>>6302230

"Elite is probably going to end up being the more or less official designation for them, but we're already calling the Avian species Tengu rather than "Kig-Yar"" You admit with a shrug "We can argue semantics and codenames later, I want to hear your thoughts and personal options on them, as an enemy, seeing as you're one of a select few Spartans who have encountered the splitjawed freaks in the field."

"Still haven't nicked named the exploding runts anything. Or the worm thing Grace sent straight to the fires of alien hell"

You ignore Nesta's comment, as you know she's been arguing with Daisy over what to call the gasmask wearing fodder encountered on Alpha Corvi II

"The ones we met on Ambition were Spec Ops. Could tell the second I saw how they operated. Kurt knew to. I know you wrote the report, so I don't need to tell you how dicey things got" Illya says, running a hand over her armor, above the places she'd been wounded during Operation: Svartalfar "Oscar and I nearly became the first Spartan Casualties in the war. We only got out of that last firefight because Cal dropped the Officer's shield. And Kurt took decisive action. Hell, they nearly took down Nicole in an ambush. They were a serious threat, professional, driven"

"Lines up with my own experiences fighting the bastards" You drawl, rocking your jaw back and forth, holding your shotgun at ease, staring out at the waves lapping at the shore a few clicks east from your position "They're tough nuts to crack. Elite is an apt description for them. They're brawny to"

"They pack nearly as much of a punch as you do, Sir" Illya agreed, head twitching in a wince "Did Kurt mention I nearly got my reinforced ribcage cracked by one kick from the leader of that Spec Ops kill squad we ran into on Ambition"

"He did. Jorge and I had to use similar tactics against some sort of energy sword wielding assassin, I think they might've had our number if we tried to fight them fair and square, one on one" You tell her, nodding along

"Impressive brawl" She says admiringly "Saw the footage from both your and Jorge's perspective on that particular fight, and Daisy's to. But that brings us back to the pressing matter, those alligators are touch, skilled. And some of them can go toe to toe with a Spartan and win. It's only through our teamwork and coordination they haven't won, yet"

"That, and I don't think they know what WE are exactly. Which is an advantage we'll be quick to lose. But I've noticed they feel at ease against opponents as fast and as strong as us" You continue

"And they're clever to" Illya agrees "Brain and brawns. A lethal combination. And the reason we were chosen to begin with"

"And they like using that optic camouflage of theirs" Nesta adds, clicking her tongue and shaking her head "Which is odd, considering, from what we know, they seem to have something of a warrior culture"

"Almost Samurai-esq" Shika agrees "But, we don't know anything about them"
Cont

>>6302231

"Nothing, besides the fact they're harder to kill than the Birds and Runts, have elite training and nerves of steel, and can tango with a Spartan in CQC" You, somewhat sarcastically, remark "They're the biggest threat we've faced on foot, so far"

"So Far" Shika repeats after you, Critically

"Feels like you just Jinxed all of Humanity, Sir. If we run into an Alien bigger than them, Bigger than You, I'm blaming you" Nesta laughs "But yeah, even I have to admit those Split Jaw Uglies can be a challenge to put down. Had a few walk off pin point headshots during Collateral Damage. Think a few were still twitching after Grace or James blew them to smithereens. They're tenacious fucks, I'll give them that"

"And experienced, I don't know how serious you were with the Samurai Analogy, Shika, but their tactics feels...refined" Illya starts and then stops, looking to you pointedly "You know what I mean, Lieutenant"

"We don't know how old the Covenant is, but, the Svartalfar clearly have a long military tradition. Their strategy, the way they wage war and battle, it all speaks of a long storied history of conflict and bloodshed" You agree and theorize outloud

"Well, luckily Humanity also has a long history of killing eachother, just Deja taught us" Nesta said cheerfully "I think, exactly how many centuries they've been at it, stops mattering after a certain point"

"I don't. They've got the tech and resource advantage. Deja also taught us what happens when a less advance culture ran into a more advance and equally militaristic society" Illya argues

"Just like the Samurai" Shika agrees with her

"Never said this was going to be an easy war" Nesta replies, still sounding chipper and carefree as she sits down against the side of the truck "I just know we can kill and out maneuver the best the Covenant has, in spite of their superior firepower. The reverse is also true. All it takes is one wrong move and..."

"We die" Illya says grimly "They're a serious threat, even to us. But they can be killed. Same us"

"Such is a soldier's lot in life" Shika sighs, almost philosophically "Kill and Die"

"And even if they're the Covenant's best, we know it doesn't take a Spartan to put them down" You say, nodding and watching the ETA for the prisoner pick up tick down in the corner of your visor's HUD

"And what do you think about them sir? I know Crazy over here likes the challenge they provide" Illya asks, out of nowhere "But what do you think about the Covie Gators, Sir?"
Cont

>>6302232

> "Simple. I hate them and enjoy killing them. They're genocidal monsters. I'd be happy to repay them ten fold for Harvest, personally"

> "They're the enemy. A gear in the war machine of the greatest thread humanity has ever faced. And we're going to be fighting a lot of them"

>"Sometimes I wonder what it is we did to piss them off so much, but beyond that? They're just targets like any other. Sure they take more effort to neutralize, but, they die all the same"

>"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit"

>Write in option

>>6302233
> "Simple. I hate them and enjoy killing them. They're genocidal monsters. I'd be happy to repay them ten fold for Harvest, personally"
Dirty fucking HINGE-HEADS

>>6302233
>> "Simple. I hate them and enjoy killing them. They're genocidal monsters. I'd be happy to repay them ten fold for Harvest, personally"
I do not believe that species motivated crimes are morally justifiable

however

>>6302233
>"Sometimes I wonder what it is we did to piss them off so much, but beyond that? They're just targets like any other. Sure they take more effort to neutralize, but, they die all the same"

>"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit"

>>6302233
> "Simple. I hate them and enjoy killing them. They're genocidal monsters. I'd be happy to repay them ten fold for Harvest, personally"


>"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit"

god damn fucking split lips

>>6302233
>>"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit."

>>6302233
>>6302269 +1

Kill Splitjaws, Behead Splitjaws, round house kick a Splitjaw into the concrete.

>>6302233
>"Simple. I hate them and enjoy killing them. They're genocidal monsters. I'd be happy to repay them ten fold for Harvest, personally"
>"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit"
Sven is the cream that rises to the top, yeah. Macho Spartan Sven Askeland. All the way to the top, oh yeah.

>>6302233

>"Sometimes I wonder what it is we did to piss them off so much, but beyond that? They're just targets like any other. Sure they take more effort to neutralize, but, they die all the same."

>"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit."

We temper that hate and use it as a weapon. Our hate does not wield us.

>>6302233
>"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit"

>>6302233
>Write in option
>Strong. Intelligent. Ruthless. No doubt the most dangerous threat we've faced so far from the Covenant. But they're not infallible, and they're not indestructible. I have seen their arrogance, cruelty, and pride. They underestimate us. They make mistakes. They bleed. They die. We can defeat them.
>We were told a long time ago by Dr. Halsey that we would become 'the protectors of Earth and all her colonies'. I thought it was a load of shit back then, but as I stand here next to this woman (gesture to captured mother), I realize she was right. We were selected and trained to fight other humans, but our duty doesn't change just because the threat does. Humans. Tengu. Svartalfar. No matter where these threats emerge, no matter what form they take, we will face them, we will fight them, and we will win.
Just an alternative response leaning into Sven's Inspiring quality and Jotun's cool headedness. Feel the revenge angle would fit more of a Spartan-III.

Rescinding >>6302310

Backing >>6302352

Didn't have time for anything more eloquent before but the above post nails it.

Also, random thought for the lore luminaries and those proficient in wiki-indexing - what do the UNSC's air assets look like outside of Hornets, Ospreys and Pelicans?

I know there're the Saber and Longsword strike fighters, but they seem to be exclusively void fighters, rather than proper aerospace assets.

>>6302233
>"Sometimes I wonder what it is we did to piss them off so much, but beyond that? They're just targets like any other. Sure they take more effort to neutralize, but, they die all the same"

Hell Yeah! New thread.

>>6302352
+!

>>6302284
>>6302352
Yeah that’s a solid Write in. Changing my vote to this.

>>6302426
Fuck my ID changed again. Being a Phonefag is pain.

>>6302364
Most are A/X which means they're atmospheric and atmospherics. Some do better in space than atmo, and some the other-way around but are all generally capable in both aspects.
In order of size:
GA-TL1 Longswords tare the primary Navy heavy/multi-role fighter that come in a verity of sizes. A/X.
F-29 Nandaos are long range Naval interceptors. A/X.
F-41 Broadswords are smaller higher production strike fighters. A/X.
S-14 Baselards are smaller strike fighters mostly used by the Air Force for orbital instillation and terrestrial air fields. A/X.
F-99 Wombats are fighter drones piloted by dumb AI that can act as loyal wingman swarms for manned fighters or be directly controlled by smart AI. Not A/X.
By 2552 for the Emergency Defense Fighter Program:
FSS-1000 Sabre (Only one that survived Reach.) A/X, shielded. Developed by Ushuaia Armory and Misriah Armory.
S-930 Pegasus (Full production run didn't survive due to being on Tribute during the fall of Reach.) A/X, shielded. Developed by SinoViet Heavy Machinary, and Chalybs Defense. The Pegasus is a real shame because it's design is great but it still barely lives on as a stripped down version used by the Air Force who wanted to replace all their old as dirt Baselards.

There's also bombers and shit like the Shortsword, and a half dozen other niche or broad use utility aircraft. No idea what you're talking about with Ospray though, nothing comes to mind with that name. You mean the Falcon?

>>6302430

The Falcon, yeah. Was thinking of the IRL tiltrotor aircraft the USMC uses. The one that's notorious for crashing a lot.

Still, that's a lot more than I thought there were.

It's interesting how out of place the Falcon is compared to the rest of that list though, being a rotary wing aircraft in amongst so many jet\jet equivalents.

>>6302432
>The one that's notorious for crashing a lot.
Nah, it doesn't crash more than any other rotor wing with the Marines. It just kills more people in the process thanks to being a lard ass troop transport.
>>6302432
>Still, that's a lot more than I thought there were.
Thems just the ones off the top of my head, I'm sure there's a few fixed wing fighters I forgot about or too niche to have seen. Shitload more support craft too.
>It's interesting how out of place the Falcon is compared to the rest of that list though, being a rotary wing aircraft in amongst so many jet\jet equivalents.
A bit but it's cheap, can carry a lot for it's size, and is easy to use. Works for the Army and in universe they're sort of the hand me down branch. Most atmospheric specific aircraft for the UNSC are turbo/jet prop like the Vulture, Hornet, and Sparrohawk. Then you get A/X support craft and that's a whole other can of nuclear powered reaction mass reliant worms and multiphase engines.

>>6302434

Mm.

If I remember correctly, the UNSC eventually retrofit B-52s out of desperation in the later phases of the war.

Still, wonder how much similar surplus wound up in CMA hands?

Stuff like Apaches or similar attack choppers.

Probably sitting targets for Covenant AA, but could be useful for lightning raids if it comes to it.

Also, does the UNSC actually have IFVs or APCs, or are they stuck with the transport warthog?

Never played Halo Wars, so I'm not terribly clear on exactly what sort of vehicular assets the UNSC has in their total.

>>6302233
>>"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit"

>>6302441
>If I remember correctly, the UNSC eventually retrofit B-52s out of desperation in the later phases of the war.
The Buff never dies. But really, the oldest thing that I can remember in UNSC service is the Scorpion at or approaching 300 something years old for it's general design. 21st/20th equipment doesn't really exist outside of museums, replicas, collections, or the oddball heirlooms.
>Still, wonder how much similar surplus wound up in CMA hands?
Practically none. There was lots of cross over in equipment between the UNSC and CMA. Anything bigger than a boat had it's own organic production lines to either group thanks to the sheer scale of industrial capacity the UNSC was operating at. So large in fact that prior to the Covenant invasion there was a cold war brewing between the two organizations with the UNSC and CMA both producing ship classes to counter one another such as the Able-class and Hillsborough-class heavy destroyers. Even with things like the CMA using their own proprietary Ares antiship missiles while the UNSC uses Archers.
>Stuff like Apaches or similar attack choppers.
Nope, nothing like that as far as I can remember.
>Also, does the UNSC actually have IFVs or APCs, or are they stuck with the transport warthog?
No/yes. Before and during the war the UNSC was largely a very lean/menu-ever based organization with basically everything being air mobile at minimum. When you can drop a tank and a platoon of infantry anywhere on a planet at a moments notice there's not really much reason to have APCs and as such the Pelican largely supplanted more conventional ground based designs though HW2 introduces a post war super heavy APC in the Mastodon which is implied to be the Army's 'historical' choice for armored transport. For fire support IFVs there's things like the Cougar, the Cobra (which is erroneously called an MBT for some reason), Wolverine which is a dedicated AA missile truck, and Bison which is a general purpose back-line utility and transport box truck.

The UNSC has terrestrial carriers and smaller patrol boats, submarines, the sort. Orbital skiffs and tugs, stuff like that. Generally speaking, if there's a real world category the UNSC either has something for it or took the Humvee route by shoehorning the Warthog into it.

>>6302441
I have posted the fan art of an UNSC APC that was cool in previous threads. I don't think there is much about them in lore.

Its cool that in quest we are getting some space-air-water vehicles with Project TYPHON. Still prototypes that needs to be industrialized first before entering any mass production but its cool

>>6302461
>Its cool that in quest we are getting some space-air-water vehicles with Project TYPHON.
I'm excited for that. Terrestrial naval stuff is only barely mentioned in off references and blurbs. Some good fan concepts out there too. Biggest thing though IMO is Evil-Eye. Infantry portable antitank rail/coil guns before the end of the war are gonna be yuge. I hope GUNGNIR still gets funded for the splaser but E-E will give us way more to work with early-mid war to handle Covenant armor.

