“Nah.” He shakes his head. “Just came to check on by. Though, I heard some things on the grape vine. Apparently Cope is the reason we’re even in this Swamp in the first place? Nobody likes to talk about it in detail though.”

You sigh, shaking your head. Guess you’ll have to explain. “Sergeant Cope misled us. Claimed that he had an Orbital Relay, told us all to get to Hill 47 so we could rally together. He never had one. Or if he did, he left it behind. He probably knew about the Navy leaving way before any of us did.” Rutledge nods, his smirk dropping a little when you explain it. “So yeah, it’s understandable people feel like they’ve been lied to.”

“I’d have shot him when I heard that news,” says Rutledge. “That’s a terrible thing to keep from your people.”

“He claims it was for morale,” you say. “Truth be told, the way people are acting, I can sorta understand it.”

Rutledge shakes his head, standing up straight now and walking into the armory. “Nuh-uh, buddy. Listen, if you can’t trust your subordinates to act like decent people when given bad news like that? Not a great sign of a leader if you ask me. It affects everyone that kind of information. It has to be let out as soon as possible. Otherwise, what, you’re getting people’s hopes up for nothing.” He snorts, looking at a few of the rifles left on the table. Several powerpacks are left in a crate as well too by them.

“Noted,” you say, a little awkward. Rutledge smiles, looking at you.

> “You know Cope and Harrell aren’t too fond of you.”
> “If any of your people want to volunteer for the mission, let me know.”
> “I’ve been meaning to ask you, what’s your intention? If the Navy comes back, what are you going to do?”
> Other

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9y-n9B_XUM

Welcome back to No One Gets Left Behind Quest. Last time, you battled against a giant snake stuck inside the ship, tried to command around a group of Deinos, and got to relaxing with your fellow soldiers. But now you've been told to go on a scouting mission outside back into the Swamp towards Hill 47. And worse, you overheard some mean words from Sergeant Cope and Lieutenant Harrell about you in particular.

The archive is here: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=No+One+Gets+Left+Behind

As per usual, I'll be leaving this OP up overnight. Go ahead and leave your votes in and we shall return once I get home from work tomorrow around 6pM EST. If you got questions, dump them and I shall get to them.

>>3239263
>> “You know Cope and Harrell aren’t too fond of you.”

>No One Gets Left Behind
I was left behind 4 threads ago.

>>3239263
>> “You know Cope and Harrell aren’t too fond of you.”
> Other
Ain't too fond of me, either.

>>3239263
>> “You know Cope and Harrell aren’t too fond of you.”

>>3239263
>"Keep an eye on the Dinos while I'm gone, would you?"

>>3239323
>>3239690
>>3239723
Why do you want to clue this rat in on the situation? He's probably a deserter and is constantly kissing our ass. Probably so he can influence us into taking command, giving him influence and power.

I'm serious though. Sure he's been friendly with the others, kinda, but he's constantly going out of his way to 'bump into us' or impress us.

>>3239778
At some point, if we don't off Cope, he's going to off us. Likely when we're least expecting and unprepared, too. It's good to have allies, even if one is a snake.

>>3239778
Rutledge isn't stupid; even if we don't outright tell him it's not like it's hard for him to figure out that both of them hate his guts.

>>3239778
Supporting.

> “You know Cope and Harrell aren’t too fond of you.”

“You know, Cope and Harrell aren’t too fond of you.”

“Say it ain’t so!” He looks at you, completely knowing but apparently feigning surprise. Very badly feigning you should say. It may be intentional. “Let me be honest with you, buddy. I know I can come across as disagreeable but I try to be a nice guy and a mediator in all things.”

“Comes with the used car salesman thing?” you ask.

“Sure. But. We are stronger together,” he says. “At least in theory we are. Some people, they just drag everyone else down with them.” He walks up to you. “You ask me, I bet Cope is trying to find an excuse to get rid of you. Harrell too. Because you know what? You’re threatening their power structure.” He-… is not wrong. “That’s what the Dominion is built on you know. Keep the workers down, keep the rich up. Harrell might like you but the officers back on the ship if we get back?” He shakes his head, pointing to you. “Common scum. Proles. Hicks. I guarantee you, we ain’t getting medals for surviving a hell like this. And Cope? Well. Shit. I’m just surprised a working man like Cope actually has to work with Harrell on something like that.”

“Harrell’s probably one of the few people who tolerate him these days,” you say. “Everyone knows what Cope is about considering the lie and all.”

He snaps his fingers, grinning. “That’s probably why. Still, buddy. I got your back. I like you. And more importantly I like being in a group that doesn’t completely self-destruct over drama and other things. Hell, if I were a woman, I’d probably frak all the guys in here just to get them to shut up about it. But instead we gotta settle for Graves. Apparently she has ‘standards’.”

“Watch yourself.” You step close to him, the grin on his face dropping slightly.

“Alright, buddy. Don’t mean any offense,” he says. “Listen, I’ll keep the home fires burning for you when you’re gone, okay?” With that, Rutledge nods to you and takes his leave. It seems he’s come to the same conclusions you are though. Is the Dominion really going to appreciate what’s happened down here? Would they really swallow their pride and admit that yes, they left people to die, and yes, they need your help to win the war? Would they even give you a second look? Would they even –know you’re here-? You sigh, rubbing your nose.

It’s completely in-character honestly for them to just abandon you down here.

>>3241325
With that though, you’ve kitted up enough. Now you just need to round up your scout team.

Who do you want to take?

> PICK THREE AVAILABLE SOLDIERS (Rutledge, Burke, Cope, Harrell, and Joffrey are unavailable. Only one Plasma cannon is available for Heavy Weps)
> G. TIERNEY (Heavy Weapons Specialist – Plasma Cannon)
> P. NIELSON (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
> J. MORRISON (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
> D. TOMBS (Medic – Plasma Rifle)
> M. GRAVES (Medic – Plasma Rifle)
> A. GODWIN (Heavy Weapons Specialist – Flamethrower)
> S. STOAKES (Heavy Weapons Specialist – Plasma Cannon)
> J. WEXLEY (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
> J. HOOD (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
> W. CONNELL (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
> B. GRIMSHAW (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
> M. EARLY (Pilot – Plasma Carbine)
> Q. WHITNEY (Pilot - Plasma Carbine)
> F. BRYCE (Combat Engineer – Plasma Carbine)
> B. BANNER (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
> P. LEVY (Grenadier – Plasma Carbine + Type 54 Grenade Launcher)
> O. SMITTY (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
> Delta (Wait, you seriously want to bring a Steno with you?)
> The Wife (Uh. She’s a Deino.)
> Go Alone
> Don’t go just yet.
> Other

>>3241332
>> P. NIELSON (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
>> J. MORRISON (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
>> D. TOMBS (Medic – Plasma Rifle)
I think we should go with people we can trust, which pretty much means our original gang. No heavy weapons since we're scouting; shouldn't even be getting into protracted firefights.

>>3241332
> G. TIERNEY (Heavy Weapons Specialist – Plasma Cannon)
This is a scouting mission, not anything that we need to be taking a squad on. The Heavy Weapon will help if we get in a pinch. I'm fine choosing someone else, but we shouldnt take more than one imo

>>3241344
Supporting
>>3241432
I'd rather bring more people because the last time we went out if only one other person once Burke got tagged by that sniper we were in so much shit. At least if something happens now we have a person or two that can go back and get help if needed.

>>3241480
When you bring 3 others, who aren't scouts btw, you're basically asking to either be discovered, or not be able to get close enough to really see anything

>>3241332
> D. TOMBS (Medic – Plasma Rifle)
> W. CONNELL (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)

>>3241344
>>3241432
>>3241480
>>3241504
I prefer a fireteam of three people. Not too many and a backup in case one gets tagged.

>> P. NIELSON (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
>> J. MORRISON (Rifleman – Plasma Rifle)
>> D. TOMBS (Medic – Plasma Rifle)

You hand Nielson his plasma rifle. “Alright,” says Morrison. “So basic plan is to just take a look at Hill 47, move on, right?” You nod. Morrison tilts his head, pointing to the DAB you’re carrying on your back. “What’s with that then? You know that’s the only DAB we have here, right?”

“It’s just in case we run into some big trouble,” you say. Or a Rex.

“Oh, expecting big trouble then?” asks Nielson. “Can I back out?” You motion to the door. He’s free to if he wants to. But Nielson snickers, gently punching you before quickly grabbing a powerpack and loading up. The four of you were readying up in the armory now. You picked out Nielson and Morrison from the common room and Tombs from the Medbay. The four of you should be plenty, or even too many, for a scouting mission outside. You hand a set of binoculars to Nielson as well.

“Been working with our radios?” you ask.

He nods, taking the binoculars and setting them into his satchel. “Sure have been. Most of our short ranges should work. The big question is if we want to use them, considering Lizard ECM could probably have us on our asses in short order.” That’s fair. But it’ll be for emergencies you’d reckon, something that demands immediate attention. “Harrell wants me to try and get some of the stuff in the Command truck working in my spare time too. If the Dominion comes back, we need some way to call them when they drop in after all.”

“Can you fix anything in there?” you ask.

“Not really,” he says. “But maybe we’ll find some parts. Who knows?” Optimistic, Nielson. Very optimistic.

Morrison says, “You ask me, I’m just glad to be going out for a walk. I’m getting real sick of Grimshaw and the others.”

