Realistic or Modern The Blight [A Soldier of the Wasteland]

[Yang Xiao Long]

The Blight [A Soldier of the Wasteland]

• Introduction
• Quest

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  Welcome to The Blight [A Soldier of the Wasteland]! This quest will follow a serviceman of the US Military in the aftermath of a catastrophic virus that managed to wiped out 90% of the world’s population. I decided to run this quest not to just expand my writing skills, but to flesh out the world of an RP I am running in the futuristic section of the site! This quest will be on going and possibly will have an effect on the happenings of the main roleplay.
  
  
  The main character of this roleplay will be Corporal Rauss Kaufman, an engineer in the National Security Force (NSF). An organization created by the remnants of the US Government in order to reunify and protect what was left of the United States in the aftermath of a worldwide disaster. Cpl. Kaufman currently leads Fire Team Charlie in an unnamed platoon within the NSF, and what happens to him is in your hands, the reader!
  
  
  Information on the Setting
  
  The Blight [Information]
  
  
  Interest Check for the main RP
  
  The Blight [Interest Check]
  
  
  
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  The truck vibrated and rocked as it made its way down the rough bumpy road. You could feel it in your bones, every crack, every pothole, every result of the decades of disrepair brought on by that terrible disease the one that brought the fall of civilization. Or at least perhaps, most civilization… It might be a bit different but you still proudly call yourself a serviceman of the good ol’ U.S of A. A member of the national security force you bravely helped defend the country against the mutants and bandits that now plagued it. Though of course you often find yourself taking opportune moments such as these to get some tactical shuteye. It wasn’t comfortable, but three years in the security force taught you how to get some sleep anywhere even if it was in the back of a covered truck on a bumpy road headed to god knows where, which would probably be infested with Reavers when you got there, which it would inevitably fall to your platoon and your sorry ass in particular to exterminate; oh joy. There were days you wished you never enlisted, stayed back in the settlement and went to work in the factories. After all that was just as important to the effort of retaking what was left of the united states, even if it was boring. But no that wasn’t for you, you wanted to get out and see the world, be part of the force, the bearer of the torch of civilization… What a load of crap. If you knew just how much the recruitment officer had been lying to your face you would of gone to work in the factories. You had lost quite a good few friends to the Force and you were bound to lose more, possibly before the day was out. Someone jabbed you in the side with what felt like the buttstock of a rifle.
  
  
  “Kaufman! Wake up, we’re getting close!”
  
  
  “I’m up, I’m up!” You would utter shifting yourself upright in the back of the truck. Just happens that your luck would be to pile in beside the platoon sergeant. Though it really wasn’t surprising, after all being a corporal had all the wonderful benefits of being a sergeant and a private at the same time. Responsible for a fireteam, while at the same time being the sergeant’s personal whipping post.
  
  
  “Bravo get your asses up!” You were the first one to shout at your team to get awake. Hopefully that would curry some favor with the sergeant. You heard your fellow corporals shouting at their own teams. Within about a minute every man who was slumbering in the back of the truck was checking their gear, making sure magazines were where they left them, strapping on helmets, tightening tactical gear, ensuring they had everything they needed from their packs shifted to their gear. Your muscles were aching from the hours on the road, if only your mission had been given priority for a war bird. But why would a simple scouting mission call for such an expensive use of government resources?
  
  
  “Alright listen up, boys! The brass has asked us kindly to conduct initial scouting of a facility on the edge of Federally controlled territory! Before the blight this facility was a weapons manufacturing plant, command hopes that we’ll be able to reclaim the plant and return it to working order! Our task is to enter the facility, clear it of any threats, and evaluate the state of the machinery!”
  
  As the sergeant briefed the platoon you went over your own gear. First things first was shifting the weight of your vest around to make sure it was tight and wouldn't move around in combat, next was the configuration of the vest it’s self, making sure the spare batteries for your primary weapon were exactly where you left them; those batteries were still weird to you a student of the old school who grew up shooting your old man’s rifle. They were similar yet different to a magazine those batteries that your pulse rifle used, heavier and solid yet smoother, circuit connectors where the top rund should of been. Next was your knife; you quickly drew it from the sheath near your shoulder and ran it along the bracer on your left arm, testing it’s sharpness. Those were ‘gifts’ from your CQC instructor, you were one of the few men in the platoon rated for close combat. Most of your brothers in arms had a simple bayonet, but your certification entitled you to a steel bracer and a kukri knife. These had come in surprisingly handy on more than one occasion. Following your knife on the list of things to check was your helmet and it’s inbuilt heads up display. It fitted tight, but not so much so as to squeeze your head, pressing a button on the side of it the visor lit up with various information primarily radio channels, weapon charge, and IFF markers, as well as a real time gps map. Next you pulled your side arm from your holster, a MP23 Machine pistol. Detecting that it was now in your hand the HUD of your helmet switched the battery bar displaying the charge of your rifle to a magazine icon showing that the automatic pistol was empty. You made sure the crosshair indicator in your helmet was tracking with your pistol and then loaded a magazine. Finally you made your way to checking your primary weapon the EM-56 Pulse ‘Rifle’, you still weren’t sure how you felt about it, it was notorious for being a finicky piece and you had put in enough time maintaining it to justify its reputation. You slid in a battery and watched as it came to life, the battery indicator in your helmet switching from a batter with a red cross to a fully charged green indicator. The fact that you had to insert a battery to check if the targeting indicator was tracking was something that made you slightly uncomfortable, there had been enough accidents in basic training to justify that concern.
  
