[M] Kill Field: War of Subjugation (IC)

[Blazing Falcons]

November 18, 2776, In orbit over Versia. 0100 hours.

Alliance naval command had been expecting an attack for weeks, and had heavily reinforced Versia for some time. However, as time went on, ships were called to reinforce other fleets and positions. When the fleet had been reduced to an average size, a vrikan fleet dropped out of warp. In thirty minutes, the defending fleet had been obliterated by the surprise attack.

As the last shots were being fired in orbit, transports began ferrying ground troops and equipment to a landing zone just outside of the city of Rift. Unfortunately for the attacking forces, a larger Alliance fleet that had been sent to reinforce Versia dropped out of warp at 0350. Rather than risk losing the entire fleet and the forces that had yet to be deployed to the planet, the vrikan fleet made an emergency jump back to friendly space.

On the ground, platoon leaders tried to get adrenaline pumping, and off to a quieter corner of the camp, special forces team leader Karak R'ayth and his team watched drone footage, making notes of the positions of enemy officers. Karak's team was tasked with eliminating as many of them as possible, including the Alliance's top commander, who was reported to be on planet as well. The special forces team would insert 30 minutes before the battle was to begin.

And so their time had come.
---
Michael Rasputin surveyed his men, and the burning skies above him. The thunder of the city's Anti-air defenses cracked and boomed loudly overhead. The reports were vague on numbers, but no small number was the general consensus. Michael had been flown in, against his wishes, he would have been better on the front lines, cutting out the heart of enemy commanders, rather than in this city. But it is his duty.

He turns to them, gesturing toward the Advancing enemy, his cybereye gleaming in the rain. "Do you see that? He says, but with only spooked silence from the defenders, "I said, do you see that?" Only more silence. "ANSWER ME!" He yells, to which he finally gets a few yessirs.

He begins to laugh maniacally, throwing his head back, before grimly facing his men again. "Are you all insulted as I am? THIS is what they send against us? This RABBLE?! We hold one of the mightiest cities on the face of this planet. The fury of its guns sends all skyborne enemies to the ground in flames. We stand united in our thousands, our weapons without number, our purity without question and our hearts beating courage through our blood." He continues passionately, thumping his chest. "And THIS is how they attack us? Brothers and sisters... A legion of beggars and alien dregs wheezes its way across the plains. Forgive me when the moment comes when they wine and weep against our walls. Forgive that I must order you to waste ammunition upon their worthless bodies. I have heard many speak my name in whispers since I came to Rift. I ask you now: Do you know me?"

A few yeses are heard from the assembled masses. "DO YOU KNOW ME?!" There are louder yeses."I. AM. MICHAEL. RASPUTIN. OF THE TERRAN TRUEBORNS! A BROTHER TO THE STEEL LEGIONS OF THIS DEFIANT WORLD!" What follows are a few loud cheers, but they really aren't into it. Michael, however, just kicks it up a notch.

"Never again in life will your actions carry such consequences. Never again will you serve as you serve now. No duty will matter as much and no glory will taste as true! We are the defenders of Rift! On this day we carve our legend in the flesh of every alien we slay! WILL. YOU. STAND. WITH. ME?!" Thunderous cheers follow. "WILL YOU STAND WITH ME?!" More thunderous cheering.


"Sons and daughters of the Alliance! Our blood is the blood of heroes and martyrs! They DARE tread the sacred soil of our world?! We will throw their bodies from these walls when the final day dawns!" Ravenous, mad cheering follows. " THIS IS OUR CITY! THIS IS OUR WORLD! SAY IT! SAY IT! CRY IT SO THAT THE BASTARDS IN ORBIT WILL HEAR OUR FURY! OUR CITY! OUR WORLD!"

"OUR CITY! OUR WORLD!" the defenders reply

Michael turns back to the direction the enemy is coming from, laughing. "RUN ALIEN DOGS! COME TO ME! COME TO US ALL! COME AND DIE IN BLOOD AND FIRE!"

"BLOOD AND FIRE!" the defenders echo.

"FOR THE TRUEBORNS! FOR THE STEEL LEGION! FOR RIFT!"

