Athena IC

[Bentus]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Rec Lounge
Emilie Girard

The sound of another French voice took Emilie somewhat by surprise and she immediately twisted around to search for the source. Her eyes fell upon Yves but she noticed that he’d suddenly become rather popular. He seemed to be almost nervous when the American walked up to him, Emilie grinned at the sight although had enough sense not to laugh just in case the man really was some big-shot.

“Ce n’est pas un problème.” Emilie responded, amused at the immediate apology. “Emilie Girard, je viens de Paris. Et tu? Viens-tu de la Nord peut-être ? ” She’d recognised the rather distinctive accent – at least for a French speaker – but couldn’t quite place it. “As for the barracks? Aucune idée.” Emilie shrugged, “May have to try hunting it down myself – along with where we end up stashing our gear.”

"Beaucoup de francophones, on pourrait penser qu'ils nous la station en France."

"Parce qu’on est les meilleurs, bien sûr." Emilie declared proudly, unadmittedly feeling much more at home with the familiar words filling the air. As Tom took the woman up on her offer to lead the way to the barracks, Emilie sighed in resignation, stretching her arms above her head. “Should’ve known I couldn’t keep raiding the stocks forever. Ah bon, I may as well join you – else by the time I get off my arse all the good bunks’d be taken.”

Standing, she nodded in thanks to the bartender before turning back to Edwards. “See you around, mon pote.” Emilie felt rather content with the company she’d met so far, at the very least they sounded confident in their capabilities – and that was almost half the battle these days. Who knows? Maybe we’ll all still be alive come the end of the month. She smiled grimly at the thought, realising that she couldn’t bring herself to rate their chances that highly considering what they were up against. But, they’d all known what they were in for as soon as they’d walked through that door. As she bent down to pick up her still unopened bag of belongings – a rather light collection of the sum of her personal effects – Emilie froze as a voice suddenly started blaring out from the intercom.

''General Alert. Code Orange. All soldiers be at the ready,''

For the briefest of moments, the foreign words didn’t make sense in Emilie’s head – the last thing she’d been expecting was a call-up on the first day. Then, her instincts and training kicked in with the adrenalin rush as she quickly grasped and slung her rucksack over her shoulder. “Merte! They don’t keep us waiting, do they?” She had already practically jogged out the door when she turned back to Chloe. “Where’d you say that armoury was?”

[Generailia]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Chris Ackermann
Corridor 803 - Armory

Chris heard the announcement as as he mumbled to himself. "Shit guess I am going assault-rifle after all." Chris then ran toward the armory in a sprint as he began to take off the sling that kept his carbine on him. Then once he reached the armory he grabbed a ARX-160 off of the shelf and a sling that said it would fit the weapon as he took the red-dot sight and the MMASS from the carbine and started to put on the sling as quickly as he could while he also picked a new laser-sight being how the one on his old carbine was acting stubborn. Then as he began to run towards the launch pad in a full sprint while he was through a lot of effort and a ridiculous amount of times in which he almost dropped the red-dot sight and the MMASS he was able to put the sling over himself as the rifle laid in front of him just as the carbine before it did once he finished. Of which made it easier to put on the red-dot sight yet once he put the thing on he looked up and barely dodged a wall..while accidentally dropping the MMASS..then Chris ran back and after picking the thing up continued to run towards the launch pad.

By the time Chris reached it he was completely out of breath as he hurriedly put the MMASS attachment onto his ARX and as he slowly attached the laser-sight onto the right-side of his rifle he thought to himself. Shit must be getting pretty bad if they are freaking out this badly. I just hope I don't die on my first mission. By the time Chris finished his last thought he was able to put the laser-sight onto the ARX successfully as he let the weapon drop back into the odd state where it lazily hung in front of where his stomach would be..if he wasn't wearing so much shit. Chris then examined the weapon as he was able to find the safety far quicker then he was able to with his old carbine due to the fact that he learnt where they tend to be and was able to easily narrow it down. Chris then stood there at attention..though his whole body would rather sit down while his new ARX has a MMASS,a laser-sight, and a red-dot sight on the thing while it was hanging in front of him in a somewhat lazy yet easy to pick up fashion.

