AWD #022: Event - Marine Jump Training
Marine Jump Training
Summary: Kalum and Afton conduct a jump training session for several Marines. They encounter a slight complication on the way back to the return Raptor.
Date: 28/01/2013
Related Logs: None
Kalum Afton Lane Knox 
The Great Beyond - Piraeus
With one main road running north and south, the road parallels a snowmelt river the flows south towards a large lake and the planned site of the CMC Camp. To the north the road runs off towards the future site of the Naval Air Station and the ALS Jolie Point, the First Batallion's landing ship, then past and deep into a narrow ravine that runs along with the river. With the camp located on the west side of the river valley, there is a large bridge built to accommodate the construction crews working on the Presidential bunker out in the mountains. To the east is a mountain range that stretches for more than two hundred miles and quite a bit of the lower altitudes are grassy mountain valleys.
January 28, 2005

Raptor 213 shudders and shakes as it enters the atmosphere of Piraeus, and makes it way down towards the drop point. Outside of the cockpit the green vista that is Piraeus spreads out below, and is coming up fast. In the back of the Raptor is a small squad of Marines, who have completed their ground training and prepwork on the Battlestar, and for whom it is now there turn to do the real thing. They are bringing their full kits on this mission, and are decked out for a ground op. Accompanying the Marines are their trainers, a pair of Pararescue Jumpers, Petty Officer's Kalum and St. James. Kalum himself sits right next to the hatch, and is chewing a stick of gum thoughtfully here as the group descends. His helmet sits in his lap, and despite the cumbersome parachute harness he looks rather comfortable at the moment.

Holding onto the handrail attached to the top middle of the Raptor, Afton rises now that she is secure and moves into place to be able to help the marines hook up to the static line and get ready for the jump. Her eyes flit to Kalum and she nods as she spreads her feet to stay more stationary as the Raptor collides with the air pockets and updrafts that compose the atmosphere. She rolls her shoulders and adjusts a strap, tightening her front straps with one hand, her head lowering to watch her work before she gives a thumbs up to the others.

Seated across from the 'jumpers is Ensign Hester Lane, Orion's most junior marine officer. Up until now she's mainly been doing staff work in the Security Hub, but when she was offered an open spot in the jump training class, she jumped(heh heh) at the chance. The rocking and shaking of the Raptor doesn't seem to faze her much; in fact, she almost seems to be enjoying the whole thing, a giddy grin of excitement on her face as she does a last once-over on her equipment before she returns Afton's thumbsup gesture.

The Raptor continues to descend. The settlement of Sheridan can be seen briefly below, but soon passes away aft. Snow capped mountain peaks rise up on the horizon, and the Raptor makes a slow turn towards them. Today the Marines will be dropping into the foothills below the moutains, and then make the hike down to the LZ where the Raptor should be waiting for them. Kalum continues to chomp on his gum, and watches as Afton gets the Marines ready. "How are they looking, Afton?" He asks in a deep and calm voice. Still, the Petty Officer's eyes gleam with an excited light. He lives for this stuff.

Leaning into the turn to stay upright, Lane gets a smile and she doesn't answer Kalum right away, green eyes narrowing as she looks them over. Her goggles remain atop her helmet for now. She keeps hold of the railing and moves down the middle of the Raptor to check over the group. She stops at one marine and yanks to tighten the strap along his waist and then pauses at Knox, a faint smile offered to him before she walks back up, checking the other side. "Looking good, PO. Should be ready to clip and zip when we reach our checkpoint. Ready when you are." She tells him, giving the other Jumper a nod before she takes her position at the fore again, spreading her stance.

Lane feels the g-forces pushing her back into the thin cushion of her seat, but she takes it in stride. When the ship pulls out of the turn, she leans forward and cranes her neck, trying to get a look out through the cockpit glass, but there's not much she can see at this angle. The young marine officer looks back to Afton and Kalum, waiting for their cue to prepare for the jump.