"FOR RIFT!" cry the defenders

"LOUDER!" Michael retorts

"FOR RIFT!" They reply, making such noise as could drown out the very storm. "THEY CANNOT HEAR YOU BROTHERS!" Michael, shouts, goadingly, prodding them on, making them mad with pride and courage.

"RIFT!" the defenders howl.

"HURL YOURSELVES AT THESE WALLS INHUMAN FILTH! DIE ON OUR BLADES! I. AM. MICHAEL. RASPUTIN. AND I WILL CAST YOUR CARCASSES FROM THESE HOLY WALLS!" Michel howls.

"MICHAEL! MICHAEL! MICHAEL!" The defenders chant madly.

[Ma1chbox]

"Facit omnia voluntas. The will is decisive."

Joerg mumbled these words to himself like a mantra as he looked out into the war-torn plains. In these early morning hours, the planet basked in the harsh flashes of cannonfire and bombardment. Defenders and reinforcements alike were swarming out from the safety of their bunkers and dropships and into their positions on the ramparts. The calm before the storm had passed. He checked his equipment once again, although he'd already done so countless times. He was by no means a fresh grunt, but he, like many other seasoned soldiers, still always had that last hint of doubt before every battle. Just as the defenders were finishing up on preparations, a booming voice echoed from somewhere along the line. Joerg, along with everyone else, instinctively turned his head towards the sound.

There stood Michael Rasputin, the legendary hero himself, standing tall amidst the troops. All along the battle lines, the soldiers murmured and clamored among themselves, confirming that the rumors were indeed true, and that he would be fighting alongside Rift itself. Already, the doubt was slowly washing away. Joerg listened on, silently at first, but eventually, he too got caught up in the intensity of the moment, screaming his heart out and raising his heavy weapon in response to the legendary figure.

"OUR CITY, OUR WORLD!"

"BLOOD AND FIRE!"

"FOR RIFT!"

"MICHAEL! MICHAEL! MICHAEL!"

The rousing speech had sparked an intense frenzy that came over every single defender. Not a single ounce of doubt remained in their hearts, only bloodlust and a vigorous sense of duty remained. The ramparts seemed to shake with mad fury as every man and woman present stamped their feet and thumped their chest rhythmically, making damn well sure that the entire Vrikan empire could hear them. One by one, the defenders turned back towards the incoming onslaught, weapons primed and ready for war.

"Facit omnia voluntas. The will is decisive." Joerg said to himself. Not with fear this time, but with conviction.

[Blazing Falcons]

SIT-REP
Karak's team has entered the city.
The assault from the main Imperial force begins.
---
The spur team was just barely inside the city and already his marksman was pointing out vantage points looking over the Alliance trenches. Karak looked to the nearby civilian structures. "Auth, pick a building, take the slave. You'll spot targets and give her cover if they return fire. The slave will target their officers. The rest of you, with me; we're going hunting."

Artillery rumbled from the alliance's side. The main force's commander's voice came onto the radio. "Karak, I know demolitions are a specialty of yours, so if feasible could you do something about those artillery emplacements? As well as any anti-air you find. We can handle the enemy's outer defenses, but those guns will tear us up. Out."

"Roger that, Striker 1 will eliminate enemy long range and air defenses. Out." He looked back to his squad, "Let's go. Every shell that gets fired lowers our odds of success."

After a few seconds, alliance artillery roared again. There was a cannon nearby. Karak peeked around a corner. Or a trio of cannons. "Auth, do you have eyes on us?" Karak asked.

"Yes my lord." Auth answered.
"Can you see the enemy guns around the corner?"
"Yes my lord."
"Priority targets are anyone loading and firing those guns. Start with the furthest gun. Fire at will."

A rifle screeched, and Karak and his team advanced, still under the cover of their stealth suits. Karak spotted an officer taking cover and trying to raise the alarm. Karak shouldered his vampire SMG and fired a burst into his chest. The vibrations of the weapon firing disrupted his cloak, and he was quick to acquire a new target so to minimize his vulnerability while moving for cover himself. The initial strike caught the humans off guard and they were all quick to fall. Karak reloaded his SMG and took the ID tags from the body of the officer. He made a habit of it in case the dead man was someone the empire wanted dead especially bad.