“The wife thing?” asks Nielson. Morrison nods. “My sympathies.”

“Alright, we all ready?” Everyone nods. “Alright, come on. Let’s get going.” You open the door to the armory and find Graves talking with Rutledge again. You point to her. “Graves, take care of Tierney, make sure she doesn’t leave in some rescue attempt if we’re not back by nightfall.”

“Got it.” Graves gives a lazy thumbs up. A little more enthusiasm, please.

You open the door to the outside and step on out with your crew. The Wife barks at you, as do the other Deinos. Delta as well has apparently taken to his new outdoor digs quite well, chirping as Stoakes feeds them fresh meat. “There, there.” Stoakes hold out a cut of steak to Delta. Delta snaps at her hands, hissing. “Hey! Rude.” Stoakes holds the meat out again. Delta takes it and starts chomping. She giggles, watching him before turning to the Deinos. They stare at her, hissing and snarling. “… eh. Mornin’, Wife. Want some breakfast?” The Wife growls, cocking her head. “Yeah. Guess you do.” Stoakes holds up the bucket then starts feeding them.

The four of you head north, at casual pace. No need to strain yourself right now. Morrison looks up at the sky, sighing. “You’d think the Dominion would’ve been back by now.”

“It’s an exclusion zone, that’s what they said,” says Nielson. “Nobody gets in or out unless they say otherwise.”

“Why though?” asks Morrison. He looks at Nielson. Tombs brings up the rear, hands on his rifle as he stares ahead. Morrison says, “We could’ve been out of here ages ago if they knew we were down here.”

“Maybe they already know,” says Tombs. “And they just don’t care.” Nielson and Morrison look back at him. “You ever consider that?”

Morrison snorts. “Ain’t you just a ray of sunshine.” He looks at you. “I love this guy, you know? Ever feel like you’re happy and you decide ‘I really want my day to be frakking ruined’? Just talk to this guy.”

“Well, hey.” Nielson looks at you. “I’m sure they’ll come eventually, right?”

> “They will.”
> “We gotta expect that they won’t.”
> “Quiet. We’re on a business trip, people.”
> Other

>>3241787
>> Other
Whether they come back or not isn't the point. We're getting this ship running, and if we can't get it running, then I'm slingshotting all of you into space at the Dominion fleet. If that doesn't work, then you can be royalty in my Dino kingdom

>>3241787
>“They will.”

Sorry for the short life of these updates but I gotta go to sleep now. I will update once I get back from work tomorrow same time. Hope to see you there.

>>3241835
Exnay onay ethay inoday ingdonkay.

>>3241787
>“Quiet. We’re on a business trip, people.”

>>3241787
Pretty entertaining treating creatures as smart as humans like dogs. They're probably not too thrilled about it.

>>3242273
It was clearly a joke. If not to the mc, then to the rest of the squad at least.

>>3241787
>> Other
Let's focus on surviving for now. No point of them coming back if we're all not around to be there.

>>3241787
>> “They will.”

> “They will.”
> Other

“They will. But hey, if they don’t, we get the ship running. If we can’t get it running. I slingshot all of you into space at the Fleet. If that doesn’t work well.” You sigh, looking at them. “I dub all thee my newest knights in my kingdom.”

Nielson grins, snickering. “Hehe. Fine by me, boss. We shall also claim our right to primae noctae and indulge ourselves in the growth of your new kingdom.” He bows to you. “My Lord.” You give him the finger in response.

Morrison says, “He’s right though. Fleet will come back. They gotta at some point.” Tombs is quiet at that. Nielson’s grin drops as well. You sigh, looking back ahead. For now, you had business to attend to. Truth be told, you’re not sure yourself now if they’ll come back. For what, a couple of dozen people? Not exactly worth risking a whole new invasion for in your personal opinion.

Still, there was stuff to do now. You had to go and take a look at the Hill. It was time to pick up the pace.

…

…

The four of you got low and hid in the bushes as you crept up close to the river. You could already hear the sounds of Lizards across the way, vocalizing and chatting with each other. You stop the group, then take out your binoculars and brace yourself on a nearby rock.

From what you can see now, things were not good.

The defenses indeed have not only expanded, they’ve –strengthened- since you were last here. The north bank was now covered with what look to be metal hedgehog anti-tank traps, slit trenches lined with sandbags and timbers, and stakes on the river bank lined with razor wire. You could see at least three of those crankguns in spread out sandbag positions facing down the river, crewed diligently by Stenos. Troodon formed the infantry in the trenches, with Raptors walking between glancing at them and making sure they’re watching.

You could also see several Stenos walking across the river bank, setting down a sign with a big red X on it before planting down discs into the mud. Mines. They have a triceratops wheeling a carriage full of the things behind them. And they densely pack the mines into the ground, at least two or three from what you can see for every square meter. Might cause a chain reaction.

And as for other defenses, you notice too a high tower on the hill itself, with two Stenos glancing out with sniper rifles. They don’t seem to have spotted you yet.

“Those look like some serious defenses,” says Morrison.

“Yeah. We’re never gonna break that, not even with the Deinos,” Nielson mutters. You have to admit, it looks foolhardy to even try.

> Keep observing.
> You’ve seen enough, time to head back.
> Maybe you should try and cross, see how close you can get.
> Other

>>3244223
>> Keep observing.

>>3244223
>> You’ve seen enough, time to head back.

>>3244223
>> Maybe you should try and cross, see how close you can get.

>>3244223
>> You’ve seen enough, time to head back.

> You’ve seen enough, time to head back.

“Alright, let’s not push our luck here,” you say. “Let’s head back and relay what we found.”

Nielson and Morrison nod. Tombs is first to withdraw, being in the back. You all follow him out. You look back and check once more. The Stenos in the towers so far haven’t seen you at all. If they’ve managed to build a tower up there in the short time since you last saw Hill 47, then they probably have serious arms and investment up there. Surface level, it already looks suicidal. But you can’t imagine the second or third line of defense up there. It’ll be thick fighting just to get up the hill. And it’s guaranteed an assault means someone is going to die.

You mull on that as you walk back with the team. “No way we can assault that,” says Nielson.

“If Harrell says we have to, do we have a choice?” asks Morrison.

“There’s always a choice,” Nielson remarks. “I mean, come on! Mines! Heavy machine guns? Trenches? Wires, all that frakking stuff?” He shakes his head, clear concern on his face. Harrell was probably right. You probably missed a chance to attack and now Hill 47 is defended to shit. “If Harrell and Cope throw us at that hill, we’re done for!”

“That Hill was supposed to be our extraction site too if the Dominion comes back.” Morrison sighs, rubbing at his nose.

Tombs says, “We can’t dwell on it now. I think Hill 47 is a lost cause.” You think so too. But Harrell might not see it that way.

Then a loud ear-splitting roar echoes through the woods, stopping you all. You all look in the direction where it came from. North east, down the river. Probably across the bank. And judging by the echo. But you know exactly what that is.

Nielson looks at you. “Are we… are we gonna go hunting a Rex now or something?”

“Yeah, let’s not,” Morrison says.

> “You guys go on ahead. I’ll take this.”
> “Come on, follow me.” Go after the Rex.
> “No. Not today. Let’s go.”
> Other

>>3244613
>> “No. Not today. Let’s go.”

>>3244613
>“You guys go on ahead. I’ll take this.”

>>3244613
>> “You guys go on ahead. I’ll take this.”

>>3244613
>> “You guys go on ahead. I’ll take this.”

>>3244613
> “You guys go on ahead. I’ll take this.”

> “You guys go on ahead. I’ll take this.”

You motion to Nielson and Morrison. “Right. You guys go back to camp and let Harrell and Cope know what we found.” They look at you, confused. “I’ll see about this guy.”

“Hold on,” says Nielson. “You’re gonna go out there by yourself?”

“Yeah.”

That blunt response seems to shock them, because they say no more when you start walking away. You turn and walk northeast, but keep looking to them. “Make sure Tierney doesn’t go running out to find me again. I’ll be sure to come back by tonight, so don’t worry. Remember, everything in detail, alright? And make sure Harrell doesn’t go out trying to assault the hill.” Nielson glances at Morrison, then places his hands on his belt, sighing. Truth be told, you hate to do this.

But on the other hand, that Rex insults you by continuing to live. He has to die. You look back, then see Morrison, Nielson, and Tombs get walking away. You don’t blame them for not coming with you. This is more of a one-man job kind of thing.

But it does scare you a little. Best case scenario, you get shot and killed instantly. Worst case? You end up like Joffrey. Best not to make either of those a reality. You start walking.

…

…

You hear the splintering of wood and crackling of bark and timber as you walk down the bank. You kneel down and set yourself into a bush. You take your binoculars out and take a good look. The sun’s up high now, probably getting around lunch time. But out there in the woods, you see something quite startling.

It’s those big logging machines, like the one you took down with Burke several days ago. It’s obscured by trees, but clear cuts them down, grinding them to fine sawdust. Another one is rolling beside it, as is another one too. Several Ceratosaures are walking alongside as escort, with Raptors as well riding on top of it. Seems they’re clear cutting the trees, probably do deny cover to the Deinos. Those log cutting machines can’t be more than two hundred meters away. But then you see something far more important among them.

