Durgama Takeover

Having a brief moment to analyze the communication data we had downloaded from the sensor module on the Raveneye, I looked for anything which could indicate some ulterior motive for the Combined to attack this location so fiercely, or what motives this network of mysterious Tohaa could be after. My search bore fruit, as I found a number of encrypted data packets being sent to and from the Pan Oceania forces defending the bow and a listening outpost near their Cameliard outpost on the ground. However, it would take a team on the ground to find if this fruit was ripe or rotten.

Not wishing to attract any undue attention on the ground small team moved fanned out towards the target. Suddenly, with a thunderous, sky splitting roar, a shuttle of Nomad make and marked “Ice Cream Delivery” began to descended near our team. Emitting a curse, the Kamael began to order a withdraw, when over the sound of the gentle jingle playing from the shuttles speakers the call of “Combined spotted, take 'em out” could be heard from the disembarking Nomads. With the realization that there would be a fight regardless, the Kamael set up a plan to connect to the communication antennas, and reversed his orders to withdraw.

As the Nomads took position, I saw two Morlocks, strolling confidently towards our lines, bringing up the Nomad's right flank. The Riot Grrl fireteam took cover behind a garage, with the missile launcher totting member of the team taking a commanding view of the battlefield from atop the garage. The last of the Morlocks, also striding with a confident bravado, took up their left flank, along with a unidentified signature further up the field. Deployed far back on a large bio research center, was a moderator who, presumably, was directing this operation. Oddly, on a guard tower near the garage, was a Nomad signature which came up as Trisha from accounting.

Our Kaeltar Specialist deployed inside of a ramshackle structrue, hoping that her combat skills would not be needed and that the structure would not collapse on her. The Kerail and his Surda took up a nearby position along with one of the Kaauri and the Chaksa. The remaining Kaauri laid down suppressive fire from the cover of a nearby buildings porch. The Digger took cover behind a power generator, and hastily assembled a heavy machine gun. The Draal took a forward position and deployed a mine further up the field. Behind her the Kamael took cover behind another of the cooling towers. A Draal assigned at the last moment before we departed rounded out their triad.

The Morlocks began their rush forwards, throwing smoke, and one climbed up the guard tower, seemingly to guard their accountant.

With no target in sight, the Riot Grrl team began to advance up the field. Their first target was a the Digger, who attempted to throw a grenade, but was cut down by the team's spitfire before the pin was even pulled. The Boarding shotgun member of the team came around the cooling tower to see both Draal, as the spitfire member dashed closer to where the digger had fallen. Both Draal saw this as an opportunity to take spit some fire back and fired at the exposed Nomad as they were showered in flechette. The Marksman Draal's shots hit their target, and the threat of the Spitfire coming back, even with the coxing of the skilled Avicenna. However, even with the boosting from the Sybiomate, the Draal's armor died. The other Draal's image blurred revealing a Tohaa with a blank pheromonic signature firing a breaker rifle before she was torn to shreds by the torrent of barbed steel.

With one of their members out of the fight, Fiddler slapped an explosive charge on the Draal, before she and the rest of the Grrls fell back so Avicenna could make a connection to the communications antenna.

On the other side of the field the the unidentified signature moved to the antenna ear it, and resolved into a Nomad Zero as it connected to it.

The Kerail rushed forward to dig out the Zero with its Surda. The Morlock attempted to take down the Symbiobeast with pistol fire, and managed to mortally wound it before the Kerail cut it down with a burst from his sub-machine gun.

The Surda was dying, but refused to stay down, instead it rushed forward and mauled the Zero with its venomous claws.

The Kerail and Surda raced around the central facility, which appeared to hold a cache of valuable tech at its center. As they rounded the corner towards the guard tower and the Riot Grrls' location, the Morlock standing on top saw them coming and turned its chain rifle on the Kerail. The Surda just barely avoided the shrapnel which tore through the Kerail's symbiont armor as he killed the Morlock with a burst of SMG fire.

The Kamael peeked around the cooling tower to exchange fire with Fiddler, to no avail. The Kerail and Surda continued their advance towards the guard tower, and with Avicenna distractedly prepping for a pheromonic assualt from the Kerail's symbiobomb the Surda was able to get within striking distance. The Surda rushed in, taking fire from the other Grrls, and swatted down Avicenna before the freelancer's high performance lhost could react.

With the remaining Morlock continued its sprint towards up the field, and seemed to lock on to the location of the Kamael. Greatly outmatched in such close quarters, the Kamael responded as best as he could against the enhanced human, leaping out of the way of a chain rifle, and surviving a shattering blow in close combat, before finally succumbing to the Morlock's assault.

Not wanting to be caught flat footed by the Kerail, the remains of the Riot Grrl fireteam fell back to a more defensive position near the cooling towers.

With the death of the Kamael, the Kaeltar took command and moved forwards to connect the communications antenna and remove the connection the Zero had made.

The Kaauri behind the makeshift fencing took up a position to cover the central facility's entrance, and both it at the Kerail laid down suppressive fire.

The Riot Grrl team forming around the boarding shotgun member, advanced on the Kerail's position. Hoping to stall their advance, and perhaps avoid the fate of the Draal and the mysterious Tohaa posing as a Draal, the Kerail gave up on his suppressive fire and sent his symbiobomb to fog the Grrl's mind with a disorienting burst of pheromones. However, it seems like repeated contact with Tohaa pheromone warfare had lead human's to advance their technology to resist such exotic assaults. The shotgun Grrl rounded the corner on the Kerail and blasted him apart.

The team quickly moved into the central facility and as the shotgun Grrl moved to secure the tech vault, Fiddler deployed a few exploding teddy bears to prevent our team from moving in.

With the Grrls busy securing their location, I slipped onto the field near where our business contact had been taking cover this whole time. Aiming to connect to the antenna they had left behind, I set my sights and began my advance.

I saw the flash of movement from the guard tower, and saw the Trisha from account raise a rifle. The the curse I began to release dissipated, half formed, on the gentle breeze, as, to my great surprise and amazement, Trisha fired on the remaining Morlock who was blocking my path before disappearing from view once again.

Not completely trusting this new apparent ally, I moved towards the antenna and tried to hit the downed prospector with a stim cocktail to jolt it back to consciousness. However, my aim waivered and the delivery capsule shattered against the power generator. With the rooftop of the guard tower remaining clear of any motion, I realized that the extraction window was quickly closing, and I still needed to connect to that antenna. Racing forwards I quickly connected to the antenna, and then remembering that the Digger's HMG could prove useful in getting us to the extraction site on time, I fired another medikit round, this time hitting my target. The prospector barely had to chance to lurch back to his feet before we were all running.