Royal Carribean Cruise

Haven't been blogging for the past 2 weeks, because, well, work has been hell, literally. Been going home near 12 midnight almost everyday last week and the week before. I hate work.. but anyway, now i've got some time i might as well blog everything that i need to.

Quick summary of the cruise!

Day 1: Leaving Harbour front!

oh yes, had steam boat dinner with Joan and her family on thursday night before going home, had an enjoyable time with them, just thought i'd drop that note down first. Joan stayed over at my place on thurs night, so no need to fetch her on friday morning.

we rushed out of the house at about 11.30 am, couldn't get a maxi cab so had to go to harbour front in 2 cabs. mindice came from her sch. boarded the ship at about 1 pm and had lunch at the windjammer. good food! i thought. i ain't seen nothing yet! after lunch we went to our cabins, then went to take part in some lucky draw, which we actually won some stuff! after that we explored the ship, and went line dancing and won some more stuff! dinner was fantastic, watched the show at 10.30 pm, some magician named Charles Bach. no bad, he copied a few tricks from David Copperfield and David Blaine, but he stressed that they're only illusions.

Day 2: Port Klang, Sunway Shopping Centre

breakfast was good, at the romeo and juliet restaurant, then we went ashore at Port Klang, malaysia. we were quite excited, never been to that place before. initially i thought there would be nothing to shop and nothing to do, but oh man, Sunway Shopping Centre is even bigger than Vivo city and takashimaya combined! they have an ice-skating rice at the basement as well! its very nice for shopping, Joan n i literally ran from shop to shop picking out clothes, shoes, etc. we didn't spend very much though. Joan bought a cap and 1 top, i bought 3 tops and 1 jeans. i can't help it, i'm a shoppaholic! hahaha.. ate lunch at about 2 pm at the so-called famous bakut teh, which was really cheap and satisfying! loved the taste and the special chinese tea. malaysia really does have better food than singapore! our version of bakut teh has too much pepper, theirs has more herbs and pig organs and stuff. satisfied with lunch, we made our way back to the ship before 4 pm.

rested in the cabin for a while, went to play othello with Joan, and lost to her 2 games! and she couldn't stop bragging about it for the whole trip. -_- haha! dinner was beef steak, prime rib i think. delicious. can't remember if it was the dress up night, but i remember missing the show because i was annoyed with joan over something, and went to buy a book from the shops to read in the cabin instead. but don't worry, we kissed and made up soon.

went to play midnight mini-golf, i think 9 holes. joan got a hole in one, and the bragging starting again. haha. we went to lie down on the deck chairs and listen to music, the wind, the stars and moon, very romantic. haha!

Day 3: Phuket or as the cruise director calls it, "pu chi dao!"

this time didn't have to wake up early, i think we woke up around 9 am, ate breakfast and then went to play bingo. i thought that was ultimately boring n waste of time, so Joan n i went to check out the rockwall, but there was a rock climbing competition there, so we didn't get to try it out. we went exploring, joan got trapped in the kids game room, i set off some alarm cos we used the wrong door, it was really funny! haha.. but anyway we went ashore at about 2 pm. had to sit on this small ferry, 10 min ride to the shore from the cruise ship.

immediately we were bombarded with touters, tut tut drivers, etc! they really know how to "whack" tourists! my mum insisted on looking for the massage at countryside hotel, but nobody seemed to know where on earth it was. we decided to go jet ski first, quite expensive though, $40+ for 50 min of jet ski, but since it was joan's first time, as well as mindice first time playing the jet ski, i think they had loads of fun! Joan was super daring, she actually went to jet-ski around our cruise ship!! our single jet skis of course were much faster than the double that my bro n mindice rode, it was fun, but i almost got thrown in to the sea when i tried a sharp turn! hahaha.. joan went flying across some rocks with the jetski when she went a bit too close to the shore and didn't see the rocks near the bottom of the jetski! thank God she wasn't hurt and the jetski wasn't damaged! we were totally sun burnt when we came back ashore.

had a drink at macdonalds, went searching for the massage parlour again, took a tut tut to the C&N hotel massage, and each person spend 500 baht, which is about $20, on a one-hour massage each. i didn't really enjoy it, felt it was a waste of money n time, i would've much rather gone shopping instead, but since my parents really wanted to have the massage, i sort of went along with it. the person really rubbed my neck n it was quite painful, didn't really like it much. oh well.. we had a dinner that cost us about 4500baht, is around $200! really expensive, i thought it was quite ex, but divided among 6 pple, each person around $33, and we get lobster, prawns, fresh fish, green curry, sotong, mixed vegetables, thai specialties and giant coconut drinks, i think overall not too bad lah. still cheaper than if we were to eat in singapore.

then the shopping-spree began. we had little over an hour to shop, and had to literally run from shop to shop, buying things almost on impulse! joan bought a top and a shorts, i got a bermudas and a pair of shoes, and a t-shirt. my mum bought a bag, my bro n mindice bought clothes. i think only my dad didn't get to buy anything! oh, and i bought 2 DVDs as well. had a bit of hiccup again, but on the ferry back to the boat, joan n i had a nice time sitting right in front of the ferry, watching fireworks, as the locals celebrated chinese new year eve!

went back to the boat for the show, an impressive performance by Crazy horse! the super muscular guy and girl team who did acrobatics, balancing acts, and the guy could even sing very well! amazing act, i would actually pay good money to see such a performance. the show was probably the best of the 3 that i caught. after the show we had a countdown party which lasted all of one hour (or even less!) which involved many balloons dropping down and pple standing around wishing each other happy new year. haha, so what else is new.

we had a bit of supper and then went to the disco to see some crazy chinese pple dancing. wanted to dance, but joan didn't want to, so nevermind. slept at around 3 am.

Day 4: Day at sea

Think this day was a bit boring, but still it was relaxing. Had breakfast at windjammer until about 11 am, then went to catch Charles Bach magic trick in the pool at noon. after that i can't really remember what else we did, except we had a quick nap in the cabin n then joan wanted to swin n go jacuzzi so i accompanied her to the indoor pool, n met my parents there, n tried to play some card game but the rules were too complicated, so they left to go line dancing n i read my book. actually i was pretty much reading my book will joan, my bro n mindice swan in the pool.

there was a final show before the last dinner on the ship, but it kind of sucked. the pianist was alright, interesting pieces, but the 6 china girls playing traditional instruments was quite bad, to the point of being funny. oh well, at least a few of them were good looking. haha! had dinner n thanked Gary, the columbian waiter, for his excellent service during the cruise. after dinner, we went to sing KTV until midnight, n finally collasped on the bed, exhasuted.

