Heat

A L I E N : Tales from the Frontier

I'm very intrigued.

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Star Wars: Legacies (Always Open)

"Doors about to open, sarge." The duros rifleman stated as he clenched onto his blaster tightly. Eensil squeezed his frame between the doorway and the wall, this not the idea situation to maneuver out of. Sargent Vale got down on one knee as she clenched a thermal detonator in her throwing hand. Private Vebbar took sight of the explosive and blinked.

"If this works I'll buy you all the damn Alderaan Twists I can afford." The medic joked as the door came open with a loud beep. As if timed with the exact moment the door came upon the explosive flew from Zena's hand. It rolled across the open hallway and drew the immediate attention of the stormtroopers waiting for the republic commandos.

"Grenade! Look out!" Hollered the nearest one to the detonator as he dove to his side down a hallway, his fellow troopers reacting while two of the unluckiest soldiers were caught in the blast.

"Push forward, blasters hot!" Zena exclaimed as she held her A280 firmly, her finger suppressing the trigger as shots range out. Vebb and Eensil did as they were ordered, as the hallway was filled with the chaos of a sudden firefight. The Duros tucked into a side doorway as the troopers returned fire. A second later he yanked a detonator of his own, flicked it on and flung it forward.

Another stormtrooper was caught in that blast, leaving four Imperials unable to properly return fire. Two of them blind fired from behind cover as a third popped into the center of the hall, ringing shots down the corridor. He was met with a rapid burst of laser fire to his gut, sending the trooper down and out of the battle. One of the remaining three drew his own thermal detonator, as he popped out of cover he heaved it a grunt. The explosive flew towards the trio of republic soldiers, as Zena hollered.

"Push forward! Then hit the deck!" Sargent Vale ordered as the trio sprinted forward, then dove for the floor as the explosive landed behind them. A moment later it ignited, momentarily deafening the commandos. Zena's head swiveled back as she heard Eensil holler in pain, noting the duros was holding onto his left leg.

"Fuck!" The rifleman exclaimed, his leg bloodied and bruised but otherwise in tact. He was lucky to not have lost it as he crawled to his side, towards another doorway as the remaining stormtroopers fired at their enemies. Zena quickly drew a smoke grenade, then rolled it in front of her. It filled the corridor with a heavy smog, blocking the view of the their opponents as their shots ran wildly through the hall.

"Vebb, help him. I'll hold off those bastards once the smoke clears." Zena ordered as she leaned into a doorway, with her blaster aimed directly where the stormtroopers had been.

The medic had survived the blast unscathed and now scrambled towards his wounded comrade. He pulled a bacta laced bandage from the kit on his belt, then wrapped it slowly across Eensil's calve, where the brunt of the damage was done. The bacta would cool then compress the injury, turning it from a potentially life threatening situation to a livable one. Walking would be a more complicated issue though, Eensil would go through absolute hell if he put weight on the leg.

"He's not gonna be able to walk ma'am, but he'll survive. Miracle he didn't lose the leg." The Mon Calamari medic stated as he shifted his friend to a more comfortable seated position against the doorway. The duros breathing deeply as the pain slowly alleviated from the battlefield injury.

"It was my fault, we should have tried the stairs. We were sitting ducks. I'll push forward and clear out these plastic heads, I need you to watch my six, Vebb." Sergeant Vale ordered as the smoke began to lessen, she blasted a single bolt through the wafting mist and struck the first stormtrooper she saw. Two remained.

"Stay right here Eensil, you'll be alright. Try not to move. We'll be right back." Vebb said calmly with a nod and a smile as he drew his own A280. He then tucked in behind their commanding officer as she peaked forward again.

A single stormtrooper peaked from the right side, as the soldier popped out to fire at Zena she squeezed the trigger first. A rapid burst of laser tore through the hallway, then dropped the trooper. His gloved hand twitched as he fired his own rifle, the ceiling marked with smoke from the wild shots. One single stormtrooper stood tucked behind the opposite wall, as the lead republic commando shifted forward the stormtrooper waited anxiously. He steeled his nerves, then took a deep breath under his helmet. Then the trooper shifted out from cover, knelt and unleashed a volley down the hallway. The blasts just barely missed hitting Zena as she dove to her side, the trooper had the vulnerable sergeant in his sights.

