RP:The Blackout of 2 AE

This is an RP for Screennameless's Reconnoiter universe.

Alright, so here's the dealio! The Marauders are a fairly large organization, and I need a lot of names for the random Marauders that may pop up in the story. There's also a lot of backstory to the Marauders that I thought about revealing. Then I decided, "Where's the fun in revealing it? I should just write a prequel." Then I decided, "You know what would be even more fun than writing a prequel? Having my readers write a prequel." And so this RP was born!

This RP features a main event in the formative years of the Marauders, and the defining event for Deacon McCarrick. It occurs shortly after Deacon has risen to power in Pithodi. The two sides are the Stranded of Pithodi/the beginnings of the Marauders, and the Locust.

This is the Blackout of 2 AE.

The Basics
Rule 1: As the DungeonMaster, I (User:Screennameless) have ultimate say.

Rule 2: Try not to make tons of posts before anyone else can get anything in.

Rule 3: No godmoding. Or I will smite you as per the provisions in Rule 1.

Rule 4: If you want somebody to die, ask the owner of the character.

Rule 5: The humans will eventually win this battle. That does not mean all the humans will live or all the Locust will die. That's just the final outcome.

How to Sign Up
Each player signing up may control UP TO:

OR OR
 * Four Marauders AND two Stranded
 * Six Stranded
 * Six Locust

You may control fewer than six if you so desire. Likewise, if you really want that seventh character, ask me and I'll probably okay it.

This is a battle of characters. There are no tanks, vehicles, or other large units. People will still be allowed to join once the RP has started, but they will have to let me know they want to join so they can be worked in properly.

So How Will This Work, Anyway?
As a quick abstract: Pithodi has depleted its imulsion supply, and the lights go out in the middle of the night. The Locust, who have been receiving some trouble from this fortified Stranded city, decide to use the kryll now flooding the sky as a tactical advantage. An attack is launched. The humans must try to survive the night.

There are twenty working emergency lights in the city that run on batteries, but most of them are in the northern district and most must be turned on manually.

Humans have three primary goals:
 * Turn on the emergency lights.
 * Evacuate Stranded to the Northern District.
 * Repair the main Generator.

They also have four secondary goals, which depend on the characters' locations:
 * Hold the Town Hall.
 * Hold the Mechanic's, the Generator Room, and the Water Plant.
 * Hold the Gate.

Locust have three primary goals:
 * Break the Gate.
 * Kill or kidnap any available Stranded.
 * Capture all valuable resources (ex. weapons, ammunition, imulsion, etc.).

Every human is equipped with a high-power flashlight, each Locust with a large torch. Losing your light source is tantamount to party wipe (aka, everyone dies).

The RP will last from the time the lights go out to the time the sun rises. It will begin when I make the first post on Tuesday.

Though I am participating as a player, I will also throw in surprise situations Dungeon Master-style if I feel a particular player has been stagnating. This has been detailed in the talk page.

Some Comments on the Map
As a bit of clarification, I'm going to explain the max capacity of Pithodi's buildings. The houses are for Stranded; the apartment buildings for Marauders. Each house is actually two small homes: one on each story. So each house can fit two families of four: eight people per house. There are forty-seven houses: 376 people at maximum capacity.

Each apt. building has three stories that can fit twenty-two people each: sixty-six per building. Two buildings: 132 Marauders at maximum capacity. So that's a grand total of 508 people at maximum capacity, not counting the people who live in weird places like the Mechanic's and the Repurposed Bowling Alley, which at the time of this RP is just the Derelict Bowling Alley.

Of course, at the moment there is a grand total of around 36 nameless Stranded spread around the 47 houses, and the number of Marauders you can see below (psst: it's approx. fifteen - we estimate Josh's nameless others to be 2 or 3 people). The named Stranded tend to have special homes; for instance, Lucas (aka "Doc") lives above his office, and Gabrielleh stays in one of the apartment buildings with Kurt and Paul because she's like that.

The Guard House is primarily for storage. Squads from the outposts stay there when they make trips to Pithodi.

