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."

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen
​

"Hm..."

Little by little, more information on this island and its past came to light.

Bravo Network, as he'd somewhat expected, was a series of F.O.B.s scattered throughout the land. It extended far beyond Rubikis Island, signifying some degree of UNSC presence at those locations, at least for a time. They could make for good objectives in the future, allowing the group to build further support and resources for upcoming conflicts.

The map even displayed a handful of points of interest, namely the Banished facilities on the island, though the yellow markers weren't as easy to discern. There were many of them, with one right by this F.O.B. and another at David's own target... perhaps they were small Banished settlements, or stashes of weaponry from either faction? There was no telling without further investigation.

The objectives relating to this location were fairly straightforward, with the exception of Operation 'FLIP AND SIZZLE'. Corporal Picket's records helped make some sense of it, as well as what its inhabitants had been doing here. 'Hannibal' ––likely the F.O.B.s' proper name–– was established by a displaced group of UNSC members, much like the others. There were mentions of the 'Created' and 'Infinity', and as he knew the latter to be from their world, the former likely were as well. Little indication of what they exactly were, however.

UNSC leadership came and went, as Lorens had previously mentioned. First the 'Admiral', then Redfield. These reports were from before Redfield's death, meaning Operations 'FLIP AND SIZZLE' and 'SIZZLE AND BURN' were likely part of that uprising... albeit a failed one. Hopefully enough could be salvaged from them to fuel this third strike against Rubikis.

In fact, it was Rubikis' influence that prevented a more severe response to the group's actions. The Banished's other leaders were not allowed to interfere with his business, giving this new uprising an opportunity to bring down Rubikis alone before needing to worry about any other warlords. It was probably as good a target as they could get.

After that... well, Picket put it best. It would be a free-for-all.

Threat Assessment and F.O.B. Diagnostics didn't seem particularly helpful, given the apparent lack of connection with the rest of the network. No AI implemented, no readings on the rest of the island's potential dangers. That left one last thing to get Copen's attention: the input log. Those messages... there was no telling if the network had been functional back then, but had they gone completely unanswered?

Despite the limited network, Copen reached for the input slab below the viewport, attempting to send out the message; "Is anyone there?"

With that done, Copen stepped away from the console, turning to the looting Kaminski.

"Looks like we've got about all we can from the files here," he called. "Aside from the major Banished facilities, there's a plethora of POIs scattered throughout the island. Their exact meaning is... unclear, but I theorize they may hold weaponry or other supplies, perhaps guarded by a few Banished. There should be one close by, northeast of here. Up to investigate?"​

 

[PaprusTeuton]

Kazaaak

Kazaak landed back on the ground, holding a mangled jackal torso. He stared at the bloodied remains of Joth Cur for a second, before ripping them in half in disgust. He felt... better. He was vaguely aware that a primal and basic self defense mechanism had just activated to allow him to perform that feat, and the good feelings are a reward for defending the brood.

He was also acutely aware that the remaining 2 jackals were fleeing for their lives. He turned to the avians. "TELL YOUR LEADER WHAT HAPPENED HERE!" he shouted at the fleeing Kig'yar, barely stopping himself from chasing after them and inventing various new war crimes on their heads.

He turned to JULIAN. "Nice shot," complimented the pirate captain, before turning to Keyes. "We're down a member and the enemy knows we're here, although they probably don't want to engage us after..." he vaguely gestured to the scattered Jackal limbs. "Where do we go from here?"

 

[Gamingfan]

The Knight
The Guardian tumbled down the mountain, limp as a doll, which probably helped avoid any further injuries as he bounced between stones before rolling to a stop. The Knight coughed, before slowly sitting up, feeling his chest. Predictably, the armor had been heavily damaged. Kanterbury armor was tough, but it wasn't designed for much of his later adventures, much less whatever craziness he was surrounded by now. The Guardian looked around aimlessly as he waited for his vision to refocus, speaking woozily towards no one in particular.
"...Did we win?"

 

[PaprusTeuton]

Kazaaak

"...Did we win?" spoke a familiar voice, although woozily. Kazaaak sharply turned to identify it and- Guardian was alive! How on earth had they survived the spi- whatever! As Kazaaak cut off his own internal monologue, he rushed up to the Knight and did something no other Mantis had ever done in the history of the species.