"We're approaching the drop point," the Raptor Pilot calls out now, and as he does the light over the door changes from red to yellow. "Roger that, Sir…" Kalum says deeply, and slowly rises up to his feet. He flops his helmet onto his head, straps it on tight, and pulls his goggles down. "Alright, we're going to be making this jump from 5,000 feet AGL. Normally, we'd be doing this at around 1,750, but since this is the first jump for many of you… We thought it be best to leave you some extra room incase you frak up." A broad smile spreads across the PO's lips here. "Just remember that if your chute doesn't open when you jump out… Don't panic… Just pull your reserve line, and you'll be fine." After a brief pause, the PJ lowers his hand, and then raises it up. "Jumpers… Stand up."

Knox lifts from his seat in the Raptor and adjusts his gear, tugging at the straps. His rifle gets a doublecheck on his chest and then lastly comes a crack of his neck. There is a glance over at Lane and he flashes her a thumbs up and a grin. "Puckers the asshole a bit, sir, but its good fun." Sagenod. Crazyass.

Bracing herself as Kalum explains, Afton's eyes lift to him and then look out over the other marines. She smiles faintly before it fades and she goes somber. She pulls down her goggles as well and checks her pull line on her chute before focusing on the new jumpers.

At the mention of frakking up, Lane feels her first twinge of nervousness, but she tries not to let it show. The woman doesn't seem to have lost any of her anticipation, though, and when Kalum calls for the jumpers to stand, Lane is one of the first on her feet. Her hand trembles ever so slightly as she prepares to affix her line, but her smile has seemingly lost none of that giddy effervescence. There's a jerky nod of her head as she fixes that smile on Knox. "What, that isn't part of the fun, Sergeant?" she offers back with a nervous chuckle.

Kalum holds up his static line now for the others to see. "Jumpers… Hook up." With that said he hooks his static line to a metal cable running the length of the Raptor, and he watches carefully as the others hook up. "Jumpers… Check your partners equipment, and sound off your status." The Marines are supposed to look at the parachute of the marine infront of them and make sure it looks good before the jump, and then state if they are okay. Afton will end up checking over the last marine's chute. The Petty Officer then steps up to the hatch, and hits the open button. The hatch open slowly, and the wind roars loudly as it whips about the inside of the Raptor. Kalum grabs onto a hand hold, and leans out the hatch to see where they are at

Knox laughs a little more calmly at Lane. "Remember: Don't clench, it'll just make things harder. Try and relax and enjoy the experience, sir." He slaps the side of his helmet a few times and jumps on the heels of his boots heavily. Get the blood flowin! His own hook is lifted and snapped into place. He gives it two yanks and steps forward. He checks over Kalum's gear from the side and rear. "One okay!" he says with a thumbs up.

Keeping hold of the bar over her head, she looks over Kalum's gear with a cursory glance before she is checking Knox' static line and making sure its clipped and going to allow it to be pulled without catching. She waits for the next once people start jumping, each one given a steady pull before released. As Knox calls out his okay, she thumbs up to him after she confirms his line. "One Okay." She echoes.

Lane takes a deep breath as she clicks her hook in place. She nods wordlessly over at Knox as she gives the line an experimental tug, nodding in satisfaction as everything seems five by five. Another look is directed at her own equipment, and then to that of the jumper on her side. "Um. Two okay?" She calls out her check, but her tone is hesitant, hoping she's doing it right.

"Fifteen seconds to drop." The Raptor Pilot yells, and then it is only moments before the group will leap out into open space. The light over the door turns green, and Kalum looks back towards the squad. "Go. Go. Go. Go." With that he runs out onto the wing of the Raptor, and leaps. The static line draws tight behind him, and with a hard thump pulls the parachute open. The PJ is really only in freefall for maybe a second when the parachute opens. Instantly, he is twisting in his harness to look back towards the other jumpers.

Moving to Lane at her hesitance, Afton quickly moves the pack a bit and tugs twice on the static line and then nods. "Two Okay." She says and offers a smile. "Good luck." She intones and as eacy files forward, she gives them a good push out the Raptor. FLY BIRD FLY! Time to leave the nest.

