| abstract
| - Dead Fish Tavern A large, wood-floored establishment with dim lights, and faded leather-and-wood booths lining the gray brick walls, it features real candle-lit chandeliers made from old ship's tills, and new-looking square tables lining the edge of the room. In the center, a large, lit dance floor takes up about a quarter of the floor space, and is well-worn from use. A holographic kareoke machine, a raised band platform, and a small DJ's booth make sure that the building is filled with music at all hours of the day. A polished wooden bar sits at the far end, with a thirty foot long stuffed Washingtonfish mounted on the bar's back mirror. It has been named Herbert, and is dressed in a new hat daily by the barstaff. A sturdy wooden door leads outside to Birthright Parkway. Dirionis, Lucius and Tiana are eating their breakfast at a table in the Dead Fish Tavern, and Tirax is nearby, at the bar. "HQ to Castus, HQ to Castus...We have a situation, please gather at the Greenville HQ with any nearby marines, immediately." A voice over Diri's comm says, through external speakers. Diri fixes the speakers to internal only, chuckling, "Whoops..." Good thing there’s not a lot of people around in the establishment. Tirax blinks at the sound of Diri's comm, just as he's about to order something. He turns to look at the table, raising an eyebrow as he spots the three. He straightens his cap and wanders over there shortish. "Sure thing Lucius, i'll be sure to tell him." Tia smiles to the Luc, "I'm sure he'd like trainin' with ya too, anyway." She blinks as Diri's comm goes off, the corporal being peered at. "Well. That looks like the end of a nice little breakfast." Lucius says, shoving the sausages in his mouth anyways and taking a minute to chomp down the rest of his eggs and bacon. He doesn't touch the toast but rises up, cracks his back and drops some cash on the table. "Sorry, Tia, we'll have to cut this short. Take it easy. Zarni, you're with us. You can finally get suited up today. Up to the base and then to Hancock to get our gear. C'mon." Without so much as a wave he walks towards the door. Dirionis stands from his seat, nodding to Tiana, "Take care of yourself." He motions for Tirax, nodding to him and following after Lucius. Tirax smiles and shrugs to Tiana, then follows Lucius with easy strides. "Gotcha Sarge." "So much for that much." Tia mumbles to herself, raising a hand to wave to the trio of Marines, "Try not ta get hurt or nothin'." Lucius doesn't spare a minute before he's gone from the tavern. Dirionis snaps his fingers, leaving some rayden on the table, enough to cover both meals. "And you thought I was gonna leave you to the check." He gives a slight wink and jogs outside. Greenville Base This is a massive cavern over four hundred feet in height and a half mile in diameter, with an opening in the very top that crackles with a light orange haze. About half of the cavern is set up as a landing pad, with bright white lines on the dark gray plascrete and a control tower built high up on the wall to direct them. The outer rim has been built up into stoic blue buildings that hug the cavern walls, each proclaiming their function in silver lettering. Awaiting the marines is an officer, who has a cart of equipment next to him. He salutes the incoming marines, "Three should be fine, we've heard something happened in the park, mixed reports...We figured it better to send marines in rather than police, because some people said there were some armed criminals." Diri jogs up, returning the salute and gearing up. "Mixed reports. Okay, can you be a bit more specific sir?" Asks Lucius as he suits up, first getting his BDUs on and then strapping armour onto his chest and extremities. Finally he grabs his assault rifle, slapping four mags onto his belt and one into the weapon. Shing! goes the reciever as it's pulled back, chambering a bullet. "I get equipment as well Sarge?" asks Tirax, looking a little hungrily at the crate. "Yeah. Go get some." Lucius says in passing. Tirax nods, grabbing armour and a PAR. Dirionis grabs a PAR, flak, strapping it on, nodding towards Tirax. The officer speaks, "Yeah, from people saying murder, to people saying stealing...Truth is, we don't know, and it’s getting chaotic with the witnesses. Get out there, and find out what happened." "Let's get a move on then. C'mon. Zarni, you stay behind me. You do this proper like and I think you'll find yourself in position to become a private." Lucius says, moving on towards the south. Greenville Park Less a park than a forest that people frequently visit, this dirt path winds through tall, white-flowered Clintontrees and stately Acacias with little or no view of the sky above. The sounds of nature fill the air with heady music, and several thin paths snake off from this main one, many heading to lovers' alcoves with views of the sea. There is a Shadowy Trail near the park's entrance which snakes away into the distance. The scene here is quite chaotic. There