AND THE ANZAC LEGENDS DIDN'T MENTION...

[agogemod]

AND THEN SOMEONE YELLED OUT "CONTACT!";

and the bloke behind me swore

THE SILENT WAR

The news of the day of the retreat spreads like wildfire through the Trenches. Leading up to the final date, all soldiers on the ground are instructed to limit their gunfire, to make it look like the usual traditions for warfare, which have determined much of human history up until this point: no one really goes to war in winter. Everyone is to maintain a verbal and physical presence, but the time to confuse the Turks has really become paramount. At times, whole sections are ordered to be perfectly quiet until the last possible second and then spring out before the Turks can get too close.

Which is just how it is supposed to be. In fact, for COST recruits, there's a real sense that this might just go according to plan.

Around this time, the Rear Guard signup starts. COST recruits are met with some surprise by Captain Lewis; he will blink in surprise at a group so new wanting to volunteer so readily, but he's glad and gives everyone who joins a big warm handshake.

Each day gets closer and the mood of the soldiers becomes more jubilant and tenser; the erratic sense of relief that they might be leaving what has become the graveyard of so many friends and, often times, family, combines with the frustration of not being able to do anything but wait. This leads to more than a few fights breaking out, often over nothing important. Just the edge of temporary relief.

Then, before dawn on Jan 7th, the evacuation begins in earnest. It's possible to see it from the top of some sections: a bustling populace until it trickles down to the ghost of the Trenches, where there is nothing left but the rear guard. It's a smooth, efficient evacuation.

The Rear Guard

This is a skeleton army, just enough to make it seem no one has left. Everyone is encouraged to come up with ways to make it seem like there are more men than there actually are.

The local soldiers have come up with a particularly sneaky one - a rope is wrapped around the trigger of a rifle, just loose enough not to pull it, and from the end of it hangs a bucket. Another container slowly drips water into the bucket until it fills and drops, pulling the rope around the trigger and firing the gun. Soldiers are tasked with emptying the water, refilling the cannister, or checking the gun if it looks like it has jammed.

Outside of that, if someone has a sneaky idea to keep up the ruse - even if it's lighting small fires or singing loudly in a chorus to give the notion of people still around - it's all encouraged.

THE THUNDER OF GUNS

Everything is going well. It's not even that worrying when a thick mist comes up, heavy and difficult to see through. But, for those with powers, it prickles oddly on bare skin, followed by a pressure that builds in the back of the mind. It seems to dull any extra powers or senses; magic and its ilk are still usable, but require more concentration to reach now.

In the stillness of the night, however, there is no breeze to move the fog on and it settles like oil through the trench.

It's 1am when the first shell drops. It falls to the east of the recruits' position at Lone Pine. It's a shell that comes down and splits apart the night air in an explosion of shrapnel, dirt and heat. Then a second, then a third, now starting from both sides.

All the soldiers' clamour out of the way and Captain Lewis can be heard shouting over the din: "Into the Tunnels!"

But not everyone can make it. The shells are coming steadily now and one step in the wrong direction is the difference between life and death in such a small space. It's chaos - some soldiers are killed outright. Others get buried under the debris and dirt. Others catch shrapnel that, if not fatal, is enough to throw them and make it hard to get up. But COST's mission is the same as it always is: save as many of these men's lives as possible.

There are four direct entries into the tunnels, all about four or five meters apart, and they're all interconnected within the tunnels themselves.

One by one, however, shells fall and destroy the entrances to the tunnels.

WARTIME ARCHEOLOGY

It takes another three hours for the bombardment to stop and, once the tunnel entrances collapse, it becomes very dark in there. Might be time to fish out a match and strike up a torch.

While Officers previously told soldiers to keep out of the tunnels and otherwise left them ignored, these tunnels are huge. Not like the ones in other sections of the coast; here, they seem to go far into No Man's Land. They're crudely constructed and only some sections are reenforced with heavy beams of wood. But once journeying into them, there are all sorts of things to be found. There are old gas lamps that can be used to light your way or hung on a secure nook or cranny. The stone has been worn smooth in some sections, and other parts have been carved with graffiti of the soldiers who cut them out.

Some locations go down a few steps, while others go up and small holes seem to have been dug through the roof of the tunnels.

