Private/Closed Bootleg Bros. Ultimate - The Banished Campaign (Act 1)

[PaprusTeuton]

Kazzy (Not to be confused with Keezz)

"Gotcha!" cried the most famous Killik clan member as he fired at the first Jackal he saw and... hit a tree. Shortly after, JULIAN and the Guardian emerged, after which gunfire erupted as plasma shots raced towards the Guardian- and Kazaaak! Thinking quickly, the Pirate rushed to the side, barely being caught in the leg by 2 bolts, which while hurting plenty didn't harm him much.

Locking on with his Needler, Kazaaak fired upon the middle Jackal between him and Joth Cur (although he didn't know that name yet). His goal was for then to Supercombine and explode violently, creating room for his allies to shoot/charge at the leader. He communicated this, of course, by shouting "HEADS UP! THAT GUY MIGHT EXPLODE IN A SECOND! TAKE COVER!"

He followed his own advice, hiding behind a tree.

 

[Psymallard]

David Kavarr
-Early Morning, Tiberium Woods-
"This was presumed to be a jackal stash, ¿sì? That is the species I was referring to."

They approached the gaping maw of the cave, which was sprinkled with shell casings. David knelt to pick one up, inspecting it. Not because he didn't know what it was, but because it interested him. Either these creatures were willing to collect anything shiny, or there were likely gunpowder weapons in the area. The latter possibility earned a smile from him.

Though these energy weapons were effective, and the swordsman was certainly grateful for the ""bayonets"" on the end of the Spiker, he had always found himself to be more comfortable with gunpowder. However, the fact that they were spent meant they had to have been fired. Seeing as the Banished seemed to prefer energy weapons, he doubted this was just firing practice- though there wasn't any other indication of a battle. His eyes would constantly flicker back and forth between the casing as he inspected it and the cave.

After a moment, he stood, glaring into the darkness. He felt on-edge. Though he'd brushed it off earlier, being outside the network of planets he was familiar with had him feeling somewhat vulnerable.

"...I do enjoy walking into a dark cave as much as the next person, but pray indulge me for a moment. Come."

David waved him over to the left side of the cave, where the Spaniard raised his weapon towards the mouth and pressed himself against the wall. If Bisenti followed, David would continue with his idea.

"Ca-CAW!"

It did not sound remotely like a jackal's cry- nor any other known avian creature, for that matter. But he was hoping it'd cause some kind of stir in the cave. He listened out for movement, counting on a cave's natural acoustics to carry along even some of the otherwise quieter noises.

 

[comic]

INFORMATION RECOVERY​

—Tiberium Woods (UNSC FOB), Day 2 Early Morning—​

Copen’s fire at the grunt’s backs turned their attention. “Hurt you!” One claimed boldly.

The shotgunned brute became the most pressing concern, however, as he had roared back to his feet and charged toward Copen, closing the short distance rapidly only to similarly receive a face full of plasma, courtesy of Copen’s charged shot.

He stumbled to the side, crashing into and scattering several crates as he clutched at his face with a shout of pain. Now, the first brute had recovered, and while his flesh had clearly blistered over horrifying over his face, he still made to rush Copen as well - only for a bullet to crack his head back, the jiralhanae letting out a garuff as he stumbled back. Kaminski then refocused back on the two grunts, piercing one of their methane tanks with a subsequent bullet, forcing the unggoy to let out a shrill scream and run wildly - before his methane pack erupted, sending the grunt spinning through the air, over one side of the F.O.B. to the other.

One of the scattered crates had smashed open on the platform, scattering a slew of blades and knives previously contained inside. The final grunt fired back at Kaminski, forcing him to evade again as the two brutes, while heavily wounded, were still kicking - and extremely pissed.
​

THE COURIER​

—Tiberium Woods (Ambush Clearing), Day 2 Early Morning—​

Kazaaak’s plan was sound, but unfortunately, the blamite crystals didn’t obey his intended destination. Instead, the pink needles drifted down, aiming for the centermass of Joth Cur - and bouncing off of the jackal shields assembled before him to block just such an attack.

“Stupid insect!” Joth Cur hissed out with a laugh, firing a few carbine bolts at the tree the mantis was hiding behind. “Suppress them, I get Keezz...!”

