>>190538
>Stay here lure the Stalkers in and set your own ambush.

You’ve got it. Beat the monsters at their own game. You jump out of the jeep and begin ordering Tag to organise an ambush. “OK, get everyone set up in these buildings. Faxx, Quad and I will stay down here to draw them in. Remember, keep in contact at all times, and have a partner nearby. Stalkers are too dangerous to solo.”

A sharp salute and a “Yes sir” Comes from Tag as he hefts his Rifle and begins distributing your orders down the line.

A few minutes later and you are all set. Repositioning the jeeps as a makeshift barricade with Faxx and Quad the juggernauts of the team positioned a top them.

Tag comes in over the coms. “All set”

This is it. This’ll be a real shit way to die if this goes sideways. Trapped between a rock and a sharp place.

Roll 1d100 to see how well the ambush goes.

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>190675

>>190688
Of course. ;_;

The air is still. You survey the area around you scanning the towers. Nothing, not a single instance of movement or echo of sound.

Faxx shifts his weight. His hulking body rocking the jeep. Taking a look back he gives you a nervous look, then drops his head down and sighs.

Reaching up to his ear he comms you his slow voice breaking the silence. “Er, boss. Do you fink we scared ‘em off?”

You reply back quickly. “I don’t know Faxx but stay off the comms unless you spot anything.”

You watch Faxx as you reply. You see him look back up and nod to himself. That’s when it happens, you hear a distant cry to your left and the distinct sound of a rifle spraying wildly. Looking up you spot the light from the gun coming from the third storey of a crumbling building. Before you can call for a report another cry comes from your right.

Quad is next to call out but it isn’t a cry. His deep voice resonates from the comms. “Hostiles incoming. He drops into a low stance activating his stabilizers and unleashes a rain of hot lead into the oncoming Stalkers. Faxx quickly joins in whooping in excitement.

You drop down low behind the jeep and take stock. It appears that both ambush teams have been compromised. And your hold out team you and the two juggernauts are tied up with the main street.

This is expected. It seems all to routine, they’ve done this before. You smile, stand and begin firing off some shots while ordering a sitrep.

Tag comes in first. “All’s good here, wrapping it up now.”

Next comes in Atto. “Going good this side, only one casualty”

Smirking you comms all channels. “Looks like the Stalkers are running out of Tr-“

Faxx lets out a yelp, as he crumples down off the jeep. Jumping back you gaze into the deep, wispy green eyes that just skewered Faxx as its body begins to fade into the back ground.

You fire off a shot, it smacks into the Stalker with a sickening thump. It howls in pain and it’s pack echo its call. You finish it swiftly but it is too late the entire area in filled with the sound of howling Stalkers as your comms fill with the screaming reports of your team.

“Sir they’re fuckin everywhere!” Atto Screeches

“Three hostiles in the hallway closing fast. I need back up!” Tags cool demeanor, shattered by his last remark.

Quads voice breaks through the commotion “Sir, go back up the ambush teams. I can handle this here.”

You have to make a decision who needs the most help.

>Atto’s Team

Or

>Tag’s Team.

>>190869
>Tag’s Team.

>>193959
This is OP. I'm out currently, so I'll write the update later on today.

File: Hallway.png (849 KB, 500x604)

849 KB PNG

Atto continues to scream gibberish into the comms. This is normal for him, he does his best when he is panicking. Tag on the other hand doesn’t.

Firing a few more shots into the writhing Stalker, then reloading your rifle you charge up towards Tag’s building, stopping just short of the doorway to make sure Quad is holding out. Quad drops his heavy machine gun as the Stalkers close on him, reaching behind he unsheathes a two handed Warhammer swinging it into the oncoming group of Stalkers before him.

Certain of his combat ability you disappear into the building. Shifting through the rubble and manoeuvring around the collapsed hallways you find yourself entering into a grim scene. The hallway before you is slick with blood and one of Tag’s men is slumped up against the wall with a vicious gash across his chest. You approach and check the body over, it looks like he had a swift death. Pulling the dog tags off you continue your search of the building for the rest of Tag’s team.

At the end of the hallway it splits off to the left and right. Looking both ways you notice a surge of light coming from further into the building to your left.

As you see this Tag begins broadcasting again. “Captain, I’m on the south side of the building. Currently held up in a secure area but not for long, I’m not sure how long I will hold out. The rest of my squad retreated further into the building followed by a large group of hostiles. I’d recommend reinforcing them, the more men we have after this the better. ”

Before you can reply Atto now calm interjects. “Captain, I can see Tag. I might be able to blow the lower part of the building to give him some sort of escape route, but it’s risky.”
Tag replies in a stressed tone. “Not you best plan Atto.”

“It’s all I got Tag.”

What is the best course of action?

>Back up Tag. The squad can hold out until we can both get there.

>Back up the rest of Tag’s team and go Through with Atto’s plan to blow the lower part of the building.

>Back up the Squad but don’t blow the building it’s too risky. Tag will just have to hold out.

>>194571
>>Back up Tag. The squad can hold out until we can both get there.
Blowing up stuff when our people are nearby... maybe they have better a chance just shooting the hostiles.
We're coming anyway, so they just have to wait a sec for the Hero to swoop in for the rescue.

>>194571
Pity that there aren't more players for this quest.
I really like your writing style.

“Atto, Hold off on that plan. I’m coming to get you Tag just hold on a little longer”

They both reply. “Yes, sir.”

Looking back to the left you notice another burst of light laminate the corridor. ‘They’ll be fine, a few Stalkers against tag’s squad is nothing.’ You think to yourself.

You move further out to the south side of the building on your way to rendezvous with Tag. As you move through another bloody corridor you think about the Stalkers and there new chameleon mutation. From what you can tell from the past few missions you have been on the creature’s mutations appear to be changing more frequently. Your thoughts are cut off by the sound of a detonation rear by.

You scream into the comms. “God damn it Atto, I said hold off on the plan, the building is to unstable!”

“It wasn’t me! My team is down in the streets with Quad”

Tag interrupts Atto’s explanation with a hushed tone. “It was me sir. My perimeter has been breached, three hostiles are now entering the room, I only have a few minutes left until they find me.”