>>6302233
>>"Sometimes I wonder what it is we did to piss them off so much, but beyond that? They're just targets like any other. Sure they take more effort to neutralize, but, they die all the same"

>>6302471
The EVIL EYE is pretty good (though problematic origin, but we can pass over it), i like RHODES since its more exo/power armor/mech development that could be of great use if they collaborate with MJOLNIR scientists.

BESERKER we will need to wait for it (probably it has an issue of creating something that doesn't kill people after using it [from what i remember the lab of the BESERKER project was pretty bloody, and I think it was because of the testers deaths], because i think the ONI scientists succedded already in making the red pills of the Einherjar far more stronger in effects. So it just a case of "stabilizing" it probably), and TYPHON is a matter of factories. The prototypes seemed in working order, and I cant wait to get our hands on a Leviathan again.

>>6302233
>>"Sometimes I wonder what it is we did to piss them off so much, but beyond that? They're just targets like any other. Sure they take more effort to neutralize, but, they die all the same"

Rebooting...Monitor 404 TormentedCache, back online

Learned something about the UNSC Airforce today, lol.

4 Votes for "Simple. I hate them" etc

4 Votes for "Sometimes I wonder what it is we did to piss them off" Etc

6 Votes for "My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death" etc

4 Votes for "Strong. Intelligent. Ruthless no doubt the most dangerous threat we faced" etc + "We were told a long time ago by Dr Halsey that we would become the protector of earth and her colonies" etc

"My thoughts? That they are weak to being pinned to the ground and bludgeoned to death, and seem at times over reliant on their Optic Camo. Weaknesses we can exploit" is the winner, with a dead heat in terms of the runners up all being at 4 votes by my count.

decision made
Proceeding...

>>6302352
Excellent write in btw

>>6302819
>Learned something about the UNSC Airforce today, lol.
That it exists or something fun? Only other random bits of lore I got off the top of my head for them is that they also run most of a planets given orbital traffic, satellites, and instillations/platforms. The other is that they have their own dedicated signals intelligence divorced from ONI which is impressive given ONI cannibalized basically every intel organization in the UEG pretty quickly once the war started.
>>6302545
All of it'll come back eventually I hope. Long as we keep R&D/Black Sites from being rolled over long enough to evacuate them that is.

You ponder the question for awhile, as you've plenty to say on the subject of Covenant and more towards the observations you've made of the various races that make up their genocidal armies. Alligators, Elites, Svartalfar, whatever you want to call them, they're probably the alien species you have the most opinions about. On one hand, you hate them for taking part in a galactic scale genocide and holy war, for reasons that still aren't clear to humanity at large. But you can't help but to admire them as soldiers, even if they're on the other side and trying to wipe out your entire species. Ruthless. Intelligent. Strong. All terms that come to mind when you reflect on your encounters with and fights against the Svartalfar. That isn't to say they're flawless warriors. Like any army, they have flaws. They have weakness. Blindspots, and they're not unconquerable nor undefeatable. They bleed and they die, like any human adversary. Bit harder to confirm a kill, sure, but Spartans are extremely adept at killing.

So they're targets like any other, even if you can't help to wonder what it is about humanity's existence or what humanity has done in their eyes that have made you seem so abhorrent to them and the other freaks in their star spanning cult. That might just be because, you to, hold faith in and practice a religion that to most outsiders seems outdated and barbaric. Not many pagans amongst the colonies, and the Einherjar have certainly made the Norse Pantheon unattractive to outsiders considering their conduct and use of it as an excuse for their terrorist attacks and a means to brainwash their rank and file.

But these are opinions, personal ones. That might be what Illya wants to hear, but they're filled with bias. And while you're pretty confident the rest of the Spartans feel similarly, but admitting to it and voicing it would be entirely unprofessional. And you know you'd get a lot of strange looks if it got out you held some level of admiration for the Split Jaws, if only as soldiers. The title of Elite certainly was a shoe that fit them well...

Deciding to just give your thoughts of them, as obstacles to overcome and take down, a tactical analysis is all you share with Illya and the rest of the team. But, they've known you long enough to be aware of your personal feelings towards this new breed of enemy.

"My Thoughts?" You repeat, realizing you'd been considering and pondering the question for awhile, enough that the pick up for the prisoners was about to arrive. Illya nods to confirm, Nesta is leaning closer with a coy smile on her face and Shika...well Shika had vanished to parts unknown, as was her habit.

"That they're weak to being binned to the ground and bludgeoned to death" Professionally, clinical, you provide your analysis of the best way to send the Covenant's Elite Troops to meet their misbegotten makers "And seem to, at times, be overly reliant on their Optic Camo. These are weakness we can exploit"
Cont

>>6302846

"They're also cocky, somewhat overconfident" Illya points out, dipping her chin in a quick, curt nod "We've gotten enough proof of that with Operations: Collateral Damage and Svartalfar"

"They have every reason to be, physically, they outmatch the average UNSC soldier in every possible way. And don't even get me started on their technological advantage", Sighing, you lean against the truck and watch the skies. A pelican was going to be pretty noticeable on arrival. Could have to evade hostiles or local authorities after you've handed over the captives to Warrant Officer Chen "But, human history has shown that's not enough to win a war cleanly"

"Zulus at Rorke's drift. Shiroyama, the end of Samurai culture. You could argue our namesakes, also fit in the category, even if they were outmatched more in numbers than anything else" Nesta muses

"Didn't turn out well for any of those three examples, if I remember my lessons right" Illya chuckles, strangely lightening up despite the sudden, depressive turn in the conversation "We'll at least give the Covenant a black eye to remember us by"

"Certainly" You say, finding yourself oddly encouraged by Illya's fatalistic attitude, must just be the Viking in you agreeing with her "But I think our odds are better than we think, even if it'll be..."

"Real close" Illya says calmly "They can destroy planets, easily. Even if we win, I think the human sphere is going to be greatly reduced. And that's if there's enough of us left alive for it to matter"

"Hey, Illya, you ever think about becoming a cheerleader? You have a way of making people feel hopeful" Nesta sarcastically asks her, before teasingly punching her shoulder

"I'm a realist. Also, where has..."

Illya looks around for any sign of Shika.

"Just sweeping the perimeter. Don't want to risk a local stumbling on the LZ and Pick Up" Shika answers through the COMs Channel, almost the moment Illya starts to wonder where she's vanished to

"Should know she has a habit of vanishing into thin air" Nesta laughs

"I thought it'd been trained out of her" Illya admits, shaking her head "At least enough so that she wouldn't sneak away during a mission

"Shika has a health sense of initiative" You shrug off "And I was considering a walk around the perimeter myself, before we started discussing the Covenant's premier soldiers. She's helping"

"Still a bad habit to have. Didn't she try to win one of Mendez's games by herself, early on in Boot?" Illya says with a huff, and another shake of her head

"Hey, our ghost won that game. No matter what Shark eyes has to say about it!' Nesta, offended on Shika's behalf, corrects Illya for her "mistake", and she is right. Technically, Shika didn't break the rules and hadn't abandoned the rest of you. She simply outlasted the rest of Purple team, and eluded the rest of the class so well that the instructors were convinced she'd cheated. You still don't know how she'd pulled it off or where she had hid.
Cont

>>6302849

But, well, she insisted that Purple team won, since she'd remained undetected after the exercise was called and John and Blue team were declared the winners. Problem was, she only did this after she'd been "Missing" for half a day and had the compound put on high alert.

She never admitted to it, but the running theory amongst the rest of the Class was she fell asleep and took awhile to realize the game had ended. But the fact that the other Spartans AND all the instructors and guards couldn't find her, only further proved in Shika's mind that she'd won that day, even after she was punished for it.

"Not my fault people have an easy time overlooking me, and always seem to lose track of me." Shika, almost silently, bellyaches over the COMs. Seems that memory was still something of a sore spot for her, after all.

"You've an amazing talent, I will admit" Illya replies "But if you weren't under the command of a Spartan, you'd be mistaken for going AWOL or Deserting"

"Don't need to listen to anyone but Sven" Shika hums, tapping Illya on the back of her head, as she reappears just as suddenly as she'd vanished

"She has a point. She outranks most of the Spartans. Including you, Miss Defeatist" Nesta, remembering the chain of command, reminds Illya

"I know. But, like the rest of you dragons, she has her quirks. and I mean that respectfully, Ma'am" Illya chuckles as Shika nods seriously and acts her rank

"Enough chatter. Stop the gossip and look alive, our friendly Warrant Officer should be making touch down in...I'd say half a minute, judging from the current velocity of their pelican" You command and Illya shakes her head

"And that's one of yours, Lieutenant. Sure you're more naturally physically gifted than the rest of us, but those eyes of yours are just begging to be put behind a Sniper's scope" Illya off handedly remarks as she takes point in a defensive formation around the perimeter, that your team establishes, following a few hang signs and unspoken commands

"Sven just likes violence too much to be anywhere but the thick of a fight" Nesta casually states

"You just don't want to get into the competition for whose the best marksmen of the Spartans, huh?" Shika quietly teases, elbowing you as the Pelican comes into view over the horizon at sea

"If you knew where to look, any of you could've seen it" You say, not giving Shika or Nesta the satisfaction of being right as you step forward to greet Chen Tian the moment he lands his bird.

And the moment he does, there's a snag in the mission.
Cont

>>6302851

"Lieutenant" Naomi calls, as the rumble of the pelican's engine becomes audible "We have a problem. Our group of VIPs have split and gone their separate ways. I've got Jorge and Solomon watching the main group, Malcom and I are trailing the second. But there's a third group of breakaways, and we can't trail them. Our group is too close to the warzone between Indigo team and the red beards for us to risk reducing their level of protection by splitting our forces, again"

"Where's the third group heading?" You ask, as the Pelican lands

"Last Malcom and I saw of them they were heading to the local docking spire. Might be trying to get off world after all of today's "Excitement"" She answers

And that really complicated things.

>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs

>"Indigo shouldn't take much longer mopping up the Red Beards. I'll get in touch with James, have him provide additional security if he's able. Naomi, follow them to the dock. That's an order"

>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"

>"Our orders we just to keep them alive. Nothing more, Nothing Less. The Brass might prefer we take them into custody, but that is not part of orders. Let them run if they want to, Lilac"

>Write in option

>>6302826
That they had more aircraft than I realized, lol

>>6302854
>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"
>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs
These two go well together I figure. Hitch a ride and leave Nesta on guard duty.
>That they had more aircraft than I realized, lol
A shitload and given they use Wombat atmospheric fighter drones probably more than the Navy. I figure they were dragging ass on replacing the Baselard after the war because of just how many they had stockpiled.

>>6302854
>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs
>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"

>>6302854


>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs.

>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them."

Guess these guys belong to our mystery ship. Hopefully, our bridge crew can figure out who it belongs to before they hit the spire.

>>6302851
>"Don't need to listen to anyone but Sven"
Well hey, nice to see best girl is in our corner kek

>>6302854
>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs
>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"
Leaving so soon? But we just brought the party favors.

>captcha: 4M00T
Aye lad, for him.

>>6302896

Should get Nesta to swap her sidearm for Shika's narq dart pistol.

>>6302898
I mean they should be disarmed and restrained so it shouldn't be an issue. And there are probably sedatives on the onboard medpacks. We could but then I wonder if we need to knock out some of the people we're tailing for whatever reason it might be useful to keep around. Decisions decisions.

>>6302854
>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"

>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs

>>6302854
>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs

>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"

lets be honest if Nesta didnt befriend Sven she would have been put on Black Team instead of Purple

>>6302854
>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"
>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs
No rest for the wicked it seems

>>6302854
>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs
Shika and Illya are going with them on bodyguard duty.
Us and Nesta are going to do our best ODST impression, we need her twitchy feeling to track and we're going because it's us. Also so we can say Shika has command until we're back to have a little joke given what was said too Illya

>>6302854
>[Maverick] Hitch a ride of the Pelican and perform a mid flight drop closer to Black Sand's dock, to keep an eye on or intercept Lilac's lost lambs
>"Nesta. Sorry to do this, but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost. You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"

>>6302935
>we need her twitchy feeling to track
I thought it was Danger Sense, not general Precognition. Besides, wouldn't Sven be doing most of the tracking with his keen eyes and wits?

Rebooting...Monitor 404TormentedCache, back online

Meant to do this earlier, but I put myself into a fried chicken fueled food coma while watching ghost in the shell.

8 Votes to put Nesta on prisoner watch duty and give Lilac the assist

9 Votes to hitch a ride on the pelican and drop practically on top of the VIPs

Besides one vote, you're all in agreement to leave Nesta on the Pelican and jump to keep an eye on the Innies trying to do a runner, and since those two options quite comfortably slot together, I'll allow it

Decisions made
Proceeding...

>>6302941
Correct. She senses danger, doesn't see the future.

