There we were. We were all saved by Siri and Darcy. The two unlikely heroes of the day. We lost a lot of people to the marines' cruelty. They couldn't even spare a bullet. I think now was when I first realized the barbarity our foe was capable of.
Regardless, we had work to do. It was up to me to salvage the situation...
AGENT JONATHON ROLLINS
RESEARCH OUTPOST 5, SEDEK SURFACE, SIDHAE DIMENSION
September 19th, 2152
The group proceeded down the hallway until they found a supply closet - the locker room storing all their gear that Siri spoke of. The Spetsnaz were about to barge in, but Olhon halted them, apparently smelling something.
The blast door wasn't completely closed, a small crack revealing the interior. Rollins decided to peek through it, seeing two of Alain's marines peruse through the captured weaponry.
"Did you hear all that nonsense?" One of them asked. "Sounded kinda iffy. They're just feeding the fucks to the raptor and the wolves..."
Nevermind that. I'm sure the rest of the boys have it under control. Anyway...these weapons aren't particularly advanced, but...their exotic nature might fetch a fair price, don't you think? I know folks who would pay top dollar for a proper functioning ion weapon with this antiquated aesthetic."
"What about the Enforcer?" One of the marines asked.
"Don't fucking touch that, you idiot!" The other yelled. "It might explode! Besides, I'm sure the Decurion might take it as his own trophy once the techs disarm it...
Rollins peered through the open crack of the door, seeing two marines fiddling about with the Chernydrakonan weapons. One of them had a RIP-25, the other was toying with the slide on Rollins' own Tiran.
"I don't know...for something as primitive as a plasma delivery system, this gun just screams 'badass'. Think I might keep it..." The marine said, in reference to the Tiran.
Oh no you don't. That's mine, you goddamn space nazi son of a bitch...
Olhon moved up with Rollins, his stolen boltgun drawn. The two nodded at one another, and as Olhon opened the door, Rollins ran in, striking at the closest marine. Within a couple of seconds, Rollins had snapped his neck before he even knew what was going on. A bolt from Olhon's weapon silenced the other one before he could react accordingly.
Jon secured his weapon and slipped it back into his holster.
"Siri, get the door!" He ordered, taking note of the stock before them. As Siri hacked into the panel and began closing the door, Jon immediately noticed Olhon's enforcer haphazardly lying inside an open locker. He grabbed it (by the barrel, just to be safe) and tossed it towards it's rightful owner, who immediately discarded his boltgun afterwards.
"Uh...Rollins? Olhon?" Siri timidly spoke up. "Something's coming through the door!"
Rollins unholstered and pointed his pistol at the opening blast door, half-expecting marine reinforcements to come pouring through. However, they were instead greeted with an eight-foot-tall mass of red and indigo.
"Vasya?" Siri asked, shocked.
"What Vasya tell tank lady? Vasya stronges' an' braves' of all Black Dragon!" The ork chuckled, seeming no worse for the wear despite missing an arm, sporting heavy plasma burn damage along half of his face, and being covered head-to-toe in blood (though Siri and Darcy knew that not all of it was probably his). "Tank people no match fer Vasya!"
"It's good to see you're alright, Vasya..." Darcy said. Neither of them thought Vasya would survive, but it was somewhat comforting that he managed to make it out. After all, they would have never have gotten this far without him. "How did you find us?"
"Vasya follow teh sounds a' dah battle!" The Ork proudly announced. "Vasya see friends run here, so that where I come! Where Sarge?"
"Apologies, Vasya, he did not make it..." Olhon grimly replied, remembering the NCO's unfortunate demise.
"Bah. Then I guess I listen to chocolate man 'til tiger lady gets back. Maybe Vasya could be teh new Sarge?"
Chocolate man? Where have I heard that one before...
"You don't look too good, my murderous blue friend..." Rollins said. "It'd probably be best if you sat down for a bit until we can get a medic to look over you..."
"Vasya no coward! Vasya kill all da tank people firs', chocolate man!" The ork growled.
"So you think you're fit to fight, big guy?" Rollins asked.
"Find Vasya gun, chocolate man!" The ork responded. "An' I'll fight all a' dem!"
"Good man." Rollins nodded, looking around for a gun that was suitably big enough.
All it took was a short glance to find a GShGM leaning against one of the lockers. Rollins hauled it up (using both hands) and handed it over to the Ork, who grabbed it with his one functional hand, supporting it with his stump.
"Follow our Ork friend's example. Everyone grab a rifle. We're going to tear this Goddess-be-damned place apart!" Rollins commanded to whatever remained of Molot, who were standing off to the side.
