Against The Odds [Aegis Initiative / PM to join]

[inactivechar01]

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INITIATIVE EXPEDITIONARY VESSEL
THE DEPTHS OF SPACE
JAPRAEL SECTOR

Being part of a small flotilla that attempted to self-sustain its functionality required of its members to be as flexible as possible. Thus, Kad had been stationed as a ship mechanic on board the Initiative expeditionary vessel 'Oculus', a small corvette utilized for exploratory missions as far as possible from Battlegroup Gryphon - The Aegis Initiative's home. For the staff lieutenant it was a welcome change.

Stuck in his favorite compartments under the ship's floor, Kad was just doing a standard preventative maintenance inspection. Music played on low volume from his wrist datapad as the lieutenant tightened a loose nut with his wrench. The ship wasn't the best maintained but it was not that bad. Enough to give him something to do rather than walk around aimlessly most of the time.

The music was abruptly interrupted by an incoming transmission. Frowning, Kad accepted the call and the familiar voice of Captain Thelcar - the man that was part of the exploratory unit of the Initiative.

"We've received a distress call from an unidentified ship. I am calling all able-bodied personal to the bridge for details." The man shot directly to the point and cut the transmission.

With a sigh, Kad climbed the short ladder back up on the empty corridor of the engineering deck and took towards the bridge with his wrench in hand. A turbolift up and fifty yards of walking straight took the staff lieutenant to the bridge of the Oculus.

[member="Kellyn Muir"]​

 

[Kellyn Muir]

It was a routine assignment for Kellyn - the Initiative had been kind enough to spare a corvette dubbed the Oculus from it's expeditionary line to transport him to the Onderon system where he might open a dialogue with the ruling principality. While he was a first lieutenant, he often found himself being his own boss, reporting to those directly higher than him rather than those outside his rather small chain of command. When the commanding officer of the ship called for all able-bodied personnel, Kellyn wasn't obliged to respond. The ship and her personnel were there for him, not the other way around. His curiosity got the best of him though, as he set the files he'd been studying on the desk in his quarters and rose.

He saw a small handful of men rushing to the bridge to await their CO's instruction, but Kellyn mosied his way there at a much more comfortable pace. When he reached the bridge, he stuck to the back of the group with his arms crossed, tilting his head slightly so he might hear better.

Out of the corner of his eye, he recognized a member of the Initiative's Strategic Reconnaissance Unit, Staff Lieutenant Forgrin. He'd never interacted with the man, but recognized him from the Admiral Mant's side aboard the Retribution when the ApeX representative had visited.

He thought the Oculus was there to support his mission, but could the Initiative have had bigger plans in the works he was not privy to?

[member="Kad Forgrin"]​

 

[inactivechar01]

"We've got a distress call coming from a ship at the edge of the system. Been trying to assess what the reason is so the Oculus is currently moving towards it with full throttle." The captain announced and paused before continuing. "It's a hauler, according to what is being transmitted from them, very lightly armed. We're not close enough to open a channel yet but we are getting some anomalies trying to scan that area of space."

The man began pacing around thoughtfully. His confusion was evident but so was his resolve to piece together this puzzle.

"For some of you here, this would not sound surprising. It is." He said stopping in one place. "We are on no lane or hyperspace stop. There should be no one but us here. Usually."

"Certainly, not a place a cargo hauler would be. Let alone sending a distress beacon so-"

"Sir, we're in transmission range and are being pinged!!" The communication officer sharply interrupted the captain

"Put them on, officer!" Thelcar ordered aggressively.

<< This is Captain Rhyne of the frigate Errant! We request immediate aid! We are currently being boarded. Repeat. Immediate aid, we are being boarded. For the sake of Onderon, ple- >>

The bridge of the Occulus was engulfed in silence as the transmission was cut off. They were being jammed.

Kad's expression remained the same - neutral. He could evidently see the captain being torn between the mission he was on or helping those in need.

"Keep us on course. Full speed." He ordered silently to the navigator and turned back to the crew. "Prepare for evasive action. All combat capable personnel on this board. Meet me in the meeting room in 5 minutes."

