Whoami

Falling Skies: 7th Mobile Armor Suit Team

FINALLY managed a post. It's not my greatest work but it'll serve its purpose in getting me back into the motion of things.

Falling Skies: 7th Mobile Armor Suit Team

This wasn't good. The Coalition outnumbered the UEE carrier, outgunned them, they had tech previously unknown to the UEE, they fielded an ace with such tech and worst of all, their element of surprise had done the damage it was supposed to do. Alexis gritted her teeth and watched on the holo-display as not one, but three of her pilots were falling planetside. She wanted to deploy a gunship with a squad of marines to go and retrieve them, but that wasn't an option with the Coalition's space superiority, the retrieval team would get torn to pieces before even breaking atmosphere. Readouts inside of her ultra-light armor were telling her the odds which she hated to see, unfortunately for Alexis, she couldn't ignore them, not this time.

McKnight's call for a tactical withdraw was a wise move, she was glad that the chain of command didn't shatter when Trapp went down. When she heard Aston's advice, she nodded; though the battle armor she was wearing hid the gesture. "Affirmative, McKnight. All units RTB. Gemini I, Gemini II, disengage and attach to the Lincoln. Deck guns one and two, target the destroyer engaging Gemini I. Deck guns three and four, target the destroyer on Gemini II's flank."

Alexis had to hand it to the crew of Gemini II. The ship was taking on two destroyers by itself to save its crippled sister ship and gave the two Coalition ships hell. Despite the damage the UEE cruiser caused, it was still a losing fight, at least until the high power cannons from the Lincoln lined up their shots. The barrage started with the first destroyer taking three hits from heavy ordnance on its port side. One managed to completely pierce the armor and damage the life support systems. Another barely hit, but luckily the shot hit the communications array along the spine of the ship, it wouldn't be able to effectively coordinate. The third hit directly struck the port side heavy cannon, detonating the high explosive rounds loaded in it. The combined fire from Gemini II and the Lincoln had managed to effectively disable the destroyer, which cleared the escape for Gemini I. If they made it out of this battle, Alexis would send a marine squad to board the disabled destroyer and capture the crew who managed to get their personal life support equipment on in time; she'd get enough intel on Jehan and its installations from the captain.

The second barrage aiming for the other destroyer only succeeded in landing two shots. One was a glancing hit, causing superficial damage to the armor layer of the destroyer. The second was more to the effect Alexis wanted as the round pierced straight through the damaged armor from the first and detonated underneath the armor layer. Steel plates blasted out from the gaping wound. A quick scan of the destroyer revealed that the hit had damaged the destroyer's artificial gravity systems. It was enough to stun the crew of the destroyer but it wouldn't be long for their wits to return and start to return fire.

"I want a low power WMG shot in that breach." Marquis demanded.

The gunnery officer at his console looked over to her, "Ma'am that's a small target to hit at this distance and Gemini II wont be clear of the firing line."

He was right, while the shot was possible, it was risky. Even a shot from the WMG at low power could finish a ship if it was damaged enough, just like the destroyer and Gemini II. If the shot missed the destroy, Gemini II would be reduced to slag with nobody left to save. She looked at the holo-display for a moment and then found a way. "Echo, you're staying out there a little while longer. Land on the hull of the Lincoln near a point defense battery, we need your MAS's advanced targeting to fine tune our shot and get Gemini II out of its predicament. The PD will keep you clear of any enemies up close, the ship's shields will protect you from long range shots."

The ship AI would take care of handling the firing solution. Sovereign Thunder would act as a laser designator, then the shot would go from hard to relatively easy. She would plan to retreat to the cover of the moon after clearing her battlegroup. From there, any forces that'd try to engage them would need to bring themselves into melee range. Melee, in the context of a space battle, was when two or more ships were so close together that firing solutions weren't needed. In melee, the exchange of fire is so violent that neither ship would come out without injuries. But the Lincoln was a tough ship, its armor and shields, along with its battleship-class weaponry could easily prevail in a melee against anything short of a real battleship to come around the moon. If the coalition sent Hardballers from the moon's surface, she'd have a marine firebase set up on the moon, with the remainder of the 7th stop them. With the cover of the moon, the Lincoln and its assets could lick their wounds while Alexis could orchestrate a rescue operation for her downed pilots on Jehan.

"Hurry it up, Echo, that destroyer will be firing on Gemini II any minute now. We've gotta sink it before that happens."

The Spirits Within: Stigma

I'm just relatively quiet on OOCs, but I always keep my eyes on it all. :)

The Spirits Within: Stigma

I can assure you the buzz for this RP (at least for me) is still around. I've had to double the size of my swatter twice already.

Falling Skies: 7th Mobile Armor Suit Team

Tonight/tomorrow night is slotted for writing a good old gm post to get us back into the swing of things!

