Azseth

Surviving: The End.

Says the guy who never posted for Terry....

Az

Operation 8 (clandestine, multinational, spec ops/military RP)

For all intents and purposes, consider this closed.

Dutchboy (@Dutchbag sorry, it's a TV show reference), I am sending you a PM now.

Az

Operation 8 (clandestine, multinational, spec ops/military RP)

PMs have been sent!

Az

Operation 8 (clandestine, multinational, spec ops/military RP)

This RP is going to be centered around a small group of military assets gathered from around the world in the late 90's. One concept that is up in the air is whether the Command is going to be ran by one country or by a multi-national force.

This unit, Operation 8, or Op 8, is a deniable, clandestine unit who that focus on deep insertion in areas and circumstances that do not allow for open military incursion (keep in mind that not ALL operations will be deniable or "secret"). Typical operations include assassinations, removal of assets from hostile parties, destruction of target materials, reconnaissance, or assisting local forces in coupes.

These soldiers are going to be at the top of their class and professions. They are going to have access to a myriad of intel options and technologies, many of which are not legal or sanctioned (access to satellites, databases, cctv's, phone/wire taps, for example).

More details to come, and I'm more than open to any input or ideas that you may have.

I want this RP to be a 1x1, maybe small group of 3 or 4.
This RP is going to be public, not via PMs or offsite.
This RP will include violence, gore, questionable decisions, things of that nature.
I will be running multiple characters, you are more than welcomed to, but it is not mandatory.
I am not able to RP at a "constant" pace. I have a lot going on in my life. I will not be posting every day, or anything close to it. Sometimes, I may post every day/other day, sometimes I will be able to post a few times a week.
Hand in hand with the last point, I am very understanding and patient. I just expect you to communicate if possible, as I will.

I am linking my INTEREST CHECK for you to look at and see more about how I RP, what I expect and things like that.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Az

Looking for Long Term, meaningful RP partner (read at your own risk!)

This.

Az

Surviving: The End.

YOLO!

Az

Surviving: The End.

Behind Jon, the camp burst into noise and activity. He turned from Will, not really caring at this point what the guy did. There seemed to be bigger fish to fry as Jon caught up parts of the conversations. He heard that they’d lost a man and that they were needing to leave quick. Somehow they’d lost a lot of ground, and that didn’t make sense to Jon.

Unbeknownst to Jon or anyone in the group, what had happened was that the horde was pushed on by the group of four other zombies. These were the rarest form of the risen undead and they were terrifying, so much so that even the undead masses responded to them. While it would not be true to say that the zombies reacted out of fear, it was accurate to say that they avoided them avidly. The “normal” zombies tended to move slow, shamble, react to noises or sights but with not focus. They’d get distracted easily and it wasn’t like they would “remember” they were following a prey once they lose sight of it. It is more that they would simply continue in that direction until some other stimuli enticed them to move in another direction.

But the group of four other zombies stayed behind the horde and that urged the mass of undead forward. The four, the Runners, they had some kind of intelligence but what would suggest an animalistic level. They would actually feed on walkers but only if no fresh flesh was available.

While the Runners moving the horde forward was actually a simple bit of misfortune, as the walkers were just trying to move away from the Runners, it was a bit of bad luck twice over because it sent the horde forward at a faster rate and also exposed to the Runners that humans were near when the guard reacted to his being attacked by screaming in pain.

This is why as Jon came into the camp and the group started to move, zombies could already be seen in the distance and through the trees as they closed in at a slow pace. It was then that Jon heard Austin address him and indicate off to the flank, where Jon noticed the group of several forms making a beeline towards them.

Jon risked raising his voice a little higher now. He was not wanting to draw attention from the horde, but if he needed to open fire soon, then that would be somewhat moot anyway. “Let’s go, now!”

Harris stood there stupidly, not sure what was going on so Jon grabbed his shoulder and half pushed, half threw him in the direction they needed to go. Lucy and Rodney were already moving and looking back to try to see what was going on amidst all the confusion.

Jon looked to Austin and moved his head towards the group, indicating that he should lead them. Jon looked back to the most immediate threat in the form of the Runners. They were either smart or lucky because he could get a good count of them because they were coming through a heavily wooded area.