>>3245041
Stepping between the machines, making the Earth shake under his steps, is the Rex himself. You were skeptical for a few minutes of it were even him. But no, you definitely recognize him. Over the left side of his head now were several blued metal plates, with loving dotted inlays resembling the rough skin texture of the rest of his body engraved onto it. His left eye now was a glowing red ocular attachment, attached to where the eye used to be until you zapped it with a DAB. He still had railguns like any other Rex. But what was more important is that he’s keeping his eye out. He’s learned his lesson. Sneaking up on him is going to be harder, not just because of that escort, but now because he knows what happens when he ignores the trees.

Sometimes they zap him with a beam hotter than a star.

Still. Now that you have sight on Old One Eye, it was time to figure out what to do. He’s about two hundred meters away. And your only weapon capable of even harming him is the DAB, which is no good past fifty. You need to get real close.

> Make some noise, see if you can draw him or his escort away.
> Shadow him, until you can get a clear and close angle on him.
> Prepare an ambush up ahead.
> Other

>>3245045
>Prepare an ambush up ahead.

Also I wonder if he has ptsd because of us.

it's a nice thought

Unfortunately I gotta hit the sack so go ahead and leave your votes in, maybe even get to planning how you want to deal with OLD ONE EYE. We'll be back in the morning for more.

If you got comments or critique, I'd love to hear it. Anything to make the Quest better.

>>3245045
>> Shadow him, until you can get a clear and close angle on him.
This guy knows that the grim reaper has been hunting him. Lets just shadow until we can hit him, and maybe take out those chippers too

>>3245045
>> Prepare an ambush up ahead.

>>3245045
>> Shadow him, until you can get a clear and close angle on him.

>>3245045
>> Shadow him, until you can get a clear and close angle on him.

>>3245045
>> Shadow him, until you can get a clear and close angle on him.

> Shadow him, until you can get a clear and close angle on him.

You’ll shadow this guy until you can get a good angle on him. For now, you’ll stay across the river until you find a good time to cross too. You watch as the Rex sniffs the air, then shudders. Probably can’t even smell anything anymore thanks to that DAB you dropped on him. The Ceratosaurs meanwhile clear the way ahead, occasionally blasting jets of flame into a random bush or roaring at little critters to get out of the way.

Slowly, you start moving around to try and get behind them. They’re a long ways away covered by trees so they won’t see you too well. You keep an eye on them as you move. They’re moving at fairly slow pace, probably those loggers are not incredibly fast to begin with.

You stop up and wait. They’re about to cross over so you’re behind them. They continue on, marching along and carving a straight path through the jungle. Then suddenly they stop. One of the loggers starts sinking. The Raptors on top of it dismount, while the Stenos driving it pop out of the hatches and look down. The Rex screeches at them, halting the other loggers and getting everyone’s attention. One of the Stenos barks, pointing down. Seems they’ve gotten stuck in a quagmire. Might be just what you needed actually.

You take out your binoculars again. They’re still partially obscured by trees and brush but you can see them fairly well. Behind their loggers they have a formation of about fifteen Triceratops, herded by several Stenos. This is a fairly large formation. Might be hard to get the Rex isolated for a killing shot. But you might be able to work with something here.

However. You blink. Something’s not right. You can’t help but feel a –little- on edge, like something’s making the hairs on your neck stand up. Almost as if you’re being watched.

You look around. No glint of scopes, no obvious signs of a sniper… Maybe you’re just being paranoid.

Anyway however. The Rex has stopped and so has his formation. Maybe you could get closer while everyone is looking wards to getting the logger unstuck.

> Cross the river here to get close.
> Wait. It’s not quite safe enough for you to get any closer.
> Maybe now’s the time for a distraction, get them spread out.
> Other

>>3246366
>> Wait. It’s not quite safe enough for you to get any closer.
If that sniper is back as well we'd better be really,really careful.

>>3246366
>> Wait. It’s not quite safe enough for you to get any closer.
That sniper is totally back.

>>3246366
>> Wait. It’s not quite safe enough for you to get any closer.

>>3246366
>> Wait. It’s not quite safe enough for you to get any closer.
Hero unit in the area

>>3246437
heh

> Wait. It’s not quite safe enough for you to get any closer.

Obey your instincts. You sigh, sitting down on the ground and continuing your watch. Two Raptor Minros break through the bush, sniffing the air before deciding to go up to the river bank and take some drinks of water. Another Raptor follows behind them, then another, before it comes up nearly six in total coming up to the river bank to cool off and get water in. You watch them closely, trying not to let yourself be spotted. One of the Raptors bites at the other, prompting the other to quickly slap it across its muzzle. The two hiss and snarl at each other before a third breaks in between them and starts drinking out of the river.

Thunder strikes way off in the distance. Oh great. –Another- storm? Must be monsoon season for the Lizards.

Then a loud Raptor howl sounds from the east. The Raptors drinking stop, looking out in that direction. They immediately respond with howls of their own, making the Swamp sing with the sound of Raptors calling out. You admit, you’re a little envious as to how simple and yet how complex their vocalization works. Howling to take reports, barking and clicking of teeth to talk, chirping and whistling, all that stuff. Makes you wonder how they even developed a language in the first place.

Then you hear a thump, and another thump. It’s the Rex. It’s marching over to the river. The Raptors look back, and immediately scatter away. It crashes through a tree branch, shaking its head a little before walking up to the river bank. You take a breath. It’s there. It’s actually within your range now. You could it from across this river! You take the DAB out and ready it.

Then think. The Rex hunches over, licking and lapping water into its mouth. The Raptors glance around, sniffing the air.

…

This is too easy. Unless.

> No. Take the shot. He’s right there.
> Hold up.
> Other

>>3246786
>> Hold up.
Start scanning for that Steno fuck.

>>3246786
>> No. Take the shot. He’s right there.
something something all the shots you dont take

>>3246786
>> No. Take the shot. He’s right there.
Hopefully this doesn't come to haunt us.

>>3246786
> Hold up.
We've seen them torture a guy, knowing full well that we'd save them. This is definitely a trap.

>>3246990
Actually yeah on second thought I'll switch to this. If we succeed all well and good but if we get incapacitated like Burke did we're so dead.

> Hold up.

You stop yourself, stiffening up to force yourself not to take this sweet shot. Why? Because it’s far too easy a shot to take. Instinct is telling you right now that this is a trap. If this Rex had learned its lesson, it wouldn’t even be anywhere near these trees. There’s something or someone out there watching over it, waiting for the perfect time to strike. You take a breath, grimacing. The Rex looks up, then turns around and walks straight back into the trees. Goddamn it. Goddamn it! You had him!

The Raptors follow behind the Rex, chirping to themselves as they escort him back to the logger. Damn them! Damn your instincts! You take out your binoculars again and take another look. You start scanning the trees.

And as you do, you notice a very faint piece of white poking up out of the branches of trees, covered by leaves and sticks. Is that a feather? Wait.

You duck. And hear a loud zip by you. The shot bursts against the ground, followed by the crack of the shot echoing through the air. Shit! Close! You quickly get up and displace. You duck behind the roots of a thick tree and stay down. You take a look again with your binoculars at the same spot you spotted that white feather.

And you find nothing. He’s displaced too. The Rex screams, making you flinch and duck behind the trees. The Raptors call out, crying and barking. Motherfrakking shit!

Alright! You sling the DAB behind you and take out your carbine. Now what!?

> It’s blown, escape while you can.
> Displace to better cover.
> Climb the tree and get some height.
> Other

>>3247199
>> It’s blown, escape while you can.

>>3247199
>> Displace to better cover.

>>3247199
>It’s blown, escape while you can.
Should have prepared an ambush we could have lead them to

>>3247199
>> It’s blown, escape while you can.

>>3247199
>It’s blown, escape while you can.
Rexy is going to be the end-season boss isn't he?

>>3247272
Either way, a single human the size of one of his toes is becoming enough to keep him up at night and give him PTSD flashbacks.

> It’s blown, escape while you can.

You stand up and start sprinting away. Another shot skims against your shoulder plate, nearly knocking you over. Close, damn close! But you manage to escape into the brush before another shot gets through to you! Frakking hell! Goddamn it! You had him! You keep sprinting south, hopping over logs and crashing through scrubs and brush.

You keep running for who knows how long until finally you’re alone. A small pond of water is next to you as you run into a little clearing. You kneel down and pant, holding your heaving chest as you catch your breath. That damned White Feather. Goddamn him! You had your shot but that devious bastard used that Rex as a trap! If you actually fired, he’d have your number! You kick the ground. Son of a bitch!

You take a breath, holding your head, trying to calm yourself down. Your head hurts. It –really- hurts now. You are seeing so red right now you can’t even perceive any other color. That bastard outsmarted you, that overgrown salamander actually outsmarted you this one time. And that Rex you should’ve killed! You step up to a tree, then punch it. You grab the bark and tear it off. Bitch! You throw the bark into the water, splashing up water from the pond.

Those damn Lizards. You could’ve had your kill. Now you just wasted all that damn time for nothing.

You have to go back for that Lizard. You have to. That damned White Feather. You kneel down by the pond and splash your face. You look down at yourself.

Fuzz is covering the lower half of your face, a bit of a scraggly beard in the works. But your right cheek has a very visible scar across it stretching all the way to your ear from where White Feather shot you. As much as you hate looking at yourself…

You can’t look away. You blink, gritting your teeth and setting your jaw.

You’ve got your pride on the line. You can’t go back to the camp without something to show for it, can you?

