Futuristic ℋ℮їґṧ: SIGMA (Sci-Fi/Powers/Interstellar Warfare RP)

[Perambulation]

Adrian

As I got off the dropship and saw the injured off to the medical bay, I saw in the corner of my eye Corporals Amis and Ingris, still sneering at me at the dropship ramp. I chose to ignore the troublesome duo, and instead walked off to the armory to take my KAISYS armor off and return my weapons to their respective storage places. The duo, recognizing that I don't intend to make a bigger deal out of the earlier confrontation, went off on their own.

"This is why I prefer to work alone... I cause too much trouble...", I whispered to myself as I entered the armory.

The NUSS Artemis III has acted as my home for the past few months, since the famous Fireteam Nexus made its headquarters here. Even so, I can't exactly rest too easy on board, since I still draw some stares from nearby New Union troops. They probably heard what happened with my previous Fireteam, Fireteam Epsilon.

"Is that...?"
"Yeah, it's him. Surprised he's still part of Fireteam Nexus..."

Hearing various whispers always annoyed me, but I couldn't exactly come up with a retort. After all, I was the one responsible with what had happened.

Outside the window, I can see the familiar blur of starlight as the ship sails through hyperspace. Once I checked the time for the formal debriefing, I decided to spend some time in the bar before reporting in. I'm not sure if I am going to still be part of the Fireteam at this point, but whatever...

Making my way to the bar, I plopped myself on a stool and ordered some sparkling water. Never sat well with alcohol anyways, so might as well simulate being drunk through carbonation.

 

[Kabboom]

Joachim

After Miller bursted out at me like that, I shut myself up. She was right. It's not my right to complain. She's done enough. Katherine's done enough. Morrison's done enough. I've done enough. And if all that hard work combined didn't get the job done... Then maybe the objective was impossible. But hey, at least we destroyed the CDS. Not that it means anything now.

Katherine, the girl who kinda looks like a fox, spoke up, talking about tending to the wounded, before crouching down with Miller to tend to Parkins' wounds. The sick, twisted part of my mind make dark jokes about the man, particularly his name, and what it should be changed to, now that he's physically disabled.

Carlison, one of my only remaining FT Comet members, besides Davo here, has regained his normal breathing, and is sitting next to me. Katherine offers me a Revival Serum, in case my Fireteam needs it. I decline the offer, and train my eyes on the mangled Sgt. Parkins, hinting to her that she should try it on him.

I didn't say a word on that entire trip. Miller's words, they got me thinking. And when I start thinking, I usually don't stop. I braced for the rough landing, and then prepared to move out. Miller carried Parkins to, I suppose, the infirmary. Morrison, he headed off to do his own business, though, I'd figure, he's headed for the bar, like Katherine there.

All the occupants of the ships got off quickly, while some rush to the aid of the crashed ones. They scattered in different directions, but, judging from my experience with The Falcons, sooner or later, they're all gonna end up at the bar. They all do, sooner or later. I've seen enough. I'm not a drinker myself, so I don't join in with them. I give orders to my Fireteam.

"Alright, Comet. We've had a long day. Dav, you're dismissed. Go do whatever you want. Carlison, you're with me. We've got training to do." I say to my ragged, tired team. Davo nods, and Carlison immediately excuses himself for the showers. I allow him, and as he walks out of sight, I whisper to Davo. "Hey, I know you've had a long day. But can you do me a favor, and find the girls, Miller and Katherine? Tell 'em I didn't mean anything I said. Their day's already shit enough. A little good news wouldn't harm a soul." I say, before walking off.

I also enter the showers. The once clean floors now covered with raggedy, filthy uniforms, and bloodstains. I could hear sobbing, coming from one of the stalls. Looks like someone didn't take the news of our defeat well. I approach a mirror, and I noticed that I was no better than the occupants of Zulu-04. A black substance, ash, apparently, covered my face, as well as dried blood, forming a line from my forehead to my nose. Bloodstains on my left ear.

I wash them all away with haste, and headed off to my bunk. I still prefer my Falcon bunk, but the accommodations provided by the New Union were... generous enough. I took off my armor, my uniform, and slipped into my casual wear. It felt unusually light and underprotected, these Sabre Corps attires. I always felt so vulnerable, so weak in these clothes. Part of the reason why I left the Union's army in the first place.

Carlison soon joined me, and asked me about what I had in plan for him. "Your CQC is sloppy. Twice, you fought a Mortus Trooper hand-to-hand, twice, you lost. I'm gonna train you up, give you some basic skills. Come on."

And so, the two of us made our way to the sparring area. We put on our safety equipment, because of mandatory requirements. And I trained him. I taught him the basics, the fundamentals of fighting; not just against Mortus Troopers, but against anyone and everyone. I taught him how to tackle, I taught him how to anticipate a punch, how to dodge said punch, and what to do after the opponent misses said punch. Carlison learned well. He learned quickly. He got his ass beat, though, but that's no surprise.

Throughout the entire session, thoughts about my competence to lead a team of men into the jaws of death came to my mind, but I managed to push them away with the sparring session. I hope Davo is doing better somewhere.

 

[Perambulation]

(Keep in mind, in this advanced future, prosthetics that are almost identical in function to real limbs are available, and can even be stronger than physical limbs if wanted. Of course, artificial skin is also available to make these robotic limbs a bit more realistic)

 

[Trappy]

Daelen

I was in that summer again. Calm wind and the warmth of the sun, the summers on Florus were beautiful, way too beautiful to be real, for a kid who grew up on Vaccaro. Father was sitting on his favourite chair in that small pub down-town, drinking Vaccaran ale. He drank a lot back in the days, then he would leave home with his associates, to do "the business", as he called it, and I used to follow him, and this time it was on Florus. I guess the old man had hopes in me, he expected me to take up his work or something. I had no interest in it. I ran away that day, through the fields. I snuck aboard one of the cargo shuttles and left. That was it. I never came home, to Vaccaro, and I never sent words back. Then the Smierc came. It pains me even now that I never got to see them in their final moments, I never got to bid them farewell. The memories will haunt me, forever.

I woke up to the sound of the magnetic locks. We're here. I let out a soft grunt as I removed the straps and looked around. Hell, we looked like a bunch of undead, there weren't anything lively in those eyes. At least now they stopped arguing, if that shit had continued, I would have shot myself right on the spot. Now that I've regained my normal breathing, I noticed a rather unpleasant smell. This load needed some serious cleaning.

When we got out, Miller carried Parkins to the sickbay, I supposed. It was miracle that he survived the blast, with that many injuries. I will visit him. Tough lad. The others scattered in many directions, though I heard Miller and Kath were heading for the pub. How they had a pub on a military vessel, that shall remain a mystery.

Joachim dismissed me with a request, and headed off to give Carley some training, I figured the man could use some alright, he was dancing with the Smierc back there. I nodded at Joachim, and headed for the Twisted Wolves' barracks to clean up and get changed. We smelled like horse shit. The mercenaries' barrack was one gloomy place. Well, it was really quiet, with all the cold faces, but then of course, there are some who didn't take the news of defeat very well.

I headed for the pub, I noticed the Miller and Kath at the end of the counter, they were hard to miss. The pub seemed like a reasonably enjoyable place, although I did wondered how that guy over there ended up on the floor. Not that it was my business. I headed for the ladies, preparing myself for the worst to come, I was never good with talking.

"Hey there, ladies. Enjoying yourself?"-I said as I walked up to them.

"Please do accept my apology for what my friend Joachim said back there, we all went through some really fucking rough shit, if you'll excuse my language." -I paused, as I got myself on an empty stool.

"Joachim is a good man and all, the lad was just pissed off, y'know. It was a tough day, he was pulled too close to his limit. That's it. I do hope you two understand." -And that was true, Joachim probably didn't mean half what he said, the red mist ascended and we were all stressed. Everyone has their limit and at some point, it's actually good for them to release the stress.

As the bartender walked to me, I raised my hand in a tired manner. I spoke just loud enough for him to hear.
"Vaccaran ale, an entire silo."

 

[Perambulation]

Trappy

(Vaccaro is a snow planet with pockets of radiation still on its surface as a result of a massive nuclear attack in the past. Amend your post please )

 

[Trappy]

Perambulation
(Right Sorry, fixed!)

 

[Henrypika]

Katherine

I nodded to all of the things she said, blushing slightly at the comment of the possibility of becoming the leader of a Fireteam, but before I could get my say on that, she went to go change. When she came back, the bartender, as though right on cue, came back with Miller's drink and my giant mug of cocoa, disappointingly cold. I scowled at the bartender before taking out a few crystal-bolts (still hot and toasty) and placing them in a sort of grid pattern under the mug.

