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2/14/2016 4:19:41 AM
1
Eric looks the man up and down, analyzing him as well. On the [i]Alamo[/i], he had been a new addition, and new to the gallery of war. He still looked up to men like JT, but he was no longer the inferior soldier here. He was a different man altogether.
"You haven't General. What drove you to this hellhole?"
English
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"Boredom, and needed something to shoot, drink, or talk to. What's the situation here?" [i][b]He asked, drawing a pure, angellic white revolver from the back of the trio; Tribal Vengeance, forged amidst the chaos of the Terran-Tribal War on New Terra so many years ago. It was things like these, relics of the past, that JT enjoyed so much, especially things he can relate to. [/b][/i]
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"All hostiles clear of landing pad within a 3.74 click radius. Most of them have gathered near the old Space Elevator near Pittsburg, but until Delta and Echo arrive, we can't move on it." The battle to reclaim Earth was still in its infancy, and the Eastern North American branch was one of the most active. Mercenaries like Eric Cooper had been hired to clear landing pads in preparation for larger NTR forces, and for recon into dangerous, possibly terraformed places. A few Sol Alliance beasts roamed the lands, and hostile Tribes and individual bands of Raiders and Revolutionaries staked their claim over entire regions. Eric had been in the field for over a week now, but looked no worse the wear for it, besides some ash and soot on his face and armor.
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"Fūck Delta and Echo, I've got a bit of a plan forming myself. You in?" [b][i]He asks, and as the sentence finishes, 2 orbital drop pods slam into the ground, cracking the earth beneath them as they land. A strange man steps out of one pod, a brown cowboy hat resting atop his head and engulfing his face in a shadow, his right arm a stony grey colour as he steps from the pod, his brown duster flying in the wind behind him as he moves to the second pod and rips it open. He grabs a special rifle, looks to be a classic M4A1 carbine, but with some specialized modifications, and vents on the barrel. JT approaches the pod with the man and grabs 2 Chrome revolvers from it, spinning them before they both walk over to Eric again. [/i][/b]"Eric, meet my good pal, The Frontiersman" [i][b]JT says, not revealing the man's name. [/b][/i]
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Eric looks the man up and down, analyzing them. He has a deadpan look on his face as he says, "Are things getting so bad that the NTR is recruiting Cowboys now?" He tilts his head then, as if listening to a voice in his head, "Whatever. What's the plan?"
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"They hadn't recruited a cowboy" [b][i]He says, and the grey on his arm seemingly slides into his hand, forming an onyx black revolver. A glint of light activates in his eyes, and his arm aims in the sky, and he fires 3 rounds, 3 birds falling to the ground shortly after. [/i][/b]"They recruited a gunslinger" [b][i]He says, a thick Texan accent lacing his words. [/i][/b]"So, the plan is me, Front, and you flank from the side, while Frontiers mercenaries all rush from the front. Unless you wanted to charge in that shithole headfirst?" [b][i]JT asks, sarcasm showing at the last part[/i][/b]
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[spoiler]He's a cyborg, isn't he? Fair enough, but Eric has an Imperial [i]Archeon[/i]-class AI in his head.[/spoiler] Eric looks at the two men carefully, noting the Frontiersman's odd qualities before he says, "Doesn't sound like a very impressive plan, no offense General. We don't know what's out there, and I don't want to present my ass on a platter to an Ignus warbeast. You hired me to clear the LZ, nothing more..." Suddenly, Eric pauses. A long time ago, when he was only a 15 year old boy, he had given up the gunslinging life in order to sign up for the NTR, in order to make a difference that mattered, regardless of the money. He didn't continue to speak, and merely thought; JT wasn't his CO anymore, so he didn't need to be as respectful as he had been. JT certainly hadn't. "Send your troops in, then we'll talk. This is my operation, General, and I'll have it done my way."
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"Well thank god, I was waiting until you realized you didn't have to speak like you had a stick up your ass" [b][i]He jokingly says, and a large dropship flies overhead, the olive green ship covering the sky above them. Multiple men in olive green combat suits with red cloaks draped over their right shoulders drop out, the armour seemingly absorbing the fall. [/i][/b]"It's your attack, you sure you don't want to command the men?" [b][i]The Frontiersman Asks, looking at the 100 men that came on the ship. [/i][/b]
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Eric looks up at the dropship, and then shakes his head nonchalantly. "I'm the only army I'll ever need to command. I'll do. No, take your men North, towards the elevator once I give you the signal. General, you come scouting with me. We need to catch up on some events."