"ETA to the Errant is 35 minutes from now. Double time."

The Staff Lieutenant sighed. For once where he would be out of his armor, he'd need to go into warfare once more. If he had any objections, he did not voice them but remained contemplating on the situation. How many actual combatants did the Occulus have ? Could they even muster a squad ? This was insane.

[member="Kellyn Muir"]​

 

[Kellyn Muir]

Could it have been pirates? Though the area was one of the busier parts of the galaxy, it was a remote enough pocket to attack a cargo ship without interference, much like a back alley in the densely populated Coruscant. Kellyn raised his brow in suspicion as to what might have happened.

His mission was government affairs and he was just an attaché, but he'd be damned if he was going to sit on the sidelines and wonder how things were going. He worked in the intelligence field - it was his job to know. The best way to keep tabs on the operation was not to sit with the commanding officer, if he'd even let him, but rather to join the op in itself.

After the group had been disbursed, Kellyn bee-lined right to Captain Thelcar. He seemed to know exactly what Kellyn wanted as he rejected his request before it was even vocalized. It wasn't his mission, we don't have a place for you, we're short as it is, the CO uttered every excuse in the book. All it took to sway the captain though was a mention of Operations Command, and a reluctant CO agreed to let him go, but only under one condition: he had to go with Staff Lieutenant Forgrin's SRU detachment.

Forgrin wouldn't be happy - babysitting a military scholar? No one in their right mind would want to do that, even Kellyn understood that. What wasn't as well known though was his tactical prowess, trained and refined during his stint with Saeva. He might not be as tactically proficient as the operators in the SRU, but he'd certainly hold his own.

Turning from the CO, things still looked to be rather scrambled. Leftover from the assembly was SLT Forgrin shaking his head, appearing to be in thought. Of all the marines on the Oculus, he definitely seemed the saltiest. Outstanding - the saltiest warfighters were often the best. He didn't think to tell him now, he'd probably been thinking of a tactical plan for what they'd do on board and an exfil strategy. Kellyn simply returned to his quarters to get what little gear he had, probably make a stop at the armory on the way to the hangar. Normally he had his signature gunmetal grey armor, but no one expected these kinds of complications.

He had his rifle, he had his sidearm, he was ready to roll. He walked much more with a sense of purpose into the hangar where he saw two BV-47A shuttles preparing for departure. SLT Forgrin was at one of them briefing his fireteam when Kellyn approached to listen in. Forgrin had no idea Muir was joining him - so he didn't know how he'd react.

"Staff Lieutenant.", he interjected as he approached. "First Lieutenant Muir.", he introduced himself politely with an outstretched hand, his rifle slung over his back. "I'll be joining you gents on this escapade."

[member="Kad Forgrin"]​

 

[inactivechar01]

Eight men.

That was all the Oculus could muster in terms of combat capable men. All had some combat experience with the Marine Corps, some more and some less. They'd shifted to supportive roles over time so their last direct action operation might've have been quite some time ago.

Kad caressed his chin thoughtfully at the holographic image that was projected at the center of the gathering. It depicted the Errant as it was under pursuit and fire from a larger ship and much better armed. There were no more transmissions from the Errant and the unknown assailant was not responding to hails from the Oculus. The decision to do a quick insertion was fully supported, there was no other choice. The aggressor had the guns and the power to eliminate the Oculus and the Errant.

The plan was simple. Use your strengths.

Insert a small party into the larger ship and disable the Oculus from within. Considering the weaponry that the unknown ship was utilizing, it wanted to board the Errant rather than destroy it. Yet, the Initiative men were not too sure if that would change should the marine corps intervene. They had to hunt the bigger fish.

When the appearance of Lieutenant Muir cut the conversation, Kad just gave him a glare and a curt nod before proceeding with the brief. There was not much time left.

"Land the shuttles right over here." His finger pointed at a specific location close to the engines of the unknown ship. "Considering their only weaponry at that position that could directly hit our shuttles is that point-defence canon right here." Kad's finger landed on a spot very close to their landing zone. "We would have approximately a minute to cut through the hull, pressurize, and get in."