New Zealand's South-East Waters.
Ground Team
V-44

After the embarrassing situation that lead to Chris getting onto the dropship he was happy he was able to rest a bit as the ship went off from the base. Yet what was most surprising to him was what the ramps revealed..which when let down seemed to reveal the back of what was very similar to a container ship..yet Chris doubted it simply because of the fact that he never really saw such ships up close. Then a short time after Artem left he left the dropship himself in order to provide support for him just encase something came out shooting. Then as soon as he down the ramps he quickly looked around for some cover as he held the ARX in the matter of which Artem taught him to. Then after finding some cover he ran over to it and after hiding behind it he peaked over the top of it as he aimed his rifle at the ship as he thought. The hell is happening here? Shit I really should have just went to prison shouldn't I? Then after he heard Artem's transmission he moved out of his cover and went back to the ramps of the dropship he just exited. Then once he reached the ramp he looked down at his weapon with a frown as he realized he accidentally left the safety on. Chris then quickly turned it off as he held the weapon in his hands..yet this time in a less hostile matter as the barrel was aimed at the floor. Then Chris finally noticed how dark it was outside of the lights of the dropship with a look of terror on his face as he began to have paranoid thoughts over what might and likely was hiding out in the dark. He then let the weapon drop back into the state it tends to be in when he let it go and let the sling hold the weapon as he searched himself for his maglight and once he was able to find it he breathed a sigh of relief before he picked his weapon back up and held it as he had before he had that little freak-out. Then he stood next to the ramps with his weapon in his hands as he awaited new orders.

[West Aurelia]

Operation Blue Night
Southeast of New Zealand
Corporal Valentin Ivanov - "Hatchet-7"

---

The combined roar of the rain, wind, waves, and thunder shook Valentin awake. He looked at his watch - he'd only been asleep for half an hour. His stomach growled. He had asked the bartender back in the rec lounge to keep his breakfast warm as he raced towards the armory. That was God knows how long ago, and he was hungry as hell. His stomach kept reminding him of that.

He looked around at the six other ATHENA operatives riding in the V-44 "Raven" alongside him. They were Hatchet Squad. He had gotten to know them during the flight, and it was a diverse bunch. Lance Corporal Artem Yurivich was the only other one with military special forces experience, having served in the Czech 601st SKSS.

As the V-44 approached the ship, Valentin turned his thoughts to the task at hand. An extraterrestrial ship had been detected above the waters southeast of New Zealand. An XF-44 Manta - the same fighter that Phillips had flown - had engaged the ship, causing it to crash into an unidentified container vessel. Hatchet Squad now had to insert onto the vessel and investigate.

Just like old times, he thought, remembering the countless anti-piracy operations he had participated in during his SEAL days. Usually they assaulted the ship using inflatable boats, but they occasionally inserted via helicopter.

He gripped the M1014 combat shotgun resting in his lap. It was modified to have a shorter barrel suitable for the nooks and crannies of the ship. An EOTech EXPS3 holographic weapon sight rested on the top rail, while a tactical flashlight and foregrip were mounted below the barrel. Attached to the left side rail was a infrared laser aiming module, which produced a beam of light invisible to the naked eye but detectable with night vision devices. A weapon sling rounded off the attachments.

In his thigh holster rested a MK 23 MOD 0 semi-automatic pistol, which he had used as a SEAL. A suppressor and LAM were attached - the standard for this weapon platform.

The V-44 descended near the rear of the ship and the ramp lowered. Valentin's heart began beating faster as he flipped down his night vision goggles. He was going face to face with fucking aliens, and he had no idea if his weapons would be able to deal any damage to them.

''Come on you bastards, let's show these little green men who they're dealing with!'' yelled their squad leader, Lieutenant Marloes de Ruyter.

Artem was the first one out, followed by 17-year-old Recruit Chris Ackerman - he was a kid with no military experience, and he was being deployed on the first day. They must have picked him for a reason, Valentin had thought when they'd all introduced themselves.

"This is Hatchet-4, LZ is secure, come on out," Artem called over the radio.

Valentin ran as quietly as he could down the ramp, his shotgun at the ready. He'd blow the head off of the first green bastard he laid his eyes onto - that is, if it even had a head. They had no information on what these fuckers looked like. The heavy rain fell onto his face, and the roaring waves smashed into the side of the ship.

Just like old times.

[Very Bahram]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Rec Lounge
Zarathudhtra Reynder, Zdravko Reynder and Zsofia Reynder

Zdravko was the first to stride in, he always led the way. It was a tradition of theirs, The well educated gentleman lead the way, followed by the lady and the oafish, hot-headed strong-man brought up the rear. Not that Zarathudhtra is oafish or hot headed at all. If anything, he's just as intelligent, graceful and gentle as his twin, leading the way. Though, Zarathudhtra does has a fiery temper that once ignited, is hard to extinguish, if only getting him angry was such an easy task. Zsofia had only just stepped inside, laughing at a joke Zarathudhtra made about an officer with unruly hair, when the PA went off.