are a few people lying face down in the brush, and others running away, towards the streets. Diri glances around, eyes widened. "What the hell?" He stops one of the civilians, "NLM, whats happened here?" Lucius pulls his weapon off of his shoulder to get ready for what looks like it could be a storming of wherever the chaos is eminating from. "I love parties." He mutters, getting down on one knee. His eyes scan the area, seeing as Diri is talking to those nearby. Tirax raises an eyebrow at the scene, moving away from Lucius slightly, taking the same position as the Sarge, in a position where he won't be firing across the Martian. "Oh God...Oh God!" The civilian cries, pointing towards the shadowy trail. "That way!...They..They went that way." Diri says, "Who?..Who did?" The civilian runs off, before answering. Dirionis shakes his head, "What the hell...Sarge?" He eyes the path, PAR coming into his hands. "Don't worry about them. They're not trained. Here's the deal. I'll take point. Callot take the other side of the path about six feet behind me, and Zarni on my side twelve feet behind me. Alright, go." Lucius rises from his position enough to move forward in a crouch run and does exactly that, keeping his gaze steady. Tirax nods, expression serious, just following Lucius in silence, moving quickly to get into the position the Martian ordered him to. Dirionis nods to Lucius. "You got it." He takes off, crouching low as he they near the path, more civilians running and screaming in the streets, where Police are gathering. "Shouldn't we call for back-up, Sarge?" Diri asks. "Backup will come because the officer's called it." Lucius says, turning his head back to Dirionis as he answers the soldier. Why he does this is not clear, though it certainly makes him miss anything that's ahead of him; he does see, though, a civilian with a sword through him. "Stay focused." He instructs as he continues his movements. "Sarge, stop!" calls Tirax, frowning at the road ahead. He gestures carefully with one hand. "Traps." His eyes move left to right, watching very carefully, missing nothing. Dirionis widens his eyes, noticing some of the traps, he reaches for a pair of clippers in his pack, "Sarge, hold up!" A camouflaged rope slides out from the trail, a shoddy net and cage coming down from the trees. Lucius stops his movement forward just a moment quick enough to not step into the rope. He grins toothily. "Thanks." Setting his rifle's butt on his shoulder and looking down the reflex sight at the top of it, he waits for Diri to move forward and clip it. "Cut it down and we move on. Quick, quick. Zarni, cover." Tirax nods, mimicking Lucius's movements. He frowns, staying very still, but still watching carefully. Dirionis moves ahead, clearing the road of traps and setting his clippers back in his pack on his hip. "Clear, Sarge!" He says, getting back in position, hefting his PAR. "Lets move." Amidst the Brambles A thin path has been hacked through a patch of brambles that covers almost a square mile in space. The path winds excessively through the thorny brush, and occasionally burrows a tunnel through taller sections. Clintontrees blot out much of the sun, leaving only odd, feathery bits of light to seep through to the forest floor. The constant drone of low-pitched insects drowns out many sounds of the forest, and a light breeze occasionally reveals the almost sickly-sweet smell of berries. The path ends in front of a gigantic mound of brambles, as tall as a barn, and similarly shaped. Oddly, a doorway-shaped hole near the base of it seems to lead further inside. A cabin is here, and a ordinary-looking person stands in front of it, head drooped a bit to one side, facing the other way. Dirionis moves up the path, PAR raised. Lucius moves up a few feet ahead of Dirionis, his own weapon held up at the ready as his boots shuffle along the dirt path. Without turning to Dirionis, he motions towards the brambles to his side of the path and a hold order. He stops himself, too, readying his gun and moving also off into some concealement to the side. "NLM. Drop on your stomach." He growls sternly. Tirax keeps pace with the two of them, folllowing the orders given to him by Lucius, moving into the brambles a little, a slight grimace as he attempts to push his tall frame into spikes. Dirionis does the same as Tirax, getting into position. One could start to notice a horrible smell in the area. The person lazily turns around, yelling, "Fuck you, NLM pigs!" His eyes are rolled in the back of his head, and he scrambles around, grabbing a 2X4 and heading towards the three, shrieking crazily. Lucius pops a round at the man's femur from his rifle. If it hits, it is likely that it'll rip the leg cleanly off, given the range and power of his rifle. The soldier doens't bat an eye, in any case. The man yells in agony as one leg is barely clinging to the rest of his skin, and the other has a huge puncture in it. He drops the 2x4, grimacing and cussing, and starting to