Mastermind E-war

[dinoman666]

The Striders would have fired their Warp Cannons at the Maulers and taken them out early, but they didn't, as if waiting for something...

[Godzilla Forever]

The sheekhs quickly open fire, plasma rifle rounds and plasma bolts form the maulers' mace-cannons firing into the striders.....

Ghru'loks open fire with their back mounted plasma cannons into the breach.......

The prototype's pod is finally close to the planet, locking coordinates onto the planet below, trying to land as close to the capital city as possible.....

[UndeadRaptor]

"You know what, 2-3? you offically suck," the engineer code-named "1-9" said after a moment of pulling his helmet off while grabbing a metallic tray and walked into the line of people waiting for food. Unknown to anyone on the ship, The Savannah and all those aboard were nearing a large Sheekh-controlled territory, closest to the planet where a battle had broken out...

[dinoman666]

One of the Combine Cruisers, without hesitation, aimed its nose-mounted cannon at the incoming pod, firing a burst of pulse rounds at it...

The Striders, mostly resistant to small-arms fire, began strafing from side to side, their comparatively small heads dodging most incoming fire. They returned fire with their Warp Cannons, the blue beams blowing away anything they hit...

Suddenly, a voice echoed throughout the city, being produced from the communications station that Combine had built, the machine itself capable of producing incredibly efficient audio: "Please! Please, stop this violence! I am only here to speak on behalf of Our Benefactors!"

[Godzilla Forever]

The military responds the the radio, saying, "Benefactors? Attacking the empire does not please us. Know that even if you win, our empire will send more soldiers and burn the planet to the ground to prevent you form getting a foothold."

The pod catches fire, but ocntinues on course, albeit a bit off target.....

Many maulers and sheekhs die, but they continue fire.....

[dinoman666]

"Please, we only wish to talk!" the voice echoed again. "Is compromise so wrong?" By this point, the Striders had backed up, the entire Combine attack force now out of range, no longer attacking. A gap in their ranks showed a large screen attached to the comm station, with the face of a human somewhere in his 50's, with a close-trimmed, white beard and soft, grey eyes...

[UndeadRaptor]

The ship sailed further into space, everyone at view ports and on the bridge of the massive 5-mile long vehicle itself now seeing the planet for what it was, but had no knowledge of anything living on it yet or the battle between the two alien races there. Everything went on as normal on the ship, training still happening along with repairs and other works, sentries and a few sentinals flying around, acting as sercurity on the ship...

[Godzilla Forever]

The military responds, "Come down and show your face then. We won't talk to your abominations."

"MOTHER's" pod slams into the planet's surface, battered and burnt. 0261 grunts before she begins to head towards the city, which is about a mile away....... at the speed she was going, it'd take no more than ten minutes.

[dinoman666]

"I am, unfortunately, indisposed," the man replied, his face still visible on the screen. "I cannot, at this time, come here in person. Can we not talk civilly?"

[UndeadRaptor]

The Savannah continued on with nearing the planet itself, the massive vehicle now growing visible to all on the ground of it, it's engines roaring as it came on down. Engineers soon went off break and, along with some of their drones, prepared to go onto the surface of the planet itself soon after the ship would make its landing...

[Godzilla Forever]

The military radioer sighs and says, "Let's cut to the chase- what exactly do you want, sir? I doubt you sent a strike force into our colony simply to make friendly banter." The commander radios in, "This is commander phyrra, radioing in. Strange forces have breached the city!" "Hmm. How interesting," the radioer says. "What do have to say to that, sir?"

[dinoman666]

"We are simply here to negotiate now," the man replied calmly. "If you will give me a moment of your time, I can explain everything. Allow to me introduce myself. I am Dr. Wallace Breen, Administrator of Planet 17. I am here on behalf on Our Benefactors, the ones known by others as the Combine. We wish to deliver an ultimatum..."

[UndeadRaptor]

The Savannah moved even closer to the planet's surface at a somewhat slow rate, more details of the ship itself being seen with each passing minute. Everyone aboard was prepared for the ship beginning to land, every ship and engineer now inside and soldiers getting ready for anything that may decide to attack them...

[Godzilla Forever]

"....Ultimatum?" the radieor replies. The commander, still on the line, replies, "Hey man, we've got lives to live too. we don't care who you are, just cut to the chase!" "Shut up, Phyrra!" the radioer replies. "Anyways, you were saying something about an ultimatum?"

[dinoman666]

"Yes, of course," Breen replied. "It's rather simple, you see: Our Benefactors wish to raise you to a new level of existence! They will do to you what they did to us: release us from the burden of instinct. Instinct has kept us safe, sheltered from the truth. But along with instinct comes its inseparable dark twin, superstition. Instinct is inextricably bound to unreasoning impulses, and Planet 17 has clearly seen its true nature. As Planet 17's Administrator, I feel we should thank Our Benefactors for giving us respite from this overpowering force. They have thrown a switch and exorcised our demons in a single stroke. They have given us the strength we never could have summoned to overcome this compulsion. They have given us purpose. They have even turned our eyes toward the stars. And now, they will do the same to you. They will FREE you. No longer will you need to decide things for yourself! No longer will you be the prisoner of free will! Our Benefactors have given you this privilege, this golden opportunity to make yourselves a better species! All you must do is make a simple choice: surrender this planet, and allow Our Benefactors to take over all operations from now on, or I will be unable to keep them from taking the planet by force. I know that neither of us would want that..."

[UndeadRaptor]

The ship continued on towards the planet's surface, everyone aboard seeing the two alien factions some distance from each other, both sides armed with weapons. Soon enough, dropships carrying engineers, drones and a few sentries began flying out of hangar bays towards the planet itself, those aboard wanting to research the place and see if it was suitable for them to live on...

[Godzilla Forever]

The radioer, the moment the man brings up "no longer decide things for yourself", cuts communications before saying to Phyrra, "Blast'em to hell." The commander replies, "Will do," before shouting, "Feel the wrath of the empire!" and a barrage of plasma weaponry fires onto the combine horde......

[dinoman666]

The initial barrage fell short of the Combine attack force, and Breen sighed on the monitor. "So be it, then. I certainly hope the rest of your race remembers this mistake, and learns from it when we finish colonizing this world..." The screen shut off, but the Combine still didn't move...

The two Cruiser overhead released a massive swarm of metal, rocket-shaped pods that rained down towards the Sheekh city far below, all focused on the city center...

[Godzilla Forever]

The commander sees the rockets, before shouting, Take cover! If we make it into underground, we can survive!"

The sheekhs begin retreating, while the maulers let out a unified battle cry and rush to combine soldiers, swinging their mace weapons wildly.......

"MOTHER" sees the outskirts out the city, before sprinting towards it.... she hoped she could make it to help......

[UndeadRaptor]

Those aboard The Savannah watched the newly forming battle, but captain Morris wasn't going to take any chances at this point. "Send two military platoons down onto the planet's surface with the scientists!" he called out over a com-link, his voice sounding in every speaker on the ship near the lower levels and hanga bays. Almost immediately, soldiers armed with multiple weapons filled into the transports in those massive rooms, along with some scientists, sentries and a couple of sentinals...