The JTAC takes a stick of gum out of his pocket and pops it into his mouth about the time '15 seconds' is announced. He smacks it around and blows a bubble quickly. Go? Booyah. He watches Kalum leap and he grabs up on the handhold, takes a step back and launches himself out of the Raptor. His own cord pulls easily and ina few seconds he's drifting down, legs swinging lazily.

First Kalum goes, and Knox follows a moment later. Then it's Lane's turn; she steps forward, pausing at the threshold, her face pale. "Here goes, chick," she mumbles to herself, and then she abruptly gives her best CMC battlecry as she flings herself out of the Raptor. That nervous grin from before is still plastered on her face, and giddy, girlish laughter can be heard over the com as she plummets towards the surface. Finally, she yanks her ripcord, and despite her adrenaline she feels more than a bit of relief as her parachute promptly opens.

The trip down appears relatively peaceful at first. The Raptor arcs away south away from the mountains to its LZ, and the ground seems to be slowly rising up to meet Jumpers. Kalum keeps watching to make sure that all the chutes have opened, and once they have he focuses on his descent. He watches the ground beneath them and then frowns. They are moving in the wrong direction and seem to be caught in some wind. Kalum twists to see where they are heading, and it is evergreen forest that spreads out across the foothills at the base of the moutains. "Well, shit…" He murmurs under his breath, and fingers his headset. "Alright folks. Winds got us, and it looks like we stand a good chance of landing in those trees over there. Its an evergreen forest. Its gonna be prickly, but keep your legs together and you'll break through just fine."

With the last of the marines free of the bird, Afton swings back and then out quickly as she throws herself clear and free of the Raptor. No static line for her. She pulls at her chute after counting and feeling the pull. As her chute opens, she jerks back and up before beginning to float down at the top of the group that are now descending slowly through the air. But as the wind turns, changes and starts dragging them towards the trees, her eyes narrow.

Knox seems perfectly happy here. "Don't clench," he repeats. He looks on over towards the forest and sighs. "This should be fun." Not. Legs together, he gets limber and prepares to drop in.

"Trees? Areyoufrakkingkiddingme?" Lane blurts out, her mouth running a mile a minute. The curse slips out almost without her realizing it; she's usually not one to swear that often, and it shows. She takes another deep breath. "Um. Sorry. I got this." She's drifting a bit from the group; giving one of the lines an experimental tug seems to move her in the right direction, though, and so she pulls on it more until she's back in closer to the other jumpers.

Before long the four jumpers crash into the evergreen trees, and it ends up being just as Kalum describes — prickly. The PJ's boot smash through the green upper layer, and he quickly drops down into the dry dead branches below. Most branches snap off easily, and in the end his chute catches above and he ends up dangling about ten feet above the ground. "Thank the Lords for good goggles and heavy combat boots." The Petty Officer says quietly as he hits his harness, and drops the rest of the way to the ground.

Knox couldn't possibly be that lucky. Hell no. If there's trees? His ass is going in hard. His boot catches on a branch and he tries to keep his legs together. The effort spins him and he hangs on the branch while his chute descends lower. "F this!" he blurts and falls off the branch with his chute. Inthe process he gets tangle inthe lines and ends up ten feet off the ground, like Kalum. Except Knox is upside down and has more lines on him than a stipper's ass. He takes out a knife and starts cutting away. "Frakkin wind," he grumbles.

The ground rushes closer and closer. Lane realizes she's falling faster than she thought it looked like from a half-mile or so up in the air. She remembers her training, though, and does her best not to stiffen her legs and risk injury in the impact… that never comes. Like the others, her chute gets snagged in one of the trees, and she's still about ten or twelve feet above the ground when a sudden jerk stops her. Her feet kick uselessly beneath her for a moment as she squirms, but then she takes another deep breath and falls still, reaching for her harness.

