...punctuated by absolute terror

[darwinatrix]

WHO: Olivier and all of the Alaska volunteers
WHERE: Alaska. Duh.
WHEN: Nov. 5
WHAT: Things go splodey
WARNINGS: Injury, explosions?

[At some time on the evening of November 5, as the moon is already high into the air and the northern lights are beginning to dance in the sky, there's a sudden explosion to the south, from the beaches.

Then another, and another, and more in rapid succession: Ten in total, the lights from the blast still visible even several miles from the shoreline.

General Armstrong tosses open the flap of her tent.] What the hell is going on?

[Looking in the direction of the now-disappearing fireballs, her expression hardens.] All hands to high alert. Recall all civilians to the rear camp. Someone get me Captain Ackerman on the radio, and do it five minutes ago.

Comments

Open

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[When the explosions start going off, Jacob is already awake and on patrol. The politics of the situation and his ambivalence over the Cold War disappears. Jacob reacts on deeply-trained instinct, grabbing the gun Revan made for him and powering it up with his biotics. He scrambles to the top of one of Edward's alchemically-raised fortifications, peering into the evening gloom for a better look at the blasts rippling across the beach.]

Ten shells- big ones, from the looks of it. Hope the recon team's all right.

[He'll keep an eye out for a flare from Levi, just in case.]

[alofts]

[ Tensions were high days in the stake out. The recon camp along the shoreline is painted in pale light of the moon that makes the snow dusted landscape with its thin trees and sea grass spindly, spread out like boneyard frozen in time. Hell broke loose without warning but for a drop in icy pressure around them and a sharp whistle cutting over the water and then everything shattered.

When the bombardment hit a lull, Levi was temporarily deaf and shaken then ground still rocked under his feet even when the camp was ordered to fall back, breaking up in a dead run where survival was the only priority. Levi could barely see out of his darkened vision when his hands reddened with the frost numbly gripped the flare gun and shoved a canister into the barrel.

Yellow smoke fishtailed up over the shore and into the moonlit sky. Yellow was mission terminated - not failed if the red flare didn't follow. His fingers felt like they could shatter in the cold when he fired off the another volley - black smoke after yellow in faded contrast in the night. Black was for aberrant type titans but in the briefing, Levi gave it a new purpose. Full retreat. No formations, no orders it meant assume casualties, react accordingly and then get the hell out of there. ]

[darwinatrix]

[And over Levi's radio will be a voice repeatedly attempting to hail him, one of the non-ImPort soldiers under Armstrong's command.]

[huntergames]

[ Sasha manages not to hit the ground when it quakes beneath her feet. She snaps up straight when more explosions rock the area and drown out any communication between her and the rest of the team. She looks around frantically for Levi as she moves further away from the explosions, ready to launch herself away with her 3DMG when the flare goes up, indicating her captain's positions and orders.

Time to move. ]

[singingmagnolia]

[She was several feet away from the camp, away from the noise of other people to watch the lights move across the sky. Ever since the first time Isabel saw it, she couldn't stop watching it night after night. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. With eyes fixed on the sky it's no wonder Isabel doesn't notice anything amiss until it was too late.

The out-of-place whistle draws her attention away from the view mere seconds before the first explosion. Everything shakes but her seated position keeps her from falling too far but it does rock her onto her back. It was already quiet where she was but now there was a ringing all around her. She blinks several times but everything was fuzzy.

That's why she doesn't see the first two signals streak across the sky. Even still, Isabel manages to scramble to her feet and head away from the camp all on her own. By the time she's no longer seeing in black and white, there's a green puff of smoke painted across the darkness. Chances are that Levi's somewhere near that smoke but she's far enough away from the wreckage of what used to be their camp that she isn't worried about being in the line of fire.

Invisibility is really useful, it has been throughout this entire mission and is again now that their cover has been blown. If it were anyone but Levi, she might just consider heading into enemy territory to catch them unaware during all of the chaos. But instead Isabel sets out for the rendezvous point because he'll be worried. She really does forget that she's in absolute stealth mode when Isabel finds Levi since she's been using it like its second nature to her over the last several days. So standing next to him doesn't do a whole lot of good while invisible.]

What do you want me to do?

[justimom]

[ The sound of explosions snapped Samara from her meditation almost immediately. A glow remained around her body as she used her biotics to ascend to where Jacob had positioned himself. ]

If they were able to scatter quickly enough the damage should be minimal. [ Minimal but not non-existent. ] I wonder what has caused them to finally take action.

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob looks over as Samara floats up beside him. He's grateful for the company.]

Hell if I know. This whole situation has been like dry tinder from day one. Anything could have been the spark.

[He pauses, listening and looking.]

But they're not really letting us have it right now. Those battleships could have hit us with a lot more than that. Just ten rounds- maybe they were warning shots. Or a distraction.