Once that was done, Karak armed charges on each of the artillery pieces, motioned for his team to get to cover, and spoke into his mic. "Aoth, you and the slave reposition and support the primary force. Prioritize targets at your discretion."

Click. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

That should make things easier for the main force. Artillery rumbled, deeper in the city. Karak started forward, and his commandos followed.

[Cfavano]

As the Vrikan assault force appears over the Horizon, Michael Muses to himself as the air raid siren dies down. I have always believed there was something beautiful in the very first moments of a battle, He thinks as the barrels for the various point defense autocannons and artillery lower into position. Here are the moments of highest emotion. He can feel it, the tension, the readiness. The fear of mortal men, the frustrated bloodlust and screaming overconfidence of mankind's enemies. In the moments when a battle is joined, the purity of the human species is first revealed to the foe.

He inhales, smelling the damp air as lightning flashes once again, thunder rumbling and rolling. He feels the wind, his olfactory booster picking up several scents; sweat, gun oil, the scent of alien flora, even. It is not fear that grips him, only a heightened sense of things. He exhales, seeing the oncoming assault. He raises his hand slowly, purposefully, raises it high, then makes a quick slashing movement before yelling, "FIRE!" And hell is unleashed.

[Malyka]

The day he came for me.

Ayka was almost one of the youngest prisoner of the prison, she glanced at her cards and sighed once and put them down "I pass" she spoke and stood up and wanted to walk away but one of the men grabbed her wrist and grinned at her She just wanted to say something to him when one of the guard's came running and ordered her to walk with him because there was a visitor for her.

Akya put her blond hair into a stare and walked with the guard and pulled the jacket of her prison uniform straight and walked into the room where someone was waiting for her, when she saw who it was, she sighed once, and sat down. "Well hello Michael" was the only thing she was against him with a grin on her face.

__________________________________________________ ________________

Ayka stared at Michael from a distance, and looked at her gun for a moment and sighed, knowing that for the time being she would not get a better shot from him, just from her past, she heard the use of the men and women.

"OUR CITY, OUR WORLD!"

"BLOOD AND FIRE!"

"FOR RIFT!"

"MICHAEL! MICHAEL! MICHAEL!"

"Ow please" she mumbled and looked at the enemy, and grinned "This is going to be a lot of fun" she grinned and looked at Michael again and waited for his order.

"FIRE !!"

And with these words Ayka started to shoot

[MidKnight]

Standing in the armor on one of the ships. He stood there holding the helmet in his hands. His claws touching the surface as he examined it carefully. He heard the others as they prepared for the upcoming battle. The sounds of hissing and scales slithering. Slaves whimpered often at the hands of their masters. He hums for a second and placed the helmet over his head. Carefully placing it on completely over his scales and horns. Once the helmet was attached properly he picked up his weapon and gives it a quick examination.

He growled softly as he placed the weapon on his back and checked his secondary weapon. Loading it with a fresh clip and grabbed a few extras included grenades, flash bang, flares. He was just a regular soldier like the others. He followed orders and would follow his brethren to their deaths.

The sounds of sirens blaring off gave him a quick jump and realized it was time. Time for an attack was on hand. He rushed with his fellow warriors to the shuttles to prepare for surface landing. The movement was in sync of boots filled his ears. The sounds of growls and hissing was exciting. He had never seen so many others like him before. Rushing to a fight was a thrill to his bones.

He hopped onto a shuttle and sat on a seat. The feeling of shuttles closing and his heart pumping was very exciting. He could also feel the shuttle moving steadily knowing it was enroute to the surface of the planet. He couldn't help it but smile at the shuttle started to shake and vibrated. They were getting closer to their target. The landing was rough as the doors opened quick. Sounds of explosions and gunfire filled the shuttle bay and everyone started hopping out like a wave of sea onto dry land.

Rushing out as bombs exploded near him caused the dirt to fly high sky. He quickly moved to find cover and open fire on his enemies. He waited for further orders as he continued moving.