“OK, hang tight Tag I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

You sprint off in the direction of the explosion, ducking past fallen debris. You spot the doorway to the room that Tag is held up in, charred corpse of a Stalker splattered against the opposite wall. Reaching the doorway you swing your rifle around into the room, catching three Stalkers by surprise.

Roll 1D100

Thanks, I'll keep writing as long as I get replies. So if you are enjoying it stick around.

Rolled 59 (1d100)

>>194772
>catching three Stalkers by surprise
Open fire while shouting "Eat bullets!". Do we have a grenade that we can chuck in?

>>194813
We're just going to solo the unsolo-able. Berserker-like.

You unhook a grenade off of your belt and prime it. Throwing it in you ready yourself to follow it through. There’s a thud from the detonation and you take that as your cue. unleashing a spray of rifle rounds into the room while triumphantly yelling “Eat Bullets!”

One of the Stalkers was instantly shredded by the grenade. The second injured, is halted in its tracks by your fire. The third now attempting to escape clambers through the window but is cut short as the iron case in the room busts open with the sound of a high calibre rifle. The Stalker slips through the window with a dying screech a fresh hole in the side of its chest.

Tag crawls out of the iron case. His mask cracked by the impact of the grenade.

Coughing he looks over to you. “Sir, please shout a warning next time ok? And before you say anything, no eat bullets isn’t a warning.”

“Sorry Tag I got caught in the moment.”

Tag stands pulling off his mask. This is the first time you have ever seen his face, his eyes are deep in his head and his face gaunt, a little stubble grows around his thin lips. “No worries captain, I’ll be fine. Come on we need to back up my squad.”

You nod and let Tag past, you know that at least one of these stalkers is playing dead, but continuing to fight it will either get you or Tag killed. Following behind closely, you notice that Tag is definitely injured he just doesn’t want to show it.

A short trek through the building later and you reach where the squad would have been. It was a blood bath in here, the room was a dead end. Broken furniture strewn about the room during the fight bodies of both men and Stalker lay upon the floor.

Tag walks in stepping over a body of a Stalker still twitching as its life blood seeps from its wounds.

He searches the room as you order a Sitrep from the remaining squad. “Atto, give me a sitrep.”

“All clear down in the streets. Some of my team is alive and well but a lot of them had been caught in the second ambush. Quad is injured too, crazy bastard actually tried to fight them in melee. Thinks he’s indestructible in that suit of his.”

You could use a hand up here in case of a third attack but it sounds like there’s a lot of injured. You think over your orders as Tag continues his search of the room.

>Have the team stay down there and get the injured read for travel.

>Have Atto organise a team to get up here and help with the dead and clearing the rest of the area of Stalkers.

>Write in orders.

>>194907
Good thing, we're the captain.
Any of our privates did this kind of stunt (not warning before grenade throw), we would have clubbed him/her.

>>Have the team stay down there and get the injured ready for travel.
We just have to keep moving to a better location - and towards our objective. No sense in using up more ammo here.

>>194907
>>Have the team stay down there and get the injured read for travel.
if posable pick up useabe ammo and amor an things but yer we should have said heres the boom

>>194975
Well, errors are officers' privilege.
>ammo and armor
Meaning searching our dead? Hm, maybe for the ammo but stripping them of their armor is a bit... no. They fought for us, we won't leave them naked in death.

>>194981
they dont need them any more, better to take it and use for the living to stay living and in a way the fallen watch over us now

“OK, get the injured into the jeeps and have the medic working double time, get any spare hands to gather unused ammo and strip Faxx of his suit, it’s too valuable to leave behind. Keep an eye out, you know as well as me that these Stalkers are good at acting dead, I don’t want to have a third ambush on our hands.”

“Sir, do we have to Strip Faxx? He fought and died in the line of duty, he at least deserves to remain in his armour, right?”

“I’m sorry Atto, but that Mark Twos are too rare to leave behind. Find something to wrap the body in, and if we have the time we’ll bury as many of the dead as possible.”

Atto confirms with a sombre “Yes, sir.”

You feel bad for him, Atto hated the idea of looting the dead. But the value of any gear we have on the team is understood by their users, you’re sure Faxx wouldn’t want that suit falling into the hands of looters like the roaches, and you doubt you would get the chance to properly bury him sticking around the area with Stalkers around is near a good idea. Wiping your face you stand, and renter the room Tag was searching, Looking down you watch him as he kneels over one of his teammates lifting the body and positioning a flask under a bleeding wound.

It’s one of his rituals. You’ve never really understood why he did it. “Why do you do that Tag, collect the blood of your fallen teammates?”

Sealing the now full cylinder he stands, looking away out the window. Dramatic sod. “It is one of my clan’s oldest rituals, we collect and drink the blood of our fallen comrades. It is believed it gives us great strength, don’t worry captain I always come to an agreement with anyone that joins my squad. I won’t take anyone’s blood unless they agree to the terms.”

“That means that you are a fiend. That explains your face and eyes, and why you wear that mask.” You’ve only ever seen a fiend once before when you were little. From what you were told by people around you they are people struck with a sickness that gives them cravings for blood and flesh.

You are surprised by how well he has kept this from you. You may not have known Tag for long but, something like this isn’t easy to cover up.

How do you feel about this, having a fiend on your team?

>>195037
as long as he keeps it under controale and donst feed on any of the living crew it should be fine thow ask him for more infor about it as we dont realy know mucch about them so a little worryed

>>195037
>told by people around you
Do we know anything more than hearsay, though? He did his job well, so either being some fiend or sexual deviant is ok. He's not a cannibal, right?

>>195067
It's not like mercenaries attract the nicest people anyway. Even if he sucks teammates, as long as it's consensual - our captain is ok with that. And the superiors probably know about his situation, so we shouldn't be overly worried.

>>195073
as a job not too worryed but since we probs grow p hearing bad storys about them mgiht want to find out whats real, thow ask if any ones outside his crew knows and if he wants us to keep it on the don low

>>195101
True, he might not want other people to know - hence the mask. It's our little secret then and he owes us.
With Stalkers roaming around, is the captain really fazed by "bad stories" though?