Participants
Sign up here! To link to your page, type Username When you sign up please add your units into the appropriate sections below.
 * Screennameless
 * ODST Joshie
 * Jurnag12
 * blue.insanity.child.
 * SuicidalSkydiver
 * Bankotsu63
 * Stolen Syn
 * Sokayo
 * BananaMuffin2024
 * Liberator MK II

Marauders

 * Screennameless
 * Deacon McCarrick
 * Mitch Nolan
 * Mitya Sokolov


 * ODST Joshie
 * Joshua McCallan
 * Nameless others.


 * SuicidalSkydiver
 * Rick Furzeland
 * James Palmer
 * Tom 'Torch' Burch
 * 'Psycho' Carrick


 * Stolen Syn
 * 'Pistol' Paul Whitcomb
 * Kurt Whitcomb


 * Sokayo
 * "Tampering" Tom
 * BananaMuffin2024
 * Cornelius Tybalt

Stranded

 * Screennameless
 * Iris Langton
 * Ross Mitchell
 * Lucas Carr
 * Maddox Coburn
 * Conway Langton
 * Lita Bosch


 * Stolen Syn
 * Gabrielleh
 * Tao

Locust

 * Jurnag12
 * Colonel Dorihv
 * Theron Sentinel Borahz
 * Elite Sniper Korvuhn
 * Heavy Weapon Support Ornihl


 * Bankotsu63
 * Kantus Lord Bankotsu

GEARS OF WAR 2
 * Liberator MK II
 * Elite Grenadier Va'asch
 * Flame Grenadier Torvaan
 * Theron Sniper Grilgar
 * Heavy Bolter Arkturus

Grenadier Elite Cerberous

Grenadier Gnasher

Grenadier Nac

Flame Grenadier Scorn

Grenadier Elite Mantle

Grenadier Havoc

Introduction
Lucas Carr shuffled the deck.

He lowered his narrow chin, blue eyes peering over the rims of his glasses. Those eyes seemed to survey them with perfect clarity; since the spectacles were for nearsightedness and everyone was seated around a plastic folding table in plastic folding chairs, that probably wasn't much of a stretch. Lucas allowed a smirk to play across his fine features and snapped the cards into his hand expertly, as if he had been a cardshark in a past life. But then, the doc had picked up more than a few tricks since he found himself Stranded. He was rather like a magician, only when he pulled the rabbit from his hat he retained his calm, observational bedside manner.

Lucas flicked his wrist, and cards shot into the waiting hands as Lita gave the dealer a hawkish stare. He smirked and pressed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. The lights glared white on the lenses, obscuring his eyes, and Lita Bosch tightened her thin lips into a thinner white line. Wet, beady eyes narrowed atop her hooked nose, and she crossed pudgy arms over her bosom. She was the self-appointed overseer of their games, watching for pinprick holes or sleight of hand. She always looked for opportunities to further assassinate their characters even as they protected her.

Lucas and Lita turned to Ross, the fifteen-year-old who claimed to have forgotten his last name. Mitch had found him in the rubble of the old power station; or rather, had been taken by surprise by the boy who swung a wrench at him from the cover of the dark. Everyone had worked to restore his makeshift home into a garage with attached sheds for the water filterer and the generator that the kid had so lovingly maintained. He couldn't build things, but he could repair them, and it was a triumph for them all when he emerged from the old radio station with an exuberant smile on his face. That was the day he gave Mitch his name: "Just Ross." And that was what Mitch called him, even as the kid sat with them, frowning in confusion at his hand.

"Whatcha got, Just Ross?" Mitch asked innocently, leaning over despite Lita's hiss.

Ross blinked at him as if surprised by the intervention on the silence. Mitch Nolan had that way about him, with his bright green hair spiking out in all directions, with his wild tattoos and innumerable piercings. He was lanky and thin and hardly looked like COG material at all, but then they watched him at the makeshift range they had constructed and learned why his first tat had been of a Longshot. After Ross had fixed the radio, Mitch had started broadcasting every day - messages, any music he could get, sometimes nothing but static. He had been a jockey before he was a gear, he explained. Now his signal was how others found the city.

"I got shit," Ross replied, which earned him a gasp from Lita and hoots from the other players. Lucas chuckled as Mitch bit a chip contemplatively. Finally, a rakish grin split his face, giving him an almost depraved expression. He adjusted the heavy headphones draped about his neck.