''General Alert. Code Orange. All soldiers be at the ready,''

Zsofia quickly stepped aside as a flood of people rush to where ever they're supposed to be. Zdravko, the gentleman, glanced around for his twin who had been swept away by the flood of flesh and bone.

"Zara?" he called. It was their pet name for Zarathudhtra. His twin, pinned against the wall by the wave of bodies, called back to his brother. As the flood turned to a trickle, he rose from his cramped position and looked around, Zdravko and Zsofia walked to join him.

"So... Where're we supposed to be?" Zsofia asked.

"The armoury, Karin," Zdravko replied in an urgent manner.

"Right, the armoury... And where's that supposed to be?" Zarathudhtra asked his twin.

"I believe we walked right past it," Zsofia said in answer.

"That's the hanger, Karin," Zdravko corrected her, "They gave us a map, Zara,"

"Yes, they did, Drako,' Zarathudhtra said absently whilst rummaging through his pack. "They we go..." Zarathudhtra unfolded a sheet of wax paper. It was indeed a map. A map of anything and everything except the base. "Um... his is not the base... What do we do now?"

Zdravko turned the orange lighted corridors. "We ask," he said simply.

By chance, an officer was hurrying past, cradling a stack of files in his arms.

"Sir?" Zsofia called.

[United RussoAsia]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Sage Albrektsson
Corridor 803 - Armory

Sage walked down to the armory to customize some weapons that he planned to use when a mission came up. He took a Colt .45 off the shelf, before replacing it and deciding to go with his own personal 1911. He had used that gun versus the north, and it was special to him now. Instead, he focused on the primaries. He took an unmodded HK 417 down, and gazed over the weapon. He took a set of back-up irons and attached them, and then a scope with 10x magnification. He attached swivels and a sling, and looked back at the gun. A beautiful weapon. These aliens didn't know what they were getting into.

[The Armed Republic of Dutch Coolness]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Rec Lounge
Natasha Vasilyev

Natasha shrugged as she stood up again. "I'm sure they'll put the money they saved on this to good use somewhere else. Name's Natasha Vasilyev, pleased to meet you." She nodded as the man spurted out his tea again. "There's a reason I haven't finished my coffee yet. Well, at least you get to wake up properly, eh?" She looked up as the general alert was sounded. General alert. Code orange. "Well, so much for having a nice cuppa." Natasha waited for the list of names of those that would be dispatched, and gave a nod as she heard she wasn't on the list. She walked back towards her table, phone, and cup of coffee before sitting down again, enjoying her cup of coffee somewhat less now that she knew an alien attack was happening at the very same moment.

[Cymrea]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Barracks
Gage Rhys

"I didn't see you upstairs in the lounge, which means we haven't met. Adam Waltzman, IDF. You?'

“Gage Rhys, Canadian Forces. Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand and the two men exchanged solid grips. “I can see you look pretty tired, but what do you say we head down to the…”

A warning alarm interrupted, both muted and urgent at the same time. Throughout the base, a low female voice spoke: “General Alert. Code Orange. All soldiers be at the ready,”

“…firing range,” he finished. “Damn, that was fast.”

Gage and Waltzman listened, waiting for the mission roster to be called. Gage wondered if he would be included, called up to kill aliens whose very existence he was only just coming to accept. Part of him wanted to be tapped for the mission; he was most at home down range, in the field, and keeping his teammates alive through the judicious and laser-precise application of 70mm cartridges.

Another part of him wasn’t sure he was prepared to step through the looking glass just yet.

The call was made. Ivanov, MacPhearson, Chen, Flint, Ackermann, Yurivich, and de Ruyter. Those seven would soon be on a Raven and racing halfway around the planet to intercept…God only knew what. It would not be long before they all knew. Some would pay most dearly for that knowledge.

Gage and Waltzman both sighed, from relief or disappointment or merely acceptance, neither could say. Regardless, it was out of their hands now. And Gage wasn’t really a wait-around kind of soldier. He looked to Waltzman.

“Firing range?” he asked.

[Kassaran]

OOstercheldekering Dam
Athena Program Main Base; Recreational Lounge
Lieutenant Cyrus

The lone pilot sauntered in, or moreover staggered in. He had been exposed to the elements perhaps too long as his craft had yet to be shipped in from the States. Unlike most of the other pilots, he had opted to transfer in early for the three week acclimation programme he had been offered. On the flip side, it kept him out of any immediate missions, it also gave him time to train and prepare for any actual large-scale engagements. It was always good form to keep a few pilots on reserve in case the need arose to use them. He was one such pilot, now in the reserves in spite of his experience, but mostly out of choice rather than necessity.