[Malyka]

Alicia looked at her master and felt for a moment at her cheek that was still blue and sensitive from yesterday, she had a big mouth to him because she refused to do something, and was therefore severely punished because she went against the rules.

For a moment she looked at her weapon and checked it and hovered the other slaves just to make sure they were ready some were afraid and some had no fear of dying for their master, she found that those slaves were too much under the power were from their master.

Alicia looked back at her superstar and saw his stern gaze, and she stared at him for a moment, but quickly looked away and waited until she was ordered to leave, and that did not last long and she ran along with the rest of the slaves.

[Ma1chbox]

In the heat of the moment, Joerg shut out everything once more. The rolling thunder, the distant booms of shelling, the vigorous chanting, all faded and muffled in the final lull. He took advantage of this brief moment of focus to zero in his sights on the Vrikan transports landing en masse on the horizon. His breathing slowed to a crawl, as his finger crept slowly into the trigger guard, waiting only for the signal to unleash hell. Then, finally, it came.

"FIRE!"

And with that command, the gunner's senses came flooding back into him. The sounds of war rang in his ears, and the smell of burnt propellant began to fill his nose. Feeling no hesitation, he squeezed hard on the trigger of his LMG, sending a whole stream of lead right at the invading forces. Even in the heat of battle, he kept his cool and remembered his training, but his aggression was plain to see in his long but controlled bursts into enemy clusters. His vision had narrowed to his weapon's sight as he relished in the adrenaline rush. Finally, after what seemed to him like ages of firing, he heard the click of his last bullet leaving the chamber.

Immediately, he snapped out of his zone and began the reloading process. This notoriously took longer for heavy gunners like him compared to the regular troops, but Joerg's experience was apparent in the way he moved. Each motion was practiced like clockwork, no doubt drilled into muscle memory from countless hours of training. Then, he stopped for a moment.

The gunner doubted his senses for a moment, before realizing that some loud cracks and a flashes came from behind the defenders' battle lines. He ducked behind the low wall for cover and turned towards the city, surveying it from his high perch on the city walls. It took a while, but he finally realized that in a few places where there used to be defensive guns, there were now only thick, black plumes of smoke rising from craters. He looked around at his comrades, checking if anyone else noticed. A few others had turned around to look as well, but a vast majority were focused on the landing Vrikan force bearing down from outside the walls.

Although he still had a shred of doubt if what he was seeing was true or if he was just imagining things, he decided to go with his gut feeling. In his loudest voice, trying his best to be heard over the ear-splitting gunfire, he yelled. "SABOTEURS IN THE CITY! THE GUNS ARE BEING SILENCED!" He knew his voice, even at its loudest, would only reach a few men in the thick of battle, but he trusted they would pass the message along the line. In anticipation of possible new orders, he finished up reloading his weapon and racked the bolt.

[Blazing Falcons]

Sit-Rep
Within minutes, the alarm is raised that there are Imperial saboteurs in the city. Artillery fire is becoming lighter as the battle gets closer.

Imperial infantry and armor have arrived at the trenches. Imperial artillery has eased off.

The thunder storm is growing in intensity.
---
From the sounds of battle coming from the outskirts of the city, Karak felt certain that the alliance artillery wouldn't be as damaging to the attackers anymore. A pity, considering he'd only managed to silence three guns before the battle really began, and because his team had just now located another position. A large street had been cleared for the guns to set up on. More importantly, this position had anti-air defenses. If more air space was opened up, it would allow the main force to increase the pressure.

The rain made getting to the air defenses harder, however. The water running down their stealth suits made them easier to detect. It was far from negating the benefits of the suits, but an attentive eye could see where the world was "off."

"When I give the order, lay down cover fire." Karak ordered, "I'll sneak in and place charges on the anti-air emplacements. Once that's done we'll radio for an air strike. Pick a position, and keep them focused on it. I'll radio when I'm in position."
---
"There, to the left of the machine gun nest. He's got a battle rifle, in the middle of reloading." Auth called out. "Neutralize him, then we reposition."