The advancing four jackals fired relentlessly toward Guardian and JULIAN, focused on the automaton to keep it at bay as Joth Cur then darted from behind his cover, rushing towards the UNSC Captain. Keyes during this time had been returning fire as he backed up, and while plasma was the answer for those shields, he didn’t have the charge to warrant taking any of them out.

“Captain!” Lorens called out as Joth Cur nimbly darted forward, shifting away from her plasma fire as he zeroed in on Keyes. Kazaaak, for the moment, wasn’t under the focus of the jackals following him taking cover.
​

LOST LOOT​

—Tiberium Woods (Skow’r Cave), Day 2 Early Morning—​

“Oh,” Bisenti said as he watched David inspect the spent casings. “Right, yeah. I knew that.”

It was here that David pursued an idea, pressing himself to the wall of the cave’s mouth and waving the marine to him, who hastily joined his side. At David’s ‘caw,’ the sound echoed down the cave, fading and dying out.

“I mean, they’re mostly pirates and thieves. Opportunistic, they like shiny stuff. Uh... matriarchal society, too, only females have positions of power,” Bisenti said after a few moments of silence when nothing returned to answer Kavarr’s call. “They’re sneaky and quick, good snipers too. Them and brutes are the only ones that’ll actually eat you in the middle of a firefight. It’s uh... not pretty.”

As David’s eyes adjusted to the light, he’d notice splatters of something dark on the stone close by. Not human blood, as it was thick and purple, and seemed mostly dried by now.

Still, no sounds came from the cave. None yet, anyway.​

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen
​

Copen's charged shot ended up going to the shotgunned brute, staggering him, while Kaminski landed a bullet of his own into the other brute.

A hiss and a boom came from below, the cyborg turning just in time to witness a grunt soar through the air. The methane tank on its back had been pierced, causing a violent explosion in moments. He'd have to remember that weakness. Weak as grunts seemed to be, dispatching of them in that manner would likely be optimal, additionally dealing some collateral damage when around other Banished troops.

Refocusing on the wounded brutes before him, Copen dashed forward, swapping the plasma pistol out for the M95 again. Noting the newly-scattered knives and blades nearby, Copen aimed the shotgun at the brute closest to them, trying to blast him center-mass before he could reach for any improvised weapons. Regardless of the result, he would follow up with a second shot to the other brute, taking advantage of their weakened state – albeit it was probably offset by their resilience and rage.​

 

[comic]

INFORMATION RECOVERY​

—Tiberium Woods (UNSC F.O.B.), Day 2 Early Morning—​

BA-THAM!

The nearest brute got his second chest-full of the future’s 8-gauge, this time shredding through his chest properly. A last breath escaped him before he collapsed, smoke drifting up from his bloodied lips. The other brute had quickly recovered from the headshot he’d received, charging wildly once again (thankfully neither had taken advantage of any weapons of their own). Copen turned, aimed, and fired.

The second brute’s head popped like a watermelon, bone and brain matter spraying out of the back of his imploded skull as his corpse dropped to its knees, standing on them for a moment... before the body collapsed at Copen’s feet.

The last grunt simultaneously let out a strangled cry that was cut short as another well-placed shot dropped him, and silence fell over the clearing. Kaminski emerged from the tree line, stepping between the grunt corpses as he approached Copen, ascending the ramp.

With a glance at the brute at Copen’s feet, Kaminski smirked and gestured to the M95 CAWS. “That’s why we in the marines like to call that the Universal Translator. She up to standards with you?”

The F.O.B. clearly seemed to be man-made, as opposed to anything designed by the Banished, as earlier seen at the prison. The console at the other end of the platform beckoned, and flashed with English lettering, further enforcing that this place was once controlled by humans, likely the UNSC.

The screen of the console was a deep red with large white letters across its surface that read ‘SYSTEM LOCKED: HOSTILES DETECTED.’
​

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen
​

With some well-placed shots, the duo had finally emerged victorious. Copen lowered the shotgun following the brute's demise, his head turning toward the approaching Kaminski, who remarked the effectiveness of the M95, better known as the 'Universal Translator'. He couldn't help but smirk a bit at the marine's words, giving him a nod.

"Certainly. I'll admit, it's more powerful than I anticipated... Good work."