"Understood" You reply, as you watch Chen Tian step out of the pilot's compartment, and see that cocky smile of his beneath his flight helmet as he gives a quick wave, ignoring the stunning view behind him to focus instead on the super soldiers before them

"Heard you've got some luggage for me to take of your hands, Sir" He says glibly, head turning to the truck "Fragile cargo, according to the quick and dirty debrief Rita gave me before I left the Hangar"

"Live catches and unknown biological material" You answer, and notice the vague term is enough to shake the hotshot's confidence

"Like some kind of bio weapon" He catches on quickly, you were glad you'd managed to snag him as a dropship pilot, he was as sharp as his piloting skills

"The Lieutenant believes so, and the berserker terrorists did have a supplier in ONI" Nesta answers for you "So don't crack open the case and take a whiff, Warrant Officer"

"Aye aye" He says warily, as Illya and Shika transport the refrigeration units into the back of the Pelican "These your catches of the day"

"What we were sent here to secure" You answer bluntly as you give Naomi an affirmative that you'll take care of her lost lambs "And we're coming aboard"

"Thought Ostrom had the honors of being your Evac, Sir" He asks as he follows you back up the ramp, following a few steps behind you

"Didn't say we were getting Evac'd, Warrant Officer" You clarify as the last of the prisoners are taken aboard the dropship and fastened in their seats with heavy duty belts "Shika, Illya and I are going to be hoping off near the local docking spire"

"This posting is going to be intense. You "Spartans" only know how to play rough huh?" He laughs "Well, I'll still have something to hold over the greenhorn's head"

"Sorry, he took our first drop as well, Hotshot" Nesta sneers as Tian slides back into his pilot's chair and ticks his jaw "And, I couldn't help but notice I wasn't included in your gameplay, Sven"

"Nesta, Sorry to do this but I want to make sure this bird gets back home to roost" You tell her and she takes it well, nodding once as the Warrant Officer looks back into the cabin

"Good thing I keep my side arm loaded, appreciate having a Cyborg Ass kicker as back up. You're much nicer than my last CO, ya know that -033?" He rambles, keep his eyes straight ahead "Can I call ya -033"

"Most people will" Shika tells him as she gives the prisoners a quick check up, feeling their pulses and checking the dilation of their pupils

"I think the Lieutenant is a little easier to recognize than the rest of us Spartans" Illya points out as the hatch closes and the Pelican takes to the sky. And the moment he's flying, the warrant officer cuts the chatter and looks as natural in the pilot seat as a bird in the sky. You can tell he's in his element just from watch his body language while he's at the controls. He's more relaxed in the pilot's seat than he was on his own two feet on solid ground.
Cont

>>6303491

"So I'm on guard duty?" Nesta asks to confirm

"You're on guard duty, You're on guard duty. If any of the prisoners wake up midflight, incapacitate them. "

Then turning to the rest of your team, add "Shika, Illya, Lilac team needs some extra eyes and ears, we'll provide them"


And on the ride to the docking spire, Jame contacts you directly through the squad's secure frequency.

"Erik the Red isn't amongst the casualties we've racked up Sven" He informs you calmly "And the numbers don't line up exactly. Cal spotted and confirmed his presence in the skirmish. He's slipped our net, along with a handful of other survivors"

"Another runner" You say, and doubt that its a coincidence "Where was his last confirmed location?"

"Retreating in the direction of a commercial district"

"Wouldn't happen to be in the direction of the colony's main groundside space dock?" You ask

"...Shit"

"Daisy, Language"

Seems those lambs you're keeping an eye on might be wolves in sheep's clothing. Or it could just be bad luck on their part to choose the same escape route as the leader of the Rødt Skjegg. Or they're extremely unlucky and got the Red Beard's attention, and they decided to be team killing bastards one last time before the noose tightened round their throats snapped their necks.

"He's running on an injured leg, Sir" Cal adds "Winged him. Explosion messed up my aim"

Was she referring to nearly getting blown up by a rocket? Even knowing how good of a sniper she is and what to expect from your fellow Spartans, you can't help but be impressed by that.

"We were planning on leaving the city and heading to the LZ, but we're ready to pursue the remnants of the red beards, Sir" James informs you smartly "We've reduced their numbers enough to cripple them as a fighting force and remove them as a threat entirely. But I'd hate to leave a job half done"

"We're already heading in that direction" You inform him in kind

>"But I always appreciate back up, meet you at the docks, brother"

>"Head to the LZ. Check the perimeter and give Ostrum a ETA on our extraction"

>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

>Write in option

>>6303492

>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

Maxim 1: Pillage *then* burn.

>>6303492
>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"
Spartans get it done RIGHT.

>>6303492
>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

So, we capture our second VIP, figure out how our fleeing chickens factor in and see if we can't figure out what the discount Prowler's deal is.

With any luck, Erik the Red or one of his mooks will be able to fill us in on that front. Or one of our runners if they're aligned with the Einherjar.

We also need to press them to figure out who their local contact is.

And of course, stay out of sight.

>>6303492
>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

>>6303492
>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

>>6303492
>>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

>>6303492
>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

>>6303492
>>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

>>6303492
>"Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

Rebooting...Monitor 404TormentedCache, back online

9 Votes for "Confirm that the red beards are neutralized, pat down their bodies, and stay out of trouble. We'll finish "Shaving" them down"

Complete consensus for telling James to double tap the red beards they've had, loot them and keep their heads down, while Sven takes Shika + Illya to put the final nail in the Red Beard's coffin

Decision made
Proceeding...

"Confirm that the red beards have been neutralized" You tell him, counting down the meters as the pelican rapidly approaches the dock "Pat down their bodies and stay out of trouble"

"Aye aye" James answers, immediately "and the remaining red beards, should be "confirm" them amongst the casualties to"

"We'll finish "Shaving" them down" You answer with a chuckle and a smirk, that no one can see under your helmet "Proceed to the LZ once all hostiles in your radius are confirmed deceased"

"Cal, Anton, provide overwatch for the Lieutenant and Violet team" You hear James order over the open COM Channel "Daisy and I'll sweep the area then meet you at the rendezvous point"

"We'll rally with them, once we're done giving the Rødt Skjegg their last trim" You sign off, and stand by the closed hatch and wait, counting down the seconds and meters in silence and occupying the moments checking and making sure your shotgun was loaded and your grenade launcher was secure at your hip.

"Approaching the dock, hatch'll drop when we're within half a hundred meters of the drop point" Chen Tian shouts from the pilot's compartment "Doubt any of you need a countdown"

"All prisoners are secure and fastened in their seats" Nesta confirms, arm snapping into a salute "Happy hunting, dragons and Illya, don't keep us waiting too long"

You nod, and without waiting for the warrant officer to give the signal, flip the switch keeping the hatch sealed and the ramp up, the mechanisms moving as it dropped and the sound of the engines were dampened by the roaring of the wind. Your vision filled with imaginary graphs and equations, as the readings on your HUD changed along with the air pressure and the slight slowing of the Pelican's flight.

You were out first, aiming for a nearby body of water to dampen your fall. Judging from the weight on your back, Shika had hitched a ride down to the decorative lake near the docking spire, hastening both of your descent. Illya, judging from the green dot on your motion tracker, leaped out of the compartment five seconds and a few dozen meters later, aiming not for the pond you'd picked out but for some dense tree cover to break her fall.

Idly calculating your trajectory and angle of descent, you hit the water in seconds, and nearly sunk to the bottom of the lake. Luckily, Mjolnir had more than enough air in its tanks for both you and Shika to walk from the muddy lakefloor to its edges. She signed you and all clear and you waited until you were on dry land to confirm that Illya had landed safely. She flashed her IFF signal a few times, confirming that her jump was successful. It took out a few trees and left an impact crater, but hopefully the locals would right off that and your and Shika's splashdown as freak meteorologic activity.

Approaching the dock, Cal and Anton's signatures appeared on you HUD, at a fair distance away but within sniping range of most of the angles over the Dock's front entrance.

Cont

>>6303953

It was swarming with Civilian and Militia activity.

"Got eyes on Lilac's VIPs, no sign of Erik the red or his entourage" Is Cal's idea of a friendly hello as you lead your team in the approach towards the space dock "They're out in the open, panicked"

"Don't seem to have let slip the murder of a few of their compatriots and the general excitement Indigo caused in the streets, since the dock haven't been locked down" Anton adds "The leader of the group is arguing with one of the workers, probably trying to skip in line to get to their..."

"Red Beards sighted!" Cal sharply interrupts "Approaching via the wooded area, close to your present location, Violet team"

"Are they armed?" You ask, as she pings their location and heading

"Heavily" She answers "Can't identify Erik the red through the tree cover, but if you adjust your approach by a few degrees, you'll intercept them"

"They're going to try and shoot their way off the colony" Shika, rather succinctly, observes "Or kill the VIPs in a last ditch attempt to ruin peace talks"

"Either or both seem possible. If they don't kill them accidentally, they'll take advantage of the confusion caused by their attack and make sure they die in the crossfire anyways", you say as you adjust and quicken your pace and head in the red beard's direction

"Won't that only lower their support amongst the rebels?" Illya asks "They could be helping them secure their way off world"

"Information doesn't travel instantly. By time the other elements of the insurrection realize they've been had, they'll be stuck with their choices and on the side of the extremists" You give your thoughts as you push through the underbrush of the cultivated forest "Easier for the Innies to believe a ONI strike team killed their men, then admit they're in bed with the worst kind of terrosists"

"And I thought I had a fatalistic point of view" Illya chuckles

"Sven is a Norse pagan" is also Shika has to say about -077's off handed remark.

>Hit the Red Beard's hard, go loud and engage them openly before they reach the space dock (DC 16. +1 Jotun, +2 Fire Support (Shika + Illya) +4 Grenadier)

>Track and pursue the Red Beard's out of the woods, and wait for them to dig their grave before engaging (DC 14.+1 infiltrator, +3 Shika's expertise (Stealth))

>Send Shika ahead and give Cal and Anton orders to help her protect the VIP's, just incase the Red Beard's manage to reach the docks alive (Removes Shika's expertise and half of the fire support bonus from the above two rolls)

>(Diplomat+ Maverick+ Jotun), tell Shika and Illya to hold their positions, and get the drop of Erik the Red and his merry band, and offer them an olive branch and once chance to surrender peacefully, pointing out their plans have failed, the red beards are all but defunct, and that "one" spartan is more than a match for all of them

>Write in option

>>6303955
>(Diplomat+ Maverick+ Jotun), tell Shika and Illya to hold their positions, and get the drop of Erik the Red and his merry band, and offer them an olive branch and once chance to surrender peacefully, pointing out their plans have failed, the red beards are all but defunct, and that "one" spartan is more than a match for all of them
For as crazy as the Red Beards were, Erik here clearly didn't care for a suicidal last stand as evidenced by his attempt to flee and get off-planet.
Let's try and put our character Qualities to use here and give him a way out that ISN'T through the mystery men who just dismantled his entire outfit.

>>6303955


>(Diplomat+ Maverick+ Jotun), tell Shika and Illya to hold their positions, and get the drop of Erik the Red and his merry band, and offer them an olive branch and once chance to surrender peacefully, pointing out their plans have failed, the red beards are all but defunct, and that "one" spartan is more than a match for all of them.

>Write in: Order Shika to dart Erik the Red should they refuse your olive branch.

Prod them to think about *why* the peace conference happened if they do choose to talk.

>>6303959
Damn it, IP switched.

I'm >>6303502

Also, goes without saying, but we speak Norwegian for the negotiations.

>>6303955
>Hit the Red Beard's hard, go loud and engage them openly before they reach the space dock (DC 16. +1 Jotun, +2 Fire Support (Shika + Illya) +4 Grenadier)

Time to put an end to this butchers and mass murderers, i wouldn't trust them even with bombs implanted across all their bodies. More importantly the only thing they deserve is paying for their sins, and die. I have no interest in leaving them alive, and i doubt Sven would want to keep them alive either when he sees what they did to his religion as a perversion, not even calculating their crimes just by that alone. One less disgrace and problem for humanity has a whole.

If Sven thinks himself has an hero, he wouldn't give them a way out.


And frankly the arguments of Sven... ain't enough. Plans failed ? They are making a new plan on the moment, and are about to kill as many people they can on this docks, 0 care given (they were here for a do a false flag and kill all the people they could, they can still do that while trying leaving unless we stop them). All but defunct ? They have fought, and want to fight again now. I don't think losses bothered them that much, they are still going in terms of morale and unity. Einherjar also still exist in New Noregr. One spartan being a match ? Right in the open near them, they will think they have a great attempt to try it out with all the weapons they have.

This is their most elite unit, and their standard units are zealots with professional/elite training and always ready to die for their cause and bringing has many people they can with them in death embrace (none of them ever showed desire of surrender either), so it will have an high DC by default and demand a crit for them to not betray us 1/5 second later.

>>6303955
>Hit the Red Beard's hard, go loud and engage them openly before they reach the space dock (DC 16. +1 Jotun, +2 Fire Support (Shika + Illya) +4 Grenadier)

Not really sure talking is worth it, unless it leads to throwing redbeard and his boys at the covenant immediately.

>>6303965

That's the plan. But irrespective of what option wins, we need to catch Erik the Red alive.

His capture might be a secondary objective, but if we have the opportunity, we should take it. Especially since Shika is *right there* with narq darts.

>>6303955
>Hit the Red Beard's hard, go loud and engage them openly before they reach the space dock (DC 16. +1 Jotun, +2 Fire Support (Shika + Illya) +4 Grenadier)
I’m of the opinion that if Sven didn’t bother trying diplomacy with his assumed bio mom, then he wouldn’t bother with Erik either. I also wouldn’t assume that just because Erik fled, doesn’t mean he isn't suicidally devoted to his cause, he just wanted his death to mean something more then dying there did and decided to be smarter about it.

>>6303955
>(Diplomat+ Maverick+ Jotun), tell Shika and Illya to hold their positions, and get the drop of Erik the Red and his merry band, and offer them an olive branch and once chance to surrender peacefully, pointing out their plans have failed, the red beards are all but defunct, and that "one" spartan is more than a match for all of them

>>6303965
With the fact they are equipped with heavy weaponry including anti-tank rifles, i don't think it is considering what kind of people they are too, this it's just asking for be shot. Or being shot even when talking. Capturing can be done with all the other options, just have to stop their blood loss after the fight.

>throwing redbeard and his boys at the covenant immediately.
I don't think any naval code we know will save their ass, from seeing an interrogation room and then either a prison of no return OR directly after interrogation a unremarkable wall with ready guns nearby. Even if the UEG/UNSC made penal soldiers formations (with equipment that can be locked), this guys are not getting away from their fate. Their faces will be used against the Einherjar and other Innies Movements still at war with the UNSC/UEG for absolutely demolish the anti-peace narrative. No way in hell they let them roam around when we bring them in front of ONI and High Command.

>>6303959

Support +1

>>6303955
>(Diplomat+ Maverick+ Jotun), tell Shika and Illya to hold their positions, and get the drop of Erik the Red and his merry band, and offer them an olive branch and once chance to surrender peacefully, pointing out their plans have failed, the red beards are all but defunct, and that "one" spartan is more than a match for all of them

>>6303963
Support. Wipe them out to a man, if we get a few captives it's too interogate because we need to find their donor and a few other details.