We'll be advancing the space battle, as well as starting Trapp's "side quest"

@vietmyke

Good! I need this so I can get my s&!t together and actually produce a post.

The Spirits Within: Stigma

Kade's memories are added in proper!

The Spirits Within: Stigma

@Whoami
Could you complete the memories for Kade, please, dear?

@Prisk

*salutes* Yes, ma'am!

The Spirits Within: Stigma

Posted! Enjoy the Kade's nightmare!! ^.^

The Spirits Within: Stigma

Kade Sicario

"Ah!" Kade shot up from her bed. She gripped her blankets tight, her breath heaving. Sweat dripped off of her chin and hair.

She looked around her room, it was dark and quiet. Subtle blue light poured through the window, day still hadn't come. Kade looked at the alarm clock, 5:34... She wanted to get up at 8:00... Kade took a deep breath, swallowed her fear and got out of bed. "What's wrong with me..." she whispered to herself as she placed her forehead in her hand.

She stood in silence for a minute or two, mulling things over before finally moving toward the bathroom. "No going back to sleep now..."

Kade took a goo twenty minute shower and came back out into her dorm with just her towel around her neck. She took her phone from the night stand beside her table and dialed a number. The phone rang for half a minute but somebody finally answered. "... Hello?"

"Dr. Brant." Kade said, her voice shaky.

There was a sigh over the phone, "Kade... It's six in the morning... Go back to sl-"

"It changed..." she spoke and bit her lip.

"The nightmare?" Kade nodded, despite knowing he obviously couldn't see her reaction, he responded anyways, "Alright. Head on over. My door will be unlocked." Kade could hear him groan as he got himself out of bed.

"Thank you." she said and hung up the phone.

Kade didn't think about her attire today, she put on a black t-shirt and wore a white zipper hoodie over top of it. For pants, Kade took a pair of slim fitting black denim. She fixed her hair a bit so it wasn't completely disastrous although it wasn't made up to her usual standard. Kade quickly gathered all of the things she'd need for the day and put it all in a backpack before leaving the dorm.

It was just past six, and the air was still crisp from the night. The sun was peeking over the horizon. Stars still dominated the sky, obscured by sparse white clouds. She took a deep breath and headed for the psychiatrist's office. It was a brief five minute walk, Kade was set in a dorm not far from it as per the headmaster's instruction; she didn't know if it was a gesture of goodwill or one of pity. Nevertheless, it made things fit well into her normal schedule.

Kade was thankful that she had made this trip in the early morning. She didn't like talking to her friends about what she was explaining to the psychiatrist, though they knew she went for something. Kade found great comfort with her friends, even the ones who were somewhat apprehensive around her were able to stem her night terrors (that was what Dr. Brant had called them). Kade had a feeling that they were more than night terrors. Every time she slipped into her nightmares, it was always a repeat of the same events but amplified by her mind. There were details in her dreams that weren't there when they actually happened, details that were blaring right at Kade so that she could question them and provoke some sort of thought. They weren't just figments of her imagination, Kade believed they were signs.

She came to Dr. Brant's door and opened it. She was greeted with the doctor sitting in his leather chair, holding onto a clipboard in one hand and a mug of fresh coffee in the other. "Good morning, Kade. Have a seat."

Kade closed the door and removed her white running shoes, heading toward the couch afterward. She didn't look at the doctor, she felt guilty for waking him up at such an early hour, but she could feel his eyes on her. As she sat, the doctor yawned and followed it up with a sip of his coffee. He gestured toward the coffee maker, "Want some?"

Kade shook her head and the doctor set his mug down on a small table next to her chair. He pulled a pen from his shirt pocket and started writing some things down. "So... This is the fourth time in a row that you've had these nightmares. You've just beaten your streak."

Kade looked at the floor and remained quiet. Dr. Brant continued, "Now I know how this dream plays out by now... But since it has apparently changed, why don't you start from the beginning?" He sat back in his seat and brought a leg up to rest on his other knee.

(Mood Music)

Kade took in a breath and nodded, "It started the same... Samuel and I playing at his parent's house. I ran to go hide, I could hear Samuel counting in the other room. I quietly slip into the coat closet next to the door and wrap myself in the coats so I can blend in better. When I hear Samuel say 'Ready or not, here I come', I remain entirely still. I can see him through the openings in the closet, he just stands in the middle of the room, arms at his side. He grins at first, then looked out the window on the door, his grin changes to a look of horror, he looks directly at me. Then before he or I can say anything, the wall collapses behind me, the coats cushion me from the debris but the weight of it all pins me to the floor." Kade started to shake on the couch as she recalled the nightmare, Dr. Brant just continued writing, "I hear a heavy thump and open my eyes, I see the black claw of a Mordrem not even two feet away from my head. Its growls rumbles the floor and shakes my mind. My breath gets caught in my throat, it feels like I'm going to suffocate myself. I can't take my eyes off of Samuel but... This is when it changes..."