Stepping away from the brute's corpse, Copen moved over to the nearby console. Unlike the ones he'd interacted with in Grakken Prison, this system seemed much more suited to human use, most evidently in its use of a human language. Though, it wasn't quite accessible yet.

‘SYSTEM LOCKED: HOSTILES DETECTED.’

With a hum of curiosity, the cyborg placed his hands on the console, attempting to unlock it traditionally. Had the system locked because it had recently detected combat in the area? That didn't sound quite right. Could the Banished have altered the device to view non-Banished as hostiles? If the latter were the case, maybe he and Kaminski could bring up one of the brutes to the console...

Before trying that, though (and assuming the system had not yet unlocked), Copen would proceed to examine the console itself, looking for any interfaces or signs of tampering to clue into how to access it.​

 

[Psymallard]

David Kavarr
-Early Morning, Skow'r Cave-
No response. However, as he squinted his eyes, David could spot some blood across the rocks further in. Purple blood. Were they too late? Was this the site of a massacre? Despite the clear warning signs, the mercenary's curiosity had taken hold.

Meanwhile, Bisenti rattled off facts that Kavarr more or less could have gathered about the aliens, even from his limited experience. They were not unlike the Jeciqars the Spaniard was familiar with. However, he would say that he certainly preferred the Kig-Yar to the pteroforms he knew. Not because he hated Jeciqars, but because game recognizes game.

...Unfortunately, the cave was too dark to go on. They'd have to wake for the sun to illuminate more. Unless..? The vagrant could barely make out a shape at the edge of the dark. He quickly slid forward, quiet and low, to grab the item. It was a flashlight. Convenient as it was, he supposed whoever had died here also needed to see. He looked back to Bisenti with a shrug and then flicked it on, immediately sweeping the beam across the cave to see all that was before him.

 

[Fraseandchico]

JULIAN

"Requesting kill orders on the ONES SHOOTING ME!" JULIAN yelled out, the SPARK's legs bending slightly to crouch to avoid a few of the shots - Not a conscious action, no, but rather a more 'instinctual' (As close as you could be for a robot). Still, more than a few hit, even if they weren't particulary powerful blows it was still frustrating.

...They were suppressing, delaying him. Even JULIAN could tell that. But why delay him? The Jackals could surely see that they would need to get closer for a surefire blow, but they weren't, so why-

JULIAN noticed it. The leader of the enemies was moving. It wasn't easy to tell, as the Unit was turned away from the incoming fire in a forced-defensive stance after placing the Guardian in front of him.
The leader was moving to get to Keyes. JULIAN did not like the guy... At all, actually, but he knew there would be consequences if Keyes was captured - For one, he wasn't sure if the orders-permissions would be handed down to Lorens or the Guardian, and if it was not he would be stuck in place and either captured or destroyed. And that was before getting into the consequences he didn't exactly care for. The AI let out a snarl, before whispering to the Guardian.

"Ugh, I can't act without Keyes ordering me, much to my dismay. Kill his pursuer, I'll keep their fire focused on me." the SPARK began to stand again, taking the full brunt of the Jackals' guns. "Oh, yes, keep shooting at the Giant Metal Robot, geniuses. That'll work in your favor - Not as though I'm a very literal bulwark or anything." He mocked, acting as though he was unaware of their true goals and goading them instead.

If he was given the kill order, of course, it would then raise the Beam Rifle, taking aim best the SPARK could while under fire, and take a shot directly for one of their heads.

 

[comic]

INFORMATION RECOVERY​

—Tiberium Woods (UNSC FOB), Day 2 Early Morning—​

Kaminski made sure to double-tap the brutes just in case as Copen got to inspecting the control console. There didn’t appear to be very many clues as to how to unlock it, or why it was still locked. If it was under full Banished control, then it would probably have to be hacked no doubt, but the English language and human design of the F.O.B. made it clear this was under Banished occupation until thirty seconds ago.

Interacting with the screen had the same message flash red, then a smaller set of text appeared underneath. ‘IFF TAG PRESENT - OVERRIDE CLEARANCE REQUIRED.’

Kaminski glanced over to see what was going on. “Oh, shit, hang on,” he muttered, moving forward and pressing his hand on the console. “Kaminski, Evan, Private. 8-0-5-5-5-9-0-2-1-5-E-K.”