> Swallow your pride, admit your mistake, and go back to camp.
> You’re staying out here. You gotta come back with some kind of kill.
> Other

>>3247448
>> Swallow your pride, admit your mistake, and go back to camp.
No need to be a bloody hero.

>>3247448
>Swallow your pride, admit your mistake, and go back to camp.

>>3247448
> Swallow your pride, admit your mistake, and go back to camp.
Know when we are defeated. Learn why so it won't happen next time.

>>3247448
>Swallow your pride, admit your mistake, and go back to camp.
No need to be a Pridefag.

>>3247448
>> Swallow your pride, admit your mistake, and go back to camp.
Staying alive is more important than a bruised ego.

>>3247448
>> Swallow your pride, admit your mistake, and go back to camp.
I was gonna vote for staying out, but we did promise we'd be back by nightfall.

>> Swallow your pride, admit your mistake, and go back to camp.

You decide it best for now to swallow your pride. There’ll be a next time to face those two. You’ll kill them yet so help you God. You sling your Carbine then kick some mud into the pond for good measure. For now, it’ll have to be another goddamn day. It makes your blood boil thinking about it. You start heading back to camp.

…

…

It’s at least a few hours before you make it back to camp. You had to do a few loops and double back on your tracks to make sure they wouldn’t lead any patrols back. But you make it for now. You see Nielson, Morrison, and Graves standing around the Land Rover. Cope is with them, his arms folded. “Well, well.” Cope looks at you as you walk into camp. You see the Deinos in the stable too, with Delta at their side. Cope looks at you with some contempt. “Sent the others back and tried to go great white hunting?”

“I did,” you say. “I didn’t get them. It was a trap. Didn’t get shot or anything.”

“Hey.” Cope steps in front of you. Oh God, you do not need this. “You’re working with a team, dumbass.”

“Sarge, lay off,” says Nielson. “It’s alright.”

Sergeant Cope places his hands on his belt, glaring at you. “You probably could’ve been killed you know.”

“Sergeant, I made a mistake, I get that, please,” you say.

Sergeant Cope gently shoves you back. The Wife screeches, bumping against her stable door. “Corporal. We don’t need your lone wolf shit. So try not to do that again, okay?” You’re gonna punch him. You’re going to punch him and he’s going to have a broken jaw if he keeps this up. “Understood, Corporal?”

> Punch him
> Don’t punch him.
> Other

>>3248075
>> Other
'Since when did you care whether I got killed or not Sergeant?'

>>3248075
>> Punch him

Its been a long time coming.

>>3248083
Ooo I like this

supporting

>>3248083
supportin this

>>3248075
>> Punch him
dont fancy witty remarks

tired of being diplomatic. It's not as fun

>>3248083
>'Since when did you care whether I got killed or not Sergeant?'

> Other

“Since when did you care whether I got killed or not, Sergeant?” Sergeant Cope is quiet at your response, looking at you up and down, sizing you up perhaps.

“I care because at the end of the day, you’re useful, Corporal,” he says. “Just like most everyone else here.” He places his hands on his hips, staring you down. “And I imagine no one wants you going off on random one man adventures hunting Rexes or other animals that you have been rumored to. Especially since from what you tell us, you saw the Rex but you didn’t get to take a shot.”

“Because it was impractical to,” you say. “It was a trap. They would’ve killed me if I tried.”

He snorts. “So you say.” He shakes his head. “Well. Nielson and Morrison have already briefed us on Hill 47’s defenses.” He pats your arm. And for a second, you suppress the urge to simply punch him. “Rest up today, Corporal. Tomorrow we hit the Hill.”

“What?” Okay. Slow down for a second. He said what? “What do you mean hit the hill?” Sergeant Cope turns and starts leaving. “We’re not seriously going out there, are we?”

He turns, looking to you. “Lieutenant’s orders. He wants an attack tomorrow. And we shall follow, Corporal. I don’t like it any more than you do, but that’s the way it is.” He waves you off before taking his leave inside.

Nielson sighs. “We tried to convince them, but Harrell’s getting impatient. He thinks that if we don’t attack the hill, they’re going to move heavier ordnance up there and once they find out where we’re hiding, they’ll shell us to shit.” Honestly not an unreasonable opinion. But if Nielson and Morrison did report everything, then Harrell must know that an attack –tomorrow- of all the times is never going to work. “I- I don’t see how we’re going to get out of this.”

Graves folds her arms, sighing. “I tried to talk to Cope about it. He disagrees as well but he apparently does not want to argue with Harrell about this. Seems it might fall on you to convince him otherwise.”

“After everything I’ve said to him, all the stuff we’ve done,” you say. “And he thinks it’s a good time to attack? We wouldn’t have the manpower to take that hill even if we had the full strength of our company behind us.” An absolute suicide mission.

Morrison says, “What do we do, boss?” He’s asking you? Graves and Nielson look at you too, expecting an answer.

> “I’ll go talk with him.”
> “No matter what he says, you follow me.”
> “Orders are orders. Stay strong.”
> Other

That's it for tonight, it's late and I gotta head to bed. Sorry for the delay, had some things to do. But we shall be back in the morning for more. Hope you enjoyed yourselves. If you got comments and critique and suggestions, please do leave it. I thrive on it.

>>3249080
>“I’ll go talk with him.”

>>3249080
>> “I’ll go talk with him.”
Convince that fucking moron to HARRY the hill, not fucking blitz it. Go after logistics and instill terror by picking off the command structure. Is he just flat out retarded or something?

>>3249160
Despite being an officer, the more likely explanation is that he's green. Also I am really fustrated at our lack of getting anything done.

>>3249080
>> “No matter what he says, you follow me.”

>>3249080
>> “No matter what he says, you follow me.”

>>3249080
>”I’ll go talk with him.”

After all the times we emphasised the importance of the chain of command, now is not the time to undermine it

>>3249204
This shit is going way past green and into incompetent territory. He's asking a platoon AT BEST to assault a heavily fortified hill with enemy forces that a D-day tier invasion failed to withstand.

>>3249080
>> “I’ll go talk with him.”
>> “No matter what he says, you follow me.”
I want to know as our nominal leader what's his so-called plan to assault this hill with any kind of success.

>>3249080
>> “I’ll go talk with him.”
Demand to hear his plan. What is the strategy here? What tactics? Call him out on his fucking incompetence and make it clear that cabin fever is NOT a good motivator.

Entrenched machine guns, minefields and at least one sniper with a 1km range and constantly outclass us and Burke

>>3239269
Did anyone archive Thread 11? It's not listed in archives

> “I’ll go talk with him.”

“I’ll go talk with him.” You take Graves’ arms, nodding to her. “Stay safe. And don’t do anything until I get back, alright?” She brushes your arms off, rolling her eye. “I mean it.” You start marching to the door. “We’re not going to just run headlong into a suicide mission here!”

…

…

“We’re going to run headlong into a suicide mission.”

Lieutenant Harrell, Sergeant Cope, and Rutledge talk it over in Delta’s old lab. A map had been laid out on a table, with the defenses marked out on the map in marker. Lieutenant Harrell leans forward, his hands on the map, glaring at you while Sergeant Cope stands next to him. Rutledge stands next to you, his arms crossed with a worried expression on his face. “You realize that, right, Lieutenant?” you ask.

“The way I see it, and I’ve stressed this time and again,” says Lieutenant Harrell. “They’re basically building a base in our backyard and we’re doing nothing to stop it.”

“But attacking the hill?” you ask. “Sir, you’ve been briefed on it, correct?”

“Nielson and Morrison told me everything,” Harrell says. “Mines. Barbed wire. Trenches. Machine guns. And presumably artillery zeroed on the other bank and on the river should we try to cross. But I think, we might have a way in. If we try and go around, and set a distraction at the front to draw their attention. Those Deinos could buy us the window we need to strike them from behind and cause some chaos.” Is he…

“Sir, are you suggesting I use the Deinos as cannon fodder?” Of all the things that make you angry, you’re surprised that this is making your blood boil.

“They’re just Lizards, Corporal,” says Sergeant Cope.

“I agreed to help them fight the Lizards, not throw them into the meatgrinder,” you say. “We can’t just do that to them.” Lieutenant Harrell pushes back from the table, sighing deeply. He’s frustrated, you can tell. Sergeant Cope as well. You’re being difficult. But for good reason. “Lieutenant, I can agree this is frustrating. But we don’t have a window of opportunity here. I saw that defense myself. They have a Rex in the area too. Along with an ace sniper that’s almost killed me and Burke. This isn’t going to work at all. We don’t have the manpower to either take –or- hold that hill.”

>>3250413
“Then what would you suggest, Corporal?” asks Harrell. “We just stay here and rot while the Lizards starve us out?”

Rutledge says, “Hey, I mean-… I don’t want my people getting thrown away needlessly. This looks like-“

“Nobody asked you,” Sergeant Cope interrupts. Rutledge gives a sharp stare at Cope in return.

“Sir. If you give me time,” you say. “We can find other ways to strike at the Lizards. But not this. This is too much for any of us.”

Lieutenant Harrell steps up to you, looking at you firmly. “Corporal. Ready the men. I’ll brief everyone tomorrow on the attack.” He starts walking away.

“Sir-“ Sergeant Cope steps in front of you, stopping you. Bitch. He walks after Harrell, almost escorting him out.

Goddamn –rats-. The both of them.

Rutledge looks at you. “… the wonders of the Dominion, huh?”

