From: cbstin01@starbase.spd.louisville.edu (The Chaos Lord)
Subject: Operation Phoenix: A Gathering of Hosts
Date: 1996/01/27
Message-ID: <4ed35b$rqq@hermes.louisville.edu>
organization: University of Louisville, Louisville KY USA
newsgroups: alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die


Operation Phoenix: A gathering of Hosts

Sheridan gave one more shove against the hatch of the burning Gambit.
Things had gone too wrong too quickly.  Last he remembered, the
X'hirjq had come in their black fighters and knocked his own Gambit,
and the one that Owsen was flying, out of the sky and had done a good
deal of damage to the BattleMechs.  Now he and Windigo were stuck in
the burning jumpship which was probably going to blow at anytime.

But this time he felt the hatch give, just a little.  Whether it was
mere luck or the Blood God smiling upon him, he did not know.  All he
knew was that he had to get out, and quick.  He shoved again, and the
door openned with a hellish grinding noise.

He pushed Windigo out first, then grabbed what weapons were still
intact inside the jumpship and ran for the escape hatch just in time
to slip and land face first in a mud puddle.

After cursing for a few minutes, he stood and turned around, looking
upon the mostly intact Gambit.  Apparently the rain had extinguished
the fire on the number three engine.

"Sheridan?  Where in Atlanta are we?"
"Hmmm...  my guess is 5 miles east of Fulton Co. Stadium.  Help me
with these supplies, will ya?"

They sorted the cases Sheridan grabbed before he left.  1 case of
melta bombs, 2 cases plasma grenades, 2 Heavy Plasma guns, a Grenade
Launcher, 2 Melta guns, one Assault cannon, a bio-scanner, and 3
vortex grenades.

Sheridan quickly refitted Windigo's power suit with the grenade
launcher, the Melta guns, a plasma gun, and the bio-scanner.  He then
loaded the launcher with a 50/50 mix of Melta Bombs and plasma
grenades.

He then removed the autocannon on his right shoulder and replaced it
with the Assault cannon, mounted the other plasma gun on his left
shoulder.  He then unloaded his leg mounted grenade launchers and
loaded the remaining melta bombs and plasma grenades.  He slipped a
vortex grenade into a utility compartment, and gave the last two to
Windigo.

"Well, the lizards are bound to be here soon, milady.  I suggest we
split up.  They can't catch both of us, you know."
"No, we should stick togethe-"

She was cut off by the staccato sound of plasma bolts coming from up
the street.  The lizards had found them.

"No time to argue girl!  I'll hold them here.  Run!  RUN!"

Windigo did run.  Although it nearly crushed here to leave her lover
behind, she knew that it was best for the Jihad that at least she
survive.

"Come on you scaly bastards.  Uncle Shard's got one helluva surprise
for ya."

With that, Sheridan let loose with a maximum charge plasma bolt and a
salvo of plasma grenades.  The lizard foot soldiers were simultaneously
incinerated and blown apart by the rapid fire stream of hyper-charged
compressed plamsa packets.

Sheridan ran into a old apartment building a couple of hundred feet
away from the crash site just in time to avoid being skewered by
another round of plasma bolts.  "What am I supposed to do now?  If I
stay, I'll be trapped.  If I leave from the front, I'm toast.  The
back is probably guarded as well" he thought, "hmmm, the roof might
work".

--MEANWHILE--

<Commander V'getz, the quarry has split up.  The one known as Windigo
is heading to rejoin the other Jihhadi.  The other, Sheridan, has been
trapped in a habitation unit near the crash site.  He has eliminated
four of our forward scouts.>

V'getz look up from her tactical display and hissed.  <Who ordered the
scouts into the area?  The Terrans are now aware of the trap we've
laid for them.>

The sub-commander suffled a bit nervously, giving away her guilt.  <I
was the one who ordered them in.  I needed verification of thei->

V'getz hoisted her adjunct into the air quite easily, then dropped
her.  <You IMBECILE, We can track their exact movements from here.
Alert Clan Aa'iei that they are to mobilize to eliminate Sheridan...
and F'jergx, you are to accompany them, as a forward observer.>

F'jergx picked herself up and left the room, praying the warriors of
Aa'iei didn't decide to use her as a warm-up to Sheridan.

--MEANWHILE--

A young hooded figure walked over to two others who were having a
heated debate.

"Exalted and mighty Lord Charn'El, the ones who you had informed me to
keep track of have left the wreckage of their vessel, and are fleeing
the X'hirjq hunters as we speak."

"Excellent, child", wispered the elder of the two Lyrans, "accompany
us, for we shall give you a lesson in how to defeat a titan."
Charn'El, high mage of Lyra and summoner of the HellWyrm arose and
openned a tele-portal.  The three Lyrans walked and were transported
to the top of a high-rise a block away from the crash.

TBC in "Operation Phoenix: ...And Hell Followed With Him"

--
================================================================================
Sheridan Iscarius, Daemon Prince in the service of Lord Khorne
Shardik The Feral (NYAR!) of the Cursed Earth Division of the Maenads of 
     the Holy Albino
Warrior Poseiden Hephaestus of the Doberman Empire, Weapon's Tech/WEDJEE
Major General Sheridan, N.O.R.A.D. Standard Military Units, Legion Of Doom
St. Moire Erasmus, Patron Saint of The Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Motion
Residing with the Kindred Children in the House of Eternal Night
================================================================================
"Do not waste your tears.  I was not born to watch the world grow dim.  
Life is not measured in years, but by the deeds of men."
================================================================================
                               UP THE IRONS
And remember... Jesus loves you, Cthulhu thinks you need A-1 Sauce
================================================================================