"Smierc ammunition can come in handy." I said, pleased with my little makeshift stove, already starting to leave scorch marks in the counter and the bottom of the mug from what I can tell. The smell of cocoa cut through the smell of smoke as it started steaming, which I breathed in regardless of the tobacco smoke. I waved to Daelen before taking a small sip from the towering mug.

"Yea, I understand. It's war after all... It's not like everyone will be all happy-happy for the whole duration. Even I blow up sometimes." I said, thumbing to the unconscious rapist that I downed earlier.

I was just about finished relaxing with the smell of the now hot cocoa when a gunshot rang out loud and clear in the deeper part of the lounge, tensing me back up again, followed by cheers, applause, and laughing. In the midst of all the spectators, I could see several people in armor sitting at a table, with one guy's chest blown in, blood splattering the walls and fragments of a holo-bolt littering the floor, as well as a smoking, equally gore-covered revolver. It doesn't take a genius to know what happened.

"Honestly, what's wrong with this place...? First, I walk in and a guy wants to fuck me, and the next thing you know, there's fucking Russian Roulette in the back of the lounge! What is this? The Wild West or something?"

I sigh, "Anyways, back on the field, you were going to tell me what you fought for. This war, I mean. I'd also like to hear your story. Like where you're from and how your life unfolded. Maybe even a bit of your family history." I said, smiling and winking. "I hear your family is quite famous."

 

[Perambulation]

Henrypika

(WOAH WOAH WOAH. NO RUSSIAN ROULETTE, the New Union is not that barbaric, please!)

 

[Henrypika]

Perambulation

(Can't we say they're just reeling drunk? Gotta make things interesting. Plus, I spent a whole night on details. Every bar has some sort of questionable activities.)

(I mean, not all, but some bars.)

 

[Kabboom]

(But still, that's a bit too much. Maybe the guy didn't shoot himself in the head. Maybe they were wearing their armor for this game, and they just shoot themselves in the chest or something. Just a suggestion.)

Henrypika

 

[Henrypika]

Perambulation Kabboom

(Somewhat fixed, but I'm keeping the original copy on my iPad.)

 

[Perambulation]

Henrypika

(I understand world-building and all that, but I'll just have the MP walk in and get the situation under control)

DM

Just as the gunshot rang in the NUSS Artemis III's pub, several MP (Military Police) members stormed in and caught the suspects. In order to keep the rogue soldiers in check, they brought out the stun-guns and stun-batons, incapacitating the assailants. One of the MP manages to call in some medics to check the victim's state. The medic confirmed that the soldier is alive, but will need to be quickly brought to a nearby medical bay to fully treat the gunshot in the chest.

Because of the fiasco, the MP forced the pub to close early and drove the patrons outside, setting up a perimeter for the MP to investigate.


Adrian

I almost jumped into a combat stance once I heard that sudden gunshot behind me. Seems like some dumb idiots from the New Union Marines thought that Russian Roulette was the best idea they could have had. Thanks to those bozos, the bar's closed for the day for the MP to investigate, and I walked out holding my bottle of sparkling water.

Worst luck ever, I say, as I drank the last of the water.

Just then, I noticed that the debrief is going to happen in a few minutes or so. I called out to any other Sabre Corps soldiers nearby.

"Sabre Corps! We have a debrief by the Captain in 5 minutes! Make your way to the situation room!"

 

[Kabboom]

Joachim

I continue sparring with Carlison. The kid learns quick. It's only been 10 minutes, and I'm confident, if anyone comes at him from the front, he can take 'em down before they could even say "I'm mugging you." Not that they would actually say that, they'd just- Anyway, I was just halfway punching his face in before I heard a shot rang out, with its echoes traveling far enough to reach me.

We both pause, giving puzzled looks to the empty hallway, then glancing at each other. "I think that came from the pub." Carlison said, beginning to take off his safety equipment. 'That's an oddly specific place,' I thought to myself, but considering the massive beatdown the New Union just received, and the intoxicating nature of booze, I wouldn't be surprised if some nutjob pulled a gun in his anger. And shot someone.

Someone. Someone. It could be Davo. Shut up, me. It's not Davo. Davo's smart, he knows how to do kung-fu shit. But it might be Davo. Guns overpower flashy martial arts bullshit. No, shut up. No, you shut up. No, you shut up. No, you--

My inner thoughts are quieted, as I took off my safety equipment with haste. I remove the safety covers on my face, revealing a scorch mark on the rim of my nose, along with some dried blood sticking to the nostrils. I felt a small sting, but I didn't pay much attention to it.

