[OOC] Half-Life: Borealis

[cunfuzzler]

Summary of the story since Half-Life 2: Episode 2

When White Forest successfully launched the rocket and closed the superportal, everyone in the Resistance thought they were one step closer to a possible eventual final victory against the Combine. Unfortunately so too did the Combine, and they responded as such, City 17 and the surrounding area was locked down, bringing in reinforcements from around the globe to keep the city contained and squash any Resistance elements within. Of course this meant the plan to find the Borealis, and keep it out of Combine hands would fail unless something was done quickly.

The decision was made to put everything they had into getting a team out of the city to hopefully get to the Borealis, and secure it before the Combine can use whatever Aperture had on the ship. The plan was drawn up quickly, they'd send a massive force led by Gordon Freeman so the Combine would believe it's importance to attack Combine locations on the southern end of City 17 this would draw forces from across the area to them to reinforce. Meanwhile a small but well equipped team would slip out of the city to the north. Once they got out it'd be up to them to reach the Borealis using the coordinates provided by Dr. Mossman by whatever means they could, eliminate any Combine element, and secure the ship's cargo.

Rules

- No God-Modding.
- No Mary Sues
- Be Polite.
- Gordon Freeman has Hammerspace. Your character does not.
- Your character is mortal. So don't be dumb.
- Don't be dumb.
- If you don't post at least once every three days, the RP will move on without you. (exceptions can be made if you notify ahead of time)
- I'll allow one person to play as a Vortigaunt, PM me a CS if you're interested.

The CS
Name:
Age:
Appearance: (A detailed description or picture, no anime.)
Class: (I am employing a Class system because I don't want an HEV suit wearing Sniper with a gatling gun that has Doctorates in Scheduled Chaos Theory, and Medicine from Berkeley.)
Classes/Skills:

Engineer

Need to get your car back up and running before you're overwhelmed by antlions, or a generator fixed so you can get that security door open? The Engineer is your man. The Engineer starts with a multi-tool, pipe wrench and crescent wrench in addition to their standard gear.

Skills:
- Torch Welding and cutting are useful in any situation, but especially if you want to get somewhere fast, or deny someone else access. You start with a torch that can be used for welding or cutting.
- Juryrigging You don't have the tools nor material to fix the problem, but that doesn't matter, you'll fix it anyway, at least temporarily.
- Designer That Strider cannon sure would look good on your car, and that Stalker laser would make a nice upgrade to your torch, you have the know-how to make these reality, the tools are another story.
- Toolkit Sure carrying around a toolkit is a bit cumbersome, but it's a small price to pay for the capability of fixing just about anything that it provides isn't it?
- Sweet Ride A pre-war relic, you got this baby up and running through blood sweat and hope. It's your pride and joy. You start with a small personal vehicle. (Motorcycle, ATV, Snowmobile, etcetera.)

Tech Expert

That force field that is blocking your path, that is no problem to the Tech Expert, they can have an entire Combine outpost shut down in minutes, cameras, turrets, force fields. You name it, if it's electronic, they can neutralize it. They start with a small tablet-like computer, and Civil Protection level Combine computer access, in addition to their standard gear.

Skills:
- EMP Tool The multi-tool of tech devices, this little thing can help speed up any process, and allows you to easily reprogram rollermines.
- Turret Whisperer You picked up a few valuable skills in your time, and one of those is how to reprogram Combine turrets.
- It's Friendly A while back you found yourself in the opportune position to study Combine scanners, once you were done pulling the thing apart you reprogrammed it to work for you. You start with a reprogrammed Combine Scanner.
- Nothing To See Here Long ago you changed your own identity, at least to the Combine. According to their records you're a high ranking official, this gives you access to all of their computers, and makes you recognized as a non-threat to Manhacks, and Scanners.
- Radio Scanner Being the genius that you are, you managed to fix an old police scanner, and rigged it to scan Combine frequencies. You start with a radio scanner.

Medic

They won't be winning any awards for groundbreaking medical innovation, they probably wouldn't even cut it as a medic in any pre-war military. The Medic does however know how to administer first aid better than anyone else here. The Medic starts with a first aid kit, in addition to their standard gear.