>>195122
more so the find out if theres anythign we need to morry about/ habits etc thow i like makeing him oweign us to keep it from people

File: Fiend Eye.png (398 KB, 470x313)

398 KB PNG

“You’re not like some sort of cannibal are you, or is this like a deviant thing?”

He laughs at your last remark clutching his stomach in pain. “Huh, you could call me a cannibal, or a vampire. But I’ve never been called a deviant before, trust me captain this isn’t some fucked up sex thing, and I’m not going to go chewing on the rest of the team either. I have it under control.”

His change in attitude towards the situation throws you off a little. But as long as he has it under control and doesn’t go around biting your team without their consent you see no harm having in on the team. But you do keep a note to call into command and ask them if they knew about this.

“OK Tag, I’m fine with this, as long as you keep it under control alright?”

Still giggling he gives you a stuttered salute. “Y- yes, sir.”

You shake your head at him. “Come on, laugh it up or whatever we need to get back down to the rest of the team.”

You turn and trek back down to the streets, remembering to pick any dog tags off of the fallen. Once you reached the bottom, Tag had finally caught up, he stops you by placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Captain, if you could not tell the rest of the team, I’d be grateful.”

You turn and look at Tag properly for the first time. He’s definitely not joking about this, even if he did laugh about it earlier. You can see it in his eyes, red veins crisscrossing in a jagged pattern in the whites of his eyes.

You place a hand on his shoulder and give him a reassuring smile. “No one who you don’t want knowing this will ever hear it from me. But I’ll want more details about your condition, ok?”

He lets go of your shoulder his arm dropping to his side. “Thank you, captain. I knew I could trust you. And its ok, I knew you would want to know more, I’ll talk to the medic and she can give you a report.” He walks past down to one of the jeeps filled with injured and begins conversing with the medic.

Leaving him to his own devices you Survey the area, you see both the jeeps have been positioned side by side. One if filled with injured, and the other filled with Quad. To the right of the Jeeps you see Atto wrapping Faxx in a green tarpaulin, in an attempt to give him some decency in his final resting place. There are a few other mercs scattered around the area, either looting the dead or giving their own small funerals to their close allies.

What do you do?

>Go talk to Atto.

>Check on the injured and how we are doing on that front.

>Go and talk to a few of the other mercs. This is their first rodeo for a lot of them, it’d be good to see how the moral of the team is.

>>195211
Or write in.

>>195211
>Go and talk to a few of the other mercs. This is their first rodeo for a lot of them, it’d be good to see how the moral of the team is.
Have a look at them and try give them a little moral boost. Tell them something about doing their duty, keeping steady, how proud you are of them. Let them see their fearless leader.

>>195328
And then talk to the medic. She can tell us about the wounded and how many will make it. Ask her about Tag's condition too. Make sure you can depend on him.

Then we better move on. Don't want to stay here with dead and not-so-dead Stalkers lying around.

Sorry for the wait. I'm not the fastest writer and this update is quite large.

>>195381
kk, looking forward to the update :).

You decide that a little moral boost would help after what they’ve all been through. Dropping down from the doorway you join up with a trio of the new mercenaries that had recently join your crew. Shinies Atto calls them, and you can see why, even when they are covered in blood and dirt they look cleaner then you could ever hope to be.

Stepping over to them you give a salute and introduce yourself personally. “Hi, I’m Captain Wilson. You can call me Captain or sir, either is fine.” Each give you a salute and reply with their preferred title.

First is what looks like the trio’s leader. A bald man with a strong jaw line and scarring on the left side of his face, his reply doesn’t come as you expect it. He doesn’t move his lips, but instead his voice comes from the short skinny girl to his right. Deep, and stern. He, she? Greets you. “Good day Captain, My name is Detlev Franck. It is good to be working with you.” He turns to the girl next to him. “And this is my sister-“

The voice alters drastically, it is now much softer and light, as if it could just drift away on the air. “Madlen, My name is Madlen. It is very nice to be working with you, I hope I can be of service. Oh, and I am a G.E.M if you were wondering, many people do. I am linked to my brother so that he can speak.”

A G.E.M if you recall correctly is one of those vat grown humans with the strange abilities if you remember correctly. Genetically engineered mutant or something like that. They are really popular with the richer families back in Haven City.

Finally is the young lad in the back. He looks like he is training to become a juggernaut you can already see the enhancements in muscle size on his body. His reply is short and laboured, Juggernauts never really do come out normal after their first operation. “Hello, Captain.”

You look over the odd trio once again and begin attempting your moral speech. “Good to see you all still fighting fit and keeping steady. You did a good job back there, if you keep it up you’ll be rich and famous in no time. I am proud to have you in my crew.”

Detlev and Madlen both chime in. “Thank you, your praise gives us the passion to fight on.”
The fledgling juggernaut just tells you his name. “Thunk”

You can tell they were humouring you, you never were too good at the whole moral thing. But it seems that they appreciate that you took the time to talk to them.

You carry on around the rest of the mercs, learning names and getting to know a few of them.

A few notable members of your crew are:

Widget, Atto’s new apprentice, she was fiddling with a pair of drones when you arrived. She is energetic if not a bit hyper.

Flint, he is obsessed with explosives and flammable substances. He was the one to subject to Atto that they should blow the building.

And Grub, a short man with bad hygiene. You have a feeling that he may be a thief his pockets and bag was bulging with things other than the ammo you had ordered to loot.

After you finish the rounds you decide to talk to the medic, Helga Rommel. A large woman with a cheery disposition, especially when she is working. As you lift yourself onto the jeep you watch as she stiches up a large incision on an injured man’s chest.

“Hello Helga.”

She looks up at you and gives you a wide grin. “Good day, Silica. What can I do for you?”
“Helga I told you, it’s either captain or sir. Just because you know my name doesn’t mean you can use it in the field.”

“Oh, sorry dear.”