We both reach the pub fairly quickly, and see an impressive line of MPs blockading the entrance to the pub, forming a perimeter. I tried to look past the crowd, and... is that, like... blood on the wall? Something happen here?

Whatever it is, it bothered everyone in the pub. All the occupants have been forced out. I scan around for Davo, and to my relief, I spot him, taking disappointed sips out of his Vaccaran ale. Typical Dav. I could also spot Katherine, with... some brown thing still on her lips. I don't know what that is, and, judging by what happened in that pub, I don't want to know. My mind's making up all these far-fetched, ludicrous, perverted guesses, but I ignore them. Surprisingly easy to snuff out your thoughts, especially when you hear from another source other than your head.

"Sabre Corps! We have a debrief by the Captain in 5 minutes! Make your way to the situation room!" I heard a familiar voice say. My eyes look for the source, and there he was, Adrian Morrison, with a now empty bottle. He doesn't look like a drinking type, though.

"Well, you heard the man, Carli. Head there without me, I'll catch up." I said to him. He nodded, gave me a half-salute, and then walked off. Not before gesturing at my faded scorch marks on my face with a smug smile, though. Cheeky bastard. Doesn't he know that those things hurt?

 

[Henrypika]

Katherine

"Well gee, that sucks." I said, chugging down the cocoa, before taking my crystal 'stove' with me and walked out of the pub, as one of the MP lightly pushed me out into the hall. "I guess I'll see you in the situation room later?" I said on the local comms.

I had an itch to running all over the ship. 'Must be the cocoa.' I thought, walking farther down the hall and into the central area, where I wait outside a room with a placard reading, "Situation Room". Judging by how there are no doors for at least a good couple meters or so, it must be a big room.

 

[LoneSniper87]

I looked at Dav, nodding at him. "Tell Jao all is forgiven, but he owes me a Sergeant." I told him, but then grabbed him quickly. "Sorry to make you a messenger, but also tell him I'm sorry for lashing out at him. And if he ever gets stuck like that again tell him to shout for help." I joked, them patted Dav on the back so he could do as he wished.

"Right, What to start-" I flinched as shot rang out behind me, then turned to see some guys sitting in the back playing russian roulette with each other before MP stormed in and shut down our fun. I downed the shot glass and set it down on the table before leaving with Katherine. "Alright, story time now that we have time. First why I fight." I said, glancing around.

"A few reasons actually. One is so that others won't have to, pretty self explanatory. Two, I am sorta obligated... I'll explain later. And lastly..." I said, traliling off with a small grin. "Pick your posion, each rumor you've heard about me is as good as the turth." I said, tucking my gloves a bit tighter. We arrived by the Situation Room and sat against the wall. "Take a seat, this tale is gonna be a few minutes." I told her.

"First, I'm from Ocoria. Now on to the good stuff. I'm from a military family, tracing back as far as the Civil War in the 1860's, but the first notable Miller was Captain John Miller, 2nd Ranger Battalion. He was a World War 2 G.I., and he didn't make it. On through the generations of war heros, sacrifices, and Non-coms, and we get me." I told her, looking down. "I was... How do I say this... Not intended? That works I guess. Anyway my father was hoping for a boy, obviously, military family and all. You may have heard of him, Gunnery Sergeant Adam Miller, perhaps not. But I still wanted to pick up on the tradition, and he gladly took me under his wing. At 18, like most of us, I was enlisted with Sabre Corps, and thus my journet here began."

I said, looking up to the ceiling for a moment. Man, regaling your life story sucks sometimes. "I was originally to be a Field Op, combat medic specifically, but my use of a rifle was near unmatched in my class, so a Recon Op I became. A few years later, a few battles later, I became a Captain, which I named Omaha, after the beach where those who had everything there way still lost. It's not just a name, it's inspiration, a rally or a war cry. But you don't wanna hear this, anything else? Of you wanna give me 3 minutes of a life story before debreifing?" I ask.

 

[Henrypika]

Katherine

"I mean, why shouldn't I share at least some of my story?"

Carefully taking a seat, I take a small box-like device, silver, with red buttons on the corners out of my pocket. On the bottom, a small blue rectangular cartridge was already inserted into it, though the label had fallen off. I stared at it for a few brief moments before saying, "This is where it all started...