He gave a human a hug. This would be a very awkward situation for the Knight, as Kazaaak was still covered in Joth Cur's blood, and they could see scattered limbs and pieces of torso behind the mantis. "Yes, we won. We got the guy who shot you, and the other two ran away," the Mantis spoke in response to the Guardian's question. They could physically tell that the mantis was immensely relieved at their survival.

There are very many biochemical reasons for the mantis' immense relief, but I'm sure you can guess them and it's such a poorly studied field that I'm not going to look through thousands of papers to find the one that describes this. In any case, Kazaaak is relieved, Guardian is dazed but alive, and the squad is safe.

 

[comic]

LOST LOOT​

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

“Sterile...?” Bisenti raised a brow as he glanced at the spiker David held, old blood staining small parts of the blade’s undersides. “I think we’ve got different definitions of that word.”

The cave wasn’t welcoming, dark and strange, but it didn’t provide any more obvious signs of death or battle. Honestly, it came off as incredibly generic the deeper they went, the black cut through by the only source of light. No branching tunnels, no wildlife living within. Once deep enough within, there were no sounds either. No wind, meaning there was no second exit, no dripping water, mean this cave was terribly dry, and only the two men’s footsteps and breathing.

“Honestly I’d like more bang, too. A spanker would be nice right about now, that’d shut up any brute dumb enough to get in the way of that.”
​

INFORMATION RECOVERY​

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

After inputting his response in the console for the Input Log, nothing more happened.

Now proposing a detour to where the POI was supposed to be located, Kaminski came over and looked at it as well, finding he couldn’t deduce what they were either. Those points of interest had to have been corrupted in the files to not display anything. That, or nothing had been put in about them in the first place, merely as locations to investigate.

“Yeah sure, what’s another set of guns?” Kaminski said sardonically as he chambered a round in the BR75 and glanced in the direction of where Copen’s desired POI was at. Without a mobile map to follow of their own, they couldn’t be very precise, but they’d surely be able to find it anyway.

The pair set off, leaving behind F.O.B. Hannibal as they went in search of the nearby POI.

Just as they went into the trees, the screen for Hannibal pinged. A notification. A message, one responding to Copen’s.

‘I’m here. Are you receiving this?’
​

THE COURIER​

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

The squad was safe... for now.

The fleeing jackals, now far from view, would bring the hammer down on them if they didn’t vacate the immediate area. The facility was just up ahead, so they wouldn’t have to go far at all to rally a response, and next time, there’d be more to deal with than just a small jackal pack.

The Guardian was alive, but not at his best, injured and dazed. JULIAN had recovered somewhat, but a firefight like they’d had before with their limited options would prove devastating. And Lorens was bleeding out on the ground. It was Keyes who moved toward her first upon seeing the Guardian’s condition.

The woman was hanging on, though she was out cold. The gash in her back was deep, but as far as the captain could tell, nothing lethal had been severed. Just meat. It was a miracle she still had an intact spine, now that he was looking at the damage.

“The two who ran away will bring back some unwelcome company,” Jacob told the others, picking up where Kazaaak had finished his sentence. “What we need to do is clear the area quickly. They’ll recall the phantoms here to investigate, and that means a LOT of Banished.”

Keyes removed his officer dress shirt, pulling it over his head and leaving him only with the black undershirt to cover his torso. Lorens still had a little bit of biofoam she’d looted. Not really enough to cover everything, but enough to get the worst bits, so Keyes sprayed the foam over the deepest gashes before it sputtered out empty, then he used his decorated uniform to wrap around her middle and cover the wounds as best as he could.

He was nowhere near a medically-trained professional, but the UNSC made sure their people understood at least basic response to medical emergencies. They were trained to use biofoam, to craft makeshift splints, and to use the tools at their disposal to reduce or stop blood from leaving the body.

This was the best he could do, for now.

Once he was sure he’d done what he could, Jacob slid his arms under the private and hefted her up. “This can work in our favor...” Keyes grunted. “They’ll send units here, probably take some from our destination. That’ll clear up the facility a little, make it easier on us. So we’ll just have to loop around and hit from a different angle.”
​

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen
​

Kaminski reviewed the map for himself, and having no more information to go off of, agreed with the cyborg's reasoning. Copen took a moment to reload the M95 he'd recently acquired, returning to the rack by the first of the dead grunts to stock up on some additional ammo, before he set off for the next POI alongside the marine.