[ifnotloyal]

[ And seconds later, he's joined by a dog who stops next to him so suddenly after hauling himself up that he almost teeters right on over. He doesn't, leaning back fast enough to rebalance, but, yeah, that was close. Not that he seems to have noticed his near-tumble, since his attention is focused intently on the area now on fire in the distance. ]

They're still out there? We have to go get them if they are!

[ He may be shouting. Sorry, those were loud and, well, everything loud to a human is about twenty times louder to Ace. ]

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

[Jacob winces slightly. His own ears are still a bit sensitive after those blasts without a yelling dog next to him- he can't imagine what it's like for Ace, or for the people on the beach.]

That's the plan. Medics should be rolling out toward those flares any second now. I'm going to be with them- are you?

[It's hard to imagine what Ace could do down there. The dog's not exactly cut out to serve as a stretcher bearer. But if he wants to come, Jacob will absolutely not begrudge the extra backup.]

[blondtactician]

[If someone were to ask Armin exactly what happened from the moment he looked up from his book and thought something's very wrong and the last of the shelling, he couldn't well say. Instinct took over. He must've done what he could to take shelter. His senses recur to him slowly, and he seems to wake up in his own own body, curled up and dazed behind a few scrubby trees that have formed a small embankment. There is snow in his hair. He can see where the shells landed. Rather than happily reflecting on how he's made it out of death's grasp yet again he thinks, We'd definitely be dead if they wanted us dead, so the question is why aren't we? Just a warning? But this is American soil...

His ears are ringing. He's pretty sure his body is a giant bruise. Did he take a fall at some point hauling ass out here? Did something hit him? His legs work. His arms work. Fingers, toes, everything's accounted for. He'd have been in a lot worse condition if he weren't bundled up so heavily. Small blessings. His hands are scraped, his face is tender, his nose is bloody and he has impressions of his teeth on his lips. There's blood coming from there as well. His best guess, from the soreness of his back and neck, is that he fell - possibly something hit him - and he face-planted. As Armin tries to stand, the world spins violently around him. He ups the seriousness of the ringing of his ears on his mental list of injuries.

But. He's alive. He shoves some snow onto his face to numb the pain and hopefully help stop the bleeding. He can't see any sign of the rest of his squad, and he can't find his radio. He's not sure how effectively he could use it, considering the ringing in his ears has not died down. Standing and walking is a dizzy, stumbling affair. But his priority now is to either regroup with the others or assist civilians.

Not long after Levi sends up the green flare with a signal to regroup, he fires off a purple one.

Casualties. He's found a few other injured around the outskirts of camp.]

Medical Tent - Open

[forsometimenow]

[Explosions were quite the rude awakening.

Jennifer had been dozing on her cot in the medical tent when the first blasts sounded- and before she even stopped to try and find out what was going on, she was out of bed and getting dressed.

She heard General Armstrong's high alert, and decided to get ready in case there were injuries, opening supply cabinets, preparing to marshal her medics in case somebody needed to be picked up and carried back from one of the remote posts.

Her heart was pounding, but this was it- she was in her element when she was healing, and she knew she could keep her head in a crisis.]

[dogsled]

[ Fraser is on the wing as often as he can be following the warning shots, but there is a limit to how long he can spend in the form of a bird without turning himself into one permanently. He stops by during one of his breaks, telling Diefenbaker to stay at the entrance to the tent and then slipping inside, hunting down Jennifer directly. ]

Doctor Keller?

Olivier's Tent (open to all officers)

[darwinatrix]

[She drives a knife into the paper at the approximate location of the Russian fleet.]

The Soviets have attacked sovereign territory. That's an act of war, but our recon reports no further aggression or moves to launch a landing party.

This is a test. They're waiting to see how we respond.

[alofts]

I'll fucking say.

[ Levi marches into the tent on a warpath. His short black hair disheveled and parka buttoned to mismatching slots in his hast to arrive after coming off the tail end of the shelling leaving no time to spare. ]

Nothing on my end. Maybe not the time to point fingers, but did someone on the infiltration fuck up?

Benton Fraser | Open

[dogsled]

[ Patrolling the ridge is by no means easy; it requires a great deal of steadily steepening climbing in the low temperatures, where each deep breath turns lungs to ice, and at night it's even more difficult, lit only by the light of the full moon. It isn't safe to go alone--or at least it isn't now, after the warning shot, when the Russians might certainly use the advantage of the silver darkness to come ashore, but it's necessary.

Fraser banks up the fire, then turns away from it, approaching the nearest wakeful person. ]

Would you care to accompany Diefenbaker and myself to the top of the ridge?

[willthaw]

Such an offer is music to Anna's ears. She's been keeping to herself since returning to the wilderness after a week at home. Said week ended in being hostage to a suicidal ghost that had resorted to violence in an effort to get what he wanted. Anna's sister, along with her closest friend, had tried to fight him on her behalf. It didn't go so well though thankfully no one was hurt. Still, Anna has had to reevaluate the trust she seems to willingly give people that hurt both her and the ones she loves. Somehow Alaska seems more inviting in the wake of such events.