Sighing you tell her why you are there. “How many injured? And I would like some more info on Tags ‘condition’”

She finishes off her stitching and kneels back counting on her fingers. “Hmmm, I would say about five injured and six dead. The injuries sustained aren’t too bad and Quad should be back fighting fit in no time. Now, about Tag. I have treated patients like him before, I assure you that you have nothing to worry about unless Tag or I tell you there is. I’ll have the details on his condition ready for you after I have finished here Ok?”

“OK, thank you Helga.”

“Any time Silica.”

Groaning you climb back off the jeep. Looking up you notice that the sun is nearly reaching the horizon you only have about an hour left of sunlight. You had wanted to move off sooner but the moral talk took longer than you had expected.

You think over what you should do.

>Push on, use that last hour of sunlight to put a sizable gap between you and the Stalkers.

>Set up camp and secure a strong perimeter, use what little sunlight you have left to build defenses.

>>195684
>>Push on, use that last hour of sunlight to put a sizable gap between you and the Stalkers.
This area gives off back vibes - dead people, Stalkers...
Better to drive a bit, get the men thinking about something else and then set up camp in a defendable position.

>>195677
>Detlev/Madlen duo
"sister" sure... well, we can just ignore their liaison.
G.E.Ms sure are useful - telepathy and all.

Juggernauts can carry a lot? Drones for reconnaissance?
>Grub >thief
If he can sneak, he's good to have.
>Helga
We'll have to work on her submissiveness to our authority. People will think we have a thing, if she continues calling us by our first name.

“No time like the present” you mumble to yourself.

Flicking on your comms you begin to arrange to have the team start moving again. “Atto, Tag. Arrange your squads and get ready to move out. We have about an hour of sunlight left, I want to be a long ways away by the time we have to set up camp. Get going.”

The pair confirm their orders with a quick ‘yes sir’. Before you know it the whole area is alive and moving. The jeeps engines roar and bark as the team speeds off down the long obstacle course of a road.

A short while later you spot one of widgets drones hovering about the convoy, surveying the area around it. Slowly it makes its way down to your jeep at the back, it hovers low and close to your face. You give it a scrutinising look as the strange metal box inches closer and closer towards you. Then there is a bright flash and the sound of a camera, did it just take a photo of you? You can hear a high pitched snorting laughter coming from one of the jeeps further up, it did take a photo of you! Before you can grab the drone as a hostage it zips off back to its owners arms.

The rest of the hour long drive is rather uneventful. From what you can tell by comparing your maps you are just approaching the outer edges of Berlin.

You send out the order to stop. “Halt the advance, we can rest up here for tonight. We don’t want to be camping out in the outer reaches with so many injured. We’ll attract to much unwanted attention.”

The convoy grinds to a halt and your men begin piling out of their vehicles. Quickly and efficiently you set up camp. A small perimeter is set around the tents and makeshift tents, it’s smaller than you’d like but a perimeter is a perimeter. As the sun finally sets all the lights in the camp are dimmed creating an area of twilight amidst the gargantuan concrete towers around you.

Sitting in your tent you think over the events of today. That ambush was near deadly, nearly Tag’s entire team slaughtered. And what about Tag himself, discovering this condition that he has. Is he a liability can he be considered a threat to the team, even though he reassures you it won’t be a problem. The injured could be problem too, if we can’t get them moving soon then we’ll be sitting ducks for either another Stalker attack or the predators out in the wastes.

You need to do something to take your mind off of this. Maybe go and see Helga, she should have the report ready by now.
You think over what you could do to ease your mind about the current situation.

>Go check on Helga and the injured.

>Find Tag, talk to him about what he thinks about this mission so far.

>Go find Atto and Widget. Those drones looked interesting, and she still has the picture of me too!

>maybe some sleep will do me good, I’ll have a clear head in the morning.

>>196185
>maybe some sleep will do me good, I’ll have a clear head in the morning.
The team knows what to do, no need to micromanage them. Our fan club will have to wait, taking pictures of us during missions goes a bit too far though. We really need an adjutant to call people to us instead of going to them... Maybe that Gem girl, her owner surely doesn't need to always talk.

Sleep, that’s what you need. You lift yourself out of the thin metal chair you were relaxing in. While stretching you begin stripping off your Armour down to your underwear. Before long you are laying on the slither of foam that barely classifies as a bed. Slowly and surely you begin to drift off into slumber listening to the distant wailing echoes of one of the multitude of mutated creatures that live within the wastes.

What do you dream of?

>>196357
>What do you dream of?
We dream of being invulnerable, ripping our enemies in two with our bare hands, finding a great artifact, returning and being lauded as hero, a woman in each arm.

>>196357
We dream of home

>>195684
I really like the dystopian technology background you gave this story! Wouldn't surprise me if the Stalkers were a successful experiment like GEMs too.

Hey, it's OP again. I'm glad that people are still posting, and are taking an interest. I'll continue this later today, around 16:00 UTC.

>>199403
Glad you will continue!

File: Tower.png (293 KB, 550x448)

293 KB PNG

You dream that you are surrounded by the countless monsters and mutants of the wastes. Looking around, you discover that you are alone, your teammates long gone. The horde advances, surrounding you the plie atop one another in an attempt to crush you under their relentless force. But that does not happen, every rending talon and slavering maw leaves no mark and suffers to no pain. With this new knowledge you begin to fight back, bursting from the mound of writhing bodies you grab the nearest creature and tear it in two. The fight persists until you find yourself as the base of a spiralling iridescent tower. You look up as the doors swing open revealing a small glowing orb of light. You move towards the orb the doors sealing behind you, grasping it you lift it off of its pedestal, and blast of white light suddenly blinds you.

The sound of cheering fills your ears as the light gently fades. Once again you are surrounded, but not by hideous monsters vying for your flesh. Instead you are surrounded by admirers and the cheering crowds go on for miles. You lift the orb into the air in celebration, with a broad smile you spot your brother Anton. Dropping the orb you move to embrace him, but before you reach him you start to feel yourself slip way, falling through the floor into darkness.

With a sudden jolt your eyes flick open. You are still in your tent out in the wastes, it was all a dream. Rising from your bed you get dressed, clipping your armour into place. Checking out side you notice that it is still early morning and only a few people are up and about. What would you like to do before the camp is ready to move?