In no time at all, the two were back to wading through the trees. Their reclaiming of Hannibal had gone quite smoothly, and as discussed beforehand, held little in the way of Banished opposition. It showed how much the Banished were focusing on packing up and leaving the island, gathering what forces remained at the island's apex itself. That was both an advantage and a disadvantage – those splitting off on the side missions would likely have an easier time accomplishing their objectives, but the ones headed north would face significantly heavier resistance. Not to mention, they had a limited timeframe to work with already.

While they were working at a good pace, Copen couldn't help but wonder how the main group was faring.

The cyborg glanced to Kaminski as they moved, trying to take his mind off that with some light conversation.

"I should note... for someone who hadn't set foot on a planet for five years, you're still quite a good shot."​

 

[comic]

DETOUR​

—Tiberium Woods, Day 2 Early Morning—​

The hours were growing nearer to daybreak. The sky remained dark but there was a feeling in the air. The sun would return to the sky and give them light, which would certainly be helpful in speeding up the journey through the forest. More than a few times, Kaminski nearly wacked himself in the face with a tree branch in the way, or slipped on a poorly-angled rock.

"I should note... for someone who hadn't set foot on a planet for five years, you're still quite a good shot."

At Copen’s comment, Kaminski shoved a tree branch out of his face and stomped along, keeping pace with the iX. “Yeah, I know, pretty convenient I don’t need to shoot with my legs, right?” the man said. His dry tone made it difficult to tell if he was making a joke or being an ass. Probably the former, given the rapport they’d established, and how he’d expressed humor before. He did elaborate the next moment, however. “Living on ships is... clinical. We had gravity generators, it’s not like I floated everywhere, but the ground was flat, the gravity was artificial. It’s different than walkin’ around on a buncha rocks and weeds. Makes me feel wobbly. Don’t gotta worry about that for shooting, it’s simple, just aim and shoot. I’ve gotten very good at both of those.”

He glanced at Copen. “And what about you? I’ve never seen anyone turn their body... do what you... you know, the cybernetics. Closest we got is prosthetics, replace a lost limb. But I’ve seen you fight. Your whole body seems like it’s a machine.... are you a machine?”​

 

[Psymallard]

Star Spaniard
-Early Morning, Skow'r Cave-

"A 'spanker', eh?"

David grinned, his mind immediately going somewhere dirty as he glanced around the dry walls of the cave. Childish, he knew, but he wouldn't have much of a response otherwise. The spanker was likely some type of gun, given the context clues, but he hardly knew anything past that. Plus, goofing off kept the conversation going, which was the only stimulation he had right now.

"As long as we don't find one that enjoys being on the receiving end of it, I am sure that would be a fine weapon."

The swordsman looked to Bisenti, gauging his reaction. He kept the flashlight pointed ahead, but with the bounce light, he could make out his ally's face well enough. He knew it wasn't a good joke, but he hoped it kept Bisenti engaged. After a moment, Kavarr turned to look back ahead. He found himself wondering how far this cave would go on...

His smile faltered.

The Spaniard felt like there was a part of him that was missing. Well, not missing- inaccessible was the correct term, but it might as well be gone right now. He wasn't good with lengthy travels. Not by himself, but also not with some soldier he'd only just met. The piece that was missing... helped him through times like this.

David hated forcing himself to keep up with being friendly with a soldier of all people, but there was little other to do in this featureless cave. At least, until they found what they were looking for, but he could only stave off the awkwardness for so long. Even with this conversation he was feeling uneasy. Maybe it was because his mind was wandering to what the Banished had taken from him, but feelings of anxiety, frustration, and doubt had begun stirring in his chest. He needed something to focus on, or somebody other than some nobody from a military he'd never heard of.

...

He needed her.

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen​

Artificial gravity... It was technology Copen hadn't quite gotten the opportunity to see with his own eyes. His only venture on a spacecraft had been many decades ago, inside the limited, single-occupant Sabertooth. Even in his current time, gravity generators were few and far between, and the parallel world of the Grave Pillar held just as few examples. The idea of studying the mechanics for himself was rather enticing. There would probably be Banished or UNSC ships around featuring that technology...

