FalloutJack

War Never Changes III: Annals of the East

@TGM There is no Fort Wayne mention in your profile. No error has been made. I was saying that - for your post and for RP purposes - that your southernmost people would notice the activity and surmise that somebody else's territory is there. If they have any knowledge of the Enclave, they may also spot the logo and know who it is.

War Never Changes III: Annals of the East

@TGM Two things:

{1} It sounds like your territory's southern-most area of influence is Toledo, which is not technically far from Fort Wayne. This is important because the Enclave is expanding in a northerly direction to reach that, having secured a direct route past the anti-aircraft weaponry of Indiana Homes (Indianapolis). Basically, any spotters you have looking further south into the Indiana area will start seeing Vertibirds. This northern expansion is also relevent to @Yam I Am for mapping purposes.

{2} Any chance of a guy called Ash hunting Feral Ghouls in your territory?

~ Valkyria Chronicles - Changing of the Guard [Pt. 2 - Open] ~

ISAAC & Britta

The fact is, even in the darkest of times, someone had to step up and be the emotional support in a situation where none could otherwise be found. Neither Isaac nor Britta really wanted to be here like this, walking through ditches in miserable cold while dancing between potential atrocities of war. Between the one who never wanted to be here (Isaac) and the one who believed but mainly to protect her family and way of life (Britta), there would always be a general distaste for how things were. Though their opinions differed on matters, they both agreed that it had to be done, and so they found themselves fighting this war so that the person to their left or right - so to speak - lived through it. Britta was the more optimistic of the two, but her commitment was one of necessity, not enthusiasm, and that was why she had always sympathized with Isaac, whose recruitment was less than ideal. Isaac was, of course, often in the state of 'Well, they say I have to be here, so I may as well do some good.', and so that was what they were here for: To save lives on the battlefield by keeping the enemy at bay.

Alas, they could not break through that impenetrable wall that was Jean. Not really. Jean was always depressed, and as well he had the right and reason to be, but it only worried them that one day, they were going to find him doing something terrible, like walking into No Man's Land with his arms outstretched, as though to say 'Here I am. I am ready.'. There...had been some bad times, obviously, in the war...and some had crumbled under the pressure. Isaac often said that, in spite of it all, the pressure on Jean would turn him into a diamond, and Britta hoped so too. So far, no trouble yet. Nothing that they were aware of, anyway. What their Darcsen friend had said, though, was surprisingly candid, although he played it off as a joke. Jean's perception of the two aside, Isaac seemed surprised and Britta put a hand to her face to stifle a brief and possibly unwanted snort.

"Well, we don't quite do that far..."

"I mean, I could ask around, but to set something up, I mean...there's Rikes."

"Definitely not what I meant."

"I know, but he's a good boy."

The dogs of the military - the real ones, not the people - were all task hounds, trained to do their job and how to foil an enemy, but really what they did without the training was act as walking morale boosts. That's why it was important to share. There was this creature that, while aware of everything going on around it, only marginally understood the horror in comparison to others. It only knew that you were unhappy, and if it was disposed to, what it wanted was to make you feel better. Still, Jean didn't have anything he wanted or, in fact, confess any sort of particular need to get through the day. Well...his unusual request was probably somewhat genuine, and really they wondered how it was that he hadn't attracted anyone when people who weren't brass or against Darcsen found him charming. Well, be that as it may, the partnership offer was also shot down. Jean was a poet, and what he wanted was to be so, not to run a store. It was understandable, and to each their own...as long as he stayed sane, somehow.

The time to get underway with the mission, and while Isaac and Britta were both made some last-minute checks on their equipment, the others were taking the wound packs of barbed wire. As a result, you could take this scene the group grimly preparing for a mission, or in another light...it might've looked like two machine gunners forcing the others to work at gunpoint. Isaac immediately pushed the thought away, not liking the image. He and Britta had had...unusual thoughts, disturbing imagery in the form of brief hallucination and dreams. It wasn't anything wrong with their eyes. It was just...you don't kill as many people as you do at the end of a gun barrel without feeling something. They'd been on both ends of these things, luckily not killed and having properly killed a fair amount. Putting yourself in the shoes of the enemy wasn't hard when you had something like this going on. It had eased on down, since they hadn't had to shoot as many people here as in Amone, but it was still...you know...there. You had to tense for it, ignore it, see things through. Your squadmates depended on that.

