OOC: Coalition JiangXi Marine's Handbook remnants You may choose one weapon (2 magazines of ammo for each, AR: 30 Bullets, SG: 12 Shells, SN: 20 Bullets), a Geiger-counter, 2 Ration Bars, a half-filled canteen of water and a knife folks. Anything else you'll have to scavenge planetside. Good luck and don't get eaten!
IC:
New Hangzhou...
Once the pride of the Coalition, a city of splendor and strength forged by the citizens that onced lived there, now all that remains is a desolate city, inhabited by raiders who have gone mad and the mutant creatures that roam the night. Down the main street, a Storm Gunship lies in ruin, brought down the creatures of the night. On the main highway, the remnants of jeeps lie rusted . Around the countryside, remnants of crashed Storms, skeletal remains, raider habitats and radiation-soaked villages, are all that remains of the once alive paradise that existed long ago.
The clouds over the city were a dull gray, overcast as far as the eye can see, it was dawn with the creatures that roamed the fields around the city's corpse could be seen scurrying through the thick grasses and bushes that dotted the landscape. The airfield on the far side of the city was once a secured landing zone, however JiangXi has reclaimed it, the automated sentries that once patrolled the once busy port were scattered in peices across the landing field, their ammunition spent and their power-cells drained of life.
High above, entering through the cloud cover a single Storm screamed through the air, passing through the clouds to the far outskirts of the city, onboard was a group of individuals who have either chosen or been chosen to brave the dangers of JiangXi, if it be for glory, punishment or tradition only the passengers could truly say. They were strapped into their seats, their weapon's kits stashed above them in cargo alcoves, they did not have much by the way of provisions, merely their weapon of choice designed by the Engineers of Volgograd Industrial and a combat knife along with two ration bars and a half-filled canteen of water.
A Commissar stood in the centre of the Storm's passenger bay, gripping a handlebar to keep himself upright as the storm passed through the air turbulence towards the landing zone. The Commissar's voice suddenly pierced the silence with the subtleness of a train-wreck on a boat at sea.
"Alright ladies, you sorry bunch are going to be dropped off at Point Alpha, a lovely place outside New Hangzhou where you can have a fun picnic with the wild-life, your task is to survive the wilderness, reach New Hangzhou and get to the airfield on the other side, anyone who does not make it in two days will be left behind to be eaten!" he cheerfully shouted, the ramp lowering as he finished, allowing a rush of cool air to enter the cabin, chilling them to the bone which made the man grin.
"Oh...And I almost forgot to mention that we are doing this during a cold snap, so you better get there fast before the snow starts to fall, otherwise you will have the added bonus of avoiding being frozen to death, have fun kids and bring back a T-Shirt!" he cheerfully finished as they were ushered off the ship by a pair of heavily armoured marines.
The drop point the storm landed in was a small patch of cleaing surrounded by the tall grasses the fields of JiangXi's wild was famed for, radioactive puddles of water and dirt dotted the area. It provided excellent cover for predators to hide in, if they looked over the tops they could see the ruined skyscrapers of the city in the distance.
The Storm lifted off with the Commissar giving a merry wave as the ramp ascended once again, leaving the group alone on JiangXi with a winter storm on the way... Entering the Wilderness
Upon hitting the ground, Ran found herself within the disaster that the Coalition had learnt to fear. The once lively forests of JiangXi were now mutated, with sickly trees infesting the landscape, acting as a shelter for the monsters of the planet. The green grass looked as if it had been chewed up and vomited out and then spread thinly across the ground. Under Ran's boot, it had the same consistency. Once the Storm took off however, the true fear struck her: New Hangzhou.
The city that once was cheerful and proud of it's heritage now looked as if it were a dead corpse, hanging gently from the noose that had killed it. The skyscrapers were crumbling, like sand wishing to return to its earthly state. The roads were torn, uplifted and dulled. Stoplights and road signs were simply insignia of a past time, a time of peace and health. Marketplaces and shops, if not reduced to a pile of rubble, held the homes and staging points of many rebels and pirates (not that there was a real difference in Ran's eyes).
Of course, the radiation was also strong on JiangXi. Luckily, her sensor hadn't told her that the situation was dangerous, but she knew that eventually she'd have to fill her canteen from a puddle or pond of poisonous water. She hoped that it wouldn't come to that. She delved into her backpack, equipping her Compact Carbine and examining her resources. The ration bars wouldn't last long, but the Utility Knife would be able to cut a chunk of something to eat, surely.
She slung her bag over her shoulders, feeling the rough leather rough the layers of her Army Uniform. New Hangzhou awaited her and vice versa, like a child toddling towards her mother.
She looked around at the other participants and awaited someone to greet themselves.
Richard Dreyfus "Every soldier needs to die once."
He was standing with closed eyes, silent, as always. His precious sniper rifle sparkled in rare sunbeams. Richard put his hand at WCK's handgrip, thinking about what if he'll lose his ammo.
Geiger-counter ticked quietly in his pouch. Besides from it, there was only an empty canteen.
"That's how they trained us to survive. Not every soldier can pass through something like I did" - thought Richard.
It was going to become much and much colder.
Richard put on his hood and looked at the faraway ruined city. After that he muttered:
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Jackson Cormack - LZ "Strelok", Planet JiangXi Jackson hopped out of the Storm's passenger bay and set foot on the tattered remains of what someone with an IQ lower than their age would call "soil". The matted, dead grass and scattering of decaying plant life painted a bleak and foreboding picture of the coming days ahead.