Day 5: Reach SIngapore, went visiting, watched Brideswar with Ian, Millie and Shona

Had a really early breakfast, then had to pack up and leave the ship at about 9 am. Really quite sad to leave the ship, had a lot of fun and relaxing time on the cruise. I remember the fries and the pizza at the pizza bar, the super strong wind, lazing around on deck chairs, taking lots of pictures and oh yes, the marvelous works of art during the art auction. it was a cruise which was really very enjoyable, great food, lots of programs. there was even towel folding lesson, and a ice-sculpture demonstration. really 101 things to do on the ship, too bad i didn't bring my trunks, so didn't join joan in the jacuzzi. now thinking about it, i really do regret not jumping in with my shorts! hahaha.. but overall i really enjoyed the trip. i never ate so much in 4 days in my life! hahaha..

Reached home at about 10 in the morning, took an hour nap, and then went visiting to uncle Andrew's house, then to su-po's house, then auntie Jessie's house. then went to joan's house to drop off her bag, then went to visit her grandma. poor thing, she's all alone on chinese new year! i was wondering why didn't the uncle n aunt bring the grandma along when they went visiting? but we had dinner at the 99 cent sushi place w millie n ian, shona didn't eat. the movie asn't as good as i thought, but anne hathaway is pretty sweet n cute, so yeah. haha!

5 days seems to rush past in a flash, n today i'm back in office wondering why didn't i just take today off as well! really no mood to work, was just playing facebook n updating some emails. i really don't think i'll stay in this line of job too long, sitting down n reading documents all day is really boring. haha.

God, thank you for a really good trip, it took my mind off the hell week i just went through before the cruise, but now i really wish you help me get through another 2 days of work.. i've got so much to do, i don't know where to begin, n worst of all, i don't feel like working AT ALL. i almost cried today when joan called my office to chat with me awhile, even though she wasn't feeling well. She's an angel, i love her.

Part 5 - Falling

"I'm down to my 2nd last clip!" Librarian Yonq fried another 4 Orks with an electric blast, even as he reloaded his bolter. His powers were weakening as they had been fighting intensely for more than an hour, although to the squad, it seemed like eternity.

"Same here, we better fall back to the line!" Grifter sliced 2 Orks diagonally across and emptied his clip into 3 more Orks. He knew they would have to hold the line no matter what the cost. He shouted to his troops "Fall back to the line! Now! Covering fire!!"

Sharlyntte ran backwards and fired her sonic blasters, while Destiny and Reid blasted on full auto, giving some breathing space for the Marines to run back to the defensive line. It was no easy task, hundreds of bodies lay everywhere, and the Marines had to trudge through the blood and flesh to reach the defensive position.

When they reached, they saw Shona tending to the arm of Yuri. The plasma gun had overheated and exploded, his left hand was a bloody mess, but he still fired his bolt gun with his right hand. "Fit a power gauntlet over my arm! I'll fight on even without my hand!" Yuri bellowed, obviously frustrated at the loss of his favourite weapon more than his own hand.

Grifter shouted, "Form the line! When you use up all your ammo, grab your shield and halberds!" He paused to throw a couple of frag grenades, and then voxed, "Where the heck is Rallen? I told everyone to fall back!"

Sharlyntte shouted back, "Rallen's down! I saw him get dragged down into a mob over there!" Her sonic blasters were turning red hot with heat, and she knew they would breakdown any moment.

"What?! Sharlyntte, Yonq, Destiny, to me, now! Form a wedge and cut through to Rallen! We're not leaving anyone behind!!" Grifter yelled in anger. "Use your remaining grenades at the count of 3!"

When the grenades exploded and cleared a small area, the four of them formed a triangle, with Destiny in the middle, firing over the shoulders of Grifter as he grabbed his halberd to form the tip of the group. Yonq and Sharlyntte flanked him, and the four of them cut their way through the lumbering Orks to reach the pile of dead Orks where Sharlyntte thought Rallen was buried under.

But in the meantime, Reid, Shona and an injured Yuri tried their best to hold the Orks from reaching their position, but with each second, the Orks were moving closer, until they were less than a stone's throw away. Suddenly a huge fire ball crashed down right next to Reid and he yelled in pain and surprise, his left leg crushed by the weight, even as the flames singed his armour and his power suit injected painkillers into his body. Barely a moment later, Shona's heavy bolter clicked on empty and she was back using the flame thrower, its fuel supply nearing zero as well. They could not hold the Orks off much longer.

Grifter thought to himself, I hope the infiltrating force has more success than us!

***

"Two more Warbosses down!" Chrawkate's sword sputtered with Ork flesh and he lost his combat knife, stuffing it down the throat of the monster that tried to take a bite out of him. The second Warboss crashed to the ground as VC Ian cut a large "X" shaped wound into its back with his power sword and chain sword.

"And 15 more to go eh! Let's hope the other 3 were killed when the roof collapsed on them!" Jennifurious shouted as she sliced another 2 Orks into 2. "Then that'll actually be just 12 left!"

"Time to bail out and move to the next room!" Millenia was holding off several Orks with her two bolt guns, firing only at heads, maximising the limited bullets she had left. She had dumped her expanded flame thrower in a corner of the room, as hole in it cause the promethium fuel to leak out dangerously.

Suddenly, the 3 Warbosses with the chain mail appeared and roared viciously, looking very very pissed off, with iron rods sticking onto their backs and dust all over them. They actually survived the collapse of the roof and were here presumably to exact revenage for their fallen buddy.

"Fall back! We can't take on those 3 like this!" VC Ian threw a flash grenade which stunned a few Orks momentarily, giving them a road of escape. They fired and backed away toward the corridor.

Suddenly Millenia stopped and reloaded her bolt guns, kneeled down and aimed. VC Ian grabbed her arm and said "There's no time! Those peashooters don't work against those mon"…

KABOOM!! The room exploded in a blaze of white and yellow heat, the fire spilling out into the corridor and incinerating the 3 Warbosses along with dozens of other Orks. Millenia had shot the fuel tanks of her spent flame thrower to cause the explosion, taking out the 3 Warbosses at once!