Initially, Jon could have easily mistaken them for wolves or something in the way that they moved. This was obviously not the case as the main thing he could see through the trees was that they had a human form. And they weren’t human because they just had that feral movement to them. Something wasn’t right. Jon watched them and their path towards the group and moved a few dozen yards before stopping and kneeling in the snow. He shouldered his rifle and waited, making sure to calm himself as the AR-15 pulled into the pocket of his shoulder. A few short moments later, three forms burst from the treeline and into the clearing.

Jon would have loved to watch them and study them, but they were undead and that was all that mattered immediately. They raised questions such as why they moved so fast, why they didn’t travel with others, and how they were different from the others that Jon had met. But, those were things to worry about later. Jon took aim and just as he was about to fire, the three stopped and jerked. Somehow they reacted to him! Maybe it was scent. ‘FUCK’ Jon thought, realizing he was upwind.

He opened fire, raising up as he did and moving directly towards the group aggressively. He would have hit the first one fatally had they not reacted, but instead, he hit 2 of the three. Then they did something Jon never would have expected: they screeched and ran away.

This group recognized a threat and reacted.

Jon then saw a movement off to his right and quickly swung the rifle around, getting off two shots before the form crashed into him violently. He pushed the rifle forward between the form and his own as he crashed to the ground, sliding in the snow from the force before smashing his head into a tree.

He heard a ringing and lost focus but managed to keep the rifle pressed out. He felt fingers digging into his shoulder painfully and felt skin rip and bone cracking. What he did not know is that it was his lucky day as this Runner had only one arm and could not get the full leverage to pull itself close enough to bite. It tried and tried, lashing out with its teeth as Jon screamed in pain and anger. He saw more movement to his left and saw the horde moving towards him.

“Fuck,” Jon said aloud this time as he realized the situation was not in his favor. If he didn’t get this thing off of him fast, or it didn’t kill him, the horde would...

Surviving: The End.

Hell, I understand busy. I had 2 days of funeral stuff this week as my aunt passed away, and even before that there was time spent in the hospital and all that. I am going to be on a bit tonight, after my girls go to sleep.

Go easy.

Az

The Evolution of Aggression (apoc world / Mutants and Aliens and Us) - Dovesong13 and Azseth

This alien invasion and the invaders themselves are very unique. The most important aspects are that this race has not ever been at war in any capacity. Couple that with the fact that this "invasion" was not planned, it makes things more interesting. Very bluntly, they are not used to this and do not excel at it. They are learning as they go. Additionally, they are dealing with extremely limited resources. So while they do have extremely advanced technologies, those techs were not once even remotely utilized in the capacity of war.

One other small, interesting thing is that the invaders to not trust completely autonomous machines. At every level, they have some living alien controlling a machine.

Leaders [+]
Humanoid in physique, these top echelon of the alien civilization direct the subspecies under their joint stratagem. These beings communicate via telepathy. When engaged in conversation, the leaders create a psychic link with the other as thoughts flow freely from one to another. While the other participant may communicate, the leaders have the ability to enforce their will via mental manipulation, which plays a vital part in the subjugation of the subspecies. Humans have the ability to resist the mental abilities of these aliens, but it differs from person to person, mainly based on composure and mental strength. Additionally, a large part of the powers succeeding initially is the shock of communicating directly via telepathy and then dealing with the aliens forcing will on the individual. It has been noted that the initial success is most likely based on it being the first time one has had a mental link of this nature. Generally, humans are much more successful resisting if they can succeed in breaking the initial attack.

Handlers [+]
Handlers are very fragile looking, and this is completely accurate. They are very smart and can actually learn and speak human languages, although they rarely need to do so. While their individual abilities differ somewhat, the typical Handler can easily control 3-5 crowned humans with some being able to control more or less. Additionally, a key factor is the precision or attention required. For example, having 5 humans simply walk is different than having 5 humans fire weapons accurately, or sorting debris.

These tend to travel in small units controlling various amount of crowned humans, and that size normally depends on the tasks. While they take orders from the Leaders, they do exercise some free will in how they accomplish tasks. In these groups however, there is no “leader” and sometimes, three different Handlers may complete a task in three different ways. There doesn’t seem to be the need to compromise or work together, or unit. They simply seem to get the job done as they see fit.

