Turn 2: Disappearances

[Corporal Hicks]

The hike to the village was less than five minutes at a quick walking pace. The Marines caught up to the Lieutenant and the welcome committee at the outskirts of the buildings. The ground was grassy around the buildings, mowed at different lengths behind different structures. It struck them as a quiet, residential colony.

The structures were not built in perfect rows, but they did straddle a dirt path that curved gently as it went, apparently just a goat path that had widened over time as colonists walked here or there. In nearly the exact center of the village stood half a dozen green army tents, with a few soldiers visible. The mayor called to one of them, and the man came jogging over. He slapped a helmet onto his head as he came, and saluted Lieutenant Fletcher.

“Staff Sergeant Darren Wesley, Winn Crest Security Services, commanding local detachment.” He gave the Lieutenant what seemed like a condescending look before glancing more interestedly at the enlisted men. Wesley was a black man in his thirties who looked like a serious NCO. He wore the black and gray armor that matched the other soldiers in the colony. They were a privatized military force that maintained garrisons on company territory.

“What’s the situation here, Wesley?” asked the Lieutenant.

“Sir, we have had large numbers of disappearances, violence, and property damage across the region. The residents of four nearby towns have disappeared, with nothing left but signs of violence. Livestock facilities were also attacked, with many animals missing. My Captain tells me that some kind of hostile organism is suspected, possibly something from underground, or from the nuclear blast zone to the west. I can give you all the briefing details I received, but that is the gist of it. I believe we are waiting for reinforcements and greater air support before taking a decisive move against whatever is causing this, but we are doing what we can in the meantime. What troops we do have are garrisoning the most threatened towns and company structures to prevent further harm to employees and property. We have attempted some patrols and ground recon to locate enemy positions, but nobody has found them. Our limited air support is occupied with recon and attempting to prevent any hostiles breaking out of our perimeter. As for evacuation, my superiors have not given me approval due to the heavy costs associated with abandoning the grow farms.” He gestured to the row of white warehouses.

Lieutenant Fletcher nodded, glancing at his Marines as if hoping they would have something to ask or contribute.
<Tag players>

[Pale Rider]

Soles, wasn't sure what to make of his new Lieutenant. He was definitely green, but he didn't have anything to add or ask in relation to the upcoming mission. Staff Sergeant Wesley seemed to already have picked up on the same vibes as himself. He listened intently to what Wesley had to say and began to ruminate on the missing people and livestock.

When the Lieutenant turned towards the men, Soles spoke up.
"Staff Sergeant, when you say residents have disappeared how many exactly are you referring to?"

<Tag Staff Sergeant Wesley>

[Corporal Hicks]

"I don't know for sure. Hundreds. As for livestock, God only knows. They are packed into those factory farms like sardines."

[Medic Guy]

Kal listened to the conversation, thinking about what could have happened before voicing a few questions of his own.

"Sergeant, Do the colonists or livestock have locators that might be used to track them? When you mention signs of violence and property damage, can you elaborate on what that is exactly or what you all have been seeing?"

[Corporal Hicks]

"Well, to be clear, my troops haven't seen anything. We were deployed here to defend this settlement from attack. We've done a few patrols nearby, but so far, this place has been quiet. What I heard from my command is that there were signs of violence and destruction, blood, broken glass, et cetera. I don't have intel on how they are tracking the colonists, but I assume they will use their chips to find them. Sorry, but I figured y'all would have better intel than us. They don't tell me shit."
<Tag Medic Guy>

Lieutenant Fletcher shook his head, "No, they just, we just got called in with an emergency beacon. It's an all-hands-on-deck situation." He turned to Master Sergeant Soles, "Uhh, Sergeant, it looks like they've got this place locked down. Why don't you take the platoon to grab something to eat. Get some real food, not that spacer crap." He smiled awkwardly at the Devil Dawgs. "I am going to plug into the grid and try to contact whoever is next up the chain of command and try to get us some orders."
<Tag Pale Rider>

The middle aged civilian woman smiled at them, "If you want something to eat, that's the Beerwolf right there. Soldiers eat and drink for free."
<Tag everyone>

[eyeball]

Paulson got that oh shit feeling as he heard people discussing missing people and cattle, but the thought of free food and ale took the edge off remarkable well.
he waited paitiently, just, for someone to give a fall out order so he could bury his growing concerns in food and alcohol.

