on_her_korhal | Tarsonis, Thursday Morning (Reply)

Kerrigan	Blue psionics flashed visibly through the nightmare that had become Tarsonis, fading like a spark of lightning, leaving a gift behind on the soiled ground. Sarah Kerrigan barely had time to feel shock: something soared over her head with a horrible noise, followed but moments later by a thundering explosion. Then something collapsing, crashing loudly to the ground-- --but before this even happened, she snarled, "Take cover!" and amped her telekinesis, using the added speed to pull Roy aside behind a building as bullets soared past.
Roy	Even with different technology, the sounds of battle were easy enough to recognise. He managed not to stumble and pressed up against the wall as soon as they reached its safety. Just mere moments ago they'd been in Fandom and now... He had no clue where they were, but he wasn't going to waste time on asking Kerrigan if she did. His hands reached into the pockets of his trench coat, pulling out the gloves even as he scanned around the street. Definitely a war and he wanted to suggest that they needed to find better cover to find their bearings, then refrained from saying it out loud, just pushed it to the forefront of his mind for her to pick up on.
Kerrigan	"Two squads left, three siege tanks right," Kerrigan replied to the unasked question, pulling her canister rifle from her back as if it was a medieval sword. "You take the right."
Roy	Tanks. He nodded, his expression grim and he listened carefully to the sounds coming from the right. It seemed like the firing at them had stopped for now and with another nod, he pushed off of the wall and keeping low, he moved into the street to go blow up some tanks.
Kerrigan	The funny thing about being a telepath was that Kerrigan scarcely even needed to look to find her opponents-- for the first time since her trip to Fandom, she reached out for the switch on her suit in the name of battle. A blue ripple overtook her form before it melted into the surroundings, fully invisible. Smash. One foot into a marine's helmet, shattering it. She danced to the side, sliding a knife between the edges of another, move on, the next-- a momentary flicker of visibility and the enemy charged in on empty space. Home again.
Confederates	Three tanks stood down the road in full siege mode: unable to move, but bringing buildings to the ground with devastating power and accuracy. They were mostly striking at attacking forces to the north, far-away forms of Vulture bikes and a portable command center. One, however, had noticed the- relatively tiny - figures moving into its line of vision and its turret started turning over, finding only what appeared to be a civilian and a Ghost dressed in Sons of Korhal colours. Enemy.
Roy	These things were bigger than any of the tanks they used in Amestris. Cold and chilling things that strapped away the faces behind it. He didn't even consider that just his fire would be enough of an impact, but the ground beneath it would do. Pushing out from the shelter he'd found, Roy stoop up in full view of the tanks and snapped his fingers together. Repeatedly, striking at the ground and buildings around it, setting the area ablaze and making the walls come crumpling down around them.
Confederates	A tank went under in a hail of bricks and metal, debris striking its colleague, which packed up the large canon sticking out the back. Suddenly, it wrenched itself loose from the soil and started rolling towards Roy; the third remained, firing off into the distance.
Roy	Dammit. Sometimes he really wished he could do alchemy by just clapping his hands. Roy moved quickly to the side of the street to avoid the tank, but there was little time and more ground and debris to cover. With another snap of his fingers, he blew up the road right in its path, hoping to slow it if not entirely stop it.
Confederates	More debris flew up in front of the tank. A rock wrenched itself between the rolling wheels, jamming the tank. It started firing instead, its range extending but bare feet away from Roy.
Roy	It might not have hit him, but the impact was impressive enough. The ground shook right before he was blasted backwards and into a wall, together with the debris of the explosion. Too close. He moved swiftly, ducking to the other side of the street as he aimed his flames up high above the tank, to bring down the rest of the building on top of it.
Confederates	Blam. In the background, a lone tank fired. Blam. Clatter. A rain of dust came down, tapping gently against the side of a second ruined tank. A little like rain. Something inside struggled to get out.
Roy	Roy held his fingers together, but he didn't strike. The other tank was still standing alone and he was all too aware that this thing had never hesitated to strike at him. Still, it wasn't his war and for all he knew he'd just taken the wrong side in this conflict.
Kerrigan	Thunk. Thud thud. Something else moving - someone else banging on the inside of the tank. "Let's move." The words seemed to come from nowhere at all. Then a blue ripple took to the air, revealing Kerrigan's form, wild-eyed and slightly pale. "Friendlies up ahead."
Roy	Friendlies. The term didn't pass him, but he didn't feel like asking questions when that last tank could decide to turn around any moment now. "Lead the way," he said, lowering his hand but staying ready to act quickly if it was required.