  
  “When we get to the facility each fireteam will fulfill their objectives. Kaufman, Ramirez, Jackson, Ford! You do remember your fireteams’ tasking right?”
  
  
  [1]”Charlie will assist Delta in securing the perimeter of the facility, meanwhile Alpha and Bravo will enter the facility!”
  
  [2]”Fire Team Charlie and Delta will enter the facility while Alpha and Bravo secure the perimeter!”
  
  
  

 

[TheFlyingWriter]

2 !!

 

[ViciousVip3R]

2 !!

I agree!

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

The Blight [A Soldier of the Wasteland]

”Fire Team Charlie and Delta will enter the facility while Alpha and Bravo secure the perimeter!” You responded to the ornery platoon sergeant briskly and from the diaphragm ensuring that every man in your fireteam heard your booming voice.


“Well at least someone's paying attention! Kauffman, Your team will be on point right behind the Suit! You did bring your access kit right?!” Your sergeant questioned you with an intense stare. He was an intimidating man standing at roughly 6’2”. Equipped with piercing brown eyes that seemed to be able to stare into the soul of any private who dared to get in his way. His uniform was somehow always seemingly immaculate along with his hair which was always in a uniform buzz cut save for the three long scars where his silvering hair wouldn't grow raking the left side of his face.


“Yes, Sergeant!”


“Good! There’s bound to be some doors that’ll get in our way! And I don't feel like dropping a building on my head because someone was stupid enough to try forcing a door with the Suit!”


Your comms crackled in your ear, that crackle was a mystery. To think no matter how far communications technology has advanced it’s always been there. That telltale hiss pop of an incoming message that usually brought with it information either good or bad. “Last call, we’ll be on target in three mikes.” Came the crackle of the Transport’s driver.


“Acknowledged! Sergeant Garrison, are the men squared away?” Your Captain’s voice inquired over the radio. He wasn't in the truck with your men. No he was a vehicle behind you in his Hardsuit; A mechanized exoskeleton equipped with the most powerful ‘infantry’ weapons available to the NSF, it was essentially a walking tank in the shape of a man, standing about three or four times the height of your average person. It was a privilege reserved for officers, which in turn meant the privilege of riding in their own vehicle strapped down on the bed that made up the rear of the NSF’s standard light reconnaissance vehicle, the harasser.


“Yes, Sir!”


The truck slid to a stop and your sergeant spoke up in his usual loud commanding tone. “We’re here! Let’s move!”


WIthout acknowledgment your entire platoon piled out of the transport truck, you snaked out of the back rounding left, your primary weapon held up, your watchful eyes already scanning the area for any threats. You heard booted feet crunch on the ground behind you. Your fireteam falling into line along the side of the six wheeled truck, almost like a pre-blight swat team about to breach a door. You felt the squeeze on your shoulder indicating that your entire team had formed up on you. Your comms crackled with the familiar voice of your Captain.


“Kauffman, Sergeant Garrison will be gracing the perimeter squad with his presence. I want you incharge of the insertion team.”


“Roge that! Won’t you be accompanying us, Sir?”


“Affirmative, but I want to see how you handle command.’


“Yes, Sir!”





You could heard the thunderous stomps of the Captain’s Hardsuit as he made his way around your squad. Giving your men a good distance as to not crush them by accident under the weight of the massive Suit. You felt your arm as if almost by reflex reaching out at a ninety degree angle. With a chopping motion you brought your hand down signaling the men behind you to surge forward, wordlessly. Your squad formed an echelon fanning out to the right of the captain as you moved along the side dilapidated road towards the weapons manufacturing plant. It would of been a nightmarish scene if you hadn’t grown up only knowing the dead and mutated foliage of this horrific world. But you hadn’t, and this was your normal. You silently acknowledged as Corporal Ramirez’s Delta team took up a similar formation to the left of your fireteam causing your combined teams to form a vee formation with the hardsuit at the tip of the spear. Despite how hard your platoon might of been trying to be silent, they weren’t. After all that would of been too much to expect of general infantry. In your head you counted down the distance to the fence and to the nearest building in your head taking note of both of those distances as they would probably be the most likely places a contact would appear from.


