So...in an effort to try not to intrude on Michael and Lucia's heart-to-heart by accident...or Jean's ability to flirt with everyone who breathed...and to make sure he didn't overhear Freya talking like...that, Isaac made some smalltalk with his fellow Gunner. He had elected to coordinate with and trust the girl hefting the rapid-fire weapon, but he hadn't really heard all that much about her. It was also to get both of their minds off of the obvious mess that use to be a town that loomed before them. Seemed fair, and speaking OF fair, Britta was invited to start.
"Any particular reason it has to be me?""Because people have been hearing little tidbits about me, already.""Not altogether that much, and you volunteered those nuggets of info.""Uhh, ladies first, then?""A gentleman proceeds for a lady's honor.""I'm just a simple farmer, ma'am.""Me too. Well, farming and milling.""Livestock, and domesticating wolves."Their conversation had started out light-hearted and teasing, but now Britta glared at him.
"You're making that up."I'm really not. I was delivering the latest batch for use when I was taken. ...I miss them. Not just my family, but my pack of wolves."Britta remembered, back at the site of Hill 58, the two of them heading for the newly-captured position, Isaac getting a look on his face and muttering 'Memories of home' by way of explanation. Everybody who hadn't volunteered for combat was torn from everything they loved - friends and family, their normal daily life, and all. So, Isaac wasn't kidding at all about the wolves, and...to be honest...you could kind of see it in him. He had the right stare, the quiet attitude that could suddenly grow fierce at a moment's notice, and certainly that desire to look out for others. They'd taught
each other things, hadn't they, during the time he raised his pack... Isaac described what it was like, training those wolves. It was dangerous, but he made it sound like a labor of love. He mentioned these things, and about his recruitment, so...
"I joined to relieve my parents of the costs needed to feed and clothe me. We'd been having a bad year. It was the least I could do. I'd always wanted to travel...but I'd hoped it wouldn't have to be like this. I'll handle myself, don't you worry. I just don't like the circumstances of it all.""I guess my going on about how much I hate recruitment officers doesn't help.""No, I understand completely. The work that either of our families do is important. It's just the circumstances that change it.""Thanks, Britta.""No problem."There was a pause, then...
"So, were you ever bit-""You know the answer to that."So, in the meantime, Jean was getting along with the newest recruit (and newest Darcsen). Good god, it was true. He was going to slowly pull in every single woman who ever lies on him with his supernatural powers. He might not be aware of them, but Jean Robin Charpentier was fucking
magic. Ines was a bit strange, alternatively being friendly and calling Amone a hole...and reminding her of home. Granted, right now, Amone WAS a hole, but it wasn't the town's fault. It was just in the path of devastation, the new battlefield they were gonna have to romp around in. Still, remarks from Ines were a might bit fresher than Luke mouthing off. He took a helluva lot of opportunity to do that, and in his latest...well...he decided he needed to tell off a Darcsen, when his immediate NCO was a Darcsen. This, Isaac mused, was a bad idea even when you consider how much of a nice guy Jean was. His official dressing down of Private Godfrey was NOT kind. In fact, you might say he wasn't so much AS dressed-down as stripped naked by the Corporal's outburst. He dropped an F-Bomb and came pretty close to threatening Luke over this, although he backed off and said that this really wasn't him, the way he does things. Isaac, however, didn't mind following up, so as he stopped by Godfrey.
"Luke, we're not different people in this damn war, so stow the Darcsen hate or any other kind you can think up at the moment. You don't have to like it, but you do have to shut up about it."They continued on, Isaac looking out for their surroundings like a Gunner should, watching the squad when Britta had eyes on their surroundings. That pretty much worked in shifts. He hated the whole Darcsen thing. It's already been said. Jean could make General and still there'd be people looking down on him. It was tragic. They entered Amone and...what a shame. It was once beautiful. Now...this place could've been immediate havoc for all, but as it happened...their breach was still taking them to Federation soldiers Anything could have happened between orders and their appearance here, but things were - at least,
currently - looking up. Well...despite the rain. They met an officer now, and he was one reason why he was glad he'd told off Luke where Jean had stopped. He was a Darcsen, as well, and they didn't need more trouble than they all deserved, at this point. Isaac would've been fine talking with this guy, but Jean was in charge and he could certainly handle things here. Things weren't good. To sum up: The Imperial soldiers could be anywhere, and it was going to take them a while to get where they were going...leaving them ample opportunity to assault them from a large host of locations.
