Suddenly the wind began to pick up and the snow began to fall again. The wind created a colder chill and while at the cliffs edge the cold chill of Callis Dune soon hit the group with its coldness. The wind was icy and began to bite at the bare flesh the sky was almost dark and the snow became a fog stopping the group from chasing the Van Haar off. The fires soon went out leaving the team to work together at repairing the truck compartment and seprating the destroyed trailer of group two and to salvage what they could.
The other three from the downed vehicle were moving tactically through the battlefield, killing whenever they saw the chance, except for one, who Chris figured was a non-combatant the way they kept dragging him around like a rag-doll. He saw two Van Haar approaching two of the survivors, Chris didn't think twice to turn them into twin red smears across the white canopy of snow. The third survivor was already in combat with a third van haar that he hadn't seen. In any case he was too close to the friendly for Chris to try to shoot him, she would have to handle it on her own. The ghost who'd nodded to him earlier joined the group out in the snow by the downed vehicle. He had the man with the reaver weapon with him. he looked injured...
"Kimsey!!" Eve yelled up at Chris. "Hawke wants you and Ackenloe on that damaged convoy vehicle now! he needs an assesment and, if possible, an ETA on when we'll be ready to roll out!" "Roger that!" Chris yelled back, ducking out of the hatch and reaching for the pack he'd stowed behind his seat. He made sure to load his crossbow before he headed out into the snow...
The adrenaline that had been clouding his mind and numbing his wounds seemed to have left him at last as he limped back to the convoy with a little help from one of his companions. The injuries were more serious than they had perhaps first appeared. A large chunk of broken glass from the truck had lodged itself deep into his ribs, but miraculously he didn't appear to have suffered and gun wounds. The right half of his face was a little carved from the glass and shrapnel of the rocket, but he would survive. As he neared the wreckage of the Coms Truck, he hobbled over silently and went straight to work on getting it in working order again. He was quiet, lost in his own thoughts.
Sadie wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or annoyed when the Van Haar ran off. On the one hand, she wouldn’t have to fight in the worsening weather; the icy wind was more biting than ever, snowflakes nestling into her hair and the fog obscuring her vision. On the other hand, Sadie really, really needed to hit something right about now. But, there was nothing she could do. So, with a frustrated sigh she trudged over to the group hovering around the truck. The windscreen was broken, and there were a few large dents but Sadie couldn’t see anything that looked like permanent damage. Then again, while she could drive, she didn’t know much about vehicle maintenance. “How does it look?” she asked, “Salvageable?”
Arthur looked at the aftermath of his first battle. He surprised himself. He hadn't the slightest idea he had the instinct to get out there and fight. He could barely contain himself.He took a little walk around to assess the damage. He looked at the other combatants, they seemed to be alright. Except the tardy Orlock, he had quite a gash on his face. "That's a nasty boo boo... huh, buddy?" he said to the Orlock. He located Chris. "Did you see that sh*t?" he asked with excitement, referring to the battle, not the injured man. The two of them walk towards the truck that was shot down. The trailer was blown up, but this thing was still drivable. Finally, Arthur found a point where his skill really did matter. He took a look at Chris and they simultaneously shook their head at the wreckage. Artie smiled and turned towards Hawke. "Captain, this truck can be saved. That is, if the driver's still up to operating it."
Gaston watched the Orlock walk off, without even a single word. "Tough, bloke," he said to the doctor before heading back to his vehicle. Gaston climbed the truck and hopped into the stubber. Keeping a lookout in case another ambush occurred.
"Did you see that sh*t?" Artie asks with a huge smile on his face. All Chris could do was smile back, he was glad to see his friend alive. The pair walked together up and down the length of the torn up vehicle, silently assessing the damage. It seemed that the trailer had been the only thing wrecked. "Alright, you take the front, i'll take the rear and we'll have this thing fixed in no time."
The remaining group of Van Haar retreated, and Spencer let his second empty clip fall to the ground. He slapped another in, and worked the action. He turned to Hawke next to him, and their eyes met. Spencer nodded, silently acknowledging his prowess and ability to lead. He holstered his gun, and returned to his own vehicle to see how things faired.
Chris surveyed the rear of the vehicle, a flat tire and some superficial damage to the armor, nothing too serious, then he noticed the towing hook and pintle had some how been intertwined, the metal peices had been braided together as if the trailer had been lifted off the ground and spun 360 degrees to one side and then placed back in an upright position. He unpacked an acetlyne torch and began the task of cutting the truck loose of the trailer. "I suggest that if you need anything from that trailer, you begin transferring it to the truck now, as the trailer will be staying here." He told anyone that might be listening...