"Rollins, even with the local wildlife running lose, we can't possibly hope to take this entire station by ourselves." Olhon protested. "Judging by the manpower needed to secure a station such as this, there's probably several decuries still running about..."
"Who said anything about taking it by ourselves?" Rollins replied, locating his datapal on a table and slipping it onto his arm, opening up a comm frequency.
"Green, this is Blue. Come in Green. The research post was a trap. The local scientific staff poisoned us all, and Alain's boys were waitin' to strike. We estimate multiple enemy platoons still active. We've lost our gunship, and most of Molot has been wiped out. Repeat, gunship is down, Molot is dead. Need reinforcements ASAP! Authorization code 'Peaches'!" Rollins barked as he found a RIP-25 of his own.
"Authorization confirmed, Blue team." Lieutenant Kameneva responded. "Reinforcements warping on your location in ninety seconds!"
"Hear that? Ninety seconds to play-time, boys and girls!" Rollins yelled out. "These bastards were about to feed us all to wolves! You hear? Wolves! Let's move!"
With that, Rollins and the remnants of Blue headed out of the supply closet, and back to the chaos of the main room.
As Olhon opened the door leading into it, they were greeted with a marine standing right in the doorway. His rifle was on the floor, and he didn't seem to be paying attention to those in front of him.
As Rollins aimed at him, about to investigate, he fell to the ground with a thud. Rollins looked to his back and saw multiple wounds that could have only been made with high-velocity shotgun slugs. They looked up to see a Frenk in a nanosuit, the barrel on their NFAS shotgun still smoking. Rachel.
"You are a sight for sore eyes, girlie!" Rollins chuckled. "Has the assault began?"
"Yep." Rachel nodded, raising the visor on her helmet. "Green's warping in all over the place. I think they still outnumber us, but those...creatures have devastated them, and they'll have a bit of trouble reacting to teleporting troops in either case."
"Good." Rollins nodded. "Let's get out there and join the party!"
Sure enough, the main room was plunged into complete chaos. The pantheraptor and the viperwolves were running about, fighting with one another and only stopping to pounce upon any Sidh marine foolish enough to expose himself. The marines themselves struggled to keep order, the occasional blasts from their energy rifles being drowned out with the sounds of explosions and animal screams.
This was only further complicated with the arrival of Green, who were periodically warping small groups of soldiers in seemingly random locations, effectively getting the jump on the isolated pockets of marines. Highly-disciplined judicatorial marines they may have been, even they were not immune to falling victim to a hopeless situation, and some attempted to run, only to be eviscerated by the raptor or shot by a Chernydrakony marksman.
The rest of Blue split up to join the fighting. Olhon and Siri took one side, Rachel ran off to rejoin the group she was assigned to, and Rollins led what was left of Molot.
After a few seconds of fighting (Rollins claiming one kill, Vasya two), Rollins spotted more warpers entering. He noticed one appear within meters of the pantheraptor. Harper.
The beast noticed her immediately, and unleashed a mighty screech.
"You're not a very nice raptor, are you?" Harper tutted. "You know, I don't think people should get pets if they're not going to take up the responsibility of proper training..."
Harper stepped back from the pantheraptor, slowly but confidently as it screeched again.
"Nice raptor...very good raptor..." She said, her fingers floating towards her temple. In an instant, before the raptor could even think of striking, the Commonwealther let out an intense burst of psi-energy.
Instead of a threatening screech, the raptor let out a pained one as the contents of it's mind was scrambled. Unlike Darcy, Harper's psionics were much more destructive. Whereas Darcy could use her talents to gather intel and engage in covert missions, Harper's did well in combat situations. She could never read a mind without destroying it, but in certain contexts, this was much more preferable...
The pantheraptor seemingly lost interest in Harper, instead deciding to run amok, screeching in pain and confusion. It toppled into a blast door where marine reinforcements were pouring through, killing several in it's mindless rampage. The immediate threat the raptor posed to the forces forced the marines to turn their guns on the beast, making them that much more vulnerable to the invading Mecharussians.
The raptor had eventually keeled over, but it was clear that there were too few of them to continue the fight here. Whatever remained retreated through another blast door, leaving the chamber in control of the Polu's crew.
"Kinzahl squad, go after them!" The leader of Green, Lieutenant Kameneva, commanded as one of the Black Dragon squads pursued the retreaters.
That was it. For now, they were victorious. Aside from a small band or two, the station was theirs.
Rollins dismissed Molot and decided to walk the battlefield himself. The Chernydrakony and Cazadores looted the corpses of the slain Sidhae. He even spotted one of the Cazadores skinning a viperwolf, intent on taking the pelt home.