Then he hit the floor hard, a direct headshot dropping him with a whif of smoke. As Zena turned her head she saw the squad's medic smirking proudly. He just saved his sergeant's life. She owed him a drink for that one. The Aldeerani just shook her head with a smile of her own on her facial features as she pushed forward against the end of the corridor's wall. She took a quick peek around it, then her eyes widened as she made contact with one last straggler who promptly turned tail as he sprinted toards the communications room down the hallway. Intent upon sending a distress signal to the battalions of Imperials in the greater city.

"Stop him!" The lead commando shouted as she fired towards him, emptying her blaster in the running trooper's direction. The corridor was lit in an intense red as the bolts scattered through it, smoking the walls and floors. None made contact with the sole surviving stormtrooper as he sprinted through the doorway.

Zena ran as fast as her legs could carry her in hot pursuit of the trooper, the squad's medic following behind as he was late to arrive on the scene. As Sergeant Vale reached the room she heard a fiercely loud bang, then another. She practically stumbled through the doors to find the stormtrooper dead on the floor, surrounded by shattered glass. A large hole sat in the window above the communications panel, directly parallel to where Bima was. Their diminutive scout sniper had just saved the day. Another smile drew its way onto Zena's face as she spoke into her commlink.

"Command, this is Sargent Zena Vale of Vorn Tiger squad. We have successfully cleared and taken the old republic base on Utrost."

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Star Wars: Legacies (Always Open)

Vorn Tiger Squad, on arrival for Utrost

A single starship emerged from the hangar of the Relentless Endeavor, then made a rapid beeline for Utrost. The RM-09 shuttle quickly broke through the clouds of the former Galactic Republic world, shaking gingerly as it ripped through the atmosphere towards the surface. The elite five man commando unit were the only ones nestled in the back of the craft as the pilot loosened their tight grip on the throttle. The early morning sun shined brightly across the plains of the core world, its urban centers still bearing the scars of the wars waged on it. The team's destination sat on the outskirts of the capital city of Exaron. Sergeant Vale knew the closer they got to the city center, and to the Imperial occupation facility, the more intense the enemy's numbers would be. This old base they were assigned to take didn't likely have swarms of stormtroopers stationing it. Either way they were going to tear through every single plastic boy in that old site, though with a healthy dose of stealth to their actions. The last thing they needed was to have the entire Imperial garrison bearing down on their asses.

Zena stood up as the pilot spoke into the shuttle's intercom, indicating they were three minutes from the dropzone. Her team were landing in the rocky hills a ways up from the base, a perfect vantage point to get a drop on any troopers. As she did a final weapons check her team waited in silence around her. Her second in command, Eensil stared silently at the floor with fists clenched as he amped himself up. Silently replaying past mistakes and failures in his mind to motivate himself to success. Private Leapfar pulled fingerless gloves onto her claw tipped fingers as the squad's medic double knotted the laces of his boots. Dakkar wordlessly spoke a prayer of his species, eyes shut as he asked one of Yuzzem's goddesses for a fruitful hunt and a blessing of survival. The head commando thought of fallen family as she placed her helmet over her head, then whispered each of their names to herself.

"Kenall. Wina. Crixian. Oran."

A customary ritual before every operation, to remind herself why she'd taken up arms against the Empire. Why she wouldn't rest until every single world was freed from their tyrannical talons. The pilot spoke again as the shuttle descended, having already flown in low to minimize the chances of detection. It paused in air roughly thirty feet above the surface as the shuttle door slid open. Each member of the five man team stepped forward and clamped their belts to ropes which dropped from the outside top of the shuttle. Then one after another the soldiers repelled downwards, as dust kicked up with each one's soles landing on the hard surface of the world. As the Vorn Tigers unhooked themselves the ropes ascended up, then the shuttle ascended towards the skies and left them on the world to begin their mission.

