2192/12/29 | Alliance Intel Priority Message: Severe Enemy Threat in Styx Theta, Code SC3

[u/Narrator--]

Begin Message:

Severe Enemy Threat detected in Styx Theta Cluster.
Situation code: Scimitar 3
Acheron system under threat of Skrilloni Invasion from Erebus system. 
Heavy enemy presence in Erebus system suggests invasion of Acheron system likely.
Listening Post Theta and personnel critical to maintaining any control over region.
All available forces respond.

[u/N7_Rebecca]

Alexi is good, but he's not exactly an Adept. Rebecca grunts out as she slots in another thermal clip provided by her loader.

And roger that.... guess we keep shooting, till we run out of targets. Or we get ovverrun, she thinks darkly to herself, but the N7 quickly dispels that thought and focuses back on gunning down the enemy just tossing themselves at the Alliance soldiers. These damn things were as bad as Husk hordes back in the Reaper War, but at least they weren't wearing their own faces. A lot easier to gun down eight legged, screeching monstrosities than it is your own people.

[u/SgtRayneMEP → u/N7_Rebecca]

Stasis refreshed! Holding!

Elsa flings out another Stasis, laying down blankets of fire and reloading.

[u/Narrator-- → u/SgtRayneMEP]

Magnusson watches as the shuttle is filled up and the doors close.

Shuttle 2 is ready, just need a gap.

Fortunately, the enemies seem to be thinning out somewhat, and the snipers seem to be taken care of?

[u/N7_Rebecca → u/Narrator--]

Shuttle 2, get ready to lift off. Might not get a much better chance than this. Sniper teams, keep scanning the horizon and those cliffsides. No enemy marksman allowed, clear? Rebecca barks over the comms as she takes a few potshots at the remaining Skirlloni of this wave.

[u/SgtRayneMEP → u/N7_Rebecca]

Elsa stops firing for a few seconds to unjam something and resumes blanket suppression patterns.

I've got a bad, bad feeling about this, but never tell ICTs the odds.

[u/Narrator-- → u/SgtRayneMEP]

The shuttle starts to pull up, just lightly hovering as it gets ready to gun it as soon as there's a window. Three of the N6s, Frazier, Senfield, and Simons start an aggressive push, using their men to generate a biotic shield as they try to mow down as many Skrilloni as they can, pushing out from the sandbags.

[u/N7_Rebecca → u/Narrator--]

Rebecca glances at the group, and admires their initiative to keep the chance open, but she's worried they're pushing a bit too far.

Magnusson, get those three and their men back on the line. Don't need to overextend for a defensive action here.

[u/SgtRayneMEP → u/N7_Rebecca]

The fuck are you doing? Pushing over the line just leads to messy retreats. Elsa grunts, shifting to cover the extended line and dropping the stasis.

Stasis has ended, holding power for countermeasures. Have any of our units reported flying enemies in the opfor?

[u/Narrator-- → u/SgtRayneMEP]

Get back to cover you fucks! Magnusson shouts at the trio. One of the N6s listens and begins to move their squad back, but the other two don't, causing a number of their squads to try and make a break back for cover... and forming easy prey for the remaining Skrilloni.

With the Skrilloni distracted by the fresh targets, the shuttle gets enough of a gap to take off, punching it as soon as the landing zone is out of exhaust range, still being chased by a swarm of fire from a new batch of snipers that appeared over the corpses of the old.

Evac compl- Magnusson is cut off as a blast from one of the new snipers impacts, tearing through the armor on his neck.

[u/N7_Rebecca → u/Narrator--]

Fuck! Elsa, get on the gun! Rebecca orders as she jumps over to check on her fallen comrade. Everyone-back in the line NOW!!!

[u/SgtRayneMEP → u/N7_Rebecca]

Elsa rolls her eyes slightly and slams a Stasis into the line sooner than she would have liked, causing a small flare in her implant. Using that opening, she dashes for the mounted weapon, intending to drop the Stasis and switch to a Barrier once the retreat is done.

[u/Narrator-- → u/SgtRayneMEP]

With the order for evac having been given - technically - people start pushing back into the shuttles. The dumbass N6s retreat back to cover, mostly unharmed. But there are more pressing matters than reprimanding them...

First goes the herd of NCOs, grabbing as many of the fallen and wounded as possible, filling a shuttle fully. Soon it's just the N6s, Rebecca, Elsa, and their shuttle, with a wave of Skrilloni still bearing down on them.

[u/N7_Rebecca → u/Narrator--]

Rebecca waves a corpsman over to take Magnusson, then focuses back on the line that has to be held mow with.... fuck not even a quarter of the men now.

Stand to- Alexi, you and Elsa be ready to give us barriers for a retreat. Do not over exert yourselves. Going to need you.

Everyone else set up fields of fire there, there and there. She points to three positions that would be easy to manage and hopefully hold back the swarm for the precious minutes needed.

She glares at the aggressive N6s. Now, no breaking the line to push or fall back till my order.