Fifty meters.


Forty meters.


Thirty meters.


Twenty meters.


Ten.


You raised your hand in a halt motion as your men arrived at the ruined chain link gate that looked to be the main road entrance into the facility; it was wide open the gate itself laying on the ground near by, probably left that way by scavengers looking for a quick payday. Taking a knee you observed your surroundings, taking mental notes of everything. From where you were you could make out several buildings that made up the factory, most of them were probably warehouses. Those didn’t really matter, what you were after was the assembly plants themselves. Between your men and the factory was a lot of open ground, filled with ruined delivery trucks bearing faded logos and broken windows probably abandoned in the early days of the blight and then picked over by scavengers in the aftermath. A Lot of places for Reavers to hide and attack your unsuspecting men. Meanwhile you could see the silhouettes of Alpha and Bravo already working their way around the fence that surrounded the facility, so far there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with their progress. Taking a moment waiting for the captain’s word to move forward you remembered how he had put you in charge of this operation.


Alright how should we approach this?


[1] The places seems to be abandoned, probably can just move forward.

[2] Some of those trucks look like they’d make a good path, Collins is pretty nimble. He could probably use them to get onto the roof with his sniper rifle.

[3] Might be best to radio into Alpha and Bravo. See if they can see anything from their positions that we can’t.

[4] It’s old fashioned but we do have those parachute flares, might draw out any Reavers.

 

[ViciousVip3R]

4. It's used because it works.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

4. It's used because it works.

Heeyo, Vic, it looks like I'll be joining you guys after Yang's next update. I still have a lot to read first before I know what's going on but you've got my interest. I'll be keeping an eye on this quest log.

 

[ViciousVip3R]

Heeyo, Vic, it looks like I'll be joining you guys after Yang's next update. I still have a lot to read first before I know what's going on but you've got my interest. I'll be keeping an eye on this quest log.

Hey WW, sounds good!

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

Heeyo, Vic, it looks like I'll be joining you guys after Yang's next update. I still have a lot to read first before I know what's going on but you've got my interest. I'll be keeping an eye on this quest log.

There is also a full RP that will be starting this weekend if I can chill out after this site update.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Hey WW, sounds good!

Just finished reading the information sheet written by Yang, now I know what exactly is going on in this world.

There is also a full RP that will be starting this weekend if I can chill out after this site update.

Mmm, that's nice but I don't know if I'll join. Sure, I can write up some responses in a quest log, but I'm not ready to be fully committed to a regular roleplay. I'll be busy with school since my schedule is clogged, and since I'm a human being I want some private time to do my own stuff. Plus, I'm not confident in my writing, won't know if I'll just plain suck at it again or manage to write something good.

 

[official clown business]

We could use a flare and potentially get things started immediately. But that's not necessarily a great option for us.

Ignoring the option that instantly makes everyone question our abilities in a commanding role, we could send Collins out and watch carefully as he moves into a more advantageous position. We can also play it super safe and ask Alpha and Bravo what they see... but if they see something we don't then we shouldn't have to fucking radio them first to find out.

I think it might be best to go with 2, there may be a level of risk involved but we definitely want Collins on the roof, which will be a position of high advantage when paired with a sniper rifle.

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

We could use a flare and potentially get things started immediately. But that's not necessarily a great option for us.

Ignoring the option that instantly makes everyone question our abilities in a commanding role, we could send Collins out and watch carefully as he moves into a more advantageous position. We can also play it super safe and ask Alpha and Bravo what they see... but if they see something we don't then we shouldn't have to fucking radio them first to find out.

I think it might be best to go with 2, there may be a level of risk involved but we definitely want Collins on the roof, which will be a position of high advantage when paired with a sniper rifle.

It's great to see someone getting invested in this and discussing the various options in depth! I'm surprised that this got such great attention! As a response to your options from my standpoint I generally agree with your assessment of the situation though I do want to address the second point you made about Alpha and Bravo. In this situation they are focused on their objective which is ensuring the perimeter is safe, Reavers are pretty standard in this world so unless they were doing something really unusual. The other teams wouldn't even think about radioing in anything.

Heeyo, Vic, it looks like I'll be joining you guys after Yang's next update. I still have a lot to read first before I know what's going on but you've got my interest. I'll be keeping an eye on this quest log.

Feel free to tell me what you think would be best. I think I'll be updating this either weekly or twice a week, when I sit down to write up the update I take into account who ever has posted until then.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

The Blight [A Soldier of the Wasteland]

”Fire Team Charlie and Delta will enter the facility while Alpha and Bravo secure the perimeter!” You responded to the ornery platoon sergeant briskly and from the diaphragm ensuring that every man in your fireteam heard your booming voice.