Dr. Brant looked up at Kana and listened intently. "Go on." he urged.

"Samuel doesn't look at the Mordrem like he normally does. He looks right at me. That look of horror on his face returns to a grin, an unnatural one. His lips stretch back further than normal. He points at me, and the Mordrem turns. I try to dig myself out of the rubble, screaming at Samuel to stop looking at me... He bursts into flames, his skin peeling while he grins and points the Mordrem to me. I can feel the monsters breath hot on my cheek. I close my eyes, tell myself it's just a dream... Just a dream... Everything is black," a tear ran down Kade's cheek, "The noise of the people screaming in the background disappears. Then I can feel the Mordrem disappear. I don't hear the crackling of Samuel's fire... When I try to open my eyes, I find that I am unable to. I use my free hand feel my face, my eyes are sewn shut."

The doctor took a deep breath and shifted in his seat. It was clear the detailed explanation of her nightmare was making him uncomfortable. It was so, so different from what Kade's nightmare normally entailed. Dr. Brant cleared his throat and gestured, "Continue. Please."

Kade closed her eyes tight, another tear squeezed from her eye and traveled down her cheek. "I scream. I hear my voice echoing off of concrete walls. I scream and scream and scream, 'Why can't I see?' I wonder... Then I heard a voice, 'You don't need eyes where you're going'. Then, in the darkness of my own vision, an eye opens in front of me. I try to look away, but it's behind my eyelids, it goes wherever I look. The eye stares at me intensely, I try to use my free hand to force my eyes open. Then I feel my trapped hand get pierced, something sharp drives through it. I scream and watch the unavoidable eye as a black hand bleeds from its pupil... It's my hand... No... It's Samuel's... Yet, it's also the claw of the Mordrem... I put my free hand over my face in an attempt to block the view, but I see the eye anyways as that horrible hand reaches closer toward me. I thought it was behind my eyelid, but then I felt that hand take my own and start pulling me toward the pupil. I try to pull mine away, but I feel that same sharp thing drive through it." Kade started to rub her hands together nervously, "Then the eye turns completely black, the hand still pulls be closer toward it. Before I know it, the eye is now a mouth, pulled back in Samuel's horrifying grin. The teeth are razor sharp, the black hand continues to pull me into the mouth. I can feel its razor sharp teeth dragging across my back... Then... As it bites down... Devours me. I wake up."

The doctor simply stared at Kade as she shook and shedded more tears. She looked up from the floor, directly back to him, "What does it mean?" her voice was still shaken but there was a tone in it that suggested she had to find out.

He took a deep breath and looked at his clipboard, he was so distracted by the morbid story that he didn't even write anything down, but the image she painted for him was enough to remember. He tapped his pen on the clipboard repeatedly as he thought. Kade just took heavy breaths to try and calm herself down. After a half minute of silence, Dr. Brant looked back to Kade and smiled, "I'll need a short while to look into this. While most dreams are just thoughts of your subconsciousness put into visual form, there are some things that mean things. I'm still not convinced that this is more than just night terrors brought upon by traumatic events in your past, but nevertheless, there are some things that raise questions." Dr. Brant stood up, "I'll contact you soon, Kade. Just... Listen to some upbeat music for now and spend time with your friends. It was just a dream, so you have nothing to worry about."

Kade nodded slowly and eventually stood with him. She was guided to the door, "Thanks, Dr. Brant... It was just a dream. Of course..." she took a large breath and left.

Kade look around the garden in the middle of the dormitory grounds. She saw that others were beginning to wake and go about their morning rituals. "Good morning, Kade..." she mumbled to herself and reached into her pocket, pulling out a music player and earphones. Kade put the earphones in and selected a song to listen to. Kade looked around the garden from her place right outside Doctor Brant's door and didn't see anybody she was close with.

"So much for spending time with my friends..." she looked at the time, Only 6:45. "Not even the Surfer's Rest is open yet."

Kade pushed herself from the rail and started walking toward the stairs that led to the ground level. "Maybe I can go find Alabaster or Eric to bug. I imagine one of 'em would be awake by now."

Kade walked slowly, she wasn't in any hurry, it'd give the others time to get their lazy asses out of bed. A few acquaintances of Kade passed her and wished their good mornings. She returned them but didn't try to make any small talk. She was too tired to make conversation just yet. Kade had to climb another set of stairs on the opposite side of the garden to get to the level both Alabaster and Eric were on. Her first stop was Alabaster's room, she knocked first, "It's Kade. You awake?"

The Spirits Within: Stigma

I'm going to try and get around to writing up a full memory section for Kade sometime soon so it's up to eberybody elses' standard.