No mercy, cold and quick shoot the leader first then pick them all off. They have heavy weapons and maybe a bomb

>>6303955
>>(Diplomat+ Maverick+ Jotun), tell Shika and Illya to hold their positions, and get the drop of Erik the Red and his merry band, and offer them an olive branch and once chance to surrender peacefully, pointing out their plans have failed, the red beards are all but defunct, and that "one" spartan is more than a match for all of them

>>6303955
I would have preferred we went the stealth option, but if we're going to reveal ourselves...
>Hit the Red Beard's hard, go loud and engage them openly before they reach the space dock (DC 16. +1 Jotun, +2 Fire Support (Shika + Illya) +4 Grenadier)
Remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer. They will know that the jig is up as soon as we order them to surrender after everything Indigo put them through and an animal is most dangerous when cornered.

>>6303955
>Hit the Red Beard's hard, go loud and engage them openly before they reach the space dock (DC 16. +1 Jotun, +2 Fire Support (Shika + Illya) +4 Grenadier)

>>6303955

>Hit the Red Beard's hard, go loud and engage them openly before they reach the space dock (DC 16. +1 Jotun, +2 Fire Support (Shika + Illya) +4 Grenadier)

Voting period is still open, woke up with a really bad headache so I'm going to wait and see if it passes later in the day.

>>6304361

Hope it does, headaches suck.

Rebooting...Monitor 404TormentedCache, back online

Headaches finally passed and I'm in a state where I can write. So lets do this.

6 Votes to try and talk the remaining red beards into surrendering
L
+2 votes to have Shika ready to tranq Erik

7 Votes to Hit the red beards hard

Came down to one vote. But Sven, Shika, and Illya are gonna hit the Red Beard's hard before they get the chance to assault the public docl

Decision made
Please roll 1d20+7. DC 16. Best out of 3

>>6304376
Thanks

Rolled 13 + 7 (1d20 + 7)

>>6304718
BIG MONEY

Rolled 11 + 7 (1d20 + 7)

>>6304718

Rolled 16 + 7 (1d20 + 7)

>>6304718

File: Tr-bigstick-cartoon.jpg (126 KB, 820x662)

126 KB JPG

>>6304725
>I roll the highest for the initial combat roll despite advocating for peace early on
I attribute this sudden yet avoidable outbreak of extreme violence to my main man Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

>>6304729

Is what it is. Violence probably is the answer in this situation, but was very curious to see how that dialogue would have gone down, myself.

It would've cost us initiative if\when it went south, but with Cal and Anton on overwatch, not to mention Shika and Ilya as back up, figured it was a worthwhile gamble.

Even if all it garnered us in the end was a better shot at bagging Erik the Red cleanly.

>>6304725

TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO

>>6304725
Success!

Didn't even need the bonus, but it does put you at exactly 7 over the target

Proceeding...

>>6304729
This makes me want to see Covenant Propaganda about Sven lol

>>6304743
>This makes me want to see Covenant Propaganda about Sven lol
>picture is of a massive green monster looming over jackals and grunts with fire and smoke pouring out of the visor in place of a face, the ground is obscured by a pool of various colored bloods, the hand of the monster is clutching a tattered and scorched holy vestment the worms wear
>caption says "humanity's demons hunt you"

"Prepare to engage in half a minute, hit them hard Spartans" Are the last orders you give as you push through the foliage and towards the projected path of the last Red Beards standing, fighting their self destructive war to the last. It'd almost be admirable, if only their targets weren't their fellow men, fellow soldiers and civilians to. Using the magnetic holster of your armor to stow away your shotgun, you pull the portable M319 grenade launcher from your hip and load it with a high yield explosive round. Shika circles around, crouch walking through the underbrush as you stalk like a predatory feline towards their location, cat stepping as Illya adjusts her rifle's sights and sticks close to your side, assisting in clearing the underbrush with her combat knife.

"Contact" You answer through the COMs, as the indicator of their Einherjar's location and movement through the trees line's up with the red dots on your motion tracker.

You raise, and without using the sights, seeing the trajectory and arc of the grenade in your mind's eye, fire the high yield round you'd loaded a few seconds earlier. Illya rises and shoulders her rifle as the dots scatter, the bushes and grass rustling as the battered Red Beard's dive for cover. That they heard the grenade being shot, doesn't matter, as Illya detonates it mid flight with a precise three round burst. The explosion snaps branches and shatters tree trunks, raining down shrapnel and flattening the ground under it.

Shika engages, suppressing them further ahead of the path they were taking before you sprung the ambush. You whistle and motion for Illya to pen them in from the side as you stride towards them, calmly reloading your grenade launcher as the retalitory fire of the few Red Beards still on their feet rings in your ears, whistles past your head and pings of your Mjolnir armor, sparking from the Up Armored Attachments and additional plating as you stride towards them with all the menace of a troll from fairy tails.

"One enemy fatality" You list off, as you send a grenade directly into the chest of one of the terrorists, detonating it inside their chest cavity and showering the forest with blood, gore and bone fragments "All hostiles are presently injured, most severly"

"Make that three" Shika calls out, as you see one of her targets topple to the ground, blood spurting from a exit wound in the side of the throat and see another contact vanish from the motion tracker as you advance, and load your third grenade into the launcher. They manage to shoot one of the grenades strapped in a bandolier on your chest. Luckily the one they hit was a smoke grenade, rather than any of the more lethal ammunition strapped to your chest plate.

The white smoke billows out, surrounding you as you scan the field for the primary target, that being none of other than Erik the Red, the leader of Rødt Skjegg. He isn't amongst the initial casualties and three racked up after the grenade blast, that's obvious

Cont

>>6304762

And that's because the Red Beards aren't fighting like Einherjar usually do. They aren't stubbornly holding their ground or throwing themselves into the meat grinder by rushing in to engage in CQC or hold down enemies, like you, who they can't overwhelm with raw aggression and the weight of numbers alone. They're performing a fighting retreat, a few choosing to stand and fight. They don't have the numbers to do it properly, and the three killed already leaves the distraction with too few numbers to be effective.

And that's before accounting for your armor's motion tracker. Four contacts, moving slowly but in pace with eachother, pulling deeper in the woods away from the point of initial contact, where those too heavily injured by the shrapnel of the grenade or their prior engagements are trying to perform a delaying action slash last stand.

One issue. Despite having low numbers, they have enough firepower and stopping power to buy their precious leader time to limp away to a better position, and now that the disorientation of having two grenades detonated over their heads and in the center of their group has warn off, they've dropped their small arms in favor of that heavier firepower; At least what equipment that hadn't gotten damaged in the blast or dropped when their owners were "Dropped" themselves.

And they've picked you out as their preferred target

>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape

>Surge forward and prevent them from using their heavy weaponry, by disarming/ dispatching them (DC 14. +2 Fire support (Illya, Shika) +2 Spartan-II, +1 Giant)

>Flick your grenade launcher to their position, and see who is faster on the draw between you and the Einherjar's heavy weapon specialists (DC 16. +4 Grenadier, DC reduced by 7 (From 23) Via SQ: Spartan-II and Armor: Mjolnir Mark IV)

>[Maverick+ Bulwark: Unbreakable] Allow yourself to get hit and order Shika and Illya to advance while you trick the Red Beard's left in behind to focus on taking you down rather than helping their boss hobble away.

>Write in option

>>6304745
Exactly! That's sick as hell. You more than understood the assignment, anon.

>>6304763
>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape

>>6304763
>>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape

TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO

>>6304763
>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape
Attacks? Ignored.
Enemies? Baffled.
Erik's pants? Completely shat.

>>6304763

>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the Red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape.

Getting wounded is for other people.

Also, shame Sven isn't Scottish so he could keep the proud tradition of bagpipes being the scariest thing you can hear in Sci-fi going.

Then again, the ODST do a pretty decent job of that with Light of Aidan.

>>6304763
>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape
K I L L
just re-caught up on this 404, great work as always
>>6304743
>>6304745
>Giant monster killing elites and brutes by grabbing them by the leg and slamming them into walls
I'd love to see a bunch of Prophets see us kill our first Elite, go "but that was just a low ranking Sangeli" and then see us capture a commander and kill a Zealot (albeit with help"
I also want to do an actual duel against a Blade master, maybe get a Grunt Death Cult that worships us as SvenOdin, that and accidentally getting an AI/Engineer buddy like you get in ODST

File: broly-saiyan.gif (1.44 MB, 220x165)

1.44 MB GIF

>>6304763
>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape
WHERE THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?

>>6304763
>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape
https://i.4cdn.org/wsg/1757579618563717.webm

>>6304763
>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape

>>6304763
>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape
Running away while letting your men take the brunt of the beating? That's a paddlin'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adudSl6R_no&list=RDadudSl6R_no&start_radio=1

Probably the Red Beards thoughts on Sven if we *had* gone with trying to talk.

>>6304763
>>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape

>>6304763
>>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape

>>6304763
>[Bulwark: Unbreakable] Sprint and close in on Erik the red, shrugging off and ignoring whatever his soldiers use against you to ensure he doesn't escape
Please god let us beat the shit out of this dude

Rebooting...Monitor 404TormentedCache, Back online

12 Votes for Sprinting to catch Erik the Red, ignoring/ shrugging off any damage his troops do to you

And once again, you're all in complete agreement. Agreement to show these Innies that Sven-033 is truly [UNBREAKABLE]

Decision made
Proceeding...

>>6304811
Thanks! Glad you've been liking it.

>>6304814
>>6304826
lol

>>6304809
Want to honor the legacy of the Blackwatch, eh?

>>6304826
I like that song. You've got good tastes

>>6305224

If there's any human faction in Sci-Fi on Star League's level, it's the UNSC.

I'm just waiting for Sven to bump in to the one random crewman he picked up for their attention to detail being caught painting minis in his off time.

Didn't mean they could hit that target. Or that a direct hit against you would be enough to stop you once you picked up enough momentum. The equation shoots through your head like a MAC round through an enemy vessel, velocity, direction...etc, you've solved it all as you're pulled into Spartan time and see everything in front of you move simultaneously in slow motion and as if its been fast forwarded on video. Adrenaline pours into your veins, but you keep cool, calm and collected. And above all else, focused. Biggest obstacles and threats were the hostiles packing anti armor weaponry in front of you, taking aim to blow your head off or put a hole in your chest that even you couldn't shrug off. The anti tank rifles pointed in your direction aren't identifiable abominations they strapped together with duct tape and hope in their garages. They're Woden Hal. Marketed as "Big Game" rifles, but capable of being chambered with high impact anti armor rounds that could stop a scorpion's engine from a few hundred yards or, if it hit, mark you as the first Spartan Casualty.

If it hit. Directly. You were too near to them to dodge entirely, even with your reflexes and nearly immeasurable reaction time combined with clarity of Spartan time and the many, many benefits of Mjolnir. But you didn't have to dodge directly. Like surviving a danger close artillery shell or grenade, or walking off from a car crash. Relax. Let your body go limp, loosen your muscle. And turn that direct hit, into a glancing one.

Adjusting Perspective

Ulf felt like the Thunderer himself had just sent down a righteous bolt to strike down his enemy. The world had gone quiet, vanishing in a flash as he directed his divine instrument towards the freak of nature charging his position. He didn't know what Sol had sent after them, he didn't want to know. He knew they were men, not machines. They bled. Poor Fryd nicked one of them in the firefight with that last batch before they nearly twisted her head off like it was an apple hanging from a branch. If they bled, they could die. And nothing existed that could survive taking a bullet intended to punch through the battle armor of a UNSC Scorpion head on.

Not these freaks, even with their shimmering, ghostly green gold armor. Ulf knew he wouldn't survive the retaliation of this freak's friends, but he knew he was the biggest threat. Literally. And more than that, more than wanting to protect the man he saw as both a father and idol, he wanted to kill this one cause he saw, in the chaos of the ambush, that he wore protective runes on one of his shoulder pads. Which had to be a direct insult to them. He wasn't on the go juice that they usually gave to the younger members, to make it easier to find their way to Valhalla's halls, made them as fierce as the berserkers of old, but he didn't need it to find himself in a battle frenzy and ready to...
Cont

>>6305229

Ulf felt his legs warm and wet, as the behemoth in green armor, blurred and twisted. But didn't topple over, like a New Noregr "Goat" that'd been shot in the head or heart, they didn't slow, stumble. And with dawning horror, as his brain caught up with his body's shameful reaction, Ulf realize the freak had impossibly avoided death despite being point blank to the barrel of his Scorpion Killer when he pulled the trigger.

There was a massive chunk of the front plate of their armor, sheared and torn off, but all that was beneath it, beneath the tattered gun metal black inner armor layer, was a bruise that was dribbling blood.

Ulf froze, suddenly realizing how terrifying death was now that he stared it down. Another thunder clap, the freak twitch and turned, and instead of losing their head, their visor spiderwebbed and cracked, their helmet sparking as a chunk of it was shot off by another of his squads Anti Tank Guns.

The proud Einherjar warrior's jaw went slack, and he never saw the Spartan that killed him, putting a bullet between his eyes as Sven-033 thundered on and sprinted past him, shrugging off two high explosive rounds that would've disabled a M808B Main Battle Tank.
Adjusting perspective
Returning to preferred candidates view point

Forbanna Jævel!!! Did that hurt! The math had been right, but you'd underestimated just how badly it'd hurt to get winged by an honest to aesir anti tank gun! Mjolnir had held together better than you'd expected, better than it was projected to even with being up armored. Halsey and the rest of section three on Project Mjolnir were going to love the data you'd just gathered and the months of in lab testing you'd just saved them by taking anti tank rifle round to the chest and head. Fortunately, you'd calculated the trajectory and spin quick enough to turn with it and turn an impact into a richochet, twice!

That wasn't luck. That was godamn skill and supreme knowledge and understanding of your battle dress! That was all Spartan! Luck didn't factor into your survival at all! Helvete !!! It stung! It hurt! Your skull was ringing like you'd slammed it into a concrete wall at terminal velocity! Still didn't hold a candle to the Aster Procedures though. You could still think and focus and move for one!

All it did was give you a fresh rush of adrenaline and piss you off.