“Well at least someone's paying attention! Kauffman, Your team will be on point right behind the Suit! You did bring your access kit right?!” Your sergeant questioned you with an intense stare. He was an intimidating man standing at roughly 6’2”. Equipped with piercing brown eyes that seemed to be able to stare into the soul of any private who dared to get in his way. His uniform was somehow always seemingly immaculate along with his hair which was always in a uniform buzz cut save for the three long scars where his silvering hair wouldn't grow raking the left side of his face.


“Yes, Sergeant!”


“Good! There’s bound to be some doors that’ll get in our way! And I don't feel like dropping a building on my head because someone was stupid enough to try forcing a door with the Suit!”


Your comms crackled in your ear, that crackle was a mystery. To think no matter how far communications technology has advanced it’s always been there. That telltale hiss pop of an incoming message that usually brought with it information either good or bad. “Last call, we’ll be on target in three mikes.” Came the crackle of the Transport’s driver.


“Acknowledged! Sergeant Garrison, are the men squared away?” Your Captain’s voice inquired over the radio. He wasn't in the truck with your men. No he was a vehicle behind you in his Hardsuit; A mechanized exoskeleton equipped with the most powerful ‘infantry’ weapons available to the NSF, it was essentially a walking tank in the shape of a man, standing about three or four times the height of your average person. It was a privilege reserved for officers, which in turn meant the privilege of riding in their own vehicle strapped down on the bed that made up the rear of the NSF’s standard light reconnaissance vehicle, the harasser.


“Yes, Sir!”


The truck slid to a stop and your sergeant spoke up in his usual loud commanding tone. “We’re here! Let’s move!”


WIthout acknowledgment your entire platoon piled out of the transport truck, you snaked out of the back rounding left, your primary weapon held up, your watchful eyes already scanning the area for any threats. You heard booted feet crunch on the ground behind you. Your fireteam falling into line along the side of the six wheeled truck, almost like a pre-blight swat team about to breach a door. You felt the squeeze on your shoulder indicating that your entire team had formed up on you. Your comms crackled with the familiar voice of your Captain.


“Kauffman, Sergeant Garrison will be gracing the perimeter squad with his presence. I want you incharge of the insertion team.”


“Roge that! Won’t you be accompanying us, Sir?”


“Affirmative, but I want to see how you handle command.’


“Yes, Sir!”





You could heard the thunderous stomps of the Captain’s Hardsuit as he made his way around your squad. Giving your men a good distance as to not crush them by accident under the weight of the massive Suit. You felt your arm as if almost by reflex reaching out at a ninety degree angle. With a chopping motion you brought your hand down signaling the men behind you to surge forward, wordlessly. Your squad formed an echelon fanning out to the right of the captain as you moved along the side dilapidated road towards the weapons manufacturing plant. It would of been a nightmarish scene if you hadn’t grown up only knowing the dead and mutated foliage of this horrific world. But you hadn’t, and this was your normal. You silently acknowledged as Corporal Ramirez’s Delta team took up a similar formation to the left of your fireteam causing your combined teams to form a vee formation with the hardsuit at the tip of the spear. Despite how hard your platoon might of been trying to be silent, they weren’t. After all that would of been too much to expect of general infantry. In your head you counted down the distance to the fence and to the nearest building in your head taking note of both of those distances as they would probably be the most likely places a contact would appear from.


Fifty meters.


Forty meters.


Thirty meters.


Twenty meters.


Ten.


You raised your hand in a halt motion as your men arrived at the ruined chain link gate that looked to be the main road entrance into the facility; it was wide open the gate itself laying on the ground near by, probably left that way by scavengers looking for a quick payday. Taking a knee you observed your surroundings, taking mental notes of everything. From where you were you could make out several buildings that made up the factory, most of them were probably warehouses. Those didn’t really matter, what you were after was the assembly plants themselves. Between your men and the factory was a lot of open ground, filled with ruined delivery trucks bearing faded logos and broken windows probably abandoned in the early days of the blight and then picked over by scavengers in the aftermath. A Lot of places for Reavers to hide and attack your unsuspecting men. Meanwhile you could see the silhouettes of Alpha and Bravo already working their way around the fence that surrounded the facility, so far there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with their progress. Taking a moment waiting for the captain’s word to move forward you remembered how he had put you in charge of this operation.


Alright how should we approach this?


[1] The places seems to be abandoned, probably can just move forward.

[2] Some of those trucks look like they’d make a good path, Collins is pretty nimble. He could probably use them to get onto the roof with his sniper rifle.

[3] Might be best to radio into Alpha and Bravo. See if they can see anything from their positions that we can’t.

[4] It’s old fashioned but we do have those parachute flares, might draw out any Reavers.