She grinned at Ian who could not believe his eyes. His skills, his rage, his experience.. all bested by a young Sister who had thought to use her brain to set a trap. "That one's for Charles." She managed to whisper. "We've still got 12 more to kill. Let's go!"

But as the four of them regrouped and leapt down the stairs to the second floor of the hideous building, a sudden deafeningly loud explosion rocked the entire building, causing Jennifurious to actually lose her footing and trip slightly. Pieces of the wall were destroyed and several Orks lay dead along the corridor. VC Ian wondered what had happened, when gun fire from outside the building drew his attention.

Rohan and Neophiri were atop a Leman Russ tank, and they had blown a hole in the wall. Orks were surrounding the vehicle even as the machine guns and mounted heavy bolters spat death all around the tank.

"Come on! We need you guys to help!" Millenia yelled, as she noticed they were soon about to be overrun.

Neophiri jumped onto the ledge and Chrawkate caught his arm and pulled him to safety, and Rohan prepared to jump, but first, threw a grenade into the hull of the tank - which was filled with explosives. "Guys, run for cover!!" he yelled and laughed insanely as he joined the group. They ran down the hallway for 4 seconds before another tremendous explosion rocked the building, as the tank was blown apart in a huge fire ball, killing scores of Orks which were surrounding it.

"Oww.. my ear drums are still ringing!" Complained Chrawkate as he picked himself off the floor, as the group shook hands with the newly arrived Marines, more than glad to see them add firepower to their squad.

"Eh guys.. you might want to take a look at that.." Rohan pointed toward the big hole in the wall where the tank had blasted. 10,000 angry Orks had heard the blast and has come running to the scene of battle. Ten huge and ugly Warbosses, some of them carrying rocket launchers and meat cleavers, were at the fore front of the mob.

"Well," VC Ian said to this squad. "Looks like we don't have to hunt for our targets any longer.. Since we're about to become the hunted." There was no way they were getting out of this mess alive. They needed a miracle to get through this.

***

"Rallen! Rallen!! Get up man!!" Librarian Yonq grabbed Rallen and hauled him up from under the pile of dead Orks. His chest armour was broken and his left arm was cracked at a very painful angle, but thank the Emperor, he was still alive and breathing. At least he would still be able to walk back to the defensive line.. If it was still there.

"Its.. no use.. leave me.. leave me!" Rallen gasped and coughed out blood. His visor was removed and he had the look of defeat on him. "My legs.. I can't feel my legs!"

Chaplain Grifter slapped his face. "You are not dying on me now Marine! You get back up on your ass and finish this! You are part of the Strikeforce!!"

Suddenly they heard a scream and a shout of despair, and they turned to see the 3 warriors being overwhelmed by a tide of green monsters. Only Reid was still standing, his left arm punching away at Orks furiously, while his right hand held onto Shona, who was firing weakly into the horde. The desperate look in his eyes was as piercing as the look of fear on Shona's face. Yuri could not be seen, probably on the ground being trampled upon. Grifter felt numb in his heart.. He had led his squad not only to their death, but also to their defeat.

Part 4 - Cracks in the plan

While the main assault begun in the distance, VC Ian and his small squad prepared their jump-packs to make the jump straight into enemy territory.

Sergeant Chrawkate was spinning his combat blade and chainsword, eager to slay some enemy Orkas. He had fought several Wicked Orkas before and knew their strengths and weaknesses, and thus his input was extremely valuable to the squad. Charles prepared his smoke grenades and adjusted his stealth powersuit so he became almost invisible. Jenniferious was there to ensure that VC Ian did not go out of line in his rage and hate toward the Orks, and her wisdom and experience in battling Orks too helped understand the enemy. Not to mention her large curved katana was handcrafted centuries ago, which had tasted the blood of many Orks, had a special feature - it glowed bright blue if there were Orks within 10 meters of the sword weilder. There would be no surprise attacks on this dame. Millenia just looked down at the Ork stronghold and focused on their jump.

VC Ian had a chainsword in his left hand and a power sword crackling with electricity in his right, a gift from an old Inquisitor. He looked at his squad, seeing they were ready, and gave the hand signal for the jump.

The 5 of them leapt into the air, assisted by the jump packs, and landed right on the roof of the headquarters of the Ork stronghold. Or at least what resembled a headquarters. It was crudely nailed together wooden walls, with red and white paint splashed over it and forming the word "Wagh!!" No Ork noticed them, as they were either rushing to the battle at the main gates where Alpha squad had engaged the sentries, or running around trying to find out the source of the noise. The green creatures were really quite dim-witted, several fights were already breaking out as big Orks collided into each other in their frenzy to reach the main battle.

Flightphesy squad paid them no heed as they silently entered the main building, wondering how on earth the Orks managed to build a stronghold with wooden boards and metal rods, and where they would find the 20 or so Ork leaders. They didn't have to walk very far.

The first room they came to already contained 3 of the brutes, snoring loudly and fast asleep. "This is a walk in a park!" whispered Charles as the squad moved in around them, and prepared to make the kill. Simultaneously, 2 of the warriors plunged their blades into 2 Warbosses, while VC Ian took off the head of the meanest looking one with a swipe of his power sword. It head rolled off and green ichor spilled all over the floor. The other 2 however, didn't die so easily. One actually managed to lift its shoota halfway and fired a shot, before Chrawkate twisted the blade in its heart to kill it, and another let out a loud roar of defiance and brought its left fist on the head of Charles. He moved aside to dodge the blow a little too late and got hit on his arm, but Jenniferious decapitated the monster. But the damage had been done. The noise alerted the other monsters to the room!

"Rwwarrr!!" With ferocious growls, a horde of about 20 greenskins stomped into the room, probably the personal guards of the 3 Warbosses they had just killed. Although slightly smaller than the 3 monsters they had killed, these Wicked Orka Orks were still towering beasts of over 2 meters, with huge cleavers and spiked clubs as weapons.