>Grab something to eat, the cook should be up by now.

>Go round up some men and start some early morning PT.

>Go check on the injured you need to know if we’ll be able to move today.

>Write in.

>>199815
>>Go check on the injured you need to know if we’ll be able to move today.

Moving quietly through the camp, you make your way to the medical tent. Pushing past the cloth doorway you take stock of the room. Six patients all with varying wounds lay in an orderly line along the floor. Helga sitting next to Quad, still asleep, snoring softly. She must have been for most of the night, tending to the wounded with the limited supplies that she has.

Stepping further into the tent you notice Quad staring at you. You call out to him in a low whisper. “Good morning Quad.” There is no reaction, he continues to vacantly stare in your direction.

You are startled by the sound of Helga telling you why he didn’t return your greeting. “He’s still asleep you know, it’s one of the many quirks of the juggernaut. “ She gently closes his eyes with a smooth motion of her hand.

Helga stands and stretches silently. “What can I do for you this morning Silica?”

Not bothering to correct her informality due to the solitude of the tent, you answer her question. “How are the injured doing? Do you think we’ll be able to move them without prolonging there recovery time?”

Looking over the wounded men with concern she tells you the bad news. “Unfortunately no, many of the wounded won’t be in the condition to move for at least another day or so.”

This is troubling, although the campsite is in a good position to defend from any wondering predators from the wastes. The longer we stay here the more likely we are to be hit by another Stalker attack.

Helga speaks once again, placing a file in your hands. “Here is the report you asked for, it details Tag’s condition. I hope it puts your suspicions to rest.”

Open in the file you skim over the report. It goes into length about the symptoms of the disease and how they can be treated, it seems to be an easy disease to prevent advancing. Tag’s medical records are also located within, a long list of prescription drugs cover the page. Finally you find a few case files in the back reporting the effects of subjects who go without treatment for a long time, photos of wild looking men dot the page. But one picture in particular concerns you. It shows a woman who had begun to consume her own flesh on her arms.

Tucking the report under your arm you thank Helga for the information, you will definitely have to read the report in detail at a later time. Exiting the medical tent you can see that the motion of the camp is slowing coming into full swing.

It shouldn’t be too long until the men will be requesting orders. You still have time to do at least one more thing before then.

>Go get something to eat and read over the report.

>Gather the men and start some morning PT.

>Check on the perimeter, get an idea on what we’ll be moving into.

>>199904
>>Check on the perimeter, get an idea on what we’ll be moving into.
We didn't really check all that closely when we arriive in the night. Is there an even better position for our camp? We have to stay for a day - don't want to lose more of the wounded.

>>200502
PT is something for bootcamp. Eating something sounds good though - have to keep our strength.
Where do we have to go to follow our lead though? Send out some scouts, so our men don't just lounge around.

We didn’t check the area as well as I would have liked, maybe it’d be a good idea to send out some scout parties to locate a more definable position and follow up on that lead.
Quickly ducking into your tent you place the report on you pack and head off to check on the perimeter guards. A short walk later and you come upon an interesting scene, a pair of mercs are kicking and yelling at what you first thought was a pile of dirty uniforms. But you quickly realise that it is in fact Grub, I seems the thief has been caught.
Stepping up you announce yourself by clearing your throat. Both mercs turn in shock, and snap to attention. “Captain! Er… Good morning Sir.”

Looking over the pair of men you memorise their faces. One is skinny weathered, a pathetic excuse of a beard hangs off of his face. The other has long hair, tied back in a ponytail, still smouldering a cigarette hangs between his lips.

“Good morning Eckard, Litwick. At ease.” You nod at the pair respectively. “May I ask why you are kicking one of my men without my orders?”

Eckard speaks up, scratching at his wispy beard. “Er… Y’see captain we found Grub here sneakin’ off with some of the rations. We thought it best to confiscate them and apply some well-deserved punishment.”

“Well may I remind you that assaulting a fellow member of the crew is a punishable offence? And I think I have the punishment that is perfect for the three of you.”

A little while later you and all three miscreants are down by one of the perimeters outposts. A chair with a table that has a small flood light sitting on it so the watchman can signal the camp.

"All right you three, I want you to scout out a new location for the camp. I'd prefer it to be somewhere located in those buildings." You point up towards one of the many towering monoliths of concrete. You watch as the pair's faces slowly sink in to a look of worry. You don't get a reaction from Grub due to him still nursing his 'wounds'. You elect to ignore their reactions and continue with your explanation.

"Once you find a suitable location clear it of any hostiles and report back. Now Eckard you'll be lugging the long range comms unit so don't break it. Oh and I want you to of found us a location by lunchtime got it?”

They all give you a salute one more pathetic than the other, and trudge off towards the ruins.

Now that you have dealt with them you go about selecting the recon team.

You look over the list of people you wish to send.

Select who you specifically want to go and the rest will be filled out with volunteers. Also select who you want to switch to for the duration of the recon mission. Time for a little shift in perspective.

>Tag

>Atto

>widget

>Detlev & Madlin

>Quad (Recently recovered)

>Thunk

>>200873
>Tag
He probably needs something to do and distract him - after his team was killed.
>Widget
She has drones. Natural recon mastery?

The perspective of Tag might be interesting.

File: Tag.jpg (200 KB, 900x506)

200 KB JPG

It’s been two weeks and you have already lost your team, some leader you are. You should have known, you should have been ready. You need to start leading properly, stop treating people as if they are just tagging along. Huh, maybe that’s why everyone calls you Tag.
Your thoughts drift, focusing on one mistake after another, as you watch the horizon through your scope. A group of giant humanoid figures lumbering aimlessly in the distance, mesmerizing.

You are snapped out of your trance by the sound of the captain calling to you through the comms, surprising you thought you were out of range. Tapping your earpiece gently you reply. “Yes captain?”

“Good morning, Tag I’m setting up a recon team. You and a few others will be heading out, I need you to scout out the surrounding area, and plot a safe route through the plains. That girl widget will be going too, it’s not often we get to use of drones. Be down by the west perimeter in an hour, and eat a good breakfast, I imagen you’ll be out for a while.”