(OLD OPTION) While I prefer to pick 3 if possible, I ultimately decided to go with 2.

Calling in Alpha and Bravo and checking if they find anything suspicious isn't a bad move. If they get attacked by the Reavers, you'll only received limited support from them when you get ambushed. You have to check in with your teams every once in a while to make sure nobody does anything stupid. But let's say they can take care of themselves and fireteam leaders are competent enough to report any suspicious activity to you, so you won't have to call them in the first place. Let them handle it.

Option 4 is too risky, all you'll ever do is attract the attention of the Reavers and get you and your entire team killed. The Reavers aren't stupid, they'll find a way to cut you off, and slowly murder you one by one. And the thought of that happening is pretty terrifying, even if the Captain is wearing a hardsuit and you're all heavily armed I just don't want to take my chances with the parachute flares. You'll alert the Reavers anyway when the first shots are fired in combat, so this option is unnecessary in my opinion.

Option 1 just gives the initiative to the enemy, wherever they are hiding. You're in hostile territory, surrounded by killer mushroom people, don't allow yourself to think you're safe for one moment. Stay vigilant or you'll regret it.

Personally, I'm worried about taking Option 2, Collins just might be able to make it to high ground but since nobody has got his back he'll be vulnerable to a surprise attack. And even if he does get there and doesn't get killed, what if there are too many Reavers attacking the platoon and they're forced to retreat? We'll have trouble picking Collins up and he might get left behind. Still, you've got to take some measure of risk to secure as many advantages as you can get. Option 2 is worth trying out.

 

[ViciousVip3R]

Hmm, in light of all the reasoning you guys have given for your choices, I also feel the need to clarify the rationale behind my choice, which will hopefully win you guys over.

First of all, choice 1 is completely out of the question. We are already aware of the threat of Reavers, so going out into the open without even a cursory check is akin to walking into a death trap. Your men will be in the open, with no cover, whereas the Reavers will be entrenched in locations where they can easily pick us off. Not only does this choice show complete carelessness, it is a blatant disregard for the safety of the men under our command and as such should be immediately eliminated as an option.

Choice 2 seems valid at first glance but in addition to the concerns already raised by WW, this leaves Collins completely isolated and therefore vulnerable to attack. If the Reavers are indeed here, it would be logical for them to have already scouted the lay of the land, and therefore hold a tactical advantage. If the roof is indeed so advantageous, the Reavers would be there already, and if by some miracle or oversight they are not, they should be more than capable of taking him out since his sniper rifle is not suited to CQC and they are familiar with the location. Lastly, the passage states that there are no visible Reavers, so I don't see the logic in taking the risk to expose Collins when there is nothing to shoot at until we engage them, where the concern of leaving Collins alone arises again. All in all, I think sticking together is most important in this situation with an unfamiliar environment, if anything, it will give us strength in numbers.

Choice 3 was actually a close second for me, but it came down to the order in which I think we should approach this. While radioing will give our location away to potential ambushers, we could use a different perspective and extra firepower if it does come down to a firefight.

This leaves only Choice 4, which is the option deemed "old-fashioned". What this term suggests to me is that this is standard procedure for a situation like this, which means it is combat proven and has been heavily analyzed by the brains higher up in order to ensure it viability. Throwing the flares also gives us two important tactical advantages:
1. It lights up the area, allowing us to take a better look. And, in the case of a firefight, it will illuminate our targets, while leaving us in the shadows where we can pick them off, one by one.
2. It will draw the attention of any Reavers in the area away from us and to the location of the flare, which should produce telltale movement or even gunfire if they lack the proper trigger discipline, allowing us to identify the threat and eliminate it with extreme prejudice. (We have to keep in mind they are not consummate professionals like us) If anything, this should also draw the attention of the other fire teams, who will be able to provide supporting fire while encircling and trapping the threat(s), should the need arise.

While this is certainly the most boring and also safest option, being through will minimize the chance that we lose somebody under our command. Since this is also our first combat command, we should strive to demonstrate to the captain that we are cool and level headed in combat situations, and willing to stick to protocol.

 

[official clown business]

Alright, ViciousVip3R so that's what you meant by using the flares huh?

Sure, then. I'm willing to change my option to yours and break the tie, assuming the option hasn't been randomly selected already.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Hmm, in light of all the reasoning you guys have given for your choices, I also feel the need to clarify the rationale behind my choice, which will hopefully win you guys over.

First of all, choice 1 is completely out of the question. We are already aware of the threat of Reavers, so going out into the open without even a cursory check is akin to walking into a death trap. Your men will be in the open, with no cover, whereas the Reavers will be entrenched in locations where they can easily pick us off. Not only does this choice show complete carelessness, it is a blatant disregard for the safety of the men under our command and as such should be immediately eliminated as an option.