Kerrigan	"Friendly folk. Allies," Kerrigan clarified as she turned around, moving fluidly through the debris. A moment later, a missile struck the last remaining tank behind her, sending flaming scrap soaring to the ground. It left behind nothing but a giant hole behind. She ran quickly past the squads of dispatched marines and towards the friendly thoughts in the distance, keeping her mind locked to make sure Roy was still close behind. She paid no attention to the fact the legs of her suit were soaking with red.
Roy	Her world. He knew for sure now and he followed without question, taking in the city around him as much as he could between the chaos of battle. Taking in the way she moved here and stored it all away for later, when there was time to think and not just react.
Kerrigan	The streets narrowed as they moved along. Above, broken spires stuck out above the landscape - they almost appeared to breathe fire, like giant torches grafted onto the planet. A wall of car wreckes blocked off most of the alleyway by the end of it. Her eyes dead set on the square just beyond it, Kerrigan began to climb with certain steps, leaving dark footprints behind. "Might have to cloak soon," she told Roy, once she neared the top. "You'll have to stay low. There's a fountain up ahead where they're holding position."
Roy	Somehow being thrown right in the middle of a battle meant that he was less surprised about the cloak than he would have been if she'd told him about it back in Fandom. He climbed up the car wreck barrier after her. I'll be fine, he assured her in his mind, determined that he could hold his own even here.
Kerrigan	"Wall of debris should offer cover," she said, sliding down the wreckage on the other side as the cloak rippled back into place. "Let's get to that damn fountain." The fountain had been huge - three levels - but now it was nothing but a stump, supporting a stone, unusable canon. A unit of marines was caught up behind it, shielding themselves from the force of suppressing fire hailing from the plaza's one workable exit. There was a very large tank in the way, too. Kerrigan moved fast, covering half the distance in moments. Keeping track of Roy's progress, and ready to strike if she had to.
Roy	Roy's progress was a lot slower than Kerrigan's. He didn't much like the ducking and hiding, but it would be foolish to use alchemy now without knowing exactly where the marines were or how many enemy troops he'd be calling down on him. Keeping the fountain in his line of vision as much as he could, he carefully moved towards it, slowly but surely covering the distance.
Mike	Beyond the stone cannon, Michael Liberty kept his head down and desperately slammed against the comm unit. It gurgled. "I have got to think about a major career change." More bullets shot past his head and he ducked, fast.
Raynor	Captain James Raynor slid down the debris pile toward Mike, pushing a small avalanche ahead of his heavy boots. "Any luck?" he asked.
Mike	Mike shook his head. "It's probably a general jammer unit they have in operation, as opposed to an EMP pulse that would knock out the unit. That means the radio is still working. I just can't punch through the interference. Something with more power could."
Raynor	"Just freaking great. We're chewed up as it is. We can't go back, and we can't get past the tank. We need to call for an evac, but it's not gonna happen if we can't contact the goddamn Hyperion."
Kerrigan	That would be when a cloak rippled soundlessly out of operation, melding Sarah Kerrigan back into view. "You boys need a hand?" she asked.
Raynor	"Kerrigan?!" Raynor stared. And then recovered. "It's good to see you, Lieutenant," he said, "We were just bemoaning our fate."
Kerrigan	"I was in the neighbourhood," Kerrigan said, off-handedly. "Guess I heard gunfire."
Roy	Roy reached the fountain only seconds after Kerrigan did, his uniform not as blue anymore thanks to the debris. He stayed a step behind however, not really eager on having one of the marines go trigger happy upon the sight of him. "Friends of yours, Lieutenant?" he asked.
Raynor	"Who the hell is this guy?" Raynor demanded. He looked... different.
Kerrigan	Kerrigan rolled her eyes. "Marshal Jim Raynor, meet Sheriff Roy Mustang. Don't get all testosterone on me, here."
Roy	Roy raised an eyebrow, wondering if Kerrigan meant him or the Marshal. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm sure," he replied, stepping forward to stand beside Kerrigan, taking a moment to look at the other marines.
Kerrigan	Kerrigan rolled her eyes again. Just on principle. "What's the sitch?" she asked Raynor.
Raynor	"Arclite, hull down, between the buildings," said Raynor, going for a valiant attempt at ignoring Roy, "Supported by a full squad of marines."
Kerrigan	"That all?" she smirked, "I thought you were having trouble."
Raynor	"Anything you can do to help would be appreciated, ma'am," Raynor said. He couldn't help but grin.
Kerrigan	"Piece of cake," Kerrigan responded, pulling her rifle out again. "Think you can suppress those guys and get Roy some coffee while I head at it?"
Roy	Roy followed the discussion quietly, but he frowned as he realised that Kerrigan was going out alone. "I can help," he interrupted, not prepared to let the discussion go that much over his head.
Kerrigan	"Don't need you to," Kerrigan told Roy, shooting him a slight smile. It may have lit up a little under how focused she was looking. "I can handle it."