"Alright my friends, our pilot graciously dropped us off not far from our target. Right across the canyon down range for us. We get a nice scenic walk on our way their. Stealth is on our side, if we see any Imps we take them out quickly and silently. Private Leapfar, I need you to flank to the side and get a higher vantage point on the base. Radio in any signs of Imperium activity that you see."

"Ay, ma'am!" The Nosaurian scout sniper replied with a rapid salute, then jogged to the side where a group of rocks rose above the canyon. Bima was ideal for such a task, she was the quickest on her feet and most compact in size. The markswoman barely stood four and a half feet in height, Zena doubted the Imperials would notice her petite form dashing across the canyon.

"Form up on me, I want blasters silent unless you hear my own go off." The Aldeerani commando stated assertively as her team followed behind her as the quartet moved forward.

Ultrost was a populated world, she pitied the poor denizens that suffered under the Imperium's fist. They'd be freed by the end of the day, when the X-Wings and Y-Wings came hurtling through the skies. She was itching to move onto the next phase of their assignment, the freeing of the prisoners inside the two detention camps on the world. Zena was practically salivating at watching those disgusting prisons burn to the ground, they were a testament to the unending brutality of the Empire. But for the moment she had to keep her thoughts cooled and focused on taking the former republic base. As she lead her team through down the canyons she heard Bima's voice speak over the commlink.

"Sarge, I've made it the vantage point. Have a clear view on the base, I count less than eight stormtroopers stationed outside of it. Two snipers perched on the rooftop, chatting with each other. There's also a patrol duo right near your current location. I can't see inside the base but I do not believe it is very heavily garrisoned." Private Leapfar stated as she laid on the ground, her E-11s poisitioned on a bipod with a clear sight of the target location.

"Excellent work Leapfar. Keep me posted on any Imperium movements, we're moving to take down that patrol then strike the base." Zena replied as she shifted forward, having spotted the two patrolmen her squadmate had spoke of. Both stormtroopers had their backs to them, she could hear them talking to each other, clearly bored.

"As long as we strike rapidly and subtly it should be an easy battle. Even if they managed to radio to reinforcements in the city that would take some time to get here." Bima added as she focused her scope on the two scout troopers on the rooftop. One of them mocking the motion of a club, the two chatting about some sporting event blissfully unaware of the approaching Republic commando unit.

Sergeant Vale drew her vibroknife as she nodded at Corporal Keeg. The Duros copied her own action as he drew his own vibroblade. Both soldiers pushed forward slowly, careful to not make any noise as to not startle the two enemy troopers just in front of them. Zena struck first as she expertly struck the nearest one. Her free hand reached out to grab the stormtrooper's shoulder, then as she faced the surprised man towards her she plunged her knife into his neck. As he crumbled to the floor his compatriot turned towards Zena to react only to receive Eensil's own knife into the back of his skull. The vibrating blade tore through the helmet as the second stormtrooper hit the floor in a heap. As the Duros pulled his knife from the dead man's skull Zena dragged the corpse of the trooper she slain backwards behind a set of rocks, out of view of any potential Imperial eyes. Particularly those currently slacking off snipers on the roof. Eensil did the same as the team then moved forward, inching closer to the base.

"Bima, is there any way we can get inside without alerting all of them?" Zena asked through her commlink as her team tucked behind some ferns and rocks. "I don't mind going loud but I'd rather not if I don't have to."

"Sarge, there's a garage on the side you are approaching from, if you can slip inside there then you could knock out any Imperials inside, wreck their comms and make the stragglers easy targets," Private Leapfar replied as she hovered her scope over the garage, noting another duo of stormtroopers along with a third scrubbing graffiti off a troop transport. "I count three plastics, you should have the drop on them."

"Got it." Zena replied as she raised a hand to tell her team to move forward again, closer to the garage. Several crates were spread outside of it, while the trooper transport was closer the shut garage door. Though a smaller door right next to them offered an avenue to get inside.