"Wanna play my hand?"

Lita's mouth popped open, but Lucas silenced her with his blank lenses.

Ross folded his cards and took Mitch's. The disc jockey smiled his twisted grin, but his eyes shined earnestly, proudly. Lucas gave the strange, fatherly man an approving smile as Ross pushed a stack of chips into the pot. Mitch shrugged good-naturedly at the dealer. "Skip me."

Still smiling, Lucas turned to the third player. Mitya Sokolov had come from the far north to serve the COG, which was reflected in his light accent and hatred of the summer heat. He'd stumbled onto them after a disaster he still refused to talk about and had joined them immediately, surprisingly, given what little they knew of his family's military tradition. Lucas had asked him only once, and the Northerner had responded, thickening his accent, "In own way, you are good people, yes?" Then, laughing, he had added in his perfect English, "Everyone is guilty of something here. Yet by collecting together they become blameless. I want to be blameless."

Now Mitya gave them all that stupid grin and raised Ross's bet. Lucas lifted his gaze, letting the glare slide away and reveal his eyes. "Mitya," he smiled, "you know we know you better than that."

Mitya returned the expression dumbly, scratching at his clipped brown hair. "Yes. Does not make less fun," he replied. Another stack of chips was pushed in, and he gave them all the moronic smile. Mitch whistled admiringly and nudged Ross.

Lucas tapped the deck, let the glare slide over his eyes as he turned to the last player. Deacon McCarrick cast his gaze over all of them, his dark blue eyes showing flickers of mirth, confidence, shrewdness. Lita always tried to catch Deacon cheating, because he was the sort of man who seemed to cheat and win. That auburn hair, slicked back at just the right angle, the goatee carefully maintained so he looked just the right amount of debauched. And the brown leather duster he never took off, always hanging about his broad shoulders like a king's robe. He oozed the cleverness of the fox that raids the henhouse in broad daylight without being caught. That cleverness had captivated them all on more than one occasion, when he took control. He was a magnetic leader. Now he stroked his chin, letting a wolfish grin stretch his features. His eyes flashed at them all, and they were held captive, enthralled.

"I fold." Deacon slapped the cards on the table, smiling in the way Mitya did when he was playing the village idiot. Lucas collected himself first, scooped up the cards. Ross called Mitya's bet, and Lucas dealt the flop. Seven, seven, two.

Mitch nudged Ross, who was drumming his fingers on the table. The boy glanced back at his green-haired mentor, who grinned and nodded. Smiling back, Ross shoved in half his chips. Deacon whistled and clapped Mitya on the shoulder.

"You gonna let this kid take you?"

Mitya blinked at them stupidly. Slowly, he let the mask fade, gave them all his most intelligent, calculating gaze. "All in."

Ross turned to Mitch, who shrugged. The boy looked at them. "Ah, it's not like it's real money." He pushed in the rest of his chips.

Lucas dealt the turn. Five. Eyes masked by the blank glare, he laid down the river. Queen.

Ross flipped his cards. Two twos. Full house.

Mitya smiled sympathetically. "Sorry, kid." He placed his cards face up. Two sevens. Four of a kind.

Just as Ross began to groan, the lights flickered.

1
"Shit," Mitch hissed as they watched the lamp over their table dim and struggle valiantly back to brightness. Ross leaped to his feet, knocking his chair back into Lita's pudgy legs. No one stopped to check on her as she bellowed.

"Dammit, dammit! I knew I shouldn't have left the damn garage!" the teen fussed, grabbing his threadbare jacket and bolting out the door.

"Ross!" Mitch shouted, lunging after him, but Deacon caught his arm.

"Mitch, we need you on the radio."

"But-"

Deacon silenced him with those dark blue eyes, all business now. "Mitya, protect Ross."

"Sir," Mitya acknowledged. He rubbed Mitch's shoulder as he walked out of the town hall. "Hey. Your kid's safe with me, alright?"

Mitch nodded dully. Deacon released him, and he left for the radio station next door. The lights dimmed again, buzzing like gnats. "Doc. I want you to go get supplies from your office. We'll hole everyone up in the factory; it's got backup lights inside and no windows." Deacon pulled a Boltok from a thigh holster and pressed it into Lucas's hand. Nodding, the doctor exited the town hall. Deacon turned towards the woman behind him, surveyed her wavy light hair, her beady eyes. "Lita... just..." He sighed. "Get to the factory. Watch for people at the door."