Skills:
- Medkit Say what you will about the Combine, they know medicine. In addition to your First Aid Kit, you start with a Medkit.
- Surgeon After awhile you have become alot more adept than you should be at this. IF someone has a life threatening wound, and surgery is the only option, that is ok, because you're qualified. IN addition you start with surgical tools.
- Patchwork Eventually you're gonna run out of medical supplies, and you'll need to fix somebody up. That won't deter you though, you're more than capable of making do with unorthodox medical techniques, a t-shirt, some duct tape, whiskey, and chewing on these leaves will hold them over for a day until proper medical treatment can be applied.
- Pharmacist Sometimes there is no time for bandages or surgery in combat situations, but you are prepared. You know the drugs that can keep them on their feet without killing them, a shot of this, a few of those pink pills, and smoke a gram of that, and you'll be feeling good as new. You start with a bag of various drugs.
- Master Interrogator Torture is such a strong word, you're an interrogator, and quite a good one at that, you know just where to cut to make them scream, and if that doesn't work, you have chemical aids. You start with one syringe of truth serum.

Commando

When it comes to completing sensitive missions, the Commando is always near the top of the list for the Resistance. The Commando is true Jack of all Trades.

Skills:
- Pheropods After some tutelage from the Vortigaunts, you have learned how to extract the pheropods from dead antlion guards, and you know how to use them. You start with two pheropods.
- Demolitions Expert Making things blow up is infinitely useful, and you're infinitely good at it whether it's knowing where to put a grenade to collapse a wall, or how to destroy a Combine thumper so a horde of antlions can get by destroying things is your specialty. You start with two satchel charges and an extra grenade.
- First Aid Who helps the medic when they get hurt? No need to fear, you can take care of that, you're not exactly a surgeon, but you know the basics. You start with a First Aid Kit.
- I Want Them Alive! Sometimes killing your foe isn't the ideal solution, sometimes you want to take them alive, whether for a hostage, or interrogation. You start with a stun baton, and taser.
- Double Vision Awhile back the Resistance had you sabotage a Combine fuel depot under the cover of darkness, to aid you in this you were given night vision goggles. You were supposed to return them once the job was done, but you didn't. You start with night vision or thermal goggles.

Scout

No assault on any enemy position can be accomplished without some recon and threat assessment. That is where the Scout comes in. Nimble, quick, and a more than capable soldier, the Scout is a master of stealth and combat. The Scout starts with binoculars and a flare gun. In addition to standard gear.

Skills:
- Sniper Sometimes just seeing the enemy isn't enough and there is an opportunity you can't pass up. That is why you're a sniper, and a damn good one at that. You get one long range weapon in addition to standard gear. (Crossbow/sniper rifle.)
- Gymnast There are some places that your average Joe just can't reach, whether it's getting up a wall, crossing a narrow path, or jumping over some form of hazard. You're nearly inhuman in your ability to get from Point A to Point B without taking any detours.
- Never Alone Alot of the time you'll find yourself away from your comrades and alone. As you sit watching enemy movements, you're very vulnerable to ambuss. Well you would be if you didn't have your little buddy. You get an animal companion of your choosing. (Dog, bird, turtle, whatever.)
- Sixth Sense You have been watching the new threats brought since the war so long you almost know them better than they know themselves. You have an almost supernatural ability to know when they're near even when there is no sign of it.
- Minesweeper The Combine love trying to deny access to places with tripmines, but that hasn't stopped you in quite awhile. You know how to disable Combine tripmines. Additionally you start with three tripmines.

Soldier

A one (wo)man army, you kill bad guys better than just about anyone. Fighting is what your good at, and you are damn good at it. The Soldier gets on additional primary weapon in replacement of their sidearm.