"I was born in a treehouse. A few months after I was born, both of my parents and my brother disappeared. I don't know whether my parents are still alive or they've been killed, torn apart, and eaten, but I did manage to find my brother, which I'll explain later on. Fearing the worst, I retreated into the mountainside, fighting all the way.

"I trained with a newfound friend, teaching me how to defend myself, how to strike back, how to use my powers without harming myself or my allies. I eventually married him, and had a kid. I found my brother later on, wandering the same mountainside, which didn't turn out the way I had expected.

"I eventually joined his little team of 19 at the time, as a sister and as a comrade, as we lived all together in a different treehouse on the outskirts of a coastal city. We came up to being great tacticians, and ever increasing our force against enemies of peace. Later, we would travel all across the universes, multiverses even, discovering technology to help our world become a better place.

"And it all comes back around here..." I stared on for a few moments more at the device, memories flashing away before my very eyes, before putting it away, back in my pockets.

---

"Anyways, what do you want to do later after the debriefing? We could do some training, which I'm going to have to find ankle weights for," then I remembered my burnt out gun, "or maybe some gun modifications and maintenance. I have some spare Smierc weaponry we can take apart for parts." Like... At least 5 of each weapon types. "I'm going to have to modify my gun to accept crystal-bolts as well as holo-bolts cause otherwise, I'm going to run out of ammo in a longer op. Maybe like a... a new receiver?"

 

[LoneSniper87]

"More of an adjustable reciever, perhaps a button located on the stock or by the bolt could adjust the size of the reciever to accept different rounds." I offered, not much of a gun nut, but it was a thought. "And some modifications would probably do me some good... And perhaps you can help me with a project of mine." I added, glancing at her. "I'll inform you on it after debrief, but I think you wouldn't working with some real history." I hinted at, grinning as I looked down to where my handgun holster normally is, imagining the old heirloom of my M1911 sitting in place of my AX. "Man you are so easy to talk with, I can't believe people don't get along well with you." I said, finding it somewhat shocking that people don't like her. Then again she is technically an alien, but i'm not a stickler for details.

 

[Perambulation]

(I'll be starting the debrief soon, so I need everyone to move their characters inside the situation room)

 

[Henrypika]

Katherine

"Imagine that... An LMG belt feeding a damn sniper rifle!" I took my rifle from off my back, setting it on the giant conference room table in front of us, "I honestly have no idea how to take this apart," taking off the blackened compensator, the magazine, and the grip off just to get started.

"I think," pulling back the bolt all the way, "I think I can just yank this out? The scope is fused with the upper, but I want to swap this scope out for the other one I found on that Zmija I found earlier. I also want to keep the bolt-action workings that come with this receiver though. The barrel itself is fucked, needs a replacement, cause those bolts I fired earlier literally melted the insides, but I'm not going to use the Zmija's cause the Type-AB's is longer and therefore, gives it a little more range."

Realizing something, I set the partly disassembled rifle on the table, before settling my eyes on Miller, saying, "You think they don't like me because they think... I'm part of the Smierc? Disloyal to the New Union?" I mean, anyone could see why. I'm not (entirely) human. I'm not Silentian. I'm just an outsider.

 

[LoneSniper87]

"You could yank the bolt out, but you'd screw up the reciever and total the entire firing mechanism." I told her. "But a belt fed sniper would be a sight, alright. "And a... Just a thought... Never tried this and it may not work. But maybe try coating the barrel with a layer of nirogen to keep it from melting, it would just evaporate the nitrogen first. Or shatter the barrel. Never actually tried, like I said." I told her, watching her disassemble her rifle, and to be honest, she was better at it than I wise.

"Well, it is highly possible that they don't like you for that reason. But they could also be jealous of your skill in the field, hell I kinda admire your versatility in battle." I admitted with a shrug. "But today you proved your loyalty, I feel I can put my trust in you, considering I'm not in the infirmary for multiple burns all over my body." I joked. "But anyway, you'll help me, right? If you would I couldn't thank you enough." I told her.

 

[Kabboom]

Joachim

I walk myself to the situation room, with Carlison in tow. I leave Davo to himself, because I know he'll show up in the nick of time, like he always does. I'd hate to admit it, but he deserves some credit for all he's done with me. Same goes for everyone who was in the unfortunate Yabrao op. Morrison, for going against the odds and doing his best, even though his wack team was talking shit about him the entire time. Katherine, despite being prejudiced against by most of the Sabre Corps, and as a whole, the New Union, still performed inhumanly well, especially in tandem with Miller, the most creative New Union soldier I'd seen so far, with how she took down that CDS. Well, she's the most creative New Union soldier I'd seen alive, because there was that one guy who killed a Mortus trooper with another Mortus trooper's severed Arm Blade, propelled by some sticky explosives. He died of the explosion, the idiot, but, good effort.

