestplate, "I'm a big girl and I have my own responsibilities:  Likewise, you have your own.  We just need to get down to the dog on the true meaning of this war."  She then reached down and pulled the dagger out of her boot, staring at it.  "What the meaning of this war is truly solving."

Marcus looked over to Lupe, "What was 'what'?  It's nothing of your concern."  He then got off the wall and proceeded to scan the ruins around the large structure he was around, then he knelt over and picked up a chunk of rubble, looking over it and pulling out a small pen-like device to scan it.

[Kursed]

Regul smiled and turned to Krystal, "Look, I know you fear for the safety of others, but I can take care of myself."  She patted her chestplate, "I'm a big girl and I have my own responsibilities:  Likewise, you have your own.  We just need to get down to the dog on the true meaning of this war."  She then reached down and pulled the dagger out of her boot, staring at it.  "What the meaning of this war is truly solving."

Marcus looked over to Lupe, "What was 'what'?  It's nothing of your concern."  He then got off the wall and proceeded to scan the ruins around the large structure he was around, then he knelt over and picked up a chunk of rubble, looking over it and pulling out a small pen-like device to scan it.

"I asked myself that question during the first  war and i  still  don't have  a answer."  Krystal told Regul as she wiped  snow off of the top of her muzzle that had collected on her helmet ear pieces moving with her own ears to flick off snow from that part of her helmet as well.

Lupe remained silent not saying anything as she observed her surroundings now that the blizzard had calmed down  she could now use the zoom feature on  her helemets optics to scann the horizon.

[Scott7]

Scott was by a small piece of a ruined brick wall... He was carefuly replacing some of the damaged plates used to protect his Pistol with spares he had kept on his person.

Though he watched the small Scene by Lupe in the Corner of his Eyes, and was barely able to see the photo with a zoom function built into the Helmet's visor...

'I've Gone through the Same pain to my friend...' He Said in his mind before clicking the last peice into place...

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Regul's eyes briefly narrowed to Krystal's and went back to the dagger, "...It's meaningless...  No moral; no cause."  She put away the dagger and pulled out her rifle, clasping it in both of her hands -- on on the grip and the other on the handle with a finger extended over the trigger -- and cautiously stepped over more ruins.  "Maybe there is a true meaning to this war.  But...  I guess we'll just have to wade out the time we have now to actually see that 'meaning'."  Her boots slowly crunched in the snow until they both eventually began to kick medium sized ruined blocks on the ground.

Marcus tossed the chunk over his shoulder after the scan came back negative and kept scanning more chunks, then tossing the worthless ones over his shoulder -- which in turn were every single one.  Placing a hand onto his knee and resting his forearm on the other, he exhaled out his nostrils -- a breath cloud flowing out from the leather mask that was over his face -- and slowly stood up from his spot.  "Nothing," He said blankly to himself and trudged on around the side of the ruined structure.  He kept a close eye on his platoon, which most were taking a breather to regain their oxygen levels, and would nod to the ones looking over in his direction.  Feeling a bit uneasy, he turned off and walked a short distance from the platoon around the structure. 

Eventually, his head started to spin and nausea fille his body.  Overwelmed by the feeling, Marcus quickly slid his goggles away from his eyes, pulled down his mask while collapsing onto his knees in the snow, and bent over vomiting.

After four long, good pushes he wiped his muzzle and leaned back staring at the disgusting colored patch of snow that sat before him.  Panting, he pulled his mask back over his face and slid his goggles back down before standing up and brushing the snow that stuck to his suit in chunks.  Looking over his shoulder, he made sure no one was watching him before he brushed snow from the ground over the vomit patched snow.

[Kursed]

"I suppose so  ,but do stay alive." Krystal noted getting  a odd feeling someone else had just been here. She shook her thoughts away  as  she followed  Regul. "I wonder how may hellfurion families are missing the  male half of them." KRystal muttered mostly to herself.

[Guest Para Astaroth]

Regul agreed silently to herself as she would look over her shoulder down at any resources she may have missed while she kept her regular pase.  "Yeah and the same goes for you, hun," Regul simply replied to Krystal's heeding.

After releaving himself of the nausia, Marcus trudged back to where the structure was -- rifle in hand while holding a scanning device out in front of him.

[Kursed]

"I'm not the one who had her own body reconstructe in a bacta tank." Krystal noted.

Lupe saw Marcus coming out of a  alley. "You Alright?" She asked.