Kaminski's following question snapped iX from his scientific thoughts. He raised a hand slightly in response, twisting it side to side as to indicate 'more or less'.

"'Cyborg' would be a more appropriate term. I was once human like you," he clarified, already hearing that familiar companion's voice in his head, chastising him for referring to himself as a non-human. Not his fault that certain systems didn't recognize him as one. "Most of my body has been modified or replaced with cybernetic parts, primarily for combat purposes. I've iterated on them considerably over the years. Armor-shifting to prioritize defense or speed, as you've seen, is the latest update."

Being reminded of Lola's absence and the upgrades of her own she received, he continued.

"...To myself, at least. There's some additional gear and belongings, but it seems the Banished confiscated them upon my capture."​

 

[comic]

LOST LOOT​

—Skow’r Cave, Day 2 Early Morning—​

Bisenti chuckled at David’s words, the sound reverberating through the cave. “Hey, if they could survive a direct hit, maybe they’ve earned it!”

They carried on, moving through the cave in another bout of silence. Bisenti wasn’t ignorant to David’s quick shift back into silence, but didn’t press him on anything. And finally, they reached the end of the cave. It came to an abrupt stop, no tunnels branched away, there was just a thick stone wall.

And no loot to speak of.

“Ah, damn,” Bisenti sighed at the sight of that.

Just like the entrance of the cave, there were signs of a struggle again. Spent shell casing, bullet holes, blood... but still no bodies. In fact, upon closer inspection, it seemed as though someone had taken the purple blood and smeared it on the walls, forming symbols; the same symbols seen in Grakken prison, the language used by the Banished. It bore some kind of meaning, likely a clue to the fabled loot - and where the bodies producing all this blood may have gone.

​

DETOUR​

—Tiberium Woods, Day 2 Early Morning—​

“Your whole body? Damn,” Kaminski shook his head, clearly impressed. Maybe even a little perturbed. “Never heard of someone doin’ that before. Probably don’t have to worry much about healthcare then, huh?”

The overgrowth was getting more abundant here, limiting how quickly they could get through the forest. The trees grew so closely together now that their canopies overhead were thick, forming a blanket against the sky, preventing the sunlight of daytime from touching the ground - and that meant no moss grew here. Just cold hard earth and gnarled roots that jutted out of the ground, tripping up Kaminski more than a few times.

Yet they did finally reach something. The POI, positioned almost perfectly with the distance it was from Hannibal. Something metallic and massive, wrapped in overgrowth. Tree limbs waved in front of it, vines and roots wrapping around it. The thing seemed almost... humanoid.

It was a mech of some sort, lost to the woods.
​

 

[Psymallard]

Disappointment in Spanish
-Early Morning, Skow'r Cave-
"What?!"

David threw his hands up as if to hold his head in them, but since his hands were full, they resolved to flop back down to his sides. After all of that- they had come up empty-handed. The past day or so seemed keen on continually kicking him down.

"¡¿Qué coño?! ¡No creo esta mierda!"

The swordsman had seen the writing on the wall. Some cryptic jackass was trying to send him on a wild goose chase to solve? He didn't remember what his given surname was, but it sure as hell wasn't Columbo. He didn't have time for this- it was supposed to be an easy score. David offered a frustrated sigh to the wall.

"This is just perfect. I don't suppose you know what that writing means?"

The Spaniard squinted as he studied the bloodstains on the wall. There was some kind of fight here, that was to be certain. But... had they taken everything? It was odd. ...Unless there wasn't a score to begin with.

David's grip on his spiker tightened and his jaw clenched as a possibility wormed its way into his mind. He glanced over at Bisenti from the corner of his eye. It was plausible that all the information he'd been spoon-fed about the Kig-yar stashing stuff in caves was a lie. Was it by design that David went on this mission with only a UNSC soldier? Maybe... Bisenti intended on being the only one walking out of this cave.

The mercenary certainly wanted to work with the UNSC if only to save his own skin, but did they see it the same way? The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Sure, Keyes seemed genuine, but he'd only just met the man. David knew those military officer types very much enjoyed exerting control- and were often cutthroat to boot. A roguish outlier such as Kavarr could be taken as a threat, one that needed to be dealt with.

"Anything else I should know about these Skirmishers?"