"They're going to kill us," you say. "They're going to kill us, I'm absolutely astonished as to how this happened."

Rutledge says, "I think Cope had something to do with it." What? He shrugs, nodding to the door. "Think about it. If you die in the attack, most assuredly you will, and they stay in the back. They're in charge again. You're going up to the front because that's what you do, that's what you love to do apparently."

"You're really reaching there, Rutledge," you say.

"Maybe. All I know is that I heard Cope and Harrell talking the plan over before you showed up," he says. "And Cope was definitely arguing that you could make the attack work."

... that rat.

> “I’m gonna kill them. Or else they’ll kill us.”
> “We’re not attacking tomorrow, count on that.”
> “Talk to your people. I’ll talk to mine.”
> Other

>>3250427
> “We’re not attacking tomorrow, count on that.”
> “Talk to your people. I’ll talk to mine.”
You don't fight a guerilla war with WWI tactics.

>>3250427
>> “We’re not attacking tomorrow, count on that.”
> “Talk to your people. I’ll talk to mine.”
The worst thing is that they're right, to an extent, but a full on attack on this hill isn't the way to go, atleast not with the weapons we have. We need a big boom, maybe something from the ship.

>>3250427
>“We’re not attacking tomorrow, count on that.”
> “Talk to your people. I’ll talk to mine.”

>>3250427
> “We’re not attacking tomorrow, unless they agree to go out in front with us. If they want us to march to our deaths then they should be expected to do the same.
> “Talk to your people. I’ll talk to mine. This won't be a coup, just let them know we won't stand for it."

Fuuuck, our hands are tied. Even if Harrell was hesitant to team up with Cope beforehand, since we'll be using our power (even if we don't have a choice) then the bugger will probably be all for our deaths.

>>3250475
Supporting. Rather than a coup think of it as a general strike.

Also honestly we should just expose Cope as the piece of shit he is since we've gotten to this point. His sucking up to Harrell, his lies that got Horner and Bakker killed and Joffrey crippled etc.

>>3250427
>> “We’re not attacking tomorrow, count on that.”
>> “Talk to your people. I’ll talk to mine.”
DESU my answer to Harrell's question about doing nothing is probably 'Yes'. That stronghold could probably hold up a battalion and he wants to take it on with an understrength platoon?

>>3250584
The best we could do is attempt to starve them out by hitting their supply convoys and either blowing the shit up or burning it where it lays. After looting what we can, of course.

> “We’re not attacking tomorrow, count on that.”
> “Talk to your people. I’ll talk to mine.”

“We’re not attacking tomorrow,” you say. “You can count on that. Go and talk with your people, I will talk with mine.” He nods. “Go on.” He gives you a quick mocking salute, smirking, before exiting out of the lab. “And tell Nielson and Morrison to meet me in the lab.”

“Yeah, yeah, buddy,” he says.

You head on over to the medbay and find Graves talking with Tombs. Graves says, “… it’s like I don’t even know him anymore. Where the hell was this Cope when I was-“ She looks at you when you enter. “Oh, great. Daddy. What’s got you in a bunch?”

“Nothing,” you say. “Can you two come and see me in the armory?” They nod, gesturing to give them a minute or two. You go on and hurry on over to the armory. In the hallway though you see Tierney walking towards you. “Tierney, Tierney, need to talk with you and the others.” You grab her hand, pulling her away.

“Oh, where we going!?” she asks, suddenly confused. You open the armory and quickly push Tierney inside. Tierney looks at you. “Corporal, what’s going on? Is something the matter?”

“Tierney,” you say. “It’s about Harrell’s newest plan. You heard anything?” you ask. She shakes her head. “Okay, well, I’ve already sent for Nielson, Morrison. Graves and Tombs will see us in just a minute. That just leaves-“ You look to the side and see Burke sitting on the table, polishing her DMR, staring at you two with a very stonefaced look. “… Burke. Glad you’re here.”

“For a second there I thought you were going to bend Tierney over the table and start frakking her brains out with me in here,” says Burke. “That’d be rude you know.”

“Quiet you,” you say. Tierney blushes at Burke’s statement, quickly covering her cheeks to avoid exposure. Nielson and Morrison come in. “You two, great.” Then Graves and Tombs. “Alright. Come on, inside.” You shut the door behind you.

Graves says, “This is about the plan tomorrow, isn’t it?”

“What plan?” asks Tierney.

Burke says, “Harrell wants us to attack the Hill tomorrow despite all the defenses and all the Lizards currently occupying it.” Tierney gasps, frightened by that. Wait. How does Burke know? Wait. No, you’re not going to question how Burke knows. You know –exactly- how she knows. “And from what Rutledge is telling me, apparently Cope wants Boo to lead the assault.”

“But why?” asks Morrison. “You’d have trouble taking that hill with the entire army behind you.”

“Harrell is an idiot that’s why,” says Burke. “I feel like I’m the only person that seems to have realized this. Not to mention Cope is a vindictive shit that has it out for people who don’t agree with him.”

“We can’t attack tomorrow,” you say. You look at everyone. Nielson and Morrison stand there, looking quite dispirited. Graves looks down at the floor. Tierney seems confused and even conflicted. Tombs and Burke are the only ones who actually look you in the eye waiting to see what you say. “If we do, either we die, or all the Deinos do. I can’t-… we can’t let that happen.”

“So what do we do then?” asks Tombs. “Just not go?”

Graves says, “You realize that if we disobey orders, Harrell can have us court martialed and jailed for insubordination when the Dominion comes back.” She points to you. “You especially for instigating this.”

Burke glares at Graves. “What the hell you trying to say, bitch? Are you saying we should go attack?”

“Well excuse me, Tonto!” Graves shouts. “I’m just stating the consequences! Harrell’s an officer! Officers can do that shit to us! It keeps us in line when we don’t do things they want us to do!” She motions to you. “Now, I’m all for going with what you want to do, Daddy. But let’s not do anything stupid.”

Nielson says, “I mean… if we attack.” You look at him. “If we attack and nobody dies, that’s still a net positive, right?”

“We can’t hold the hill with the amount of people we have,” you say. “We don’t have the numbers, we don’t have resources, all that jazz. And you can’t expect nobody will die in an attack like that. There’s a Rex there. The White Feather is there-“

“Who the hell is the White Feather?” asks Morrison.

“The Steno that almost killed me,” says Burke, her teeth gnashing a bit when she says that.

Morrison looks at you. “Look, Boss. I’m not for attacking the Hill either. But if Harrell comes back to the Dominion and tell them we didn’t do what he says…” He walks up to you. “They could jail me. They could have us shot. I have a wife to come back to! I can’t- I can’t go to jail!”

“Nobody is going to jail,” you say. Everyone is quiet.

> “We’re not attacking that hill, period.”
> “Look. Let me talk with Harrell one more time. Then we’ll see.”
> “Seems to me the only solution is to remove Harrell and Cope.”
> Other

>>3250767
>> “Seems to me the only solution is to remove Harrell and Cope.”
I don't like coming to this point but unless we can make them back down it's the only real way without getting a court-martial. Or they get 'mysteriously' fragged while leading the assault on the hill.

>>3250767
>> “Seems to me the only solution is to remove Harrell and Cope.”
We aren't killing them, but we're going to have them subdued until they come to their senses. When the Dominion comes back, you all have permission to say that I threatened and goaded you into this action. If anyone should be hung, it'll be me. If we attack, I know that I'm not coming back, but who knows about the rest of you.

>>3250767
> “Look. Let me talk with Harrell one more time. Then we’ll see.”

For heaven's sake, let's try to catch him without Cope there.

>>3250767
>> “Look. Let me talk with Harrell one more time. Then we’ll see.”

>>3250767
>“We’re not attacking that hill, period.”

>>3250767
>> “Seems to me the only solution is to remove Harrell and Cope.”
They're no longer fit to lead, we're relieving them of their command.

>>3250798
>>3250814
Just want to point out by removing them from command we'll probably have to kill them. No way we can effectively mutiny and have them come back home at this rate.

>>3250821
What else can possibly be done? The only other choice is to flat out kill them, Cope literally wants us dead.

>>3250821
>>3250824
Oh wait, that's what you said. I missed the part where you said we'd have to kill them.

Yeah I agree.

>>3250821
I could be sold on killing Cope, but Harrell can come around.

>>3250831
If we kill Cope no way will Harrell ever feel safe especially when he'll be the only non-enlisted around. I feel this is the kind of thing we have to go all in or not at all.

>>3250767
> “Look. Let me talk with Harrell one more time. Then we’ll see.”

>>3250767
>>3250843
You know what, switching to talking to Harrell one more time. Alone, without Cope around.

>>3250839
Ehhh, remember that Harrell didn't agree with Cope that night. I believe he'll come around in time

>>3250767
>> “Look. Let me talk with Harrell one more time. Then we’ll see.”
I was thinking instead about directly talking about the assault immediately we can first tell Harrell we know Cope's been talking shit about us behind our backs and hence maybe trying to goad you into doing something foolish. Remember his men died because he sent them back for the transmitter and that was squarely on Cope.

>>3250881
Seconding this.

Let’s get Harrell by himself and try to convince him.

Also, ask him what his next order would be if /somehow/ we miraculously took the Hill without killing half the platoon.

We can’t hold it against a dedicated counter-attack, so we’d have to retreat and let them have it again.