[Pale Rider]

Soles could not hide a snort at the Lieutenant's ineptitude, he quickly turned and covered it with a command.

"Alright, you jarheads! You heard the LT, grab your gear and head over to the Beerwolf and grab some grub."

<Tag Marines>

He switched over to a private comchannel and contacted Pope.
"Pope, this is Sergeant Soles, I want you to grab me any and all data that you can find on the incident that occurred here before and shortly after the explosion of the Nuke. Pay particular attention to Xenomorphs and anything relating to them. I think we might have us a bug infestation and I need to know what exactly we are getting into!

Also, requisition an APC and have it here by 0500 local time."

<Tag GM/Pope>

[eyeball]

"Alright, you jarheads! You heard the LT, grab your gear and head over to the Beerwolf and grab some grub."

That's what Paulson had been waiting to here and apparently so had others the formation broke down rapidly as people headed for thr free bar.

[Pale Rider]

Soles quickly turned back to his men as they dispersed and issued one order!

"Marines, eat your fill, but do not drink more than 2 drinks. We will be falling out and inspecting some of the nearby towns at 0500 local time!"

[eyeball]

but do not drink more than 2 drinks

Paulson looked round quickly found what he wanted on the top shelf of the bar, stein glasses, god bless the germans he thought.
"stein of Ale please " Paulson requested, two drinks, oh yeah no problem he thought with greedy anticipation.

[Bullet42]

Torres followed the pack of Marines, their footsteps blending with the rhythm of banter and half-joked insults. The camaraderie was one of the parts of the Corps he cherished most. As they walked past clusters of buildings, a stillness hung in the air—a tension that felt like the calm before a storm. In the pit of his stomach, unease churned, though Torres had mastered the art of masking it.

Out in the distance, a small military contingent emerged from a line of tents. Their leader was locked in conversation with the LT, their voices too distant for clarity. Torres strained to catch bits and pieces, hoping for a shred of context amidst the unknown, but a middle-aged woman interrupted, cutting through the tension with an offer of free food and beer. Temptation alone could have persuaded Torres, but Sgt. Soles' orders made the decision inevitable.

He trudged forward with the other Marines, his nerves clawing at his composure. One beer, he figured, might help settle the turbulence. Approaching the bar, he smirked faintly, playing into the moment. "A glass of the finest German ale this side of the galaxy, please,"

As the amber liquid settled in his glass, Torres caught sight of a Lance Corporal already doubling up on drinks. He chuckled dryly and leaned toward him, saying, "This place feels a little too cozy, don’t you think?"

<<Tag Paulson>>

[Corporal Hicks]

As they enter the restaurant, they see a few empty tables and a small bar. It isn't much larger than the dining room of an ordinary house, with half a dozen metal tables. A gorgeous, blonde bartender raises her eyebrows as they file in, and calls back into the kitchen for assistance. A good-looking brunette comes out and the two of them start to take orders. "More soldiers," says the first girl with a bright smile, "Are you Colonial Marines? I feel safer already, it's good to see you here!"
<Tag Marines>

[Corporal Hicks]

"Pope, this is Sergeant Soles, I want you to grab me any and all data that you can find on the incident that occurred here before and shortly after the explosion of the Nuke. Pay particular attention to Xenomorphs and anything relating to them. I think we might have us a bug infestation and I need to know what exactly we are getting into!

Also, requisition an APC and have it here by 0500 local time."

"Yes, Sergeant," replied the synthetic passively. A few minutes later, his voice came through again, "I have an APC en route to your position, ETA 1700 hours. I am going to forward you everything that I can find which we have access to."

Files began to appear on the Sergeant's datapad. After clearing a retina scan and password check, he gained access to the top secret documents; a benefit to leading a special operations platoon.

Draconis Major Campaign
3d Reg. 2d Batt. 1st & 2d Co.
12th Reg. 1st Batt. 1st Co. Comb. Eng.
1Lt Morrison T. Commd 10/11/2180
BrigGen Jennings H. Suprsd Commd 31/11/2180

Mission Debrief Excerpts
Pvt Roberts E.
8th Plat. 1st Co. Hvy Wp
WO2 Burns K.
2d Plat. 2d Co. Debrf Lead

