[Tasan]

Mission 4
January 28, 2040

The Triton approaches the touchdown site. Tension is high. Three didn't return from the last mission. The troops go about the process of gearing up, and the doors slide open. The roster for the mission:

DataKing - Alpha
BYU 14 - Alpha
illinifan999 – Alpha – Hydro Jet Cannon
path12 - Alpha
Greyroofoo - Alpha
ntndeacon - Bravo
The Jackal - Bravo – Gas Cannon
fff - Bravo
MrBug708 – Bravo – Gas Cannon
JeeberD – Charlie – Hydro Jet Cannon
TonyR - Charlie
Roberto - Charlie
Chief Rum - Charlie
PurdueBrad - Charlie

The drop ship has set down in a deep part of the Atlantic, with lava flows and smoke vents. We'll have to be careful. First out the door is DataKing. He'll lead Alpha Team and be the onsite commander for the mission. He steps out and takes a look around. Everything is clear. The ship has settled in the far northwest corner of the active grid. DataKing will take his team along the western edge, heading south. Next out is ntndeacon. He will lead Bravo Team. They will cut a diagonal across the grid, from northwest to southeast. JeeberD is next, and he'll lead Charlie Team east across the northern edge of the grid.

The teams form up and spread out. DataKing spots movement. “Little guy spotted, due south!”

“Labbies are callin' 'em Aquatoids.” pipes BYU 14.

“I don't care what it is, someone take it out!” yells DataKing.

“On it!” BYU 14 drops to a knee and takes aim. His shot sails high though.

“Dammit do I have to do everything myself?” DataKing takes a knee, lines it up and hits square in its chest. It screams and falls down, lifeless. “One down team. Stay frosty ladies!”

“Someone's been staying up late watching old sci-fi” chirps path12.

The teams get distance between themselves. Strange noises reverberate through the water, like sliding panels or something else mechanical. Besides the smoke and lava flows, everything else is still.

fff is the first to spot the ship. “This thing doesn't look small at all, its bigger than what we came in!”

“Yeah I know fff, I think we're gonna crap our pants when we see something bigger,” responds The Jackal.
The teams are approaching the sub from a different angle than every time before. Instead of coming at it from the door side, everyone is positioned towards the other side of the ship. The teams will have to make their ways around it before assaulting.

“Guys, with the way this thing is positioned, we're gonna do this differently this time,” says DataKing. “Chief Rum and PurdueBrad, break from Charlie team and join Bravo. Original Bravo team will head down the west facing side of the sub, and you two head down the east facing side. When Charlie is done with their sweep they will join you. Greyroofoo, you and path12 split from our group and join Bravo as well. Out.”

With their orders, the teams regroup and begin the approach towards the alien vessel. The Jackal is the first to get eyes on the front door. He takes a firing position and waits for the rest of the squad. Greyroofoo is next on scene. When he arrives, The Jackal moves to another position on top of a ridge overlooking the doors, and Greyroofoo takes his old spot. ntndeacon joins them and takes up position next to the hull of the sub. path12 and fff meet up with them and take position as reserves.

“Southwest corner clear,” reports illinifan999. He turns and begins to move towards the sub to join the assault. DataKing and BYU 14, with their team's mission complete, turn towards the sub as well.

“Southeast corner clear now,” JeeberD reports. What's left of his team turns towards the sub as well. 14 aquanauts now descend on the alien vessel.

An alien sticks its head out the door. “Got him!” cries The Jackal and lets loose an HE round at the creature. It hits the alien on the side of the head, blasting green and grey goo all over the ship and sea floor.

“Troops, lets hold at the entryway til we can get the teams in position. Everyone cover that blasted out door and wait for my orders,” DataKing commands.

Everyone is about set. Another alien shows himself in the doorway, but quickly ducks back in before anyone can get a shot off.

The teams assemble.


fff and ntndeacon wait on the topside next to the hull, with Chief Rum and PurdueBrad on the bottom side. The rest of the squad is providing cover fire.

DataKing gives orders again. “OK squad, this is how its going to go down. ntndeacon and Chief Rum will enter first, from their respective sides. They'll be followed by fff and PurdueBrad. path12 will enter next along with TonyR. Once they're inside, we'll form up closer to the doors and send more folks in as needed. You have your orders, go!”

MrBug708 starts moving to get a better position to cover the door. From inside the sub, two shots fly out. One hits harmlessly on the ridge below MrBug708, but the second finds its target about mid rib and splits him in two. No one has a line on the alien, and DataKing orders a halt to the plan. As he does this, the alien steps forward to find more targets and The Jackal lets loose with another HE round, finding his target and send it into a million pieces. Satisfied that it was the only one with eyes on them, DataKing orders the plan back into action.

DataKing orders the heavy weapons holders to load in AP rounds. The last thing needed now is an HE round to go off in the middle of the troops. ntndeacon and Chief Rum are in position, with fff and PurdueBrad waiting their turn. All the sudden the door directly in front of Chief Rum opens and an alien steps through, gun blazing. Chief Rum takes a shot in the chest and falls dead. fff fires over his body, hitting the alien. It doesn't drop though, so ntndeacon takes aim and puts two more rounds in it, killing it.

PurdueBrad advances in Chief Rum's place, and enters the right side interior door. The room is clear. fff passes ntndeacon, who is checking his weapon, and enters the left side interior door. An alien is in front of him, so he puts an auto shot into the thing, kill it. However, another alien was waiting around the corner, and hits fff with a shot, kill him. On news of this TonyR moves up and prepares to enter, along with path12.


PurdueBrad checks an interior room. fff lies dead in the other one to the left, while ntndeacon kneels near the fallen Chief Rum. path12 is behind him with TonyR waiting on the other side.

As the others move into position to possibly aid the assault, Greyroofoo spots the alien that killed fff, on the far side of the room, through two doors and over the heads of two fellow aquanauts. DataKing sees this and yells “HOLD YOUR FIRE!” Greyroofoo lowers his weapon and doesn't take the shot.

Inside the ship, PurdueBrad spots another alien, but it passes him and goes through another door. It didn't spot him! He chases it to the door, throws the door open, and puts three rounds into the alien, killing it. Ntndeacon, spurred on by PurdueBrad's success, storms in through the door to the room where fff died. Unfortunately, before he can even scan the room, and shot flies out and hits the side of his helmet, vaporizing his brains.

PurdueBrad takes what little cover there is in a corner and waits. Another alien walks right past him! He again throws open the door and pumps three more rounds into this one, killing it as well.

On the other side, path12 primes a grenade and tosses it into the “room of death”. TonyR does the same. The grenades go off followed by secondary explosions, an alien screams, and all goes quiet. The rest of the ship is searched and no more aliens are found.

The mission is over. Eight aliens were killed, seven bodies recovered. Four aquanauts gave their lives. With heavy hearts, the rest of the squad collects the scattered gear and artifacts and loads into the Triton. The cost of this new war continues to rise.

hoopsguy, The Jackal, and PurdueBrad are all promoted to Ensign. DataKing becomes our second Lieutenant, and either him or chesapeake will be on each mission.