The comms cut off, once again leaving you in silence. The captain is sending you on a recon mission? She must be trying to get your mind off of yesterday’s events, maybe it’ll do you good.

You look through your scope one last time, taking in the lay of the land. It seems like those figures are getting larger, my want to check them out while scouting, see if they’re a threat or not.

Holstering your rifle and dropping down from your perch, you head off back towards camp.

A short hike later and you arrive as the western outpost. You spot flint, the crews very own personal pyromaniac, sitting on the deck chair playing with a floodlight.

He spots you and smiles. “Ah, Good morning Tag. Are you my relief for this morning?”

“No” is your reply.

His smile sours. “God, damn. When is it then, I’m getting hungry and cook’ll run out of the good stuff before I get back.”

Silence reigns between you, you have never been comfortable around the other members of the crew that weren’t part of your team.

Flint fondles the floodlight further. “Hey Tag, why do we use flood lights as a warning system, we have comms down we?”

You’re sure he knows already, but you tell him anyway. “The reason we use the lights is because they are less intermittent than the comms at long range. And also there have been report that a few creates cause interference to them too.”

“What really? Monsters causing interference with the comms? Never heard of it happening before.”

Flint is halted by his tirade when he is hit in the head by a large metal box. “Ah, what the bloody hell was that!”

A few seconds later you hear widget call out “Sorry!”

Looking up you spot a small group approach, consisting of the captain, widget, and three other team members.

The captain waves you over, as one of the five comes to relieve flint.
“Good morning Tag, are you ready to head out?” The captain greets you cheerfully as the girl jittering next to her fiddles with a remote control.

“Yes, captain” You reply.

“Good, let me introduce you to the rest of the recon team.” She sweeps her hand over the group. Introducing them one by one.

“First there’s widget, Atto’s apprentice, and these two are Detlev and Madlen. Widget will be carrying the long range comms, and controlling the drones. Detlev, and by extension Madlen will be the backup muscle in case you run into anything you can’t take care of at long range. Good luck Tag, and lead well.”

The captain salutes you and you return one in kind, she then sets off back to camp.

You and your team start laying out a general plan for the scouting mission.

>Head straight for the suspected location of the artifact while plotting your route. The quicker you can do this, the sooner you’ll be back at camp.

>First of all check out those giants that you spotted earlier. It’s best to know if there is any incoming danger.

>Scout the best and safest route. While clearing as many hostiles as possible, maybe popping a few heads will brighten your mood.

>>190538
funk at first I read Chromescore as chromosone well this is much less interesting bye bye nigs

>First of all check out those giants that you spotted earlier. It’s best to know if there is any incoming danger.

Even if it doesnt look that dangerous, report it. Its the captain's call, not yours.

Do not pick fights. Though a little sport killing might be fun, experience and conditioning quickly dispels the idea. We need to stay hidden or we may be tracked back to the camp.

Also, how many team members remain of the whole Chromescore expedition?

The meeting between the recon team is short. Just how you like it. First you will check out the giants, even if they don’t look dangerous, you can never be too sure. Then you will move on and scout out the rest of the route. You had considered pitching the idea of a little sport killing but you push it to the back of your head, you don’t want to lure anything back to camp.

You set of in the direction of the giants. The trek was long, due to the resent rainfall the wastes have been transformed into a large bog. Neither you nor Widgets drone, which she has begun to call Mr. Fizz due to the sound it makes, had located any hostile monsters on your trek towards the giants. It was eerie, a short while after the trek begun you could hear the call of the giants, deep and long, it echoes through the air, it oddly sounds like the old water pipes that heat your home.

Finally you reach the crest of the last hill, the sound now almost deafening. You note that it is nearing late morning.

Peering over the top you take a good look at the creatures. They stand around 15 foot tall, and appear to be covered in some form of black fur. The most disturbing feature is the lack of facial features, they are like looming shadows. They don’t look hostile but they are definitely moving towards camp.

You motion to Widget to hand you the long range comms. She crawls up to you and thrusts the receiver into your hands, while filling with the dials on the main unit.

You get a thumbs up from Widget and begin your report. “Calling in, five neutral targets approaching your location, caution is advised. The targets are large and only mildly coordinated, but definitely not hostile.”

“Copy that, thanks for the info, I’ll have the camp moved to a new location as soon as possible.”

The comms click off and you hand the receiver back to Widget, but she doesn’t take it.
Looking back you notice that the comms unit has been left behind, Widget and the other two are nowhere to be found.

Flipping over you look back over, you look towards the giants. Off in the distance Widget is standing in the open, staring up at the giants, as the drone hovers around them. Detlev and Madlen have taken cover in a nearby ruined cottage. One of the giant follows the drone as it shoots back down towards Widget. The giant follows the trail of blue exhaust, its movements slow and graceful as it strides towards Widgets location.

Distracted by the drone Widget fails to notice the giant now quickly advancing on her. You jump up and attempt to call out to her, but you are cut off by the sound of her shrill cry as she finally realises her situation. A new sound comes from the giant in reply, a deep metallic trumpet like roar.

It looks as if it is going to attack! Widget is frozen in place, you need to do something.

>shoot the giant, hopefully that will stun it.

>Run and tackle her out the way, surely you can make it.

>make as much noise as possible, it seems to react to high pitched noises.

>Write in.

[spolier]There are twenty-four crew members left of the expiation out of the original thirty. This is also the last post of the night, I’ll continue on tomorrow. Also if you have questions, feel free to ask. I'll answer them at the end of this thread before i start a new one.[/spoiler]

>>202576
>>shoot the giant, hopefully that will stun it.

>>204089
>>shoot the giant, hopefully that will stun it.
Damn. The other giants will probably come too. Can't be helped.

The captain or Atto won't like it if we lose Widget for a small recon mission.
We will just have to hide till the giants lose interest - lose time but nothing else.

Maybe a rope will keep Widget from running off next time...