>>3250881
This.
>"Lt. Harrell, I am grateful that you have so much trust in me to help take that hill, but despite my successes I am no miracle worker. We are undergunned and undermanned. We can't win a guerilla war by applying the same tactics that failed us in the first place."
>*Talk shit about Cope*
>???
>profit?

>>3250821
While I’m voting for talking to Harrell solo, this anon is completely right.

We cant remove them from command and let them live. We also would need to get wider agreement amongst the group, that way we’re all party to the deed

>>3250963
Well more like if we do it we'll have to do it front of everyone. That way either all of us cover it up or we all face the firing squad together.

>>3250963
Same here. I vote for talking to Harrell by himself. Alone.

>>3250767
> “Look. Let me talk with Harrell one more time. Then we’ll see.”

Get someone to pull cope away from Harrell and give us some privacy. If that can't be done, deck the fucker.

If Harrell won't cooperate we relieve him of command and feed cope to the wife

> “Look. Let me talk with Harrell one more time. Then we’ll see.”

“Look, let me talk with Harrell one more time. Alone. Without Cope or anybody else. Then we’ll see.” Burke stares at you when you say that, her hand gently brushing over the barrel of her DMR. Everyone else is quiet. They know Harrell and Cope are going to get them killed. But they know the consequences of insubordination. “He can be reasoned with. Cope. I don’t know. But we can’t be hasty. Now. Go ahead and go back to whatever you were doing. Rutledge is talking with his squad too.”

“What about Godwin and Stoakes?” asks Nielson.

“Yeah, and Cope’s guys, what about them?” asks Morrison.

“We’ll deal with them later,” you say. You walk to the door and open it up. “Now get packing.” Everyone starts filing out. Right. Find Harrell. Find Harrell. Maybe he’s in the barracks.” You start jogging over to the barracks and open it up.

Inside you do see Harrell talking with Cope once more. “… and I told you,” says Cope. “They don’t-“ They look at you. “Corporal. Have you reconsidered-“

“Get out,” you say. “I need to talk with the Lieutenant.” Lieutenant Harrell’s eyes widen when you just straight up say that.

Sergeant Cope walks over to you. “That’s no way to-“

“Sergeant.” Lieutenant Harrell motions to the door, looking to Cope. “Give us a minute.” Cope looks back, then glares at you. He steps past you, then shuts the door. You look at the bedrolls strewn about the barracks. Seems empty save for you and Harrell at the moment. “What is it, Corporal?” he asks.

You walk up to Lieutenant Harrell and say, “Listen. I know you have a lot of faith in me to help take that hill. But you have to realize that it’s a suicide mission.” He glances away, his face hardening with anger and frustration. It’d be hard enough if we had superior numbers but we don’t. I’m trying to tell you this. Think about us. We can’t suffer any losses.”

“Corporal, I’ve told you up and down time and again that Hill 47 was a target,” says Lieutenant Harrell. “We’ve ignored it for too long and now it’s come to this.”

“There’s other ways to fight a war,” you say. “This isn’t conventional war anymore, Lieutenant. This is the brush and we are the things that go bump in the night for the Lizards. They might shell us sure. But as long we keep our heads…”

>>3251174
Lieutenant Harrell folds his arms, shaking his head. “Corporal. I respect your opinion, I truly do. But from my understanding and practically everyone else’s. We’re surrounded. They’re coming from the south, the east, and the north. And we aren’t equipped to fight a guerrilla war.” He steps forward, turning around to you. “You know, I’ve read up on military history before. Resistance movements and guerilla outfits that didn’t have any support from people tended to crash and burn.”

“We have the Deinos,” you say.

“What, a bunch of savages? That’s our help?” he says, clearly disdainful. “You know- I-…” He sighs. “Corporal. I’m trying. I really am. But I gotta do something. Anything to get us out of this rut. And you are not helping one bit.”

“I’ve been doing everything I can,” you say.

“What. Turning people against me? Convincing everyone that I’m an idiot?” He’s putting words into your mouth at this point. And it’s making you angry. Real angry. “Listen, Corporal. I am not going to budge on this.”

“Harrell, please,” you say. You hear the door open behind you. “Just give me some time.”

Harrell glares at you. “Time for what?”

> “To get the Deinos working in helping us.”
> “To cripple their supplies.”
> “To make sure we’re safe.”

>>3251176
> “To cripple their supplies.”
The Deinoes ARE working in helping us.
We ARE safe.
Crippling their supplies is what true jungle warfare means. We hit and harry them as the Viet Cong did the U.S.
Here we go boys.

>>3251176
> “Nevermind Sir. I rest my case.”
Time for our Plan B?

>>3251176
>> “To get the Deinos working in helping us.”
> “To cripple their supplies.”
We'll have Burke running raiding parties to get them paranoid and weakened at the hill, while I work with getting cohesion and a battle plan made. The Deinos are going to be the hammer, and we're going to be the knife. Also, we will need to find other ordanance. We can't take the hill without anything bigger. Go take a look at it if you don't believe.

>>3251176
>> “To cripple their supplies.”
We'll still be assaulting the hill anyway just not head on. Hell we could even set out like planned tomorrow but instead of taking the hill how about one thing at a time? Like killing a Rex or that Steno or taking out a logger or something.

>>3251176
>“To cripple their supplies.”

>>3251204
I'm all for getting rid of Cope, but Harrell has shown to be reasonable. It's Cope that is twisting his ear. We need a prompt to be able to get rid of Cope.

>>3251176
> “To get the Deinos working in helping us.”
> “To cripple their supplies.”
Same thing

>"I have never insulted you in any conversation with the other soldiers, sir. They do and I've shut it down every time I hear it. But I've also heard with my own ears when sergeant cope talks shit about me and put ideas into Your head. Others have also confessed to having overheard the same. You should think about who exactly it is that is manipulating and undermining anyone in this camp, sir. The one who is always at base, disliked by all for his lies and playing office politics or the man who is out there every day getting things done. Now excuse me sir, I have things to do."

>>3251176
>“To cripple their supplies.”
Additionally can we.
>Point out that we've never made Harrell out to be a fool.
>He promoted US. He should put some more stock into our judgment.
>Tell to talk more to his men. He's currently too wound up so the only people he speaks to are those in power (I.e. Cope and us.). This gives Cope the power to manipulate him.

Actually >>3251249 words this perfectly.
>"I have never insulted you in any conversation with the other soldiers, sir. They do and I've shut it down every time I hear it. But I've also heard with my own ears when sergeant cope talks shit about me and put ideas into Your head. Others have also confessed to having overheard the same. You should think about who exactly it is that is manipulating and undermining anyone in this camp, sir. The one who is always at base, disliked by all for his lies and playing office politics or the man who is out there every day getting things done. Now excuse me sir, I have things to do."

>>3251249
I'll change to this. Really want to expose that asshole Cope.

>>3251249
>>3251272
Supporting both. Even if he doesn't trust our guys or the newcomers, he should at least talk to his and Cope's guys. Also if it was up to some other people he wouldn't be in command at this point anyway.

>>3251286
The absolute worst thing we can do is make him paranoid or fear for his life. Let's never confirm there was talk of mutiny

After our next excursion we can talk to him about how people see the situation and that our group is going tribal, like it or not- people look to the person who leads by example, not words and rank. He needs to roll up his sleeves and get his hands dirty.

>>3251272
Supporting

>>3251249
Seconding this.

Tell him we’ve emphasised the importance of the chain of command and his leadership at every turn.

We’ve respected him, and now he needs to respect our judgement and call. NCO’s are the critical bridge between officers and the men - and right now everyone thinks that this mission is suicide.

>>3251249
Support. Very nice

>>3251343
We also need to hammer into his head it's everyone in general who thinks it's retarded, not us trying to rally everyone together.Hell he could do his briefing right now and see the reactions he'll get.

> “To get the Deinos working in helping us.”
> “To cripple their supplies.”

“Get the Deinos working in helping us, cripple their supplies, come on Lieutenant.” You place your hands on your belt, looking him dead in the eye. From the heart, you say, “I have never insulted you in any conversation with the others. They do and I have shut it down every time I hear it. But I have heard with my own ears when Sergeant Cope talks shit about me and puts ideas into your head. Others have confessed to hearing the same kind of stuff too. You need to think about who it is exactly that is manipulating people in this camp. The one who is always at the base, disliked for his lies especially his own big one and playing office politics.” You point to yourself. “Or the one who’s out there every day getting things down.” Lieutenant Harrell looks at you, surprise and shock in his eyes. He’s silent, but you can tell there’s remorse in his eyes. Genuine remorse. But yet he doesn’t say anything. You’re not sure if you want to waste your time. But maybe you’ve moved him. “Now, excuse me. I got things to do. So if you-“

Lieutenant Harrell’s blood suddenly sprays over your face, a new hole in his head. He drops dead, falling back onto the table before crumpling onto the floor. A death rattle echoes from his lips.

Wait. What the hell? You look to the side and see Burke standing at the now closed door. She holds the smoking plasma pistol in her hand, aimed squarely where Harrell was standing.

“B-…” You blink, staring at her. What the hell. What the hell!? Burke steps up to the body.

“They’ll think something just fell over,” says Burke. “Don’t worry.” She points to your face. “I’d clean that up if I were you.”

“What are you doing!?” you scream.

“What you should’ve done a –week- ago,” she states quietly.