- Giantslayer Striders, Gunships, Hunter-Choppers, you've fought them all, you're still here, and they're not. You have the gear and know-how to kill the toughest units the Combine can field. You get one extra heavy weapon of your choice. (This is mutually exclusive with Tau Cannon)
- Deathdealer Sometimes bullets just aren't enough, and neither are rockets, or even heated rebar rods. No, you don't just want your enemies dead, you want them utterly eviscerated, and that is why you have a Tau Cannon. Big, heavy, just plain unwieldy none of that matters to you, because it kills stuff like no other. You start with a Tau Cannon. (This is mutually exclusive with Giantslayer)
- Specialized Ammunition Regular bullets just won't cut it sometimes, but that is no problem for you whether it's armor piercing, explosive, or something else you have a bullet for the occasion. You start with six clips of specialized ammunition. (Explosive, armor piercing, whatever, you decide.)
- Iron Man You're not invincible, but you're not exactly easy to bring down either thanks to the armor you got your hands on. You start with a powered combat vest or an equivalent of your choosing. (No HEV suit.)
- Marksman Fighting hordes of zombies teaches a valuable lesson, aim for the head. You have acquired an uncanny knack for hitting exactly where you are aiming.

Skills: (See Classes/Skills)
Pre-War Occupation. (What your character did before the war?)
Weapons: (One primary, one sidearm, and five spread across melee and grenades.)
Gear: (Anything else your character has on them, like flashlights, food, rope, backpack etcetera, skill items are off-limits.)
History:(A brief history of what your character has been doing since the Combine took over the world. At least one paragraph.)[/hider]

Updates

Will post any major plot updates here.

[Mr_pink]

Name:
Age:
Appearance: (A detailed description or picture, no anime.)
Class: Engineer
Classes/Skills:
Skills: (See Classes/Skills)
Pre-War Occupation. (What your character did before the war?)
Weapons: (One primary, one sidearm, and five spread across melee and grenades.)
Gear: (Anything else your character has on them, like flashlights, food, rope, backpack etcetera, skill items are off-limits.)
History:(A brief history of what your character has been doing since the Combine took over the world. At least one paragraph.)

Placeholder

[Cartwright]

Hold a spot for me boss.. Can you elaborate a bit on the skills? It sure hinders our ability to diversify a bit due to such restrictions so I gotta see if you mean we get the skills only associated with the class or not

[darkwolf687]

Work in Progress

Name: Steven '277' Archer
Age: 42 (22 At the time of the Seven Hour War)
Appearance: Standing at just about 6 foot and with a strong build, he is obviously suited to Civil Protection work. His uniform, though now battered and old, is kept as clean as he can manage between periods of combat, displaying a pride in his colours even after the fact. Often, if asked why he is obviously this proud of being a member of Civil Protection, he will note that he maintains it in memory of his comrades, and to display pride in what he stood for "Fraternity, Discipline, Sacrifice. Willing to do whatever necessary to ensure a better future for the human race". He maintains a clean shaven face and short cut black hair ritualistically, and perhaps it is a sign of how insecure he feels now, that he must cling to regimental discipline in order to maintain sanity. His cold eyes are dark brown and have a depth to them that betrays his battle-scarred existence and hatred, though there is a slight trace of a warmer look from time to time, as though he is reaching back to warmer memories. While a smile might once have sat upon his face, now sits nothing but a blank expression, or the occasional frown and he is seldom seen to smile anymore. When he speaks, his mouth no longer moves, but opens slightly and hangs loosely as his vocoder activates and speaks words in it's robotic fashion. He still clings to the usage of mandatory vocabulary (IE: Exogen for Antlion, Necrotic for Zombie) in his speech, another sign of strict discipline that he seems unable to drop.
Class:
Classes/Skills:
Skills: (See Classes/Skills)
Pre-War Occupation: Homeless during the Seven Hour War, unable to find work after University (History Degree)
Weapons: MP7 Tactical sub-machine Gun, .357 Revolver, CCA Unit Combat Knife, CCA Stunstick Smoke Grenade, Fragmentation Grenade (One primary, one sidearm, and five spread across melee and grenades.)
Gear: (Anything else your character has on them, like flashlights, food, rope, backpack etcetera, skill items are off-limits.) Grappling Hook, CCA (Combine Civil Authority aka Civil Protection) Utility belt, CCA Uniform and Kevlar Armour, CCA Gas Mask, CCA issued flashlight, A small pouch hanging from his belt that he took from an OTA unit (Contains one CCA Ration, some magazines and a picture)