Aklato found the target, waited for him to expose his back, and lined up a shot where she estimated his spine to be. The tell-tale booming screech echoed through the apartment she was shooting from, followed by a second shot from Auth. The human collapsed, and the two snipers retreated back into the hallway, out of sight of anyone looking for them. The doors separating the apartments from the hallway were surprisingly easy to break down, though Auth was built heavier than most vrika, which worked in his favor.

"Do you think they've figured out where to look yet?" Aklato asked as she inserted a fresh magazine and worked the bolt to chamber a round.

"No. And we can be long gone by the time they do if we keep the shooting as quick as we are." Auth assured.

Some would lie to slaves to make them stop talking and get back to work. However, as Aklato had been tested time and time again over the years, and the fact that his life was at risk alongside hers, he meant everything he said. He slid a window open enough for the two to poke their rifles through, and started the process of identifying a new target without another word.
---
Artillery cannons roared, and as the crews reloaded, Karak made the last move he needed to make to feel close enough to work without interruption. "In position." He stated to his team.

A grenade impacted near a gun and sent two humans sprawling to the ground. Then a hail of gunfire gave them the direction they needed to fight back, and the distraction Karak needed to ruin their day. He moved forward, knife in one hand, subjugator in the hand resting on it. His finger was kept away from the trigger as he advanced towards the nearest AA gun. He had years of experience, but being this close to the enemy still made his heart pound. At times he thought it pounded harder than when he was actually fighting them. Perhaps it did. When he started a fight while stealthed, he had the advantage, even if only for a few seconds. But making use of those seconds could turn the fight in his team's favor.


The first gun. There was a dead human resting against it. He set a charge between the human and the gun, and advanced to the next gun. The gunfire eased up as Karak's team started slowing their fire, and humans had retreated to cover trying to find the invisible aggressors. Another gun, another concealed charge. There was one left. And there were humans clustered around it. He retrieved one of his fragmentation grenades, armed it, cooked it off, and threw it in hopes that it would explode right next to the barrels of the anti-air gun.

Boom!

A number of humans were lower to the ground, dead, unconscious, or just taking cover, it made no difference to Karak. The gun was disabled. "Charges set, fall back." He ordered.

Karak moved back to the corpse that he used to conceal one of the charges and retrieved a colored smoke grenade. He popped it and retreated out of the area. After he was clear, he detonated the charges. "Command, this is Striker 1 Actual, enemy anti-air fortifications eliminated, there's some free sky in the city and a number of unprotected artillery pieces. Orange smoke marking the location. Out."

After a moment, command's voice came onto the radio, "Command to Striker 1, strike craft are inbound. Excellent work."

Karak had just regrouped with his team when the engines could be heard, and then the explosions. Damn we're good. he thought to himself.

[Cfavano]

Michael gets the report over his commlink and grimaces. Activating his sub-vocal link he replies "Central, have the UAV security drones perform a multi-spectrum scan of the city and come back to me, over." He waits several minutes until he gets a reply. Vrikan Radio signals have been spotted, as well as odd-moving thermal signatures. "Roger, Eagle One, out." He says, terminating the link.

He turns and faces her personal squad, decked out in their customized marine armor, resplendent with personal herldry. "Trueborns, hear me! Foul vermin have infested the sanctified streets of our redoubt. It is time for the hunt. Ready yourselves." He says, facing each of them, Alice nods when he looks sat her, and raises his standard high. "I think we should bring some more hounds with us."

Going through the lines, he finds Ayka and kicks her to get her attention. "Get up, kid, you'e coming with me. The time to prove yourself is now." He says, dispassionately and looking away from her. He also single out the soldier who he found out first noticed the infiltration. He kicks Joerg and then points at him. "You noticed what I did not. I am promoting you to Corporal, and you are going on a hunting trip with me. Move it." He says, pointing his thumb at the gathering soldiers.

--------------------

Michael leads the squad through the city toward an intersection of the path that the heat signatures are taking, seeking to head them off at the pass. The soldiers are spread out in a column. Jeorg and Ayka would notice that the trueborns would chant oddly as they walked, and their gear was certainly not of the same quality as theirs, it was much better. Most noticed was the girl carrying the large banner flapping in the wind. Not a one of them were under six feet tall, either, even the females.