Choice 2 seems valid at first glance but in addition to the concerns already raised by WW, this leaves Collins completely isolated and therefore vulnerable to attack. If the Reavers are indeed here, it would be logical for them to have already scouted the lay of the land, and therefore hold a tactical advantage. If the roof is indeed so advantageous, the Reavers would be there already, and if by some miracle or oversight they are not, they should be more than capable of taking him out since his sniper rifle is not suited to CQC and they are familiar with the location. Lastly, the passage states that there are no visible Reavers, so I don't see the logic in taking the risk to expose Collins when there is nothing to shoot at until we engage them, where the concern of leaving Collins alone arises again. All in all, I think sticking together is most important in this situation with an unfamiliar environment, if anything, it will give us strength in numbers.

Choice 3 was actually a close second for me, but it came down to the order in which I think we should approach this. While radioing will give our location away to potential ambushers, we could use a different perspective and extra firepower if it does come down to a firefight.

This leaves only Choice 4, which is the option deemed "old-fashioned". What this term suggests to me is that this is standard procedure for a situation like this, which means it is combat proven and has been heavily analyzed by the brains higher up in order to ensure it viability. Throwing the flares also gives us two important tactical advantages:
1. It lights up the area, allowing us to take a better look. And, in the case of a firefight, it will illuminate our targets, while leaving us in the shadows where we can pick them off, one by one.
2. It will draw the attention of any Reavers in the area away from us and to the location of the flare, which should produce telltale movement or even gunfire if they lack the proper trigger discipline, allowing us to identify the threat and eliminate it with extreme prejudice. (We have to keep in mind they are not consummate professionals like us) If anything, this should also draw the attention of the other fire teams, who will be able to provide supporting fire while encircling and trapping the threat(s), should the need arise.

While this is certainly the most boring and also safest option, being through will minimize the chance that we lose somebody under our command. Since this is also our first combat command, we should strive to demonstrate to the captain that we are cool and level headed in combat situations, and willing to stick to protocol.

4. Okay, I change my mind, I'm taking Option 4!

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

I do need to state this, while Reavers aren't mindless zombies, they aren't tacticians either. They'll ambush, ect. But they're essentially wolves only humanoid.

Also just to make sure everyone is aware of what type of flare I'm talking about.
parachute flare | Definition of parachute flare in English by Oxford Dictionaries

 

[official clown business]

Right, that's a flare. That's exactly what I pictured from ViciousVip3R's explanation.

Let's go shoot the flare.

 

[ViciousVip3R]

I do need to state this, while Reavers aren't mindless zombies, they aren't tacticians either. They'll ambush, ect. But they're essentially wolves only humanoid.

Also just to make sure everyone is aware of what type of flare I'm talking about.
parachute flare | Definition of parachute flare in English by Oxford Dictionaries

All the more reason why the flares should distract them and draw them out!

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

The Blight [A Soldier of the Wasteland]

• Quest

• 
  
  
  
  It’s old fashioned but we do have those parachute flares, might draw out any Reavers.
  
  “Captain! I suggest we use the parachute Flares.” You suggested over the radio link between yourself and the Captain. Interested to see what his opinion on the choice would be.
  
  “It’s your call, Kauffman.”
  
  “Yes, Sir.”
  
  Switching your radio channel to the main battlenet you spoke into your helmet’s microphone. “Rogers! Get an illumination flare up!” As you barked at your unit’s grenadier, out of the corner of your eye you could see him visibly flinch at the order. You let out a small chuckle inside the inner sanctum of your helmet.
  “Y-Yes, Sir! Uhhh Corporal!” The man bumbled over the comms as he brandished his weapon. A rather bulky looking combination of a bullpup grenade launcher and an assault rifle. A GRS-11 standard issue weapon of NSF Grenadiers. You watched as he slid the magazine from the weapon out and placed it onto the ground, then he slid a round directly into the chamber of the launcher portion of the weapon after which he then shouldered the weapon and took aim into the air with it at an angle that would hopefully cause it to burst directly above the factory. For a few seconds nothing happened, and then suddenly several blinding points of light burst into existence, gracefully floating above the objective illuminating the area in a red glow. The grenadier returned the magazine to his weapon and looked back at you. You nodded at him and looked back at the compound before you now illuminated, casting whatever shadows that were in your night vision equipment away. It still would of been quite dark without the night vision equipment, but now with it everything was illuminated in a surprisingly stark contrast.
  
