"I caught up on Orange is the New Black while you guys were talking. We doing this or we gonna talk more?" FTE replies, the smile present in its words if not its featureless faceplate.

Luis pulls a spearbomb in reply. "Let's do it," he says with a grin.

"Trial by fire, Jimmy," Zaef replies. "Welcome to 81X. If we survive, I'm recommending the team for offworld ops.

"Caleb, bad news. Your volley did shit all. Lay down some suppressing fire, and try another volley if you have any more."

Zaef starts running towards the approaching road trin. "Now come on, Jimmy. We've got a hot date with some injured Taliban."

Angel grunts, then rolls towards the edge, then drops down behind Garrett.

(Angel Sneak: 3d8 vs. 1d6 = 8 vs. 3)

Angel's gloved hands and kneepads absorb the blow, and the shouts inside the fence conceal the sound.
"Time to go loud. On three," Garrett says, shouldering his cut-rate AK-47 as Angel does the same.

(Garrett Shoot: 1d8 vs. 1d4 = 6 vs. 4 / 2d8 vs. 1d6 = 4 vs. 5 / 4 Shock)
(Angel Shoot x2: 1d12+1d10 vs. 1d4 = 11 vs. 3, 9 vs. 3 / 2 dead)

Garrett stands up first, pulling his trigger just as fast - and as a result, he tags the most obvious target, a man carrying a AKM standing in the middle of the market that looks like the sole remaining lookout while the others run to put out the "fire" or run inside to protect more valuable cargo. The bullet punches a hole clean through his shoulder, but it just staggers the man as he screams in pain.

Angel, on the other hand, is just a tad slower but a lot more effective - two shots, and two of the six or so men trying to find the fire to go with the smoke get new breathing holes in their heads and drop to the ground.

----

"Some fucking job you've got here, Samal," Jimmy grunts as he hustles after Zaef.
"Ridge quad is getting into position but is not approaching," the Rav-Turai with the scouting trin voxes in.
"Copy, hold position," Hale replies, staying put up top with the other remaining trin to coordinate.

(Caleb Quad spearbomb x3: 2d8 vs. 1d6 = 6 v. 4 / 2 dead)

"Our supplies do not approach depleted!" Caleb shouts back, and another volley of three spearbombs shriek into the air before detonating a moment later. "Two down!"

(Road Taliban x2: 1d8 v. 1d6 = 2 v. 1 / 2d8 v. 1d8 = 8 v.

"Falling back!" the road trin Rav-Turai shouts. A shout of pain sounds out over the channel a moment later. "I'm hit!" Zaef and Jimmy round the last corner before the road just in time to see the Rav-Turai pick himself up off the road as bullets impact around him. The other two Turai shimmer into invisibility as they take a knee and aim their chamakanas back towards the attackers. "Carapace took it! Cover me!"

----

Luis peeks out around the corner - there's two fighters, standing in the open just a couple houses down, both covered in dust and blood - someone else's by the look of things, and they're shouting something Luis can't make out over the staccato booming of the machine guns, but their body language says that things are very much not going as they hoped it would.

(Luis Spearbomb: 1d10+1d8 v. 1d4 = 9 v. 2 / 2 dead)

And things don't get much better for them. Luis takes a moment to aim the spearbomb at their feet, then turns and lobs the spearbomb into the air. The rocket catches a moment later, and with a scream, it shoots skyward. Luis peeks around the corner again, and sees the two men watch the spearbomb arc skyward just long enough for it to nose over and shriek right back down. They both just start to run away as it airbursts not five feet above their heads, and then, well, there's not much left of them after that.

And that's the cue for Luis and Arketta's quad to move out.

(Arketta shoot x2: 1d12+1d8 v. 1d4 = 8 v. 2, 12 v. 1 / 2 dead)
(FTE Shoot: 2d10 v. 1d4 = 9 v. 1 / 1 dead)
(Quad Shoot x6: 2d8 v. 1d6 = 2 v. 6, 6 v. 5, 4 v.3, 5 v. 5, 6 v. 1, 5 v. 2 / 4 dead)
(Fighters Shoot x3: 1d8 v. 1d6 / 6 v. 1, 8 v. 6, 1 v. 3 / 2 wounded)

The quad breaks around the wall and comes out shooting. Some quick snap shots on the move scatter the fighters and clear a path - Arketta's first shot finds a target and tags him square in the chest, dropping him instantly. The remaining fighters fall back before the force of the flanking push, firing their weapons as they retreat backwards. One fighter gets smart and waits around a corner - firing a quick two round burst into the chest of the Wherren warrior as he rounds the corner.
"Aarg! I'm hit!" he howls, but the warrior to his left fires back and downs the attacker with a beamer to the chest and a follow-up to the head, scattering flash-boiled brains across the sand before helping the injured warrior to his feet and half-helping, half-dragging the injured Wherren along.

