FourtyTwo

Burning Rubber Three (Bee and kingkonrad)

Max sat back, looking into the horizon, then back at the reply in front of him.

"That'd be good. Cheers!" Max typed back, putting in his address, sending it across with a satisfying ping of his phone. Shit, that had worked....well, it was someone to call a friend. Well, beyond the other one, as his phone buzzed...

Standing up, the phone rang, this time with the nametag coming up.

"Hey, Max, you alright?" The Faroese voice on the far side reminded him that yep, that one still was in the game- still relevant somewhat.

"Yeah, been worse." Max's response was blunt, but as British as ever...an understatement.

"Look, thank you for coming out a few nights back. Appreciate seeing you around here. From what I heard, you seemed to adapt well to the local conditions." Magnus's voice was reassuring to hear, but Max wasn't feeling that way, a little deflated from it all- it was a lot to take in, the heat, the environment, all of it.

"Kind of. Keeping it low-brow at the minute. Yous know how it goes." Max replied, sighing as he knew that well, there wasn't going to be much racing. For a little while, at least- he could run his gamble out but right now, shit had gone feral after that street race. Views were mad, and people were going off, but it was far more heat than he was used to, even back home.

"Look, if the car's hot, I might be able to fix you up with something local. And some more work. You know, I'm just a respectable businessman. But I might have something your flavour, if you know what I mean?" Magnus's suggestion piqued Max, as he sat back down again into the beanbag across the room, looking out the window, then back in. The Faroese voice was certainly warped by the West Coast, and that American twang was coming straight into his language.

"Oh, you mean something....right, I'm with you. I'm interested." Max realised the code right there. It wasn't a race. It was something else. Probably not a drugs run either...because that wouldn't be what was on the cards.
"We can talk cars later. You free tonight?"
"Yeah, I can do that."
"Alright, we'll sort you a ride, then. Take it steady, brother."
"You too." Max cut the phone, as he stared at the wall.

Shit was going to possibly get real tonight, but Kaitlyn would be good to meet, good to keep him grounded. Then whatever worked was planned out, well, he just hoped it wasn't anything too heavy.

Things never worked out quite that way.

(Really sorry this took ages!)

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Massive post there- wanted to really tease some exposition in the way of two characters I haven't really had the chance to indulge in. Setting wise, there's also a little exposition to give- I'd like to say that in terms of the world around Raven, the idea of "ten to twenty-ish" years from now is what I would suggest, but I'm actually keeping that wide open purely as it's intentionally vague so begins to hint and lean on bits of that, which will be exciting to write.

If the team have bits they want to shape on the op, feel free to do so- this is the first one which I would say is actually really non-combat like, and has a really cool opportunity to give the team something different than historically they have been up to (with definitely scope for infiltrating). The only main-line I would say is getting Skye to Pavel- beyond that, how it is done and how everything else works is completely up to you, so the team has free input and ways to get in. Want to be a waiter at the party? Sure? Want to join Skye? Absolutely!

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Kaitiaki HQ, New Zealand

Skye Rosalind Lyons

The crew around certainly were getting in on this late evening, from the quiet infiltrator to the hacker couple that Skye was trying her hardest not to ship. Irrespective, they were coming together as a team...oh, and then behind her, the voice of rage, like a bear growling could be heard.

@BigPapaBelial

Freya's rage bubbled, and the poor bastards on the other end were going to be working hard as hell in response, no doubt of that Skye thought to herself, watching the team's heavy finish the call. Skye had to remind herself very quickly again- Freya was over seven and a half foot tall as the other redhead stood up from her place in the corner, and there was no part of that which was ever going to be normal. Quite possibly, she would be close to one of the tallest women to have probably ever lived, and as she stood, there was no mistaking it at all. She wasn't some hunchback, she was proud, tall and in every sense of the word, a woman who looked like she could pull you limb from limb like pulling candy floss from a cane. Even a slightly wounded Freya was virtually unstoppable, every part of her like some kind of Athena on steroids. If Skye seemed a little warrior-like and to her own thoughts even close to androgynous in the field, then Skye would look up to Freya like something that fell out of Asguard, or the Pantheon- and certainly, while she wasn't without fault, might usually was quite right. Fuck the pen when you had plasma and a significant amount of ballistic armour...

Skye had run into a giant of her type before, and the amount of rounds she'd expended to take them down without even armour on was slightly ridiculous. The giant in Raven seemed almost beyond that, and hey, while she was a fellow redhead and had her nerdy side, a fine girl no less with plenty of smarts, Skye always made a mental note- cardio would pay off if it ever came to a fight because she'd seen enough of Freya's work to understand people didn't always stay in one piece in a fight with her. It was why Skye needed Freya close, and in particular on the next op, knew there was something she spotted in the next target's retinue- a reason to bring Freya along for a social occasion. Her smarts as a researcher were impressive irrespective of her body, but beneath it all, Skye knew there was something else in there that knew how to raise hell.

In the here and now, Skye had other plans. Giving sarcasm to Freya was like hanging a sack of juicy meat out of reach of a starving lion.

Well...even for Skye, it was simply too fun not to.

