SABERS: Shadows of Ravena

"Touching down in T-minus 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

PAHTISSSSSSSS

The loud mechanical hiss of the Thunderbirds' landing gears absorbing the full weight of the ship fills the carrier bay. Eilífr stands and makes his way to the dropping ramp. The soft clunk of the ramp meeting the ground let him know it was fully lowered and he departed.

CLUNK, CLUNK, CLUNK

His heavy footsteps seemed to pound against the asphalt as he made his way towards the base's control center. As he walked past them, several people seemed to whisper and point subtly towards him. Not that it matters to him. His only objective was the preservation of humanity until the day he fell. He knew the rumors that had spread. A living legend who has been defeating the Extractents in every engagement for the last 9 years. Not many had seen him without his helmet, and even fewer had seen him armorless. Thus, it made sense for people to assume he was no longer. Then, again... with every augment and armor upgrade he received, he did feel less human.

"AAH! SABER-1! Good evening. How was the flight?" Colonel Malone, an older gentleman, maybe 5 foot 6, give or take asks as the tent flap falls closed.

"It was decent, Colonel. How are the fortifications going at New Ultra?" He asks, not being one for small talk.

"So far, so good. Using the 106th was the right call. The citizens seemed to receive them happily."

"Good. What's the current response via Eagle Gunship to Celestia?"

"As of now the current arrival from launch is roughly 45 minutes. If all goes well and the 106th are able to secure a route to New Statisis, they'll be able to finish up the fortifications, at which time it'll take a QRF anywhere from 9 to 13 minutes depending on the weight of the load at the time it's called."

"Very well. Thank you. I'm going to walk the perimeter and turn in for the night."

"Good to go SABER-1. Have a good night."

"You as well sir."

The Colonel sighs as the walking mass of metal leaves the tent.

"Evening." He greets as he walks past some soldiers on duty and they promptly greet him back, almost in awe. He had barely only covered maybe half of his intended route, but his eyes kept shifting towards the forest off in the distance. The shadows seemed to move unnaturally. It was as if they were staring at him from just outside of his view. He could tell he was being watched, but no matter how much he strained his eyes, he could not make out the identity of his watcher. "Have you refuelled yet Icarus?"

"Negative, putting in the order now. Wazzup, Elfy?"

A small smile cracked his lips. He knew he didn't mishear her the first time. "Start the bird. We're about to go on an investigation." He tells her, as he maintains his sight of the forest, maxing out the zoom of his helmet. There was no way he was seeing things.

"At this time of night? The Extractents shouldn't be active. They don't move well, especially if the temperature keeps dropping." She asks slightly confused.

"I saw something out there."

"Ya know Elfy, I believe you, I really do, but even with your gear, that is at least a five-mile line of sight. Plus we have seven different types of radar. They would have gotten something no? Maybe you're just overly paranoid from earlier?"

"You can never be too paranoid. Paranoia has saved my life countless times throughout my career I've done seen it. It's the very reason why I'll never question a gut feeling." He replies turning around and heading towards the runway.

The Thunderbird raced across the sky its engine roaring against the silent night as it raced towards the forest. "Keep all the rotary guns spun up alright?" He tells Icarus over the comms.

"Sure thang boss! Whipping her around now, and dropping the bay door." Icarus replies as the engines scream in protest at her hard turn. Eilífr walks towards the descending ramp and begins walking down it. His helmet read 10 feet from the ground so he walked right off. His knees bent slightly under his weight as he landed, but all the shocks and gel absorbed in the suit stopped all damaging inertia. "I'll be circling round overhead."

"Thanks." He tells her as she banks right and disappears over the treetops. 

KERCHAK

He racks an M203 slug into his M203 MossMaker. Essentially all it was, was the armorers had gotten the bright idea to swap out the ancient M203 grenade launcher, for a shotgun shell. And boy, did it pack a punch. While he did favor the slug, he was a slight sucker for the incendiary buckshot as well.As he walked through the dark underbelly of the forest, an unnatural silence filled the air. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was definitely wrong. Roughly 3 or so hours pass and Icarus finally calls in. "I don't think there's anything out here. I'm almost scorching treetops and I'm getting nothing.""They're here." He replies curtly as she expected."You sure not just be too paranoid?"

"Guess you never gonna stop then huh?" She asks slightly jokingly.

"Stop telling me I'm too paranoid. It's impossible to be too paranoid. My paranoia kept me alive and kept me free of death for this long so why would I stop?" He replies and she scoffs in amusement as, after nine long years, it was subtle, but she could tell, she had finally gotten him to lighten up around her.

Eilífr barely kept his weapon lowered as he slid through the shadows, and that's when it hit him.

"Icarus. Kill all lights and land roughly around the same place where you dropped me off. Also, I've dropped the security level of my helmet, once you land, link in and you can record my footage. We're definitely getting something that'll change all future night operations." He instructs her and she immediately acknowledges.

He looks up as she roars past him overhead, in the direction he had told her. He unloads his weapon, ejects the shell he chambered, puts it back into the magazine, and stows it away. He then pulls out a new magazine, this one sporting a scarlet and orange paint job. The Incendiary Buckshot Shell. He slides it into the well and the always satisfying KERCHAK of a round being chambered echoes throughout the forest.

"YOOO! That's cool as fuck!" Icarus exclaims excitedly over the comms.

"I see you got linked in."

"Yessir, you betcha I am. I knew it was always a good idea to bring some popcorn chips." She replies as if she were now at the theater. "Anyway, since you had me land and kill the lights I'm guessing you found something right?"

"Of course I did. I told you, that's why paranoia will always be a prominent feeling." He tells her as he continues to take in his surroundings. "Oh, by the way. The rotary guns are still spinning right?"

"Yup. You said to keep them spooled, which meant even though you didn't need them then, you'd need em later right?"

"Indeed. Are they within lock-on distance?"

"No?" She quizzically. "Within lock-on distance to what?"

"To me." Comes the blunt reply.

"Hahaha." She laughs sarcastically. "Good one Elfy."

"I was serious."

"Huh?" There's a brief moment of silence as she shakes off the bafflement. "Understood. SA... Elfy. You are actually out of range. Make your way back and I'll let you know when you're in range."

"Roger. On my way." He says and he begins running back towards where he came from. "I knew it." He thinks to himself as he ducks and dives and weaves through the tree. After running at full speed for roughly 30 minutes Icarus's voice breaks through the comms.

"In range. Nose and wing rotary guns are spooled hot, locked, and ready to roll boss man. Just give me the word."

He comes skidding to a stop and takes in the shadowy scene around him. The canopy above was dense, allowing only thin shafts of moonlight to break through, casting pale, broken beams that danced against the gnarled trees. The shadows seemed alive, shifting with every flicker of wind, each movement tugging at the edges of his perception. His helmet's faint light carved a narrow path through the gloom, illuminating twisted roots and leaves glistening with dew.

Eilífr's breathing was steady, his every step deliberate, but his senses were sharp, attuned to the unnatural silence that hung in the air. Even the nocturnal creatures had gone quiet, leaving only the whisper of leaves rustling in the faint breeze. 

Then, his helmet light flickered and went dark.

Eilífr's HUD seamlessly transitioned to night vision, bathing the world in hues of cold green and black. The landscape came alive with stark detail—the faint outlines of tree trunks, the jagged silhouettes of rocks.

BOOM! The M203 roared to life, the explosive flash briefly illuminating the forest in blinding light. The blast tore through the shadowed figure mid-air, sending a splatter of ichor across the nearby trees.