It's definitely best to get away from the front of the tunnels, where the bombing is still going on. There are wounded to be seen to and secured from bleeding out, people to find to make sure everyone is still alive. Maybe you want to go farther into the interweaving tunnels to see what else can be recovered. Or maybe you're being stubbornly sensible and looking for a way to dig your way out again, once the bombs stop firing.

Either way, it's a long, exhausting wait in the dark as the ground shakes, showering dust and rocks over everyone.

INTO THE DAWN

The sun has risen when the firing stops - and it's time to search for a way out of here.

Stepping into the light reveals utter destruction. The concentrated bombing has done its work; everything is strewn or buried in dirt and rubble. Machine guns are overturned and parts of the Trench have collapsed; going over the top would be disastrous, given that the Turks have no idea what is happening and will pick off anyone who sticks their head up.

There also isn't...anyone else around. All that's left is this one segment of the rear guard, just 500 men and the COST soldiers. It isn't possible to discern if the other groups have been evacuated or killed at this point.

It's time to consolidate, count their losses, see who is alive and who isn't, and salvage what supplies are left after some digging clean up is done. Work out who needs to stand watch. For now, Captain Lewis' orders are to use the tunnels as a new base of operations.

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

They appear first as a shimmer of off-light, no more than a haze against the resettling mist. A faint shape against the grey - the long lines of a dog's face, almost Jackal-like, in a clean black uniform that gives more to the appearance of shadows - moves closer, but not too close. They could almost be a trick of the light, out of the corner of your eye. Almost intangible.

They're not moving closer, however, choosing to hang back in the rubble of the Trenches. The ANZAC soldiers don't seem to notice them at all.

Ten minutes after they're first spotted, Commander Grothia issues a priority message:

Contact. Regency soldiers. Do not engage.

If a shot does get fired that way, whether it's from Turkish or ANZAC soldiers unknowingly or from COST operatives: it's quick but, as the bullet seems to come into contact with them, the air around them shimmers blue, like it's hitting a field of light. This effect seems to be stronger when they're standing close together and, as of now, they remain unhurt.

Moving closer to them increases that feeling of mind fog on powered characters; for the unmagical, a sense of unease prickles up. It's a feeling not unlike the beginnings of the time-step, the hum of sensation that marks a transfer through time. Veteran recruits will easily recognize the buzz that dances through their bones before it stills as they move away; rookies might recall it from their initial arrival from BASE.

READ THE OOC INFOPAGE.

NAV. NETWORK LOGS OOC MEMES PLURK

Comments

76 | come on over

[mylawn]

i. thunder

[76 has spent all of their time in the trenches watching and waiting for a moment like this. Despite the boredom of the day-to-day, he’s always known push would come to shove sooner rather than later, and he’s ready for it. He’s awake when the first shell hits, because of course he is, and he springs into action like it’s second nature. Like he’s been planning for this in his own head ever since they arrived. Time to put it all to good use.

This is, in many ways, what he’s built for.

It’s not exactly the Crisis, but it’s familiar enough. 76 becomes laser-focused, relying on his own (not insubstantial) strength to outright drag people into the tunnels, if he has to. Then, he makes return trips—as many as it takes.]

Move.

[If you’re able to, that is. He’s not necessarily going to be friendly about it, and though he’s already got one injured soldier slung over his shoulder with surprising ease, he won’t hesitate to make it two if anyone else looks unable to keep up.]

ii. tunnels

[He’s not necessarily a claustrophobic individual, but it’s difficult not to feel some degree of it. To say he doesn’t trust the architectural integrity might be an understatement, and when the entrances cave in, you might see him visibly flinch. There’s no time, however, to falter in the face of their new cramped, underground quarters, and it becomes quickly apparent that the safest place to go is deeper.

So he swallows it down, hauling supplies, wounded soldiers, trying to carve out the semblance of safety as the walls and ceiling shake. Upon realizing the extent of the tunnels, he takes it upon himself to slink off and explore—perhaps looking for a way out, or anything recoverable. It’s not long before he’s stopped by a half-collapsed route, and decides that the chance of something interesting on the other side is high enough that it’s worth digging out.

It’s difficult to tell whether the blood on his uniform belongs to him or someone else—he doesn’t seem bothered by it either way, barking an order, instead.]

Give me a hand with this.