"No problem, shite happens. On the positive side, there is distance between here and that lab before you sort them out. And we might have some grub inbetween, which usually helps. You know, there's more kiwis that aren't getting iced now too, ey!" Skye commented, watching her take the bottle and like no other operative in the team could, just swig back. Giants did need a hell of a lot more to feel anything, and she seemed to savour it, Skye leaving her to that portion at the least.
"You did well on that last one, Frey. Took a hell of a beating, and kept a lot of heat off us when we needed it. Really are your parents daughter, and I can only imagine they're proud of you tearing everyone a new one." Skye did have something nice to say, because in spite of the sarcasm, as always, she couldn't let the mother's charm out.

@Theyra

Then there was Mateo, who had come in too, the quiet Colombian infiltrator one that never said much, yet always felt like Skye could spot, irrespective of his quiet or not.

Mateo's story was one she kept dwelling over. Ex-Colombian intelligence, and had treaded well to keep himself alive. He was near silent, and like his callsign, the shadow you couldn't ever see coming. Lethal, and able to go anywhere, do anything, and yet remain completely in the shadows. Someone who was the polar opposite of Freya, but unlike the woman that could smash anything to bits, it always felt like with Mateo you never knew exactly what and where he was. Even without the cloaking, it was the same feeling. Just that he would be there, and he'd find a way in. She was yet to see what he was truly capable of, but then again, Skye wondered, perhaps that was the point- she never saw it and never needed to. It was almost good enough for her mentally, and knowing full well his talents, knew she had to keep him backed up. He couldn't do it all alone, but he did a bloody good job with it. They were a team after all, and having another infiltrator on support, even to shadow him, would be something she would need to keep in mind. But he was a professional, that she had to give. Well, apart from one thing.

Right now, she didn't want to let him in on the fact that at the next op, there was a good chance he'd run into someone from the Tejedor Cartel. Need to know basis and all that. It would be a distraction, at this phase of planning, she knew either he would figure this out already the moment the team got briefed, or she'd tell him in time. Well, when the time was right, he'd know, but that didn't need to be now. Going after their target was critical, and he was professional enough to understand they'd get what they need. She'd promised him that much, there would be a lead, but in time. It was the rare promise Skye had to make to get him on the team, given his skillset. One of the few she made. Men like Mateo had a past that whilst he would keep silent to all, yet was laid bare from the very moment she'd met him. She knew him, understood that mentality, it was closer to her own than she would let on. He may not have said it, but the Scot had the same. Hers were just a lot harder to find.

"Not so bad. Surviving, I guess, I had a couple of ribs hit but it's....well, just inconvenient. I was just saying to the others, combat effectiveness on that one was good. I saw what you got up to, and as always, it's impressive." Skye responded to him, the laconic Colombian getting an equal reply, the redhead nodding back to him as she opened the case and put the instrument she had held in her hands away, the fiddle back into place.

@LadyAmber

As for the other two, well, Sam was the first that came to mind. Injured as she was, Sam was capable. Yet similar to Mateo in some way given what she was trying to deal with Skye knew full well the potential lay beneath. A person who needed purpose, family, a home. Perhaps she was finding that here. In some ways, Skye was glad for it- it kept her mind off things, and while none of her old targets were there, it was part of the wider network. Doing good reminded Skye why she was in this - Sam almost reminded her of a younger version of herself, someone who had that heart and more than anything, kept up their humanity. Excited, yet broadly talented, and growing in capability. And the foil to the team's Aussie.

"Sounds rough, but you'll heal up. Bones break, but so long as your head's intact, that's the main one. Aye, and that intel would be useful. Much appreciated, Sam. Food wise, that'll be on that man over there tonight." Skye added, pointing across the room to Xander, watching as he came in alongside- about time now given that they were all pretty starving.

@Awesomoman64

With Xan- well, what had been thought and said about him, he'd said himself, or Skye already had. The motherfucker...he'd turned that fridge into his own peripheral too.

Son of a bitch.

She almost wanted to say the words, but the sarcastic energy wasn't even there. She had to save that, given there was a briefing. Xan was cheeky, and no doubt still a pain, but he was capable when shit hit the fan. He fought well and his tacit knowledge of extremely advanced kit was always helpful to have on hand. The sort of guy who didn't just disassemble robots, but could probably lay his hand to making a better model. His Dingo was proof of that, and in some ways, unlike either Mateo or Freya, his capability was one that existed into a very different layer of the battlefield. Still, pain in ass, prank playing, co-opting fridges, you know, the usual Bogan.

"Professional, my arse....and aye, burgers sounds good. I'll come and help yous in a second. Tahlia tells me the beef is straight from her farm so I'll be impressed to see it. Real farm to fork and all that!" Skye replied, smiling back at Xan, his mischievous demeanour enough to break even Skye down a little, warming her heart of somewhat damp Scots. Even if it meant a prank at some point. Christ, now that would be back soon...and she wasn't ready for that shit again.