crawl towards the three, but stops short, unconcious, and two bleeding legs stopping him. Diri curses, noting the man's eyes. "Somethin' ain't right, here!" There is a slight rumble in the cabin, and more screams are heard. "Well no shit, Callot. Any other pertinant observations to add?" Lucius rises from where he was concealed and darts forward to the side of the door. "Okay, we slice the pie. Callot on one side, and Zarni on the other. I kick in the door, dart in and we clear the room. Understood?" Tirax nods, still silent, holding his PAR pointing at the ground and moving to the indicated side. He nods quickly and waits. Dirionis smirks, nodding, "Got it, Sarge, ready when you are.." In the window, a black hooded figure can be seen for a split second, before dissapearing from sight. Dirionis swivels on his feet, hand going to his forehead. "Damn it...The hell?" He shakes his head. "Wierd...Ready, Sarge." He gets to one side of the door. "Zarni, cover our back. You won't be breaching with us. Alright, I'm cracking it." Lucius opens the door three or four inches wide. He pulls the pin out of a cylindrical grenade and attempts to toss it in, releasing the priming handle before slamming the door shut. Tirax nods again, still silent, all business. A loud chorus of yells and screams is heard...Many, many, screams. Dirionis waits for Lucius to open the door, PAR clenched. Pulling back his foot and stabilizing himself in a proper position, Lucius slams it forward to smash the door open with a strong kick. "Zarni, behind, the trees!" Without pausing Lucius rushes in to breach the doorway and enter. Dirionis bursts in to the door, to run straight into flailing, blind people...Looking to be civilians, eyes rolled back in there head. They grasp and grab at Diri, hindering his progess into the building. "Fuck! Sarge!" Diri bashes one to the ground, fighting and flailing. "Civvies...Civ..Sar..." Diri falls down to the ground, no longer responding. Tirax also moves in, and crashes to the ground, like Diri. "Guns down, marine!" Comes a hiss-like voice from the building. In total, there has to be atleast ten in the building, some with black robes, up above in the second floor, the others, civilians, on the first floor, shrieking, blind. Safe House Seemingly made from the skeleton of an old log cabin, this broad, tall building smells heavily of earth, musk, and rotting wood. It looks like it has been used sparingly over a number of years, with trash of various sorts lining the walls. It has been cordoned off into three sections. Up a rickety wooden ladder, part of the rafters has been converted to a sleeping area, with thick wooden planks pushed together and covered with straw and dry Clintonwood needles. Below, eight or nine flattened sitting logs surround a survivalist's crank-powered outdoor stove, serving as both a cooking fire and a heat source in the chilly winter months. In the back corner seems to be a storage area of sorts, with a large set of rusted metal shelving holding a slightly moldy 50 pound bag of flour and a few circular stains of what might have once been dried blood. An archway leads to the outdoors. "Pretty impressive for someone who just got flashed. Got something to back that threat up with, pilgrim?" Asks Lucius as he enters the room, sweeping left to right and then pointing his weapon towards the man who yelled out from the top. His attention remains very carefully balanced on the room however, the Martian appearing ready to move at a moment's notice. Into his comm he whispers, "Need backup immediately at park safe house." "ETA 10 minutes...The park is a chaos, mobilization will take a while, hang in there." Comes the response in his comm. The six above in hooded figures seem to glow slightly, under examination. "Yess...In fact we do." The civilians on the bottom floor turn towards Lucius, swarming him as they did Diri, carrying weapons like wooden planks and wrenches. "Easier said than done." Lucius barks into his comm, forgoing any attempt at subtlety. It was lucky he was on his feet because he deftly dodges one of the civilian's plank swings, then a kick from a second one and a wrench throw from a third. The wrench goes off target and slams into the cabin's wall, punching a hole in it. Pausing his movements for a second he takes aim at the lead man. "Wrong answer." Quickly he fires a burst at him. The hooded figure speaking is literaly torn to shreds from the burst of fire at such close range, and the other five stare ominously at Lucius, all the civilians dropping in unison, to the ground. Dink! Whatever Lucius had managed to do before with regards to shielding his mind from attack he is unable to repeat. After the assault rifle thunders, the man falls to the ground in a slump as if he'd fallen asleep. Three of the hooded figures walk down, picking up and dragging the bodies, the civilians and the marines, to the walls. One hooded figure above removes his hood, revealing a horribly ugly figure, with a glow around it, A Vollistan. He reaches for a chalice. "We soon will be with the mother, breathren...Strip the marines to their undergarments, remove their weaponry and equipment...Chain them all." He drinks from the chalice, which just happens to be blood. The three below start doing so, leaving Lucius, Diri and Tirax in their underwear, as they hammer iron through the wall, and chaining hand cuffs around each wrist, connecting them to the wall. "He ordered reinforcements...I could sense it. One of you...Go out and say that if any approach, all seven of these innocent people will -die.