Having just walked in from an extended period spent standing at the top of the dam enjoying the view of the harsh Nordic landscape of this foreign land, he had caught something of a chill. Shaking his head to clear the fog that had gathered and shaking his hands vigorously to try and get the circulation back into them, he moved towards a table towards the center of the room and grabbed the seat, taking it in one hand and easily flipping it backwards as he promptly sat himself down. He earned himself what he assumed would be a few disapproving looks and he smiled internally at the thought. He liked being thought little of, it kept the responsibility to perform well low. He began to intently study the geometry of a nearby napkin as he waited for a member of the wait staff to approach him. He wasn't too certain of what things were like here, but he figured if he appeared disturbing enough to the staff, they'd eventually approach him to try and discern why he was here.

A minute went by and just as he was about to launch into singing an old sailing chanty he'd learned many years ago, Cyrus heard a soft coughing. Behind him stood a young man in a base security personnel uniform and this brought a bright smile to the rowdy pilot's face. A second of pure confusion passed between the security guard and his quarry as suddenly both had no clue as to why the security guard was present. The chair's slow creaking as it withstood the stress of being sat upon improperly brought the point back to the forefront of everyone's thought processes. Coughing again, the guard pointed at the chair and gave a sort of pointed look at Cyrus, which Cyrus [promptly might I add] dismissed the officer's concerns by quickly standing up, and flipping the chair back into its usual position before retaking his seat and launching into his tirade of questions," Alright, so do you happen to know good sir where a decent man such as I can grab some grub?"

A confused look left Cyrus internally sighing as he simply twiddled a random utensil he'd grabbed from his periphery around and through his fingers. Hardly an impressive trick once one knew the secret to making it work, but still an impressive show of dexterity from the young pilot. Just then an alarm sounded and the pilot was running right back out of the lounge and into the corridors where now people were rushing too and fro. Running to his quarters, he immediately he pulled on his jumpsuit and then began to make for the hangar to get the rest fo his flight-gear on. There were plenty of reserve craft at the ready, the only issue that he had was they weren't his.

[Shyluz]

Operation Blue Night
Southeast of New Zealand
Lance Corporal Artem Yurivich
"Hatchet-4"

Artem could barely hear the clanking of the others on the ramp off the Raven through the roaring of the open ocean. He was kneeling as the rest of Hatchet came down the ramp, the set of thundering footsteps would be MacPhearson, Hatchet-2, (Hatchet-3) Chen's were the calm and disciplined ones, (Hatchet-7) Ivanov's were the ones that sounded almost rushed, (Hatchet-5) Ackermann's footsteps exuded an air of nervousness, (Hatchet-6) Sarge's footsteps sounded, quiet, and barely noticeable, and de Ruyter's, Hatchet-1, exuded an air of confidence and discipline, the way one's officer should be.

After doing a quick check making sure everyone was off the Raven, Artem flipped on the laser sight on his SCAR-L, turned on the EOTech, and switched the zoom scope into thermal. He then said softly, "It may be advisable to switch your scope into thermal mode, visibility is extremely limited to the naked eye in these conditions."

The weapon he carried was almost identical to the ACR, it had 2-Round burst functionality, the combo/flashlight lasersight, the EOTech and x2.75 zoom scope, the integrated silencer, the slanted foregrip, and the infrared marker-light. Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to adjust the balance of the weapon, but that didn't matter. All he needed to know was that the SCAR was waterproof. His BDU remained the same as the one from the Armory, though he wore a different shirt and pants, ones in a naval camo pattern, and instead of a black cap and shemagh, they were dark navy blue.

He then spoke softly, saying very softly, "You got orders, One?" As he continued to sweep the horizon with the carbine.

[Penguinia-Tempor]

Oostercheldekering Dam Base
Shooting Range
Fiona had grown rather tired of the shooting range by now. There was a steady trickle of people coming down there, and none of them seemed to be the social type. Besides, she had tried literally every gun that she could possibly get her hands on. Most of them seemed pretty good, but there were a few she didn't really care for. Taking off her hearing protection and shooting glasses, Fiona left the shooting range, deciding to go to the rec lounge next.

Arriving at the lounge, she could see a multitude of other people already there, most of them relaxing and chatting with the others in the lounge. She figured that this was the perfect opportunity to meet some other people and possibly make some friends.. Fiona walked over to the bar and ordered a beer, sitting down at a nearby table with some other people at it. "Hey!" she said in a cheery manner. "How are you doing? I'm Fiona."

[Free Tuks]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Barracks
Adam Waltzman

“…firing range,” he finished. “Damn, that was fast.”

