Objective: II - Aegis of Liberty
Location: New Aldera Defense Base - Internal Corridors
Tags:
Lily Stevens |
Aien Mueller |
Phaineve Halseigh
“PUSH!” A dense smog began to fill the cramped corridors of the base as smoke billowed from the barrels of blaster rifles. The stormtrooper strike force advanced steadily through the complex, with Stalker poetically striding over the corpses of the latest defenders to meet her and her team. She hung behind a rather large pair of stormtroopers holding
riot shields, with the remaining troopers of her squad flanking her in a wedge formation. One of their number had already fallen upon entry as a handful of defenders had positioned themselves in ambush for their entry. Another had died in their latest skirmish from an unfortunate ricochet of blaster fire.
Now, the scattered blaster shots which rang out pinged against the energy barriers of the riot shields, with Margo and her compatriots timing their shots with well trained precision as they moved further and further through the complex. They eventually pushed through to a security checkpoint, wherein Margo gave a glance to her corporal, with the two reaching for a pair of grenades on their pouch.
<“Grenade out!”> she announced over the team comm channel. In unison, both her and the corporal shifted briefly from cover and threw the hand-held explosives. They skidded into the room and erupted into twin bursts of energy and debris. All that could be heard in that moment were the deafening sound of the explosive charges intermingled with the cries of pain from the defenders, who crumpled to the floor. The blaster fire had ceased as the trooper squad rushed into the chamber. One of the stormtroopers approached the security terminal, and began accessing its subroutines when a lone figure (
Phaineve Halseigh
) rushed past and fired a spray of blaster bolts as she pushed past the opening on the far side of the chamber. The eager stormtrooper slumped across the terminal as a blaster hole breached the chest piece of his armor, only to eventually fall to the deck.
Near-instantly, Stalker unleashed with her pulse rifle and fired into the gap along with a handful of her squad mates, but their barrage would fire in vain as a blast door sealed the opening. A pair of stormtroopers would approach the door and fiddle with the access panel, yet Margo knew it was in vain just as the Corporal’s voice could be heard over the comm channel.
<“Sir, it looks like they sealed the blast doors.>”
<“You don’t say...”> Margo craned her head over to the NCO with a sardonic look
dripping from within - so much so that the Corporal bowed his head slightly, as if realizing the fact he was truly stating the obvious. After a brief pause, she continued:
<“The good news is, we are at a security terminal. Unless these bastards had the forethought of cutting the lines and deactivating the terminal, we should be able to bypass the lockdown.”>
Stalker pointed at the stormtrooper corpse behind the terminal.
<“Is that our only tech?”>
<“Negative.”> The corporal replied as he motioned for one of the surviving squadmates. The trooper in question rushed up to the SCAR trooper, who sized him up before motioning to the terminal.
<“He’ll do. See what you can do with that terminal to end this lockdown.”> She then pointed at a pair of troopers standing nearby and added:
<“You two, start searching the bodies for anything of help - access cards, security chips, IR emitters - anything. The rest of you--”> She paused, taking a moment to discharge the tibanna gas cartridge and replace it with a fresh one. She slid the fresh clip into the receiver and flicked off the safety. A subtle whine retorted back as the rifle powered up to a full charge. She then directed her attention to the remaining squad:
<“Secure the perimeter.”>
The stormtroopers quickly set about complying with her orders. Meanwhile, Margo stole a moment to try and raise
Lily Stevens on the comm:
<“Reaper, this is Stalker - Over?”> Static was her only response. While most soldiers would continue to try and raise their companions over the comm, Margo knew better. One of three scenarios had occurred; either Reaper was dead - in which case there was no point in trying to continue to raise her, or she was currently trying to use stealth and secrecy to her advantage, or, lastly - she was fighting for her life. None of those scenarios lent themselves to the added distraction of having a squadmate chiming ceaselessly in her ear. Although Margo wasn’t force sensitive, she did have an uneasy feeling in her stomach. All she could do right now was push forward to the objective and take down the main power supply in the engineering section. Perhaps the situation would materialize by then.
Before she really had any more time to ruminate over the issue, one of the stormtroopers tasked with searching the corpses spoke up:
<“Sir, I’ve found an access card!”> To the trooper’s credit, rather than standing there with his dick in his hand, he proceeded to hand the card to the technician at the terminal. Within a matter of minutes, the blast doors throughout the entire section of the base flew open. Within a few moments further, any technicians would notice a pulsing red display locking them out of the function to engage the blast doors.
The technician turned to Margo and, with a sense of urgency, said:
<“Sir, I’ve disengaged the lockdown - but there’s no telling how long it will last. I suggest we move out.”>
With a faint grin, Margo held her rifle at the read and moved toward the door:
<”You heard the man - MOVE OUT!”>
Without further delay, the squad moved through the corridor with riot shield troopers in front as they surged forward. In a matter of moments, the squad would happen upon the opened door for the engineering section, sighting a lone figure (
Phaineve Halseigh
) standing in the doorway, with half a dozen or more others deeper into the room. The squad did not break stride as they opened fire upon the opened door - the blaster bolts mixed with Margo’s pulse bursts surging into the room, aimed with a reasonable amount of accuracy at those within sight.
Bayaz
|
Ibra Sest
| TORTUGA COMPANY
Saul Vandron