Two more fighters fall as the quad pushes through the village, and it sounds like there's not that many left of them - Luis' vision counts the shots around him, and it seems like there can't be more than a handful of hostile weapons left. A Turai pushes ahead of him and rounds the corner - just in time to take a round to the head. Luis sees the woman's helm snap back, and she hits the dirt. Arketta vaults past Luis with a yell and fires, blowing the head clean off the attacker, but also putting her in the line of fire of the insurgent's friend. Arketta sees the rifle raise and swears she can see his finger tighten on the trigger - but then a whine and a pulse fires from above her shoulder, and an accelerator round blows his head clean off. Arketta looks above her right shoulder, and sees the faint red glow of FTE's accelerator arm.
"Good shot," she says.

"Does that count as showing him your good side or your bad side?" Luis says to FTE as the immediate noise slows for a moment. "Samal Quis, we're into them here and rolling through," he adds over the vox.

Zaef's gorge rises briefly, but the anxiety leaves him as soon as he sees and hears bullets, not beams, spraying dirt. These men, as far as he can see, are NOT armed with Imperial weaponry.

"Read you, Rav-Turai," Zaef replies, pulling out a spearbomb and adjusting his grip for a throw. "Cover fire incoming."

"I look good from any angle," FTE replies. "Should've changed my designation to FTW," it adds to itself, scanning the stucco and sand for more enemies. Hostiles. Armed people? Were they really enemies, or did they just not know how interesting human media was? Enemy seems like such a final kind of word... Don't get distracted, Front Toward Enemy reminds itself.

Garrett raises his rifle and fires again - this time with a five round burst towards the door to convince those inside to stay there, while Angel continues putting rounds into those outside who are just now realizing that they're being shot at.

(Garrett Suppression: 2d8 v. 1d6 = 8 v. 6)
(Angel Shoot x2: 1d12+1d10 v. 1d6 = 7 v. 3, 9 v. 2 / 2 dead)

A few barrels and feet start to clear the roll-up doors out of the garage-turned-armory, but a quick burst of AK-47 fire from Garrett convinces them that that's not the best place to be walking through at the moment. To punctuate that point, Angel drops two more of the fire-fighter...fighters as they run for cover, leaving just two more to point their weapons Garrett and Angel's way.

(Bad guys Shoot: 1d8 v. 1d6 = 3 v. 5, 2 v. 5)

Both their shots go wide, blinded as they are by the smoke from Garrett's wayward grenade.

----

(Zaef Spearbomb: 2d10+1d8 v. 1d8 = 7 v. 1 / 6 dead)

Zaef knows from experience - both inside the Arena and with the Bashakra'i - that the optimal time to throw a spearbomb is a bit before you'd think, since it has to travel up into the air and aim back down. This means you need to anticipate not where your target is going - the spearbomb will do that for you - but where they're going to be and what else is going to be there. Zaef spots one from the Taliban quad running towards his buddies, who are all standing in a tight bunch behind a rock for cover, and lets fly. The spearbomb lets loose its characteristic shriek, arcs up and over the rock -

And then all that comes out the other side is flesh, blood, and a couple arms. Zaef doesn't have to look to know that no one from behind that rock is left standing.

"Great shot, Samal!" one of the trin's Turai shouts, and hustles forward to help his Rav-Turai get back to cover.
"Three versus six is almost fair - for them! We got this, Samal!" the Rav-Turai shouts. "You and the Narsai'i can go cover another flank!"

(Caleb Quad x2: 2d8 v. 2d6 = 8 v. 6, 8 v. 6 / 2 dead)
(Caleb Taliban x2: 2d6 v. 2d6 = 2 v. 4, 6 v. 5 / 1 injured)

More beamers and rifle fire is exchanged down below. "Two down!" Caleb calls back. "We are sustaining minor injuries, but our effectiveness remains undiminished!"
"We've got a problem!" the ridge scout Rav-Turai calls out. "The Narsai'i up here are putting together some kind of metal tube - looks like some kind of primitive killdrone launcher! Do we engage?"