He was about to say yes when the commander started reading the names of the soldiers how were selected for the mission.
Ivanov, MacPhearson, Chen, Flint, Ackermann, Yurivich, and de Ruyter.

No Waltzman and no Rhys. He sighed, as did Gage. He didn't know weather Gage was disapointed, but he sure wasn't. He really needed some more trigger time behind conventional-style rifle. Shooting a bullpup for 7 year, he just couldn't get used to controls, ergonomics and weight of conventional, classic rifles.

When he trained at the range earlier today with the SCAR-L he found himself trying to shove the magazine into the buttstock many times. Doing that in battle certainly is... unadviced.

“Firing range?” he asked.

"Uhh... sure, yeah. Follow me, I've been there already." He grabbed his handgun and battle gear. He wanted his training to be as close to possible to a real combat scenario. He then suggested the same thing to Gage. "You should realy take your battle gear. vest, helmet, everything. After all, that's how you will be fighting."

[Westeastern Dicantia]

Operation Blue Night
Waters of New Zealand
Scott MacPhearson, Hatchet 2

Scott checked his watch. He had managed to sleep through most of the flight, and had managed to wake up an hour before the insertion. Standing and picking up his weapon, an FN mk48 with a simple reflex sight, an AN/PEQ-15, and an ammo box with 100 rounds, he purposefully descended the ramp onto the ship, shouldering his gun and scanning the area as he caught up with the others.

His BDU was already soaking wet, and the storm made it impossible to hear himself think. Standing near the group, he took another look around and drew a bead on what he thought was the door to the superstructure. "Now what?" he inquired to hatchet 1, or really no one in particular. "I say we sweep the deck before anything else."

[Congreveopia]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Rec Lounge
Yves Bilodeau

Yves finished his cup of coffee and stood up to walk off the the barracks with the group. He set the cup down on the counter, and decided to thank the bartender before he left. Before he had a chance to, though, the intercom switched on.

''General Alert. Code Orange. All soldiers be at the ready,''

Yves wasn’t sure what that meant. He’d been stationed on a base at one point where it would be the alarm for an NBC attack, and another where it was the order to evacuate the base. He was fairly sure it didn’t mean either of those things here. He assumed the bunker was under positive pressure, and its air was filtered, so NBC weapons weren’t a threat unless they were on the inside, and he needed more to go on than the specific rules at one posting before he’d leave the base during an alert.

Emilie, meanwhile had grabbed her bag and was heading for the door. Yves decided that someone probably knew what they were meant to do, and he should follow them. He heard Emilie ask where the armoury was.

“I passed it on the way here.” said Yves “It’s this way.” He ran out the rec lounge door, and hurried off towards the armoury.

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Hallway
Yves Bilodeau

He was about halfway to the armoury when the message came that the base wasn’t in imminent danger. Someone then began reading off names of soldiers they were sending on a mission. A couple seconds waiting with baited breath revealed that he was not going to be among those on the mission. He sighed, and took a moment to take stock of his feelings. He was mostly relived. He had almost no experience with his new equipment or working with the other operatives. He didn’t even know if they communicated the same as the French Army in battle. He’d assumed the format for orders was basically universal, but there might well be a vast array of code words and signals he wasn’t familiar with. As he contemplated just how unprepared he could have been for the mission if he were sent on it, he resolved to get completely ready before the next one happened.

“I’m going to head to the armoury anyways and familiarise myself with the gear.” he said to anyone who had followed him. Then, he set off walking to the armoury at a much more leisurely pace than a minute before.

[Krytonus]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Rec Lounge
Callum Wright

Callum sighed when he found out he wasn't going. He was hurt, even, that they had another dropship pilot. Still, life goes on and so Callum pulled out his Nintendo and started playing Pókemon. He was replaying through a classic - Pokémon Platinum. He sighed, sipped some tea and leaned back. His Infernape was doing well.

Looks like he'd have to name his ship another time.

Did he get his own ship?

He fucking better.

[The Templar High Council]

Operation Blue Night
Southeast of New Zealand
Lance Corporal Artem Yurivich
"Hatchet-4"

Artem could barely hear the clanking of the others on the ramp off the Raven through the roaring of the open ocean. He was kneeling as the rest of Hatchet came down the ramp, the set of thundering footsteps would be MacPhearson, Hatchet-2, (Hatchet-3) Chen's were the calm and disciplined ones, (Hatchet-7) Ivanov's were the ones that sounded almost rushed, (Hatchet-5) Ackermann's footsteps exuded an air of nervousness, (Hatchet-6) Sarge's footsteps sounded, quiet, and barely noticeable, and de Ruyter's, Hatchet-1, exuded an air of confidence and discipline, the way one's officer should be.