Roy	"I know you can," he assured her, "but it never hurts to have someone watch your back."
Kerrigan	"You can watch my back from here with the boys," she said, shooting Raynor a look mid-sentence. "I'm a Ghost. This is what I was trained for."
Roy	"And I'm an alchemist," he replied. "I'm trained to cut through enemy lines. You can use me, so do it."
Kerrigan	"They'll see you, Corporal," Kerrigan replied simply, "Stay back here and you might do some good." Her eyes went back to Raynor. "Suppression?"
Raynor	"Right flank or left flank?"
Kerrigan	"Left, I think," she answered. She shot him a genuine smile. "That would be your left, Jimmy." And glanced back at Roy. "No heroics."
Roy	If she was reading his mind, she knew he was rebelling against it anyway. "That's no heroics, I'm useless as second line. I need a clear field to work and know I'm not going to accidentally blow you up."
Kerrigan	"You don't have to blow anything up if I do my job right," she said, her eyes narrowing to sharp points. "I'm moving in, Corporal." And she faded under the cloak.
Raynor	"Good hunting, Sarah!" Raynor called, and then glared at Roy. "What the hell was that all about?"
Roy	Roy made a face, fingers rubbing together and he hated this even if he knew Hawkeye would scold him if he had tried this one her. "I thought that was pretty obvious," he growled, his annoyance seeping through.
Raynor	"Who in the name of Billy's left--"
Mike	"Kerrigan was right," Mike interrupted, dryly, "This is no time for testosterone." He glanced past their barricade again. Around him, marines launched into a barrage of fire, silencing the opposing party-- except for the tank, which still boomed on steadily. "So do you think she can do it, 'Jimmy'?"
Raynor	Raynor blushed. "Probably," he managed, "But it won't mean a damn thing unless we can flag a lift off this dump."
Roy	Roy's attention was beyond the barricade for a moment, confident that he could take down the tank but not so confident in his chances to hit Kerrigan. Making a face, he sagged down with his back against the barrier. "I take it she does this often," he murmured, not really expecting an answer.
Mike	"She's former Confed black ops. Ghost trooper," Mike told him, a little sympathetically as he watched the battle unfold. "She could kick all our asses twice over."
Kerrigan	For a moment, it was silent. Then the far flank of the opposition started collapsing-- a canister rifle whined somewhere in between. Everywhere, marines started falling under the force of some unseen sniper. The enemy started firing randomly. Kerrigan flickered into view on top of another barricade for a moment. Then she was gone, bullets striking empty air in her wake. The enemy was decimated. Raynor yelled a command. His troops started running across the plaza. The tank still fired its volleys. Kerrigan appeared again, shoving her rifle into the turret ring, then sommersaulted away. The tank blew, scattering the remaining enemy.
Roy	Roy had shifted to watch the fight as soon as he heard the canister rifle. It was pretty impressive and when the troops moved out, he was tempted to follow, but he would probably just get in the way so he stayed back, waiting to see what Mike would do.
Mike	Mike looked about ready to move, but whatever he was planning, it was probably useless: a tremor swept to the area and one of the giant buildings collapsed, raining metal down on the tank and blocking off that route of escape for good. The shockwave forced him, and everyone else, to the ground. Moments later, in the distance, Raynor was shouting Kerrigan's name.
Roy	This time he didn't stay back. If someone got trapped underneath the rubble, at least that was something he could help with. He moved behind the shelter, moving swiftly, but still alert to everything around him towards where he heard Raynor last.
Kerrigan	Marines backed away from the rubble, keeping a wary eye on the destroyed tank. Nothing was happening. Enemy was strewn across the plaza, mostly dead or disabled. From the direction of the tank, a single, completely grey form stalked forwards. Mike rejoined Raynor by his side, staring at it.
Roy	Roy came to a halt just a few steps away from the marines, taking the damage around them before he noticed the figure as well. He tensed, but took in the familiar step and his posture eased slightly.
Kerrigan	A moment later, Kerrigan turned visible. She was covered in a grey film of dust, and lines of strain were drawn on her face-- but her eyes were still blazing. "Target neutralized, Captain," she told Raynor, wiping at the dirt under her visor. "But I'm afraid we can't go that way now."
Raynor	"It doesn't matter," Raynor said, keeping his worried eyes on her. "The Confeds have to be regrouping by now. We just can't hold this area-- what we need is a way to punch through the jammer."
Mike	"Jim," Mike said, and it looked for all the world like three old brothers in arms conferring, "Three blocks west of here is the UNN broadcast building. They may still have enough juice to overcome the interference."
Kerrigan	Kerrigan nodded curtly. Orders were given. She fell back to Roy's position, then followed.