Introspectively, Skye had certainly many things that currently didn't sit well. She couldn't entirely show it, nor display that on the surface. That was the thing about someone like her- she'd spent enough time in the game to see this stuff. Felt a lot of pain, yet it all felt like it was going numb. She knew operatives like Sam, Xan, even Freya to some extent had been fighting for a while and were capable, but beneath Skye's charm and warmth, there was a certain kind of detachment. The kind that suggested a certain wear, a certain burn that carried thin. Even for 30, nearly 31, Skye seemed to have had a few lifetimes of this. A rare thing to observe, but it made her who she was, and it didn't seem to stop. Even if she felt she wanted it to.

She couldn't let it stick, so as Xan headed over to start getting ingredients, Skye sat up, and turning to the group, pulled out her phone, getting a few things ready.

"Anyway....not sure about you lot, but I find recovery works best when you have targets. Like, who to punch the lights out of that caused it in the first place. So let me introduce you to that target. It's no brief, just a starting point."

As the augmented-reality device clacked on from the table, the glass window lit up with the display, Skye aware that while Xan might not have eyes on this, he may have been able to pick it up. A face appeared, the bearded man looking less like some foreign terrorist, even in spite of the fact he was tanned, and well, looked like something you'd almost caricature of some kind to what he would be. The sunglasses and stare, yet the sharp-dressed suit he wore clashed against the water and enormous private yacht behind him. The kind of guy that was almost a Bond villain, yet young enough to be something worse. A tech CEO.

"That is Pavel Andros, Slovenian-Cypriot billionaire, or as you might know him, the founder of Vale Systems, tech firm that is currently the wet dream of every Silicon Valley frat fuck there is, yadda yadda, you know the type. The sort of guy who goes on about AI whilst planning some mental geo-engineering a way out of our fucked up state of affairs. Self-entitled prick, if you ask me, but even worse, his fingerprints are all over Aralsk.

"The hack was messy, but it points to the fact whoever did it was using something high level, with way more computational power than Artemis would have. Something only this man would be able to pull off to break our encryption, or someone he knows. There's nobody hijacking his network. This is his...and we don't know how."
Skye's opinion came out pretty vehemently what she thought about him- people like that, in her opinion, weren't exactly clean themselves.

Even in fighting terror cells, or foiling various plots, people like that left her uneasy- they were all so charming yet her experiences of them had taught her well, to never trust a single word of those who were supposedly on the other side with that level of money. It stank of lies, and all sorts of stuff that put her nerves to edge. Not that she wanted to change the world or something, just that she'd seen enough to suspect too much and know these things never went to plan. Especially if he was tied in some way to what had happened to them.

Pavel was a clear example of that, the Scot internally mused. The modern world was full of complexity, difficulty and hardships. Climate crises, inequality, the visible problems that the world faced had no clear answers, apart from people like that throwing shit at the wall till it stuck. Skye hated that idea, but then again, Raven was probably some funded part of that problem. Either way, it was unsettling- and with problems in the world getting worse, she forgot sometimes they lived on a remote island on the far reach of the world. Artemis didn't have some strong overarching political aim, but from what she understood of it, somebody was trying to take advantage of the chaos. A couple decades ago the world was occupied with one kind of issue rather than the state of affairs that seemed to be bubbling up- and Skye could only dream that they went back to that kind of stability again. The kind that right now, she didn't want to dwell on to herself.

She took a moment in her head before continuing, clicking onto the next slide using her phone, bringing up a map and the interface of their next operation.

"None of this makes sense currently. So, given what we know, I'd like an audience with him because of the fact he tried to fuck us up, yeah? A wee one-to-one he wouldn't normally agree to getting, given he thinks he's above everything. Raphael's found out he has a party at his offices in Singapore in two weeks, and it's not an internal thing, if you were curious. Looks like he wants to invite lots of his other shareholders, and a few subsidiaries too. Quite the list, and surprisingly, no Kazakh arms dealers. More esteemed members of society, if you can believe it..." Skye added with a tinge of sarcasm, looking around the room, bringing up the location.

"It's being hosted at his residence on the roof of the Tsai Wen Tower, right in the CBD of the city, but he's got exclusive use of the whole top floor, with a bar, penthouse, and then some above the Asian offices of Vale. Like I said, he's the kind of arsehole who lives this idea of putting his home on top of his workplace. It's impressive really. But quite not a fortress. Just very, very high up with a few towers around it to keep it company. Not many ways in, not many ways out."

Skye began, taking in the team, before clacking on again. The table was now lit up with the layout of the area, a mostly redacted guest list, and a variety of intel that the team could interact with. Even for a non-briefing room, this little site was a good place to show off data, information and set up operations, the AR allowing the whole thing to be interacted with. 20 years ago they said this shit would actually be real, and lo and behold, it was there, natural as could be, not some weird uncanny valley. They had that at least, Skye pulling a few layers aside as she looked back to the crew.

"Which from that, leads to our little job. To start with, I've got some tasks to keep you all occupied with while you heal up. No rush, but I'll leave the finer details to you."

@Awesomoman64@PerfectThought
"First, I need an invite to his party. Stafford, Xan, see if you can get me one, or make me one. We'll also need you in the party too but I'll leave that up to you how you do it...Raphael might be of help there. You'll also need to figure out a way to get in yourselves along with Stafford and Mateo, either by invite or other means. Working, or perhaps infiltrating. That, and a way to get out. Parachutes, ropes, whatever gets us out of there as a contingency. Come back to me with some ideas and we can take a look at it."