Lieutenant Cormack of the SCRA was...an interesting man, especially among their ranks. A strong combination of Bretonian and Libertonian laid in his blood, despite his Colonial nationality. His mannerisms were more laid back; he preferred to take things his own way, rather than conform to the standards of a highly efficient military machine. Perhaps he was just stubborn, perhaps he had his reasons. A little over forty with charcoal-grey hair and a mustache out of a Western cops and robbers flick, he looked more like a down-on-his-luck LPI detective than an officer in the Coalition army, but perhaps that was the facade that kept him alive.
His uniform was relatively in check, although his preferred bomber jacket with Coalition squadron patches remained above it; a utility belt clipped to his midsection complemented it nicely, a dark shade of brown against the dark green of his service uniform. As he stepped onto the LZ proper, he grabbed at his equipment, inspecting it quickly:
The first, and most important, his sidearm. The MP 802 "Bishop", a slightly less-than-reliable service pistol used by the Coalition. Chambered in 9x19 millimeter, with a magazine capacity of seventeen rounds. He'd hoped that he had been given hollow point rounds, but he also knew the officers were a bit too cruel to allow any such advantage. Instead, he simply examined the chamber of the weapon, viewing the round loaded inside, before racking it shut and placing it in the holster on his right-hand side. Next, he took a look at the pouches attached to his belt, ensuring the rest of his equipment made it along for the ride - a spare 9x19mm magazine, fully loaded. A geiger counter, however primitive it may be, yet crucial it remained. Two ration bars, presumably little more than protein bars chock full of calories, a canteen - it didn't feel quite filled, probably only halfway - and a knife. It was a standard combat/utility knife, with a hard plastic and rubber handle meeting up to the hilt and a 7-inch long blade, gun-metal gray extending forward, with the bottom end curving up to a very sharp tip. Other than the empty pouches of his belt and the rather empty assault pack strapped onto Cormack's back, he'd no more equipment to check. A paltry list, as far as Cormack was concerned.
Cormack simply let out a deep sigh, adjusted his jacket, chambered a round into his pistol, and stepped off, examining the nearby surroundings. He'd no real wish to join with the other officers - all newbies, he felt. Granted, he was no less of a newcomer to the Coalition, but his time served in the Colonial Military left him with a deep undercurrent of "get off my lawn"-itis. Perhaps though, he'd come to understand this wasn't a job for a loner. Only time would tell.
Around her, men and women unloaded from the Storm. These were quite possibly the people she would find her final rest with, be it in a puddle by the roadside or in their arms. Or maybe she'd die alone after they all left her in hands of a Demon, or maybe they'd all die and leave her to rot in the city. There was only one way to find out, however.
"Lead the way. I'll cover you from behind." The voice broke through Ran's temporary phase of distraction. A member of the survivors to be had spoken, but appeared far too eager to enter the reincarnation of Hell. She turned to him, her short, jet black her was neatly cut around the ears and her Chinese-Coalition characteristics were obvious in her light brown skin, narrow, sharp nose and dark hazel eyes. Her uniform, while clean, was still somewhat worn and very comfortable on her. She spoke in return, hoping to spark conversation.
"Let's not get hasty, comrade. Shall we not introduce ourselves first?" Ran again turned, meeting the eyes of a 40 year old man. His heritage was obviously diverse, but that didn't stop Ran. "How about you?" she said, staring at the man. "Who are you?"
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Jackson Cormack - LZ "Strelok", Planet JiangXi Jackson turned suddenly at the sound of the voice, concentration broken. He simply sighs, the light wrinkling on his face curving into a scowl as he viewed the two of them - the one with their rifle outstretched and in plain view, and the other inquisitively staring at Cormack. He balls one of his hands up into a fist, before exhaling slowly, turning back around toward the treeline.
"Cormack, son. That's all you need to know." He continued his examination of the clusters of foliage and the landscape that lay ahead - searching for anything of importance. His hand rested lightly on the holster holding his service pistol, the other attempting to block the light falling down through the treetops onto his head from the binary star system above. The exterior of his thick leather jacket flapped slowly as a light breeze rolled by, whistling a hollow tune.
How typical of such an aged person to be uptight, thought Ran, as she shifted her attention to eager man. She breathed in the almost toxic air, smiled and then asked her question.
"So who are you, comrade? Certainly a little bit eager to get in there, no?"
Aleksandr seemed confused by the desolated city, which once use to be the pride of the Coalition. The confused expression soon changed into the severe looking, glanced at the other participants and leaned down to take the Utility Combat Knife from his boot. Then he started looking around with playing the knife in his hands, shocked by the new view of JiangXi.
Once he came to his sense, Aleksandr heard some familiar voices, turned to them, breathed and uttered:
"I don't feel like staying here for long." Staring at a wonderful lady. "I'll cover your back too" Says smiling.
Richard looked at everyone as he was going to kill them, then turned his face to ruins and stared at it like there was something interesting.
"We are running out of time and recources, comrades. You can wait with your telyach'i nezhnosti until we... or someone of us... will get back to Zvezdny. Or you'll prefer a long, painful death in this god-forgotten-place?"
Richard smiled with obvious bloodthirstiness and slyly looked at others, then gazed into dead city once again.
"This is not a simulation nor a game. You kill or you get killed. It's a basis of survival. You are free to do whatever you want, but I won't drag your corpse to the extraction point, if I'll live enough to get to one. See?"
Richard finally ended his speech and closed his eyes, listening to sounds of surrounding place.
The hostility was strong within the unnamed man. Perhaps inner turmoil, Ran thought to herself again, chuckling. She turned to the sky, taking in the notice from the Commissar. The blunt reminder from the crude man was certainly a wake up call. The skies were already brewing with what seemed to be a chilly day, snowfall would be quite possible through-out the night.
"Blunt. I like it." she said, picking a thin black hair off of her shoulder. "Well then, I'm ready when you are."