"Imik, Vebb, go left. I'll get those two turned away from the third, then you jump on them. Dakkar, stay posted here in case things get hot. I've got the scrubbing soldier." The veteran commando ordered as she reached down to pick up a rock. Just large enough to make a noise to hopefully draw in the two plastic boys. As she pushed right and slipped behind a crate she chucked the rock, out of view of the soldiers with their backs turned. It hit the floor on the left side of the targets.

"Did you hear that?" One of the stormtroopers asked as he drew his blaster, then walked towards the rock as the other soldier followed. The trooper tasked with cleaning just shook his head, thinking it was just some rat scurrying about.

Then Zena struck again, knife drawn as she pulled the solitary trooper backwards. Her vibroblade slammed into his neck, then craved across as she whispered and shushed him. Imik and Eensil struck as efficiently, bringing down both their assigned targets lethally. The Aldeerani once more tucked the dead stormtrooper behind the transport, while her other two squadmates similarly shifted the duo of corpses in the same spot. It wouldn't matter once they cleared out the inside of the base, but there was no such thing as being too sure. The trio then strolled towards the door, Zena smirking as it was unlocked.

"Bima, stay where you are. We've made it inside the base, we're gonna go loud and take out every Imperial inside. The troopers on the outside will start moving. I want you to open fire on them. Dakkar, get an angle on those two snipers. Take them down as soon as the shooting starts. Efficiency is the word here." The sergeant radioed in orders efficiently as the trio snuck inside the base. She drew her blaster rifle as she ended her words, prepared for a forceful entry. Imik and Vebb drew their weapons as well.

They were greeted by another trio of stormtroopers inside the garage, stationed outside of an elevator. If the layout of the base was correct then that lift would take them to the second floor, where the communications center was. They'd knock that out and clear the way for the cavalry, then take out every single damned trooper in the building. Zena leveled her blaster at the three soldiers before them, then squeezed the trigger. The two other Vorn Tigers with her did the same as they blasted bolts towards the unsuspecting enemies.

"Going hot!" Zena exclaimed as the trio went down, then shifted towards the elevator. Imik pulled the helmet off of one of the downed men and heard frantic chatter, other stormtroopers wondering what the hell just happened. As they stepped inside the lift he dropped the helmet, the troopers on the outside reacted and headed for the other door into the building on the opposite side where they'd breached in.

Bima did as was expected of her, as a single shot rang out and struck into one of the stormtroopers. It scattered the others as Dakkar grunted and unleashed his DLT-19 towards the surprised scout troopers. Both snipers went down in shock as the pure barrage of laser fire ripped towards them as both men dropped. Smoke lifted from their armor as the hulking machine gunner turned his weapon towards the other troopers on the outside. Inside the base the elevator rose upwards, taking advantage of the sudden strike.

"They're gonna know we're coming up this way." The Mon Calamari stated cautiously, holding tightly onto his blaster rifle as he looked at the team's commanding officer.

"Let them. They won't know what’s gonna hit them." Sargent Vale smirked underneath her helmet, as the elevator reached the second floor.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread

I was SOOOOOO badly hoping for a teaser for a God of War sequel. But I was satisfied with what I saw from the presentation. Kena looks pretty cool, gives me Zelda vibes. Horizon 2 looks hype as hell. Still gotta finish the first one tho. The console itself looks like what people in 2005 thought consoles would look like 20 years later.

How about Rockstar releasing GTA V again? Todd Howard eat your heart out. I don't think we'll see a glimpse of GTA VI til 2022 at the earliest.

So I just finished Days Gone and I really felt it was enjoyable despite being frustrated with it from time to time. Great potential in a franchise.

@Inkarnate

I'm legit playing through it right now, haven't been able to put it down since I got it a few days ago for 15$. I don't think it deserves the mediocre reviews it got at launch. It's a pretty damn fun game, the hordes are exhilarating and terrifying to face down. The story and presentation isn't anything revolutionary but its not bad at all.

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What Are You Listening To?