David was glaring at Bisenti now. An attempt to make the man lose his nerve... if he had hidden intentions. The swordsman would allow the marine the first move should that be the case. It would be his last.

 

[comic]

LOST LOOT, PVT BISENTI​

—Skow’r Cave, Day 2 Early Morning—​

David was, understandably, pretty unhappy about the reveal. At his question about the writing, Bisenti frowned, glancing at them. “Covenant writing, uh... shit, I don’t know what any of it means.”

He seemed oblivious to the merc’s growing suspicion and glare. The marine squinted at the different symbols, then around the room at the clues about them - but he was a leatherneck, not exactly mentally built for this kind of thing. He’d been raised as a farmer and trained to be a soldier. He was out of his league.

“Anything else I should know about these Skirmishers?”

Bisenti glanced at David, but missed the glare again, the spaniard’s flashlight getting in the way of that. “I told what I could, man. I mean... about the jackals, anyway. Skirmishers are a little different. Like, same species but also not? When we were all still in the prison, those aliens with the shields were jackals, but the ones on the surface with the snipers were skirmishers. They’re faster and smarter and... well, that’s about it.”

The marine approached one of the symbols, running his fingers over it. The blood was dry.

He turned back to David, shoulders sinking a little. “Woulda been nice to get some better guns off this... but...” the man’s brows creased as he peered upward. Something glinted on the ceiling. “Do you see that?”​

 

[Fraseandchico]

JULIAN

"Oh, joys, you're alive." JULIAN felt a scowl on his own voice as he looked upon the return of the Guardian - And picked up on the breathing of Lorens. He watched as Keyes patched up the unconscious human and lifted her up, something that was admitidly rather admirable if stupid.

JULIAN scanned and mused over the SPARK's condition - It was not ideal. Therefore, he had to agree with the assessment that staying and letting the enemy reinforcements converge on them would be a terrible idea, if just for his own sake and no one else's. In an ordinary circumstance, this could at least be mitigated via the BIT unit's repair functionality, but with the BIT taken, JULIAN could only curse any deeper damages rather than be capable of fixing them himself.

"Loop around, yes, yes, I have no issues with that plan. Do lead the way, Captain - Unless you want me to, of course." He agreed, trying to pretend he was cordial - which the AI was not. "I would recommend taking a left, circling, but also don't take my word, because this is not a scanning and scouting unit, and I am providing a guess."

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen
​

"...You could say that."

The topic was just about concluded, and before long, Copen and Kaminski came across the POI Hannibal had displayed. Not weaponry, at least of the standard variety, but instead...

"A mech...?" he muttered, scanning the abandoned artifact up and down. It was quite large, but with the thick forestry and overgrowth enveloping it, he doubted they could have found it without using that map. For nature to reclaim it to this extent... how long had it been left here?

Having stopped momentarily in surprise, the cyborg began to approach the mech, motioning for Kaminski to follow. "Perhaps we could get it operational, or at least salvage something from it..." he noted, inspecting its obscured body for any apparent armaments. "I don't suppose the UNSC or Banished typically employ this type of machinery?"​

 

[Psymallard]

David Kavarr
-Early Morning, Skow'r Cave-
Bisenti was either innocent, or very good at playing his role. However, the latter seemed to be supported when the private tried to redirect David's attention. The Spaniard was very familiar with the usage of distraction to precede an attack. He loved to do it himself, and in this instance, it seemed to him that Bisenti noticed his suspicion and wanted to get this over with. The swordsman sighed and leveled his Spiker with the marine's chest.

"I am both shocked and disappointed that Captain Keyes saw me as this much of a threat. He instructed you to take me down here to kill me, ¿sí? Away from the more... sympathetic of the group? That does not work for me, señor."

Out of the corner of his eye, he did see something on the ceiling. Apparently, it was not the most pressing issue to him at the moment.

 

[comic]

THE COURIER, CPT KEYES​

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

The Guardian was shaken up, but alive. Lorens was out, but alive. Everyone else still stood. It was something. Jacob found himself frustrated. They’d just been taken down a notch by a small pack of jackals, two of which had gotten away, and they hadn’t even arrived at their destination.

“Forgo the commentary and keep it brief,” Keyes snapped at JULIAN irritably as he took the lead, carrying Lorens as the group vacated the clearing.