Which was bad for Erik the Red. Real bad. Getting past his defenders, you saw the "Winging him" shot to his leg Cal had hit, was more of a near dismemberment. He'd gotten quick and dirty battlefield first aid, and couldn't do much more than hop along, held up by two of the last four complications in your way.

The two with their hands free drew their rifles, but before they could get you in their beads, you'd disarmed them.
Cont

>>6305230

Literally. You'd practiced quickly unsheathing the pattern 2 composite sword, in anticipation for your next match against Svartalfar Swordsmen. Einherjar without their homebrewed combat stim, weren't anywhere close to fast enough to out pace you when you're target was in sight.

One of the minders dropped Erik's arm, reached for his side arm. You threw the sword at him like a javelin. He vanished into the undergrowth, lifted off his feet. Probably dead. If not, he was hoping that he was. Last obstacle. Palm his head, slam into nearest surface. Break his skull against the tree. Took three applications with sufficient to put him down.

Erik's got no one to turn to and physically can't run. Doesn't mean he doesn't try to crawl away, to reach one of the assault rifles dropped by his still screaming guards you'd left behind, still held in their severed arms.

Growling through your damaged helmet, watching the head of the red beards crawl away as your HUD glitches and flickers, you watch him through the hole in your visor as you saunter up to him, adrenaline dying down as you finally feel the full impact of the two anti tank rounds you'd all but ran into a few seconds back.

"Target Codename. Erik the Red. Founder and Leader of the Rødt Skjegg" You address him coldly, through gritted teeth so he can't hear the pain you're going through "Extremist. Terrorist. Stubborn son of a bitch"

>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)

>"Neutralized (Kill Erik the Red)

>[Maverick] "I think your fair weather friends would like to hear about the mess you tried to make in the backyards" (Drop Erik the Red off with the Insurrectionist leaders the Einherjar had tried to backstab, with all the evidence to bury them)

>"Look me in the eye, and tell me how you imagine you hold the moral high ground while trying to lower humanity's chances of survival against an alien menace? Just curious to hear you argument, before I break your jaw"

>Write in option

>>6305231

>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)

>"Look me in the eye, and tell me how you imagine you hold the moral high ground while trying to lower humanity's chances of survival against an alien menace."

That Maverick option sure is tempting though...

It'd make the Einherjar *hostis humani generis* as thoroughly as the Covenant are.

Simultaneously, ONI want him. Which is probably an argument for handing him to the Innies, but we've done a pretty good job remaining hidden up to this point. No reason to sacrifice two objectives.

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)
Man, Sven's almost as scary as Halsey's about to be when she sees exactly how we managed to break her armor again.
Sidenote, I feel woeful for the first Jiralhanae that tries to tangle with us in CQC if we're able to slip fucking anti-tank rounds.

>>6305253

Don't. It'll be fucking hilarious and the ape's going to *deserve* it.

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)
Carve "child killer" in runic on his forehead you bro, live with that shame then die with it

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)
>Write in option
>"Illya, sweep the area and confirm all hostiles have been neutralized. Pat down the bodies and grab any useful intel."
>"Shika, restrain our prisoner and check him for concealed weapons. Give him a once over and make sure he's stable. I don't want him bleeding out on us."
>Contact Indigo Team and update them on the situation. Establish whether you can now tick off Indigo Team's primary objective or whether there are still loose ends to be tied up in regards to the Red Beards.
May as well get everyone doing something...

Also given the damage to Sven's helmet, might be a good idea to switch to numbers (108 and 077) or codenames (Violet Two and Violet Four? Indigo Leader?) just so Erik doesn't overhear names, at least until he's sedated or something.

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)

>"Look me in the eye, and tell me how you imagine you hold the moral high ground while trying to lower humanity's chances of survival against an alien menace? Just curious to hear you argument, before I break your jaw"

boy ONI is gonna love "talking" to this guy

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)
Don't preachily monologue to this dude like a Redditor for fuck's sake

>>6305289
Yeah, let's just stand here and jack off while one of the space Vikings on PCP lines up a shot with the fist sized hole in our armor. Great idea.
We can save the hypocritical monologues until we're back in our ship where we're not at extreme risk of being shot at or blown to pieces by terrorists.

>>6305231
>>6305277
support my man

>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)
>Write in option
>"Illya, sweep the area and confirm all hostiles have been neutralized. Pat down the bodies and grab any useful intel."
>"Shika, restrain our prisoner and check him for concealed weapons. Give him a once over and make sure he's stable. I don't want him bleeding out on us."
>Contact Indigo Team and update them on the situation. Establish whether you can now tick off Indigo Team's primary objective or whether there are still loose ends to be tied up in regards to the Red Beards.


>Write in option
>Recover the broken massive chunk of the front plate of our power armor
Ain't leaving that here, this gets back home to mom

>>6305315
damn i didnt know walking and talking was so damn difficult

>>6305253
The fact Sven can pretty much do that boxing thing where you roll punches away from your head using your shoulders against anti-tank rounds is quite honestly horror movie shit.

>>6305231
>>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)

>>6305326
>>Recover the broken massive chunk of the front plate of our power armor

Grab it, but this is our new keychain.

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)

>"Look me in the eye, and tell me how you imagine you hold the moral high ground while trying to lower humanity's chances of survival against an alien menace? Just curious to hear you argument, before I break your jaw"

>Recover the broken massive chunk of the front plate of our power armor

>>6305231
>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive)
No brakes on this pain train. And that's two sets of armor in as many ops. Halseys is gonna be mad but I like to think of it as destructive testing.

>>6305253
>>6305231
>>Recover the broken massive chunk of the front plate of our power armor
Adding this to my vote. I'm not about to let any Innies figure out anything about our greatest asset.
>>6305364
I know, right? It's like some Date Eiji type shit taken to the Nth degree.

>>6305235

Backing this write in: >>6305326

Update is going to come later in the day, unless the stuff I need to do IRL takes longer than expected, then it might come tomorrow

>>6305326
Definitely not leaving evidence too be found, nope.

>"Secured" (Capture the head of the Red Beard's alive

Rebooting...Monitor 404TormentedCache, back online

Sorry bout that, didn't think I'd be so busy yesterday. Well lets get in it.

14 Votes for "Secured"

3 Votes for "Look me in the eye..etc"

4 Votes for u+q7zjU/'s write ins

6 Votes to recover the pieces of Mjolnir that broke off

"Erik the Red" is getting taken alive.

And of course the pieces of the super classified power armor are going to be picked up and not left for some random groundskeeper to trip on, Spartans are professionals after all. But it is still nice that you guys were thinking tactically and voted to so via write in anyways, even if the team wasn't going to leave evidence & materials like that lying around.

Decision made
Proceeding...

"Secured" You conclude you strategic update to all three teams, as fighting through the throbbing pain in your chest in skull, you stride over to the terrorist leader and pull them from the ground by the back of their surplus harness, knocking off their silly metal mask designed to look like bearded, snarling face. His codename was once more accurate, but streaks of silver and grey run through his tangled beard, messy with blood and sweat as you hoist him up like a cat lifted up by its scruff.

He's weak from blood loss and exhausted from intense urban combat and being put on the run. The only form of resistance he displays is a defiant snarl and glare, aimed directly at the break in your visor.

"Surprised to see flesh and bone" He says in unsteady, halting English "Instead of wires and sparks under that armor"

You grab him by his jaw as he tightens it. Cyanide capsule in his tooth. Nearly missed it before you noticed the discoloration and difference in texture compared to his real teeth. He growls in frustration as you plunge two fingers into his mouth and dexterously and swiftly extract the suicide pill, crushing it to powder between them before proceeding to pat him down and disarm him of anything that could be used as a weapon. He doesn't have much fight left in him, and will need immediate medical attention to survive the bullet he'd taken to his leg curtesy of Cal's expert sniping. He was only still hopping around because she'd been just a few centimeters away from shooting straight through its femoral artery.

Luckily, Shika was on stand by. As you pat down and tore off the gear he wore, you heard the last of the Red Beards being put down like sick dogs by Purple Team's resident ghost and medic and Illya. And Erik the Red's eyes filled with tears, but who knew if they were born from frustration of being capture or out of grief for the soldiers under his command.

"Remember to pick up the pieces of my armor I..."dropped" " You remind your two team mates, once the last gunshot rings out and silence returns to the forest, just to be certain they collect the fragments of the Mjolnir suit that got shot off when you got hit point blank with anti tank rifle fire, though a Spartan would never make such a rookie mistake as leaving highly classified equipment and more importantly expensive kit like that behind.

"We're going to pull out before the local authorities muster up the courage to investigate the noise we've made", you hoist the leader and last of the Rødt Skjegg onto your shoulders in a fireman carry and ping James on the COM Channel

"No more hostiles on your end, -005?" You ask without pause or greeting

"All hostiles neutralized, I'll assume since you're checking in, the rest of the Red Beards have been terminated as well" He confirms "We've collected more samples of those little red pills they take to go berserk"
Cont

>>6306165

"Excellent, -010, do you copy? No more wolves in your sheep's pen?" You move onto Naomi, compliments and critique can wait until after the mission is wrapped up and you're off planet and aboard the Skidbladnir

"Haven't encountered any snags since they separated" She confirms as you carry Erik the Red back to the rest of your team. Shika is already preparing her first aid kit as you carefully place the Einherjar Veteran onto the forest floor as Illya pats down the bodies of his dead escorts. The leader of the Red Beards keeps a stiff upper lip, and doesn't resist treatment though you can see his eyes have lost some of their light as Shika patches up the leg Cal nearly shot out from under him.

"Any difficulties on your end?" Naomi questions as you take a breather and work the kinks and soreness out of your back and shoulders, watching Shika as she works while Illya sweeps the perimeter and takes point, watching for unexpected surprises down the sights of her rifle.

"He's stable" Shika calls out, and then fills the exit wound in her patient's leg with biofoam

"Took some hits, armor got damaged, nothing I can't heal from and nothing that can't be repaired" You explain over the call "Any injuries on your end, -010"

"Lilac team has suffered no causalities or injuries, Sir"

"-005?" You ask over the line

"We've taken a few hits, but no casualties on our end, Sven" James confirms "The Doctor is going to give you the butt chewing of a lifetime when she hears that you've managed to damage your Mjolnir again"

"Wait, he's gotten his suit banged up again? Fucking how?" Daisy cuts in

"Thought we had confirmed kills on all their rocket equipped troops" Anton adds

"Miss sharp shooter must've missed one"

"Anti tank rifles, two of them, got too close to dodge them completely so I had to sacrificed a bit of my protection" You mutter under your breath and can hear Solomon chuckling from Lilac's channel

"That's still impressive, even for a Spartan, Lieutenant. Cause it sounds like you rolled those shots" Malcom, sounding impressed, points out

"Cut the chatter, All teams rendezvous at the evac point and prepare for extraction" You order and cut the channel "Can be safely moved"

"Yes. So long as he doesn't struggle" Shika says as she gets to work gagging the VIP with a gag of excess bandages and ever reliable update "Are you?"

"Should be, just a bit bruised"

"Monster" Erik the Red growls, before Shika puts the gag in place and fastens his wrists and ankles together with the last of her duct tape, and gathers her medical supplies, while Illya is picking through the grass for shell casings and the smallest fragments of your suit's armored plating.
Cont

>>6306167

>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.

>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.

>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops

>Debrief and perform an after action review with Naomi and James

>Write in option

And Fallen-Valkyrie is just about wrapped up!

>>6306168
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.

>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops.

At the end of the day, they’re still human. Dumbass humans, but still humans. So I do feel Sven would give them their due.

>>6306168
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.
>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.
>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops
Would it be possible to trick him? Because of Vali blocking comms at the cliffside compound, we could maybe claim his buddies there deliberately ignored the Red Beards' calls for help and abandoned them to save themselves.
And by staying quiet, he'd only be helping a bunch of dishonorable cowards that belong in Nastrond.

>>6306168
>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops
Speak to him in his native tongue specifically.

"Your men fought as best they could and they died facing their foes no cuts upon their backs. But all father will judge them, question them and may well find them unworthy. Killing of the unarmed and civilians? Women and Children of none combatants? This is dishonourable and shames the ansestors you so dearly hope to join. Ragnarok is upon us and the greatest foeman in all human history burns the stars and you... you do these things? You seek todivide us...you shame us all.

Yet before you answer to Odin, bfore those whom do not face you in battle i ask you now....

>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.
"...end this without more innicent blood staining your hands and damning the soul of not just yourself but your men. Maybe I shall see your remains returned home so that [Insert geographic location thats local knowledge back home to stir his heart]"

[Negotiator and being a native might well help here. He saw we are not machines so there MAY be some blood honour here...maybe]

>Meanwhile
Get word how thast EVA is going because i think thats where our last sheep are flocking too. We need to tag that ship.
(i know we're dropping context clues and he's going to be looking into our eyes, i wanna see it for narative sake also maybe a look of sheer revelation if he heard our name when james spoke. Just for story and fun. Fenrir's Son lives.)

>>6306168

>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time

>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops.

In Norwegian. Terrorists or not, the Red Beards fought well.

>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.

An officer should also be a gentleman. Also, carrot and stick tactic - disarm and put him off balance with the compliment and then follow with the question. Both about any surprises he left behind and the ship in orbit.

This OP isn't wrapped until we've got a better idea of who that mystery ship belongs to and we're *certain* that there're no other WMDs left to cause a mass casualty event.

>>6306168
>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.

>>6306184

>Support +1, but send Shika anyways.

And the part about Fenrir's son is awesome.

>>6306168
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.
>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.

>>6306168
>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.

>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.

Bet the runners we came to protect were on their way to that jalopy prowler before things went south. If it turns out that they're reps from Venezia or Gao we should kill them anyways.

>>6306184
They're backstabbers and terrorists. Odin wouldn't judge or take them, most would be taken by hel and probably tossed into nostrond which is the place for murderers, adulterers, and oath breakers. Also should call ourselves Nidhogg if he gets all uppity about religious BS, probably shut him up real fast. Nidhogg contributes to the apocalypse but he's also the one that eats the dishonorable dead, I.E innie terrorists.