Millenia sent a wash of promethium flame over the horde, softening them up before the other 4 opened up with small arms. 7 Orks fell dead, another 3 collasped and rolled on the ground, roaring in pain at the fire. The rest clambered over the fallen dead, only to be gunned down by 3 warriors while Millenia continued to flame the disgusting Orks. Sergeant Chrawkate preferred to engage in hand to hand combat, his knife and sword slashing and slaying Orks left and right, moving with grace and such speed that he was only a blur of dark grey. Within a few minutes, 20 dead Orks and 3 dead Warbosses littered the ground. But more were stomping their way up the stairs, and Charles had to smoke them in order for the squad to move to their next targets.

"Not bad, 3 down, 17 to go!" VC Ian complemented his team as the ran down the hall, through the smoke screen, their visors providing them with detailed layout of the stronghold.

***

When the first explosion went off, Sergeant Neophiri and Rohan were still laying mines at the sides of the Ork stronghold, walking through swampy land and placing explosives at critical parts of the fort.

"Damn, that’s a bit too early! Come on, let's get to the vehicles or Alpha will be rocket barraged to death!" Neophiri and Rohan threw down their remaining mines and ran toward the side gate. The 4 Orks guarding the gate didn't even know what hit them, and the 2 Space Marines broke the lock (which was no easy feat, considering the lock was a thick pad lock the size of a tree trunk!) and went to destroy the Ork Vehicles.

Only, they didn't expect to find a squad of Ork Bikers getting ready to move into battle. Thankfully, they were clambering onto the bikes and whooping in delight, that they didn't notice the 2 Space Marines who had sneaked in through the back door of the makeshift garage (a large rectangular room, made of tin walls and a partly covered zinc roof, all rusty and bent out of shape.

Before Neophiri could react, Rohan had jumped into the gunner's seat of the nearest Ork vehicle and opened fire with the 2 canons, blasting the group of Bikers to bits and pieces, and creating a heck of a noise! Rohan was grinning from ear to ear after he finished blasting the last Ork, and the bikes exploded with a small "BOOM"!

Neophiri shouted at him, "This is supposed to be a covert operation! You just signed out death warrants!!"

Sure enough, the loud explosions alerted another large group of Orks who were roaring and groaning with pleasure at the prospect of another battle. Rohan simply shrugged and turned his big guns toward the angry mob, while Neophiri was about his task placing the C4 charges onto the vehicles. And man, there were at least a thousand vehicles in that storage place, there was no way the 2 of them could destroy that many! He had to think of plan desperately, while Rohan fired away at the raging Orks approaching the garage, but for every Ork that fell, 3 more seemed to stomp over the dead body and charged relentlessly toward him!

***

Outside the stronghold, already a thousand Orks had closed in on the 8 warriors, while another few thousand were impatiently pushing their way through the mob, war cries and sluggers being fired into the air angrily, as the Orks began to overwhelm the small band of warriors.

Each blast of his plasma gun literally cut Orks into pieces, slicing torsos and limbs. Yuri was laughing and enjoying the carnage, even has bullets bounced off his armour, threatening to break it open. But he know the ceramic armour of his power-suit could withstand much more punishment, so he ignored the small pitter patter of bullets and slayed more Orks.

Rallen was whooping with savage joy, having abandoned his heavy bolter for the fun of close combat, wielding a lightning claw on his left hand and a chainsword in his right, he danced a bloody spectacle in the mass of swirling Orks, his sword taking off heads and his lightning claw spilling cuts with each swipe, his massive foot kicking and cracking skulls. This was what he was, entirely in his element of energy and savage killing! He seemed an unstoppable one-man demolition machine, carving holes in the advancing Ork army, having slain perhaps a hundred Orks already.

Sharlyntte too had kept her sonic blasters and jumped into the fray at Rallen's side, wielding 2 wickedly curved blades, signature weapons of the Sisters of Battle. While Rallen's dance of death was forceful and erratic, hers was a dance of fluid grace and speed, almost like the Harlequins of the Eldar, her blades sharp enough even to cut atoms into pieces. She leapt and twirled around, all the while shrieking and yelling her native battle cries, fearless and relentless. It was almost ballet as a form of slaughter.

Reid was being more level-headed, using his cybernetic left arm to fire salvos of rockets at the biggest targets, while operating Rallen's heavy bolter with his right hand, stopping every few minutes to reload his rocket launcher. Each explosion of a rocket created a fireball as big as a house, incinerating at least 20 Orks with each blast.

Chaplain Grifter and Librarian Yonq Ilang was fighting back to back, cutting down enemies all around them as the Orks thought surrounding these foes would give them the advantage in numbers. Not so, as they found out the hard way. Swinging his sword skilfully in large arcs, Grifter sliced Orks and continued firing his bolters, each shot splitting a brain open or puncturing a hole in a heart. Librarian Yonq was another feat altogether, his entire body glowing and crackling with power, as he used his staff to knock his opponents off their feet and then fry them with a blast of electric power, or using his mind to tear apart the brains of the Orks with a psychic storm, and his left hand still spitting out death from his bolter.

Destiny, the psyker was not as well trained or as powerful as Yonq, but she too could release a blast of chain lightning, killing dozens of Orks with one blast, while she aimed her heavy bolter and continued shooting down Orks at the fringe of the firing line, being careful not to hit the dancing Rallen and Sharlyntte. She didn't fire at full auto so as not to lose control of the weapon, and conserved ammunition for the numerous foes. Her heavy bolter and Reid's heavy bolter created a criss-cross pattern of gun fire which the Orks struggled to break through, only to be cut down by Grifter and Yonq.

Shona was right beside her, burning Orks with the cleansing promethium flame at short range, making sure the Orks did not penetrate the firing line. It was her first time fighting the beastly Orks, and although she had dealt with Chaos hell spawn, mutilated cultists, Dark Eldar and uncountable Tyranide, she began to think the Orks were by far the more savage and brutish of them all. They didn't burn as easily, they never retreated and they still pressed on through the flame as it burned their faces off their skulls. She shuddered and wondered if they could hold them off much longer.

They had been fighting for little more than 30 minutes and already hundreds of Orks lay dead on the ground, and dozens more lay squealing as they awaited their death, arms and legs broken or guts spilling out of gaping wounds. Yet, they knew this was just the beginning. Beyond the gates, there were thousands more Orks, bigger, stronger and tougher than the ones they had killed. They could see the Kamikaze Rocket Boyz, the Shoota Boys coming from the back of the swarm. Large fire balls lauched from the Orks crude steam artillery rained down around them, although none actually came close to hitting the warriors, and often crushed and burned other Orks instead.