History: He had been left homeless by the time of the Seven Hour War, bitter that all his work had been for nothing. Then came something he could have never thought would be good for him: An alien invasion. They came and destroyed the military, even the best Special Forces of the world were worthless against the new alien threat, and the aliens destroyed cities and peoples and towns and ravaged the landscape before Earths capitulation after just a mere seven hours.
Then came more killing; The disabled, the insane, the weak, the infants. All rounded up and executed in the name of an alien Union
Yet... despite everything, Steven found himself aligning himself with the combines supposed goals. He found Dr.Breen to be a brilliant public speaker and almost any concern on the matter was put to rest by the speeches contained in the Breencasts. After all, they were here to advance humanity to the next level. They removed class, they removed wealth and poverty and world hunger and over population. In a single swipe they had solved the social problems for humanity. For the first time he could recall, everyone was equal. He was given an apartment, food, clothing. The Union may have been terrible for everyone else, but for him it was a god send. Steven's response to the idea that the combine's actions are evil remained ever adamant, brushed off in his faith.
He applied for Civil Protection and never looked back. The Union had given him so much, it was time for him to give back. It was time for him to be the vanguard of a new world, a new human race, an improved human race which could take it's rightful place not just among the stars but in the stars of parallel universes and dimensions as part of the massive and sprawling Universal Union!
And so it began, the same zeal he had placed into his life at school and university, he placed into his duties as a Civil Protection Officer. He became stronger on the CCA rations rather than the citizen gruel, he became more skilled as he fought off antlions, zombies, the occasional rebel and chased down criminals or other dissidents and enforced the Unions law with undying ferocity. Do not think this was an easy task emotionally, either, it was not easy to watch people beg for more food, not easy to have to beat them for simple offences such as swearing, not easy to execute them for disabilities or even to kill his ex-girlfriend and own child, but he 'rose' to it and did it all because he felt it was his duty to humanity and to the union. He thought he was doing it for a greater good, even when it involved hurting himself.
It was during the canals in his second year of service where this became entirely obvious. He and his patrol, five man, became pinned in the canal by three anti-citizens, one equipped with a Remington 870 Shotgun, another with a .357 revolver and one wielding a SVD Dragunov, all weapons from the 'Old World' The Protection Team leader, unit MPF-GRID-03.93192 was de-serviced by a Dragunov shot through the mask, leaving his underlings to scramble to cover. Naturally, command fell to the second highest unit, MPF-APEX-04.66910 as a field promotion, but the unit was a coward, unsuitable for command and had seemingly only been promoted on his ability to beat people hardest. True to his nature, he attempted to flee the scene while yelling into his radio for assistance, only to be hit by a shot from the .357 and to fall into a ditch of toxic waste.
MPF-GRID-05.27762, Steven, took charge. Issuing a quick report into his radio, he had the other two 05's (MPF-GRID-05.11911 and MPF-SHIELD-05.82091) lay down covering fire with their 9mms, Steven proceeded across the canal, moving from cover to cover, and moved against a sewer access tunnel. He then provided covering fire as the first of the 05's crossed, and then those two provided cover as the final made it across. Using the tunnel they were able to quickly circumvent the line of sight from the window where the sniper was perched, and came out in a position to flank the other two Anti-Citizens. A bloody fire fight followed, and the anti-citizen with the Remington was the first to die from stray fire. By this point, the sniper had repositioned and the units once against found themselves under fire and were pinned in position before 11911 was able to get a lucky shot on the snipers leg, making him collapse into the floor in a wounded heap as his Dragunov slid down the side of the canal.
The Anti-citizen with the revolver had used this time to get closer and popped out from behind a section of collapsed bridge, firing a shot into 11911's chest, sending the unit sprawling back onto the floor. Steven attempted to fire his 9mm, only to find it was empty, and so he darted forwards and shoulder barged the Anti-Citizen backwards, tossing his USP-Match to the side and setting upon the anti-citizen. The two wrestled over the Anti-Citizens Revolver while the SHIELD 05 dashed to the side of his fallen comrade, administering first aid. Steven could see the sweat beading down the mans face as he desperately fought him for the revolver, his eyes full of terror as he realised that the 05, having received better food, was inevitably stronger. Steven managed to force the revolver under the mans chin and the anti-citizen let out a frightened yelp that was cut short by the sound of a gunshot.