He left before she had a chance to protest, to ask for a gun or a knife or at least a broken beer bottle. He turned on the four emergency lights outside the town hall and the factory, watched them flicker into life. In the distance, he could see the kryll massing, waiting. He grabbed his other revolver and jogged to the radio station, where Mitch waited for his commands.

"Tell Josh and his crew to sweep the west; Rick and his guys to cover the east. Evacuate all Stranded to the Northern District; specifically the factory. Kurt..." Deacon paused, contemplating. "Kurt and his crew'll hold the gate. They've got enough lights."

Mitch nodded and leaned towards the mic. "Yo, idiots. We need emergency plan Alpha, pronto."

2
"Jesus fucking christ, since when was this Rick's group!" Psycho shouted. He didn't like being in groups, and he sure as hell didn't like being under the command of this kid. Rick ignored the hulking soldier, and moved down the corridor. As soon as the order came through, he had jumped from the couch he was relaxing on, and grabbed his armor. Finally cluking out of the room, he had found Torch and James waiting for him. They knew they would need to get Carrick too. This worried all three of them.

Carrick (it turned out) was already waiting in the apartment blocks foyer. He didn't react well to finding out that this was (for all purposes) Rick's show.

"Look, I don't like this either, but now isn't the time to argue about it" replied Rick, as he walked toward the door. "Right now, the city's pitch black, Kryll are on the way, and we have some lights that we need to turn on, or we all die." He glanced around at Torch: He had always had a deep fear of the Kryll, having experienced what they can do early into his tour of duty.

"Well, put it that way..." muttered Carrick, but it was heard by none of them. The group checked their flashlights, primed their weapons, and stepped out onto the streets of Pithodi.

3
Having hidden the Ravager (Their modified junker, used for transport), Va'asch and his men moved out. "Dunno why we even had to hide that hunk of crap Torvaan...it's a piece of junk." Arkturus growled, not seeing the point of it.The large Locust complained everytime they had to hide it. "Thats the whole reason fool, we camoflage it with more junk, and no-one sees it!" "Like hell..." Arkturus mumbled. "Shut it. Grilgar says were nearing the signal." Barked Va'asch as he dismissed his squabling squadmates. "Uhhh yeah..." Grilgar replied, not quite sure. "Do you have it or not?" Va'asch did not like his answer. "Yes but, it's just weakened a- -."

They stopped, silent. To the north sirens blared. They stood, not moving or talking for a good minute, all of them scanning the direction of the noise source. "Grilgar...take a look..." Va'asch ordered, not knowing what this could mean. "What is it now?!" Arkturus complained still, hefting his large torch which lit the area to his other hand. Grilgar, who had already removed his Longshot's scope, examined the noise up ahead. "Well, looks like it might be...uhhh gimme a hand...starts with P." He struggled, lowering his raspy Theron voice a little. "Uhhhh...P...P..." Torvaan wondered. "Pithodi" Va'asch groaned "Thats a little bit fortified for us..." "Va'asch, we been in situations tough for a Brumak and were still here." Arkturus proclaimed proudly, Va'asch only rolled his eyes.

Ignoring the conversation going on behind him, Grilgar continued his examination. "Not enough lights going for night over there guys, looks like they got some trouble." Va'asch grimaced "Any fire at all?" Their squad leader inquired. He directed this question at Grilgar specifically, due to his accute hearing. After straining his ears for a while, Grilgar heard nothing of the sort. "Still, looks like thats where the signal is coming from. It's not a C.O.G signal and... well theres no such thing as a Locust one so..." Va'asch nodded. "Move out, swift and silent." He made a gesture to Arkturus. Arkturus understood and dimmed the torch to low as he dare, and followed his group towards Pithodi.