“You-…” You look at Harrell’s dead body, then at Burke. She glares at you, as if questioning why you’re reacting this way. You’re not even –sure- how to react. This is completely out of nowhere!

> “Hide the body. Hide it now. Before someone finds him.”
> “Do you realize what you’ve done!?”
> “Okay. Let’s calm down for a second. Please explain to me why you just killed him.”
> Other

There are a few ways to fuck with the hill, 1. as somone said, supplies, 2 try to fuck with their munitions dump, other than that we could try getting line of sight of the mortars or howitzers and fucking them up with plasma.

Also,
>>3251249

>Punch Burke
>>Find and kill Cope


Its open season boys!

(I guess we're leaving harrel behind)

>>3251518
Abso-fucking-lutely not okay.
> “Please explain to me why you just killed him.”
We're calm. We're super calm.

>>3251518
>> “Okay. Let’s calm down for a second. Please explain to me why you just killed him.”

>>3251518
>> “Okay. Let’s calm down for a second. Please explain to me why you just killed him.”
If she's done this she'd better make sure Cope is dead as well. But seriously Burke what the frak

>>3251518
>shoot Burke.
>SHOOT Burke
>SHOOT HER
>SHOOT HER
>SHOOT HER

>>3251518
Holy shit I am sooo fucking triggered right now. She has to pay for this. I don't care if we seize power or not, but this is not how we've done things and it's not how things should be done. Fuck Burke. Fuck her stupid, sociopathic, selfish bullshit.

>>3251559
FUCKING THIS HOLY SHIT. Shes going down for this, cope will want an execution or something. I feel like if we kill her now cope will find a way to spin it so he'll blame the lieutenants death on us.

>>3251518
“Okay. Let’s calm down for a second. Please explain to me why you just killed him.”

Burke. You lil shit, trying to force our hand.

>>3251581
If Harrell's dead no way Cope isn't going soon.

Ok I've calmed down now. We have to keep moving forward no matter what. I've thought of a plan.

>We go out ourselves to tell Cope that the offensive is off and that Harrell wants to speak with him personally about it.
>Cope is pissed, storms in
>Burke and/or ??? is waiting where she/he/they shoot him
>Plants a pistol on both Cope and Harrell
>Official story is that Cope and Harrell finally got pissed at each other and they shot each other dead

>>3251596
Fuck it supporting

>>3251518
>"You better fucking tell me that Cope is already dead. Jesus fucking Christ woman Harrell was coming around! You think no one is going to squeal on us when we get out of here?"

I mean, yeah I guess. You got us OP. I saw the part about the door but I didn't expect an assassin lol

>>3251607
This, she fucked everything up

>>3251518
Fuck me, I was not expecting that.

>>3251533
I agree with this. I think a solid hit to the jaw is long overdue for Burke, but now we have to take care of Cope. Poor fucking Harrell, man, he was just some green officer in way over his head.

>>3251607
Supporting this

Fuck me, he was coming around!!

Wasn’t a bad officer either, just green.

Fucking hell Burke - now it’s one less human against a pack of lizards!

> “Okay. Let’s calm down for a second. Please explain to me why you just killed him.”
> Other

“Okay.” You clasp your hands together in front of your mouth and take a deep breath. Burke stares at you, waiting for you to speak. “Let’s calm down for a second. Try to walk this through rationally. Please explain to me why you just killed him?”

Burke holsters her pistol then says, “He was gonna send us on a suicide mission. That seems like a goddamn threat to our lives, Boo.”

“I was-… he was coming around,” you say. “I was convincing him.”

“You know.” Burke shifts on her feet, her eyebrows furrowing as she addresses you. “For an Officer, he’s easily swayed. Considering all the shit you, I, and anyone else here have done. He somehow managed to be swayed by Cope who has done –little to nothing- for us into making an attack like this. That’s already –after- he had lost two people to Cope’s lie and had one of them deformed and disfigured. You-“ She points to you, “-are wasting your goddamn time trying to be a diplomat.”

“Okay. Fine. I can see the logic.” You are steaming mad. You had him. You had a goddamn plan. “But is Cope already dead? He better be. Because I’m telling you right now, Harrell was coming around to it. And Cope? Goddamn it, it’s –his- goddamn fault. You think no one is going to squeal on us?”

“I don’t see anyone here who cares about them,” Burke hisses. “No one’s going to know.”

“-I- will know. –You- will know. That’s enough,” you snarl. “Now is Cope dead or not?”

>>3251762
She shakes her head. “No.” You feel as if something snaps in your head. What. You look at her.” She shifts on her feet again, stepping back. She can see something in your eyes now. Her hand hovers over her knife. “I was gonna kill him first because I knew he’d be alone with you. I have no idea where Cope is going to be, but Cope wasn’t alone in the hallway. So I had to kill him first!” Oh for god’s sake! “That’s just-“ You grab Burke and slam her against the wall. Burke pauses, completely shocked. B̵̢̜̳̺̠̗͎͗͑̇̀͊ͅI̴͓̥̯͕̣͛̈́͒̈́̑̾͛́͜͠T̴̛͖̱̠̈́̆͐͒͒̉̀͑̃Ç̴̙̗̤̳̪̰̼͆̒͊͝͝͝ͅḤ̵͖̠̹̱̮͚̮̒ͅ

Your hand is wrapped around her neck, your other hand is pressed up against her chin. You could S̷̼͍͇̞̓̇̌͝N̴̺̞̾̈͂̊̋̐̇́͌̚Á̷̯͈̀̓̈̍̓͠P̶͖̺͙̮̰̹̮̎̈́̎̓͂̄̋̎̐̚ͅ ̶̗̻͕͈̠̙̹̒͆͒͠H̷̛̛̘̍͗̓̇Ê̴̜̟̙̥͎̭͚͖͎̕R̶̢̧̭̳̪͉͕͓̙͗͑̽̇͋͐̄̕ͅ ̴̨̦̽̌̎̆̃̾̈́́͠͝Ň̴̛̥͌̈́́̌E̸̙̭̟̋̑͊̃̏̚̕Ç̵̧̳̥̜̥͈̃͐̀̀͝͝Ķ̵̨̘͍͇̥͙̾̐̃̚ͅ Ṙ̴̺̘̕I̵̡͊́G̶̻͇̬̮͊Ḥ̴̯͖̒T̸̢̨͖̣̒͒̈́͑̕ ̸͉̟̥̻̦̯̭͇̖̽͋͒̄͑̽͝N̴̨̏̓Ǫ̶̘̜̿͛̇W̶̨͙̝͕͖̟̻̪̬̝̋̃͆ ̵̨͍͑̿̏͋͠B̵̨̡̺̙͎͉̙͕̼̊̂Į̵̪̘͈͓͂͌́͐̽̃̌͘̕͝T̸̢͙̪̮̬̤̓̿͜Ć̸̛͚̮̰̿́͂̆ͅH̷̨̝̳̱͕̟͂̈́̋̊̍̌̌̓ ̷̢͉̩̹̠̙͔̿́͘W̵̡̰͇̺̪̥̳̖͋͐̿͜H̶̖͔͊̑́̐̂̿̚̚͝A̴̡̛̝̱̰̣͚̞̟͒͊͛̄͗ͅȚ̷̖̤̱̺̓́͒̎̓̍̉ ̶͙̩͇͍̻̟̼̫̀͊͠H̶̼̯̙̜̳̣̣̙̆̄͆̓̌A̷̡͕̳͔̳̠̱̓́̈́́͋̕̚Ṡ̵̤̥̱͎̩̤͉̔͆͛͆̈͘͠ ̷̢̧̱̦̞̯̞͍̍͊̇̑͌̑͂͒Ṣ̵̖̫̘͑̂̋̊̉̌͝H̸͙͎̘͖̐̾̎͠É̴̙̯̱͎͍͚͍̱̳̈́͒͘ ̸̘͚̈̐́͗͗̈́͝͠D̸̡̡̗͙̩̮͋̆́͑̒̽̄̿̌̕͜O̸̰͑͑͋͂̀͠ͅN̵̨͓͖͓̟͈͎͇̈́̂̊̈̋Ȩ̸̙͎̀̒̋̿̒̍̀̓̃͘ ̶͈̱͖͎̳͝F̸̢͎̩̺̣̤͈̫́̽͛̓̑͠R̵̥̋́̐̒̇̿͝A̴̘͂͛̇K̴̨̛͖̜͇̜͈̦̬̱͆̓̌K̵̡̛̟̪̳͈̽I̶̛̭̣͚͊̈́̂̋̚͜N̴̓̀͂̃̎́̽G̸̗͙͒̄͗̈́̈́̿̕ Burke looks at you, her teeth gnashing together, her eyes flying to nearly every point on your face as you stare her in the eye. She’s scared. You can see it in her eyes. She’s scared of you. She wasn’t expecting that you’d do this. And now you have all the cards in your hands. You can do anything you want. Anything. Ä̶̩̼͍̞̫́̔̉͐͝N̴̝̻̔͒ͅY̷͇̞̏T̸͓͍̳͠H̷̗̏Ì̷̟N̷̢̝͓̯̔̆G̴̙̫̯͐̒͠ ̵̡̞̹͕̃͜Â̴̹̘N̴̜͇̈́͌Y̸̓̐͘͜T̶̻͒͒H̸̨͇͚̒͗̏͋̋I̷̥̗͐̉̈́Ṋ̵̤̠͎͇G̸͕̰̻̾̂̎ You breathe hard on her face, blood starts rushing to her cheeks. “Look at me,” you say. She starts to glance away. “LOOK AT ME,” you scream at her. You force her to look you in the eyes. You squeeze her chin, her pouty lips quivering as she tries to save face in front of you.

