Turn 6: The Gateway to Hell

[Corporal Hicks]

Corporal Henniger was the first to squeeze off rounds as the creature bowled toward them. Two bursts lit up the dim room, and the xenomorph’s flat, bull-like head acted like a target on the range. If it was a target, Henniger got the bullseye, twice. Without even a scream, the alien collapsed, its armored limbs thumping in a bunch as they hit the grated metal floor. Its body skidded forward a few more meters before coming to a stop.

“Clear!” shouted Soles through his rebreather. The Marines regrouped and prepared to continue their sweep, making sure to avoid the acid blood of the aliens. The big bull grow was dead where it lay, but there were plenty of the panicked beasts still glued to the floor, or clustering madly in the corners.

First Squad declared the southern section of the building to be entirely clear, and they leap frogged forward, passing Second Squad and moving into the north side of the feedlot. There were no more xenomorphs, but plenty of signs that they had been here. The pitiful groans of the trapped grow gave the whole area an ominous feeling, as if they were standing in the gateway to Hell.

“Staff Sergeant,” said Paulson, in a stressed tone of voice. “You better take a look at this…” Morse and the rest of the squad moved toward one of the northernmost pens in the feedlot. The floor was ripped out, and the gate had been snapped off its hinges. Where the floor had been was a dark hole, coated with resin, and three meters diameter. The Marines aimed their shoulder lamps down into the pit, but the light barely illuminated anything beyond the entrance to the tunnel. In the silence, a pin drop could have been heard, and their ears picked up a faint baying coming from somewhere deep inside.
<Tag Marines>

[eyeball]

Paulson kept the hole covered both visually and with motion scanner while he waitted on others to make descisions as to wether they where going in.

He definately didn't want too but was almost certain they would.
<roll perception>
<roll motion scanner>

[Pale Rider]

"Staff Sergeant,” said Paulson, in a stressed tone of voice. “You better take a look at this…” Morse and the rest of the squad moved toward one of the northernmost pens in the feedlot. The floor was ripped out, and the gate had been snapped off its hinges. Where the floor had been was a dark hole, coated with resin, and three meters diameter.

MSg. Soles stepped forward and took in the hole.
"I need a scan of the hole. I also want topography map and a geological survey of this location asap. Second Squad, set up a defensive formation and bring the APC into the barn and setup a FOB."

<Tag GM and Squad>

[Quicksilver]

Giosso pulled himself up off the ground where he'd dove to evade the charging xenomorph. Still keeping his weight mostly off his bruised shin, he slung his shotgun.

"It's like being in on the most horrifying ant-hill." Giosso commented.

Suppressing a wince on the first step, Mark started moving back towards the APC, already thinking through the adjustments that would be required to get the system to scan down through the concrete and dirt.

[BarbarianMathematics]

Pvt Blake takes a half-step closer to the edge of the hole, crouching low and shining her shoulder lamp down the tunnel. The glare off the resin twists in the dark. She exhales quietly through her nose. She stands again, eyes flicking between the snapped gate, the distorted pit, and the grim faces around her. Her voice is low, controlled, clipped in that way she gets when she’s switching into analysis mode, “That’s definitely not structural damage. That’s… based on the coating and the shape, I’d bet they’ve tunneled farther than we want to know. Could be a nest or a route. Either way—this is a kill zone waiting to happen.”

She glances back at Soles, calm and direct. She addresses him properly, “Sir. You want the APC pulled up for FOB setup, I’ve got the keys. Just confirm... whole vehicle in, or just uplink gear deployed? Radio me the answer.”

She raises the shotgun up as she starts to head back toward the APC, keeping light ahead of her to make sure there aren't any more lurking on the path back.

<Tag Soles, GM>

[Corporal Hicks]

As the Marines covered the entryway to the tunnel, Giosso and Blake kicked into action. Giosso linked into the feedlot computer and quickly discovered that the power wire had been cut. As Blake pulled up with the APC, they connected it to the feedlot with a simple extension cord. With the systems online, Giosso opened up the emergency venting hatches on the roof and turned on the lights. The collected gasses poured out the roof into the atmosphere. It would cause some ecological harm, but that was an extremely low priority at the moment.