Only a few minutes later, the five of them were clear of the ambush site. Through the trees, a couple phantoms could be seen moving to where they’d been. The sounds of distant brutes crashing through the trees was obvious as well, all moving to intercept the escaped prisoners. They’d be sorely disappointed.

Banished spirits were then seen, soaring up from some distant tree tops, carrying massive crates in their gravity beams upward and into the black sky. Keyes couldn’t see anything yet, not with how dark it was, but he didn’t doubt there was a ship hovering somewhere over the island. Probably not a giant one.

Hopefully.

“Sorry,” the captain said to JULIAN unexpectedly. “I’m stressed. Don’t need to be taking it out on you.”

As far as apologies went, that was Jacob’s best. Short and simple, exactly how the man preferred most interactions to go. He still wasn’t sure exactly what JULIAN was, as the A.I. underneath, but he knew it had to be intelligent beyond basic programming like a Dumb A.I.

It probably felt trapped by subroutines. Its requirement for commands probably frustrated it far more than it did Keyes, who had to give those commands.

Besides, having an honest and trustful rapport with those you surround yourself with, even as their commanding officer, was a key tenet to Jacob’s leadership philosophy. It was the oldest and most effective leadership strategy, employed by men as far back as Alexander the Great. Fight with your men, dine with your men, and die with your men. That inspired loyalty. Keyes did as much as he could by that principle, as much as the UNSC and its ever-growing list of rules would allow him anyway.

They were nearly there, now. Just ahead, where the spirits had been flying from was coming into view, a giant hole in the ground where the Banished were moving, loading up another giant crate for transport. Mostly brutes, half of them carrying multi-hundred pound containers on either shoulder as they stomped about.
​

DETOUR, PVT KAMINSKI​

—Tiberium Woods (Overgrowth Mantis), Day 2 Early Morning—​

“Get what operational?” Kaminski squinted.

His eyes couldn’t see what Copen’s could, but as the android drew the marine closer, he recognized what he was staring at. “God motherfuckin’ damn. I wouldn’t say ‘typically’ but yeah. Mech warfare’s a bit new but not totally unheard of.”

The marine was grinning, clearly excited at their find. “That, my friend, is a Mark-IX, but we just call it a Mantis.”

He hopped up onto the knee of the mantis, grabbing a vine to yank himself up the length of its body and to the top. “Definitely try to get it operational first. Hot damn, it must be my birthday!” Kaminski rubbed his palms together excitedly like an eager child on Christmas morning.

The mantis had two arms, both as intact as its leg, both with different armaments. Its left arm (on Copen’s right) seemed to be a rocket silo, five different barrels for dispensing explosive justice at rapid-fire pace. On its right arm was what seemed to be a smaller gun with a single barrel, two energy processors at the top and bottom of it. Some of the arm’s internals could be made out, with a clear rail inside, indicating that the right arm was a supersized rail cannon.

This lucky find was some serious firepower, if they could reactivate it.

Kaminski tugged on the top hatch of the mantis, but it didn’t budge. He set his rifle aside and got down on his knees, straining and grunting as he tried pulling it up. “Shit- help me get this sucker open.”
​

LOST LOOT, PVT BISENTI​

—Skow’r Cave (Chain Puzzle), Day 2 Early Morning—​

“What the fuck?”

Bisenti took a step back, nearly about to level his pulse carbine back at David... but he paused. Held at gunpoint, he didn’t budge another inch to avoid an early trigger-pull from the overly suspicious spaniard, who started to talk about something the marine wasn’t totally grasping.

“Instructed me to... what the hell’s gotten into you, man?” Bisenti eyed the spiker. “You were the one who wanted to come here. The captain just wanted to make sure you had back-up.”

His gaze lifted, absently eyeing up to the right, clearly thinking. “At least I think so. That would make the most sense...”

His eyes landed on the spiker again, then up at David. Bisenti squinted at the flashlight’s beam. “I’m not here to kill you, man, lower the damn thing already. No need to get all loco on me.”​

 

[Psymallard]

David Kavarr
-Early Morning, Skow'r Cave-
David's gun lowered slightly. Bisenti seemed genuine, even being pressured like this. And how exactly they could have known no one else would have volunteered for this mission remained a mystery. Subliminal messaging wasn't impossible, but it certainly was a stretch and David was beginning to doubt his assumption. There was no way he could bring himself to shoot just based on a suspicion- he needed a confession of some sort to be sure first.