Her hands are too shaky from all the adrenaline to work the buckles, though, and in any case the lines are tangled up beyond recognition from all her twisting about.. Like any good bushwhacker, though, she never leaves home without a blade, and with an annoyed hmph she pulls it loose and starts hacking at the cords. Suddenly she's loose, and falling towards the ground; she remembers just in time to tuck in her legs, avoiding injury as she lands on the ground with a thud. "That was… that was… " she gasps. Breathe, girl, breathe. "Ohmygods, that was so much fun." she manages a moment later with a wide grin. And this was the girl that was so nervous about trees a moment ago?

The last of the intrepid four, Afton tries to angle herself bewteen the larger top branches before she slams a hip into one and reaches out to help guide herself in as her leg catches in the fork of another. Grunting, the jumper tries to relieve the pain she feels from the entanglement and manages to get herself free. Its a battle with the pull of the wind in her shoot until it finally snags good and hard in the branches, collecting her up swiftly. She's a good ways up still and with a hand, she unhooks one side with a click that swings her out towards the thick of the the trunk. SHe grabs at it and a main branch before the other side snaps and she hangs there a moment suspending by her grip til she gets a foot onto a branch.

Now its a matter of climbing down the last fifteen feet or so. She drops down to the next branch, rolling her hip before she lowersdown and finally smacks into the ground in a crouch.

Kalum moves first to check on Lane once she's hit the ground, and as she comes up to her feet he just smiles at her briefly. "Glad you enjoyed it, Sir. Those jumps are the easiest." The Petty Officer intones lightly, and then moves over towards Knox. He stares up at the man from below, and then just shakes his head. "Could've been worse, Sergeant…" He states quietly, though to Kalum this seems pretty bad. "Be careful cutting yourself out. Don't break your neck coming down."

"I'd be pissed if I died falling out of a freaking tree," Knox grunts as he continues cutting. Several more cords and he eventually gets the last tangle and he falls.. through a bough, then off a branch, and then he lands on the ground in a cloud of dirty and pine needles. "Godsdamnit," he mutters, dusting as he stands. "That sucked."

Lane shoots a thumbsup Kalum's way, and watches Afton as the other woman makes her way down the tree. "Are you okay?" That's to Knox, as the JTAC cuts himself free and tumbles to the ground. Then, a look back to Kalum. "So, which way from here, PO?"

Dragging her ponytail over her shoulder, she lifts her hands to her goggles next and hops them up atop her helmet. Afton glances then to Knox and lifts a brow. "Good there?" She asks briefly before she checks over her own gearl for a moment to make sure everything is in place. A glance up is given to the lost chutes.

Kalum winces as Knox falls to the ground, and then offers to help the man up. At least he isn't screaming in pain. "Well, Sergeant… You look none the worse for wear." The Petty Officer says quietly, and then pulls out his compass. He quickly checks a bearing, and then looks away south. "That way… Lets move. We got a long walk in front of us." He says with a nod into the trees. He then slings his rifle off his back, and starts walking to the south. Soft pine needles crunch beneath the PJ's feet, and the woods itself is quiet — save for the rustle of branches in the wind above. Down here it is dark, dim, and relatively peaceful.

"Peachy," the JTAC grumbles. He dusts his rear off and looks around to make sure nothing else was lost in the fall. The knife gets sheathed and stuck back on his belt. "Shame we lost the chutes. We aren't gettin those back." He makes a face and unclips the rifle from his vest to hang loose in the sling. He shoots a wink at Afton and moves on out.

Lane looks in the direction Kalum indicates and nods to the parajumper, pulling her own weapon free. She pauses just long enough to slide her knife back into its sheath before moving forward, a few steps behind Kalum. Her head darts from side to side, surveying the woods around them as they walk.

"Well the Orion's got plenty of chutes, and I doubt we'll be using all that many of them." Kalum says quietly, as he stalks along through the woods. "The Top Brass only wants a couple of squads worth of Marines going through jump training, and only a single squad for HALO training. Next time I'll speak with the Raptor Pilot and make double sure they correct for wind." The PJ says with a gruff laugh. Then suddenly Kalum stops, and raises his rifle up. In the trees around the small group of Colonials dark shapes are moving swiftly, and obviously attempting to shadow the group. "Hold up…" Kalum says softly, holdin his hand up in a fist.