After doing a quick check making sure everyone was off the Raven, Artem flipped on the laser sight on his SCAR-L, turned on the EOTech, and switched the zoom scope into thermal. He then said softly, "It may be advisable to switch your scope into thermal mode, visibility is extremely limited to the naked eye in these conditions."

The weapon he carried was almost identical to the ACR, it had 2-Round burst functionality, the combo/flashlight lasersight, the EOTech and x2.75 zoom scope, the integrated silencer, the slanted foregrip, and the infrared marker-light. Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to adjust the balance of the weapon, but that didn't matter. All he needed to know was that the SCAR was waterproof. His BDU remained the same as the one from the Armory, though he wore a different shirt and pants, ones in a naval camo pattern, and instead of a black cap and shemagh, they were dark navy blue.

He then spoke softly, saying very softly, "You got orders, One?" As he continued to sweep the horizon with the carbine.

Operation Blue Night
Southeast of New Zealand
Sargeant Anthony Flint, Hatchet-6

"I hear ya, Four." Anthony said, screwing a suppressor onto his pistol, then SCAR-H, before flipping on the laser on his drawn SCAR.

"One, what's the plan? I'd say put Three of Four, maybe both, up in that tower for sight on the crates. Then split and search: crates then hold."

[Generailia]

Operation Blue Night
Southeast of New Zealand
Recruit Chris Ackermann, Hatchet-5

Chris stood there with his ARX in his hands as he listened to the other members of Hatchet Squad as he thought to himself. Holy shit everyone here seriously seems to know what there doing. Chris then said awkwardly..since it felt sort of strange to call people numbers instead of names. "Thanks for the advice Four. But I'll just keep the sight as it is already..if it even can go into this thermal mode thing at all. Oh and I am ready for whatever you might have for me One." Chris then stood there with his ARX in his hands as he noticed that Anthony flipped on the laser he quickly did the same. He still had on the same uniform that he did from the armory..yet noticeably soaked of course. The weather was something he could live with being how he was used to bad thunder-storms in the middle of the night but he wasn't used to such weather in the middle of a large body of water and the large waves caused by such weather as they made Chris even more uneasy then he was already. Yet what made him the most uneasy was the darkness of the night. He had a fear of it since back when he was a criminal that was a very common time for ambushes or police raids..so he was always uneasy when he stared into a dark area because he didn't want something to get the jump on his threw the shadows. Then as Chris looked around he thought to himself. Well shit at least I have a flashlight..but I guess I can hope that the laser points out anything weird by stopping oddly in someplace where it was supposed to go further. But I still have the maglight they gave me just encase it get's ridiculously dark. Wait shit I did it again didn't I?! Chris then shook his head slightly after staring at the ground for a few minutes in which he daydreamed about the past and hell even broke into thought as he forgot the outside world for a bit. Then as Chris awaited Hatchet-1's response he continued to examine his surroundings uneasily as he also continued to stress that something might attempt an ambush suddenly at any given second.

[Camicon]

Then he said, "Yes, maam.(As he saluted) Corporal Thomas Melford Special Operations. I do need directions to the Barracks and the Firing range. I also need to go to the command center to learn of my objectives while I'm here. If you could lead me to them I would be eternally grateful. In any case shall we procede?" As he steps forward he motions with his hands for her to take the lead and show him where to go.

Chloe Hath
Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Recreation Lounge

"No need to salute, Corporal Melford." She said, somewhat ironically returning the gesture. "We're all new to this game. I think. Kinda throws new light on all those UFO conspiracy nutters. Turns out there may have been a few conspiracies after all. Doesn't mean they're any less nutty though." Chloe chuckled, turning on her heel and, exiting the rec lounge with the other three soldiers close behind her. They'd barely stepped out of the room when the lights all took on an orange tinge. A voice came over the intercom, stating that the base was in Alert state Orange.

"Armoury is this way," Chloe set off at a jog through the corridors. It wasn't long before they hit a T-intersection, where Chloe threw an arm out and yelled behind her, "Barracks are that way, armoury and firing range are this way."

The intercom voice came on again, rattling off a list of names, the soldiers that would be flying out on an op. Someone had splashed a UFO, apparently. Chloe didn't hear her name called, and from the reactions of her three new friends none of them were either. Chloe stood awkwardly, no longer having a reason to go to the armoury, but not having any other destination in mind. She was relieved when one of the men, the one that wasn't Corporal Melford, stated his intentions to go to the armoury anyways, to familiarize himself with the equipment.