The console flashed a brief confirmation green - and unlocked.

“If we ever get a chance, we’ll need to get you an IFF,” Kaminski told Copen as he took a step back. “That’s why you couldn’t get in. It’s a ‘Friend-Or-Foe’ identifier, all UNSC personnel have one. I had to override it with my service number.”

The console now displayed a brief list of selectable options. In descending order, they ranged from:

FOB DIAG.
LOC. ANALYSIS
THREAT ASSESS.
OBJECTIVES
INPUT LOG
BRAVO NETWORK
RECORD. ENTRY

There were no evident signs of more Banished showing up in the next few minutes, meaning Copen had plenty of time to investigate and dig a little while Kaminski began to loot the area, investigating for anything they could use, prying open a few crates along the way. Considering Kaminski had to override the console, also, that probably meant the Banished hadn’t been able to tap the system, meaning these files couldn’t have been tampered with.
​

LOST LOOT​

—Tiberium Woods (Skow’r Cave), Day 2 Early Morning—​

The cave’s entrance wasn’t anything to write home about, outside of what he’d already seen. A few more blood splatters could be seen at disjointed intervals deeper within, and the cave seemed to slope downward before veering to the left, leaving much to be desired in figuring out where it led.

“That was just lying on the ground?” Bisenti asked. “That’s lucky.”

The marine readied his plasma weapon as he glanced back outside, then into the interior. “You know there’s still a chance we’ll find nothing here,” he pointed out, though pursed his lips, glancing at the evidence of a fight David had been discovering. “But we don’t have bad odds. Maybe your luck goes beyond finding flashlights, ey?”

There came the hum of anti-gravity thrusters, making Bisenti quickly perk up. “Phantom,” he hissed, moving deeper into the cave as the sound grew louder outside. The same phantom that had been sweeping the area the last few hours seemed to be investigating the area around the cave.
​

THE COURIER​

—Tiberium Woods (Ambush Clearing), Day 2 Early Morning—​

Jacob Keyes didn’t like jackals. He really didn’t like any member species of the Covenant, and the Banished just seemed like a more brutalist faction, so what was the fundamental difference? When he’d been captured with his entire crew by the Insurrection years back, and uncovered the Insurrection ‘working with’ a ‘rogue group’ of jackals actually just using the humans, the captain had grown a particular dislike for the bird-like aliens. They were shrewd, cruel, and conniving. At least the elites had some sense of honor, misplaced as it was, and the grunts were simple-minded cannon fodder. But jackals? They made him uncomfortable.

They made him think of the worst humans he’d met. He didn’t like to compare any aliens to a human.

As the troop advanced on the disadvantaged group, Keyes charged up his plasma pistol. One hit would break one of those shields, leaving its carrier open to attack. The one good thing about jackals were their brittle bones. Physically, humans were weak compared to the aliens of the Covenant and Banished. Even grunts had physical abilities to surpass a man, and while the jackals were faster, and their claws could tear through light infantry armor, they’d lose any contest of strength with a good marine. Jackals didn’t like to get caught in very many melee encounters in his experience.

Yet the pack’s leader seemed eager for just that.

“Damnit JULIAN, if something’s shooting at you, kill it back!” Keyes shouted at the robot. He wasn’t used to a machine that needed babysitting like this. Even Dumb AI knew to respond to hostilities. Why had JULIAN been programmed this way?

Perhaps it was connected to his aggressive attitude. Perhaps he needed to be kept in check. Whatever the case was, it wasn’t something Keyes was exactly going to worry himself about right now.

Joth Cur speedily weaved around Lorens, swiping his claws across her unarmored back. The medic let out a gasp as she fell forward, blood spurting wildly from the deep wound that had just torn through her.

“Damnit, no!” Keyes moved his charged shot to Joth Cur, opening fire. The jackal leapt to the side, and the charged shot sailed on by - though still proved useful, slugging into one of the four shielded jackals, breaking their barrier and making the alien stumble back.

“Keezz!” Joth Cur hissed. “Your price is bountiful!”