At first to keep his spirits up, Chaplain Grifter began to sing and praise the Emperor. His vox communicator was still on, and soon, every member of Alpha squad was joining his song in the chorus, a joyous song of slaughter of the ghastly monsters, the damned enemies of the Emperor. They are the Space Marines, and they shall know no fear. They cheered and sang as they killed and killed, but with every green monster slain, more seemed to charge at them. Would they be able to hold out long enough for Flightphesy squad to accomplish their mission?

***

"Take that you piece of green filth!" VC Ian stabbed an Ork through the face and his power sword impaled the monster and sunk into the brain of another Ork behind it.

Here the fighting was intense and fierce. In close quarters, guns were of little use, and every warrior had a blade drawn and cut a bloody path through their attackers, going from room to room, hunting for the remaining Warbosses. They soon found what they were looking for, when they burst into a large room, this one filled with the stink of meat, wine and really bad breath.

Four huge war bosses stood in the centre, clad in chain mail and holding ridiculously huge weapons. Two of them had huge broard axes, one had a jagged sword and the other had a spiked mace.

"Marines!! Focus fire on 3!!" VC Ian yelled over the din of battle. "The one in the centre!!"

With a last thrust or a kick, the 5 knocked away the smaller Orks who seemed puny compared to the huge towering Warbosses, and whipped out their ranged weapons and concentrated fire on the largest Ork in the room for 5 seconds. The coughing of bolt rounds, the fwoosh of the flame thrower, the hiss of the plasma gun, all aimed at the biggest meanest Ork they have ever seen. It was so big, they didn't even need to aim. Green flesh exploded in all directions and the monster seemed to halt in its tracks, but to their horror, the monster roared in defiance when they ceased fire, and seemed to move forward..

And then it tripped on another dead Ork and collapsed to the ground, dead.

But the victory was short-lived, as one Warboss slammed a fist into Millenia, sending her flying to the side of the room, falling and landing on 3 Orks, killing them instantly, while another Warboss swung his mace at Charles, connecting with a shoulder pad and cracking it severely. The smaller Orks, on seeing that the Space Marines could falter, pounced on them with renewed vigour.

Jenniferious had to act fast or risk the whole squad being swarmed and trampled to death. She activiated her jump-pack and crashed through the roof, shouting at the rest to follow her lead. While the rest struggled to activate their jump-packs, she lay down covering fire and blasted many Orks to kingdom come, but she realised she was running low on ammo magazines. "Hurry guys!"

VC Ian, Millenia, a bit stunned but generally unhurt, and Chrawkate flew through the roof.. but where was Charles? The roof was collapsing onto of the Orks, slabs of concrete crushing several Orks.

Charles could not be seen as the Orks swarmed across the room kicking up a cloud of dust and began hurling axes and debris at the 4 of them.

"Dammit! Let's move to the other side of the roof!" VC Ian directed his jet pack and the others followed suit, and they flew to the other end of the roof about 30 meters away and dropped down on a few unsuspecting Orks, crushing them with their boots. VC Ian smashed his fist into the face of another Ork in anger, his eyes blood shot with rage, and swore, "We'll make sure Charles didn't go down in vain!"

Part 3 - The Assault

Formal introductions and the briefing for the mission were over quickly. Each warrior knew that the fate of the planet hung in the success of their mission, and they knew they would rather perish in battle than let the Lord Emperor down. Soon, all 15 of them were aboard the Thunderhawk, racing toward the heart of the enemy, in the dead of the night.

Sister Millenia was checking her gear and her flame thrower when she noticed VC Ian pacing the ship quietly, as if in deep thought. "What bothers you so, brother?" She asked, when he walked pass her. "Does the squad leader have a plan to strike the enemy yet?"

VC Ian looked up in surprise, a little annoyed to be interrupted from his thoughts, but formed a smile when he saw Sister Millenia's earnest face. "Yes of course we do. We have to form 2 squads, one to create a diversion, one to infiltrate the Orkas stronghold, and maybe two warriors to be on standby to secure the LZ (Landing Zone)."

Sister Millenia simply asked, "Permission to make a request, Vice-Captain?"

VC Ian raised an eye brow. He was not used to requests coming from his men. "Speak freely, sister. What is your request?"

"May I request to follow you into battle? I've heard many stories of your bravery and leadership, and would like to have the honour of experiencing it in battle today." She almost turned red from embarrassment at that statement.

VC Ian was a little taken aback as well. Not that he didn't know about the stories or rumours about his exploits, but that even a revered sister could stand in awe of him, he was truly humbled and replied, "Of course, I look forward to working with you as well.. Millenia." He smiled and walked away.

***

In the dense jungles of the planet Batukara, the Wicked Orka Clan had secured their stronghold. Being crude, low-intelligence creatures, they simply mimicked whatever building or castle they have seen before, throwing together pieces of metal and wood in a haphazard way, to build a large and ugly fort which held some 200,000 Orks, growling and shrieking at each other, along with their primitive weaponary of axes, shootas, rocketss and vehicles of war. Out of the large mass of Orks, a group of about 20 Orks stood out, being almost double in size and grossly muscled, with teeth as long as a human's index finger and claws as big as an elephants tusks. These were the leaders of the Wicked Orkas, the targets of the Strikeforce Space Marines. Defeat these, and the remaining Orks, without leaders, will simply turn on each other in a thirst for endless war.

A small squad of 15 against 20 massive and cruel giant Ork leaders, and with 200,000 Orks at their command. The odds were stacked heavily against our heroes, and they probably needed a miracle to get their job done.

***

The drop pods landed more than 10 km from the stronghold, and the Space Marines and Battle Sisters began their daring assault.

It was a simple plan. Sergeant Neo and Brother Rohan would form a 2-man team and go on a "Cross Roads" saboteur mission and join up with the main force later. 5 Marines and 3 Sisters lead by Chaplain Grifter would be the distraction assault "Alpha", while the remaining 3 Marines and 2 Sisters lead by Vice-Captain Ian would be the War-boss killing squad "Flightphesy", moving under cover and stealth into the rooms of the 20 Warboss Orks. A simple plan with textbook strategy. However, none of them expected the disastrous results of their plan, and the unnerving cunning of the Wicked Orkas. They would be even more shocked at the appearance of an unexpected force.