----

"Good copy," Arlana replies. "Be advised, we have hostile targets fleeing the village ahead of you and are engaging." The BUP-BUP-BUP of heavy machine gun fire continues in the background and over vox.

Luis takes the lead back from Arketta as the injured Wherren gets a brief wash of Wherren kauka radiation and the woman Turai is helped to her feet by one of FTE's legs with an awkward and slightly dizzy "Thank you". Sure enough, before long you've reached the end of the village and there's no one left. It looks like the Taliban and their allies have cleared the region out trying to set up a defensive perimeter, but this patrol got there just in time to disrupt those plans.

"Look at that," Arketta says, turning towards the mountains. "You can just about see where we were last night from here." She grabs Luis by the shoulder. "I think we just opened the door back to the pass. Mother?"
"Yes, dear?" Arlana asks.
"Call back to Onas - I have a clear line of sight to the mountains and see no enemy forces between us and the passes," Arketta replies. "If we get reinforcements here and shore up this corridor, we can drive the whole task force through here."
"Good looking out, Samal," Arlana replies, her pride in her daughter obvious over the channel. "I'll get on the call as soon as we get linked back up."

Well, what do you fucking think, spinkdick?!

Zaef's actual response is more tactful: "Yes! Engage! Blow it up if you can! Reinforcements are coming!"Then he breaks for it, calling for Jimmy to get his ass in gear.

"Copy that, Samal," Luis says. "We're pushing through to keep the pressure on them. Let us know if we need to clear your lanes."

Front Toward Enemy bounces from foot to foot, the very picture of a sprinter ready to give chase. It waits for consensus before breaking into a loping run. Humans play on permadeath, and FTE respects the caution.

"Copy, Samal!" the ridge trin replies, and a moment later, three spearbombs arc upwards in the sky.

(Spearbombs x3: 2d8 v. 1d6 = 8 v. 4, 1 v. 6, 8 v. 5)

One of them bursts high up in the air - from the sound, Zaef guesses a crack in the rocket propellant - but the other two turn over and burst directly over whatever position the ridge attackers are taking cover in.
"All targets down! Two perfect bursts!" the Rav-Turain on the ridge calls back.

"Zaef! It appears their fighting spirit is flagging!" Caleb calls from below. "I see the beginnings of a retreat!"
"Same from the road," the Rav-Turai at the entrance to the village calls out. "Got the remains of this quad falling back."
"Holding position's the smart move, Samal," Jimmy says.

"Wait one," Arlana calls back. BUP BUP BUP BUP After that, silence. "No need, field is clear. Driving in to sweep and secure for reinforcements."

"Well, that was fun," Arketta says, a smile on her face as she raises her helm.

After a minute or so, Arlana comes back on the comms. "It seems we have a situation back at base - the Narsai'i tried to frame the Wherren for the Bashakra'i thefts, Walks-the-Fire was shot, and the Sheen, Bashakra'i and Wherren are erecting a security perimeter right now at the forward operating base and at Kabul. Iro said that he'll get reinforcements our way soon so we can rotate out sometime in the next few hours. Otherwise, we have to sit tight."

Zaef slows down his run after the spears fall and the force's obliteration is confirmed over comms.

"All forces, do not pursue. Once the rout is in full force, fire to scare, not injure. Ridge squad, maintain good positions for now. We'll cycle your shift out once we've confirmed all hostiles gone." Zaef turns to get a good look at the makeshift hospital/lab building.

"Marta, things are calming down out here. How's everything inside?"

(Angel Shoot x2: 1d12+1d10 v. 1d6 = 9 v. 4, 10 v. 5)

Angel waits for the shots, takes a breath, then stands up and fires off two more shots, downing the last two shooters outside. Garrett grabs an old grenade from the crate to his right, pulls the pin and lobs it inside the warehouse - if it's as full of volatile old explosives as the outside is, it might not take much to set it all off.