Jacob really didn’t care, firing normal shots toward the jackal, but his evasiveness was impressive, avoiding the shots. JULIAN in this moment had taken advantage of Keyes’ “order” and fired at the unshielded jackal, the particle beam opening a new hole in the avian’s skull and dropping him. Guardian had also put himself in motion, charging forward and grabbing the edges of another’s shield - then yanked it from the creature, taking the gauntlet for himself and leaving the alien open to another headshot from JULIAN.

That left only two.

Keyes dove to the side, avoiding a slash for his chest. He landed on his side, firing back at Joth Cur, who remained difficult to tag. It was here that Dumbface moved to aid the captain, armed with his newfound shield, he charged forward to bash Joth Cur, but the jackal shifted backward and aimed with his carbine, placing two rapid shots on one of the kid’s knees, forcing him to momentarily drop to one.

As the remaining two jackals advanced on JULIAN, still trying to keep him suppressed, Kazaaak opened fire where he could - and he had a good line of sight on Joth Cur, the jackal exposed and shieldless. So as another burst of blamite crystals charged through the air, they honed in on the avian alien.

It was here, however, that the skirmish took a turn for the worse. Joth Cur, noticing the glowing pink in the dark, deftly leapt over Dumbface, kicking the armored boy in the back of the head before landing, knocking him forward - and into Kazaaak’s needler round. At least half the crystals plunged into the Guardian’s chestplate before he was able to level his energy shield and deflect the rest. There was a brief moment where the kid recognized what had just happened, glancing down at the crystals - before they supercombined, an explosion of pink mist briefly engulfing him before he was flung from the epicenter, armor smoldering as he was sent tumbling down the hill.

“No!” Keyes shouted again, this had gone from bad to worse in a heartbeat. “JULIAN, kill this bastard!”

The captain fired a few more shots at Joth Cur, but the pack leader just bounded out of the way again. “Humans predictable!”

Bastard could dodge all the live-long day, but nobody was side-stepping a particle beam.
​

 

[Fraseandchico]

JULIAN

"Oh yes, I'll just bypass the additions to my code that make the Spark only able to act when ordered, why didn't I think of that." JULIAN couldn't help but respond to Keyes' shout, not willing to admit to sharing the frustrations the Captain was feeling about the SPARK being unable to defend itself without permission.

Understanding why they were there didn't mean it wasn't infuriating.

Regardless, he had his... 'orders'. Good enough.
One shot. One dead.
No time to slow down, fire again.
Two shots. Two dead.

“JULIAN, kill this bastard!” The AI would grin cruelly if he could. "Gladly."
1...
The order went through JULIAN as the SPARK looked to Joth Cur with a completely emotionless glare, not even seeing him with the anger of any cohorts from the Guardian's fall, but just a target for it's orders - Even if the AI just took enjoyment in his actions.
2...
Unfortunately, the power of the Beam Rifle had been used in quick succession, so the SPARK regarded to give it a rest based on prior information gathered about the weapon, and spoke in JULIAN's voice...
3...
"Overdrive!" Electricity surged throughout the SPARK once more, crackling with power before the mighty machine dashed straight at the Skirmisher with greater speed once more and a fist pulled back, uncaring of the Jackals who had kept approaching him despite the stings their attacks left on the SPARK. "TASTE METAL, DEAD-MEAT!" The SPARK followed JULIAN's laugh with a Strike right towards the Jackal in the form of a straight punch, taking less than a second of a break...
4...
Before throwing out a second Strike in the form of an uppercut, and would plan on letting the foe go upwards whilst lining up a shot...
...
...
5!

With that, the end of the combination - Offering more than enough time between blows for others to pile in their own attacks to help ensure it's success - would be to fire his Particle Beam Rifle straight between the Joth's eyes.

 

[PaprusTeuton]

Kazaaak

The Guardian was dead. Obviously. Those needles had struck directly into his armor and exploded violently. Kazaaak had watched his body fly away. That human had saved his life, protecting the mantis at risk to himself- and now he was dead. And Kazaaak was responsible. He had just killed the one who had saved his life.

It is a little-known fact that, among Mantis cultures, the bond between brood-mates is incredibly powerful. While separation from the brood at a young age is common, brood-mates will instantly recognize eachother on reunification. One of the side effects of this is that the widely-recognized lack of care for life that Mantises are famous for does not apply to brood-mates.