***

Squad Alpha were moving slowly, as they had to allow squad Flightphesy to move quickly to higher ground and jet pack silently into the compound of the Orka stronghold. They would give Flightphesy about 3 hours lead time, before making the distraction to draw the majority of the Orks out for battle. Or at least that was how the plan should have been.

"My brothers and sisters, as we prepare for battle today, remember that we only go into battle to preserve the authority of the Emperor, for the glory of the Imperium of Man, and for the safety and prosperity of the generations to come. We are not here to rain mindless slaughter on the enemy for selfish reasons of territory or revenge, or worse still, unreasonable animalistic lust for war. Yet, when we strike, we will be swift and without mercy, we will give no quarter for we shall receive none. We will cut them down and let the fury of the God-Emperor burn them to the ground. And we shall give thanks for the honour of this task, this suicide mission. But do not think we go to our deaths, but to our destiny!" Chaplain Grifter gave his rousing speech, after reading the Litanies of Battle and positioning his warriors. Though he spoke with an edge of victory in his voice, he knew, and his warriors knew, that this day might be the last day for some, or even all of them.

A handful of Space Marines and Battle Sisters, no matter how formidable or skilful or powerful, were no match for the hundreds of thousands of Orks which were gathering on the planet. They had no armoured vehicles, no air support, no escape plan. They were here to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the greater mission, to ensure that squad Flightphesy carries out their mission as quickly as possible.

They formed the firing line at the edge of the clearing. Brother Yuri with his meltagun, Reid with his rocket launcher, Rallen with his heavy bolter, Sharlyntte with her twin sonic blasters, Shona with her standard flame thrower and Destiny with a mounted heavy bolter. Librarian Yonq Ilang and Chaplain Grifter stood in the center of the firing line, Yonq with his staff alight with sizzling blue energy and a standard bolter, Grifter with two bolters drawn, his chainsword is his waist, ready to be drawn.

Grifter glanced to his right and saw that Destiny, like all the other members of Alpha squad, were looking at him for the signal to begin the carnage, but her large eyes seemed to say something more. After all, they had been more than friends, even if that was a long time ago. He made a mental note to look out for her, and promised himself that when they get off this planet, or rather if they get off this damned planet, he would leave the Space Marines Chapter and find Destiny to pick up where they left off.

"Let's show them what the Strikeforce is made of! Weapons ready?" Grifter shouted.

"Locked and loaded!" "Give me a target sir!" "Ready to commence execution of targets!" "Affirmative!" "Ready when you are, Grifter!" "Aaahhh-wweeeee-wwwoooahh!" A shrill war cry from the lips of Battle Sister Sharlyntte somehow pumped up their adrenaline another notch and pushed their faith up, and their muscles tensed, their fingers itchy to pull the trigger on their weapons.

"I've got your flank, Grifter." Yonq Ilang smiled.

"Well there's no better way to go than this eh, old friend?" Grifter raised his bolters, took aim at the sentries and got ready to move forward. "Going down in a blaze of glory!"

"We're not going down, my dear Chaplain. Remember, the Emperor protects." Yonq Ilang grinned, knowing that over-used line somehow didn't feel so right anymore.

"Yeah, just make sure you fry em if they get too close to me." Grifter chuckled, and then shouting into his vox. "For the Strikeforce, and for the Emperor!!"

8 warriors opened fire on the surprised Orks and the day of killing began, in a spectacular explosion of fire, a blaze of plasma and coughing of bullets. The assault had begun.

Strikeforce Space Marines - Part 2

Vice-Captain Ian paced back and forth along the corridor impatiently, awaiting the decision of Captain-Commander Boon for the remaining 8 Marines to accompany him and Chaplain Grifter on the infiltration mission. He was already slightly annoyed at the Inquisitor's surprise guests, the 5 Sisters of Battle, but his penchant for battle was irked even more by the arrogance of the Inquisitor. He decided to save his energy and unleash it on the Orkas instead, and decided to settle down to wait.

Meanwhile Chaplain Grifter was thinking about one particular person - Sister Destiny. Years before he joined the Space Marines, he had met the girl who captured his heart, but because of his duty to the Emperor, he had been forced to repress those feelings, and the gene-seed of the Space Marines were supposed to suppress useless emotions such as affection and hormonal activity. He had chosen this path of the warrior, the powerful Adeptus Astartes, and had abandoned her on his home planet N280 many years ago. Yet, once again, they would meet and this time he wondered how the situation would turn out.

Captain-Commander Boon decided on the 8 Marines and issued his directions through the servitors and data slates. On the final list for the team, aside from VC Ian and Chaplain Grifter:

1st Sergeant Neophiri, a veteran of the Strikeforce Space Marines, an experienced and well-liked warrior who had risen the ranks in the previous years.

Librarian Yonq Ilang, a sanctioned psyker and a keen mathematician and battle tactician.

2ns Sergeant Chrawkate, a relatively newly promoted sergeant, known for his extremely efficient skills in battle, and his amazing speed and stamina in taking down enemies.

Brother Yuri, a large, muscled veteran marine who uses heavy weapons like the plasma gun and heavy bolter, and who also doubles up as engineer and technician for the squad.

Brother Rallen Joshua, a courageous, energetic veteran, who never failed to inspire his fellow Space Marines with shouts of victory and vigour, charging headon in to the enemy.

Brother Charles, an almost retired veteran, but useful in this mission of infiltration and stealth. His smoking skills would be an invaluable assets for this particular mission.

Brother Reid, expert in close combat and small arms. His left arm was fitted with bionics due to a previous battle wound which severly injured his shoulder, but how it was stronger than ever, with strength 3 times that of a normal human.

Last, but not the least, newly inducted Brother Rohan, a skillful warrior who quickly learnt the art of war and surpassed many of his teachers, on par even with sergeants and perhaps even the Vice-Commander.

This squad of 8 of the best which the Chapter had to offer, plus the strength and spiritual anionting of the 5 Sisters of Battle, would be the ultimate dream team.

New Strikeforce Space Marines story

Time for a little creativity! Have not been writing stories for sometime now, and since its already 5.30 pm, I've no mood to work any further, and i'm totally annoyed with the stupid internet connection which keeps disconnecting every half an hour or so, thought i'd write a short story to end the day.

