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Don't let the nature magazines fool you, jungles are noisy places. Day or night, but especially night, the air is swarming with insects and little things that go bump in the night. Most of these things are more than eager to drain your blood or pass on a wide spectrum of diseases or bacteria. That is, if they aren't using you as a nursery for their young. Even the water is out to kill you. But to the people who live in the jungle, who treat the dangers and inconvenience as part of life, the jungle is much more tolerable. Such is the case for the nearly fifty armed partisans slowly moving through the under bush. The time is 0300 hours. "Hey, what were you doing out there?" "Huh?" asks the man walking past the guard post," just bumming a cigarette man. The mechanics won't let a man light one up inside." "Heh, tell me about it," agreed the guard," just tell the corporal that he still owes me a pack." "No problem, bud. Hope nothing bites you out here," warns the terrorist wearing a dead man's uniform as he walks into the RF-4 mine. Des Mielle lowers his night vision goggles as he watches the conversation at the guard post. Alpha Platoon have broken off in pairs just as he asked, their semiautomatic Dragunov sniper rifles at the ready. He breathes a sigh of relief as the guard lets the man passed. Behind him, Bravo platoon crept in through the breeched fence silently. Elsewhere, bolt cutters of Charlie Platoon took patient cuts through the perimeter fence overlooking the airfield. On the road leading to the mine, more men of Delta Platoon dug with the familiar rhythm of farmers tilting soil. In due time, they open the containers holding their RPG-2 launchers and settle in the ditches along the road. The uniform got him this far. But even as he slaps on another thermite pack under the ankle armor of a Zaku II J, he has his doubts. There is enough explosives lying around (this is a mine afterall) but detonation is at 0335. It is 0315 now and he barely finished one leg of the first of the three Zaku II Js in this hangar. Des Mielle stares at the watch in his hand. It is only a few minutes before he and his men springs into action. As much as he wants to, he can't run to each and every position to make sure everything is in place. "Hey, what is a marine doing in-" The unlucky mechanic didn't have a chance to finish the sentence as the terrorist pulls out a pistol and shoots him in the head. But the terrorist's luck runs out as well, when no less than four Zeon soldiers blasted him with their assault rifles. "Oh great," mutters Mielle as the noise of gunshots reaches him. There's no need to wonder about their hired contract. He's positive that the man is dead. An alarm began to ring. Soldiers, mechanics, and other personnel are waking up now. They came out fumbling with their clothes and gear. There is a spy in their base which is always bad news. But then the news got worse. A volley of small arms fire tore into the base's perimeter as Mielle's Alpha Platoon cleave down the guards out in the open. Four smoky trials of rocket propelled grenades struck the base. The communications tower buckles under the damage and while the cannon suffers only superficial damage the explosives wounds or kills the Zeon soldiers standing around it. With a cry, Des Mielle ran in the open with his Bravo Platoon shouting as they follow him with guns blazing. The few Zeon soldiers to appear were cut down in seconds by the dozen armed guerrillas. They burst into the hangar and immediately saw the Samson cargo truck they were looking for. But only Des Mielle was fast enough to survive to what happen next. The explosion of bullets and rifles only drew the attention of the Zeon troops on the airfield towards the wrong direction. Not many of them survive Delta Platoon's opening strike and the dozen partisans swept across the airfield. They gun down mechanics, air crews, and soldiers alike before planting pipe bombs on the aircraft and fuel depots. Back in the hangar, some enterprising Zeon individuals have mounted the AA machinegun turrets on top of the Samson and are now using the heavy weapons to mow down Bravo Platoon. Those whose guts are not splattered over the asphalt took cover. Des Mielle himself dove behind some crates that toppled over in the firefight. Bursting machine gun rounds grazes him, causing him to trip and land badly on the concrete. A rib or two cracked as he sat back up with a groan. Then he saw something that made his heart sank. A Zaku II J steps over the Samson and the heavy THUDTHUDTHUDTHUD of its 120mm machinegun thunders in the confined space. What was left of Bravo Platoon disappears in a fine red mist. Mielle's mind raced. The Zakus were supposed to be massive pile of scrap metal right now. What went wrong? His sharp eyes caught sight of a dead Zeon soldier lying close to one of the hangar frames. Rather, a dead man wearing another dead man's uniform. Mielle waits as the lead Zaku II J took a cautious step outside the hangar. A second follows him while the third Zaku II J took up position behind the Samson. As the lead Zaku II J began pouring fire into the thick jungle, Mielle wonder if the garrison is planning to make a run for it. To his great fortune, a swarm of Zeon personnel ran and crawled up and onto the Samson. In the commotion, Mielle crawls from his hiding spot along the edge of the hangar. It took a few minutes but his patience rewards him with the dead terrorist's body within running distance. The Rogue watch the nearest Zaku II J as the Samson truck began to move. For what it seems, the Samson is being escorted out by the three Zaku II Js. Well, not if Mielle has anything to do with it. He waited until the last Zaku II J exits the hangar behind the Samson. Then he double timed it to the dead terrorist's body, hoping to find what he knew had to be there. He did. It came as a big surprise to the Zaku II J pilots as one of their number implodes from the waist down. The dead Zaku II J fell to the ground like a house of cards, seemingly from an invisible attack. All this had the effect of frightening the Samson driver as he pushes the truck's engine to its limit. The two Zaku II Js ran to keep up as the Samson races towards Delta Platoon. The first few RPGs exploded around the Samson, but the loud explosions of 120mm shells silenced the rest of Delta Platoon. It wasn't even a contest. The heavy shells tore through their earthen defenses and ejected anti-personnel devices from the Zaku II Js finished off the wounded. Mielle was recovered by members of Charlie Platoon after they finished clearing the airfield. They brought Mielle out to where Alpha Platoon was still holding the perimeter. But as they were about to head back into the mine with all of the pipe bombs they could muster, Zeon did the job for them. Apparently the base commander had rigged the place to self-destruct upon their retreat. For a few hours, they picked through the rubble. All they found were weapons dropped during the fight and some provisions. After a formal burial of the dead, Des Mielle and what's left of Alpha and Charlie Platoon left. The sun has begun to rise. Des Mielle - 10 CP gained, 3 days injury, 500 RP credit |