What made them pause after a bit was not the thought of what might happen in the heat of the moment. They did what many did in this scenario. The minds would disassociate from the here and the now, the world would fade away, and only the necessity to open fire and reload would remain, with them bearing witness to it all and having it linger thereafter. No, what made both of the Gunners look up from their work was the conversation happening. Jean went to check upon Lubna and Senja - two soldiers that they admitted they didn't know very well - and in turn Lubna began to check up on Jean instead, noticing what Isaac and Britta knew for a long time: He was in a bad way, and there was very little that could be done, sometimes, to check it. Lubna confronted him, and Jean's voice seemed to crack, or his attitude seemed a kind of different for a second. It seemed like he wouldn't be able to hold himself together, right then, but Senja also came over - probably noticing this, as well - and offered a blessing to their mission. This seemed to help, as Jean agreed, and the two Gunners rested weapons on their shoulders for a moment. Britta smiled at Senja, appreciative of what she was doing. Out of Jean's view, Isaac looked her way and gave Senja a nod, mouthing 'Thank you.'. He needed it.

In a few moments, they would be climbing up into No Man's Land. But for now, let there be a little peace of mind.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@Balthazar007 I was givine the others a chance to do their thing, but alrighty.

War Never Changes: Let's Tri This Again

@AlienCult By all means, join us in the main thread.

Innocence Lost - A Science Fantasy RP [v.03]

NERO KAYAKOS

It was time for the gathering, but Nero hadn't been there, at first. He'd been running late, aaand it was entirely due to him being generally up to no good, specifically to the benefit of what he now viewed as his friends, the Star Marines who were a part of the crew.

He'd made an offer to several of them - in total secrecy and complete deniability - to hide the stuff they didn't wanna give up because of Joey's unfair edict. And with the help of Laurey's advice on getting around the vents of the ship, he had located several places that you would practically have to take apart ship sections to even find...or be generally gifted in teleportation. Good luck there. Finn was on HIS side about this, which meant anybody looking for contraband would be shit outta' luck. Nero had done this out of general dishonesty and sheer irritation for some dickhead telling him what for, when he had nothing to do with anything going on here with the money OR the station. The various snacks and stuff that he didn't want their uninvited authority getting their hands on were all in sealed cases, every one of them containing a note saying that 'If this isn't your shit, leave it alone. And if this is Joey, you take any of what ain't yours, and I'll gut you and space you in your sleep.'. He smiled at that one, half-tempted to just do it, anyway, especially if the bastard pissed him off later.

All that having been done - and it still DID take a while, despite his abilities - he would appear (late) for the arrival of Doruva. It'd be hard to tell when he'd appeared, given the fact that he did so under stealth. One minute, he hadn't been gathered, and in the next, there's Nero with his arms behind his head and a smirk on his face. He even began to whistle, 'cause he was bored after all that now. Gabriel wasn't gonna detect any hostility off of him, no. Some general sneakiness and flippancy, perhaps, but he had nothing against the old lizard. He just wouldn't be doing the guy any favors. Speaking of which, when Melinae came on board and introduced herself as a former diplomat for the Ascendancy, Nero was at first angry, but then a cheeky smile erupted and she heard thus from his direction.

"Good! We've got a fuckwit here that thinks we're still in the service! Why don't you get started with him?"

Jonny Albion would get no mercy from him. Nero gave no shits, and flashed the guy a savage grin if the guy looked his way. A joke at his expense would actually chill things out here. Of course, once the immediate pleasantries were over and he'd gone for public humiliation, Nero went to wandering, where he'd make sure that the lizardman and his bodyguard were on the up-and-up themselves before heading on over to overhear Avelyn talking with the diplomat lady. When she complained about Joey's edicts, Nero would slide in on Ave's line of sight while out of Melinae's and give off a smirk while giving off a 'Mission Accomplished' sign to indicate that actually...things were taken care of. He'd also stolen into a couple of places to make sure that there was something from everybody's stashes held back Joey Killjoy. From there, he joined in on the conversation with their new diplomat friend.

"Yeah, this guy waltzes in, declares himself first mate, and proceeds to bust all of our chops. Word to the wise: Ya don't piss off an elite group of magic soldiers. That's just fucking dumb."

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

They both looked at the perimeter, giving their thoughts on how to punch through, and Han had a point that they could break open the fence with relative ease. The fence was electrified, so it would be best if he used his Tornado Fist for that, but it was possible, especially if he attacked it at one of the fence posts. The wall after that may break up as well - he hadn't stress-tested this, and couldn't until they began the operation - but it would likely require him to use the technique twice. It was a good idea to cause a diversion, though. If they created a big enough mess, it would be a code red 'What the hell just happened?' situation, and that would bring every guard in this section here. They couldn't venture TOO far away from the spot, though, because this area was HUGE. Damage dealt between Gate 1 and 2, say, shouldn't prock the attention of Gate 6, across town.