Her own compass hangs off the side of her pack and Afton gives it a look before falling into step with the others, adjusting the straps of her pack so they don't dig so much into her bones. Her eyes flicker up to catch that wink before she smirks. She doesn't notice the shapes as soon as Kalum and Knox, but as they stop her head turns quickly to get a better look at the shadows. Her own rifle is pulled free of her shoulder and she lowers it, pointing it to the ground as her binoculars are dragged out of a pocket and set to her eyes to try to catch the movement.

It takes a moment but St. James drops the binoculars down to her side. "We got large wolf like creatures, ladies and gents…" They get stowed and she keeps her rifle at ready, switching off the safety as she takes the right side behind the point.

Knox moves along in silence. He's seen the supply situation. Its not exactly desperate. He moves along though and glances up at one point and does a doubletake. "Oh. Wow." He leans himself up against a tree and his own safety clicks off. Everyone is looking forward so he turns to do a quick sweep around their sides and rear.

Lane is looking in the opposite direction, so she also isn't as quick to notice the shadowy figures as Kalum and Knox. She catches the movement in the trees a moment later though, and nods wordlessly to the others as she stops and hefts her rifle into a ready position, flicking off her safety with a quick motion. She might be inexperienced, but she certainly seems to know her way around a weapon. Her heart is suddenly pounding, but she seems calm enough as she peers out into the woods.

Kalum stares at the dark shapes for a moment, and then presses up against a nearby tree — flicking off the safety on his weapon as well. He stares silently down the scope at the beasts as they flit in and out amongst the trees. For now their appears to be four of them, and they are moving slowly into positions on all sides of the Colonials. "Afton… You seeing this? Do you think we dropped in near there den on accident…" Kalum asks, thinking back to his days in survival school.

Turning about on foot to get a better look at what is coming, she nods her head, "Yeah, most likely, my suggestion is to keep pressing forward at an even pace and get out into the open so that the Raptor can be signaled to pick us up." Afton lifts her rifle and aims at one of the wolves that is drawing closer in her field of vision. She presses her lips to a thin line and waits, hesitating as she looks to Kalum. "On your lead, Kalum." Familiar. These two have worked together before.

Knox reaches an arm out and rests a hand on Lane's shoulder. "Keep it tight, sir," he says calmly. There's a squeeze given and he continues looking through the woods around them for anything coming at the flank. He doesn't interrupt the PJs, though.

"Back home, the wildlife didn't give you too much trouble unless you got too close to momma's house," Lane offers helpfully, her voice just above a whisper. "So that'd be my guess." Not that anyone asked her, but that's one of the benefits of being an officer. She turns in place, watching one of the wolf-things in particular as they move to surround the group. "I'm okay, Sarge." She nods to Knox. A look goes back to the pair of PJs; she'll follow their lead.

"Alright, lets move it Marines… I'll take point. Afton you watch our ass. Sarge, stick with the ensign… Watch our flanks." With that said Kalum pushes away from the tree trunk he was leaning up against, and starts towards the south. He crouches low now, and moves quickly from tree to tree — bring his weapon up at each point to keep an eye on their hunters. The direwolves seem quite content to allow the Colonial's to move to the south, but continue to shadow them at an uncomforably close distance. Then from nearby a pair of ghostly howls rise up out of the gloomy surroundings, and echo all around the group. The four direwolves suddenly stop shadowing, and start approaching — flitting from tree to tree.

A quick wordless nod and Afton brings up the rear, a faint smirk painting her lips. Perhaps in agreement with the setup, the PJ hunkers down and takes slow steps backwards, allowing herself time to turn and adjust as she keeps her rifle up. So far so good as they move bit by bit out of the woods, trying to get to the opening where they were supposed to land. The PO rolls a shoulder, popping it into place before nodding her head. That movement in around them causes her to stop. "Incoming." In case they didn't see. She lifts her gun and sights down.