>>6306168
>>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.
>Debrief and perform an after action review with Naomi and James

>>6306168
>>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.
>Write in
>Contact the UNSC Skidbladnir, and see what else is new of the stealth ship of the Innies. Indigo and Violet could go up, and work with Coste for take it.

>>6306168
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.

>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops

>>6306168
>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.

>>6306168
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.
>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops

https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/halo-ghosts-glass-by-b-giraud

Probably not new to anyone, but hey. I think it's neat.

>>6306168
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.
>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops

>>6306530
Yeah that's really cool, I've never seen that before, as a semi related thought I wonder how seriously the whole "Spartans never die, they just go missing" thing was enforced, like if a guy saw a Spartan go down would he get back to base to find an ONI agent waiting for him going "You did not see the Spartan fall, he disappeared into the treeline and he's probably still out there, do you follow?" Or is it more like they just never authenticated a report of a dead Spartan, because especially in Sven's case I could see him taking enough injuries to kill an elephant before standing up and walking back to civilization.
As a related thought, The Halo Ads for Believe and ODST are kino that's permanently scarred into my mind.
>>6306168
>Grill Erik the Red Before extracting, just to be certain the Red Beard's haven't left any ticking time bombs behind.
>Have Shika trail behind and confirm the VIP's you'd followed to the docking spire don't need to be saved a second time.
>Compliment Erik for the quality of his now deceased troops
His men fought well, even to Spartans, we should check his training regime and see if we couldn't get our hands on some Spartan 3s to run them through it (when they show up)

Rebooting...Monitor 404 Tormented Cache, Back online

Sorry for doing this in the afternoon, been learning how to run Cyberpunk RED cause some mates of mine showed an interest in it

14 Votes to have Shika trail behind and make sure the VIPs aren't in danger

9 Votes to Compliment Erik the red and the Red Beards

10 Votes to grill Erik the red, just to be sure he hasn't left any more surprises behind

2 Votes for CNkWmoF3 write ins+ dialogue/ convo

1 vote to contact the Skidbladnir

1 vote to Debrief and perform the after action review with the other team leaders immediately.

So You'll order Shika to trail behind and confirm the VIP's Safety, and since a lot of you also voted to Compliment and Grill the Prisoner, I'll throw that in for a bit of extra spice. Why not. Feeling a bit spicy

Decisions made
Proceeding...

>>6306530
That is really fuckin rad

>>6306605
Good Question. There are probably going to be a lot of false positive MIAs for Sven cause, even for a Spartan, the guy is just a brick wall and hard to knock down

And yeah, Believe got branded into my psyche to. I had an almost religious experience when I first saw it on the TV. My older brother literally dragged me downstairs to watch it when it came on.

"-108, take up the rear, trail behind. Confirm the safety of the non Einherjar aligned insurrectionists at that space port before catch back up with-077 and I" You order with a gesture, as Shika salutes and trots into and immediately vanishes into the foliage, even managing to foil the motion tracker in your helmet though in all fairness it is only partially functional after the Anti Tank Round you took to the head

"Metal Man, I must know. Do you have names, or only numbers?" Erik the Red, suddenly becomes chatty again as you lift him back onto your back "I know you're flesh and blood, blue of eye, blonde of hair"

"We do, you're not going to hear them" You reply bouncily as you jog through the forest already hearing alarms sounding from the direction of the docking spire "But we do have names, don't we -077"

"-033 is going to be the nicest person you'll be talking to for a long while, Erik" Illya says as she scans the path ahead, never taking lowering her gun from her shoulder or letting her guard drop. She's staying on her toes, as a Spartan should

"Erik? So the UNSC still hasn't learned my name, even after sending their hounds after me and my men" He bitterly chuckles, tome lamentful "You are not Orbital Drop Troops. Better. Stronger. Faster. More well trained. Beyond even my warband's ability to best

"Sir, shouldn't we shut up the prisoner?"

"You've better English than you let on" You point out as you flash a handsign that means, amongst spartans, to delay an order. Which means and that Illya understands immediately that you'll gag Prisoner once you've gotten a little more out of him

"And your accent is more clear with your mask broken, tool" He replies coldly "We've both are keeping secrets, though, I am more beyond mine. Can the same be said for you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know" you vaguely allude, and signal Illya to stop as you set Erik the Red down by the shore of the lake your team had touched down earlier. You were going to circle around it before zig zagging to the LZ to throw off any would be pursuers from your trail.

"I won't talk. Not that secrets are long to hold water. It is the end of days. For us. For you" He says bleakly, eyes set across the waters of the lake, towards something only he can see

"You haven't seen our methods of enhanced interrogation" You stoically tell him as you kneel down next to him "But, before I start, you should be proud"

"Of what?"

"That you trained a fighting force as elite as the Rødt Skjegg. The Einherjar are more professional than other rebel factions, especially as fighters. Elite. Dangerous. But your men were in a league of their own" You compliment him, and his eyes relight, outraged and furious.

"You have no right to speak of my men, tin soldier!" He rages in Norwegian, sitting up despite the bindings and leg wound. Illya immediately has a bead on him. You press a hand against his chest, and look into his eyes directly and at level

Cont

>>6306774

"They fought well. And managed to draw blood from us "Tin Soldiers" You icily inform him "That is a feat no human soldier has achieved before. You should be honored, to have trained such soldiers"

Not technically a lie. Spartans haven't been injured fighting insurrectionists since you were introduced to the MJOLNIR system.

"And you should weep in shame for killing them" He snarls "They were like sons to me. And you do not even give me the mercy to see them to Valhalla, to languish in a cell, before being paraded like a defanged lion for the amusement of your fascist masters, Sol Slave!"

"They died well. Honorably. Einherjar rarely rout, you prefer to die in battle. But the Rødt Skjegg had no recorded retreats or surrender and that hasn't changed" You continue, ignoring his outburst and grief "No cuts upon their backs, they died facing a foe superior to them in all ways without breaking, with no hope of victory. Followed their orders. Died standing at their positions. The only shame here is that soldiers of such quality had given themselves over to and performed the ultimate sacrifice for a terrorist cause, killing not just soldiers but civilians. Non combatants"

"Hypocrite" Is all that Erik the red has to say in response.

"An utter waste of talent and manpower" You condemn him as you push him back to the ground, roughly "Used to bully and terrorize"

"He'll get what's coming to him, Sir" Illya consoles, or tries to, it comes out a bit stilted. Not all of the Spartans can be as chummy as you can be and few are as used to being the shoulder to lean against as you are

"Is war and battle all you know? Do you have a cause beyond your orders, your slave masters whims? You may have a face, but you are a machine!" Erik the Red hisses through his teeth veins popping on his neck and eyes wide and crazed "You've no right to speak of them, for them! You will languish in Hel, you and all of the puppets of the UEG and Inner Colonies. I only regret I'll not be there to see when your downfall comes. This is not the end. We are the not the end! Ragnarok is coming"

"But" You say, as you press him into the ground "it will not come to Black Sands, not today"

He smiles, teeth dyed pink from dried blood.

"I already told you, I will not talk" He boldly claims

"We'll see about that" You tell him as you eye the lake and the water lapping at its shore "Mission isn't done until the safety of the colony and her colonists are confirmed"

"I won't talk"

He sounded more uncertain as you lifted him and began wading into the water. Waterboarding, was effective at breaking men. Drowning was a primordial fear. Even veterans like Erik the Red could break under sufficient pressure. And one thing water was excellent at providing was pressure.

Torture wasn't a good way to extract accurate information, but you didn't need detailed intel. Just if there were any bombs or other unpleasant surprises left behind by the Red Beards.
Cont

>>6306775

It takes two and a half trips to the lakebed for Erik the Red to tell you that Indigo team hadn't missed a nuke. He doesn't tell you about the possible bioweapon, but since it was safely contained on the Skidbladnir, there was no reason to apply any further pressure.

Cruelty simply wasn't in your nature, after all.

>Question the prisoners about the "Ghost ship" in orbit, and if they stay tight lipped, order the former ONI field agents of your crew to help jog their memory

>Perform an after action review with James and Naomi and send the finished After Action Report to Vice Admiral Stanforth.

>Speak with your mother, in private and off the record.

>Now that you're back on your ship, handle the suspicious ship above Black Sand personally

>Write in Option.

the Mission Results, Advancement Path Progress and Selection, should be in the next update or the one after it, along with the AAR of Fallen Valkyrie

>>6306776

>Now that you're back on your ship, handle the suspicious ship above Black Sand personally

>Speak with your mother, in private and off the record.

>>6306776
>Question the prisoners about the "Ghost ship" in orbit, and if they stay tight lipped, order the former ONI field agents of your crew to help jog their memory
Crack them like Erik.

>Now that you're back on your ship, handle the suspicious ship above Black Sand personally
Priority one right now. Get a patch up for our armor.

>>6306530
Thanks for posting, I'd have missed it.
>>6306605
>and see if we couldn't get our hands on some Spartan 3s to run them through it (when they show up)
With the way Ackerson was eyefucking Kurt during the demonstration and now probably obsessing over AAR's like some sort of stalker I'm sure it won't be too long before we get them. This time around I do wonder if it'll happen sooner rather than later. The 2's have already had an even more wildly disproportional affect on ground engagements and operational planning than in cannon thanks to both having more and Sven(us) min/maxing mission deployments which might push Stanforth into accepting a successor program before stepping down as Section 3's chief to return to active duty.
>I wonder how seriously the whole "Spartans never die, they just go missing" thing was enforced
Mostly column B if I remember right. It was 90% for public and mass moral, they weren't very concerned with making sure every soldier knew not to spill the beans. Also it fell under ONI Section 2, who despite being the whipping boys of ONI, are surprisingly good at their job.

>>6306776
>Question the prisoners about the "Ghost ship" in orbit, and if they stay tight lipped, order the former ONI field agents of your crew to help jog their memory
>Now that you're back on your ship, handle the suspicious ship above Black Sand personally
The AAR and any potential fraternization can come after we've investigated every possible avenue here first. And I mostly want to bully Erik a little bit more for being a dingus and not realizing his own hypocrisy about the Hel comment.
Good update, 404. Everyone loves a good round of waterboarding.

>>6306776

>Question the prisoners about the "Ghost ship" in orbit, and if they stay tight lipped, order the former ONI field agents of your crew to help jog their memory.

>Now that you're back on your ship, handle the suspicious ship above Black Sand personally.

Honestly, 'all of the above' could well work in the right order.

The other half of it being

>off the record

Then:

>AAR

Or potentially vice versa on the last two.

>>6306776
>Speak with your mother, in private and off the record.
>Now that you're back on your ship, handle the suspicious ship above Black Sand personally
What the other anon said, I think these things should dovetail into each other nicely.

>>6306788
The only way Spartan III happens has canon would be for Halsey to fail somehow, and fall from the current position of prestige she has. No way Ack is getting it soon or like in canon at this point. This could go wildly different. Remember the other scientific projects we have seen with Sven eyes ? One of those Scientists in Alpha Corvi-II was about to blast Halsey for funding, because in his eyes his project wasn't getting enough. Their research facility had multiple projects going so it was a problematic issue. Another spartan program will just have people go "uh ??" at the moment.

Beside a 2 class of the spartan II is being trained right now has we speak after all by Mendez. And we have a proper attempted medical recovery program for Washouts of 1 class. I wouldn't want that to receive a cut of funds at all.

>>6306816
Hell i would push for cybernetics path for Soren if the medical recovery program doesn't work out for Washouts. Spartan II are worth the cost for have each one back

>>6306820
>yfw instead of trying to spartan 3 Ackerson skips straight to 3.5 and tries to make cybernetics and exosuits because the only thing better than supersoldiers is making all of your soldiers super
>yfw it fails pathetically because the tech just isn't there yet and 4's never come to be as they do in canon

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>>6306776
>Question the prisoners about the "Ghost ship" in orbit, and if they stay tight lipped, order the former ONI field agents of your crew to help jog their memory
>Write in Option.
>Have a pilot and Spartan team on standby, rotating for rest/repair/medical examination as necessary, while your armor is repaired and the prisoners are interrogated.
How we handle the ghost ship should probably depend on what info we gather. If it's just going to leave the system now, then it might be better to let it go and document the exit vector (and the tracker information) so it can be followed up, no? Maybe even stealthily pursue it through slipspace. They could end up leading us somewhere good like an unknown innie hideout or something.
That said, we should still be ready to take it out in the meantime. That is more than likely the best option.

Also does ONI even really need to torture for interrogation? I recall they authorized some marines to torture innies in Contact Harvest, but that was in the field and a very serious, time-sensitive situation. There are also elements in ONI that flat-out reject torture for personal reasons and because it tends to be unreliable, like Akio Watanabe from the Cole Protocol. We know ONI have technology available that lets them basically see people's thoughts during interrogation (neural marker) and some kind of eye-scanning advanced lie detector (PQI). The technology can still be tricked by a pro, granted, but it still seems more effective than torture since someone getting tortured can just lie or give a half truth to make it stop.

Spooks in general seem more concerned about results than just hurting people for the hell of it. But I guess the "evil ONI spook that tortures people" reputation helps with getting information. The threat of being alone in a room with some spooks is probably enough to get most people to talk.