This would be so much easier if I had even basic equipment. Nevermind the sensor baffles or anything complex, a siimple laser sight could foul up one of these turrets and-

Han would see Niko do one of those Holy Crap stares as he suddenly realized something. They could do this. They could make that diversion, dash far enough away to an area where there's far-less overwatch because of the diversion, and then disable the turrets long enough so as not to be even shot at, and then just hop the fence AND the wall in one go, no risk! A smile formed as Niko even realized that he DID have something he could toss in an emergency. Capsules can cause quite a distraction when their cargo poofs into existence. But putting that aside, the plan was forming in his mind, and he turned to the assassin now to explain.

"We can do this, and it won't even hurt much, maybe not at all, if we do it right. The fence is electric, but my technique will probably break it up, especially in the right place. The wall itself is another issue, but we don't have to worry about that. Here's the plan: I do exactly that, blast into the fence, sending bits and pieces - dirt and dust - all over the place. The guards hear something like an explosion, they can't exactly see what happened for a bit, they reinforce the area like you said. Meanwhile, we don't cut all the way to the other side because this place is too big for every station to give a damn."

It was a good hike from one corner to another is what he was trying to say. Other sections wouldn't move at all, in response.

"We'll just be getting out of the area local and move our way to a spot that's been vacated far away enough, and then this is where you come in. With no guards in that area to eyeball ths situation, it's just camera-laden turrets. Cameras have a distinct flaw: If you shine a laser or other intense light at them, the picture screws up. You have a technique that flings intense light in every direction from where you stand. You didn't blind me back on Earth, so I just have to be watching the wall while you're somewhere behind, overloading the camera feed. No feed, no targeting. No targeting, no gunfire. We hop the fence and the wall in one go, and no one shoots us down. If we time it right, nobody even sees the flash because they're too busy. Either way, we get a nice headstart into the city. What do you say?"

And that, friends, was a plan! Guards have to respond to things like a bomb to make sure they're not under attack and to oversee the damage done. It would take them a minute to assess the situation. Electronic surveilance could be sabotaged in the manner that Niko described, and Wu-Han was WAY more powerful than an infiltration kit. He'd get all turrets in range, and they wouldn't be able to fire. Even if something went wrong, it would be alot better than what could go wrong with another less-secure idea.

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@Balthazar007 Thanks. I think that's probably me, then. I will prock that probably soonish.

War Never Changes III: Annals of the East

And now, we rejoin the Enclave, as their Vertibirds fly off on different missions, one headed North...and the others headed South.

Let's start with...

INDIANA HOMES

To anyone below, past the areas of Louisville, the sight of a Vertbird bearing the mark of the 'E' surrounded in stars was either a relatively new thing...or the source of old and frightening memories. Some people in this part of the former America didn't know of the Enclave. Others knew all too well, but were coming around to the idea that maybe the new management didn't have its head up its own ass. The ones that remained fervently convinced that they were up to no good, or simply could not ever BE good, were dwindling at a gradual rate, at least locally. The Enclave shot up every hostile rad-creature they came across, or captured it for study. They had a zero tolerance for any Raider that did not surrender on sight. They were still secretive, still a very scary people, but it was a far cry from 'Obey or Die'.

Aboard the Northbound Vertibird, several soldiers sat with the cargo entrusted to it, flying at an altitude generally too high for anybody without surface-to-air missles to hit. Some people had such things, however, like the folks at Indiana Homes. They weren't far-reaching, per se. The Enclave could easily go around their territory, but barring an actual important need, Number One ordered that attempts be made to secure open routes and proper lines of infrastructure, so that little to no interruption or sabotage may be made. Hence...the crates that now sat secured to the floor of the vehicle. The interior of the Vertibird was somewhat insulated from the outside, but the drone of the engines was constant. It was easier to use the radio units in their powersuits to communicate, which one soldier did, in fact.

"Pilot, how long to our destination?"

"Well, according to this red line on the map, our ETA is ten minutes."

"Alright, then. Remember, the lot of you. There's hundreds or maybe a thousand people here, all of them doing that crazy parkour shit and stunt driving. We're five total, and the pilot stays with the 'bird. The locals agreed not to shoot at us, as long as we don't interfere with them."

"And base thought we could just barter our way with a buncha' trinkets?"

"Number One believes so, yes. Any questions?"

"Yeah, just one: I thought Johnson was sick. Is he he gonna be okay for the mission?"