Worker/Soldier [+]
Originally, these aliens were workers whose jobs were mainly manual. For purposes of conducint war however, they were altered. Containing three separate mutation variants, the now-grunts are the backbone of the newly reformed war machine. While the mutation strain was altered and refined to accelerate the mutations growth, it is still unperfected, which results in acceptable deaths throughout the process. However, the efficiency of the transformation cannot be understated.

So in short, there is an abundance of Workers who are being augmented to perform in the capacity of soldiers. Any not taken for that purpose yet are still in the Worker capacity.

Grunt [+]
The first variant is the general all-purpose variant, and these were formerly Workers. These grunts are essentially the equivalent of humanity’s general ground forces. They aid in attacks, hold down captured areas, and provide logistical support to ensure the leadership’s orders and strategies are conveyed to all operational units within the area. These variants can be modified via technological alterations that can be grafted onto their hard external shell. While very basic, the versatility of this variant makes them highly lethal.

At this point, the majority of attacks are carried out by Grunts. However, as the Invaders adapt, more types are sure to enter the fray. Initially, they were armored aliens fighting with melee weapons and then began to appropriate human firearms into their armories.
(In short, more combat classes to come later.)

Crowned Humans [+]
These are humans that have an alien device covering their head and face. This device has two main effects. One, it creates a series of electric pulses and frequencies that essentially break any control the human has over its own body. Most humans retain their conscious to a degree. This crown can be removed with a few tools as it only attaches inside the skin near the temples and then is kept on by an alien adhesive.

Next, it introduces an alien symbiote that bonds with the human entirely. It bonds to blood, bone, organs, and even to DNA. Introducing the symbiote is extremely painful and even though the crowned body may not react, the human feels everything. Once the bond is complete, the human body has some amazing benefits. The symbiote makes the person stronger and almost immune to “weaknesses” of normal humans. They gain amazing stamina, sight, agility and pain resistance. They heal faster and are almost immune to illnesses. Any ailments that the human had prior are gone, and this includes any mutant powers.

Removing the crown is just as painful as the implanting, however, it is a terrible ordeal on the mind this time as the human is, as most say it, unplugged. The mind goes into a sort of shock almost immediately and this has a tremendous likelihood of damage, and even death. A telepath, or several, can assist in this and dramatically decrease the chance of harm.

A crowned human with no handler will either stand idle and do nothing, or carry out whatever the last order was, and then if that’s complete, it too will stand idle.

Mech-aliens [+]: This last group of aliens are extremely specialized and there is not much uniformity or consistency to them as a whole. Most generally have two arms, two legs and a head, but even this is not always the case. Because the race as a whole does not trust machinery (specifics are not known) that is not directed, guided, or controlled by aliens, or at least directly controlled by their thoughts, it is very rare for anything to be done by a machine. These aliens have machines, parts, or electronics bonded with them, or are sometimes actually bonded to a machine itself, and operate in that capacity. While in many cases the machines or computers do the work, at some capacity, that activity is controlled by the alien. It seems this race has a high capacity to be bonded with machines while the other races cannot.

The Evolution of Aggression (apoc world / Mutants and Aliens and Us) - Dovesong13 and Azseth

Steve had always been a rebel and a fighter. His family raised him to fight, and even while embracing that, he fought against it. Prepping for an end of the world scenario wasn’t the ideal life, but it seemed to pay off after the invasion. He was outgoing and extroverted, and this made him a target at times to his older siblings. He’d never heard the words, but at a young age he did learn the concept of “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”

After leaving his family, he had taken to training to fight at local gyms, mainly to just continue to stay fit, but also because that nagging idea of “end of times” was clawing at him. Occasionally fighting for money was a benefit too.

He’d considered himself tough, and he was, by almost any measure. Even when he was taken by the invaders and forced to submit his body, and parts of his mind, to their will, he fought it. He didn’t know it, but many, the vast majority of crowned humans, just went with it. You know, the whole “path of least resistance” thing. But Steve, he was tough, and he was stubborn.

And the two years he was crowned felt like a form of eternal hell. The truth of it is that he didn’t have any concept whatsoever about how long he’d been under their control. Most of the Handlers had easily subdued humans. They could control anywhere from 4 to 10 humans because the humans did not fight the control. This was definitely optimal for the aliens.