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"With pleasure" [b][i]They both say simultaneously, and The Frontiersman raises his free hand towards an armoured vehicle, standing on top as the troops advance. JT stays, his AK-47 in hand rather then the revolvers. [/i][/b]"Lead the way" [b][i]He says, his stereotypical Canadian accent shining through [/i][/b]
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Eric raises a bushy dark brown eyebrow at the mercenaries as they leave, and then gestures for you to follow him into the nearby woods, "Alright, this way. We'll be the vanguard soon, but for now I have something else to show you." After a mile or so of trekking in the woods, he finds a wooden cabin, deceptively simple in design. Eric puts his real hand on the DNA palm-lock, and walks through the front door, which was actually made of military-grade durasteel. There isn't much furniture on the inside, and the most notable feature of the dimly lit room was a long dinner table with a holographic display in the center. "NTR gave me this as compensation for my services. Would've preferred a place on New Terra, but I suppose that I'm a less than legal citizen. Anyways, check this out. Artemis..." The holographic display bursts to life, displaying Venus and Mars in false color imagery. "As you know, the Pyriton Empire of Venus and the Kings of Mars have been embroiled in a Cold War ever since the Alamo disappeared. Recently, tensions have begun to grow again, and the NTR can't do anything about it until we have a position on Earth. Do you think it'll come to war?"
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"War is inevitable in this case. With tensions rising, it'll likely be me and Rodriguez, maybe Lego sent as a first-response. Lego is a Pyriton supporter, and I'm not a fūcking diplomat, and so Murphy is the only real one to speak. The kids inexperienced, though, his father could have likely defused a potential situation. So war between them and the NTR is a definite case, and we can't afford another war" [b][i]He grimly states, walking to the other side of the table and facing Eric, looking at the planets holograms. [/i][/b] "Sadly, if we get involved in this war, it'll be to quell the peace, though our citizens likely won't see that. They'll see this as the NTR poking it's nose where it isn't wanted, just like the Colonization of New Terra; We invaded. They'll see it as a mad land grab, and we can't afford it. So, any thoughts you have?"
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Eric looks up from across the table, still staring at the holograms. "Who said that the public had to know about this operation? The NTR occasionally goes on covert ops, usually involving, oh, I don't know, ships that were never built, with crews that don't exist on the records."
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"Oh, but the NTR would never do such a thing like that! Do you really think so?" [b][i]He asks, obviously intending sarcasm. [/i][/b]"Either that, or they'll employ the Hunters Legion again, maybe even mercenaries. Though the casualties of the war will be great on all sides, sadly"
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Eric shakes his head, "No, NTR doesn't trust mercs with official business, not since the Tribal Wars. If we're to strike against Venus and Mars, it'll be with a ship at our back."
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"Eric, with all due respect, I've a mercenary fleet at the ready right now. Though only one man is currently doing anything to aide us" [b][i]He says, leaning on the table and looking at the holograms. [/i][/b]"If we needed to attack, we would need the Alamo back, that's the best defence we have"
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Eric shakes his head, "Yeah, yeah, I know what the Hunter's Legion is. You're right about the Alamo, however. We'll need that before we make our move." He backs away from the table and paces back and forth, looking as if he's listening to something. Eventually, he comes back to the table, "Murphy Rodriguez, Mandalore's son. If anyone knows where the Alamo is, it'll be him."
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"Aye, I'll speak to him about it. Until then, do you have anyone you can trust? I've a little... Plan in mind" [b][i]He says, a slight grin creeping onto his face. [/i][/b]
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"Yeah, one." Eric puts his false hand under the table, and after a second or so passes, a holographic figure appears next to the planets. It's a woman, and unlike the holograms, she is completely blue. Straight dark hair extends past her shoulders, and a heart-shaped face stares pensively at the two planets. "Artemis. She was on the Alamo with me, and she's the only person I trust. She was flash cloned from a human mind, so technically..."
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"Artemis. Well, can't say it's a bad idea. I'll look for some others in the meantime, potentially grab that fūcking sith kid... Speak to me if you find anyone else. Until then, Eric" [b][i]He says, and he slowly walks to the door of the room, exiting. [/i][/b]