Still not bandaged and to wrapped up in his own thoughts to care about the pain, Gask made his way around to the front of the truck and popped open one of the side hatches. Putting a small flashlight in his mouth, he dove in up to his waist and began rummaging around in the engine compartment. He could here the dull voices of those outside echoing through the interior of the chamber. "Alright, you take the front, I'll take the rear and we'll have this thing fixed in no time." Gask reached up into the pistons, checking each of them to make sure all was in working order. The last two appeared to have been knocked loose, hanging precariously apart from the engine. Gask popped back out of the compartment and took the flash light out of his mount, replacing it instead with a cigarette which he promptly lit. "Its gonna be a good twenty minutes before I can get this thing fixed. Guess one of the rockets broke a couple of the pistons."
I walked off towards the head of the truck a top the trailer while strapping my Jackhammer to my back. I jumped onto the truck then on the the snowy ground. I headed towards the Stubber where Gaston was keeping watching. "We should call'er Gaia, What do ya think?" I asked Gaston as a I got into the back of the trailer to grab another drum of ammo for my Jackhammer.
"Alright, you take the front, i'll take the rear and we'll have this thing fixed in no time." "Sounds good to me." he acknowledge his friend's suggestion. He say the Orlock jump into the hood immediately, and raised an eyebrow, admiring his spunk. He nodded at his efforts, and smiled because he wasn't alone in his quest to aid the truck. He spoke. "Its gonna be a good twenty minutes before I can get this thing fixed. Guess one of the rockets broke a couple of the pistons." Artie turned to the Orlock. "With us, you can cut that down to ten minutes... tops." When it came to repairs, Arthur didn't see parts as the traditional mechanic might. Instead, he was more robotic in his methods. With three men working together, it really would be a snap getting this monster eating the road again.
Steward took a seat next to his new comrade ‘Chris Kimsey’ after a few moments of silence “Ya know I aint normally late, just i didnt expect things to move so quickly” Chris rolled his eyes and turned to the man with the bird "What the hell? What are you some kind of ventriloquist? You must be the comic relief or someth..” ……. There was a loud explosion in front of them. The Orlock made a violent turn that sent some of the loose equipment in the truck flying and sent Chris into a panic. The Orlock seemed to be driving with one hand and shouting into the CB radio with the other. "Hold on to something!" She yelled back at the crew. Equipment slid all over the back of the truck; before he could react something heavy hit the back of his seat sending him head first into the seat in front, Steward held a firm grip on the seat turning his head he could see Chris gripping his seat panic written all over his face. The driver turned to Steward "One of our trucks has been destroyed, right now we're parked between them and the wreckage, they're out in the snow and we're surrounded by Van Haar, we're the closest truck so get out there and bring them aboard. Also, be advised that there are friendlies on foot outside, so make sure you identify your targets before you shoot!" She yelled as she dropped ramp. Steward did a thumbs up sign letting the driver know he understood. The freezing cold air rushed into the back of the truck “EVERYONE OK!?” Lewis shouted to the others before he made his way to the ramp, Merle had dismounted and by the time Steward dismounted the truck, Merle was gone; Chris was already Man handling the 50cal. Running down the side of the truck he could see figures on bikes and foot and the sounds of shots being fired and ricocheting of bits of metal, a shot was fired just passing Stewards head he quickly whirled round and there were two bikes were approaching him followed by more shots, quickly jumping into a prone position he started releasing rapid fire, one of the bikers was hit and toppled of the bike the 2nd made a break for it, as he did one of Stewards rounds hit the tyre sending the driver into a skid, the driver jumped off and used the bike as protection popping his head and shooting at intervals, Steward hit the Fuel tank the bike went up with an explosion. ‘He couldn’t have survived that’ he thought, he checked that nobody else was lurking, standing up he could see Chris firing away “CHRIS! CAN YA SEE ANY FRIENDLIES?” Chris looked back “YEA, ONE OF THE GHOSTS HAVE SOMEONE INJURED WITH THEM!” Lewis weaved in and out of chunks of metal stuck fast into the snow he could see Hawke firing and shouting his commands and curses at the Van Haar, Steward fired random bursts in every direction and began to run towards Hawke and his group mid-way a figure appeared running behind the Captains position it raised a shotgun, without thinking Steward released a bullet taking the figure in the back “CAPTAIN!” he waved his free hand “MY CONVOY ISNT FAR, COME ON!” before Steward could gain cover shots exploded before he knew it he had doubled over clenching his ass “ARGHHHHHHHHH, ****!, ****!” grunting and moaning in pain the snow turned red “ I BEEN HIT!!” Gun fire had started to fall silent. Steward felt himself fall into blackness.
"We should call'er Gaia, What do ya think?" "Kind of a girlish name, eh?" Gaston grinned. "If we're talkin' girly, how 'bout Betty Beast or Rollin' Rhonda. Gaia just makes me remember this s*** hole we're tryin' to save, no offense."