At least with all of us taking this rain in the face, we're gonna end up smelling decent enough.Couldn't say for sure what it would do for visibility or hearing on either side. Dampen it, most likely. Get it? Alright, it was a bad joke, but it was also true. Detection would be harder on BOTH sides. Oh, and there was another thing: They would be taking on a few new items, at least one each. Extra weapons, because apparently trench knives didn't
cut it outside of said trenches. That was a shame. He rather liked his knife. It was well-balanced and keen, plus the knuckles were spiked. Still, they were very insistent, so when it came time for Isaac, he looked at something that he
thought was a hatchet, but was called a prybar. Funny, he thought a prybar would be a metal rod with a wedge. Go figure. He shoved that in his belt as Britta pulled a serrated blade out and shoved it into a spare knife holster. Well, I
say into. It was a bit long, so it was more like shoving it
through. Can't just keep something like that in your belt. It'll cut the thing apart. The captain gave them their directions and told them to move out quickly. He couldn't have the Imperials spotting everyone here and having a feeding frenzy of bullets. Fair understanding, just as they had to understand that going through this half-destroyed town was gonna be like going through a thick forest. Sorry, folks. 'Concrete Jungle', as a term, hasn't been invented yet. Anyway, they were soon getting on their way. They needed to get to those tunnels, hopefully with as little interference as possible.
Oh, what's that? Spoke too soon? God dammit...
There was gunfire! Oh, there was gunfire, alright... It was a machine gun from somewhere, and it was taking purchase of some of the people from the gathering. Well, points to the Captain! He was certainly right about
that! Already a better commanding officer than Middleton! Too bad he might be dead now... Both Isaac and Jean immediately signaled everybody to take cover and keep low and away from whoever just fired. There was...some kind of an engine noise coming from that. Well, that clinched it. Someone had taken their machine gun tour on the road. AND, judging from the shot from the
other direction, they had coordinated to take them from both sides. Jean opened up, Isaac and Britta
followed up, in both directions
That would make them think for a bit, those of whom that managed to avoid eating a succession of bullets. After all, it was still a
street. It made it hard to avoid things in such confined places. The only problem was that Isaac could've sworn he heard bullets hitting a
wall. Damn mist, screwing with their aim... Jean gave out his orders, though, and then they saw that it really WAS A wall!
Good freakin' grief, what the hell is THAT suppose to be?It was a vehicle, obviously, but one that had had steel welded to it - or it was just made out of it - which would make for a great deal of difficulty in trying to hit whoever was making use of it. You have to appreciate the the fact that they took the time to
work on such a thing... Well, for maybe two seconds. Then, it's duck-and-cover time as the thing spat more fire. It wasn't anymore accurate than a machine gun nest was, but then it didn't have to. He was a gunner, so he knew. You just had to open fire enough, and eventually nothing's moving anymore. Well, we can't have
that. As a distraction, Isaac fired a quick burst of his machine gun at where he thought people had to see out of. It was nothing but slits in that thing, highly unlikely he'd get a bullet through, but it'd raise noisy hell and spark, so the machine gun operator would stand back a second.
"Alright, everyone who's with me, with me now!"He'd heard Franz ask Ines to flank the machine, which meant following him, as well. Okay, that meant they would have both Gunners, a Sapper, and a Shocktrooper. Excellent. It wasn't sure WHY that was excellent, but he was working on it, dammit! Isaac got moving into the building on the right, the door being of little consequence in the face of his full-speed self, even if it HAD been locked, which it wasn't. He shouted for everybody to get in and GET DOWN, because no-doubt some gunfire was gonna follow. The one thing that armored thing
couldn't do was follow them inside, so it would have to guess where they were if it wanted to harm any of them.
"Alright, now does anybody have anything that can take out a wheel? Because I can't help but notice it needs those to move!"He was saying this while he and Britta were prepping machine guns to take out anyone on foot that they didn't want to be footing around. Already, he saw someone getting bold. A quick blast and a duck-outta-sight later, that guy was alot
less bold. Also dead. After the operator of the machine gun behemoth was done raising hell for shooting said soldier, Isaac cleared his throat.
"Like I was saying, either we have something right this second to slow it down, or we don't and we're covering our people to get them the hell out of this. That last part's mine and Britta's task, by default. Watch our backs and if you've got any nifty plans on handling that steel-plated jackass, lemme know!"He got back to work, switching back between himself and Britta. By alternating, they wouldn't be sure where the gunfire was gonna come from, at least, wouldn't know where to cast their reprisal. This day was hell, already...
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