[Super soldier or not, he’s only one man, after all. When he’s not delving deep into the network of tunnels, he can easily be found on the edges of the group, watching the scene intently as if he expects some other shoe (or perhaps the ceiling) to drop.

Go ahead. Approach.]

iii. something wicked

[76 would be a fairly poor excuse for a super soldier if he didn’t recognize an enemy presence. It comes with an unsettling feeling, the sensation of being watched, and it doesn’t take him long to spot the figures in the rubble. He can make an educated guess about them, sure, but then Grothia’s message confirms it.

Seeing the enemy for the first time leaves him a little breathless, and he spends a few long hours keeping watch, making sure they don’t get the idea to move in on them. He’s not sure what kind of stand COST would be able to make if they did.

He’s silent unless approached, and even then only says one thing:]

Orders are not to engage.

[You know, just in case you didn’t get the memo, or perhaps thought it was a good idea to engage anyway. 76’s attention is on the shadows in the distance, but from the gravity in his voice it’s obvious that he’s here not only to watch, but to cut off any reckless individuals at the pass.]

iv. dawn - network

FROM: @DIEDHARD
TO: @ALL

Status report. Anyone in need of assistance?

v. wildcard

[I’ll do whatever you want. Hit me up on plurk at whitticus.]

ii

[cutlery]

[ 76 isn't the only one who has some doubts about how structurally sound their hiding spot was. As soon as they had been pushed back and into the tunnels, Sebastian had cynically assumed it was clever tactics on the part of the people they were fighting, since it would be the most efficient way to kill them off. He's certain the ground will cave in any moment, but at least rather than fear, he only feels a mild annoyance. He has nothing to be afraid of, after all. Being buried alive wasn't any real danger to him (or so he assumed without knowing that he wasn't quite as immortal as normal), and it also wouldn't exactly be the first time.

But. He'll make the most of this anyways.

He's exploring the tunnels half out of curiosity and half in hoping to find an alternate way out should things turn sour when he runs across someone else doing the same. He gives a brief nod of greeting, but as his help is requested, he doesn't hesitate to offer it. He walks forward and looks over the rubble, but will grab an opposite side of a piece of it if 76 already has a chunk in hand, or he'll start to clear away pieces on his own. Either way, it at least seems like he'll be helpful, since he's strong enough to move the pieces without any problem. ]

Did something interesting catch your eye back there?

[mylawn]

[It's dusty, dirty work, but 76 doesn't seem to care in the slightest. Despite the fact that he's asking for help, he seems more than capable of hauling large chunks of rock himself. He makes it look easy, which, in turn, makes it look kind of strange--it's a strength not congruent with his age. Still, he welcomes the extra hand, if only because it makes everything go faster. As for what he hopes is on the other side, well. It's not as though he's seen anything in particular.]

Maybe.

[He can't be sure what's beyond this partial cave-in, but it seems prudent to check. The last thing he wants is for their party to head deeper out of necessity only to find that they're blocked off.]

Supplies. A way out.

[cutlery]

Fair enough.

[ At least his helping hand is agreeable enough, and competent. He doesn't question how an older man can carry this kind of weight (or not aloud, at least), since he's roughly matching moving the same amounts. ]

Either would be welcome. I admit, I had my concerns when we were herded in here, but luckily the architects seem to have been skilled enough for our sakes.

[ It's a roundabout way to express that he's surprised that it hasn't caved in, but. That's just how he tends to talk. ]

[mylawn]

[At this point, he'll take anything. He's not necessarily a claustrophobic individual, but 76 is a large man and being confined to architecturally suspect tunnels doesn't exactly do much for his nerves.]

Yeah, for now.

[With that being the operative word. 76 punctuates that by underhanding a particularly large chunk of rock off to the side.]

I'm not exactly confident in their ability to withstand a sustained attack.

[As if on cue, there's the rumble of mortars above them.]

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian opens his mouth to respond, but at the timely sound of mortars, he looks up to the ceiling of the tunnel instead. He definitely has a look of wariness on his face, but his tone just carries a light exasperation more than anything else. ]

No... Nor am I. I do worry that may be the point, considering that mist.

[ Which still bothers him more than he'll admit. It's unnerving to have any bit of his abilities taken away, but he's also falsely attributing the fact that he can't will his wounds away to the mist. It'll suck for him when he realizes that has nothing to do with it.