Snatching up your rifle and switching it to high impact, forgoing the necessary precautions you fire. A deafening bark erupts from the barrel as you are sent reeling backwards, losing sight of the scene before you. Another road echoes from the giant, as you crawl back into view of the scene. You watch as Detlev tackles Widget out of the way of the giant’s heavy stomp, carrying her to safety.

The giant now enraged, lets out another call deeper than the last. You watch as all four of the previously oblivious giants suddenly fix on your location, and begin there slow coordinated march of incoming destruction.

Thinking quickly you come to the decision that this fight cannot be won with force. Scanning the scene, you take in the lay of the land. The small abandoned cottage has plenty of cover to hide in but there is a risk of them crushing it if they find us. There is also a small cluster of trees of to the left, about 100 meters away. There is one other problem, the team is split. Madlen as far as you know is still hidden within the cottage, and Detlev with Widget clutched in his arms is off to the left, out in the open.

You need to decide now and give your orders.

>Move for the cottage, and order Detlev to sprint for the trees. They are not the brightest creatures maybe splitting up further will confuse them.

>Head for the trees, as far as you know they haven’t seen Madlen, she should be save.

>Distract the giant again, to give Detlev a chance to flee. Once they are safe you should be able to lose them, after all, stealth is you specialty.

>>204391
>>Distract the giant again, to give Detlev a chance to flee. Once they are safe you should be able to lose them, after all, stealth is you specialty.
we cant lose a 2nd team. mybe try to make a trap from rop to trip them up if we have enguh time

>>204391
>>204407
>>Distract the giant again, to give Detlev a chance to flee. Once they are safe you should be able to lose them, after all, stealth is you specialty.
Time to play hero.
Distract them and lead them away a bit, give our team time to hide, then Tag can hide too.
Later we'll chew out Widget, spank her, drink her blood, whatever.

>>201641
>less interesting
post-apocalyptic world, dystopian feeling, gene-modifications, scary monsters, mercenaries - how is that not entertaining?

You inform Detlev of your plan. "I'm going to fire at the giant again, when I do make a b line for the trees."

His response come back barely a whisper. "Copy that."

This time you take the proper stance, kneeling low and bracing the stock sharing your shoulder. Pulling the trigger the rifle announces your presence with another vicious bark.

You barely manage to score a hit, only clipping the shoulder the gargantuan creature. As it staggers, Detlev blots for the trees, leaving you the only target left in the open.

As the giant recovers from you shot, it stares right at you, the black void that is its face filling you with an imence feeling of dread. Locked into an intence contest you find yourself frozen in place. Your ears begin to ring as you attempt to force yourself to flee, fear welling inside of you as the creatures slowly advance.

>Roll 1d100 to break from the trance and run to safety.

Rolled 97 (1d100)

>>204434
stop drop and roll

>>204441
im the night

>>204441
Nice!

>>204460
thanks but really needed this before oh well hoping to good rolls so we dont all die

Summoning all of your will, you tear your eyes away from the giant. Leaping back, you just escape the crushing blow of the giant’s fist. In one graceful revolution you land facing away from the giant, and begin leading the assaulting giant on a merry chase. With immense speed and agility you manage to avoid and evade the giant’s onslaught.

You can’t keep this up though, you will either run out of stamina and be caught, crushed by the giant. Or you will travel too far into the bog and will become stuck. But maybe that can be used to your advantage… Looking around you manage to spot a small cluster of rocks in a particularly marshy section of the landscape. Expertly adjusting your course you make a b-line for the rocks, the giant closely trailing behind.

The race to the rocks was exhausting, but you made it without being killed or injured. Reaching the top of one of the tallest boulders, you watch as the giant, now slowed to a walk, still advances on you.

With a small margin of rest time you try to think of a plan to throw the giant of your trail. Activating your camo cloak you attempt to blend into the rock face. You think it’s working, up until the giant attempts to place you under its control again. It can still see you, you need to think of a way to immobilise this thing before you can move on.

>If you can lure it in-between these rocks you may be able to tie it up long enough for you to make your escape. Roll 1d100

>There are some loose boulders resting at the edge of the tallest rock, maybe you can immobilise it by dropping the rocks on it. But there is a risk of slipping and being injured. Roll 1d100

>You are sure that you can down this thing with a few more shots of your rifle. But it will leave you with extremely low ammunition until the next outpost, which is a long way to go.

Rolled 43 (1d100)

>>204502
Lets rock some rolls or otherway around
>There are some loose boulders resting at the edge of the tallest rock, maybe you can immobilise it by dropping the rocks on it. But there is a risk of slipping and being injured. Roll 1d100

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>204502
>>If you can lure it in-between these rocks you may be able to tie it up long enough for you to make your escape. Roll 1d100

Highest roll wins? If you are alright with that.

>>204524
i hope so
as we are just trying to ure it away not fight it or anything, time to get it stuck in the mud then run way

>>204524
I am fine with that, so support for >>204518

Grabbing the rope from your bag, you begin tying it around a solid looking outcrop of stone. Giving it one final tug you assess its strength. ‘As strong as it’ll ever be’ you think to yourself. Stashing your equipment within a small crag in the rock face, you get ready to leap to the neighbouring boulder.

Making sure not to make eye contact with the giant as it approaches, you crouch down holding the rope loosely in your off hand. The Giants blank face comes into view between you and the rock opposite you. Taking this as your cue, you leap up past its head reaching for anything to grip onto. Falling slightly short of the top of the boulder you begin to slip, a quick scramble and you recover your footing. Next you adjust your position and leap back behind the giants head, a few more laps and you have finally secured the giant, the rope pulled tight around its neck. You grab your gear and attempt your escape, the giant still fumbling with the ropes.

Dropping down you set off back towards the quartet of giants that you had left behind. You walk back, saving your energy. Halfway into your trip back the four giants pass by you, you reactivate your cloak hoping that it helps conceal you at least somewhat. Thank fully the giants pass by nary even sparing you a glance. The rest of the walk was uneventful, only the sounds of the giant’s now genital calls echoing in the distance.

Arriving back at the cottage you manage to locate the rest of your team. Madlen is treating a small wound on Detlev’s arm while Widget sits silently off to the side fiddling with her drone.