@BigPapaBelial
Second, Freya, you're with me. He has security and if I'm going in there unarmed, I'm going to need backup in case things go south. So you're my plus one...and at the least, it gives me some air of legitimacy if they realise you're someone who would go to something like this. They know you. But if Pavel's security is as tight as it is, I can't take chances- I could use some help on what the security detail is, so Sam and Xan can probably get you that. And whatever you need to do to keep them occupied, do it."

@LadyAmber@Theyra
Third, once we're in, there's more to do. A server farm would be a good hit, but I need more intel goings on that we can extract from the site....and that'll come from our last mission, because there's a lot of connecting information. Sam, Mateo, I'll pin you with those. Figure out what secondaries we can find, just so we can back whatever bullshit I might get from big Pavel to figure this mess out." She chuckled, knowing the team would have a variety of thoughts on that - it was multi-layered, social and more importantly, an actual night out for the team.

"Lastly....anyone got anything else to add, or ask? It's a social occasion, so I'd hope we have no gunfights....because I feel like we've certainly hit that quota already for this month. We can look at this better tomorrow. But have a sleep, get some ideas, and we'll start when ready." The Scot put the question out to the team, knowing that they'd no doubt have plenty, Skye standing up and heading over towards the kitchen, knowing questions would be asked away, as the team took it in.

"Pepper's on the far side, Xan. Those burgers are smelling mighty fine. You don't want to ask how many favours I get the logistics teams to run for us. Won't someone think of the taxpayer...."
Skye mentioned, picking up the griddle and gently dusting some layers of halloumi off to the side, the sizzle on the griddle cooking away, the redhead turning to face the team, whilst keeping half an eye on the burgers below, gently heaping on onions and flipping a few of the burgers he'd rolled. She didn't need to ask if she was helping him- she would just do it, that was her character, and it was just how she seemed to be. Intrusive, maybe, but no doubt without a word, knowing her team and knowing the state they were in relative to her.

She was about to relax on that note, before any questions realising she'd left one thing out.

"Ahh, that reminds me! Right, Tahlia was by earlier. She's headed to the armoury and I think she's gotten you some upgrades. Suits, equipment, that kind of thing. Cutting edge research, so it might take some time to get used to, but I recommend you play with it when you're feeling more fighting fit."

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Aralsk, Kazakhstan

Skye Rosalind Lyons

Skye looked back across to the team inside the V22, composing herself as she sat back up, the tiltrotor flying out of the combat zone, door now shut, and the darkness illuminated with a steady blue light and enough for her to take in the scene. The team had taken a pretty serious hit- a lot of injuries and well, everyone was going to be hurting.

They were stable at the least, as she looked on at Freya and Asim, the two stalwarts kicking it, but in not much better a state- neither was Michelle, who was hurt but able to at least look after herself. Skye mustered up the energy she had left as she headed over towards Stafford, quickly bring him up against the seat Stafford was in, quickly pulling up the surgical kit aboard the aircraft, placed neatly for such an occasion, and pulling the tools to hand. It wasn't good, the big chunk of metal sticking out of his leg the immediate thing to note. @PerfectThought
"Jesus. You fucking took a chunk alright...alright, this'll keep you intact for a moment. Don't go dying on me, you daft bastard." Skye tutted, the sarcasm still building in as she knew it would with Stafford, her historic link making it clear this was from affection. With a gentle turn, she began disinfecting the rusty piece of metal, treating it as best as she could and removing the deep-lying chunks at the least of shrapnel, knowing a trauma team could do a better job of hers, using a forcep and a series of tools, the best she could do to at least stop the worst of it. That said, emergency first aid and surgery wasn't her thing, and while she was still able, in a bumpy V22, she could do the best she could, at the least bringing the majority of the chunk out and a sterilised tourniquet on it, with hemostatic powder to boot. It was a grizzly wound, but on Stafford, he'd appreciate it later on, and Sophie had something to work with. That woman could work some fucking miracles, because for most soldiers, that would be game over.

Then there was Xan and Sam, who were barely clinging onto their consciousness, the two passing out before she could get over there. Skye quickly looked to them and could tell they weren't in an amazing state either.
"Not yous as well. Fuck..." She only could retort, her exasperation clear, knowing that Freya was no doubt keeping an eye on things too, as was Asim- the two doctors of the team perhaps not literal doctors, but in a combat situation where first aid was needed, any help would do, and if they weren't completely screwed, they might be on hand. Getting on her knees, the redhead quickly applied some more antiseptic to Xan's wound first, given the other chunk of metal and checked Sam's bloodshot eye over, the American in a good state but suffering from straight up exhaustion. No amount of exoskeleton or carrying was going to help with injuries or fatigue like the kind they had gone through- most soldiers would probably pass out before that point, which Skye was at the least, glad they could survive. Tough fuckers, but like always.

With those groups done, Skye sat on the floor, clearing her own face up, the blood and mess making her look almost like a ghost of her former self, and she knew she wasn't even the worst. Everyone had gone through seven shades of shit, and this was meant to be a routine operation....so for it to end like this was no fun. The heavies were even pretty battered, but they had gotten the plutonium out safe at least- so that was on the way.