  “Forward.” You commanded through your helmet’s radio. A command that was followed swiftly by your unit. It wasn’t scalpel precision; but it still was a precision that was better than your average GI unit. The captain had seen to that by drilling your platoon regularly, beyond just the bare minimum of what was required. Fanning out as soon as you got through the gates is when you first saw them; the Reavers, human beings mutated by the blight. They were skulking in wait near the abandoned delivery trucks. If it hadn’t been for the increased illumination you would never have noticed the monsters until you were much closer. But now? Now you did, and they had ground to cover…
  
  “Weapons Free!” As you uttered those two words a shot cracked out. Unsurprisingly it was your fireteam’s marksman, Collins. Knowing him you suspected that he had lined up the shot almost immediately after the flare lit up the night sky. You saw his target go down as you brought your own weapon to bare. The hair on your arms stood up as you pulled the trigger of the pulse rifle. An invisible, possibly imagined ripple passed through the air as it lashed out at the reavers in front of you. It was still strange, the lack of recoil as concentrated EM packets lashed out instead of bullets from the end of the rifle. The way it ripped it’s target apart at the surface rather than passing through them. The hardsuit beside you began firing spooling up it’s main gun, a large rotary gun tearing apart anything down range of it.
  
  The reavers realizing their slaughter was inevitable began fleeing, trying to get away, deeper into the facility where it would be easier to ambush your unit. That wouldn’t do, not at all. Before you knew what you were doing you were shouting out, your rifle down knife in one hand machine pistol in the other. Fury in your voice.
  
  “After them!”
  
  With that you and your men surged forward, machine gunners using walking fire while the grenadiers fired with airburst ammunition overhead. Everyone else surging forward taking a minute every now and then to stop and take some aimed shots. You where in the lead, before the stragglers could get away you slid over the hood of one of the vehicles they were hiding behind. Landing on your feet you sunk the Kukri into the back of the nearest reaver, realizing what was happening two of its pack turned to face you. The dumber of the two blindly charging you, into a burst of machine pistol fire from the gun in your right hand. It was the other one that was the real threat, smarter… Not quite an alpha but at the same time it knew enough to come at you from the left. Where your knife was stuck in its unfortunate aly and your vision was obstructed. Reacting the pistol in your dominant hand fell while you used the free hand to push the body forward into the threat. It stumbled back giving you enough time to switch hands. It came at you again this time into a back hand using your bracer, allowing you to close the gap with an over head chop. Now you notice more of them were turning back, wanting to test their mettle against you. Another man in a military uniform came over the hood of one of the vehicles leading with a rifle butt that connected with the jaw of one of the reavers. It was Collins, why head was in the thick of it you had no idea, or time to really consider it. You had your own problems. One of the muties came at you, swinging wide. A simple duck and a outward swing ending with the flick of the wrist. No matter how much they might of changed from the humans they once were things that were still the same, the location of the carotid artery for example. It went down without a second thought, luminescent blood spilling on the ruined ground. A roar filled your hearing, you turned to face it. Dammit too late! The stiletto of a bayonet appeared between its eyes and the body fell revealing the form of Collins.
  
  “They’re on the run!”
  
  [1] “Good work! Keep pushing! We can’t lose this momentum!”
  [2] “Alright! Everyone hold! Regroup and we’ll push deeper into the factory we have them on the run!”
  [3] “Good work Collins, I owe you! See if you can’t get onto the roof. Might be helpful to see if we can get eye from above when we enter.”
  [4] “Alright Hold back we’ll see if there are other ways into the complex, then proceed with the new information.”
  

 

[ViciousVip3R]

(Wow, love the attention to detail through the use of military jargon and proper terms. Really adds to the experience. Especially liked the small detail when the grenadier addressed us as sir, and then hastily corrected themselves.)

There is a reason we do all those drills. We should regroup and then push into the factory in an orderly manner. While a sniper could be useful, the risk to Collins mentioned above still applies, and I dare say he personally wants to push in with us. I think a sniper would probably be more useful if we were to wait outside in ambush, but if we are pushing in, we should do so as an unit. I also don't think taking the time to scout for alternate entrances is a good idea, that just gives the Reavers more time to organize and set an ambush. We shouldn't rush in blindly, but if we push in as an unit, we can press our advantage and clear the area of Reavers. (Plus, the author mentioned they are not tactical geniuses by any long shot, so I think it is safe to say this is not part of a larger ambush. *fingers crossed. Although if it were, I would feel more confident if we stuck together.)

2.

 

[official clown business]

Of course, we should regroup before our next push into the factory. Compared to the other choices, this one's the most tactically sound by far. Everything else is either an unnecessary risk or takes valuable time to accomplish. Can't really point out much else that hasn't been said, so there's the plan.

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

(Just putting this up. Not saying anything you've said so far is wrong, but there will be point where being too cautious may have unforeseen consequences. Personally I agree with your stances on this particular choice. On a side note: If you have any other ideas outside of the choices feel free to bring them up!)