>>6306816
The second class started off as planned in canon too. The problem they ran into wasn't directly a lack of funds. The problem that caused it to be scrubbed was Halsey's incredibly high standards for candidates and their lack of availability. Not sure if that's a problem that can be solved just by throwing more money at it. She screened for the original candidates using the DNA in a database collected by the CAA's vaccination program. The CAA's resources have been getting redirected into the UNSC since the outbreak of the war, so we don't even know if that program is still going on. You also have outer colonies getting glassed and millions of people getting killed, not to mention restrictions on information and travel between colonies for security reasons. All of that obviously makes it harder for her to get that genetic info to find candidates.
Plus, she can't focus on selecting candidates when she's getting constant reports about Sven destroying his armor again and is preoccupied with making it more robust lol

>>6306816
>The only way Spartan III happens has canon would be for Halsey to fail somehow, and fall from the current position of prestige she has.
The only way a second class fails is exactly how it did in canon. Halsey refused to budge on her candidate profile requirements and she started to prioritize MJOLNIR instead. Her current prestige only makes her a bigger target in Sec 3.
>No way Ack is getting it soon or like in canon at this point.
> Another spartan program will just have people go "uh ??" at the moment.
Ackerson got his S3s because they were cheaper, more easily made, and just as good as the S2s.
>Remember the other scientific projects we have seen with Sven eyes ? One of those Scientists in Alpha Corvi-II was about to blast Halsey for funding, because in his eyes his project wasn't getting enough. Their research facility had multiple projects going so it was a problematic issue.
Yes, I agree. Funding is absolutely an issue. To the point that expensive programs are more likely to be cut in favor of cheaper ones that provide the same results. Such as the supremely expensive Spartan IIs being cut for the far cheaper Spartan IIIs.
>Beside a 2 class of the spartan II is being trained right now has we speak after all by Mendez.
Mendez's line about a second class is verbatim something he said in TFOR. Not genuine proof in-quest that a second class is actually happening, just that he's staying on to train of a potential second class. There was also an option to talk to Halsey about a second class but we didn't take it, and the option alone isn't proof that training has or will begin for potential candidates any time soon if at all.
>And we have a proper attempted medical recovery program for Washouts of 1 class. I wouldn't want that to receive a cut of funds at all.
I highly doubt the nominal medical and recovery funding, and the additional that we secured, is tied to the Spartan 2 program itself. IIRC Halsey was still working on ways to fix Kirk and Renee into the mid/late 40s well after the program was cancelled.
>Spartan II are worth the cost for have each one back
I agree. Which is why more spartans for cheaper is better than less spartans for the same astronomical price.
>>6306853
How very Sinestro, a very Ackerson thing to do.
>Spoiler
Pre war we don't know much about UNSC cybernetics but post war they get pretty close to Cyberpunk. Exosuits though exist in spades and I hope to fuck we get the chance to save the ADS in '49. Spartans can't be everywhere. But you sure as shit can throw ADS into company level acquisitions and pretend otherwise.

>>6306776
>>6306806+1
Since this could be last page in this chapter of Sven’s life, I’d like to have at least one conversation with biomom while we have the chance.
>Captcha AAAH8

>>6306776
>Question the prisoners about the "Ghost ship" in orbit, and if they stay tight lipped, order the former ONI field agents of your crew to help jog their memory

>Now that you're back on your ship, handle the suspicious ship above Black Sand personally

well this is either gonna be "intresting" since how the fuck did they get that info

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>>6306776
Finally caught up. Great work so far boss.

>Question the prisoners about the "Ghost ship" in orbit, and if they stay tight lipped, order the former ONI field agents of your crew to help jog their memory

Information seems like the highest priority at the moment. Last thing we want to do is jump the gun and vent UNSC sympathetic insurgents into vacuum after all the work we just did.

>>6306776
Please add this to my vote >>6306932

>Speak with your mother, in private and off the record.

>>6306776
>Speak with your mother, in private and off the record.

Kinda the whole reason I wanted Sven to do this mission.

>>6306776
Am I the only one that's paranoid about "mom" being a body double since Sven doesn't recognize her? Would it hurt to do a DNA test to see if she's the real deal?

>>6307217

No, it wouldn't. Honestly, that's another good reason to talk to her.

>>6306776
>Speak with your mother, inprivate and off the record.
This will be the only opportunity before the spooks get to her. Are we are able to segue to
>Now that you're back on your shop, handle the suspicious ship above Black Sand personally.
?

>>6307217
Hey man the last time Sven saw her she was years younger and probably didn't have huge amounts of stress fatigue. She's obviously gonna look weird to Sven. You can't just say she's a doppelganger kek. It is possible though.

>>6307233
It could well be Sven's Auntie with a little nip-tuck to make her a dead ringer for Mama Askeland. The best body doubles bear a striking resemblance to their charge from the outset, and nobody does that better than family.

Rebooting....Monitor 404TormentedCache Back Online

7 Votes to address the issue of the ghost ship

6 Votes to Question the prisoners about the ghost ship

6 Votes to speak with your biological mother

1 vote Have a pilot and Spartan team on standby, rotating for rest/repair/medical examination as necessary, while your armor is repaired and the prisoners are interrogated.

So you'll have the prisoners questioned about the ghost ship, and decide whats to be done about it before taking a chance for an off the record chat with "Herfjötur"

Decisions made
Proceeding...

>>6306776
>>Speak with your mother, in private and off the record.

damn it missed the vote because i was babysitting.

The Operation is a success. But there's one last loose end that you're concerned about and what to see tied off before you perform the after action review of today's field work with James and Naomi and write the AAR of Fallen Valkyrie, and have a little off the record and unauthorized chat with Ingrid Askeland before handing her over to Command.

And that would be the bootleg Prowler spotted sitting above Black Sands by your crew, that they had observed and put a tracker on, that had only performed routine movements since the last report, kept in the firing arc of the UNSC Skidbladnir's weapons while Ensign Kon has been shifting through all out going communications and Ensign Kobal has been kept busy looking for any more "Ghost Ships" around the colony's orbit.

Opinions on how to approach the anomaly are split between your bridge crew, with Cadet Coste and Lieutenant Junior Grade Faure supporting aggressive action, while Deluna and Cook favor a more passive approach with the other bridge officers remaining neutral on the subject.

You'd thought it'd be more difficult to figure out exactly who the mystery vessel belonged to, but once the prisoners were woken up after transport, questioning them quickly provided an answer to that burning question. The former head of security for the free star compact, sang like a song bird but couldn't tell you who the bargain bin Prowler belonged to and had no idea what you were talking about when you circled around to the topic. Ingrid probably knew, but she was currently under Anesthetics and Rita's care, getting her eardrums unburst and fixed, so even if she wasn't receiving medical treatment she couldn't be asked. Erik the Red, probably wouldn't talk again, not that he can, since Rita also made the executive decision to put him to bed after he somehow shook off the general anesthetics and attempted to chew out his own tongue. Luckily, the bonesaws under the Ship's AI had the foresight to restrain him before giving him treatment.

That left the few prisoners taken from the compound assault, the lucky lottery winners Shika tranquilized. You have the former ONI agents on your crew, lead by Coste, ask them. They're more delicate and expert approach to questioning, gets answers out of them quickly. Apparently, according to Rita, they used reverse psychology and some elementary carrot and stick tactics to get them to spill everything they know

The ship is Einherjar property. And its crew, judging from the repeating signals they've sent towards the Colony, have been waiting for an update after the compound went silent and there was no congratulatory message for setting off a couple of dirty nukes and releasing a bioweapon on an innocent colony after murdering their own allies to keep them from entering into diplomatic talk with the UNSC. Terrorist bastards.

And this new intel changes things. The current standing orders were to watch. It had a tracker on it. If it jumped, you'd know where it went.
Cont

>>6307300

But now you knew it was an Einherjar vessel, and you were in the captain's chair of the UNSC Skidbladnir, a ship yet untested in battle...

>Give the order to engage. No loose ends.

>[Diplomat] Get in contact with the ship, and attempt to talk its crew into surrendering

>Allow it too escape, and hand over the coordinates it jumps to to Command

>Hear your fellow Spartans and Your officers opinions and hear their suggestions

>Write in option

>>6306941
Nice! And thank you! I Appreciate the compliment

>>6307303

Following it sounds *really* tempting, but if I recall correctly another team was hunting the commander, Jormungandr, in an unoccupied zone.

Also, letting it escape means remnants getting away. No loose ends sounds good.

That being said...

>Attempt a boarding action to capture the ship.

Let's get greedy.

And here was me saying just last thread EVA training wouldn't come in handy this mission.

>>6307306

No, if we're going to go the boarding action route, we *can't* contact them. The element of surprise is too valuable an ace to go giving away and we already know the Einherjar aren't about to surrender.

The Einherjar have also consistently gone down fighting and tried offing themselves when faced with capture.

Couple that with the attempted false flag terrorist attack and they're liable to ram the colony if they get a clue that we're coming.

>>6307303
>>6307305+1
Yeah, only real reason we shouldn’t have ok’d the initial boarding was because we didn't know who it belonged to, now that we do it’s time to take this bird before it does anything stupid.

>>6307303
>Allow it to escape, and hand over the coordinates it jumps to to Command
Right now we have the advantage in terms of information and zero casualties. We hail them or try to board them, we risk both of those things for very little gain in the short term.
I say we let them run to wherever they're heading and wait for Command to get back to us with some intel on the area. I get the feeling they'll lead us to something much more important to their operations than a single vessel anyways.

>>6307303
>[Diplomat] Get in contact with the ship, and attempt to talk its crew into surrendering

Thought:

The reason can't recognise the woman we captured in the villa as Ingrid Askeland is that she flatly *isn't*.

Not even as a body-double, she's a subordinate sent down as Ingrid's proxy and biomum is currently captaining our Ghost Ship.

>>6307305
>if I recall correctly another team was hunting the commander, Jormungandr, in an unoccupied zone.
I think that was Whiteshirt, a general/subordinate of Jormungandr. Last we heard about him he was assembling forces in a neighboring star system and had access to some former UNSC ships. I don't know if anything has been done about him yet. I'd guess the captain of this ghost ship is a subordinate of Whiteshirt and will head back there to report to him, but that's just speculation. He could head somewhere else entirely.

Not sure we know Jormungandr's location at all. Wonder how they're going to react when they hear news about what happened.

>>6307339

My guess is poorly.

>>6307303
>>Hear your fellow Spartans and Your officers opinions and hear their suggestions

>>6307303

>>Hear your fellow Spartans and Your officers opinions and hear their suggestions

I'm thinking boarding and storming, or if a decent shot will make it go dead, cripple then board.

My personal nightmare is boarding before they self destruct.

>>6307303
>Hear your fellow Spartans and Your officers opinions and hear their suggestions
A boarding action could result in them scuttling the ship with our boarding team aboard. And remember our MJOLNIR is currently breached, unless we have spare parts aboard that is. Capturing it is good but risks a team. Letting it run off is also good and gives us more intel on potential future targets rather than an immediate short term gain, and it also doesn't immediately risk a boarding team.
That said if we have to send someone it's gotta be be James, Nesta, Daisy, and Illya. That'd be an optimal boarding team though I'm not too keen on losing them to extremists blowing themselves up to prevent a capture.
Really, the easiest solution to this is to just throw Nesta at the bridge with a brick of C-12. I'm sure it'll work itself out.

>>6307303
>Attempt a boarding action to capture the ship.

The Einherjar stealth custom ship is still doing their duties above Black Sands. And they are not moving. This means they are doing everything like if its all okay.

We have a window of time where their suspicion simply cannot raise (because it makes a lot of sense for the Einherjar on ground to keep radio silent if they are done with their terror missions or still doing their terror missions) and what we have : three spartan teams, Coste and a few other ONI members plus some ship security. Even with Sven acting just has the UNSC Skidbladnir commander on the bridge, its a considerable advantage once they can get inside. The Spartan teams can rush three critical positions, while Coste & Co take another.

Not to mention Vali can be still brought there by our fellow spartans, and given instructions before hand, like being put inside the ship computer for take over the ship.

And if Vali can be put in the ship computer, well that just guarantees capturing all on board ship informations, star maps and other navigation data they would have.

Important long term because we gain the positions of Einherjar other bases in the now, (beside being the de-facto rulers of New Noregr) and of course important long term because we give ONI a new variant of humanity stealth ships. It might be a custom-job worse and low tech, but learning about it helps human technology and science, and it also help fighting against the remaining Innies that don't want to make peace.

Letting them go, well, safe to say if they have their eyes and ears open wherever that stealth ship is going will inform those bases that the terror missions on Black Sands failed and confirmation will be gained from the news and webs. And that means those bases will just leave whatever solar system they are in, and relocate undisturbed.

We told Vali to wear their face and bring us their secrets earlier in the mission.

1) what data did we get?

2) could we use that data (i.e. probably authentication codes) to remotely upload Vali into the ghost ship and perform shenanigans?

>>6307470
This where the orders given to Vali :

>"Steal their tongues and confuse their thralls"
+
>"Kill their guardian and bring me his heart" (But I'll throw in Sven asking Vali to at least try to impersonate the AI, cause I'm feeling nice)
+
>"Weave an illusion and trick their senses"

We might have gotten something else around by grabbing some data and intel, but i am not sure it would be something like that.

There is also another problem : there is no way we are doing it remotely. The only way is doing it actively by attack with a cyber attack the signal they are sending out toward Black Sands. And that well... means putting Vali in the Skidbladnir. And out of his "cage" (one of Sven datapads), and with Vali built how he is built he is dangerous to anything digital even if its friendly. Simply because of how we made him. Bringing him there takes out this problem.

Though to be fair i am not sure a prowler can even do cyber attacks.

>>6307305
+1

>>6307303
>>Hear your fellow Spartans and Your officers opinions and hear their suggestions

No update tonight, unfortunately. To tired and Spent too write anything. Sorry guys

>>6307737
np

>>6307737
All good, 404. Make sure to hydrate.

Rolled 1 (1d2)

Rebooting...Monitor 404Tormented Cache, Back online

Sorry about that, don't know why I ran out of energy so quickly last night, but all thrusters are burning and I'm raring to write now. Just had to uh, sleep through most of the day to recuperate.

4 Votes to attempt a boarding action

1 Vote to all it to escape and forwards its coordinates to command

1 Vote to try a diplomatic approach

4 Votes to listen to your fellow Spartans and your Officers opinions/ suggestions

Seems we have a tie between attempting a boarding action and having the other Spartans and your bridge crew throw their hat into the ring

So I'll tie break it with a coin flip


1 = Boarding action
2= Hear the council of your Spartans + Officers

>>6307339
Whiteshirt and Jormungandr are both the targets of other parts of Operation: Iriminsul, which Sven is currently leading

>>6308118
Tempo! Tempo! Tempo!

Sven's ordering a boarding action, lets do this.

Decision made
Proceeding...

Also unrelated to anything, but I've been watching Dracula Flow and now can't help but to imagine Spartan Flow.

>>6308119
>>6308118
'Ere we go, 'ere we go?