""They all ok back there, boss-girl?" Vincent called out, knowing full well the reality would be the opposite, but wanting it to be something else. The optimism was good, but the Scots team lead wasn't there.
"The opposite, very not fucking good." Skye replied sharply, moving towards the front, almost trying not to be a heap on the floor, her exo probably the only reason she wasn't now as Vincent looked over his shoulder, the sight of Skye struggling one he wasn't commonly used to, given her usual demeanour, the colour almost washed out of Skye aside from the claret blood over her forehead she'd neglected to bandage.

"Mon amie, where is that beautiful 'hair, eh? Mec, I don't understand, all this shit. Never was like this, non?" The Scot chuckled at Vincent, knowing as much of an asshole as he was, and how everyone was currently having a knife-fight with the grim reaper, he still had that energy to give. Like he knew Skye deep down was going to keep going, and so were the team. Like he'd seen this shit before, but in a different flavour.
"I really can't find the energy to understand it either. But I'm gonna strangle the bastard who hacked us personally. Give them real hospitality."
"You better, girl. We have a long way home, but have a stopping point in Almaty in an hour, tout va bien. There's a medical team that can stabilise them, keep them alive for Sophie. Mec, that doctor, she is going to be one busy girl." Vincent paused, turning the aircraft onto a new heading, looking back up at the Scots woman, the Senegalese pilot adjusting his helmet, nodding back to Skye as he finished up his correction.
"The amount of morphine she's gonna need to give, it'll make wee Trainspotting look like a Disney film, ey? Christ....thanks, Vincent."
"Anytime, ma reine."Skye did crack a smirk to that, as she sat back down, looking back, sighing a deep exhale, knowing that at the half least, they were still alive, and that meant they could still get back.

---

Kaitiaki

@PerfectThought
Skye finished her piece as Stafford had entered and sipped down his port, the older gentleman across from the fiddle-carrying Scot a damaged, yet still standing figure, morose yet Skye not taking his apology- for much more a positive reason than would initially be seen. He was a capable shooter, but the injuries he'd sustained had been among the worse- she was amazed he'd managed to limp out of that one, considering how it had all gone down.

"No need to apologise, you did a hell of a job out there, pal. Gave it everything, picked up a mighty fine kill count of a mech pilot, chopper and then some. And besides, I need you alive and kicking to give me shit."
Skye chuckled, standing up and grabbing the same bottle of port, pouring herself out a glass, and topping up Stafford's.
"Gotta say, your list of scars must be pretty impressive now, aye?"
Skye retorted, clinking his glass, sipping the port down a little, the dry and smooth taste going down a treat as she adjusted herself in the sofa, the soft embrace comforting her pain in her ribs, the feeling a numb rustle that just made everything shitty and inconvenient, more than anything else.

@LadyAmber@Awesomoman64

Sam and Xan had been hurt too, and their trip to Dr Keller's had certainly left them with marks, the kind that Skye wished upon no operator- but still, they seemed to be keeping going, and still in chat. They made a dynamic duo, they had a lot of overlaps and Skye had to admit, they'd worked well together. Hell, even Xan had an outlet in the form of Sam, rather than back at the weariful team lead. It had to be said, it was a relief, though of course, a team like Raven always got the best and they never played by all of the rules, right?

Pouring out another two glasses, the bottle was quickly at an end, as Skye interrupted their chat, seeing them in the corridor towards the rec room.
"Four, six, eight weeks. Sophie is rather conservative I find with her recommendations, because she doesn't want either of yous doing anything shall we say, too wild? Like say, nearly getting blown up again. Or say, having a port while in recovery on some fucking awesome painkillers."
Skye simply commented folding her leg over her other one and sliding the glasses across the table, leaning back and sighing, a gentle grin on her face as she knew the two would be perked up by her giving a little bit of shit their way, albeit knowing full well it came from a good place.
"You'll be pleased to know the paperwork your end is done. Your combat effectiveness is high, remarkably so. Particularly you Sam, for a first op, it's 'not bad ey. You even made Xan look professional. First time for that. And that's even when you weren't intact. Job got done, and I already have some leads." Skye added, knowing she could only keep spirits high, when everyone would have certainly felt like they were chewing shit after the firefight they had been in.
"Good to have you in somewhat one piece."

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

@PerfectThought

All good, stuff happens! Good to have you back :)

Posted to keep things relatively quick-fire- feel free to post in any order atm, only as I just want to keep things rolling.

The Conflict

The sheer amount of firepower that Hayden unleashed in the room after the grenade went off, the spray and pray emptying anyone left standing in the room, turning the entire place into claret and dust,

"Cover our six, Beth!" Sean yelled out, moving in, the FAL pivoted at point-shooting position, bodies all over the place. Walking over them, Sean's ears were ringing, the FAL's barrel hot yet still loaded with a full mag for this breach. Nobody would have survived that grenade, yet Melani was still there, limping on the floor, blood pouring and sheer violence fuelling her.