(Garrett Grenade: 2d8 v. 1d6 = 7 v. 6 / Chain reaction: 2d10 v. 1d8 = 8 v. 7)

The walls of the old auto shop reverberate with the blast, and there's a nervous pause punctuated with shouting - and then the first blast goes off. The shouting inside gets louder for a moment before blasts start rocking the walls and the ground. Garrett and Angel both take cover as explosions blow out the windows high up on the walls and spray the courtyard with glass, and people on the street outside scream and run for cover. The walls rattle and shake - and a few holes are punched in the closed roll-down doors - but after a minute, the explosions stop and no further sound can be heard from inside.

"I feel better now," Garrett says.

"They're...fuck," Luis stops for a second, staring into the distance. "Just great. All right, let's get settled in. Is Walks-the-Fire okay?" His eyes flick as he verifies he's into the secure comand link with Arlana and Arketta. "And do we need to be watching the Narsai'i here?"

"Good." Angel hasn't quite lowered his rifle yet, still carefully sweeping the yard for unexpected surprises.

"I mean, this is a fucked up form of therapy, and I strongly recommend seeking the care of a licensed professional, but for now...good."

Checking his watch, he frowns. "I figure we've got ten minutes before serious reinforcement arrives. Maybe less for curious local onlookers...time to go Garrett."

"Getting exciting," Marta says. "Half of the people here have started to call for us leave the village since the shots started."
"'Please, we're here to help!'" Kitty calls out in English in the background.

----

"Walks-the-Fire is fine," Arlana says. "It takes more than a few bullets to put a Wherren down. As for the Narsai'i...I'll let them know once we're set in defensive positions. If they want, we'll set up a division here. But remember - and I'm talking to everyone here," she says to the whole off-worlder contingent, "whatever stupidity the Narsai'i leaders are doing, they are not them. Treat them with the respect due your banner brothers and sisters. Understood?"
"Yes, Samal," the Rav-Turai with her in the vehicles replied.
"Yes, Samal," the Wherren with Luis, Arketta and FTE grunts.

----

"Then let's get moving," Garrett says, and both Angel and Garrett move out inside the now thoroughly aired-out garage.

The inside of the garage looks as if someone picked up an armory and shook it very, very hard. Crates and weapons are broken and scattered all over the floor, as are the remaining pieces of the guards. Angel leads the way straight towards a back room flanked by two of the less-shredded bodies - looks like the guards held their ground to the last - and the previously locked-tight door is hanging off its hinges with half of a crate plank embedded inside it. The deformed door drags and screeches across the floor as Garrett shoves it open, and the extent of what's inside stuns even Garrett.

Racks and racks of shining chrome-and-gold chamakanas, crates of spearbombs and sunmines, and even a cogitator fill the room to the extent that walking past the door would require one hell of a tightrope walk. There's no dust, no wear, no signs of use at all - these came fresh from the nanoforges straight to Kabul. In the back, more crates lie sealed up - with clear Chinese characters stamped on the side of them.

"There's no fucking way," Garrett says, halting to think. "There's no way this is scavenged tech. Or Bashakra'i stores."

There's a sharp exhale on the general vox channel, halfway between a cough and an "Ahem!", before Hug'sh speaks up.

"Attention, all Alliance forces," he begins. "I speak to you now to address any rumors you may have heard. Due to a...misunderstanding, there was a confrontation between Narsai'i and off-world troops at the FOB. This confrontation was resolved nonviolently. I am fine. The Narsai'i soldiers we detained briefly are also fine. To stabilize the situation and prevent any further misunderstandings, we are enforcing a strict access control protocol and establishing a Bashakra'i-Sheen-Wherren Joint Security Area within the secure perimeter. For the time being, all off-world personnel will be escorted by Narsai'i troops within the FOB proper, while all Narsai'i personnel will be accompanied by off-world troops inside the JSA. To alleviate logistical complications, we are currently examining the possibility of creating our own gate through the exterior wall, but our primary concern is to ensure everyone's safety and not compromise the overall security posture of the base against external threats. Rest assured that alliance cooperation and joint operations will proceed as briefed." Pause. "We apologize for the confusion and the inconvenience. Thank you. That is all."

"Alright, try to calm everyone down. Jimmy and I will be there shortly to help with that." Zaef switches over to the troops channel as he starts the slow hike down to the lab hab. "Hale, you're in charge of coordinating the troops until I'm done. Make sure the ridge trin gets a relief shift soon, they've earned it."

Zaef makes sure he switches off the channel before sighing. "Always another fire to put out."