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

Of course, we should regroup before our next push into the factory. Compared to the other choices, this one's the most tactically sound by far. Everything else is either an unnecessary risk or takes valuable time to accomplish. Can't really point out much else that hasn't been said, so there's the plan.

(Wow, love the attention to detail through the use of military jargon and proper terms. Really adds to the experience. Especially liked the small detail when the grenadier addressed us as sir, and then hastily corrected themselves.)

There is a reason we do all those drills. We should regroup and then push into the factory in an orderly manner. While a sniper could be useful, the risk to Collins mentioned above still applies, and I dare say he personally wants to push in with us. I think a sniper would probably be more useful if we were to wait outside in ambush, but if we are pushing in, we should do so as an unit. I also don't think taking the time to scout for alternate entrances is a good idea, that just gives the Reavers more time to organize and set an ambush. We shouldn't rush in blindly, but if we push in as an unit, we can press our advantage and clear the area of Reavers. (Plus, the author mentioned they are not tactical geniuses by any long shot, so I think it is safe to say this is not part of a larger ambush. *fingers crossed. Although if it were, I would feel more confident if we stuck together.)

2.

Sorry for the wait guys, i've been distracted by various things. The newest bit will be up soon.

 

[Historical Storyteller]

Sorry for the wait guys, i've been distracted by various things. The newest bit will be up soon.

Huh, well, its good that you've told us. Well, I've been off because I've been distracted by stuff too, so that makes two of us. Anyways, I'm going to be joining in the next scenario.

 

[Yang Xiao Long]

The Blight [A Soldier of the Wasteland]

• Quest

• 
  
  
  
  
  “Alright! Everyone hold! Regroup and we’ll push deeper into the factory we have them on the run!” You heard yourself saying holding up your hand in a fist for the benefit of anyone in eyesight. It took your men a few minutes to all consolidate, while you recovered your machine pistol from where you dropped it in order to repel the threat. All in all you managed to organize yourselves the hardsuit in the front of the formation as you and your unit pushed into the factory. You made entry through one of the loading bays for ease of the hardsuit, it could of fit through one of the other doors but you figured it would of been easier for the suit mobility wise.
  
  The loading bay entered into a larger warehouse facility, that was despite the human remains from poor souls obviously dragged back to the Reavers’ nest was empty. It was darker than it was outside even despite the low light vision gear you had a hard time making out objects in the shadows. Deeper and deeper your men pushed into the empty space, checking your corners weary of reavers hiding behind corners. Something in your gut just felt wrong, then two things happened. First a crackle on your radio, Sergeant Garrison.
  
  “Unknown contact! On the per- Get down grenade!” You heard a loud bang over the radio followed milliseconds later by the sound of it far away outside the perimeter. As you went for your radio to figure out what the hell was was going on you heard Ramirez’s voice shouting and the growl of reavers from above.
  
  “Ambush! Above!” Son of a bitch, the catwalks! The realization came as you looked up. A reaver threw itself off of the catwalks aming directly for you. It was pointless using your “rifle” you let go of it allowing your sling to catch it as you brought your wrist up, the reaver chomped down
  hard on your bracer. In fact it’s bite was hard enough that without the bracer your wrist would probably of snapped. With your free arm you reached for your knife the weight of the reaver bringing you both down to the ground. You managed to take hold of the hilt of your blade and draw it, slashing along the mutant’s throat. Rolling to the right you pushed the now limp beast off of you, watching as it fell like a sack of bricks onto the floor. Just as you reacted your squad mates did the same in their own ways, the sound of fighting filling the enclosed space with the rattle of deafening gunfire, the desperate grunt of melee and the thump of the suit. As you got up you saw a large metal foot coming towards your head. Rolling out of the way your captain narrowly missed crushing your head like a pumpkin. As you pushed yourself off of the ground the most deafening sound of all began and you felt the hot hail of burning brass on the back of your neck as the suit opened up with it’s large rotary machine gun.
  
  You were on your feet now. Your unit was surrounded now but holding your grown back to back, in a huge middle finger to the ‘failed’ ambush. Failed only because that the ambushers were all going to die, not a failure in the amount of life it took. But more importantly it would be broken and soon! As despite your own troubles, you knew the other squad was in an even bigger trouble. Before you could even come to completely take in the situation another reaver charged, you raised your rifle, aimed, and pulled the trigger… Nothing happened, and you in anger threw the piece of garbage at the attacker. It hit in square in the head giving you enough time to draw your machine pistol and kill the beast with a surgical burst to the skull.
  
  You finally found yourself with enough breathing room to give a word of encouragement or a command to your men.
  
  [1] “Do not break ranks! Stand your ground!”
  [2] “Hold formation! Fall back the way we came!”
  [3] “Alright let’s get these bastards!”
  [4] Say nothing, focus on your own problems. Your men can handle themselves.