by Murdoch Wed Jul 27, 2011 6:42 pm
ooc: SO sorry about the wait. I was just stuck as to how to get it started...and now it's late at night, I'm pumped from watching some- quite frankly- awesome Jedi/Sith fights in the 3 cinematic trailers for The Old Republic and from playing Marvel Vs Capcom 3 all day. XD
Ic:
The drop-pod creaks a little bit as it is moved into position above the evacuation pipe. Murdoch checks the interfaces casually, double checking that everything is working as it's meant to. There really isn't any need- the techies make a living making sure this stuff is working properly, and he is unlikely to find anything that they've missed- but it's good to be sure. He also checks to make sure that his weapons are within grabbing distance, and of course they are; even Murdoch has room to manoeuvre in this tight space, and his weapons are literally right next to him, ready to be scooped up on a moments notice.
His drop squad, The Death Guard, are always given the most dangerous missions, and today is no exception. Their job is to penetrate the enemy lines near the old citadel of New Manchester and destroy the comms array in preparation for the large attack that will be commenced on their signal. New Manchester was, before it was captured by Covenant forces, one of the planets single largest manufacturing plants of weapons and vehicles, and has since been corrupted to do the same job, but for the enemy. High Command has decided that they need Manchester back. But the problem is, Manchester is heavily defended; it's on the front lines, which is bad enough, but in combination with its role as a large weapons manufacturer means that both sides want it desperately. There is expected to be at least three battalions guarding the citadel, along with two armoured columns and at least one cruiser.
The plan is for all six members of The Death Guard to drop in pairs. Zorian and Kelphar are to drop on the north side of the citadel and, from their starting point inside the city walls, to eradicate any defences they find, then move on and disable the generator that supplies power to the entire citadel using a virus that Zorian will upload from his PDA into the main computer in that area. They need the defences offline to take the place, and then the generator can be reactivated once it has been recaptured. Marcus and Dorn, who are dropping on the east side- the side furthest away from the Earth frontlines- are tasked with finding and destroying the backup power generator, to stop the Covenant from reactivating their defences when the primary generator goes down.
And finally, Murdoch will be sent in with the newest member of the team, Richard, to the south side. There's a large opening there which acts as a quick-stop repair yard for damaged ships, and after the massive hit that the cruiser took yesterday from The Blood Legions cannons, the cruiser has been forced to ground there. Their job will be to fight through to the cruiser and destroy it. They're then to make their way to the central spire of the citadel, where they will meet at the ground floor and fight their way up to destroy the comms array. That will not only make them unable to call for help when the main attack comes, but it will make their scanners in the area blind; with the only cruiser in the area destroyed and the comms array blown to pieces, they will be unable to coordinate a strike until the citadel is back in Human hands. Well. That's the theory.
A sudden jolt, and Murdoch is blasted into the atmosphere of the planet. The pod jostles a little, but otherwise holds true, streaking through the atmosphere as the landmass beneath him grows larger and larger as he gets closer. He takes a look to either side of him, and sees drop pods galore, each on a different trajectory to carry out their missions. Banshees and hornets streak past, and small explosions sound in the air around them as they get closer, buffeting the drop pods and the soldiers inside as anti air fire and weapons fire from the dogfighting fighters tear the atmosphere apart. They're fighting so hard over this planet...does nobody care that they are destroying it in the process?
As he watches, a drop pod explodes across the way in a fiery display of smoke and flames. Murdoch wonders; is the death any less horrific if there's no blood or screams...just smoke and fire? Do the people up above, watching, care how many soldiers die, as long as they win? One death is a tragedy. One million is a statistic.
But there's no time to consider further. The scarred, blackened landscape of Manchester stretches beneath him, and before he knows it, the pod has smashed into the ground in a shower of mud, rocks and body parts that are left over from previous battles. The door pops off, flying some way to land in a heap on the floor. Murdoch grabs his weapons, checks his ammo, and steps out into anarchy.