"That's as good a plan as any," Chloe said, joining him. "Sorry, I don't think I caught your name before those alarm bells went off."

[United RussoAsia]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Sage Albrektsson
Corridor 803 - Armory
Sage was putting the finishing touches and calibrating the scope when suddenly, he was interrupted by an alarm. He jumped, barely retaining his hold on the gun.
'General Alert. Code Orange. All soldiers be at the ready.''
He tensed as they read off all the names. He didn't recognize any of them, though he said a silent prayer. Aliens. God above alone knew if those men and women would make it out alive.
Still shaking, he finished assembling the weapon and set it aside in a locker. He moved on to a carbine, reluctantly. The SCAR-L was better suited to him than the other options, so he somewhat disdainfully took the weapon down. Carbines. If he had made DM or sniper, he wouldn't have to deal with them. As it was, carbines were considered standard scout weapons. Sage stared at the 10" barrel as if to make it disappear. Failing that, he muttered some choice words in Norwegian and picked out another set of swivels and sling, and an ACOG. He sighed.

[Congreveopia]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Hallway
Yves Bilodeau

“Ah, yes.” said Yves as he continued to walk towards the armoury “I’m Yves Bilodeau, from northern France. I was a combat Engineer in the French army for… gosh, that was probably eight years total.”

Yves searched his mind for Chloe’s name. He had made a note of it when she mentioned it. He was typically good at remembering names, and he always tried to. It was always good to remember someone’s name if you were trying to get them to like you. He remembered her name fairly quickly, but paused for a few seconds before speaking again.

“Your name was Chloe, right?” he said, after the brief interlude “I can’t quite place your accent, where are you from?”

[Vancon]

Operation Blue Night
Southeast of New Zealand
Lieutenant Marloes de Ruyter

The Lieutenant walked off the ramp in an eloquent way as she pulled her ARX 160 off her back. She raised her head against the dark sky and felt the rain fall onto her helmet. She looked around at her squad that had already moved off onto the helipad, and their expressions varied from pressured and worried to relaxed and calm. It was all erie in some kind of way, but she couldn't put her finger on it. The lady approached her group and spoke:

''Hatchet, listen up. The enemy is no further then 300 meters away. Stay vigilant. For now, we'll all be moving into the superstructure and we'll clear it. The bridge is four floors up, and there are staircases in each corner. We will go up the closes staircase and clear each floor, and then we'll look over the deck of the ship. We should make contact then, but it's possible that it'll happen sooner.

Hatchet-4, lead off to the door. Hatchet-7 and yourself will breach the door. Everyone else will follow. Let's go,'' she finished.

[Bentus]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Rec Lounge
Emilie Girard

Emilie listened as the voice coming from the intercom changed its tone, listing out the names of the soldiers selected for the mission. She gradually slowed down to a halt, coming up alongside the others. Perhaps it was for the best, Emilie still felt her limbs aching from the flight and struggle getting into The Netherlands and she hadn’t caught a wink of sleep in more hours than she cared to remember. Moreover, she still hadn’t trained with any of the other Athena soldiers – heck, she still didn’t even know most of their names. There’s no way they have been able to effectively work as a team in a real live-fire scenario, especially during their first tit-for-tat with the enemy. Still, just because it was logical didn’t mean that Emilie’s pride wasn’t at least a little bit stung.

Neither Chloe, Tom nor Yves were called up either, and so the four of them seemed to be standing around the subterranean corridors with a sudden lack of purpose or direction. Yves broke the momentary silence caused by the winding down of the alert, declaring that he was continuing on to the armoury, regardless, and Chloe swiftly agreed with him. Emilie let out a resigned sigh. “Well, I suppose since we’ve already come this far, there’s no point going anywhere else.” Her tone of voice was ever so slightly irritated, betraying her opinion on having been tripped by a ‘false’ alarm. While she didn’t say it in as many words, it was evident that the woman would have preferred to have remained sampling the bar’s stock.

As the group approached the armoury, the muffled sounds of weapon discharges from the nearby range became more pronounced.

“Your name was Chloe, right? I can’t quite place your accent, where are you from?” Yves and Chloe had been exchanging pleasantries, and Emilie was starting to feel more at home among the group.

“Pas de l'Hexagone.“ She added, noting that she too couldn’t quite pinpoint the woman’s accent. “Belgium? Switzerland?”

[Very Bahram]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Corridor 803 - Armory
Zarathudhtra Reynder, Zdravko Reynder and Zsofia Reynder

Once more, Zdravko was the first to stride in. Once more, as was tradition, Zsofia was behind him, followed by Zarathudhtra who brought up the rear.

