[hr][CENTER][h1][u]Elliot Braide //[/u][color=007236][u] ROOK[/u][/color][/h1] [img]https://i.imgur.com/Bsn2Y7i.png [/img][H1][i]Ensign[/i][/h1][/center][hr] As Sabine cackled over the comms Elliot’s eyebrow rose a few degrees and he couldn’t help but to think that Sabine [i]might[/i] be fuckin nuts. And then, as his MAS turned and mounted the drop plate and the open doors of the hangar bay brought him face to face with mankind's ultimate form of commerce, Elliot couldn’t help but think that perhaps [i]he[/i] was the crazy one. Hulking forms loomed out in the black, spitting fire and metal down upon the surface of what once might have been a beautiful planet. Now the surface was marred from countless battles. Even now though, as the UEE did its best to dig out the cockroaches infesting its surface, a glimmer of beauty still prevailed. [color=007236]“Dirty fuckin’ coalies…”[/color] he muttered to himself. Soon the 7th would be planetside and he could do his part as far as scraping the scum from their hovels. Elliot tensed instinctively in anticipation before forcing himself to relax. Launch always felt like a kick in the chest, simulation hours weren’t enough to prepare one for that and his practical hours had yet to attain a level in which he’d consider himself used to it. But the first time he’d launched for real he’d been tense, afterwards his muscles were sore for a week. The body typically handled sudden force better when it was in a relaxed state, so it made sense, just still wasn’t second nature to him yet. Taking a deep breath to ease his nerves Elliot leaned back in his seat. [code]<>[/code] And just like that the show began. The Venerator was propelled forward rapidly and Elliot bit back a grunt as he was slammed into the seat. The first few seconds were exhilarating and it took all of his willpower not to let out a holler as if he was on a rollercoaster. Of course no one would notice without him tapping into comms but professionalism was a personal value of his. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy the ride as a wide grin split his face and the MAS began its atmospheric entry. It was a violent, bumpy, and hot ride down and Elliot’s adrenaline peaked. As each second passed he struggled internally with his values and his desire to act foolish. The mission and their reason for being here was lost in the moment as Elliot experienced his first planet drop. [code]<>[/code] The sudden broadcast caught Elliots attention and interrupted his reverie. As the rookie listened longer his adrenaline slowly faded. By the time the comms finally went quiet Elliot’s blood was chilled. How foolish he felt getting caught up in his emotions and acting like a kid whilst around him comrades were dying, bullets pinging off armored plating, ordnance exploding in the distance, this was a fucking war zone. Elliot practically wanted to smack himself for his foolishness, not that it would do any good. Instead he began focusing on the battle ahead in order to figure out what he was going to do. His allies took no time in formulating a plan of action. Sabine and Commie both peeled off and began attempting to secure air superiority, meanwhile Rhino and Hex each took out AA installations in a matter of seconds it almost seemed. Elliot had no clue how he was supposed to stack up against those feats. Target acquisition started lighting up enemy hardpoints as he began scanning the environment, bad ideas forming one after the other as Elliot scanned over the screens. The Venerator popped free from it’s drop plate as afterburners roared to life and prepared to jet off into battle. [b]<< Rhino, Hex, acknowledged. Good work, stack up and start moving to make a push, I've got your backs. Rook, still alive back there? Keep up and don't play hero. You pull that shit you did in space, you're gonna die. >>[/b] [color=007236]<>[/color] The squad leader's words reached Elliot, and thankfully before he could decide to do anything stupid. With those words in mind Elliot instead piloted the Venerator towards Rhino’s location, easily discerned by the crushed AA guns and the smoking piles of wreckage left in his wake. [color=007236]<>[/color]