Both Madlen and Detlev spot you first. Their cry of joy, fluctuates between the two. “Tag, you’re alive! How did you manage to escape from that creature’s persistent onslaught?”

You tell them how you had managed to tie up the giant using your climbing gear. They look at you in admiration. While it looks normal for Madlen, Detlev’s face doesn’t suit the emotion well. Maybe there is some feedback of the emotions between them. You also notice that Widget doesn’t join in on the convocation, she continues fiddling with her drone, attempting to look as insignificant as possible.

Once you have finished telling them of your escape, Detlev informs you that it’s is quickly approaching midday, and that you need to get moving.

This there anything you would like to do before you continue plotting your route?

>>204602
>This there anything you would like to do before you continue plotting your route?
Chew out Midget for a minute, so she pays more attention to her surroundings before she plays with her toys.
Then Tag 'the Giantcatcher' gathers his people and moves on.

>>204994
do this but not so harsh just tell her firmaly that she needs to pay artion couse next time you might not be able to save her and she almost got the rest of the time killed

Finishing your convocation with Detlev and Madlen you move onto Widget. As you approach, she stands hiding her precious drone behind her back. You let out an exasperated sigh, you try to keep it light but all your anger and exhaustion comes out midway Turing your light scalding into a lecture.

After a few minutes you finish by telling her that if she does this again that you’ll requisition a child harness just so that she can’t go wandering off into trouble again. Once you finish Widgets head is hanging low, she dear not look you in the eye. As you realise this, yell at her once more, telling her to look at the person when they are lecturing you. At this last remark she lifts her head, you see that she has been crying, her eyes puffy and read, finally realise something about her. She is young, like too young, isn’t she Atto’s apprentice? She only just reaches your chest, and you are not the very tall at all.

Stepping back you suddenly feel a pang of guilt. Looking away you rub your eyes in frustration, did you just chew out a kid? You look back at her, head now hanging again. When you get back to camp you going to get an explanation from Atto. But for now, you need to get back you plotting this damn route.

Pulling out a map, you gesture for the rest to follow you. As you set off you can hear Madlen trying to comfort Widget, still gently sobbing in the background.

The rest of the scouting mission when relatively smooth. Thank fully the rain, although it had turned the ground into a partial swamp, it had also sent the local predators into hiding. Without the need to stop and clear the route’s surrounding area you have made a lot of progress. Once you had reached a fair distance away you stopped and began searching for higher ground. This was made easier when Madlen had finally cheered Widget up enough for her you want to use the drone again.

Now standing atop a small hill you start scanning the outer reaches of the wastes through your scope. The first thing you spot is a treeline, the beginnings of a giant forest that the Vanguard have named The Green Sea. Double checking the map you were given you confirm that the route to the artefact definitely passes through The Green Sea.

This expedition has suddenly become a lot more dangerous. That dense forest is teaming with life, and nearly all of it is hostile, even the plants themselves. You had heard talk of one team that had attempted to carve a path through, it didn’t end well for them. It truly is a testament to Mother Nature’s wrath.

Checking the time you note that it is just approaching mid-afternoon. There is still time to head further out, maybe even scout the edges of the forest.

What do you do?

>Scout out the forest. We could maybe find the remnants of that path.

>Turn back, we’ve done enough scouting for today.

>Tell the team to turn back, you can check out the edge of the forest yourself, it will be safer that way.

>>205222
Kids don't learn from a softy approach. A firm hand is the only way. The captain would agree, Tag is sure.
>>Scout out the forest. We could maybe find the remnants of that path.
Midget's drone is made for finding that path. Do our vehicles fit through?

>>205302
Do we have night-vision glasses? Or do the Stalkers and other monsters mostly come out at night?
Either way, the scout team use their time to look around. Maybe they can note some possible camp positions.

You turn back to the group, telling them of your plan. “Alright, we’re heading down to the treeline, Widget, it’s your turn to take the lead, but remember, don’t go wandering off, it’s dangerous.”

Detlev speaks up. His voice once again radiating from Madlen’s mouth. “But sir, the Green Sea is extremely dangerous. Wouldn’t it be best if we just turn back?”

“I understand your concern, but this will only take a short while, we won’t enter the forest, I just want to locate the path before reporting in, maybe find a suitable spot to set up camp.”

Detlev reluctantly agrees to go along with your plan, it’s not like he could have stopped you anyway. You direct Widget to lead, telling her to search the treeline for any significant openings. She does as she is told, still silent she launches her drone into the air and starts to follow it. The search was thankfully short, as much as Widget can be a nuisance, she is an expert with that drone.

You stand that the entrance to The Green Sea, colossal trees standing tall stretching far into the sky. The entrance, although slightly over grown should be able to accommodate the jeeps, the only thing is that you don’t know how far the path goes into the forest, and if the end of that path is as dense as the treeline you will have to abandon the jeeps and continue on foot.

The second problem is the lack of sites that are viable for you to set up camp. Other than this entrance, everywhere else is either too open or too cluttered. Maybe a wider search is the best option, but night will nearly be upon you when you finish.

What should you do?

>Continue the search, finding a camping site now will save time in the future.

>It’s too dangerous to continue searching, we’ll report out finding as head back. Try and get as much distance as possible between you and the Forest before setting up camp.

>Report in, but stay here at the entrance to the forest. We can find a better location to set up in the morning, before the rest of the crew arrive.

>Write in.

>>205584
>>It’s too dangerous to continue searching, we’ll report out finding as head back. Try and get as much distance as possible between you and the Forest before setting up camp.
Would've been nice to scout more and set up a camp around here, but the chance of losing another team makes Tag a bit nervous. He may have developed a protective streak towards his subordinates. He wants to return to the forest with more firepower.

OK, The next post will be in the new thread. It's getting kinda late here and I have work tomorrow, The new thread will be up sometime tomorrow around 18:00 UTC maybe earlier.

It was fun Running the game for you guys. I hope more join in the future, night.

>>205755
Great! Thank you again for this quest! I really enjoy it. The idea to introduce readers to the world bit by bit is interesting. The chargen phase in other quest sometimes is just boring, not in this one :).

archived at
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive/190538/