The JTAC continues moving, walking backwards half the time to keep an eye on things. Yep, he's been in Bad Zipcodes before. Though normally people shoot. "I don't like being the one that gets hunted. We should play a different game." The howl doesn't seem to phase him too much, but the large canines getting closer? That does. "Contact rear," he says. Yep, those are targets. "I'm gonna make some noise, now."

"I don't need a babysitter, it's just a few mangy mutts," Lane grumbles softly, the barest hint of a backwoods accent coming out in her tone, but she defers to Kalum's deployment orders in any case. Her rifle snaps up to her shoulder, and she squints down the sight at one of the wolves moving in on the group's flank. "Right with ya, Sarge," Lane murmurs, her finger twitching on the trigger as she lines up a shot.

<COMBAT> The Darkness passes.
<COMBAT> The Ghost passes.
<COMBAT> Direwolf4 passes.
<COMBAT> Direwolf3 passes.
<COMBAT> Direwolf2 passes.
<COMBAT> Direwolf1 passes.
<COMBAT> Lane fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle - Serious wound to Head.
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle - Light wound to Abdomen (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Knox fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf2 with Rifle but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf2 with Rifle - Serious wound to Neck.
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf2 with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Afton fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf4 with Rifle - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf4 with Rifle - Moderate wound to Head.
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf4 with Rifle - Critical wound to Head.
<COMBAT> Kalum has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Direwolf2 has been KO'd!
<COMBAT> Direwolf4 has been KO'd!

Knox doesn't bother waiting for orders or confirmation or anything. No, Knox tends to just kinda do his own thing. So when he spots one of the animals moving for Lane, he just turrets at the waist and squeezes the trigger at the moving target. A little too much lead, but one of the rounds catches the canine in the neck and it drops instantly. "Oops. Contact left." He moves to track another doggie.

The wolves charge and Kalum sights down the barrel of his rifle at one of the wolves sprinting towards them. He breaths out slowly, and then lightly squeezes the trigger — almost as gentle as a man touching his lover. A single bullet blasts forth from the rifle, and catches the wolf in the chest. The creature doesn't seem to notice, and keeps charging — running purely on adrenaline. So much for one shot one kill. Kalum flicks his rifle to three round burst, and prepares to lay into the creature.

Getting a clear bead on one of the wolves, Afton settles the butt of her rifle solidly against her shoulder and with a slow breath release, she squeezes the trigger. A burst of bullets pepper her wolf and tear its head to pieces. She taps the side of her trigger as the thing collapses and slides to a hault before she is turning about her to engage the next, aiming at Lanes with her. Eyes narrow and she lets out a round again.

Lane shoots at one of the other wolves, and even though she scores a headshot and what looks like a flesh wound on the body, the thing keeps coming. "Tough critters," she says in quiet surprise. No matter, though. Her weapon is still leveled, and she quickly lets off another burst.

<COMBAT> The Darkness passes.
<COMBAT> The Ghost passes.
<COMBAT> Direwolf3 attacks Knox with Knife - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Direwolf1 attacks Knox with Knife and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Lane fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle - Moderate wound to Head.
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle - Moderate wound to Head.
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle - Moderate wound to Left Arm.
<COMBAT> Knox fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Light wound to Head.
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Light wound to Right Leg.
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Kalum fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Afton fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle - Moderate wound to Abdomen (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf3 with Rifle - Moderate wound to Chest.
<COMBAT> Kalum has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Direwolf3 has been KO'd!

Lane and Afton aim down the same wolf and together collectively make quick work of the wolf before it can do any real damage to any of them. A smile curves her lips and then she puffs out a relieved look before she nods to the Ensign. She is turning then, slipping the safety of her gun in place as she lifts it as a club to help beat back the wolf from Knox who is now being attacked. The remaining one must be vicious to stick out after three of its comrades go down.

