The Avali Nexus

Very nice man

 

So, yeah - tommorow night, next patch release

Fire up the hypedrive!

 

I'd have pulled the green section one or two feathers further up the arm, but yeah, that's how I think it works. Get Ryuujin to tell you if you want to be sure.

Excellent, excellent.

Though, if I were in command of this op, I'd just bombard the thing from orbit with some bunker-penetrating shells, maybe firebomb several dozen kilometers radius around the place, and then see if there's any sensitive data that still needs erasing.

 

Ok... I am convinced now.

 

Pretty much, yep. As Mourne says the "green" area (primaries) should come further along. But yeah, you have the "primaries" which are controlled by the digit/hand structure, then you have the secondaries present along the forearm and upper arm; these are not entirely rigid, because obviously the shape of the trailing edge is determiend by the arm, by folding up, twisting or straighetning the arm then the orientation of those feathers can be shifted too. But the primaries shape can be greatly modified by moving or curling the 3rd digit.

The coloured markings on the wing appears at the tips of the primary and secondary greater coverts, and the bases of the feather shafts are hidden by the marginal coverts, in fact depicted properly the line between arm and wing kinds blurs out

 

TIL about avian anatomy

 

Next we'll move on to reproductive biology, and why Starbound Nexus' most popular mod, is anatomically incorrect...
I kid, come back, stop running!

 

The last part of my story. It's the op record, a list of the events leading up to, during, and after the infestation. I'll see about putting this all together, and polishing it up tomorrow.

The following is a summary of the events prior to, during, and after operative Shade's entry into site Gamma. The events are listed in chronological order as best as can be deduced. The times given are estimates, and may be inaccurate.

~RA indicates rotations ago. Op clock begins once operative Shade enters the facility.

20~RA-Site Gamma recieves a shipment of Agrarian fungal pods designated for testing


14~RA-One of the fungal pods ruptures, compomising the seal of it's container

12~RA-First victim begins to show symptems of Agrarian infestation

10~RA-Infested individual count reaches 20. Site Gamma enters self imposed quarantine.

8~RA-The majority of the site is infected. Five victims have been fully infested. Generators go offline, and site Gamma drops off the grid.

7~RA-Recon team 3 "First Responders" arrive and set up a camp to operate out of.

6~RA-Recon team 3 enters the facility. They are ambushed, and one operative, Blitz, is confirmed KIA.

4~RA-The last member of recon team 3 is confirmed KIA when their biosigns go offline. Sensors indicate the fatal blow was a small caliber pistol round matching operatives own sidearm to the head. Event cannot be friendly fire, as all other operatives are KIA.

1~RA-Operative Shade enters into orbit above the planet. Upon arriving planetside, operative is almost immediatly attacked by several hosts. The majority of hosts are eliminated at range with rifle fire. The final host is eliminated with multiple high caliber rounds.

-0:12-Operative makes his way from the campsite to the facility.

0:00-Operative enters facility.

0:01-Operative hears a sound coming from the infirmery.

0:02-Operative discovers the partially infested body of recon three operative Blitz. Operative neutralizes host before it can become a threat.

0:07-Operative enters stairwell to level two.

01-Operative arrives at main data hub doors. Doors are blocked by several large fungal growths. Operative proceeds to begin cutting through fungal growth using his personal combat knife.

03~34-Operative is interupted by three(3) hosts. One host is eliminated by pistol fire. The other two hosts proceed to engage operative in close quartes combat. Operative dispaches one host with his personal combat knife, but the knife becomes lodged in the host. Operative then proceeds to engage the last host in hand to hand combat for several seconds before he can execute the host with a point blank pistol round.

06-Operative finishes cutting through the large fungal growths, and enters the data hub. Operative proceeds to initiate Failsafe protocol, wiping the systems and destroying all electronic data.

0:49- Operative enters stairwell to level one.

0:50~53-Operative deviates from Failsafe protocol and enters the main speciman lab, where he proceeds to execute all contained specimins, and activates the labs steralization system before leaving.

1:01~1:28-Operative exits site Gamma, and proceeds to return to his dropship before setting up an op beacon and engaging FTL. Operative has not reponded to comand as of yet. It is over four rotations past op at the time this report is being written

4:46-Blood Wolf Dragoon vessel "Planetary Caliber" enters orbit above planet.

4:49~5:04-Blood Wolf Dragoon vessel confirms Failsafe protocol is in effect. Vessel begins bombardment of compromised facility and surrounding area.

5:26-Blood Wolf Dragoon confirms the facility and the area of 120 miles surrounding it have been fully bombarded. Vessel engages FTL and returns to command

--Note, at six days past op, operative Shade breached protocol and informed operative Blitz's family of his death. At operatives own orders, the family is not to be subject to any actions due to their knowledge of sensitive information. This present a serious breach by our highest ranking operative. Review of Failsafe protocol will be discused, as will protocol regarding information leaks.

-So you've read the report have you. I guess you know everything now. No, still have questions? Fine, Guess I'll answer them. Why'd I enter the specimen lab? To put them out of their misery. No creature deserves that fate. What did I do during those six days I was AWOL? I visited Blitz's family. Gave them the news. Told them he died fighting, a hero. Everything I said was a lie. The poor kid had a pistol round in his kneecap. He was the slowest, so they left him to die. The unexplained pistol round to Albion's head. His own doing. He couldn't live with what he'd done to Blitz. He'd have lived through this if not for his guilt. Those all your questions? Good. This op was a failure, it's time to let it fade away.--Shade

 

I'd get hype, but head hurts too much. so I'll pretend

 

I find your lack of hype disturbing

 

nice

 

how so, trust me. I am excited, but unless I want a pounding headache, I must relax

 

Hype hype hype hype!!!

 

Exquisitely depressing.

Normally I'd think it odd to have a black operative working alone, but in my head I think that black ops is what the Avali military does with the packless sociopaths that volunteer, and so they almost always work alone. Probably not canon, but hey.

 

I will hype for you then.
CRATES
WHICH I CAN HANG HAMMOCKS BETWEEN. YES

 

What is this hype I don't even. I get off work at 11pm today.
Then go back to work at 8am the next day.
First time I get no sleep without having to stay up late. That's messed up IMO.

 

Got a mental image of an avali version of Kruger now

 

stop. I can only like the avali so much

 

Shade is an Avali who lost his pack. In order to cope, he became overly apathetic, and distanced himself from anyone he could care about. He founded the Blood Wolf Dragoons as a disposable pack. If he loses a member they are easily replaced. This op forced him to realize that the world isn't forgiving, that if you throw away lives, eventually you'll have to face the consequences of that. Blitz's death was a painful one, Albion killed himself over betraying his own friend. In the end, this is the op that cracked the shell.

 

I was at first actually thinking more like Starcraft's Ghosts, but no, that's even closer to my mental image.

I should see that movie, I just am afraid it'll be like Avatar and bludgeon me with it's message.

That's pretty deep right there.

Not to insult your writing or anything, but I completely did not get that feeling when reading it. Play up that aspect, because that's a wonderful way to do the "strong silent type" interestingly.