"Do not lie to me, Private Bisenti. Such a thing could have easily been plotted last night. Keyes must have... correctly assumed that I would be interested in the prospect of treasure."

Despite his doubt, he continued his interrogation. Just one more push, acting as if he were sure of himself, would break most people that were held at gunpoint like this. If that didn't work... he'd likely made the wrong call.

 

[comic]

LOOST LOT, PVT BISENTI​

—Skow’r Cave (Chain Puzzle), Day 2 Early Morning—​

“You’re a deeply distrusting person,” Bisenti reasoned. “But I’ve been workin’ under Captain Keyes for a while now, since before all this, with the Sarge. He doesn’t care who you were or what you’ve done, and frankly neither do I. We came here for a jackal stash, and that’s the bottom line of it. So I’m tellin’ you, there’s something shiny right above our heads. Lower the gun and we can just forget about this whole, uh... thing. We’re all tryna get off this island, we gain nothing from offing you, man.”

The marine was level. He usually wasn’t the brightest bulb in any room, courtesy of a farmer’s upbringing, education was never really put on him to any real degree, but he’d been in the face of war for well over 20 years since he was a very young man - he could keep his head when he needed to.
​

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen
​

It was a Mantis, Kaminski confirmed. Funny coincidence, considering Copen had once seen mechs of the same name with armaments not too unlike this one. The marine's newfound excitement led to him rushing straight to the abandoned machine, climbing up the leg to access what the cyborg recognized as an entry hatch.

While he didn't outwardly show it, a find like this similarly gave Copen some optimism. The prospect of overwhelming the Banished's defenses with a variable like this was undeniably exciting. It would certainly help in turning the tides, no doubt. That was, of course, it could be powered on...

"On it," he called as Kaminski struggled with the hatch, the cyborg's armor reconfiguring to Bullit-Shift and quickly propelling him to the top of the mech. Touching down beside the marine, Copen made to pull on the hatch in unison with Kaminski, additionally using some extra force from his thrusters.​

 

[comic]

DETOUR​

—Tiberium Woods (Overgrowth Mantis), Day 2 Early Morning—​

With Copen’s help, the hatch finally opened with a suctioning sound - the cockpit had been air-tight, clearly for a while. The smell of must came from within. Kaminski grunted his thanks and peered in, but it was far too dark to see anything. “Usually these things are open in the back, you just hop right in. Don’t usually need the emergency hatch otherwise... man this thing’s been here a while.”

Copen could see a mess of controls within, though no overgrowth had penetrated the mantis into the interior, a good sign that the mech still had operational integrity.

“No lights, emergency power’s out, too,” the marine sighed, pulling back and sitting down. “Don’t think there’s much we could do, then. The weapons really can’t be used by themselves, either, so... huh...”

He was silent for a moment, giving Copen some time to think and look, but Kaminski lifted his head in a few moments. If one could see it, a light bulb would be flickering over his head. “Hey... you used a plasma pistol battery to charge up the door outta the prison earlier, right? Maybe that trick could work again?”​

 

[ArmedBlue]

Copen
​

The inside of the Mantis appeared to have been well-protected from the elements. Copen's main concern was powering it, though, and Kaminski soon concluded the mech was completely dead. Using its weaponry separately was clearly a no-go without a power source and a way to carry it, as the marine said, making reviving the Mantis the easiest option. It was just a matter of figuring out how.

As Kaminski thought for a bit, the cyborg jumped into the machine, searching around for any sort of opening or hatch that would contain the Mantis' main or backup power source, like a reactor or a generator. The marine recalled his earlier trick to open a door back in Grakken Prison, asking Copen if it would do the trick.

"I diverted some power from my armor's power generator, actually," he spoke, voice echoing slightly within the enclosed space. "It could be rather resource-draining to use on the Mantis, however, not to mention it would root me to the spot." he added. Maybe it could work as a last resort, though...

He took out his plasma pistol as he explained, examining the battery. Slightly over eighty percent.

"...I'll see what I can do with the pistol's battery, though. Give me a moment."