In case of a broodmates death, the Mantis will enter into a rage-filled state, encouraged by the flooding of adrenaline and similar chemicals into the bloodstream. This evolved to allow for immature Mantises to defend themselves and the brood against predators. Additionally, in case of a non-broodmate showing this level of care towards a Mantis, their brain will process this as a previously-unrecognized broodmate.

- Roton Markis, Mantis scholar.

A terrifying screech sounded through the air, as Kazaaak rushed forward at superhuman, supermantis speeds towards Joth Cur. He had ceased to speak Standard, the adrenaline briefly blocking the second language from his mind. The Mantis fired several Needler shots at the avian, but these were a distraction.

The Mantis chased down the Jackal, leaping into the air to dive onto his opponent. A large wad of acid sprang out from the mouth of the furious pirate, quickly accelerating towards the head of Joth Cur as Kazaaak fell onto him. No matter how fast, the Jackal would have trouble dodging away from the giant mantis, who would immediately begin attempting to rip apart the smaller alien.

 

[comic]

THE COURIER​

—Tiberium Woods, Day 2 Early Morning—​

Upon hearing Keyes’ command, Joth Cur was sure to scoop up the energy shield gauntlet dropped by Guardian following the jackal’s trickery, the shield shifting ownership a second time. The alien skillfully brought up the shield as JULIAN dashed forward with a powerful blow, fist smashing into the shield.

The energy shield broke, the energy dissipating as Joth Cur skid back, before he launched himself toward Keyes - only for JULIAN to follow up with an uppercut, fist swinging in to pummel into the jackal’s center mass. “EURK!”

Joth Cur was launched upwards with a yowl just as another unexpected element entered the mix - the feral-like mantis kind.

Kazaaak leapt into the air, catching Joth Cur. The stunned jackal was powerless as an acid wad splattered over his face while Kazaaak’s claws ripped into the avian. All while they had still only reached the zenith of their upward trajectory, a jackal arm went flying one way, then a leg another, dark purple blood spraying out and over those present.

After tearing off the final limb, JULIAN’s overdrive particle shot lined up and fired.

Kazaak landed back on the ground, holding a mangled jackal torso. Where Joth Cur’s head had been was just a steaming stump for a neck.

The remaining two jackals had stopped to watch the display with wide eyes before they shared a look - and promptly turned with screeches, holding their shields over their heads as they ran in fear back for the trees.​

 

[Psymallard]

David Kavarr
-Early Morning, Skow'r Cave-
The Spaniard was about to respond with something positive to Bisenti's remarks about luck, but that mood quickly changed with the thrum of an aircraft. He stopped, not believing his ears for a second, and then continued forward with clenched teeth.

"You have cursed us," he hissed.

Kavarr rushed forward as quietly as he could. He aimed to find some sort of protrusion of rock he could hide behind and turned off the flashlight. These aliens no doubt had thermal scanning; it was some of the most rudimentary detection technology available back in David's home galaxy. For now, he would do little else than sit tight and hide.

David prayed that this was just going to be a run-of-the-mill sweep, but he knew better. It was very reasonable that there would be jackals making a last-minute stop to recover some items. Even if it wasn't, if they picked up the clear signs of conflict around the mouth of the cave, they would be coming in anyway.

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen
​

Fortunately, Kaminski was able to clear up the issue with the console: it merely needed proper identification. Copen was fairly familiar with IFF tags – while he didn't have personal experience with them, they were a staple of militaries around the world in the 20th and 21st century, though eventually became less and less common as the decades passed.

Either way, the console was accessible. Copen gave the marine a nod when Kaminski's explanation was finished, uttering a quick 'thanks' before turning his focus to the device, letting his ally investigate the rest of the F.O.B. As to what the cyborg should research first...

While every subject could be of use (and Copen figured no Banished support would be coming for a while, given most were focusing on leaving the island), he brought his focus to the larger scale files he could identify. 'Bravo Network', 'Loc. Analysis', and 'Objectives' seemed like safe bets, with the last of the three serving to bring things together and give an idea to what any UNSC goals may have been around this location.

Following that, he'd examine the 'Record Entry', 'Input Log', 'Threat Assess.', and 'FOB Diag.' – his aim being to gather a more personal account of recent events on a more local level. Regardless of how much information the F.O.B. really held, Copen was fairly confident he could make good use of any data provided.