Another piece of rubble is moved out of the way, and though some of it shifts and collapses (which is probably ominous, all things considered), they're definitely making progress. ]

Well, there is little time to worry about it now. This matter is more pressing, yes?

[mylawn]

The mist?

[Not that 76 is surprised by the comment—the fog that rolled in most certainly seemed unnatural, and it was hard not to be put on edge. Still, he hadn’t been sure if it was actually the mist, or his own paranoia making him feel so unsettled. If Sebastian is more attuned to something with vaguely supernatural qualities than he is, well. He’d like to be as informed as possible.

Even if there isn’t much they can do about it while trapped in the tunnels.]

Might not even matter if everything caves in. Guess I’m just looking for something to do.

[cutlery]

[ He nods, and though he's not completely forthcoming about the extent, he's at least getting a better sense of how unusual some of the members of COST can be. He may not feel as wary about revealing that he has some abilities beyond that of a normal human, but that's a different matter for people to process than the fact he was a demon. Rather unfortunately (though accurately), the bad reputation of his kind can cause tension, to put it lightly. ]

Yes... I cannot explain how, but it has had something of a dampening effect on what I am normally capable of.

[ His voice shifts in tone as he moves a particularly heavy piece to reflect the strain, though it's not intense enough to be a concern. ]

Hence why being pushed in here seems intentional.

[mylawn]

I've got no doubt it's on purpose.

[They are, quite literally, backed into a wall. If the mist really is robbing some of their number of their abilities, then all the Regency really needs to do is keep pumping the surrounding area full of this stuff. Flush them out. 76 is waiting for them to decide they're well and truly trapped, then there won't be anything they can do.

So, really, that's why he's looking for a way out.]

Makes you wonder why they haven't made a move yet.

iii.

[whitehair]

[ The mask they wear throws him off, at first; it takes a minute for his eyes to register the difference, the smooth leather compared to the hard metal in his memory, the staring eyes, the protruding snout. Why do people always insist on fucking hound imagery, anyway? He could laugh at the irony of it, at least, but his initial reaction is a hand automatically going for the gun at his hip before the message comes through — do not engage. ]

Yeah, heard the first time.

[ His eyes don't leave the hazy figures just out of reach though, brows drawing close into a frown. ]

The fuck are they exactly?

[mylawn]

Just making sure.

[Because he might not put it past some of the COST recruits to want to engage, and he's also under the impression that the local soldiers will be curious, too--that kind of confrontation might end badly for all of them. Better to keep watch, and try to cut off any potential interaction at the pass.]

I think that's who we're up against.

[On the larger, broader scale. He doesn't want to say the Regency, in the event there are eavesdroppers, but that's clearly who they are--not even bothering to fit in with the era. It speaks to a sort of confidence that makes him uncomfortable.]

[whitehair]

[ even if he doesn't say it, the implications are clear; Heine just makes a quiet sound in the back of his throat, part-disapproval, part-contemplative, as he squints through the fog at the dim, ghostly figures. He hasn't been here long enough to understand it all properly (not that he cared, ultimately, on who was in the right, but the masks are just not helping them at all right now. ]

You think?

[ they don't seem to be... doing anything much. just standing and observing, just like they are doing. He wonders if they have any particular thoughts of their own, or if they just mindlessly follows orders from the top. ]

Do you know anything about them?

[mylawn]

Spoke to one, once.

[Though he's not quite sure, now, what Xici was in comparison to these agents. She'd been a spy, sure, but if the Regency seems willing to enter a battlefield dressed like this, what's the point of spies in the first place?

Obviously it's more complicated than that, but despite working against them, there's not much he really knows.]

But I'm not sure she was an agent like these people seem to be.

[Also, she was literally erased from existence.]

[whitehair]

About what?

[ makes sense; the Regency were a kind of an all-pervading force to reckon with in the universe, right? sometimes when it got that big, the left hand might not know what the right is doing. even if she might not have been in the same vein as these guys, that still has to count for something. ]

[mylawn]

About her loyalties. The Regency. She was a spy.

[The past tense should say enough, but he's not one to shy away from the gravity of the situation. It's important that everyone knows what they're up against--and what COST could do to them, if they really wanted to.]

