No Gods, Nor Masters

Napalm Sticks to Imps

Preparations were underway within the FOB. Several combat drones had been brought onto the planet from the inventory of their carrier. The Wombat drones were usually utilized by the 'Wet Navies' of the UNSC as scouting and cheap air defense solutions and had seen combat everywhere, from Harvest to Earth. They were inexpensive, useful as scouting equipment and dangerous if armed with AGMs, which was what the UNSC's technicians and Drone Operators were currently fitting onto the things.

They were going to be used to scout out the Imperial encampment that was visible several klicks from them, where the light of campfires danced in the night and where UNSC Marine Snipers were currently keeping their rifles trained on. Ikari was on top of the wall, her hands gripping the rifle tightly as she scanned the camp's first visible tents with thermals. She saw the dozens of soldiers inside the tents and had half a mind to squeeze off a few shots, scare them shitless.

Halsey had ordered them not to, however. It was midnight, after all. A tense, glum midnight with a sky covered by clouds, obscured from the sight of the Marines and their comrades. On the walls, several Machine Guns were being mounted, with stacks of ammunition boxes. Outside, meanwhile, lines of sandbags and trenches were being dug, with barbed wire being put in place all around, as well as anti-personnel 'Asteroidea' Mines, the explosive spider-like jumping mines from the UNSC's arsenal.

Warthogs were also being rolled outside, with several troop 'Hogs moving toward the edge of the forest to set up defenses there, protect the villages of the Bunny Warriors from any possible encroachment. The Major had requested(read:Really ordered) doctor Halsey back to the fleet alongside the science staff for the time being, while he would take overall command of the upcoming engagement.

They'd also gotten a hundred-fifty new Marines and even a pair of tanks for the sake of the defense. The M808B Scorpions, resembling their namesake animal in shape, rolled on out of the base as well. One would stay here with its HE ammo primed and ready for use, while the other would provide the defense of the Villages as well. They hadn't seen the Bunny Warriors in a while, though, so...

Ikari felt a hand clasp over her shoulder and turned. She smirked, then said, "Good to see you, El-Tee..." as she turned back to scoping in the enemy, "Surprised we're digging in as much as we are, to be honest... Just a bunch of folks with swords and bows and arrows..." before she hummed and scoped in one of the enemy's scouts. He was surveying the field from the top of a hill to their right. She smirked, then asked, "I've got him zeroed..."

"Let him be... Doc Halsey is gonna be back, despite the Major's request. She thinks she can try and talk Zorzal down," Richard hummed, hefting his Assault Rifle onto his back and gazing over the battlefield ahead. Must've been around two hundred mines, all neatly hidden beneath a thin mound of dirt. The lieutenant then added, "If she can't, which we all know she won't be able to... Well, it's why the drones are here."

"ID the number of foes to make sure we got enough ammo for them," Ikari murmured, then sighed and shouldered the sniper rifle properly again and gazed down the scope, focusing on the breathing exercises that would let her take the shots without missing. Richard respected Ikari. She was a crack shot among crack shots with her rifle. One of the best unaugmented soldiers the UNSC had at their disposal.

HighCom must've figured she and the rest of his platoon needed the break when they sent them with Doctor Halsey's little expedition. To be fair, this entire thing was supposed to be a milk run. An uninhabited jewel world where they could settle, do some research and just hang around. The fact that people actually did live on this planet complicated that a little, but...

Well, the Empire wielded swords against the power of assault rifles and 7,62x51 ammunition, not to mention the fifty-cals and the SRS-99's 14,7mm rounds. It was going to be a massacre, the Lieutenant felt. One that'd leave hundreds of the enemy's own forces dead. He sat himself down on a stool next to the sniper, then watched as the Wombat drones were launched over to the right, flying off and turning.