No Gods, Nor Masters

Italica Part 4:And We're Off

"Well, fuck..." Rosie sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"Gotta be shitting me, boss," Ivanov stated, "They're here?"

Tyuule chewed on her lower lip, then sighed, "This is not good..."

"Yeah. Fuckin' Sapien Sunrise..." Richard replied. The situation grew even more dangerous, now that the allied force knew there might've been Insurrectionists among the forces of the enemy. He spoke, "Doc Halsey's going to check on the Convoy right now, see what's what and if there's anyone still alive. If not, they've got the Helmet Cams to make sense of the shit that happened there... 'Till then, we gotta be ready. Start setting up even more defenses and make sure you turn each gate into a killzone."

He stood to his feet and grabbed his rifle, swinging it onto his back The others nodded and departed, with Torres and Itami lagging behind to talk to Richard. Torres himself asked first, "What're we looking at here? Something like Afghan? Iraq? Because I'm not sure I'm too fond of either option, considering what the hell happens in those theaters on the daily..."

"Oh, don't worry," Richard voiced with a hint of sarcasm behind his words, "Innies are far more coordinated than your average Jihadi Joe with an AK and a dream of a big ol' Caliphate..." as they walked out into the halls. He waved the Princess over as he packed his kit, then sighed and looked to the now-afraid Torres, stating, "They're dangerous, like any insurgency. They also have access to our weaponry and are apparently stealing Russian vics."

"Well, shit..." Torres sighed.

Itami replied, "We should be on the lookout. Maybe we'll wake up with a bunch of them at the gates soon..." in a murmur. He thumbed his radio and said, "Attention, all HITMAN units, prepare for enemy assault to contain actually capable firearm wielders. We may be seeing an enemy Insurrectionist force that's fought against the UNSC before among the army's ranks..."

Piña marched up to them, asking, "What is wrong...?"

"Well, the enemy may be getting some experienced new fighters in those reinforcements they're sending..." Richard explained calmly as they walked, "Which means we'll either need to engage them now, while they're waiting, or get ourselves dug in prim and proper for them to come to us. Eitherway, we're gonna be fighting around and, if they breach the gates, in the city."

"Concerning as the enemy reinforcements are, now... It would be preferable to stay inside," Piña explained. She continued, "If we attack, it will be seen as an act of aggression, which may get me and my Knights incarcerated. This way, we can play up us being 'unwilling' participants in this battle. The defense, I mean," as they walked over together. Richard hummed, then nodded, impressed, before elbowing Torres gently and giving him a thumbs-up. Torres clapped an open hand on his helmet, ringing his bell a bit in reply, while Itami smiled.

The Princess seemed confused. She sighed and said, "I will go wake up the Countess, so she may be ready for the upcoming battle, too."

"We'll leave a squad of four to guard the citadel, just in case the enemy actually manages to break through," Torres offered before the group split, with the Lieutenants walking outside. He stopped and sniffed the air, feeling the distant scent of smoke as they marched on forward. Of course, the enemy was cooking their food while waiting for backup. He suddenly felt a pit in his own gut, now that he realized the enemy was on their way.

Tyuule had run outside, stopping Richard by putting a hand on his shoulder and asking, "May we talk, Richard?" as she looked at him. She requested, "Alone..."

He nodded, then waved to the fellas. Both of them grinned, then waved back and stepped off. Richard rolled his eyes, then looked to Tyuule and asked, "What's the matter, Tyuule?" to which she showed him to follow her. Sure, there was probably a lot to be said about the current situation they found themselves in. Delilah and the other Warrior Bunnies of the platoon were sat on the rooftops, it looked like, as snipers and QRF alongside the Abrams. Still, the fucking things going on right now would make anyone question their sanity.