> “Never do that again.”
> “Kill Cope. Or I kill you.”
> “Mistakes were made. We fix them now.”
> “Y̵̥͊Ỏ̴̘Ǔ̴'̷̪R̴͖͗Ė̷̻ ̴̺̃M̸̙̉I̷̧̎N̶͙̈́E̵̦͂ ̸̥͌N̶͈͛Ȍ̷̼W̴̖͝”
> Other

>>3251765
>> “Never do that again.”
Holy shit we're really going crazy aren't we?

>>3251765
>Mistakes were made. We fix them now.”
Two wrongs make a right

>>3251765
>Other
"That wasn't your choice to make Burke. You stepped out of line. Do you not trust me? Is that why you killed Harrell? Whose side are you really on?"
Not cool Burke, not cool at all.

>>3251765
>> “Mistakes were made. We fix them now.”
combined with
> “Never do that again.”
Oh man, this is great. We're finally snapping and it's glorious.

>>3251765
>>> “Mistakes were made. We fix them now.”
>> “Never do that again.”
Well I guess it's time to kill Cope right?

>>3251807
Yep, time for murder. More murder.

>>3251765
As punishment, I think we should make Burke dig his grave. 6 feet under and everything. I don't know if that's appropriate in the military, but I think it's a fitting

>>3251818
I wonder if we kill Cope will the voices in our head stop or will we just become more and more depraved.

>>3251765
> “Mistakes were made. We fix them now.”
> “Never do that again.”

> “Never do that again.”
> “Mistakes were made. We fix them now.”

“Never do that again,” you whisper quietly. “Got it?” She nods gently, looking at you with those big old eyes of hers. “That was not your call to make. He was not yours to kill. Now. I’m willing to forgive a mistake. This was a mistake. Mistakes were made. You understand?” She nods again, blinking some tears out of her eyes. “Don’t give me those crocodile tears. Do you understand?” She nods again, more firmly this time. You sigh, hanging your head low. You see her legs bending and shaking from the knee that you managed to shove between them.

What is happening to you? No, what’s happened to Burke? Goddamn it, his is a farce on all sides! If Harrell’s dead. Then Cope has to die too. There’s no negotiating now. She’s forced your hand. She’s ruined all of your goddamn plans with a squeeze of the trigger. You could kill Burke right now. B̶u̴t̴ ̴t̴h̵a̴t̶'̶d̶ ̴d̴e̵p̸r̸i̴v̴e̸ ̵y̵o̴u̴ ̷o̴f̶ ̸t̸h̶e̴ ̶c̶h̸a̶n̷c̶e̵ ̷o̵f̵ ̶f̸r̵a̸k̷k̵i̴n̶g̸ ̷h̵e̵r̴.̸ And you want her as soon as she’s able. No. You shake your head, taking another sharp breath. No, no. You can’t think like that. This is just Burke being too overeager. She thought she had the answer. You just weren’t good enough at reining her in.

Goddamn it, what’s everyone going to say? That Burke just shot him? Nobody’s going to trust Burke after this. You can’t take the fall, everyone would know that you’d be the guy that shoots people he disagrees with. Well, first you have to dig his grave. Or maybe burn him. Who knows.

Burke hisses. “… Boo if you’re-... can you let go of me?” she quietly asks.

“Should I?” you ask.

She squeezes her eyes shut. “Please.”

…

You let go of Burke. She collapses to her knees, catching her breath. She holds her throat, panting heavily as you look to Harrell’s corpse. Blood is starting to pool out from his wound. Shit, now you gotta clean that up. You can sort out cleaning later though. Right now, you have to figure out how to get to Cope. What are you going to do with Cope? Are you going to kill him? Should you just lock him away? Maybe you can explain this away as an accident. Maybe he shot himself handling a pistol. A lieutenant mishandling their guns is a pretty common thing actually. That might work, deflect some blame away from you.

The door opens however before you can give it more thought. In walks Godwin. Godwin of all the people. “What the hell’s the noi-“ He stops, immediately seeing Harrell’s corpse.

…

Burke looks at you. You look at Burke. You look at Godwin. He looks at you.

“I can explain,” you say.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5NzAksjfDI

Unfortunately we must end it here tonight. And unfortunately too I'm not going to be around for this weekend and the next as I'm going on vacation. So yeah, I'm leaving you on another cliffhanger so to speak.

And about that smut, I'll have it Monday. I just can't quite get into the mindset of it. It's just supposed to be a fukken handjob dang it.

Go ahead and discuss. Comments, critique, suggestions, again I thrive on it. But until then, you'll see me on the night of March 28th. Mark your calendars then, people. See you then.

>>3252306
> March 28th

Typo, I meant February 28th. I'm a dummy.

>>3252306
Have a nice weekend.
Can't wait to start handling the other responsibilities of a leader i.e politics

>>3252306
Thanks for running. Fucking hell did things go sideways fast.

How long until our wayward nameless mc has
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us2ylGAwBnk
playing softly in the background while he rules over the entire swamp? How soon until he rules the planet? Probably once we get that ship up and running, just gotta figure out how to take control of the machines inside.

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>>3252490
>pic related is literally going to be the MC, three "angels" fawning over him and all

>>3252291
OP. There really needs be time as part of the quest for players to reflect on our next course of action and consolidate the opportunities available to us. Whether this is part of the narrative or placed as a game mechanic doesn't matter, but I constantly feel like players get constantly caught up in a linear course of action b/c there really isn't anything to discuss. And this is because, to be quite honest, the only relevant plot developments are ones out of our control that spring seemingly out of the woodwork. Even if all of the problems leading up to our situation now could've been avoided by player action, the pace of how the plot progresses nullifies any agency that we have. I've felt this for so long now and it fustrates me to no end that we've talked so long about solving problems and then things just keep piling and piling up with players only capable of reacting to immediate concerns, and many times only getting out of them because of RNG.

>>3252291
If you have taken this into consideration already, and wish to keep things as they are as it is integral to the feel of the quest, I understand. If you think that what I am saying is wrong than please enlighten me and other players about what do you think we are missing in terms of taking advantage of game mechanics and character interaction without revealing spoilers.

God Damn, really digging this punished MC arc right now, it was just the thing to rope me back in when I felt myself slowly disengaging. Bravo.

>>3252720
I actually blame the players. If you're talking about Burke and Harrell, then we're the only ones to blame. We were riding on the fence for too long, and we should have known Burke might take things into our hands. We got sloppy and we have no one but ourselves to blame.

>>3252306
Thanks for running and enjoy your vacation!

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>>3252524
Nah, more like this

>>3253230
Yeah, but Tierney, Burke and Graves aren't in yours.

>>3253273
Replace the dragon with that Rex and it'll be a pretty good analogy.Then again if we had a bunch of middle or high grade psykers we could definitely take that Hill LOL.

>>3252720
>>3252740
I see your point. I've been meaning to wanting to slow the Quest down to allow some time to breathe but I wasn't sure how to do it without the Quest seeming boring. But as for the player agency thing, part of it is intentional. Both because I want the NPCs to have their own agency in doing things and because I want to create an atmosphere of helplessness.

After all, you're stuck on a planet in which almost everything is trying to kill you. And this group of soldiers you're with is most definitely not Easy Company. If you're dealing with the situation poorly, imagine what -they- must be dealing with. However, I want to take your words under consideration and I want to go about introducing guerrilla warfare antics once I get back from vacation.

>>3253705
I guess another issue is we haven't exactly seen what the hell the others have been doing unless we we go out together like when we faced the Titanoboa.
>>3252910
I feel one of the things >>3252720
is implying is that we're too busy trying to deal with crisis after crisis that we as the MC don't have the time to settle any more long-term issues. No wonder why our guy is going crazy.

>>3253705
Basically you're keeping tension and stress levels high but don't allow a release. This makes players stressed and without giving us catharsis. It's a great way to force poor decisions and also a great way to lose players because a lot of people simply don't deal well with stress and will walk away

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>>3252291
To be honest I've been enjoying the tension, as it makes the stakes feel higher. However I don't really see a goal to reach, save a rather nebulous get offworld, though the anons do have a point about a lot happening all at once. Ie, big snek, power, comms, hill 42, burke, cope, drama, rexboi, weird jello skeleton etc.

Also, pic is PC's inner mind.

>>3254810
Honestly the ways things are going I don't think any of us are making it off world...

>>3253927
>>3254031
>>3254810
>>3254816
I'll do a bit of slowing down and start getting the Quest onto one direction. I'm sorry if things are getting too tense.

Also for that lewdbin. It's finally here! And here it is: https://pastebin.com/JuphtqdG

>>3254865
It's alright OP. Everybody likes tense, the pace is just too fast.

>>3254865
YOU DIDN'T ARCHIVE THREAD 11 YOU FUCKING FAGGOT

>>3259754
>Lost an entire thread
>Gained Lewdbin

idk famalam seems fair. Bit of an oof tho.

>>3259993
Apparently both Thread 10 and Thread 11 were titled as Thread 10 in the archive. Thread 11 is archived regardless, so yeah

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>no midweek update
My heart cant take it.

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>>3266006
No thread this weekend either. Feels bad man.