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[center][img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjEyOC5mZjRlMDEuU1VwVFZrOUhSVXcuMA/caslon-antique.bold.webp[/img][/center][/h1][/sup][/color][indent][sub][COLOR=FF773C][I]THE NEW ZEALAND BEACH[/I][/COLOR][/sub][/indent][indent][sup][right][COLOR=FF773C][b]VULTURE SQUAD[/b][/color][/right][/sup][/indent][INDENT][hr][/INDENT]
[INDENT][INDENT][INDENT][color=DARKGRAY]The sound of pouring rain hitting the thick armor of the ancient shell was quite relaxing to listen to in the cockpit. On this gloomy night, Ijsvogel decided to scout ahead without notifying the squad upon landing on the beach. Barn Owl will definitely give them shit about it for sure, but their assistance was not necessary from a simple ambush. Hell, they weren't exactly made to be sneaky in the first place. The noise from their footsteps would've certainly given the enemy plenty of time to set up their own ambush. So, in hindsight, they were doing everyone a favor by maintaining a distance. It also allowed them to do any last-minute system checks and then reflect on- [color=FAF69B][code]"The terrain has been surveyed. No hostiles detected."[/code][/color]

THEIA's monotonous, feminine voice echoed through the cockpit, catching the pilot off-guard as they were distracted by the rain. They mumbled something about giving a heads-up before speaking up and then shifted focus to the control board. 

Ijsvogel made their way into the dense rainforest with their cherished heavy machine gun on their hands. Nothing in particular but the sound of wildlife stood out. It was frightening, to say the least. The pilot was reminded of life back in the wilds, where quietness was usually followed by seemingly coordinated attacks from mutants and always ending with the loss of life. Death was just as common as surviving in the wilds—it was unchangeable. Fortunately, the sound of explosions and gunfire stopped them from getting too deep into their thoughts. Ijsvogel began to stomp towards the noise for what seemed an eternity while their teammates were using comms effectively. It helped that the signal amplifier was turned on upon arrival.

But it wouldn't have mattered if Ijsvogel wasn't there to help out the team with the fighting. Though they had to find their way out of that godforsaken rainforest first. Conveniently, a Murakumo Robotics transport aircraft was falling from the sky, likely towards or—at very least—near the firefight. So they ran in the general direction and just had enough time to witness it hit the ground hard. But before having the chance to respond accordingly, the hostile fighter jets enacted a scorched earth policy on the entire battlefield. Ijsvogel took full advantage of the chaos to sneak upon the crash site, which was being guarded by capable enough drones. It made too obvious that there were survivors almost certainly calling for help.

That was never going to happen if Ijsvogel could help it.

Having activated the signal jammer (after significantly reducing the amplifier), Ijsvogel got their machine gun ready for use and aimed it toward the crashed aircraft. And only then spoke up with enthusiasm into the comms: 

[right][color=FF8550]"Kingfisher online and finally ready for action."[/color][/right]
Ijsvogel made sure that their machine gun's rounds were switched into armor-piercing before opening fire. One of the drones didn't stand a chance as it was torn into sheds before exploding. Three of them were severely damaged but still able to open fire with the remaining drones. [color=FF8550]"Engaging hostiles at crash site."[/color] Ijsvogel stated to their teammates by using comms while taking out another drone and dodging the micro-missiles. Although they remained stationary, those drones were still dangerous enough to maintain distance, made abundantly clear when some of the surviving ground forces joined in with what appeared to be- the warning indicator lit up the control board as it bleeped on repeat for a few seconds until...

There was barely enough time to react as the micro-missiles headed towards Ijsvogel. Most of them flew past and struck the trees behind; the shock wave being strong enough to send the shell stumbling to the ground. They were able to use a nearby tree bark to grab onto it by dropping their machine gun. But that was enough time for a micro-missile to hit them directly. For a quick second, things in the cockpit were blurry as red lights from the control board flickered, an indication that the shell took damage. After a moment to regain composure, the pilot attempted to run a diagnostic on the spot; but of course, the drones had to be such an inconvenience with their missiles. [color=FF8550][i]Godverdomme...[/i][/color]

Ijsvogel quickly stood up and began running around the rainforest's edge without their weapon in hand. At this moment, retrieving it was going to be quite a tricky task because they were the center of attention. The drones resumed their missile barrage as the shell started to circle around the crash site. Ijsvogel knew where the machine gun was within the dense rainforest (thanks to the tracking device), but its weight made snatching it somewhat difficult. Both hands were going to be required for the retrieval; otherwise, they would've fallen backward in a humiliating fashion. And it was already embarrassing enough to have dropped their weapon in combat. Of course, they weren't alone and had several other shells to call for help.

[color=FF8550]"Vultures, requiring some assistance at the crash site."[/color] Ijsvogel said over comms, not making any effort to hide their irritation from the team. [color=FF8550]"Just need a moment out of someone's time to shoot at the hostiles while I take a much-needed breather."[/color][/color][/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT]
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