***

What if the Strikeforce was a special section of the Space Marines?

***

Captain-Commander Boon deliberated on his decision for hours ever since obtaining the data slate from the Adeptus Mechanicus from the planet Mars.

He knew he had a powerful solid team of Marines. He knew they had access to the most advance weaponary that the Imperium had to offer, and even Xenos weapons which the Ordo Xenos Grey Knights had thought fit to confer upon the Strike Force Space Marine Chapter. But brute strength and courage would not win the day for this coming war. He knew because the Strike Force had encountered such enemy before, the green-skin filth, the brutish, hulking, noisy, warmongering alien species known as the Orks, and none so noisy, barbaric and bloodthirsty as the Wicked Orka Clan.

He called for his Vice Captain Ian Esienhower, and Chaplain Grifter as well.

"My brothers, how should we defeat this emeny? They are numbers without limits, massive but stupid. Yet, our numbers have dwindled in recent years, while their numbers only grow in disgusting proportions. Your Captain humbly seeks your advice." Captain-Commander Boon spoke, his voice deep and serious.

Vice Captain Ian growled, "I say we let them face the Chapter whole! Let's overwhelm them with our might and courage! Though they may be large in number, we Space Marines of the divine Emperor shall purge the land of such blasphemous filth!" He was known for his strength and courgae, always taking the most direct approach, with little patience for incompetency. Vice Captain Ian had earned a vicious and respected reputation as the youngest Space Marine to ever hold the title of Vice Captain, given his zealous support of the Captain-Commander and his service to the Emperor of Man.

"Hmm.. but what about the new recruits? Those who have yet to have a taste of real battle? Those freshly graduated Marines who only have practice at the target ranges, or taking out weak enemies not fit for me to use a lightning claw to decapitate? And how about those who have become silver with years of experience, but have not seen battle for a long time? Would you have them join the battle of the Wicked Orkas without fielding them for more than a decade, without updating them on the new weapons and tactics of the Strike Force?" Captain-Commander Boon fired a barrage of questions at his Vice-Captain, who could not find the words to reply for a moment, his finger grasping and relaxing at the chain sword at his hip as he struggled to find the answers.

Chaplain Grifter spoke out softly but firmly. "We only need to send in a team. A simple surgical strike at the heart of the enemy, remove their leaders and without the leaders, the Wicked Orkas will simply degenerate into factions and infighting. They will do our work for us and slaughter each other, and while they are weakening each other, only do we return with the full Chapter to rain death and destruction to the enemies of the Emperor, with the help of the Ordo Malleus, Ordo Xenos, Adeptus Mechanicus and the blessed Titan Warmachine - David the Goliathe!"

The mere mention of the ancient but powerful and revered Battle Titan - David the Goliathe, seemed to put a smile on the usually strict and stern face of the Captain-Commander.

"A good plan.. Leave me now, both of you, and prepare for battle. I shall choose the other 8 Marines to accompany you for the strike at the Wicked Orkas.. Hold on. I've just received a scroll of urgency from the Inquisition!"

A hologram image of a robed figure appeared near the Space Marines. It was the mysterious but authoritative agent of the Inquitision, the Inquisitor Dyen. As much as he disliked the Strikeforce Space Marines, he had to admit that they were a force to be reckoned with, and a deadly weapon which can be unleashed upon the foes of the Emperor.

"Greetings Captain-Commander, I have official business, and though on very short notice, would require your utmost co-operation. The infestation of the Wicked Orkas have come to the attention of the Sisters of Battle, and a squad of Sisters would be accompanying your Marines into battle. Rest assured, they are recommended by the highest order of the Sisterhood, and are more than capable of holding their own in any battle they may find themselves in. As these are instructions under the order of the Inquisition, there shall be no objections."

Captain-Commander Boon, Vice-Captain Ian and Chaplain Grifter simply nodded, though Ian's gritting of teeth was obvious and loud enough to be heard by all present in the chamber.

Inquisitor Dyen continued. "There shall be a total of 5 Sisters who will be arriving on your Battle Barge shortly. Elder Sister Jenniferious, the most senior of the Sisters. Sister Shona, the apothecary. Sister Sharlyntte, the audio-weapons specialist. Sister Destiny, the psyker. Finally, Sister Millenia, close combat specialist. Please ensure that they are well prepared and briefed for the battle ahead. For the Emperor!"

"For the Emperor!" chorused the 3 Space Marines, before the hologram flickered and disappeared.

Wow, before I knew it, 2008 has come and gone, I completed my PLC, I started working for real, went through several hard times at work and in my relationships, went for several memorable Strikeforce performances, organised several fun gatherings with JC, primary sch friends, and put on quite a bit of weight around the tummy!

Oh man, my waist is 32 inches now, from just 30 inches at the beginning of 2008! I'm really getting too fat, and its only around my tummy area, which looks quite gross to me, time to really EXERCISE in 2009, at least 3 times a week!

Alright, time to really think through and set my goals for 2009.