Steve, well. He wasn’t optimal. He fought the control, constantly-- and he paid for it. His Handler seemed to enjoy tormenting him, and between that desire to torment Steve, and the demand for constant attention, the Handler was only controlling Steve and no one else. Now, Steve knew none of this in any detail, he only knew he felt the need and desire to fight, resist. What others did, what effects he was having, none of this ever meant anything as his entire existence was extremely myopic.

So in that battle, he had no idea how much control a devoted, focused Handler had. When you can control someone’s mind, you can not only control thoughts and the such--you could also control the way that they perceived time. Steve’s handler spent much time firing off pain receptors in his nervous system and if he could have controlled his mouth, he’d have screamed until his throat was raw and bloody. What felt like days and days could be minutes, hours outside of his mind.

His handler also made sure to allow him to see things when “appropriate,” such as allowing his vision to filter in the images of his own body being forced to moved dozens of dead human bodies, or carry away screaming humans on their way to be crowned.

He was living in this agonizing state for 2 years, but what felt like an eternity, when something just...stopped. It felt different. He felt a complete lack of any...connection. He had a sense of his body, his actual body and mind, but it just seemed like it was not totally there. He didn’t know that at that moment, an attack was launched on the compound where his handler, along with several others and their crowned humans were at was launched. Very uncharacteristically to the aliens, Steve’s handler seemed to be focused on HIM, his human. Most were more driven by the other aliens and their cause. To most, especially Handlers, the humans meant nothing and were easily disposed of, almost like pairs of latex gloves at a dentist or doctor.

But until the end, his Handler put all of his energy and ability into mentally maiming Steve, and the sudden transition from the lack of connection to the agony he was in was shocking in and of itself. He literally felt like his body was being ripped apart, set on fire, sprayed with acid, then thrown into a shredder. That was the one time since his ordeal that he wanted to die. He wanted to lose.

Then almost as suddenly, there were flashes, words, people. None of it made sense. Voice after voice, telling him to “stay calm,” “relax,” and that “it’s going to be ok.” He could feel...things. The voices sounded so far away, or maybe as if he was under water, like in a bathtub.

What Steve didn’t know is that for many months, a group of humans had some SO close to removing the Crowns from people, but never could quite get it. Almost 2 dozen attempts were met with failure, all leading to death. What they were up against was that the mental bond between the human and the Crown was...unique. What started as an attempt by a Telepathic mutant to simply ease the suffering of a human who was being worked on led to a breakthrough: there was a direct link between the human and the crown and it had to be...addressed. That subject still died as it was too far past the point of help, but it led them to developing methods and some degree of understanding to what needed to be done. Now it was always a different issue. Sometimes, the Handler was dead, and that made it slightly easier. Some Handlers were alive, but simply didn’t seem to care once they lose their crowned human.

But sometimes, just sometimes, the Handler was alive. And that living Handler seemed to care immensely about the human that was crowned. Prior to Steve, the group had successfully un-Crowned about 3 people and it was not easy by any means, but it was logical and predictable. The process with Steve seemed to set the process back many, many steps. Eventually the handler died, having succumbed to its wounds, and that was when things got a lot easier for the group operating on Steve.

But it didn’t get much easier for Steve at that point. He realized at some mental level, that he was screaming. He was in pain. This pain was different now, it was real. He couldn’t control his body at that point. It was partially due to the removal of the crown and his body getting reorientated, but also because of the disconnect created between his body and mind by the handler. Then, there was the drugs that the group pumped into him, hoping to ease the pain, to calm him, or to at least get him to stop screaming.

It was almost 4 days later that he woke up, strapped to a hospital bed, looking around at people he didn’t know, in some place he didn’t know.

And it was that moment that the actual extent of the Handler’s attack manifested. He couldn’t remember his name. In fact, he couldn’t concretely recall anything. He tried to think of something, anything. A fact, a birthday, a song, a thing...ANY thing. Something. Thoughts, pictures, voices, events, they were all swirling around but he couldn’t get it. He wasn't sure if anything he might remember would even actually be REAL or created. It was like...it was like 100 puzzles were thrown into a bag, then the one he needed was mixed in there. Now he was fumbling, trying to make sense of the pictures, the shapes, all of it, and it was just too much.

For the first time since he was maybe 5 or so, he started to cry...but he didn’t remember anything to put it in that context anyway...