Zdravko wondered for a moment about this habit of theirs. On one hand, it made it easier for people to identify them, on the other hand, how will this translate properly in combat. He realised that he needed to discuss the issue with his brother. He then had the slight inclination on how Zsofia will take it, though he knew she wasn't the type that'll object of such 'overprotection', he also knew that she felt like a child on the few occasions where he proposed ideas of such. But this is real, he thought, We need to work something out on this.

Zsofia on the other hand was also thinking along the same lines. Once in combat, she need to be able to hold her own. Sure, she might have some training, sure, she knew how to use a fire arm, sure, she knew how to fight. But, unlike her brothers, she has no actual combat experience to call upon. She would be a distraction, a dead weight, to the rest of the team no matter how far away from the combat zone she was. The very thought of this filled her with dread and misgiving. She is an independent adult now, she need to be able to do things herself. The last thing she want is for someone to be hurt whilst protecting her. It's most likely that someone will be one of her brothers, or even both if it came down to it. And that was the heart of the problem.

Zarathudhtra strode around almost aimlessly, examining the various arms in the armoury. His eyes fell upon a carbine rifle. He turned and left to examine the explosives. On the outside, he seemed cool calm and collected. On the inside, he was a mixture of emotions. He too was puzzling over Zsofia's current status. She needed protection, for the first few missions at the very least. He stopped and picked up a grenade, tossing it and catching it in the other hand and repeating the action. To strangers, it was an anonymous action. To him and all who knew him, it was his way of concentrating, thinking, planning. They needed to protect Zsofia. And he would be the one who does it.

He almost dropped the grenade on his nineteenth catch. Putting the possibly volatile item down, he realised something else was bugging him. This same feeling was also bugging Zsofia and Zdravko. They all knew what their actions n the field would be. They'll be taking the life of another being. Zdravko and Zarathudhtra have done it countless times over the past two years, but they still felt this disturbance in their minds as strong as Zsofia. All those that Zdravko and Zarathudhtra have killed were those who's action had a clear motive. But the aliens motives are unknown to them. They don't know why the aliens insist on hostility. Natural Instinct? Love of destruction? Sport? Or something else entirely? They want to know why. It is this unknown factor that caused this disturbance in their minds. Their conscience wants to know.

[United RussoAsia]

Oosterscheldekering Dam Base
Sage Albrektsson
Corridor 803 - Armory

Zdravko was the first to stride in. Once more, as was tradition, Zsofia was behind him, followed by Zarathudhtra who brought up the rear.

The door opened, and Sage jumped, again, and watched in his peripheral vision as three people walked in. Two men, one woman. He twitched nervously, and set to the SCAR very quietly, almost trying to go unnoticed.
One of the men strode towards the back of the armory, and Sage quickly bent over the SCAR. He attached the ACOG and glanced over his shoulder. The man was passing a grenade between his hands. Sage twitched again, this time out of slight worry.
He glanced back to the other two. They all appeared to be related, which set him on edge. Siblings were often unpredictable; depending on what kind of a childhood they'd had, they behaved differently towards eachother, and it was hard to anticipate.
He finished the weapon, and cautiously looked toward the locker he had put the HK in. The man with the grenade had put it down and was standing in front of it. He shuddered, then mustered up his courage, and tried to reduce his accent as much as possible.
"Excuse me, sir."

[Altito Asmoro]

Operation Blue Night
Southeast of New Zealand
Lance Corporal Lei Chen, Hatchet-3


The air is stiff. He felt a bit calm, and a bit worried. This is probably his first contact, and with the way the bullets he will use, which is normal bullets, he's a pretty good reason why he's worried. On the other hand, this is also the bullets the majority of the weapons use so he assumes that it will work against the aliens.

The Lieutenant had ordered for Hatchet-4 and Hatchet-7 to breach the door, while he himself is on the behind of the group, his SAW on hands, the Mark 48, with his sidearm on the right holster. He could put the SAW on his back and use his sidearm, but considering the unknown location of the aliens, it will not be a good option.

[Shyluz]

Operation Blue Night
Southeast of New Zealand
Lance Corporal Artem Yurivich
"Hatchet-4"

"Confirmed One, Seven, let's go." Artem stood from his kneeling position, and donned the night vision goggles as he quickly and silently jogged to the door in the superstructure. Once there,he took up position on the side of the door without hinges. Artem chambered a round as he waited for Ivanov to catch up. The door was a standard naval bulkhead, something that in case of emergency could be sealed watertight, and it was probably at least three inches of steel. Artem would've knocked for a better idea, but that would alert anything inside.