From: alexbell@iastate.edu (Alex Bell.) Subject: Operation Phoenix: Dragon-Missing?!? Date: 1996/04/25 Message-ID: organization: Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa newsgroups: alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die,alt.tv.barney Sorry it's taken so long to get these out... school took over my life for awhile (imagine that) ;) *--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--* Operation Phoenix: Dragon-Missing?!? -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Location: A forest clearing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, approximately 25 miles Northwest of TRES HQ. *--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--* A large, white shuttle appeared on the edge of the horizon and homed in on the clearing. Obviously damaged, it flew unsteadily through the chill mountain air. Inside, the passengers and crew nervously scanned the sky for enemy vessels. The pilot's voice on the intercom broke the tense silence. "LZ in sight. Prepare for emergency landing procedures. ETA seven minutes." Changing headings, the pilot guided the shuttle towards the clearing, and then turned toward his co-pilot. "Keep an eye out... we're not out of the deep water yet." The co-pilot nodded and continued scanning the skies, as their radar had already proven useless. The next few minutes of the flight continued uninterrupted, and the pilot prepped the shuttle for landing. Just then, the co-pilot noticed an object on the horizon flickering in and out of sight. "Possible bogey, seven o'clock!" The pilot shook his head, struggling to remain calm while fighting for control of the damaged shuttle. Knowing that time was critical, he rellinquished control - and the transport crashed violently to the Earth. Seconds later, a large man leapt out of the transport's doors and motioned quickly towards the trees. The passengers - all soldiers - poured out of the craft and sprinted for the woods. The man, Brackard, remained by the shuttle door, hurrying his troops along. One of the soldiers, glanced up as he evacuated the craft. His eyes grew wide, and grabbing Brackard, he yelled "INCOMING!!" then dove for cover. Mere seconds later, a black ship zoomed overhead, weapons blazing. The shuttle, left defenseless, exploded. The black ship then left as swiftly as it had apperared, leaving behind a charred wreck and quiet groans of pain. Brackard whistled softly, signalling that he was well while ordering the others to remain in position. He then cautiously approached the shuttle. Fearful that the X'hirjq or their allies were already combing the forest searching for survivors, Brackard moved quickly - his senses peeled. Just as he reached the wrecked shuttle, a warning was sounded. Brackard turned and silently sprinted back to the trees - to wait and watch. Minutes later, three haggered figures stumbled into the clearing. They halted in unison upon seeing the wreckage, and one collapsed. The remaining two simply stood there, as if in shock. Wondering if he was about to fall into an elaborate trap, Brackard whistled - demanding identificaiton. -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Exhausted, Aphrodite and her two companions stumbled into yet another clearing. Gasping for breath, they paused to reorient themselves and rest for a short spell. Then Karvin glanced up, and saw the shuttle. He yanked on the Trooper's arm. "Ap-p-p-p-p-ph d-d-d-da sh-sh-shuttle..." Aph looked at him sharply, but Karvin simply shook his head, pointed toward the wreckage, and collapsed. Aphrodite gasped, and grabbed Ares for support. Shaking, the two stood there, wondering which of their friends had been in that shuttle... A soft whistle reverberated from the trees, interrupting their dreary thoughts. Aphrodite answered automatically - and then realized its significance. She whirled around, just in time to see Brackard emerge from the woods. "Brackard! You're alive!? What the scheck happened here?!?" Smiling grimly, Brackard quietly briefed Aph on the morning's events. "Trooper, our squadron was attacked shortly after entering Colorado airspace. One shuttle - VanKyre's - went down. The rest broke formation to rendevous here at 1100 hours. Our ship was followed and hit several times. We managed to evade them temporarily, but were hit shortly after landing. 8 are dead, 3 wounded. It's suspected the X'hirjq are hunting us as well, sir... or will be soon. If I may make a suggestion?" Seeing her nod, he continued, "the others will be arriving shortly, sir, I recommend that we await them in the forest. My men will let them know where to find us." Aphrodite glanced around with aprehension and nodded, then followed Brackard into the woods. Reaching the trees, they camouflaged themselves and their thermo signatures. The four officers then sat back to await the arrival of the rest of the team. Within minutes, the survivors from the other shuttles began staggering into the clearing. They quietly reported to Aph, then took up positions in the surrounding trees. After most of the units arrived, Trooper Aphrodite called the FO's together. She quietly briefed them on the recent events, leaving out the fact that a tenth of their group had been lost -- before seeing a single battle. "We have a twenty mile hike to the shi shi ski town outside of the TRES HQ, and it won't be easy. We'll use the split-span march with groups of 90 - a few of the units have lost key players, so they'll need redivided. I'll