Steven rolled off the dead anti-citizen, taking the Revolver in one hand and standing, aiming up towards the ridge where the sniper had been... only to find the man had escaped justice. A scanner hovered down into the canal and watched the two, taking pictures as Steven reported over the radio. In response, the Camera took off in search of the wounded anti-citizen. Suffice it to say, he had escaped.
In spite of the best efforts of the SHIELD unit, 11911 did not survive, for the bullet had pierced his lung and the bio-foam was not enough to prevent the unit literally drowning in his own blood. Regardless, the two surviving units received praise and a promotion.
A string of other events, including a brief stay in City 8 in order to combat an uprising, led to Stevens eventual appointment as a high ranking unit in command of his own Section, STORM, a unit dedicated to acting as the MPF's SWAT Units. It was if they failed that Overwatch would intervene. Under Stevens Command, STORM developed further and over it's sixteen year existence and service it became famed for it's heroic deeds with an impressive track record. To the MPF, they were a hammer of justice, to the Citizens, they were the Angels of Death
It was in City 17 that it met it's most humiliating defeat. During Gordan Freemans flight through the Canals, the Overwatch Voice saw fit to call upon STORM to deal with 'Anti-Citizen one'. Despite a series of well planned traps, ambushes and their requisitioned Hunter Chopper, they were unable to stop Anti-Citizen One who brushed them aside almost as easily as he had brushed aside their weaker peers. Although many rebel bases were raided and destroyed by the MPF, and with STORM playing an assistory role in the capture of Eli Vance in Black Mesa East, Overwatch found the overall MPF performance to be lacking due to their failure to stop Anti-Citizen One. After all, he was hardly a soldier, he was just a scientist with a gun and crowbar! The AI decided to make an example of a section, and who better than the infamous STORM to prove that no one is immune to retribution from the Union?
Storms leading figures, including Steven, were quickly packaged up and sent to Nova Prospekt, where they were punished in perhaps one of the brutal ways imaginable. Bound by metallic arms and fully awake, their voice boxes were torn out and replaced with Union Vocoders of the same issue given to OTA personnel, parts of their liver surgically removed (Enough remained for it to regrow over time although it was extremely painful), their appendix sliced out and their genitalia surgically removed. It was rumoured within the MPF that they faced this punishment fearlessly and with surprising calm, though that is not entirely true. Upon the arrival of Gordon Freeman at the facility, they were mostly killed during the teleporter explosion, with only Steven and his Right Hand Man, 830, surviving.
They trudged his way back to the city over the course of two nights, and arrived in time to receive a grand view of the uprising... and the Combines brutal retaliation. Before they could even decide on their course of action, they found themselves staring down gun barrels. Fortunately for the two of them, they were Civil Protection units, including one STORM Unit. The unit proceeded to inform him of the 'purges'. Out of the 84 Storm units who had survived Gordan Freeman's canal killing spree, 70 had been executed by the Combine as punishment. The surviving 14 members had split, with the vast majority remaining with the Union, following the last orders they had received from their commanders. After having experienced the Horrors of Nova Prospekt first hand, hearing of their comrades cruel punishment and upon seeing the way the Combine were unafraid to toss away vast amounts of Civil Protection units into obvious death traps, Steven and 830 declared the Union themselves to be Rogues, and the small group of Units fought alongside the resistance against the combine in City 17.
It was during this battle that the ranks of the Civil Protection were decimated on both sides and by the end of the conflict, just Steven and 830 remained alive from Storms original ranks. They battled meter by bloody meter to the train station in the hopes of escaping. Along the way, they were caught in a horde of fast zombies. There was no way they would ever be able to kill them all, and in a last heroic act 830 charged forwards, distracting the horde and sacrificing himself so that his commander could escape alive.
Eventually, a physically and emotionally broken Steven reached the train station near the edge of the city... and the man who he had once been hunting across the sewers provided cover as Steven escaped aboard a train full of Resistance fighters heading for White Forest.
Mentally scarred by the events even further than he has been scarred physically, he may tell you what he wants is to win the war, but what he really wants is for the enemy to die.

(Sorry, I know you said brief but I got carried away xD)