Mass Effect: Cat and Mouse

For Callan the stroll to meet Cearya Janiix was painfully quiet. What he had just done to Odette lingered on his mind every single second until they'd met up with the arms dealer. He had to force himself to not think of his old friend, or what he'd just done to her. He could only hope the incredibly risky plan they'd executed together worked. Fausion and Kollek were used to their boss being a man of few words, neither gangster knew any better than to ask any questions. But the biotic could tell damn well that both men felt how definite the silence between the trio was. Still the meeting with Janiix took precedent at the moment.

Their place of meeting was inside one of Janiix's safehouses where the Asari kept some of the weaponry she smuggled around the space station. It was not the farthest trek from Afterlife but it was far enough that the thumping music emitting from the nightclub could not be heard. As they drew closer to the location the hordes of denizens had thinned out. It also notably lacked the foul stents which permitted throughout the streets of Omega.

On approach to the safehouse Callan noted the security measures, but was not shocked by the sheer amount of protections the wealthy arms dealer had. The safehouse was located at the end of an alleyway, Callan had spotted several patrolling guards outside the alley as well as cameras placed in and around it. A duo heavily armed guards stood in front of the thick layered door to the safehouse. Both were imposing krogans, hulking even by their species high standards. A single automated turret sat above the doorway, its weapons trained on Callan and his followers as they walked down the alley. Next to it was another camera which similarly focused on Callan. The leader of the Void Angels also noted the total lack of windows. It was quite literally a single fortified door. The door itself looked like it could withstand a barrage of shots and explosives. He supposed these were just the necessary precautions an arms dealer would have to take to have a truly secure safehouse on the cutthroat space station.

As Callan stepped to the front door one of the krogan rose a firm hand, causing the gang leader to stop in his tracks. He glared at the guard as the krogan listened to a communications device in his ear. As he received instructions directly from Cearya Janiix the krogan nodded, then words slipped from his lips.

"You can go in, Mr. Barrons. Miss Janiix would prefer if your two companions would stay out here." The guard muttered in a calm tone, still clenching his rifle between his hands. He spoke Callan's created surname, one he'd taken after he fled Cerberus. It was the last name he'd gone under since that lifechanging moment. Adam Barrons was the full 'codename', it was easy to become someone new on Omega. Odette was the first person to call him his true name in years.

"Fine." The biotic replied, as he practically rolled his eyes at the request but complied. He trusted Cearya enough, if anything happened to him then she'd be out one of her most loyal buyers. As the hefty door unlocked and slipped open Callan walked into the safehouse. His two underlings leaned against the wall outside, once more awaiting their boss' return.

As he entered the fortified building he was met by the sight of Cearya leaned against a crate, an advanced looking shotgun dangled in her left hand. The arms dealer was a beautiful woman which she no doubt knew and it helped her climb to power. She was clad in an armored jumpsuit, complete with combat boots and a sidearmed pistol on her belt. A large tattoo marked the right side of her face from her forehead to her lip. She smiled as Callan entered into her office, a desk on the right side of the room and a dual set of doors behind where she stood.

"A pleasure to see you again Adam. Glad to see Omega hasn't gotten you yet. No doubt the weapons I've been supplying your group with have helped that," She stated in a welcoming but confident tone. She then tossed the shotgun towards him which Callan caught carefully. "Don't worry, its not loaded. Its of Asari origin, packs a hell of a punch. Keep it, my gift to you."

"You're too kind. But I don't think you brought me here to give me a gift." He stated, not that impressed by the shotgun but trying not to seem dismissive of it. It was clear the arms dealer wanted him here for another reason.

"You are right, I have a special bit of inventory to show you." Cearya added, then snapped her fingers as the door behind her came open. The former Cerberus' eyes caught sight of a mechanical form shifting through the doorway, slowly but with certainty to its steps. As it came more into view it paused in stride next to the asari as she continued to speak.

"It's a beauty isn't it? It is one of the newest model of mechs, the Chimera mech. It comes equipped with dual machine guns on its arms, high caliber enough to reduce its unfortunate target to a heap of blood and guts in seconds. Missile launchers embedded on the left shoulder, capable of locking onto larger targets. On the right shoulder is a flamethrower with a twenty meter range. Thrusters on its back allow it to leap into the air to gain vertical advantage in a fight. The shielding is resistant to all matters of small arms fire while its agility allows it to evade heavier firepower" As the arms dealer proudly went over her newest acquisition, a constant smile on her face as she spoke happily about its features. The mech stayed motionless during the talk as it hulked over Callan at nearly eight feet in height.