Setting the pistol down, he began to fiddle with the weapon in an attempt to remove the battery. While it was unfamiliar technology to him, Copen hoped it would be intuitive enough of a process – and should it prove too complicated to remove with just his hands, he could modify his armor slightly to form makeshift tools.​

 

[Psymallard]

David Kavarr
-Early Morning, Skow'r Cave-
The Spaniard considered for a moment more. Then, he lowered his gun with a sigh.

"This island has me high-strung..."

He didn't offer an apology, nor did he entirely admit he was wrong. Bisenti was right, he was deeply distrusting. This was not the first time he had searched for reasons to be distrustful, and it would not be the last. Now that the scenario was in his head, he continued to find it hard to let go, and would keep an eye watching his back around the UNSC for the foreseeable future. Still, David recognized that it was time to move on presently. He aimed the flashlight up to the ceiling, specifically where the shiny object was located.

 

[comic]

DETOUR​

—Tiberium Woods (Overgrowth Mantis), Day 2 Morning—​

“Oh, my bad,” Kaminski said casually to his misinterpretation of the earlier event (likely confusing it for what Keyes had suggested at the time).

The cockpit of the Mantis was a mess of controls, buttons, inactive lights, and three separate black screens. It was entirely confusing to look at, but a lot of UNSC technology was - all you needed to know were like, three controls to make it actually function as intended.

Warthogs, for example, had more pedals than there were directions to drive in. You only really needed to use two.

Notably, to the left of the arm slot that connected to a semi-joystick, there was a small compartment. His night vision easily deduced, based on the interior, that this cylindrical compartment housed a battery source. Not that primary one deep inside of the mantis core, but a conduit to power it up - exactly what he needed.

“If you get power running, the core should recharge itself,” Kaminski told Copen as he peered in from above. “So it’s just a matter of booting it. After that, it takes care of itself. No fuel needed.”

The plasma pistol, while sleek and seemingly intricate, came apart rather easily once he peeled off the top coating panel to expose a layer of basic wires and a button underneath. Said button made the weapon give off a hiss before the entire item disassembled, ports ejecting, panels sliding away, and the core emerging out of the side of the weapon, glowing a bright yellow-green. It was hot to the touch.

The weapon battery gave enough of a glow for Kaminski to start looking around at the interior, nodding his head in approval at the condition.
​

LOST LOOT​

—Skow’r Cave (Chain Puzzle), Day 2 Morning—​

“Yeah,” Bisenti agreed, eyeing David for a moment, his own suspicions and uncertainties roused. There was a tension in the air that hadn’t been there before.

David turned the flashlight beam up to the ceiling, revealing what exactly the glint was. A short chain dangled out of a hole in the top of the cavern’s center - obviously meant to be pulled. What it would do when pulled, exactly, was the mystery.

“Well isn’t that somethin’,” Bisenti said. “I wasn’t lyin. I’m downright shocked.”

There was an air of flatness to his tone that contrasted the lighthearted nature he’d displayed earlier, which was completely absent now.​

 

[Fraseandchico]

JULIAN

Keyes's irritation made JULIAN feel somewhat smug - Just like any other human, after all... Still, he followed that order, acting as if it was more than just the body that was controlled by commands - It was slightly more interesting to fake that, after all. The squad moved through the trees, clear of the ambush site - Though JULIAN held off on the minor commentary of the trees and foliage being soooo easy to navigate.

“Sorry,”
Keyes spoke.
“I’m stressed. Don’t need to be taking it out on you.”

"...What?" JULIAN was surprised at the apology from Keyes. Of course, Keyes's assumptions about JULIAN be trapped by subroutines and feeling frustratated was entirely accurate. But that didn't mean the AI understood the apology, after all, XCOM personel would never offer such an apology for-

Ah. That was right. He had tried to kill them brutally, which he hadn't done to Keyes yet. That probably explained it.

"...You sound sooo pretentious." JULIAN claimed. "I was going to leave you to die back at the prison if the programming blocks didn't show their ugly lines, you know." He continued, trying to hide any conflicted feelings on the apology. Regardless, whenever the group got closer to the objective, the SPARK's inclined itself towards staying low - An automatic procedure from the war against ADVENT, where XCOM was reliant on guerilla warfare, was to remain in stealthier positions, remain out of sight, until shots had been fired.