>>6308119
"I got to where I am today through VIOLENCE. I'm thankful for it!"

>>6308119
>but I've been watching Dracula Flow and now can't help but to imagine Spartan Flow.
>That bad medicine zaza got me speaking sangheili
>Covenant must have amnesia, they forgot that I'm him.
>I don't care if I go blind, I don't need to see the crosshairs anyways
>I"m high on twelve cans of C-7 looking to beat the cum out of a brute chieftain
>ONI wanted some initiative. Nuked their entire black site. I'm moving like Oppenheimer.
Yeah there's plenty of opportunity for Spartan Flow.

And there were Eleven Spartans aboard and combat ready on the Skidbladnir, not counting yourself. There was spare Mjolnir armor, but the time it'd take to have it swapped out for your damaged suit, even just damaged portions, could allow the enemy vessel to perform evasive maneuvers or slipspace jump out of the system. Decisive action was required.

Like a boarding action, as suggested by Cadet Coste. The ONI Operative had the right idea, even if she jumped the gun a little. Lifting your shoulders, decompress and lift a hand up to the damaged helmet over your head and pull it off, wincing as the lights of the flight deck come into focus and shine.

"Lieutenant?" Faure, not knowing why you've removed your helmet, addresses you with an questioning air

"We'll board the ghost ship" You say, and watch the mixed reactions of your crew. Coste looks thrilled, but restrains her excitement to a smug smirk and puff of her chest, while Kon and Kobal look less than enthused about your decision. Deluna simply nods and without being asked Cook begins to make preparations to get the Prowler into position alongside the vindicated Cadet.

"If I may speak freely" Your weapon controller starts

"You may" You answer with a professional nod as you keep your hands behind your back, standing tall and proud

"We could simply shoot it out of the sky, and secure the debris" She says stoically, standing by your side and staring at the same tactical map you've been studying, display the coordinates of both the mystery ship and the Skidbladnir in the space above Black Sands "It is a less daring, but also less risky approach. We've got them outgunned and unaware, it'd be like shooting fish in a barrel"

"We probably have it outgunned, Valerie" Cook corrects "I've done my homework on these Einherjar, Sir, I won't act like an expert, but from the reports of prior space battles with them, paint a pretty clear picture"

"I know, Pilot, they tend to pack heavier weaponry than the average pirate or rebel fighter" You say "But, like Faure pointed out, we've got them by surprise"

"The best time to launch a surprise attack, is also the best time to attempt a boarding action" Coste backs you up, smiling politely at her superior officer, who, knowing her past as an ONI agent, eyes her suspiciously like any Navy Woman would "Ma'am"

"I won't question your orders. Your squad just came back from massacring a force that could match ODSTs. And, your files are mostly black ink. I'm just advising caution" She tells you, lifting up her shoulders and standing rigidly

"And I appreciate the advice, I would've asked for it, but time is a commodity and we don't have much of it" You tell her, and hear the servos of her robotic arm whirr "My decision is final"

"Aye aye sir, I'll return to my station and calculate firing solutions, just in case" She returns with a salute
cont

>>6308131

"The ship remains in position, and has shown outward signs of course adjustment, not even thruster burn, Sir!" Soner reports as you consider who exactly will be sent to Board the thing.

As twelve spartans is not only excessive and outright overkill, but having a boarding party that large would only hurt the chance of a successfully capturing the craft. A fireteam of four; The standard size of Spartan deployment, should be enough to secure the prowler and put down any armed resistance they encounter on the way to the bridge or engines.

The question was, who'd you'd put in charge. You could lead, but the time to switch out of your compromised power armor, could cost you the capture, even if you just switched out what was broken and damaged of your current suit. You had to consider both Rank and Ability when deciding who'd lead the action, which Faure had rightfully called Daring.

James
Shika
Naomi

Those three would be the best candidates. Shika and James were both Petty Officers First Class and Naomi was likely to be promoted to that rank for her actions during Operation: SVARTALFAR. James and Naomi had proven their capabilities as leaders, on this and prior operations. And Shika had experience boarding a Covenant Vessel. They were the natural choices, out of the eleven other Spartans aboard your ship

>Pick Shika

>Pick James

>Pick Naomi

>Take a chance and take the time to armor back up to lead the action yourself

>Write in option (Feel free to list your choices for the three other members of the Boarding party, otherwise I'ma randomly generate the selection)

>>6308128
Laughed my ass off, thanks for that anon, that exactly what I wanted.

>>630811
>I was flipping bricks for the forerunners before you were a Type 1 civilization!

>>6308128
>I crush so much poon I'm called the Prophet of Quim AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH
>>6308133
>Pick Shika
Let our people work, we need to talk to Second Mom

>>6308133
>Pick Shika

>>6308133
>James
leading
>Nesta, Daisy, Illya
Preference is just for James because he knows Nesta and Daisy better than anyone present except for Shika and ourself, and our two most aggressive purple team members backed up by someone skilled in support would make for an excellent boarding team IMO. Shika would be better off staying with us and ready to receive casualties should any arrive. Also, make for a good TEMPO team.
>Laughed my ass off, thanks for that anon,
Dracula Flow fits surprisingly well with Halo, especially the nutty stuff we're already getting up to in quest.
>>6308139
>Innies in shambles, they stay picking the corn out of our shit

>>6308146

>+1, and have them pack gas weapons (i.e. tear gas, knockout gas, maybe nerve gas)

Standard Klingon battle tactics. Deploy (usually by means of transporters) gas and explosives before boarding. Imagine boarding and popping CS before using shock batons. You can only be so high on combat drugs.

>>6308133
>Pick Naomi
Probably the freshest of the options, given Lilac had no casualties/injuries and what I'd guess was the easiest role of the teams.
She has those Curious, Intelligent and Adaptable qualities, likely useful dealing with the ship tech (and working with Vali if we do send him along).
She gets to further prove herself and earn that rank.

Wanna see what she can do.

>>6308160
>>6308168
I changed to this btw.

>>6308168

Backing this, with the team being:

>Nesta, Daisy, Ilya.

And equip them with gas weapons and narq side-arms.

Might as well try and overachieve on the capture sub-objective.

We're not going to be Alvin York by any stretch, but if the opportunity presents itself for more captures, they might as well go for it.

Also backing giving whoever the team leader is Vali and giving the Digital Draugr strict orders to play nice. Just in case.

>>6308133
>ACTION: DARING. Personnel: James-005 (Leader), Malcom-059, Shika-108, Illya-077
James may not be fresh, but I don't think he'd let that muffle his awareness. Besides, he's the only proven leader here besides Sven who's got experience boarding vessels like this.
Past that, Illya is a CQC specialist (great for fighting in space ships), and Shika is invaluable when intruding enemy installations. Malcom uh...I don't really know what he does or what his specialties are actually. That said, every Spartan should be flexible enough to wear whatever hat is needed for the task at hand.

>>6308133
>Pick Naomi
>Write in option
>Nesta, Daisy, Ilya.

I don't think we have gas weaponry on board, but we certainly have narq side-arms for all. Equip all spartans with proper melee weapons and short range weapons. This ship is probably not bigger than our Prowler, if there is a fight the all gals squad can slaughter them.

Give Vali to them. Vali orders are to : when inserted on a digital port/ship computer is inform the squad of the enemies positions and provide a digital 3D map once inside. Then Vali will take over the ship blocking access for Einherjar to all computers or machines on board, disable the ship weapons, engines and close comms. All attempts of Einherjar trying to go to crucial parts of the ship should be blocked or hampered with.

>>6308264
Squad orders are to : maintain stealth for enough time to learn of ship design, take all critical ship parts, insert Vali were possible. All Einherjar are to be preferably captured, their death or becoming heavily wounded and dismembered remains more than acceptable in case of even the smallest danger to Spartans or the Ship integrity.

In case the ship has an on board AI, seeking to disable it is preffered. If too dangerous for Spartans/Ship integrity kill it.

Once ship is secure and all Einherjar are pacified or dead, send a Spartan phrase signal from the ship bridge. That is all.

>>6308133
>Pick Naomi
>Write in option
>Nesta, Daisy, Ilya.

Nesta's always ready for violince plus im sure she's like more since we had her on guard duty

>>6308133
>Pick Naomi
>Write in option
>Nesta, Daisy, Ilya.
Nesta needs to let off some steam from guard duty.

Bit busy, so update is probably gonna be a bit late. Meant to post this earlier, but had some connection issues get in the way of it.

>>6308629
no worries, take your time.

>>6308632
Thanks, starting to get worried I might be coming down with something ontop of everything else. Vote is still open, I'll try and do the update in a couple hours/ later tommorrow. Appreciate your patience, meant to do it once I'd finished my busy work, but im just not feeling up to it right now

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Rebooting...Monitor 404Tormented Cache back online

Really sorry about that, don't know what happened but I started feeling really flu-y and had difficulty breathing late last night, but feel right as rain today. Its really fuckin weird. But I am choosing to ignore and not stress over it for the moment even though my throat is still a bit tight. And I'm still having on and off connection issues! The Curse is really angling.

2 Votes for Shika

3 Votes for James
L
+ 2 votes for Nesta, Daisy Illya
L
+ 1 vote to have them pack gas weapons
L
+ 1 vote for Malcom, Shika, Illya

5 Votes for Naomi
L
+4 votes for Nesta, Daisy, Illya


Alright
So the comp of the boarding team is

Leader: Naomi-010
Daisy-023, Illya-077, Nesta-097

Decisions made
Proceeding...

Might as well give Naomi an opportunity to boost up her credentials and secure that rank up she's slated for. Her natural curiosity, adaptability and flexibility in combat and out in the field, made her a natural choice to lead the action. And following a similar thought process you decide the rest of the boarding party's composition before you even send the order down the ladder for them to hit the armory to suit and gear up.

Daisy was one of the Spartans infiltration experts, probably the best when it came down to pure success rate and she turned any environment around her into a secondary weapon. Not to mention, despite their off operation butting of heads, she and your second pit had fantastic affinity and teamwork with eachother

That being Nesta. Who thrived in the sort of chaos that would inevitably occur during the high intensity of a boarding action. Not to mention, she and daisy were among the Spartans assigned to your ship who had the most experience fighting and killing Einherjar. only by one combat operation, sure, but just understanding the enemy that little bit more could be a game changer.

And then the last member would be Illya. She was a good support pick, but she also had a knack for CQC. She wasn't one of the best hand to hand fighters amongst the Spartans, but she was equally skilled in every aspect of CQC. She was a balanced close range fighter, but more importantly, she was even among Spartans a true team player. And that would further improve the fireteam's cohesion, especially as Naomi hasn't experienced running an OP with Nesta. Let alone Nesta and Daisy together. You didn't imagine that would cause any problems, but it was best to shore up projected weak points before they became a problem.

"Rita. Scramble Spartans-010, -023, -077, -097 and get them ready for EVA. Naomi will be the boarding party's leader. Her orders are to attempt to capture the enemy vessel intact, and with as much of its crew alive as possible" You relay your orders loud and clear, for all the flight deck to here as the digital Nun appears and wraps a rosary of binary code around between her fingers, her head bowed serenely "But if that proves untenable, they're to scuttle the vessel rather than risk their lives and of course that their own safety takes precedence over taking any prisoners. Beyond that, I'll leave the details up to -010. Its her rodeo now. LTJG Faure! You have the flight deck until I return. Have pressing issues I need to address"

You're salute as you walk out of the bridge

"You're going to see her, aren't you, Lieutenant?" Rita asks you from the COM of your busted helmet, that's still gripped in your hand, sparking as she transmits to it "Ingrid Askeland. Your..."

"Yes" You answer bluntly "Not sure what I'll say to her. But I feel like I need to do this"

"I won't bother your with psychoanalysis. But, I will state that it is my opinion, this will be beneficial to your mental health, Captain"

Cont

>>6308829

"Is that your professional or personal opinion?" You ask, glancing down in the direction of your helmet

"Both. And, I'll make sure that any audio and video evidence of this meeting is scrubbed. You kids have suffered enough after all of what they've put you through" She tells you, before cutting the line

"Thanks Rita" You tell the silence in the air, knowing she's listening. Command had picked the right AI for this ship, and while you knew that she was still there, you felt oddly alone as you walked towards the holding cells where both of the high priority prisoners you'd taken during the mission were held

Where your mother was being kept. Where the two of you would have an off the records chat.

The walk seemed longer than it should've been and your footsteps echoed louder down the corridor than they reasonably should have. And every step you took, you spent pondering exactly what you'd say and what the point of all this was.

>For certainty and closure

>For answers

>To move on

>To grant her some measure of peace

>Write in option

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>>6308831
>To grant her some measure of peace
Theoretically it's more for her than us, we should really reiterate about the threat of the Covenant and how well equipped we are personally to deal with them.
Really, at some point we should get all the parents of Spartans together to address them with their children, also the parents of Spartans that died should really get the pay they're technically entitled to.
Also, would love to use a Chaingun at some point

>>6308831

>For certainty and closure
Finish this chapter of life finally, but also get answers about clones
>Write in option
We're going to give her a new angle, a ray of light. All of this is for independance and faith, the way against the Covenant is that chance to have the faith unify. Blood will flow brothers made. We can spin this in with asking her of her past and why she and her husband become so cold. leading to in all likelyhood; us. Sven didn't go down easy back when he was taken and he went yelling. The locals may well have spotted ONI running away with their tails between their legs and Sven over their shoulder.

>>6308831
>For certainty and closure
end a chapter

>>6308831
>For certainty and closure

>>6308831
>For certainty and closure
This would probably be a good chance to confirm our theory about the clones. Besides that, I'm curious to what her and Pa's intentions for Sven were before we got snatched up.

>>6308831
>>6308834
+1

>>6308831
>For certainty and closure
>To grant her some measure of peace

>>6308831

>For certainty and closure.

And

>To grant her some measure of peace.

This is likely to be at best bitter-sweet, but it's a conversation Sven's needed on some level for a long time.

>>6308831
>To grant her some measure of peace
At the end of the day she was Svens mum and had her child stolen from her. She should have some peace.