Once the live stream is set up, Yuki orders. "Let me talk to them." Her voice is then connected to all stranded members of Outlaw 2-6. "This is Overlord, I want to make sure that you all understand what you're asking for so say it out loud and clear."
After a beat, Sergeant Gordon speaks up, her tone even. "We're asking to not be rescued and that the eventual all-out attack carry on as planned."
"Then you realize that the attack is not coming any time soon, it could take quite a while?" Yuki said back.
Having been silent thus far, Sergeant First Class Randall Shughart, a wolf beastman with a well-built stature, interjects. "Roger that."
"And you still wanna be left down there with no extraction coming? The strike will not stop at destroying the dome."
"Yes, ma'am." Sergeant Gordon answered, followed by her Pathfinders partner. "We understood, Overlord."
Injured with possible spinal damage, the pilot of Outlaw 2-6 chimes in with a hoarse voice. "This is Chief Warrant Officer Carl Durant, I'm all in on this one."
"2-6 Crew Chief Elias Albrecht, I am ready to hold my ground. My HMG is still up and operational."
"... Overlord copy all. It will take approximately thirty minutes before the strike is ready. Keep your radios and helmet cams on at all times." Yuki said, acquiescing to the bravery of the stranded soldiers. "Lastly, this is a direct order coming from the Reich Marshal. Your last objective is to hold out, and survive."
Yuki ends it by saying. "Hail Victory."
"Hail Victory!" Came the replies of the members of Outlaw 2-6.
To the spectators watching everything, they realize with a chilling sensation that the soldiers out there, stranded, have fully accepted their deaths. Despite that, none of them even show a degree of fear or hesitation in their beings or movements. In the swift of an eye, the Pathfinders and aircrew pool their heads together and start performing inventory and planning their holdout.
Time's ticking, and these men and woman don't plan to live forever.
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"Alright boys, inventory check." Master Sergeant Gordon, said before unslinging her G1 rifle with paratrooper modification, Para-G1 for short. "What do we have and what can we do? I need options, people." She lays her rifle on the floor alongside the magazines she pulls out from her ammo vest, even going as far as removing her secondary weapons and tactical throwables. Sergeant First Class Shughart does the same while Outlaw 2-6's crew chief Albrecht drags pilot Durant back to the passenger compartment. The Crew Chief, after letting Durant rest by the wall of the compartment before moving to get the survival kits stashed on the Osprey. While at that, the Crew Chief glances at the doorguns to check their status.
Albrecht then walks back with four survival kits in his hands. Spreading them on the floor, Albrecht says. "Well, I got good news and bad news, Sergeant Gordon." The crew chief jested. "What's your pick?"
"Bad news first," Gordon responded with a roll of her eyes. "It's not like it can get much worse than this, ain't it? And please, I don't think ranks and honorifics matter now." Gordon juts her thumbs over to Sergeant Shughart. "This big chum here calls me Gordy, though I stick with his name Randall all the time."
"Yo." Randall gives the two crew members a thumb-up.
"Good to finally make you two acquaintances on a more personal level. You may call me by my first or last name. Our pilot here sticks to either Carl or Durant, much like me." Carl waves at them as a sign of agreement to crew chief Albrecht's words.
"Anyway, the bad news is port side HMG is fucked, barrel got bent. Though the starboard side is operational with enough ammo for a pretty long burst, it also covers quite a large area. As for the good news," Albrecht points at the kits on the floor. "We have four survival kits, each with an MP9 and six mags, not to mention our own serviced pistols. Nothing too explosive, of course, but more than enough to start a party."
Gordon, or Gordy, nods with a pensive expression. Scanning the contents on the floor, she says. "Alright, so we have two G1 rifles." She then looks at a rucksack that used to carry spare G1 magazines for Randall and her to use as VTOL-borne snipers. "And I know for a fact that sack is empty so between us two snipers, we have 14 mags in total. We have no need for four MP9s, so you and Carl can take one SMG each and split the 24 magazines between yourself. Though the other two can just be loaded backup weapons so you don't need to reload in a pinch."
Albrecht and Carl nod.
"Other than that, we all have USPs as secondary weapons, each with three magazines. Four frags and multiple smoke grenades, Goddess knows what the Hell can we do with that much smoke, and surprise, surprise, we have plastic explosives." Gordy said as she picked up the C-4 blocks. "Randall, since when do we need high-ex as a sniper again?"
The wolfkin shrugs with a toothy smirk. "You know me, Gordy, I tend to be more prepared due to my physique."
"Right..." Gordy gives Randall a side glance before shrugging. "You know what, your over-preparedness may come in our favor. I have a few ideas to put them to good use."
"You got a plan ready, Gordy?" Carl asked while he was surveilling the external area around their downed Osprey.
"Yup." Gordy nodded. "It may involve some kind of explosion. That said, you reckon we can make this wreck into one big boom?"
"Albrecht, you're the crew chief, what's your take on this one?" Carl directed the question to the one that dedicated most of his manhour to making sure the Osprey was up to snuff.
Albrecht replies thoughtfully. "Well, unlike contemporary aircraft that crash and burn, mana battery and liquid mana don't behave that way. Shoot it, burn it, mana won't cause a chain reaction and blow sky-high... Unless we do this the hard way, rewire some lines, expose a few panels, and chuck a good portion of hazardous mana like a fireball or a lightning bolt. Only with that much, do we stand a chance of causing a critical chain reaction and turning this into a big death trap. And even then, it's a big if. I heard that it's possible in training but to put that in practice will need a metric ton of luck."
Gordy raises an eyebrow at the supposed difficulty of turning the Osprey into a makeshift bomb. "What's the worst case that can happen?"
"Premature aircraft detonation." Albrecht deadpanned.
"Cool." Carl followed up. "So we have explosive charges and a potential IED on our hand. For the latter, if we even manage to make it work properly, I can cast an ignition spell up there." The pilot of Outlaw 2-6 points to the garage to the left of the Osprey. The garage has a ground floor acting as a service bay while there's a floor above it with windows overlooking the crash site.
Randall takes a look at the garage. "That spot up top is also a good perch to cover our sides. Obviously, we can't all hunker up top so I recommend Carl to take that post up there."
"You won't find me disagreeing." Carl nodded, pointing at his disabled legs.
Gordy then speaks up.
"So we got a game plan then. While Albrecht works to convert the Osprey, I will go out to plant the C-4 as remotely detonated mines. Randall, I want you to help Carl get up there where he can get a clear view of the crash site. After that, I want you to grab things that can help me improve on the lethality of the C-4, fuel can, motor oil, nails, bolts, and anything you can think of. Once we're set, Carl will provide overwatch and take out flankers while Albrecht mans the MG station. However, I must advise using the MG sparingly, use it to target armored targets or clusters of enemies. Randall and I will be maintaining a perimeter around Osprey the best we can. Now, we will be facing most of the heat so in my opinion, the detonator for the C-4 should go toward Carl. Any objection?"
The males shake their heads collectively, earning a nod from Gordy. "Good. Now let's get to work people. Today is a good day to die hard!"
Randall smirks. "Oorah."
Thanks for the chapter
UmU