"Its not overkill?" The potential buyer replied with a rare smirk as he looked over the mech. Callan did have to admit it intrigued him, though he was unsure of where the hell she had gotten it from. It looked like the sort of mech colonists deployed to fight off fucking thresher maws. He supposed it was no surprise such a well armed machine ended up on Omega.

"There's no such thing in a fight, my friend. You know this, I know this." Cearya replied with another cocky smile as she paced left to right with excitement. "I can get you five right now, with another fifteen on the way by the end of the month. Thats a hell of a deal."

"Doesn't sound like the cheapest one to me." Callan replied as he approached the mech, inspecting it closer. He trusted the dealer's word, though would be more excited by a demonstration of its capabilities. But such a show did not seem possible at the moment.

"Worth every single credit. It does the work of twenty men, I guarantee you'd be the first gang leader on Omega to get one. Better you than those damned Blood Pack thugs." She stated, as the asari put on a convincing sell for one of her most constant customers. Callan didn't admit it but she made a great point, he shuddered to think what would happen if they ended up in the Blood Pack's hands.

"Come on, Adam. You know I've never let you down," Cearya said in a more playful tone as she drew closer to Callan and ran her fingertips down his arm, her lips right near his ear. She had turned the charm into a more flirtatious one. "You know I'll cut you a discount, a man of your power and capabilities."

"Forward me the exact pricing details. I'll make my decision by the end of the night. I want to see videos of them in action, I know with your connections you can find those." The biotic replied as the Asari smirked playfully, though Callan stepped away from her flirty movements.

"Excellent. I do have some 'demonstrations' of the mechs in action. Its spellbinding stuff, I will forward those to you." She said in a once again excited manner of speaking. Then Cearya slipped behind her desk to type on her console, finalizing the details. Callan continued to eye the mech as he clenched onto the Asari shotgun in his right hand. He was pulled from his continued inspection of the machine by his arms dealer muttering profanity.

"What the fuck? I did not have a meeting with these assholes." Cearya said as she stared at the monitor on the side of her desk which showed a direct feed to the door camera. As the gang leader walked over to look at the screen he counted at least ten armored figures approaching the door, Cearya's guards as well as Fausion and Kollek having leveled their weapons at the newcomers.

"Blood Pack. They must have followed me here. I didn't think I was being tailed." Callan stated angrily as he kicked the desk in pure frustration. He made out the shape of three krogan and several more vorcha. They were bold to follow him this deep to the safehouse, but that was the Blood Pack for you. Recklessly bold to an idiotic degree.

"I do deal with them-" The asari began to say, which drew a glare from Callan. "But, I was not going to offer them the mechs. They're too damn unpredictable. You're the first one I made this offer, they were not on that list at all."

"Ms. Janiix, they're demanding to see Barrons. They brought a lot of guns. What should we do?" A voice came in through a communicator on Cearya's desk. It was one of the guards, the Blood Pack having made their demands known. It was a suicidal move to come here, they'd never get through the doors even if they took out the guards and the turret.

"I'm going out there, I'll get them away from the safehouse." The biotic stated as he walked towards the door, rage stirring inside of him at these new arrivals.

"They didn't barge into your territory. I always disliked dealing with them, never trusted them." The arms dealer hollered, her biotics flaring in rage as she opened the door and charged out before Callan.

Not only had the Blood Pack upset the leader of the Void Angels but they'd also infuriated Cearya by intruding on her property and making demands. He didn't think they'd be risky enough to cause trouble not far from Afterlife, but that just meant they were on truly on edge because of his gang's actions against them. Callan slammed a thermal clip into his newly gifted shotgun then stepped outside. These types of confrontations rarely ever ended without a bloody fight on Omega.

Guild News: May 2020

Thanks for the mention of my post!