Besides, the sooner they got everything they needed, the quicker Copen and Kaminski could return to the northbound main group.​

 

[comic]

LOST LOOT​

—Tiberium Woods (Skow’r Cave), Day 2 Early Morning—​

Bisenti similarly took cover, checking over his weapon for a moment to make sure it was combat ready. The pair waited in bated silence, broken only by the hum of the phantom, and the crashing waves below the cliff. In a moment, the Banished dropship was in sight, soaring over the treetops, a searchlight attached to the main gun, swiveling about and sweeping the area.

It drifted over where they’d initially come from the trees, slowing to a static hover once it got over the cliff’s edge. For a moment, the phantom hovered there, looking over the cliff, taking advantage of the lack of trees. The searchlight swiveled slowly over the ledge... before it came to a stop at the cave entrance. The light remained fixated there for only a few seconds, but those seconds dragged on for what felt like forever.

Bisenti shifted his weight a little nearby, clearly getting antsy, but he held his cover and quiet. The searchlight then continued its sweep until the light couldn’t look any further.

The phantom moved again, hovering over the cave entrance - and passing it by. Instead, the dropship moved a good thirty feet away and came to a stop, performing another sweep. Finding nothing, the phantom continued to move further away, growing more and more distant.

Soon, it could no longer be heard.

Bisenti let out a sigh, his grip lessening slightly on the pulse carbine. “Luck beats curse, I guess,” he joked.
​

INFORMATION RECOVERY​

—Tiberium Woods (UNSC FOB), Day 2 Early Morning—​

Copen got to work, pressing a finger on the interface, activating ‘Bravo Network.’
​

"BRAVO NETWORK"​

What appeared on the screen was a map - a much larger map than what he’d seen with Keyes in Grakken Prison earlier. There was still Rubikis Island, but it was small when compared to the masses of land that surrounded it. There were several blinking cyan dots on the otherwise blue and green map. Black lines connected the cyan lights - likely what the ‘Bravo Network’ was. The light on Rubikis Island was where Copen stood now, geographically, making it easy to deduce the network was F.O.B.s. Only this one wasn’t blinking cyan, simply glowing static. What that meant was currently unclear.

Three red lights shone on Rubikis island, but no others appeared anywhere else, and no black lines connected them. Copen could deduce this was Grakken Prison, Grakken Apex, and the Processing Facility. Finally, there were yellow dots, each of them blinking in various places across Rubikis Island, and again, nowhere else. Their purpose was entirely unclear, though one was located exactly where David’s desired cave was - and there was another right beside the F.O.B.

Interacting with any of the lights seemed to do nothing, outside of the current F.O.B. Pressing on that would pre-emptively take him to the ‘Loc. Analysis’ file.

​

"LOC. ANALYSIS"​

Forward Operating Base “Hannibal”

FAUNA​

• Red Fox
• Common Frog
• Pygmy Shrew
• Common Lizard
• Common Hare
• Red Deer
• Chiffchaff
• Common Raven
• Magpie
• Barn Owl

FLORA
​

• Alder
• Fern moss
• Shamrock
• Catmint

Woodland covering most of the island (Rubikis Island by Banished). Consists of tall and thin trees with slim canopies, allowing plenty of sunlight to reach the ground. Moss grows in abundance on all surfaces, giving the entire forest floor a lush, light green color. Creeks run throughout the forest, small streams washing out of underwater aquifers and into the ocean. The terrain is rocky and hilly, with plenty of small cliffs, allowing some streams to produce small waterfalls.
Suboptimal location to establish Firebase Bravo. Favorable environment for all Banished species; difficult to conceal anything from them here. Eliminating presence required, likelihood minimal. Maintain F.O.B. for recon purposes.​

"OBJECTIVES"​

Establish Forward Operating Base - Accomplished
Determine Area Viability - Accomplished
Establish Firebase - Cancelled
Shore Up Defenses - Accomplished
Minimize Banished Presence - In progress
Operation: FLIP AND SIZZLE - In progress
​

"RECORD ENTRY"​

12052560
Corporal G. Picket - Just adding a date for the sake of it. No idea what day it actually is anymore. This isn’t the halo ring, and I’ve lost track of the days spent hiding from hungry jackals before the Admiral found us. Anyway, got Hannibal set up. Team’s hungry and tired so we’re gonna take a break before we finish getting the necessary intel on this place. Damn Banished are crawling all over this world, worse than even the ring if you can believe it. Dunno what their beef is with us, we were all resisting the Created together kinda, and out of the blue, we’re public enemy number one. Infinity’s gone, Master Chief’s gone, it all happened so fast. Infinity was the best damn ship humanity’s ever made, and the Banished took it out in five minutes?