Before he could ask for questions, the alarms blared indicating that it was their time to board the shuttles and that they were getting danger close to the skirmish. With a final look at his men - all just dressed in space suits and generic helmets along with duraplast breastplates and kneepads and armed with various standard service rifles, Kad knew this was a mission against all odds.

[member="Kellyn Muir"]​

 

[Kellyn Muir]

Met with a a sharp gaze from Forgrin, Muir only interpreted that as a hesitant acceptance of his augmentation onto their team. It didn't take long though before they got the all clear to take off and begin their excursion. After a short initial check from the pilot, the BV-47A was in space. The ship was relatively quiet during their travel time. The darkness of space consumed the ship, the only light being from the pilot's instrument panel and the faint red night light for personnel in the back.

As they approached the ship assailing the Errant, the headlights of the shuttle clicked on and they began navigation to their entry point. Weaving through streams of turbolaser fire, the shuttle approached the stern of the ship.

"Breathers on!", the pilot called out from the front. They had to cut their way inside, and the only way to do this was to open the shuttle doors in the vacuum of space. Everyone would need to don their oxygen masks in order to survive. Kellyn did so, and a few moments later, he could feel the pressure of space hit him like a brick wall. In his armor, it felt like nothing. He'd manage though - he always did.

One of the men stepped forward with a fusion cutter. Sparks began to fly as he started to cut a hole into the hull big enough for the boarding party to enter through. It took a hot minute, but with a short clank, the process was complete. He took half a step back and kicked the section into the ship, leaving a gaping hole for the Initiative marines to enter through.

Eight entered - the pilot of the shuttle remained there. He sealed the door and was off to return to the Oculus. Lucky enough the shuttle had some weaponry on board, so in the event they needed that kind of support, it could be provided.

He shouldered his rifle and cautiously walked forward, peering around an immediate corner. Nothing of note was visible. He turned back to find the other marines following suit. He took a few steps back and dropped to a knee. Like the other men, he stood by and awaited SLT Forgrin's instructions. This was his op.

[member="Kad Forgrin"]​

 

[inactivechar01]

Despite the obviously tailored space suit to survive vacuum, it was hard not to feel the deadly cold that space was when they disembarked the shuttle. Mag boots on as all struck their feet upon the hull of the enemy vessel. The man with the plasma torch was fast and efficient, an implication that he had done this before. From the corner of his eye, he could see one of the canons of the ship focusing upon the shuttle which took the brunt of the damage. By the time the pilot finally took off with the damaged shuttle, the boarding party had jumped into the ship.

The magnetic soles of his boots keeping him safely on the ground without floating due to the pressurization, Kad looked around with his breather on. No signs of anyone arriving yet but that could change. This was no small ship. It was bound to have a decent sized force. The lieutenant immediately knew that they had to play on their strengths. The ship was big and it was full of tight quarters. That was their only way of dividing and conquering this ship. As prior planned, they would separate into 4 pairs and improvise in their ways of reaching the places that would obviously be guarded the most - engine, shields, bridge and reactors.


The newest one of their party - Kellyn - had to pair up with Kad and with a gesture to move out everyone spread out in various directions. Kad and Kellyn's objective probably was the toughest - the bridge.

"If I am guessing right, it would be on a lower deck and on the furthest side from here. Any turbolifys we find on the way. " Kad took out a charge and tossed it to Muir. "Disable it. We want to severe their movements as best as we can."

 

[Kellyn Muir]

Forgrin's idea was essentially to make the opposition's time as fun as they could make it. Disabling turbolifts, their mere presence, all stood in the way. Kellyn had one caveat, though.

"Kill the lights.", he ordered, piggybacking off their commanding officer for the operation. With that, two pairs of marines made their ways down the hallway. After rounding a turn, there was no gunfire. Kellyn breathed a sigh of relief. At least they hadn't walked into their imminent death on his account. That was one thing that never got easier - subordinates dying as an indirect result of their superiors' commands. Not today.