Personally, Rollins wondered what had happened to the leader of the marines about to feed him to the wolves. Maybe he was still alive and kicking. He certainly wouldn't have objected to showing the bastard what a "nigger" could do...
As though the Goddess herself sought to answer his question, Rollins looked over to see the Decurion in question on the ground, underneath the black-suited Rachel. She seemed to be busy, pummeling what was left of his skull with her strength-enhanced fists. Rollins couldn't be sure how long he'd been dead, but it must have been long enough. Poor Rachel probably didn't even notice...
"Alright, settle down." Rollins said, nonchalantly pulling Rachel off the corpse. "I think ya got him..."
His bloodlust wasn't particularly strong, but when a score needed to be settled, he would certainly do so. He would have liked to have seen this one meet his end by the wolves, at least. It would have been poetic, but he wasn't going to pretend being thrown to an enraged Rachel Enns was any more merciful.
Hell. Girl is a "viperwolf"...
Rollins walked around the chamber, Rachel in-tow. Looking off to the side, Rollins noted the Chernydrakony rounding up all the white-suited scientific staff. Among them, Reven. Siri stood off to the side, apparently mortified at what the Russians might do to them.
Kameneva, strolled among the prisoners brandishing a traditional spetsnaz machete, finally stopping behind Reven.
"Ah, the leader of the facility. The ones who sold out my comrades to Alain and watched as they were slaughtered?" She asked with a bloodthirsty grin. "Any last words, tankie?"
Reven however, merely sat with a frown, seemingly content to meet his end without pause nor protest.
"Huh, bein' quiet? Trying to look dignified? Whatever. Ready?" The spetsnaz officer cackled, readying her machete for a swing.
"Rollins, you have to stop them!" Siri protested in horror.
"Meh. Normally, I'd be inclined to show a bit of mercy. But I'm sure you'll forgive me if the memories of smelling a wolf's breath as it was about to bite into me kinda kills my sympathy vibe..." Rollins waved her off, clearly content to let Reven receive the quick death that he would have been denied at the hands of Alain's marines.
"Rollins, you-you don't understand!" Siri whined. "He-he helped me find you! Helped me free you! He's the only reason any of us are alive right now! Please, Rollins! Stop her! He doesn't deserve to die for wanting to preserve his life's work!"
Rollins merely sighed at Siri's pleas. He was angry at the minute, for sure, but it still wasn't enough to impede on his (more or less) logical judgement.
"Fine..." Rollins said, approaching Kameneva and Reven.
Not seeing Rollins walking towards her, Kameneva readied her blade for a swing. "Get ready to die, you tankie shit!"
However, before the edge could connect with the doctor's neck, it was halted with a loud, piercing clank.
"Not so fast!" Rollins chuckled.
Kameneva looked down to see a curved Kukri had halted her blade just inches from it's mark. She looked up to see Rollins was the one responsible for the block, nonchalantly holding the blade out.
"This 'tankie' may not be innocent, but he's also the one who saved what was left of Blue." Rollins said, slowly reeling his kukri back. "Least we can do is...not behead him while he's helpless. I think he might deserve a word or two in his defense..."
"Look at that, the Frenks are defending the tankies!" Kameneva laughed. "No. I don't care if Molot's sergeant was that much of an amatuer, this worm dies!"
"Let him go." Rollins spoke plainly. "Or Trots' will hear about this. Reven falls under Blue''s authority. And who did she give command of Blue over to?"
The Lieutenant hesitated, but still clearly wanted to proceed with the execution. Eventually, she began seething, and angrily sheathed her blade.
"Why the General seems to trust you, I'll never understand! Frenks, tankies...they're all the same breed!" Kameneva spat. "Fine! Take your tankie friend and shove him up your ass!"
Kameneva angrily stormed off, her troops following her.
When the Black Dragons were gone, Rollins moved to Reven and cut his binds.
"That wasn't a favor I just did ya. Once I make sure this shitshow is cleaned up and I get in touch with my temporary boss, you're gonna talk. Else you're gonna be begging for the end you woulda got from little miss buzzcut. Understand?" He threatened the Sidhae doctor.
"Jon! JonJonJonJonJon!" Darcy interrupted him. "Jonnnn!"
"What is it?" Rollins asked, annoyed. "Can't you see I'm trynna look big and intimidating?"
"You have to gather everyone! Right now!" She yelped. "This place isn't safe!"
"What do you see?" He asked.
"Explosions. Fire." She warned. "I don't know why, but we have to leave!"
"Uh...Lieutenant? Rollins?" A Chernydrakony technician called out. "I'm picking up something big on the radar..."
Fuck.