His trek through the muck of the swamp had been a perilous one, blaster weapon slung and fast feet carrying him as quietly as possible towards the embedded E-Web emplacement. Nearby he could already hear the sounds of cannons, blaster fire, and what sounded like a symphony of destruction erupting. He needed to take care of this emplacement. Now. A sharp sneer cut across his obscured features as he took cover behind the large fallen trunk of a tree. He was within thermal detonator range now. A quick peek over the edge of the log confirmed his fear however. The duracrete was too thick on the emplacement - a detonator wasn't going to cut it. He needed to use the explosives in his pack and he had to be
inside.
:: Viper One to allied armor. Give me two minutes and your route will be clear. Standby for confirmation of det. ::
"Karking hell." he uttered to no one. With a dissatisfied grunt he unslung his blaster and pushed himself up from the muck he'd been seated in.
Time to move. Moving slowly but smoothly he covered the ground in short time, eyes constantly scanning for any hint of movement from within and without the emplacement bunker.
Nothing. It was unnerving. Ryker had yet to see the emplacement open fire but there weren't exactly targets for it to fire at. Best case, he'd merely stumbled upon an empty relic of the Order and it wasn't even serviceable. Worst case, whomever was inside was smart. A moment more and he found himself snug against the outside wall of the bunker, weapon clutched close to his chest.
This is it. It was time to breach. A sharp intake of breath predicated the explosive movement as he lowered the barrel of his weapon to chest height and spun around into the small corridor which led inside to the bunker. Finger a hair away from squeezing the trigger he was greeted by... nothing.
The dark corridor stretched forward into a circular area, just the barrel of the embedded E-Web visible around the small corner. To the right is where anyone crewing or servicing the weapon would no doubt be. In a low combat crouch Ryker pressed forward, heartbeats thumping away in his ears, adrenaline flooding his veins. Each step taken felt another to the doorstep of death - an irony thought the commando.
For I am already dead. As he approached the circular room he could see more of the emplacement. By all appearances a serviceable E-Web blaster stood on its tripod. Barrel aimed out of the narrow slit towards the armor's approach vector. It was equipped with a thermal sight and what looked to be a modified power pack.
Another step forward. That meant someone knew what they were hunting - someone knew they'd be gunning down armor.
Before another thought could cross the Sergeant's mind several things happened simultaneously. A guttural intake of breath whispered in the silence of the bunker. A flicker of movement caught Ryker's eye. A massive melee weapon found itself deflecting off the man's helmet. Had his reaction to duck been any slower he would have been little more than a splatter on the wall beside where he stood. Even so, he had been rattled, his vision temporarily fading to black as he bounced unceremoniously off the floor, weapon clattering back into the corridor. A sudden wave of nausea swept over him, legs scrambling to create some distance between the commando and his assailant. His assailant, an enormous Brevirostrii. Splinters of wood showered down on Ryker, the toothed weapon splintering slightly as the first swipe contacted the wall. Rolling to his left, the commando swiftly drew his backup blaster, the barrel screeching hot as he fired two blasts at the reptilian figure towering above him. A wheezing grunt was the only response before again the wooden melee weapon of his enemy came rocketing down. Throwing up his hands in a quick last ditch defense he heard a snap as the club came down on his forearms. A moment later, shooting pain sending a new wave a nausea over him.
And then the creature was on top of him. The pressure was crushing, all several hundred pounds threatening to crack him open like an egg. It started out as a cry of pain as he felt a rib pop, then anger as he began to come to terms with the reality that he was about to be squished to death by an already once dead alligator. In an instant things had gone from routine to Ryker getting a glimpse at the light at the end of the tunnel - or in this case, the totality of the void. No. He refused to submit, he refused to give up. Already the Brevirostrii was attempting to find purchase with his teeth, the hot breath of the creature fogging up Ryker's visor. His one good hand fumbling he found what he was looking for - a blade. The long combat knife drew smoothly as he wriggled to his side, able to free up his arm for one good stab. Aiming for where he approximated the creature's eye to be he thrust the knife deep. Withdrew it. Stabbed again. One. Two. Three. Ten times he thrust the knife deep into the soft fleshy part of the beast's eye socket, several times the blade catching bone and slashing into flesh.
For a moment Ryker's vision faded near to black, his lungs on fire as he fought to breathe with the weight of the creature still pressing him into the floor. Struggle. Struggle. Struggle. Then... relief. Fueled solely on adrenaline and anger the Sergeant shoved hard, managing to slide free of the creature as it took his place on the floor. Dead. Ryker coughed violently.
Ah kark. He wasn't in good shape, and if he had to make a guess he didn't have long before he passed out. Crawling to a knee, he quickly grabbed his blaster rifle from the floor where it had lain since being knocked free. He wasn't going down that easy. Using the barrel to help himself back to his feet he shuffled over to where the E-Web had been set up.
:: Viper One to.. Cough.. Allied armor. Bunker cleared. Standby for det. Thirty seconds on my mark. ::
He paused, slipping his pack from his shoulder and hastily opening the flap. Retrieving a prepared charge, he looked about the room for a second before deciding where to place it for maximum effect. With a grunt he dragged the E-Web tripod closer to the charge. This was going to be a big one. He was going to need something a little extra to make it out of here, especially in his condition. Blood had begun to soak through his bodysuit and onto the floor.
That's not good. Reaching back into the pack he pulled out two small autoinjectors. This was going to suck. Biting the inside of his cheek the held the injector tightly in his fist and lined it up over his thigh.
Mama didn't raise no... WHOOSH.
The chemical cocktail hit his system like a Star Destroyer being ripped out of hyperspace. His eyes dilated then focused into near pinpoints, his body shuddering under the power of the various chemicals as they began to override his natural response systems.
:: Mark. :: he stated decidedly into the comm. Thirty seconds and this bunker was going to be nothing but a smoking crater. Another pile of rubble. An amalgamation of flesh, mud, water, and blood. And if he didn't get out of here he was going to be a part of that masterpiece of art. A sharp inhalation of breath brought clarity to the ravaged soldier, his legs moving sensation-less as he pumped his way down the corridor and back out into the swampy jungle. If anyone saw him now they wouldn't have time to react, especially at the speed at which he ran. In an instant he found himself coming up on a small rise in the ground, perfect protection from the coming boom. Just in time he leapt over the small embankment and flattened himself as low as he could.
Two seconds later an explosion rocked the ground, trees toppling, water and mud flying into the air - duracrete chunks joining the debris as it rained back down from the sky. After the shockwave passed Ryker hazarded a peek over the embankment, a brief pang of joy warming his cold heart. The bunker had been annihilated, the surrounding structures nearly wiped out completely. They wouldn't find any resistance on their way past here, that was certain.
:: Viper one to Allied Armor. Target confirmed eliminated. Cough. Path is..cough.. clear. ::