As my footsteps echoed through the hallways, my mind theorizes of what this briefing might bring. Maybe it'll be a break, something the Sabre Corps of this ship desperately need, probably on some wacky goose chase on a New Union planet. We never find anything on those missions, so I might opt out and go on a guaranteed contact op. Or, if the New Union command is still as disconnected from the frontline troops' conditions and morale as I remember them to be, it'll be an even more dangerous mission.

My mind starts thinking up ludicrously impossible tasks, even humorously impossible. 'Kill King Smierc with an unsharpened toothbrush', or 'Take back Vaccaro with 3 blokes and a water bottle. Orbital insertion dropships not allowed.' Something like that. They continued, even after I had entered the situation room, earning a few weird looks due to the still fresh scorch marks on my face. Damn, Carlison punches harder than I thought. Then again, I punched him into a bloody pulp and had to give him five minutes of wash-up in the middle of the fight, so that evens out.

I take a seat adjacent to Miller and Katherine, the latter having decided to disassemble her weapon, and both of them talking about replacing the receiver size or something. They're figuring out a way to make the gun accept both crystal-bolts and holo-bolts. Well, I don't know jack about crystal-bolts, seeing as I have a holo-bolt main weapon, but Davo definitely has an idea.

"Hey, uhh, I don't know much about rifles, but I think my friend Dav might have an idea on helping your gun accept crystal-bolts. I don't know much about sniper rifles, either, but I think you could ask the R&D guys to saw that fixed scope off and attach a Zmija scope on it, and maybe you could..." I pause, looking for the right words. Sadly, I don't remember that technical term. "...poke some more holes throughout the barrel, help it vent stuff, something like that. Just my opinion."

 

[Trappy]

Daelen

I stood up and made my way to the situation room. I stumbled through the hallways and I noticed how some troopers gave me a strange look as they walked past me. Crap, Vaccaran ale does give a rather unpleasant odour. I must've smelled like gasoline, but I didn't have time for a bath. I stopped at a bathroom on the way and washed myself, it was the best I could do, but I doubt it fully got rid of the smell.

I arrived at the situation room after almost everyone was there. I spotted my friend, Joachim. It appeared he was talking to Kath, something about weapons, I supposed, as the lady disassembled her rifle and presented various weapon parts, including some of Smierc origin. I would love to tweak with those. Maybe I could somehow use them to enhance the effectiveness some my explosives, or improve my MG. I could even come up with something like a last resort, a crystal-bolt single-shot attached to my gauntlets. Or better, an explosive bolt? The more I came up with ideas, the more I wanted to touch those weapon parts. I sat down on an empty chair in front of Kath and Miller. Some lads next to me gave me looks. Hell, I couldn't really do anything about the smell, so I just shrugged. As I was looking at the Smierc weapon parts, I heard my friend saying something.

"...Maybe you could...poke some more holes throughout the barrel, help it vent stuff, something like that. Just my opinion."

"I think you're talking about a recoil compensator." -I spoke up, then I turned to Kath.

"The Zmija's receiver comes with an oscillating mechanism that we haven't had much experience with yet, and I don't think there's anyone who knows how to replicate one, let alone creating a receiver that accepts holo-bolts and crystal-bolts." -I glanced at her Type-AB rifle. - "Crystal bolts won't work with your receiver, obviously, they will fry the thing. Gunsmiths in the markets take parts off these weapons, but even they have only come as far as creating a replica of the Smierc's crystal bolts, the ones I'm using for my Dzida here. I heard these work fine with our weapons, but I never tried myself." -I said, showing her the yellow-coloured bolts neatly fitted in a box magazine.- "I don't know. But... I don't think you can make the receiver accepts both holo-bolts and crystal bolts."

 

[Henrypika]

Katherine

I didn't know gun modifications were a hot topic around here. "Well Daelen, it's well worth a shot to try to find some similarities to the two receivers." Holding the Zmija's in one hand and the now properly dismantled Type-AB's in the other. I'm so glad I took some classes with my brother before this.