Pvt Roberts E: "Yes, that's why we were there. That's what they told us. They called them xenomorphs, and that's the first time I ever heard that name."
---
Pvt Roberts E: "The intel that we had indicated that they had- that they were tunneling insects... something like that. They had a honeycomb of tunnels there.
WO2 Burns K: "Did your experience meet with that expectation?"
Pvt Roberts E: "It was worse than anything I ever imagined-"
WO2 Burns K: "Please try to-"
Pvt Roberts E: "Right, right, I'm sorry. Yes, we encountered a massive honeycomb structure underground. They sent us down into it. The tunnels were wide enough to push past each other. It was like a maze."
---
Pvt Roberts E: "Yes, first contact was an ambush. I'm, I was, sorry, hang on a sec... Okay, I was on point. Angie, I mean, first squad medic, Private Hawkins, she was right behind me. I didn't see it. Nobody saw it. It was on the ceiling, blended right into the rock. Its skin looked like the rocks, shiny and black. It dropped down on Angie, right behind me."
---
Pvt Roberts E: "Ninth platoon went the other way, up the north tunnel. They had it a lot worse than us. That was Sergeant Honeysett. They got ambushed too, and half of those guys never came back out-"
WO2 Burns K: "Private, please keep to what you personally witnessed."
Pvt Roberts E: "Yes Sir, I'm sorry. I'm just, can I get something to drink? I feel shaky."
WO2 Burns K: "Sergeant, will you grab a cup of coffee please? Alright, go on Private."
Pvt Roberts E: "I'm sorry. Right, our platoon was led by Sergeant Daniel Bojan. He was on the tail until we reached the chamber. That's where they hit us hard. Three or four of the creatures came out of the ceiling. It was terrifying, those screams were deafening down there. We killed them, but their blood burned like acid. That's what did this to my face. They injured me and Private Williams, but only lightly. Private Hawkins got hurt bad, and my squad leader, Corporal Chappell. Sergeant Bojan gave us the order to pull out. The comms were barely working down there, even with Williams' radio. I swear, it felt like we were in an ant hive down there."
---
Pvt Roberts E: "Thank you. After that, we exfiltrated with everyone that was left. We were only able to evac one body, Private Joe Harmon. The rest of them got left down there... We were ordered into the APCs and we fell back to Firebase Alpha. I thought we were safe there, but we weren't. They came there with thousands, I don't know how many. I thought we were all gonna die. They had no choice with the nuke, the xenomorphs wiped out the whole firebase and everything we could throw at them. God help us, we had no choice."

[Quinn]

Sixtus, along with the others, immediately broke formation and hustled towards the Beerwolf. He heard the stipulation from Soles about the limitation on drinking, turned around and tossed a sloppy two finger salute in acknowledgement. The restaraunt didn't look like much from the outside, but the smell coming from the kitchen was unmistakeable. The homey smell of baking bread, the oakey scent of beer in wooden casks, that wonderful aroma that can only come from actual meat cooking on a grill. Quinn, having some German in his genetic background, was looking forward to this.

He placed his order at the bar and sat on a stool, leaning his rifle against the bar next to him next to his duty pack. It felt good to drop the weight, and he thunked his helmet on the bar next to him. The bartender poured his drink, an amber german lager. Quinn lifted the drink, nodded at the bartender with a call of "Prost!" before taking a generous gulp. The bitter taste hit his tongue, and it felt like coming home. Before long, his food came out. Jaegerschnitzel, spatzle, sourkraut and a small loaf of dark german bread. Between the food and the beer, he was in his own slice of heaven. Just needed one more thing...

From his duty bag, Sixtus pulled a worn novel, opening the book to a page that was marked with a dog-eared corner and settled in. Easy moments like this rarely came in the Corps, and he intended to make the most of it.

[Jpall]

Gideon quietly followed the others. He wasn't as excited for a good beer. He had been raised here, and he had had enough relaxing on the ship. He sat at the bar with some of the others, setting his gear down on the floor next to him. The weight of the Smartgun being off of him was a palpable relief and left him feeling significantly lighter. He held up just one finger to the barmaid as he said "One ale, please. The darker the better."

He turned to the others as he speaks low, not wanting to alarm the residents or take their illusion of safety away, "We should find out how quickly the disappearances ramped up, and if they triangulate anywhere." Both his legs bounced on the metal bar below on his stool with nervous energy, though his face seemed impassive and unconcerned.

"I'd also be interested in the productions of each town. Surely it is not just farming communities being attacked. And if it is, I am sure that means something as well."

He sat back and sipped his beer, his eyes half squinted as he mulled his thoughts over, legs still bouncing.