Nothing like animals unused to human presence. Knox brings his gun up after firing to get it between him and his wolf, sliding a foot back to bear the weight as the thing lunges. He pushes back, keeping it at ready to defend himself until he can get a shot.

Kalum grimaces as further shots to the direwolf don't bring it down, and keeps his weapon trained on the creature. Another burst is offered towards the animal, and the gun kicks madly in Kalum's hands. The direwolf itself turns towards Lane, desperate to claw its way through her, and then escape into the wilderness for now.

In the meantime while the Colonials are focusing on the last remaining wolf in their midsts, the last pair of direwolves charge in. Direwolves are large, but these two are larger. One of the direwolves, whose fur is bone white, leaps silently towards Knox — maw opened wide. The other, whose fur is as dark as cloudy night, lunges for Kalum.

<COMBAT> The Ghost attacks Knox with Knife - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> The Darkness attacks Kalum with Knife - Moderate wound to Abdomen.
<COMBAT> Direwolf1 attacks Lane with Knife but Lane DODGES!
<COMBAT> Lane fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Light wound to Left Leg.
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Serious wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Lane attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Knox fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - ARMOR on Abdomen stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Light wound to Right Hand.
<COMBAT> Knox attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Critical wound to Head.
<COMBAT> Kalum fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - ARMOR on Chest stops the attack!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Light wound to Right Hand.
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Moderate wound to Right Arm.
<COMBAT> Afton fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Light wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle - Light wound to Abdomen (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Afton attacks Direwolf1 with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Kalum has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.
<COMBAT> Direwolf1 has been KO'd!

Lane stares down the wolf as it charges her. She times her sidestep perfectly; when the thing leaps, it makes contact with nothing but air, and is quickly dropped by the combined firepower of the four Colonials, convulsing as the bullets tear through its body. The two bigger wolves entering the fray are still untouched, though, and with a scowl she turns to open up on the creature that raked Kalum.

As that last wolf starts to round on Lane, Afton lifts and carefully trains down and fires, helping to drop it finally. That leaves her completely blind to the other two and she narrows her eyes, turning about to get a beed on the one on Knox. The PJ steadies herself and aims, attempting not to hit her fellow. "Hold him off." She says and then squeezes off a round at the larger wolf.

From out of nowhere, one of the unseen dogs tries to take down Knox again and he shoves the handguard of the rifle into its jaws while lifting a boot to kick it in the gut. Its shoved away as he staggers backwards, the rifle coming up once more.

The Darkness' fangs find the place where Kalum's body armor ends, and finds purchase briefly in his flesh. The Petty Officer lets out a loud shout in pain, and falls to the ground — the Darkness already sprinting past him towards the nearby woods. The PJ brings his rifle up, and targets the Darkness as it sprints towards the gloom. He squeezes the trigger and three more shots are sent after it. Nearby, the Ghost is fleeing as well, its fangs having found no purchase on Knox. It lopes swiftly off towards the safety of the woods.

<COMBAT> The Darkness passes.
<COMBAT> The Ghost passes.
<COMBAT> Lane fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Lane attacks The Darkness with Rifle - Moderate wound to Abdomen (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Lane attacks The Darkness with Rifle but MISSES!
<COMBAT> Lane attacks The Darkness with Rifle - Moderate wound to Right Leg.
<COMBAT> Knox fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Knox attacks The Ghost with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Knox attacks The Ghost with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Knox attacks The Ghost with Rifle - Moderate wound to Right Arm.
<COMBAT> Kalum fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks The Darkness with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks The Darkness with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Kalum attacks The Darkness with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Afton fires a 3 round burst!
<COMBAT> Afton attacks The Ghost with Rifle - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Afton attacks The Ghost with Rifle - Moderate wound to Chest (Reduced by Armor).
<COMBAT> Afton attacks The Ghost with Rifle and MISSES!
<COMBAT> Kalum has started a new turn. Pose and choose your action.