That just doesn’t happen. They were prepared for us. Guess it’s ancient history, now. Bye bye halo, hello nexus. No idea why it’s called that, but the Banished get their panties in a bunch when they talk about it. Probably some kind of weapon. Probably best if it’s not in their hands. Good thing they don’t seem to have it, or else my hide would have been cooked ages ago.

20072560
Corporal G. Picket - Forgot about the entry system. Shit’s been haywire ever since the Admiral was killed. Whole UNSC is breaking down without him. We need someone like the Chief back. Can’t fight the Banished like this, not fractured.

You know what I heard today? I heard that it’s not just the Banished here. Apparently there’s whole other factions in this world, controlling whole continents, and they’re all playing nice with the Banished. They probably all want the same thing, formed some kind of alliance. Would be nice if they could throw us a bone, too.

There’s talk of a new guy who could change our luck. He isn’t UNSC, but he’s got fire and nerve. Haven’t met him yet, but they call him Redfield. Badass name like that, I sure hope he’s as game changing as everyone says he is.

12092560
Corporal G. Picket - I’m being reassigned from Hannibal. It’s been fun but - eh, no it hasn’t. Banished have really been setting up shop here, it’s getting harder to hide from them. There’s talk of just decommissioning Hannibal anyway, what with Operation: SIZZLE AND BURN finally under way. Otherwise it’s been boring here up until now. The science team sure loves it, but I’m a leatherneck. Staring at birds and flowers just isn’t that soothing to me. Popping alien skulls? Yeah, that’s more therapeutic.

If everything goes well, I’ll join up with Redfield’s division and we’ll take down Rubikis. Damn brute’s been a thorn in our side since we got here, it’ll be nice to finally turn the tables on him. Gonna admit though, I’ll kinda miss him when he’s gone. Ape’s a bastard but at least he tries to keep the fight with us private, doesn’t let the other warlords get involved. Once he’s gone... well, it’ll be a hollow victory. We’ll have to be smart and fast about the aftermath of his death, because he won’t be a buffer in the way of the other clans. That’s where it becomes a free-for-all.

This is my last entry regardless of what happens. No idea if anyone’ll use this again, but if they do, it’s probably future me, so hey Grant! Good job kickin’ that brute’s ass! Good luck on kickin’ some more!

If it’s Del reading this, then fuck you, I know you took that chocolate. You were the only one who saw where I put it. You OWE me.
​

"INPUT LOG"​

Hello?​

Are you receiving this?
Use the input slab below the viewport to respond.
That’s what it’s called, isn’t it?
I know you’re there, I’m a friend.
Please respond. I can help.
Hello?

​

"THREAT ASSESS."​

Hannibal: Clear
Island South: ERROR
Island Center: ERROR
Island North: ..........Calculating
​

"FOB DIAG."​

System: Offline
Local: Connected (limited network)
AI: None
IFF: 1​

 

[Psymallard]

David Kavarr
-Early Morning, Skow'r Cave-
He was finally able to exhale as the Phantom moved elsewhere. David peeked out from cover, looking for any figures silhouetted against the moonlit waves of the ocean beyond. If there were none to be seen, he would crack a half-smile, half-grimace.

"Be careful not to push it."

The Spaniard stood, clicking the flashlight on and continuing into the cave. He wondered how far it went, if it ended at all. David was familiar with tunnel systems. They were the preferred highways for the Axins back home. They were quite effective for shock tactics and guerilla warfare. This cave, however, seemed to be more of a natural formation, and the Banished clearly favored aerial transport. He forced himself to stop his mind from wandering and break the awkward silence.

"My wish is to find something that creates more of a bang. These Banished weapons... while certainly effective, they feel uncomfortably... sterile. That, or a sword."