4
Dorihv watched the Drones pick away at the rocks before him with small pickaxes, slowly advancing a tunnel to the surface."Sir?", he turned around to see his personal sniper, Korvhun, standing, Longshot on his back, with a questioning look at the miners. "Yes, what is it, young one?" he replied without turning away his gaze. "May I ask why we aren't using a Corpser to get to the surface? It would certainly speed up the destruction of the Human outpost". "Ah, your generation is always going on about speed, you aren´t looking at the bigger picture. Faster you lazy hunks of Kryll shit!" he raised his Boltok and fired a shot in the tunnels wall, urging the Drones to dig even faster and stop their chattering. "By going this way, we have the element of suprise on our side, which can prove invaluable, Humans may be despisable creatures who will lose this war anyway, but we must not underestimate their capabilities for combat, for they are not to be triffled with too strong.". He ran his hand across the scar on his neck, remembering the accuracy of the Human snipers who had given him his scar, even better he remembered the Kantus who had cared for him in the Sickbay, and was now deployed on frontline duty as Medic, a very important job wih a fatality rate of 95%. "Okay that does it!" he angrily shouted and strode to a miner who was standing against the wall, leaning on his pickaxe. "You are a disgrace for the Horde!". He said and promptly took out a long, wicked blade and stabbed the miner through the chest, then ripped the blade through his shoulder and out his neck. Only a small gurgle could escape from the Drone as it´s mangled remains fell to the ground, making a splashing sound as they hit it. Korvhun looked at the events with a horrified look on his face, although he had some combat experience, seeing a fellow Locust die so close by made him sick, yet he was glad that his master´s unpredictable temper was not directed at him.

At last, with a small crack, pieces of rock fell down and a rush of clean air flew into the tunnel, signalling their arrival at the surface. "At last!. All soldiers, follow me! Let your feet be as silent as the Leviathan underwater, and your bullets as powerfull as a Brumak!" He exclaimed as he stepped into the outside world, his soldiers following him with the light of their Immulsion powered torches turned low and held down next tot their sides.

He looked in the distance and saw the fortress´ lights flicker, some failing and others being turned on, he looked up and saw the Kryll massing above him, moving towards the Stranded town.

"Perfect"

5
"Oh this is just wonderful."

Paul had just climbed down from the eastern guard tower at the south gate when the lights flickered. He had spent the last 2 hours keeping lookout in the tower, and was almost certain that Kurt would want him back up there, ready for anything. Much to his surprise however, his older brother ordered him to meet up with Cornelius and gather ammo and other useful things from the garage.

"You and Cornelius grab as much as you can carry from the garage and get back here, me and Tom will keep watch. If my Torque breaks, Tom's the only one here that knows what the hell would be wrong with it, AND he has a long range weapon. Pistol's dont work well at long range little bro," Kurt had said, "Now get your ass moving! Cornelius'll meet you at the garage door."

Paul had grinned, hit the emergency light switch, and began sprinting toward the door. 'Oh well,' he thought, 'at least tonight's not gunna be boring."

6
Va'asch slowed his pace, raising a gloved hand to indicate to his squad to do the same. He saw something, up ahead. It moved slightly, in the light of the moon overhead, and in the glow of his groups torch. It seemed ridiculously large. He raised his Hammerburst and started to back away. But then, it hit him. He had found the east wall of Pithodi. His eyes simply played tricks on him in the failing light. "Torvaan...We're gunna need a door."

The squad gathered around their pyromaniac member, and gazed on as he prepared his 'door'. "Well, were going to need something quiet." He spoke aloud, rummaging through his pack, finding what he was looking for, "There's the damn stuff..." He was referring to the bundle of rope-like substance in his hand. Made by himself, it consisted of a thick string of concentrated Cordite, which contained plastic explosive, laced liberally throughout the whole thing. Basically a stealth charge strong enough to cut through a 16-inch solid steel wall. With a few applications of course.

Torvaan went back to his bag, after placing the first stage of 'door making', and found some goggles. He threw a pair to Va'asch. "Is it really that bright?" Va'asch was wary of it blowing their current cover. "It'll fry your eyes in a second." He replied, donning his own pair as he spoke. Va'asch simply accepted that it was too late to change thier plan. He went to offer a pair to Grilgar, but he declined. His reply was that his own high tech goggles would do fine. Torvaan drew his detonator from his hip pack, and with a devilish grin he chuckled to himself, "Let there be light."

7
To be written by User:Screennameless. (Please be patient with me; crappy computer is being a pain...)