I BEEN HIT” Steward called out. Hawke ran over to Steward who’d fallen. He dropped to his knees instantly feeling the cold bite of the frost. The snow around Steward had turned bright red the wind blew around the pair and through the convoy Hawke felt the deep bite of cold grace his face evermore. The sky was night black as night had fallen. He removed his blue shades and raised Stewards head. Hawke wasted no time and picked Steward up slowly he moved to Group threes carrier which was the closest of the vehicles too him he placed the wounded and unconscious Steward on to the seats inside the open hatch a small gush of warmth graced the pair. Hawke came back out and called “DOC.” He saw Chris and Artie repairing the damaged truck but the trailer was gone as well as some of the food supplies. The snow fell hard creating a fog around the group it became harder to see his team mates. The Van Haar had made an error this day but it had cost both parties. Hawke took out another of his Cigars and tried to light it under the winds. His Zippo lighter defiantly lit the Cigar after Hawke had bitten off the end. “Doc get over here. Stewards downed. A shot to the arse. Do your thing.” Hawke called out again a slight of a chuckle bracing his tone. “Damn its called” he said to himself.
Chris finished up the cutting job and replaced the flat tire. He tested a few electrical systems and went to the front of the vehicle and discovered the wounded Orlock and Artie working together under the hood. "There room up there for three, or is this party invitation only?" He grinned. He wondered when the seriousness of the preceding events would hit him. Not soon he hoped.
I laughed with Gaston. Screw the sentimental stuff. "Let's call'em The Behemoth, I swear this thing can take a good hit," He patted the trailer and stuff a drum of ammo in his jacket. "Aw damn, they f*cked up my uniform," I said as I poked at some fluff coming out of the left arm of my jacket.
Gaston grinned and nodded at his left shoulder. "Yeah I got a knick also," he said. "We'll live though." He looked out at the black horizon. The snow had all but put out the menacing flames from the wreckage. "Though, I wish they'd hurry up. The sooner we're back in business, the better," he looked back at David. "Maybe you can fire up Behemoth while we wait, send 'em a message to two-step whatever it is they're fixin."
I nodded back at him. I head towards and pat Gaston on the back as I jump off the back of the trailer. I look around at the wreckage. Van Haar did this and they aren't even the worst of the worst. We still had Reavers and...the Drekk. I jumped into the Behemoth and turned on the radio. I stuffed my Jackhammer back into the door holster and put the extra drum under my seat. I flip on the channels of the rest of the trucks. "Good afternoon crew, This is your Captain speaking. If everyone could please check in with repairs and such that would be great. David Out.," I said into the radio as I started up the Behemoth. It still roared like the beast it was as it came on.
"Good afternoon crew, This is your Captain speaking. If everyone could please check in with repairs and such that would be great. David Out.," David’s voice came over the CB from the armoured carrier of group three. Hawke took more smoke from his cigar and glanced through the snow at both Roughnecks. He walked back to the lead Truck opened the passenger door climbed in then hauled himself up to the stubber he took the ammo box off and dropped back to his seat. He pulled himself though into the main trailer and grabbed another ammo box from under one of the sleeping cots at the side. The trailer was loaded up with boxes of supplies and cots for the four crew with two to spare. Mika would have to take one of those. Hawke took the new ammo box pulled himself back into the trailer closing the heavy door that separated the two compartments then climbed back up to the stubber he fixed the new ammo box in place checked the gun was still working the holed barrel was slightly coloured black from the burning of metal as the bullets had hailed out. Satisfied Hawke dropped back into the passenger seat besides David. “Get this beast moving down the road. The sooner we cross the callis dune the happier I’ll be.” Hawke explained sardonically.
Arthur laughed and flipped off Chris for his homosexual comment. "The only thing left is a couple twists of a wrench. I'm sure our Orlock friend here has that under control. That was amazing out there. I can't believe I actually shot something." He then turned to the others waiting for the vehicle to be up and running so the groups can get back to the task at hand. They looked restless. Pending the finishing touches Gask was putting on, everything was once again a go. "Folks, we'll be outta here in a matter of seconds." he said to all the patient, or impatient men and women ready for more action.
Gask kicked close the hatch to the engine compartment, his face a smear of red blood and black grease. To those who knew of his past, it wouldn't seem a far stretch with how he now appeared. "That should do it. You all better get back to your trucks. I don't imagine the good captain is going to like waiting...and you never know when the baddies are going to come back." With that, Gask opened up the truck and hopped in. All the warm air had gone out of the thing with the windows being shattered, but those had been replaced well enough. It wouldn't take to much time to get the thing running again. Running his hand through his long hair, he heaved a sigh and plopped down in the drivers seat, silently awaiting the order to roll out.
I looked over at Hawke and nodded. "Aye Aye Captain," I said to him as I revved the engine. I looked back and saw Artie running toward the truck. I stuck my head out the window and yelled,"Hurry the hell up Artie, We have a welcoming party to get to!"
Chris shook hands with Arthur one final time and walked through the sea of dead Van Harr bodies to vehicle 3. He loaded up, saying nothing to any of the passengers, and promptly fell asleep.