Once the Regency realized we'd captured her, they erased her from existence.

[whitehair]

[ Heine doesn't react to it save for a slight, faint rise of brows; while not entirely similar, he's familiar enough with the workings of gangs enough to know how it generally works — hell, if the old hag had her way with him, he would have died in just about the same sort of way. Figures that she'd build some sort of weakness into the Spine like this — covering all her bases. ]

How?

[ maybe he doesn't know, but Heine asks anyway. ]

[mylawn]

Went back in time and killed her.

[Or even before then. He's not particularly concerned with the details, but the principle of it is easy enough to understand. It's what they're trying to prevent with all this time-hopping of their own.]

Meant she disappeared out of the present.

iii.

[gerechtigkeit]

I don't plan on it.

[It's managed in a low tone, though not a hostile one. Siegfried is leaning a little heavily on one of the walls of the tunnels, exhaling as his eyes wander to 76. Like him, he's arrived here to make sure the Regency doesn't plan anything- even if he's dwindling on his mana supply. The mist that spreads makes it more difficult for him to keep his material form, but like hell will he simply stay in spirit form when he's not sure the Regency won't simply attack whenever they feel like it.

He tilts his head, curious.] Have others already tried?

[mylawn]

Good.

[He's under the impression that some members of the group might want to get a closer look, and as such he's here to cut that off at the pass. The last thing he wants is for an already-volatile situation to become even moreso because someone's a bit too curious. The Regency knows COST is here, but he imagines they don't know who. Protecting their identities is paramount.]

Not sure. [76 certainly hopes not.] Figure it isn't a bad idea to keep watch.

[Just in case anyone thinks it's a good idea.]

[gerechtigkeit]

[Luckily for him, Siegfried isn't the type unless he knows he can handle it (and he can handle a lot of things). Considering the circumstances, he's not too keen about venturing out further, so he stays put where he is.

That doesn't stop him from raising a brow, or frowning at the thought of others purposely going closer.]

I haven't seen anyone try anything in this mist. [His tone is more factual than testing anything, though.] I haven't been far enough to look, however.

[A brief pause, and then he sets his mouth into a firm line.]

Do you think they're planning on an outright attack?

[mylawn]

I would be, if I were them.

[They essentially have COST and the ANZAC soldiers pinned. This is a prime opportunity to pick them off, if the Regency is even marginally well-equipped. Having been a military commander himself, it's easy to see where the advantage lies. They're not even doing recon, because they're easy enough to see. It's clear they know something that the rest of them don't, and that's enough to put him on edge.]

Speaks to their overconfidence.

[gerechtigkeit]

You're familiar with tactics?

[Spoken out of curiosity rather than anything else. While they watch and wait (he hates waiting, hates not knowing what the enemy is planning), Siegfried sighs and focuses his gaze back at the agents so very clearly in view.]

I'm not sure it's overconfidence. A warning, for certain. Proud and present, especially with their visibility. An assurance of their power and their placement.

[A breath, and he tightens his jaw.]

If that were the case, my question is why they haven't done anything yet.

[mylawn]

I dabble.

[An understatement, given his status as an ex-military commander, but 76 is still wanting to keep his cards close to the chest. The less people know about him, the better, even though it's easy enough to infer a few things just by talking to him.]

Those things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

[If they have enough of an upper hand, perhaps they're the type to posture before they move in for the kill. It wouldn't surprise him. What is unsettling is why they haven't made a move--he shares Sigfried's concerns in that department.]

This might be recon. Might be something they still want from us, or they're trying to identify their target.

[gerechtigkeit]

I see.

[He doesn't press for more- of all people, Siegfried can certainly understand secrecy and the desire to not really elaborate. It's a common deflection he does for himself.]

True enough. [He snorts just a little at that, but not in disagreement. More at their situation and how the Regency has only decided to physically show themselves now.]

Whatever it is, it doesn't bode well. [A measure of something to come, surely.] We'll obviously need to do what we can.

[mylawn]

Doesn’t sit well with me.

[Being told not to engage. It’s possible he only thinks that way because he’s never faced a Regency agent head-on. Perhaps they really are too much to handle. Orders are orders, and despite his own restlessness, he knows it’s better to obey them for now.

Doesn’t mean he likes it.]

Waiting to get jumped.