"Maybe we can attach a heat-resistant Type-AB barrel to a Zmija upper with its fixed 15x scope and a Type-AB lower with its bolt-action or use a Zmija lower with its crystal-bolt compatibility and then modify that to accept holo-bolts. I can always stop using bolt-action rifles for a while, but I might jam semi-auto rifles with my trigger-finger."

I set down the parts before taking the warped Type-AB barrel in my left hand, "On the matter of using nitrogen, thermal shock would crack the barrel to pieces if it was extremely cold to begin with, especially if I were to use those rounds that burnt the barrel to begin with, or even if I were to touch it, that whole thing could shatter right there."

"Some people can confuse me with a Smierc Hunter, with all the great eyesight and great hearing and what not, though I'm sure most Smierc operators can't operate bolt action for shit. In the end, it all just comes back down to practice, and your attention to sensory details." I said, blushing a little from Miller's compliment on my 'versatility'. "Fire is nothing to mess around with. In fact, I need more practice so I have more control over it, use less energy for it, and can practice on some more skills.

"Namely, mental and bodily control of enemies and small-time telepathy with allies, 'shifting' to a full-on animal form instead of just what you're looking at now, otherwise known as 'going furry', or 'grid-warping' my guns into my hands from a distance which my brother used to do all the time. All that comes later on though. After the debriefing, we're going to check out some of that real history of yours, Miller. I smell a challenge."

That wasn't all I smelled though. In fact, I smelled something... strange... I could smell someone, but it didn't have any familiar scent signature, and no, not of ale or gasoline, cause I know that's coming from Daelen. My hand falls on my Type-BM, in preparation for a fight. Did a Mortus Trooper sneak aboard one of the dropships? Maybe perhaps it's the one who planted the virus. Maybe it's a spy trying to pick up Intel for our next operation.

 

[LoneSniper87]

"Well if you are spam-firing a semi-auto not only would you jam the damn thing but you loose all your accuracy if you fire that fast, so stick to bolt." I said, leaning forward a bit onto the table. "And a challenge it may turn out to be..." I added. "But another option is carry two rifles, one for each." I joked, a grin on my face. "But seriously, the problem with poking holes along the barrel as you put it, it could compromise the entire barrel, leaving it not only melted but possibly in melted pieces." I said.

"But after this, maybe like..." I checked my watch. "An hour from now, wanna hit the range, or maybe spar. Just some friendly competition, lighten the mood." Then something hit me. And it wasn't Daelen's ale smell, I'm used to the smell of alcohol. It was something different, something unfamiliar. I saw Katherine reach for her sidearm and got nervous. We just got out of a Smierc infested hellhole, and now there could be one on the ship? My hand rested on my own handgun, and I carefully watched the door for anything to come busting through.

 

[Perambulation]

(sorry for the long wait guys. seems like everybody resorted to firearms modification to pass the time)

DM

Just then, the Captain walked into the situation room and the other Sabre Corps soldiers immediately snapped a salute, including Fireteam Nexus' Coporal Morrison. The Captain returns the salutes and motions for the soldiers to settle down. He activates the holo display to showcase the earlier battle from an overhead view, and expanded the view so that all could see.

"As you may know, having lived through that carnage, today's operation did not go off a smooth start. An unknown computer virus type managed to infiltrate our sophisticated military software defenses without triggering any alarms, causing our Recovery Fleet, Winchester, to start attacking itself in the midst of the invasion."

The holo display now showcases the aftermath of the initial carnage, with debris and surviving ships adrift among each other. A curious build up of a green energy wave is highlighted.

"Yes, today was a demoralizing defeat for the New Union in this Cruento War. However, there is something even more disturbing that occurred today. I'll direct your attention to the sudden appearance of a green energy wave from one of the more heavily guarded orbital defense stations."

In the holo display, the area highlighted by the Captain zoomed in to show the devastating energy wave.

"This is a Smierc Collective weapon of mass destruction unlike any we've encountered so far. All possible WMDs of before could be endured with our New Union naval shields, but this attack completely negates our defensive advantage. We can't let the Smierc Collective develop this weapon further and prepare it for mass deployment. Sabre Corps, expect a mission to investigate further regarding this potentially destabilizing weapon. Dismissed."

With that short debrief, the Captain, Captain Nuremberg, walked out of the situation room. Of course, many soldiers were a bit annoyed at the brevity of the debrief and the Captain's nonchalance at the human cost of the failed invasion...