"Ask 'im yourself."

He did so, but the soldier he addressed did a sort of slow pan of the head with a mechanical precision and ease. That wasn't Johnson. That was a Replicant. He - or rather, it - would be the one pulling the crates on a pallet jack, without delay and without complaint. They soon came to a landing, just outside of the city gates, beside the newly-paved road, with several cars zipping on by. The formation was three soldiers up front, the Replicant in back with the crates. They identified themselves and made their intentions known. The city guard then said that they would have to inspect the cargo.

"You may inspect the cargo to make sure nothing weaponized or volitile is contained, but the examination is for your leader."

"Sir, if we do not examine the boxes thoroughly-"

"If you damage those articles, you will explain to your leader AND ours how you ruined historical pieces and records of events, our bargaining chips and potentially his currency. We've already agreed to leave weapons behind. Don't push it."

There was some continued arguing before the crates were simply opened and the soldier in charge pointed out how the items inside were so obviously not weapons or poisonous or radioactive that even without a physical examination, it was clear to anyone that no harmful material was involved. Of course, anybody here knew that three men and a machine were no match for this entire town, even WITH their armaments, but nobody was going to assault them. SAMs or not, the Enclave still held power, and if provoked, they would make sure it was known that they were not the ones responsible for what happened next. SO! The jack would be wheeled towards the museum, to reach a man who seemed - by all accounts - like a professor, but...there was a hardness in the man's demeanor, like he'd seen the world and dealt with alot from it. This was the town leader, Indy. He DID examine the articles carefully. Flags, busts of past Presidents, war records, Civil War pieces, holotapes of music, etc. Yes, indeed, this stuff was all for bartering, none of it lethal. Indy smirked.

"I half-expected you to offer me gold, for all the good it'd do."

"We use that in electronics. It's not worth giving up. This was."

"No eye for history, huh?"

"No need. The Enclave is working on a fresh start. The old America is a relic, as Number One would say."

"So I've heard. And you want in return...what? Our cooperation, for this?"

"Ideally, but my orders say 'Secure a safe route to Fort Wayne'."

"You could just go around."

"We could not have to, and not have to deal with people taking pot-shots."

"That's true. What do you want with Fort Wayne?"

"We were thinking of turning it into an actual fort."

"This have anything to do with the Ontario people?"

"It couldn't hurt. Fact is, though, if they want to waste their resources coming down this way, they're not gonna achieve much."

"Well, the good news is that you won't have to construct much of a fort in Fort Wayne. There's already one there."

"Already? How come?"

"Fort Wayne had a zoo in the city area. When the bombs fell, there were over a hundred different species in captivity that broke out and roamed the area, eventually becoming mutated by radiation. Because the city had become their home, they didn't roam too far and the area effectively became their eco-system...until more recently, when they mutated further. Are you familiar with a chimera?"

"I read a bit, sure."

"The animals have become bizarre amalgamations of species. They were incredibly violent, and we worked very hard to wall them into the city in the hopes of starving them out. At last check, though, three weeks ago, something let out a primal roar in that place. Something big."

"That's impossible. Radiation can't do that alone."

"Well, it is what it is, and I've a sneaking suspicion that you know what it is that did it."

"We haven't had any contact with the place. If there's something extra-volitile there, we didn't do it."

"But you will clean it up if you want any real cooperation from us. For this stuff, I'll let you through, but we're not helping out the Enclave with a monster hunt. You're on your own."

That was the end of the meeting. The soldiers headed on back to the Vertibird, and reported back via radio.

"Mission successful, but we have a problem."

"What is the situation, soldier?"

Everyone flinched. That was Number One. He must've been watching dispatch.

"I have to report uhhh...a possible FEV presence. Vault 66 may be compromised or contaminated."

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The news was both satisfying, and yet...not. Indy had reluctantly given the Enclave leave to be in the area and proceed onward North, but the area in question they were going to now appeared to have an unexpected mutational level that seemingly couldn't have been caused by anything other than the Forced Evolutionary Virus, which he himself outlawed the study and existence of. The only possible answers to something like that would be a random event so radical that it was borderline miraculous, that it was a pre-war FEV experiment that they simply did not have a record for, that any GECK that was on-site might be malfunctioning, or... Well, they never caught all the deserters who wanted to cling to the old ways, or were far too insane for the new. This may be a very dangerous situation indeed... Number One hit a button to the base dispatch, now.

"Call in FalloutJohn, if you please."

Dragon Ball: Universe Zero

@Balthazar007 I think you meant to poke Blade, boss.