As Melani raised her hand, Sean was faster, more driven as he threw his leg straight at her lower arm, the rebar that followed hurting as it clattered into his leg, but enough to give Sean time to point the FAL directly at her top half and pull the trigger, spraying a handful of rounds at point blank, and immediately doing the deed. It wasn't like some Hollywood movie, where he got to say something, and so did she. It was just a desperate situation ending as frantically as it would, Sean looking at the growing pale on Melani's face, her violent, fucked up, psychosis put to an end.

One of probably dozens in this suburb alone, the Ulsterman thought to himself. And they were probably joining her.

"Jesus. Even in fucking death, you're a cunt." Sean spat, looking around the room, shaking his head. With a pull of his knife, Sean looked at the dead corpse of the woman, just thinking only that it wasn't a fitting way. Dying quickly, rather than slow- he was nobody to judge but even so, knowing the shit that went on in her little kingdom made even his stomach turn. So in some ways, it was poetic what was coming next. He was disgusted by what he was going to do, but it had to be done, given the situation. They'd struggle to get back to the turf they were contracted for, but if they could at least get there and leave what was proof of Melani with one of Edgar's grunts, it would be enough.

With a slight cut, Sean pulled her hand up that was carrying the shiv-like machete and with a wack of his own machete slammed through, taking another hack at it and eventually, breaking the bone to bits, clattering the wrist out and pulling the hand out. A macabre war trophy, and one he threw into the pocket of his backpack, shiv in cut offhand. He looked to Hayden and Yekatarina, knowing he looked as fucked up as could be- sinking to the low level here no doubt, but aware that it was likely their only route to proving the target was down so Edgar's goons could at least buy the story.

"I don't think we can PID this the usual way, you know what I mean?" Sean commented, shrugging his shoulders indifferently, as Beth kept watch on the door, the fucked up situation and the now growing smell of dirt, bodies and blood making this place no better to be in.

Sean looked to Hayden as he stood up, taking a deep breath, his leg hurting from where he'd been swung at, the bar not making any damage but leaving a nasty bruise, masked still by adrenaline. He looked around, noticing the scene they were in, and in fact, not too distant from the part of the facility where she had her throne. And her cages, no less.
"Shit. We need to go, that safe is too nice, but we can't stay. Beth, we all good?"
"No more yet, but clock's ticking."

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Part One

Operation Partycrasher
Aralsk, Kazakhstan

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5433977

---

Interlude

Aurora Australis,
Kaitiaki Homestead, Raven HQ, Aotearoa / New Zealand

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5449903

---

Part Two

Behind the Vale
Singapore

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5463879

---

Interlude

Whānau / Family
Kaitiaki Homestead, Raven HQ, Aotearoa / New Zealand

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5474696

---

Part Three

Retribution
Isla Langosta, Cartagena, Colombia

Fireteam Piranha

Through the Looking Glass
Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

Fireteam Condor

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5479455

---

Interludes

Kaitiaki Homestead, Raven HQ, Aotearoa / New Zealand

The Reunion Party

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5489106

Heroes, Part One

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5490437

Heroes, Part Two

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5463879

---

Part Four

Kaitiaki Homestead, Raven HQ, Aotearoa / New Zealand
Wellington Airport, New Zealand
Tokyo, Japan

Kakari (Fight)

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5490445

---

Interlude

Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland

The Bones of what you Believe

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5496888

---

Part Five

Rock the Kasbah
Souk Semmarine, Marrakesh, Morocco

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5500342

---

Interlude

Sisu
Camp Hannula, Pöyrisjärvi National Park, Finland

roleplayerguild.com/posts/5527810

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Posted! So I've made another skip back to base as that is op one complete. Feel free to use the NPCs- as you may have noticed they are wide open so I haven't given them a ton of personality so if you want to, feel free to sculpt them how you like as they are for everyone.

Tahlia's your main interface for upgrades and guns (nothing too radical but feel free to add something here if you like), Javi for vehicles, Raph for intel, Sophia for shrapnel-removal and Vincent for pilot-level banter. Alternatively, feel free to plot around them and onto your own thing, or between characters!

This post was a shorter one just as I feel like we all have lots to wrap up, and I feel like in terms of interactions, I'd like to keep it light- so at the moment it's not really that expositionary for Skye (given the team are hurt, I've left anything there on that end fairly open).

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Stoppage Time

Aralsk, Kazakhstan

Skye Rosalind Lyons

The scene turned to shit, as Skye got flanked by a couple more Artemis soldiers whilst pushing the flank of the ship, a bullet richocheting from Mateo's sniper rifle, slapping a bloody scene in front of her, as one other IFVs got hit with a missile. @Theyra The two that were about to open up on Skye got pasted, and well, she was all glad for it.

"Cheers!"
Skye yelled out, as she turned the corner, another squad pinning her down and sending rounds flying, Skye not wanting to go into that hornet's nest. With a clutch of a flashbang, she riococheted it off one wall and headed to another, the squad ducking and yet Skye coming from the other angle, blasting the depleting rounds of her MG3 into the team, their armour no match for high-rate of fire, but still taking a stubbornly long time to do the deed. Coming back into cover, the sound of the Javelins slapping up the remaining two IFVs was a resounding crash-boom, even if one of the missiles had gotten intercepted.