While tensions are running high with the expedition force, somehow it still suits Anna better. There isn't room for ulterior motives in such a cold, unforgiving place and the only people Olivier allowed to come along were those that proved themselves both useful and trustworthy.

Looking up from where she's sat, flopped really, watching the moon as a few scant clouds roll past, Anna smiles.

"That sounds, really great actually. I was talking long, late walks before but it's not really safe anymore I guess so." A tentative hand reaches towards Fraser's canine companion. "Hi Diefenbaker! And you're... Benton Fraser. Right? I remember you at the briefings plus a couple times I was helping Winry serve dinner."

open

[kanadian]

[ This is where Kaidan feels at home, sadly, is on the battlefield. When the explosions start, he's immediately in action, jumping to life at the drop of a hat, from sitting to moving with barely even a thought. It's immediate and automatic, before he snapped to, and started doing what he could. First was the civilians, which he focused on, trying to usher people back, getting some semblance of order, before he moved on.

After all, the first thing to do was get the people who couldn't fight out of the way, before the people that could fight were next. He got his shoulder up against an outcropping, scanning in the direction that the shells came from, trying to keep his head down -- just in case.

After a moment, he started to tap away at his omnitool, scanning for readings, trying to find sign of another launch. ]

[bulwank]

In ORDER! REMOVE YOURSELVES FROM THIS AREA! Do NOT ADD TO THE CHAOS! [The voice booming and it gains your attention immediately some how as if through some kind of power. Civilians that were normally in a panic, unknowing what to do, or where to go, look to the owner of the voice and hear him though the anxiety and fear in their minds. It allows Gamagori to better direct them, get them out of the way, and he focuses on this now, knowing it being one of his strong suits.]

This WAY! CONTINUE IN A STEADY PACE DO NOT RUN! -SIR! Do not worry for these people, I have in UNDER CONTROL! You are needed ELSE WHERE! If you need further assistance please give me an order to do so! [Saying to him loudly in that same fashion as he grows in size, looming near a tree's height to gain attention and redirect people.]

[An order to continue what he's doing, move this way, that way, hell, an order to grow bigger and set Kaiden down somewhere much faster than he could run, or give him a higher view of the area were he to need it. It's his call. But until then Gamagori does amazingly well at keeping an order to the people around him, looking to have much experience directing masses of people.]

[incendere]

(One does not become the Flame Alchemist without becoming an expert on the sound of explosions. So when Roy heard that familiar sound in the distance, he immediately joined Kaidan in the rush to get out of their base and towards the wreckage.

Of course something had to happen, of course it did. He had been uneasy ever since they first heard about the information that the infiltration team had uncovered, and he would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't expected something to happen. He just didn't think it would come this quickly, and certainly not in the form of an attack like this.

Unlike Kaidan, Roy continues to stand in the open near him, keeping his attention on both the direction of the ships, as well as the scattered and panicked civilians still in the area. As a more general order to civilians:)

I want anyone who is able to evacuate this area immediately! Those who are unable will be escorted out with the help of one of our men. (To any other nearby imPorts in sight:) Make sure these civilians are escorted out of this area. Get any injured to the infirmary immediately! No matter what happens, our top priority is to get them out as quickly as possible!

(Then, he turns his attention to Kaidan. He's seen him use the omnitool before, but the technology was far too foreign and advanced for him to completely understand. For all he knew, there could also be a weapon in there as well.)

Are you capable of seeing any of their movements?

Shortly after getting things under control, morning of Nov 6, Olivier's tent

[darwinatrix]

They're willing to negotiate on one condition: They take a hostage for 24 hours. ImPort.

And no, we can't trust them.

[alofts]

[ Levi is actually sitting down this time.

Baby steps, Levi. ]

I'm receding my team from the front lines and will not be putting forth their names or mine. They've done enough. I'll have my full report before we're given the all clear to pull out.

Someone else can be left pissing in the wind down on the coast this time.

[incendere]

(Roy stands with his arms crossed. Asking for a hostage was never a good thing, especially because there was no telling what they would do with them once they were in their possession.)

What exactly were their terms?

[forsometimenow]

A hostage.

[Jennifer closes her eyes as she considers what's... probably a very, very stupid idea. But it just might work...]

I can become intangible, General. I mean... if I offer myself, and things go badly, it's possible for me to slip out...

Later, on Nov 6.

[darwinatrix]

Then it's settled. Justicar Samara will be our "hostage."

You're okay with this, Justicar? No turning back.

[justimom]

[ Samara nodded her head rather sharply and folded her hands across her chest. ] I am. Justicars are used to working alone. If things go poorly I am confident I can handle myself.