-" Lucius continues to be motionless as he is chained up. Dirionis stirs a bit, and the unhooded figure hands the blood chalice to the others, each taking a sip, except for the lone one, who goes out of the cabin to make demands. Lucius snaps out of his sleep as if someone had slapped him in the face or splashed cold water on him. "Eh? Oh shit." He says. Looking down, he arches an eyebrow. "Shit, I feel embarassed. Sorry guys." He says to the Vollistans. "I have morning wood." Dirionis grunts, awaking and glancing around, "Ugh...The hell happened..?" One of the Vollistans walks by Lucius, reaching into his robe to remove a crude, flail like weapon, dozens of sharp objects on the ends of it. "What?" The hissing voice asks. "I said I have a boner. I do apologize for you having to witness it." Lucius smiles sweetly at the Vollistan. "We got psionically dozed, Diri. Now there's a bunch of our boys outside probably wondering the exact same question." Dirionis blinks, opening his eyes as the Vollistan raises the torture device, Whipping it into Lucius, and then tearing outwards cruelly. "Hey, Hey you fuckin' glow bulb!" He spits at the Vollistan, though it only lands on the hooded cultist's leg. The Vollistan turns after one lash on Lucius, walking towards Diri. "To the motherrr, our great creator and salvation...You will come with us...And together we will make the long journey..." The hooded vollistan removes his hood, revealing another ugly face, and a tongue that is sliced somewhat down the middle, forming the hiss in their voice. "You are a good leader, Castus? You are a tough guy? If you don't react to punishment on your own, how about if you get to watch your own men suffer?" A hissing laugh is emitted from the Vollistan, and he lashes Diri against the chest once, tearing it out as they did Lucius, resulting in a clenched teeth growl from Dirionis. The hooded Vollistan looks towards Lucius for a reaction. Lucius really doesn't react. "Mmhmm. I'm fucking quaking. He can take it, he's a marine. We're built pretty tough. How about your friend up there?" The Martian motions with his head up towards the corpse on the higher level of the barn. "He gone to this Mother? The Gods shun you already for your fanatacism, and the afterlife will bring only punishment unless you cease. But that you know I suspect. You're just stalling for time." Dirionis recieves another tearing chest slash, and grimaces, while the Vollistan moves over to a young woman, one of the civilian hostages. "How about her, Mr. Castusss? Is she a marine?" The Vollistan lets out another hissing laugh, "You are confused about your 'Gods'." The Vollistan raises the whip like construction, while another, hooded one comes down with a holo camera. "Lets get this on tape...Make sure to get Mr Castus in the picture as we flail this one." The Vollistan with the holo camera says. "Don't blame this shit on me. I'm not the one with the flail in my hand." Lucius shakes his head, expression stoic and neutral. "I'm not confused about my Gods. My Gods have thousands of years of history with my people. I'm very well aware of what will happen to you once you cross the threshold to the realm of the immortals. That you aren't isn't my problem." In unison, the Vollistan's hiss with laughter. "You gave us an idea...Mr. Castus.." The Vollistan with the whip hands it to Lucius, and then backs away quickly, all their eyes glaring at Lucius, together. Diri raises a brow. "What the fuck!?" Since he's been untied, Lucius slavishly rises from his spot against the wall and approaches the civilian. He really doesn't look in his normal state. His mouth his agape, the expression on his face is distressed and his eyes are rolled back in his head. He raises the flail and ploughs it into the woman's back. As a couple of Vollistans assure that Lucius' mind is under control, another laughs, drinking again from the blood chalice. And yet another records the footage on a holo camera. Diri tries to break from his chains, to no avail, yelling, "Lucius, what are you doin'?!" Diri gets into view of the camera, "It's not him! These fucks are makin' him do this." The Cultist with the chalice grins towards Lucius, "Nicely done...Now, go back to sleep...Re-chain him." A Vollistan does just that. Lucius abruptly collapses onto the ground for a second time tonight and is rechained. He remains unconscious.
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