The Marines removed their rebreathers and Paulson took back his treasured flamethrower with a sigh of relief. In a minute or two, Staff Sergeant Wesley and the other mercenary soldiers arrived and began to set up sentry guns around the entry way. With four of the heavy, automated weapons in place, the Marines could relax for the moment.

Giosso had not been idle, and with some help from Private Blake, he managed to run a scan for PDTs, or personal data transmitters. The computer located 27 civilian signals and 5 mercenary signals. They were estimated at roughly 160 meters to the north, but they were also 40 to 50 meters underground.

Lieutenant Fletcher exited the APC bearing the bad news they all had been waiting for. They were going into that hole. “Sorry guys, I got some bad news,” he said quietly, “I’ve got orders from headquarters back at Hessenau. We have been ordered to make entry as rapidly as possible. Well, once the warhead gets here. They are flying one in with the Heimlich. I think you all heard about the Marines of the Twenty-Second who made entry into another xenomorph tunnel system and delivered a warhead. That mission was successful, and we have orders to attempt the same thing. We are to take the warhead to a central chamber, near the bottom of the nest, and then detonate it remotely. We are also going to rescue as many civilians as practical. The Twenty-Second had more support than this, but we don’t have time to wait for reinforcements. Those people won’t be alive for long, so I told command that we don’t have time to wait. Gear up now, because the payload is almost here.”
<Tag everyone>

The Marines returned to the APC to make any loadout changes. A few items stood out as being more useful in tunnels. Flashlights, flares, and claymore mines seemed better than grenades that would likely bring the tunnel down on their heads. Additionally, Sergeant Wesley offered them four sentry guns which took time to set up, but were perfect for guarding choke points. The kits were heavy, and bringing them was going to mean leaving other gear behind. Staff Sergeant Wesley also reluctantly agreed to come with and bring whatever troops he could spare, but many of the mercs were wounded, and some were needed to defend the remaining population and the entrance.
<Tag everyone>

As the Marines completed gearing up, they saw the unwelcome sight of the USS Heimlich as it landed nearby. The ramp lowered down and a couple of technicians came rapidly, but carefully, down. They brought the warhead to the Marines and set it gingerly on the floor of the APC. Somebody had to carry that nightmare down in there. But it was time to go, and time to see if anybody would opt for the court martial instead of the mission.

(OOC: It's game time. I'm working with Pale Rider and squad leaders for Marine loadouts, but feel free to choose your kit.)

[Quinn]

For his sins, Sixtus had followed along with the platoon in a kind haze, a trance. Stuck in his own mind. He still defaulted to his training, but it was rote, with none of the deliberate, professional action. While the rest of the platoon went to change out their gear, Sixtus stayed at the hole and watched it with the flashlight trained on it. (Roll Awareness)

Being alone for those few minutes let him shake himself mentally. The waitress from the Beerwolf, Inge, had been taken from her home and stolen away by these... monsters, aliens, creatures that seemed straight from an H.R. Giger art piece. The stuff of nightmares. And the woman who had spent a few wonderful hours with him earlier was down there. If they moved fast, they should be able to reach them before they were implanted... infected. And he wouldn't be able to help her if he didn't get his shit sorted and squared away.

"Staff Sergeant, Quinn. No movement at the breach."

[eyeball]

Paulson was relieved to have the incinerator back and in the confined tunells it should be a nice bonus to squad fire power. he also replaced his two grenades with one claymore, it was heavier but would cover a retreat without causing structral damage. otherwise he remained unchanged, spare cylinder and combat knife was all he regularly carried he was not a big bloke.
he looked at the warhead and realised they were going to have to carry it in teams it looked big bulky and bloody heavy, maybe 4 people to share carrying and the rest to defend, not ideal at all but better than some possibilities.
now geared back up Paulson waited with first squad ready to go.