Kellyn proceeded down the hallway with a half step, scanning for hostiles, doors, autoturrets, anything. Just like his time with Saeva, when he led a small fireteam of mercenaries in a hostage rescue mission in the lower levels of Coruscant. Except this time, they didn't know what the threat was. They didn't know who was attacking the Errant, they didn't know why, there were too many unknowns. After passing the intersection their marines turned at, he proceeded forward until he was met by a door on his right side. With a touch of a pad next to it, it whirred open.

Were they lucky he'd opened the door when he did. In what appeared to be a small recreation area, four older men were lined up against the wall with their hands against their heads. Two men were behind them, pistols raised. Raising his rifle quickly, he put a slug through both of their torsos. Luckily, blood spatter was minimum. That's exactly why he put the rounds in the torso rather than the head - the only thing more traumatizing than being held hostage was being held hostage with someone else's blood on you. Must have been his Saeva professionalism.

He lowered his rifle and stepped forward into the room. After assuring the civilians that everything was okay, he tried to get answers. Who were they? What was the Errant's mission? Where were they headed and what were they carrying? Who was attacking them, and why might they be doing so?

He turned briefly and saw Forgrin enter the room. He couldn't tell what the man was thinking - was he impressed, angry, inquisitive? The shaky civis definitely seemed to notice the confidence he radiated when he entered though, as they briefly bowed in thanks to Kellyn before looking to Forgrin.

Senile old men, Kellyn thought. After saving their hides, apparently he still wasn't good enough. His rifle at the low ready, he turned to Forgrin as they began laying their situation at his feet.

[member="Kad Forgrin"]​

 

[inactivechar01]

The man beside him was able to keep up pace with Kad without sacrificing caution, his movement spoke of advanced training not standard grunt marine work. Any thought he had, Kad kept it to himself. There was enough time in the world to talk after this. If they even made it. Odds were heavily stacked against them and the feeling that your end might be near, it drove you to focus all your energy on surviving.

As they moved through corridors and empty intersections, the two could hear steps and orders being shouted further away. At one point, Kad was almost sure someone had shouted that there was a breach in the engine bay. Good. They had no ways of communicating, unfortunately, without having it picked up or jammed by the enemies so everyone was, more or less, on their own. He just hoped that more forces moved away from their route to the bridge.

Sounds of a slugthrower with a silencer firing took his attention and Forgrin looked to his right where Kellyn had accessed a door and shoot two armed men. Four other, clearly captives, were there. This was becoming weirder and weirder. As he approached them, they began speaking frantically.

"Please, Sir, help us escape!!" One of them began and their pleas turned into a cacophony before Kad raised his rifle at them to silence them.

"One by one. What the feth is going on here ?" Kad asked, a grimace clear as day on his face.

"We are simply scientists, Sir. Scientists of Onderon, working for the legitimate government and royal house before this usurpers kidnapped us." Obviously the more senior of the four spoke. "We have to escape their clutch, Sir, for the good of Onderon. I beg -"

"Alright, I've heard enough." Kad shook his rifle again to indicate his authority and glanced at the laconic Muir.

"What are your thoughts ?" He asked Kellyn directly. They didn't have much time for needless chatter and had to act fast. Hopefully Kellyn knew that.

​

[member="Kellyn Muir"]​

 

[Kellyn Muir]

Scientists on a freighter? There had to be more at work here. As the scientists began frantically explaining the situation, SLT Forgrin interrupted them and looked to Kellyn and asked for his take on the situation. It was too early to tell. Between the unmarked ship assaulting the Errant and un-uniformed assailants, there was too little evidence to conclude what was happening.

"Too early to tell, lieutenant.", he answered. "Let's lock them in here for now. They'll be safest that way and won't get in the way down the road."

Backing out of the room to the protesting scientists, he tapped on the keypad adjacent to the door and it whirred shut. As if on cue, the lights in the corridors cut out, going black for a very brief moment. One who wasn't alerted to the Initiative marines' presence would think that the Errant's vehicular attacker was the cause, but Muir and his partner knew better.

"We should head to the bridge.", he suggested to his senior. Between navigation and communications controls as well as a concentration of essential personnel, it only made sense that the assailants would be gathered there.

"Lead the way, sir."

[member="Kad Forgrin"]​