It had made a rather nice mincemeat of the situation, and all that was left was the infantry massing around, making a situation left to deal with. That said, they had two heavies in the fight, and plenty of other force multipliers to throw back at the attack they were getting. Mateo had certainly picked off a number, Sam and Xan had turned the area into a killzone, and the heavies, well, they were doing what they were doing.

Soon though, even that had been subsided, the team chirping off and taking enemies down, left, right, and centre. It was going to be a bloody and brutal fight, and given the state of the team.

But eventually, they would get there, and the voice of the team's pilot came through, not just on Skye's radio, but on everyone's. A reassuring voice to say the least.
"Queen, Hawk is on station, is the LZ near your position clear, over?" Vincent called out, the smooth, breezy tones of the Senegalese-Frenchman one for sore ears, the kind that indicated some sort of end at least.

"Affirm, Hawk. Good to hear your voice. Team, rally on me and break from the fight, let's get to the bird." Skye called out, knowing that with things getting wrapped up, they needed to take their extract option whilst on station- and before they got attached again.

Skye was hurting all over, and the toll was beginning to feel. The noise of the distant V22, however, was somewhat of a reprieve, as she scanned her sector, and covering, spraying fire towards a group of soldiers as she knew the rest of the team were coming in. The fast approach of the V22 and the combat pass of the tiltrotor was skillful, given it had a sketchy as hell landing to make. But it made it all good, and all the well, they were finally able to get out of here. The V22's ramp opened, and with a bit of a walk through the sands, their window had been kept open. They were getting out. Skye would be the last to board, and the first to go to the front of the aircraft, walking through the frame and finding a jump-seat close to the pilot, checking the team with a silent look.

"A pretty shit day in the office, ah Queen?" The dulcet tone of Vincent Cisse, pilot extraordinare was nice to hear through her headset, as he looked into the back, seeing Skye walk in, the blood and dust covered face of Skye making her usual charm and beauty, her red hair and blue buff turn to a shade of brown and dark crimson, her hair completely lost in the chaos of war.

Skye simply leant back and sighing, feeling the pain in her ribs get tighter, as she took her helmet off, exhaling hard, the blood visible from the cut on her forehead, and it began to pour a little more now the pressure had been pulled off from her half-cut helmet being away. She checked the squad was in one last time, before looking forwards, her voice croaking a little. The team had taken fire all the way out, but they had made it out, just about, as the tiltrotor took off.

"Get us home."

---

Aurora Australis

Kaitiaki Homestead, Raven HQ

Rangitoto ki te Tonga / D'Urville Island,
South Island, Aotearoa / New Zealand

2100 Hours

Skye sat nursing a couple of broken ribs that was just part and parcel with hurting the way she had on that mission- like a drum getting hit a bit too hard, the explosion had certainly decided to hurt rather than fuck up any internal organs. She'd come off well- what with the piece of shrapnel that Xan had got, and the hurt that Sam felt, yeah, it could have been worse. But still, it sucked and in the aftermath, was holding her back from going for a run. Doctor's orders.

Like that was stopping her from enjoying the view, the office and her late night working away, well, now switching to a book. A Scottish crime novel, like well, that was escapism that would work. But she had forced it. A reluctant thing, a luxury she had to have, something to take her constantly spinning mind engaged. She had to do something, and some triviality always kept her mind off things. Skye was a real throb deep down, beyond the facade of the hardened team leaders, as she sipped her Earl Grey down a little, her grey t-shirt and blue jeans contrasting against her now tidied crimson-coloured hair and piercing eyes. This place really was becoming like home, and her solace this afternoon and evening had been rather jolly, to say the least. A light legs session in the gym, getting her gear back together, a debrief with Oracle, it had been busy. Now this, paperwork and her book.

The uranium had been secured at a separate drop-off so it could to go into the IAEA's hands and into disposal, and it had been a day and a half to get back to New Zealand- so to say the least a mixture of jet lag and admin was certainly enough to wear the most seasoned operative out. Thankfully, they weren't quite alone when it came to the ops that took the wind out of their sails- and Skye was glad to know they weren't completely home alone.

The support team had gotten to know Skye in various forms. From Sophie, who she'd passed by after the rest of the team had, to Raphael, who was now trying to figure out why they'd been hacked. There was Javi, who was pissed his DPVs hadn't come back, but then again, Skye had underwritten him something else to work on...something she knew would soon be keeping him very busy, but only if he kept it a secret. So alas, the team had a few interactions to make, both with their support crew and between themselves.

For this moment however, Skye had the team's lodge-keeper visiting, the person who looked like they preferred the clutch of a .50 cal rifle rather than an office and logistics orders. Skye seemed to at least acknowledge her, knowing the Kiwi was as straight as she was, albeit with an antipodal charm to the Highlander.

"You still working late, boss?" Tahlia asked, poking her head through Skye's open door, the dusk sky turning pink, almost glowing the last remaining bit of light onto the green pasture-like hills. Her voice had a slight Southlander charm to it, rural and husky, and a fitting opposite to Skye Lyons. She thought she'd hate the figure that Skye cut, but rather more than anything, saw some common ground. Perhaps a taste of a life to support, given Tahlia wasn't exactly fit to fight.