take the Love Guard - they'll serve as the eyes and ears for the main body. We've now seen these aliens in action and know just how deadly they can be. I want to know IMMEDIATELY of any sightings. Questions? Then let's move it!" The FO's split up, heading back to their units. They swiftly regrouped their troops, and the regiment headed into the woods. The blackened hulk of the transport was all that was left to mark their passage. *--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--* [About 30 minutes later] "Trooper, sir!" A scout rushed up, out of breath, eyes betraying his fear. "They've found us. There's a group of minions headed this way - led by a trio of mechs and some kind of blobby creature. They're about four miles east and closing fast - ETA: max 15 minutes." Aphrodite paused, thinking quickly. Turning to her officers, Aph began issuing orders. "Brackard, take the troops and move out, head south, you should miss this group then. Leave half of the Love Guard with me, we'll set up a few nasty surprises and then catch up. May Grimace be with you." Seconds later, the column silently moved on, leaving behind Aph and about twenty soldiers. This self-proclaimed Love Guard gathered around their leader as she detailed the plan. They then silently split up, to prepare for the arrival of the HellWyrm's followers. All too soon, the silence was broken by the horrendous sound of the War Chant, broadcasting the search party's approach. At that sound, the Guards simultaneously implemented their Chant Plugs(tm), a new prototype impeding sound wave propogation. Minutes later, the bots movement could be felt, as they hacked their way through the woods. Shortly after coming into sight, the B'hii J'haa bot crashed to the forest floor, its ugly, yellow head falling to rest at its feet - decapitated by the monofilament cord the Guard had strung among the forest trees. As his head fell to the ground, hidden Guardians immediately fired their grenade launchers repeatedly at the second mech. Seceral had become attached to the B'habii B'hopp bot, before it realized what had happened. Seconds later, the bombs detonated; the bot toppled to the Earth. Bringing up the rear, the HellWyrm bot saw his two companions fall to the ground and simply stopped. Inside the mechanical montrosity, the three Wyrm Minions chuckled to themselves, not yet realizing their counterparts had been taken out. Turning back to his terminal, the pilot began firing the bot's weapons into the trees, as the two Comm officers tried to reestablish contact with the fallen mechs. As the minutes passed without any response, their delight turned to worry, then fear. Suddenly, a clang resounded throughout the control room. Something metal had hit the hatch. The three Wyrm Minions looked at each other, fear shining out of their eyes. They screamed and rushed for the hatch door, which promptly blew open - sending the three followers careening across the room into the far wall. A head popped up through the newly made opening, to check the damage. The Love Guardian grinned at seeing the wreckage and tossed in another "Love bomb"... then ran for cover as the lower half of the bot was demolished -- and the War Chant ceased. The mechs destroyed, the Love Guard deactivated their Plugs(tm) and focused on the sponge minion contigent. They began systematically turning the giggling minions into greasy, dripping double cheeseburgers.... lunch. Intent on these appetizing aromas, the Guard forgot about the other strange creature that had accompanied the search party. The jello blob, knowing itself to be in immense danger, was determined to get its revenge for the deaths of its companions... and so it went hunting for their commander. Aphrodite was in the woods, watching with the fighters she held in reserve, as her troops wiped out the vile group of Bharnii worshipers. She grinned, surprised that it had been so easy... Just then, a large, blobby, mauve creature rose up in front of her, with an evil grin showing through its transparent skin. Aph gasped, elation replaced by fear, and took a step back, helpless as it struck. She screamed, grasping her head, as the Jello beast used its psyionic abilities, attempting to conquer her mind and will. Aph writhed on the ground, unable to stop the pain. Then suddenly it was over. The pain was gone. Aphrodite shakily got to her feet, looking for the repulsive creature, wondering why it had stopped attacking. She gasped, and almost lost her balance. In front of her, where the creature had been, was a pile of gelatin squares, like those prepared for childrens' snacks. "How?.... What?..." Aphrodite wondered aloud. A melodious voice sang in her mind. Her voice faded off into nothingness, leaving Aphrodite even more confused than before. Resolving to figure it out later, Aph turned back to the battle field - grateful that Zaphyre had returned. Her eyes skimmed over the field below, pausing briefly at the three metal husks of the mechs the greasy burgers, the mound of gelatin.... and her stomach growled. Signalling to the reserves, she led them down to the field and scooped up a couple burgers. Munching, she announced, "Great work guys!! Now, however, we have some serious ketchup to do... Grab a burger, some jello, and lets double time it!" The soldiers all groaned at her bad pun, grabbed some lunch, and followed Aphrodite back into the forest. TO BE CONTINUED... * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - *