h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*Sniper Alley is the main road running from the South-East Gatehouse and the South-East Armoury. The Armoury is a solid looking structure that survived the Rebellion with mininal damage. The Tower is four stories high, and dwarfs the ruins around it. The Gatehouse is a simmilar size. Snipers in the two structures have made the 250m stretch of road almost 100m long into a death trap. A young Cadet named Nesal is sat in a cubicle of a blown out toilet block, her SP-66 aimed through a crack in the cubicle wall. The far side of the room is missing, giving her a good field of fire along the Alley.*

*A shuttle screams through the air above Sniper Alley and jerks sharply towards the ground, crash landing in a plume of smoke and debris smack-bang in the centre of the alley.
Dharackni takes his head away from the dash-board.*
"oh man, I have to learn how to fly these things properly..."
*As the smoke clears a bullet flies through the windshield and lands next to Dharackni's head, with a jump he moves towards the door.*

[Nesal] What the... Dharackni!? Hold on...
*Nesal opens fire. Three shots ring down the alley, the third blows the head off the Sniper hunting for Dharackni.*
[Nesal] Hurry! Get to cover!

*Dharackni leaps through the window of the nearest building, bursting in on what looks like a JACKAL meeting.*

"Oh crap"

[Nesal] Dharackni? Oh no... I can't see...
*Nesal moves to a new location, but still can't see the VIPER.*
[Nesal] Dharackni, please be alright...

*The JACKAL draw their weapons, Dharackni acts fast and throws one of his vials of potion to the ground. Smoke fills the room as Dharackni tries to dive back out the window he came through.
CRUNCH!
He misses the window and flies into the wall next to it, he falls on the floor unconscious.
When he awakes Dharackni is lying on the floor of a cell...*

*Nesal sneaked out into the alley, moving only as far as she dared. She couldn't see Dharackni, but could hear fighting. She caught a glimpse of JACKAL soldiers dragging off Dharackni, but they were gone before she could fire, and she was on the wrong side of Sniper Alley...
She looked down at the emblem on her combat fatigues. VIPER [Cadet Class]. She seemed to make a decision. She returned to the old Armoury, and made a long route around Sniper Alley. She would find Dharackni, or die trying...*

*Mystrunner, crouched on the rooftop, follows the JACKALs from above. He loads bolts into his autocrossbow.*

*kran crawls slowly through the ruined building sneaking up on the JACKAL Mystrunner is watching. As he get closer he slowly pulls out a stun grenade from his pocket. he then reaches for his radio and hisses into it* "Hide your eyes now!" *he throws the grenade onto the groun beside the JACKAL. it explodes with a blinding light causeing them to colapse to the ground holding there eys which will not work for while*

*Mystrunner's hand darts out, and a dart suddenly sprouts from the JACKAL's neck. The toxin seeps quickly through its system, as it seizes up. Spasms rack the body, and the sounds of breaking bones fill the air.*

One dead.

*Dharackni's cell is a large room with a window at the top. He figures that he's underground. He is just about to jump for the window when the door opens...*
"So Dharackni, we meet again...."
"So we do...."

*Nesal moves as quickly as she can. The entire area was a prime site for snipers, and more than once she had to stop and snipe out an opponent. She was sure she was close now, and she prayed Dharackni would still be alive...*

*Mystrunner moves quickly from roof to roof, tracking Nesal's progress.*

I have you covered. Move quick, though.

[Recrash] (Over the radio) Say - so the intercom does this too? Guys, have you seen my assistant? Answers to the name Mydalia.

*Nesal makes it into the building where Dharackni was last seen. It's empty now.*
[Nesal] Nesal to Mystrunner; can't find Dharackni... I'll have to come back, cover me. Over. Nesal to Recrash; no, haven't seen her. Over.

[Recrash] "That's funny, I can't locate her anywhere."

WHA-DOOM!

Dust and debris fly as a huge old Skirmish-class Viper Armored Hovercraft careens into view, swerving dangerously to port while a struggling figure inside tries to maintain control.

Okay, Mydalia thought, so this was how you did that. And this does...

BOOM! The craft's twin mounted recoilless cannons fire into a stretch of masonry. The explosion knocks the lone wall down onto the vehicle, which bobs and bounces away on its cushion of air.

The hulking, vaguely beetle like oblong shape was built for speed despite the tons of armor plate it was made of. Twin turbines gave stable thrust - except one of them wasn't working so, what the thing did was spin all over Sniper Alley.

Whooaa! Have to control this thing!

[Recrash] "I don't like the sound of that sound."

Mydalia had just finished knocking down another wall when just around one corner a lone gray-jacketed figure pops out.

"Whoa," Doublegun Mikkie.

Then, controlling himself, and sprouting something like a rakish grin, he dashes toward it.

Miseri had just gotten the hang of the thing when-

WHAM! Impact in the cockpit!

Panicked, she whirls to see a dirt-streaked, gray-suited figure bump and roll about the inside.

"Hey," Mikkie said, just as he picks himself up off the floor. "I'm here to help."

KOOM! A blast of concussive force and a gout of flame envelopes the craft's clear bubble-cockpit as the enemy riflemen of Sniper Alley begin opening fire with everything they had.

POW! POW! FRAKATAKATAKATAKA-TAT! POWPOW! BOOM! WHOOM! Small arms to heavy mortars started pounding the hovercraft's shell. Some of them got inside-

"Ouch! Yow!" Mikkie danced around as several rounds ricocheted around, while a sweating Servo-Drone tried to put some armor between the fire while the zinging bullets blew holes in the clear plass bubble.

"Get to the turrets!" She nearly screamed.

Goddamit!

*Mystrunner furiously loads ammo into his rifle, and begins to pick off snipers by their muzzle flashes. He moves silently about, trying to remain hidden.*

You need to get out of there, and find better cover! This place is suicide for obvious targets!

*Suddenly, a bullet slams into Mystrunner's shoulder, spinning him about and throwing him on his side.*

I'm hit!

*More fire is drawn in his direction, as Mystrunner pulls himself behind a small chiminey.*

*Nesal rolls as weapons fire rings out. She hears Mystrunner swear over the comm, and moves to find a better sniping position. She spots a mortar position, and puts a heavy calibre round through the barrel, detonating the weapon and the spare munitions, as well as turning the three crew into a film of scorched gore against the far wall.*
[Nesal] Nesal to Skimmer. What's your situa-
*She doesn't finish. A mortar shell, directed at the detonating weapon, blasts her backwards through a large, glass window. She lands hard. There is a sound of cracking bone, and she loses conciousness.*

Nesal? Nesal!

Dammit.

*Mystrunner gingerly feels his shoulder, and brings his hand away with the fragments of a high-calliber rifle round, still hot, and shards of the body armour there. A bit of bleeding, but nothing too severe.*

Hang in there...

*Mystrunner ducks down, and runs low across the roof tops, secures a grapple line on another roof spout, and leaps over the edge, sailing down and through the shattered window. He ducks and rolls, and comes up running, scooping up Nesal in his arms and running back to the far back of the room.*

Mikkie scrambles to the main turret and straps himself in. The actuators hum and the chair tilts, swivels, and brings its guns to bear.

"All right people, hear me roar."

-TADADADADADA!-

Twin 20mm autocannons light up with the sound and flare of depleted-uranium rounds flying out at thousands of rounds per minute, annihilating a sniper emplacement.

"All right!"

The Viper Hovercraft goes suddenly offensive, whirling and snapping back at its attackers with flame and fury. Mydalia absently keys the port and starboard turrets to slave to Mikkie's, and they ripple with automatic shotgun barrages and miniguns.

PAM! PAM! POW!

The enemy redoubles, battering Mydalia in her seat. A few subsystems shut down, and she frantically reaches to contemplate. The huge vehicles flies down the besieged alley, spitting fire.

Left foot pedal controls left-and-right swiveling, right pedal up-and-down movement. Mikkie plays his lethal attention all along the way, wiping out snipers and enemy fortifications - those facing the plaza, not away - Turns right, and lobs three arcing grenades. A turn left and down, and spews napalm. Shell casings fly about, having missed being collected by the bag - ouch! That's hot! The bubble is filling with brass-

-Gonna feel that later, Mikkie thinks as he realized he forgot to wear asbestos gloves and is going to develop blisters-

BOOM! The craft rocks, stops, then settles on the ground with a thud.

Huh? Key the intercom.

"Hon, what gives? Why are we stopping? I don't see a rest stop anywhere near."
"The engines just gave." Mydalia's low monotone.
"So from a vehicle to a pillbox."
WHAM!
"A pillbox being mortared." Mydalia again.
"Drat. Can it get any worse?"
CLICK. CLICK CLICK. No ammo.
"Shee-it."