"Reading. It's a wee novel. I guess I got bored of working late."
Skye's response was succinct as she put the book down, Tahlia's demeanour in her polo shirt and cargo trousers looking casual as would be unexpected for someone working in a formal position, yet something exemplifiying the nature of the base here. The calmed down, chilled measure of the site.
"You know, for the person I thought would laugh their way through a broken rib, working late to cope isn't one. You're a workaholic, ain't ya?"

"Yeah, well sometimes shite happens. We had a lot to go through. In fact, you know, if half the squad wasn't hurting and there's some...ahh, never mind."

Skye sighed, adjusting her position in the chair, her lungs hurting against the bandages underneath, as she adjusted her position, before replying to Tahlia again. ""You got what I was looking for?" Skye knew that the team could be spared their end of it tonight, after all, what had happened had happened. It was on Skye to be responsible here, give them some reprieve from that at least.

"I got the supplies. And you already started looking at your next gig with what I got in that state?"

"I think we're all hurting. But Oracle saw an opportunity, and Raph thinks it's legit. So may as well take a wee little chance and poke at them."

"That dress you ordered is the lest Skye Lyons thing I've ever seen though. Crikey, you really sure?"

"I'm no' gonna sneak my way in. So may as well try something else." Skye replied, a lick of a smirk on her face, knowing she hadn't revealed the plan yet, well, not until they were feeling a little better. They had time, but hey, Skye knew she wasn't going to be fighting the next time they went out to go get intelligence. At least, she hoped not.

"You better bring that thing back intact. Whatever you're gonna do." Tahlia looked still bemused, but almost confident enough to give shit to the base's real commander, the fact that Skye held some clout here probably. "Righto, boss, that should be it. Got replacements for any damaged kit, and a few upgrades too. The team certainly will be impressed."

"Good, good. You've earned a beer. Or whatever that Kiwi brew yous drink." Skye replied, satisfied as ever, glad at least that wasn't something to worry about.

"That beer is good stuff, you really should try it soemtime. On that note, see ya. Don't work too late." With that, Tahlia headed out of the office, Skye exhaling as she played everything back, standing up out of her seat, looking out of the window at the dying of the light.

It had been a lot. A lot to take in. For starters, they'd been hacked. The fuckers had broken a very critical link, and whilst no data or anything had been hit, it had been enough of a shock to the system to make her rethink a lot of things. They'd started to underestimate Artemis, what they were capable of, and how well armed and equipped they were. They weren't backing down, Aral was a message, perhaps something worse.

But they had time. No more nuclear material in the wild, and a significant amount of weapons, ammo and explosives had been destroyed. The other big positive was that the contact had been identified, and he certainly was an interesting fellow to go make some enquires with, once the time came. The world was a safer place for a little while longer.

For a few more days.

Thinking of that, Skye took the small case across the desk, and with it, walked out of the office, and walked on down the stairs to the rec room, passing through the corridors, standing tall as always, if not a little hurt. It would take time to heal, but then again, she was never one to back down. Two days, she said to herself, and she was going back at it again. Against any doctor's orders. She wasn't one to stay cooped up.

Coming into the rec room, Skye slouched down onto a couch, and reaching across the table, uncomfortable as it felt, managed to unclasp the case, opening it up and revealing a cherry-red fiddle, and a horse-strung bow, petite in her hardened, calloused hands, her arms hurting to take the thing but needing to.

Pulling the fiddle to shoulder, Skye stayed sitting down as she looked into the night sky and sea, the sun now past the horizon now, hiding and going out of sight. The sinews of the strings hurt, the vibration itself echoing into her shoulder, yet the music, it soothed away. And what felt like pain whittled away as she continued to play, the sound emanating from the fiddle filling the rec room's interior. It was soulful, almost enriching music, the kind that felt like home. A home she'd never really seen properly in a while. Maw, she hadn't seen in a few years, but she was ok, last she remembered. Getting better. No siblings to look after her bar a few family friends. Shit, was this was it led to? A life like this? It felt odd, yet as far as home could be, the strings brought her back to the Highland glens, the mountains, the fresh, cold air that would fill her now expanding chest pushing against ribs in recovery.

But the fiddle felt like it healed, and in spite of the pain, she played on, to herself, or any audience, it didn't matter. She just enjoyed it, indulged, and filled the quiet void of the evening with a warm, silky aural depth that only sought to reinforce the pink sunset and mountainous isles outside. It was a relief all its own, and she hoped the rest of the team had enjoyed their evening too.

Fiddle

Raven Squad: Second Storm (Military/Spy-Fi RP)

Heading away for the weekend but I'm dropping one hot piece of content- Raven Squad's NPCs. They are free for you to use how you wish. You'll notice I didn't expand on them too much but have generated little in a short period of time - believe it or not, all AI generated from a concise prompt and modified lightly to tailor them (something I'll never do for OCs!)- they aren't how I would normally write NPCs but in order to provide a bit more detail and depth into the world of Raven, I've used it as a start to expand upon the habitat our team are in.

They're designed to be fairly open to approach, take on and add another layer of what you might want to interact with on base. If you have ideas for NPCs, feel free to throw them my way and I can make something impromptu - but I've actually baked a lot of overlap in (Javi, Raphael and I would say Tahlia are the three that really jump out as having large overlaps with your characters).