Here's the final list, which includes the goals set out earlier in a previous post:
1. start coming to office on time (i.e. reach before 9 am) (so can leave office by 6.30 pm if there's nothing urgent! hahaha.. seriously, i wanna go home before the moon comes up.)
2. start sleeping earlier (12.30 am latest) and wake up at 7.30 am sharp each morning (7 hours of sleep should be sufficient)
3. lose the excess fat - start exercising, jog twice a week (2.4 km at least), 30 sit ups twice a week, 30 push ups twice a week, only have supper once every 2 weeks
4. start reading the Bible everyday, praying for at least 15 min after reading the Bible, before sleeping.
5. learn to understand Joan better, try to provide for her not just financially, but in terms of emotional support - encouragement esp during exam periods, plan a private getaway holiday over a weekend for just the both of us (maybe in June after her exams)
6. spend less money on cabs (max take cab twice a week) - limit myself to $100 of cab fare a month
7. complete building fund of $5000 -> $833 each month (i'm already late one month, did not give BF for november), if not feasible, pray n ask CGL about the amount
8. resume Bible study classes every wednesday night
9. start to treat my family more often to meals ( at least once every 2 months)
10. spend more time with the cell group, fellowship more with them
11. start planning my career path - write resume, send out by end of Jan, go for interviews in Feb or March, change firm by June 2009 latest (if God willing of course.. still need to pray about this a lot)
12. cancel credit card, not necessary
13. Save up at least $300 a month for myself starting Feb onwards, so i have at least $3300 in my personal savings account by end of 2009 (yes thats a really miserable amoount for a lawyer, but what to do, got building fund n all sorts of other commitments. haiz.)
14. practice my keyboard and drumming skills at least 1 hour each every week
15. Plan for wedding in early 2011 (subject to other factors)
16. record all my expenses in a book and in the excel sheet for financial planning
17. Bring 1 new friend to Christ in 2009, bring at least 6 new friends to church in 2009
18. Be more open to discipleship and fellowship with more mature Christians and working adults - find a mentor or a close friend i can be accountable to
19. go for one mission trip in 2009 (always wanted to go for one, having no time or no money is not really a valid excuse anymore!)
20. limit myself to 2 movies a month (not more than 20 movies a year)
21. step up more in Strikeforce to play for lead, work together with Boon for the SF Musical
22. learn to say "NO" to unnecessary spending - e.g. weddings of friends i don't really know, impulse buying, midnight cab fares, etc
23. come out with a 5 year plan from 2010-1015
24. go for couples ministry events, help pastor if he needs help for the new ministry
25. meet up with law friends and JC friends at least once every 2-3 months, meet up primary sch friends 2-3 times this year, meet up with old ex-CG members at least twice (pple like Rosa, weixiang, shuyi, yongqiang, yujie)

will update the list when i think of more realistic goals for the year! will also keep a checklist so that i'm able to see if i achieve at least 70% of all my goals! i think 70% should be quite acceptable already, cos very few pple can really fulfil ALL of their goals and new year resolutions!

there's also 3 resolutions that Joan picked for me:

1. be more proactive n perform better at my job
2. rise up in Strikeforce
3. don't spend so much, save up more

I think I already covered these 3 in my personal goals, so don't really have to put it in the list.

***

Now, for a quick recap of events..

31 December - 1 Jan 2009: The last gig of 08 and first gig of 09 at Sheraton Hotel!

Took urgent leave on 31 Dec, mainly because i couldn't drag myself up from bed after the late rehearsal at marina bay w the SF pple, n woke up at about 11 am. i can't really remember what happened after that, except we had to be at Sheraton hotel by 1 pm, and the practices lasted until about 4 pm, and then we went to Waffle Town for a late lunch. then we went to cold storage to buy a pack of playing cards, and then Joan n i went to meet Chinhua to get the costume (because Ian forgot to bring his costume for neo!) and by the time we got back to the hotel, we still had time to join the others n play cards for about an hour. Haha! Bridge is quite fun, if you're winning. hehz.

The gig was good, we had a lot of fun, the Russians were really sporting n fun loving pple, they clapped n cheered n joined in the fun! they needed no prompting, when we were playing 4 minutes and Dhoom again, about 30+ pple came down to the dance hall and just enjoyed themselves! energy level was up and UP, we played quite well (i mean we're playing to a track with IEM, what can we play wrongly right? hahaha!) after the FHW (david as usual, we super energetic, making all of us look like snails, n his buff build made Nic look like stick man, playing next to him!), we went to eat the buffet at the event, n it was awesome! delicious lamb, beef steak, prawns, pasta, lobster soup, etc.. we really ate until we were so full!

Went to storehub to packup, then to marina to pick up the SF pple who played at the mediacorp countdown show, then back to storehub to pack up, and then we drove to the hongkong cafe at east coast area but last order was at 2 am, and we had just missed it by a few minutes! so we went to another cafe called c9 or something also in the east area, n the last order was at 3 am, so we managed to order a bit of food and had a nice time of fellowship, although most of us were super tired by then! millie slept in boon's van even though there were like 7 of us squeezed in the back! Joan, millie, valerie, nic, guankeat, yongqiang and myself. there was barely even room left to sneeze. hahaha! Ian, as usual, sat in the front seat. LOL!

By the time we finished supper, it was around 4 am. i remember reaching home close to 5 am, and seeing a bit of the sun rise before i plonked into bed. slept until 2 pm on new year day! hahaha! i can't remember much of what happened after that too, prob went for dinner with family or something. totally too concussed from the overnight gigging to remember anything else. haha. Oh yeah, we had teppanyaki at our house with auntie Phyllis n the maid, with beef n salmon n pork n stuff! so much food again! no wonder i'm gaining weight. after that went to play game while they watched the Little Nonya on TV. boring show, don't understand why pple like it. haha! Joan wanted to go Kallang but i was too tired out so sent her home n slept until 4 pm on friday!

2 Jan: Slept the day away, went out with Joan, bought Band of Brothers DVD and attended the wake of Chenguo's grandmother. Supposed to meet up with Millie, but in the end didn't so just sent Joan home and completed Crysis the final level at about 1 am in the morning. Haha!

3-4 Jan: KTV with JC guys, met Joan for dinner in town. Watched Transporter 3 w Sharlyn, Ivan, Millie, Ian, Nic, Irenus and Joan n felt really ripped off. Short service, went for a talk by Pst CK after svc, some trip to JB with a wedding exhibition n the kickstart of the Couples Ministry. Honestly i think such a ministry is a bit bo liao, there are already so many bible studies n courses to help couples, n they can always go to their CGL and other church friends for help, but if Pastor thinks this will help us, then we're willing to give it a go. Had fun fellowshipping w the cell group after that at the kopitiam, then went to take MRT to city hall to meet up with my family to have dinner - at Joan's favourite bedok bachor mee stall at block 85! not bad lah, quite nice n good portion of food. went home and attempted to complete another stage of LEft 4 Dead, but just before completing the stage, i DIED at the very last moment! super frustrated n annoyed, but too tired to continue playing liao. oh well, another day then.

5 Jan: Back to Work.. zzz... Only less than $300 left in my account to last me until 23 Jan (the 5 day cruise) which means about 18 days to go, and i can spend a max of $15 each day! haiz.. overbudgeted for building fund n totally forgot about the joint account n the insurance payments, until i finally worked out the amounts this morning! hopefully, i can decrease the BF to about $4000, so i can have enough to survive for the next few months...