another collab with [@redbaron1234]

[hr]
Leslie did a double take as the handful of pickups came streaming out. They were easy to spot with the GEAR's many sensors. Nothing they couldnt handle but they couldnt get complacent with them either. She gave Fionn a quick callout "Technicals, over there." She rasied her own rifle to take aim before she noticed the jet rolling out into the open. It was clear it must be high value; nobody would attempt to take off from such a ruined runway in the middle of a fight like this unless it was important.

[quote=Silverwind Blade]
"Roger, Recon. Secure the prisoner and move to the airfield to secure it with the rest of the unit. All units; stop that aircraft from taking off if possible; it's likely they're trying to move someone or something of high value!"
[/quote]

That confirmed it. "Fionn, think you can handle the first four trucks? I am going to try and stop the plane."



“How kind of them to come to us, though I prefer if they’d give me more than a moment of respite.” Fionn said, audibly annoyed.

Fionn took a moment to look over the cover, quickly scanning the threat and mentally formulating a plan of action. He counted, four vehicles in the vanguard, all lightly armored. One with a grenade launcher, the shrapnel would be a detriment if it lands close. Two with HMGs, and the last with a recoilless rifle, likely a problem if it strikes true. With quick thinking instinctively drilled into him over many combat encounters, he formulated his next steps.
 
Swinging out of cover, he fired a volley of mortars toward the center two technical. One HE round landed true and pierced the top of the cabin before exploding, instantly killing the driver and sending shards of broken glass from the rear window into the gunner, eliminating the grenadier technical.
 
Another HE round landed immediately in front of an HMG technical, popping the front tires right before a small crater. The forward momentum of the truck followed by the immediate depression caused it to faceplant into the hole and flip over, rendering it incapacitated.
 
With those two out of the way, Fionn could focus on the last two. While the recoilless rifle could be a threat, it was clear it had no stabilizer, giving it rather poor accuracy. Feeling safe, he bursted the last two down with his own barrage of rounds, which while not sporting pinpoint accuracy, had enough in a standing position to make short work of the exposed gunners and the drivers that were behind practically non-existent armor.
 
In the end that was another group of enemies down and all they had to show for it was some scrapes and a few holes, in non-vital areas, on Fionn. “They are not going to be a problem anymore, at least not alive.” Fionn said to Leslie, before turning to see what she achieved in the time.


Leslie hadn’t waited for Fionn to finish his attack before moving out. Her two trucks were moving fast, and she’d have to close the distance to get a good shot on them. Climbing out of the crater, she kept running as she hoped her teammate had the other trucks occupied. Scanning the terrain, she saw a likely path for the plane to take to the runway, and burnt out airframe that would make for good enough cover. She  made a dash for it, keeping an eye on trucks and plane.

The two trucks moved to intercept her, a soldier loading the grenade launcher mounted on one. “Shit,” she hissed, sliding into the cover just in time to watch several grenades fly over the burnt husk and explode a couple dozen yards down the runway. She snapped out of her cover and opened up on the truck as it passed. A series of bursts from her rifle landed just short of the truck, kicking up sparks off the pavement. Both trucks circled around her wide as she kept tracking and finally disabled the grenade launcher truck’s engine. The rest of the clip made sure the truck went up in flames. 

She had dropped the mag to reload when she saw the other truck’s armament: a missile launcher. Her HUD lit up as it warned her of the impending lockon. With her rifle empty and moments to spend, she did the most expedient thing she could do. Keeping her focus, and her laser designator, squarely on the truck , she launched one of her precious anti-armor missiles. It struck true, blowing up the truck just as her sensors confirmed the launcher had on her. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, she remembered the cargo jet still making its way down the runway. Turning around she saw a pair of flaming gouts emerge from the tips of the wings. “Damn, they got JATO’s.” It made sense that  they would try this, with the runway so rough they needed as short of a takeoff they could pull off. It was moving too fast for her to be able to reload and shoot. It wouldnt be long before the wheels would lift off. “Shit, shit,” she muttered. An idea popped to mind, a horrible idea that she needed to act upon now. With her remaining missile, she looked ahead of the plane and fired, forming a massive crater. The nose of the plane soon dipped down and slammed the fuelselage into the ground, the boosters still pushing the wheel-less plan across the ground until a wing sheared off. It was a rough impact, but it did ground the plane. “Fionn, The plane’s immobilized. Get over here.” Letting out a sigh of relief, she finally reloaded her rifle. Keeping her aim focused on the plane, she circled around to the passenger side as she hailed Silverwind. “Sir, this is Sobero. The plane has been grounded. Securing the wreckage.” A quick walkaround in her GEAR saw no movement from inside the cabin. 


Fionn looked just in time to see the aircraft to realize gravity existed and crash, shaking the ground near it as it scarred the land. Despite his GEARs stabilizers, he still felt reverberations travel through him. Looking at the wreckage, Fionn chuckled. “They’ll have to bury what’s left of them in a soup can.” Fionn said grimly.

 Cautiously making his way to the half of the plane that still resembled one, he peered into the cockpit and confirmed his suspicions. Of the two piloting, one would need a closed casket and the other was sporting stylish holes in not so good places. “Yeah, they’re dead…” Fionn paused a moment, “…and at the risk of looking stupid, I think we bought a few moments of respite.”

 Scanning the wreckage, Fionn noticed something buried under one of the wings. Something that did not belong. Nestled underneath the rubble was a large metal crate, presumably holding something they wanted to not give up. Something important enough to take risk the conditions that did not work out well for them. Whatever the thing is, it would be pertinent to tell his CO.

[@Silverwind Blade]
“Sir, we have successfully made the plane a fixture of the ground. No survivors, but there is a box. I’m guessing the thing they did not want to give up is inside it. Area is currently cleared of hostile forces, what are your orders?”