As the last two rush off, fleeing the bursting fire from the marines and pj's, Afton hesitates a moment to make sure they are not returning. Shouldering her rifle, she pushes up from her squate and looks to everyone. Lane she knows is fine but the other two get a longer consideration. She heard Kalum call out and is moving about to get to his side. "How bad did he get ya, Kalum?" She asks, that thick Gememonese accent suddenly pushing through.

A pinched expression crosses Lane's face as the last two wolves flee. She hears a yelp from her target as at least part of her burst strikes home, but it isn't quite enough to bring the creature down. She takes a step towards the edge of the woods, looking for a moment as if she intends to keep firing, but she hesitates just long enough for the wolf to disappear into the brush. The rifle is slung over her shoulder, and she turns back to the group, Kalum in particular; crossing over to the others, she leans in a few steps behind Afton to get a look at the man's wound.

Knox knows at least one of those last rounds hit. He watched it do just that. But as they flee, the JTAC keeps his eyes on the shadows as they fade away into the woods. There is a glance back to Kalum and he turns to walk in a lazy, patrolled circle around them.

<COMBAT> Afton treats Kalum:
< Abdomen (Moderate): successful

Kalum himself is laying on his back, and is quickly tearing open his body armor so that he can get a better look at the wound. The armor is flopped over to the side, and the PJ stares down at it. "Damnit," he murmurs darkly, showing Afton a bloody hand. "He got me good, but I don't think it'll kill me unless he's got rabies…" Kalum says darkly, and lets his head slump back for a moment.

"I don't have anything to help if it is infected, not rabies anyways." But the other PJ is on her knees and quickly pulling out the gauze and antiseptic to clean the wound. "Going to need stitches, but I will bind you up here for now. The shot they can give you on the Orion too." She says calmly. In the face of the wound she is untouched and moves with a steady hand. Carefully she works away at the edges and begins to compress it. "Help him up so I can wrap his stomach." She asks of Lane.

Knox continues moving around the circle in silence, watching out while Afton works.

"Sure thing," Lane replies to Afton. She moves over beside the other PJ, crouching down and reaching out to support Kalum. "Some training, huh, PO," she says down to the wounded man with a slight smile. Then, a look back to Afton as the other woman works at bandaging Kalum's wound.

Kalum just continues to lay on his back here, and shakes his head ruefully. "To think a big fraking dog got me." He says wryly. "We try to keep it interesting, Sir. This just part of the exercise. Crash into the woods. Get attacked by wolves. Have one of your trainers wounded." The PJ says with a grunt as the wound is wrapped. "Can't say you aren't learning things today…"

Once Lane gets Kalum up a bit, Afton wraps the gauze into place as tight as she can so its easier for him to move without worry of bleeding out. Tying it off, she checks the front part of the wrapping and then nods to Lane. "Well done, thank you, Ensign." She smiles up at the other woman and then starts to pack away her gear. "Yes well, it was a Big wolf, Kalum. We can make it sound even bigger when we tell your story of your daring rush into its path. Can you get up?" She asks and slowly rises to her feet to offer a hand down if he needs, taking a moment to fix her bag on her shoulders. "I can't do much else for you here and now, we better keep moving."

"Nope, I sure can't." Lane directs a full-on grin down at Kalum. She steps back as Afton finishes her work. "All right, let's get you up and to the Raptor, okay?" The ensign grabs her own gear, settling her rifle back into place over her shoulder. Afton gets a grin and a nod when she offers to talk up the story of the wolf.

"If only it was one of those damn Algoricans, Sir… That would be a much more impressive story." With a hand up, Kalum is soon standing on his feet. He reaches down for his body armor, and then pulls it back on here. It fits a little tighter with a mound of gauze beneath it, but the PJ doesn't seem to mind. He picks up his rifle now, and prepares to continue the hike to the south. With time they eventually make it out of the woods, and signal the Raptor to come pick them up. The Colonials wait for the Raptor on a barren hilltop, Kalum's suggestion, where they can easily see if the direwolves attempt to approach again. Within ten minutes of placing the call the Raptor is there, and the Colonials are on their way back to the Orion.

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