[center][b]Steel and Smoke[/b] Through neon haze and sirens’ wail, A lone shade walks the war-torn trail. Gunfire hums, the city cries, Yet in his heart, the old ways rise. A blade of light, a soul of steel, Honor bound, yet paid to kill. Silent steps through shattered stone, A modern samurai—alone. No lord to serve, no clan to call, Just duty, cold, yet noble thrall. Through fire, through blood, through broken sky, He draws his sword— And warriors die.[/center] Ban steps slowly, his Jika-tabi, with steel toes, crunch on the ground, the man walking almost elegantly out onto the battle field. He makes for Camp Bravo, moving carefully. His left hand holding his sword hilt, the other cradling the rifle Sam had made for him. Behind his mask, and the paint on his face, his face is grim, this is it, this is how it's boiled down to. This is the true umami of the time they've followed the blood too. As he enters Camp Bravo, the first man he meets is some poor PLA private who just stares at the modern day ronin striding towards him. And it's not even a full draw, as Shimura draws with his off hand, Iai style, and smashes the pommel of his family blade into the privates throat. Just one strike. The private drops choking and gripping his throat. It's that easy. Shimura keeps walking, entering the first building. A PLA corporal peeking out at the sound of the front door opening. Dar's off hand flicks as a throwing spike catches the corporal high in the chest this time. He let's out a shout of pain, and this starts a chain reaction. It's a barracks Ban realizes then, well good, this will get this started prettily. He swings his rifle up, and the first three PLA catch rounds to the throat. These are messy kills. They go down choking on their own blood. Shimura skips forward and into the doorway of one of the rooms, scanning the inside of it quickly finding empty cots, they likely have either gone off to other areas of the base, or to one of the other combat areas. Even distantly he can hear the whine and bang of the fighting in other areas. Explosions and gun fire. He can only imagine what's going on out there. He turns back into the hallway of the barracks then, to find the hall starting to fill with PLA, guns lowered and inching forward. He grins, "Yosh, this is what I'm looking for." He hangs the rifle and cinches it up to his side. And draws first one sword then the other. The PLA watching in surprise as they are faced with a man, wielding a Daisho, the two swords of a Ancient Era samurai. One blade gleams red in the light of the room, it's edge almost glowing. The other, it's edge gleams blue in the light. Ban takes one step forward then, then another. The first PLA soldier takes a step back, in that moment, intimidated by the man in the modern yoroi armor, and bearing two swords. He doesn't get more then another two steps. Shimura leans forward and charges. The man behind the first PLA in line shouts for the first to get out of the way. The second man leaning and getting a few shots off, that miss wildly as he tries not to flag his groupmate. By the time the first in the line is moving, Shimura is on him, a double slash, cuts his rifle down, then the second slash cuts the PLA soldier open. Little wasted movement, as he's moving again. On to the next in line, he turns part way to the man, spinning out of the line of fire of the PLA mans rifle, the rounds the PLA soldier fires firing off the mark. Shimura hacks down on the PLA soldiers wrists. His mono-filament edge sword passing right through flesh and bone with nary a stop. As the unhanded PLA soldier falls over, looking at his stumps. So does Shimura look to the rest, all the way down the barracks building stacked up, in some places four abreast. He tips his head down, his eyes gleaming, "Shall we?" Before he charges again. [hr] Jamie grins brightly, shucking the OTH rig, letting it fall onto it's idle stand. he meanwhile stepped to the edge of the platform. Watching Athena falling, he nods then takes a simple casual step off the edge of platform himself. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, letting myself present as easy a profile as he can. He accelerates. He's used to drop pod insertions after all. The thruster pack hissing, adjust his fall. After abit, he's falling fast enough that the angles of his suit cause a howling sound, something akin to the howl of the Stuka Trumpet of Jericho or the whistle of the F4U Corsair. Enemy on the ground look around, and at each other before they look to the skies. Jamie's thruster pack kicks in, slowing his descent, and a pair of large ballshaped impact pads blast out of the back of his legs, cushioning his landing. But it's still like someone dropped a bomb! He hits and throws up a cloud of dirt, dust a debris. Knocking opFor down just from the impact. As the PLA get to their feet, checking on each other, they hear a sinister hiss, and as the last of the debris hits the ground, Jamie steps out of shallow crater he created, The Throngler, his battle axe in hand, and holding his Twin Linked HMGs in his other hand. He grins, "Gentlemen! I have come to enjoy myself!" He signals to the squad as he begins to wade into the company of PLA he's landed among, "Scion is on the ground, Taking care of some poor bastards, I'll link up shortly! [hr] The barracks has gone quiet now, and a large contingent of PLA stand outside it's back door. Guns, and a few heavies stand ready and waiting. One of them yelling in Cantonese [i]"Enemy soldier! We have you surrounded! Come out with your hands up. Or so help us we will kill you!"[/i] They wait and watch, until the door slide open abit, and 7 small metal balls come bobbing out, they look like toys, and one of the PLA even picks one up and stares at the strange white substance within. Until with a click it ignites. Willie Pete! White Phosphorus smoke grenades going off...and creating heat hazards. That's four of the small metal balls, the other three kick off in black powder explosion, creating concussion effects. Disorientation and concussion effects allow for the whirling dervish of death and steel, that is Shimura to come flying out of the building. He almost flies into the smoke, his swords flashing. Harsh breathes growling from his face mask. One of the heavies that's outside of the smoke firing into it. His teammates crying out in horror as they are cut down. But as the smoke clears the heavy waits to see if anyone is standing. But nothing but his downed teammates, many of them struck down with sword blades. He looks around sweeping where the temari balls still sizzle. Seeing one of his Heavy teammates who got caught in the smoke and explosions is down, having been pulled right out of his armor, and shot. As the heavy takes a step forward he suddenly howls. And turns, something just stuck him...through his armor! He turns and finds Ban jumping back his new Naginata in hand, sweeping it artfully and skillfully, "Over here [i]yōkai[/i]. Not paying attention are you?" The Heavy finishes his turn and backpedals. Ban leaping forwards. The Heavy kicks out, swatting Shimura to the side. Thinking he's int he clear the Heavy reaches for his three barreled rotary cannon, but then shouts out in horror as a kunai blade, a foot long and 4 inches wide attached to a length of steel cabling lashes out, catches him high on the chest armor. And he's pulled forward. Being top heavy he stumbles forward, trying to catch himself. Watching in horror as Ban is waiting having released tension on his Kunai and chain, and waiting with Naginata in hand. The blow is swift, like a falling guillotine. Shimura turns as the heavy falls to the ground, missing a head. He gives the naginata a swift flick, clearing any blood from the blade. He sniffs and hooks the polearm to his back, radioing, "Shimura here, heading to catch up with the rest of the team..." Luckily no one is around to see him press a hand to his hip, or the blood seeping from a hole in his armor. [hr] Scion lashes out, sending PLA flying He laughs, "Oh this is too much fun." But finally they are all done. He rubs some schmutz off his visor then looks skyward hearing the buzz of rotors. And he swears, "Ah fuck!" Two choppers he sees. Hanging out the door of one is someone he though they had killed! He radios in, "Guys! I think I see fucking Geza Ingwe in the air! He looks pissed but alive! I thought we killed this guy." He looks to the other chopper then coughs, sitting on the edge of the second chopper is a familiar big figure of a woman Lauara in all her glory, and again he breaks into the radio chatter, "Break break! It's fucking Laura! She and Ingwe are on seperate choppers. I think they're making for our main objective! Ground Team, once more we have Two Heavy Elites coming into play! Be on guard!" He swatted aside one more PLA soldier, then started to lumber after the choppers.