Collapsing Line
Posted on 16 May 2023 @ 12:14am by Major Declan Finn & Lieutenant Tahriik & Chief Deputy Marshal: Ridge Steiner - FMS
Edited on on 16 May 2023 @ 12:15am
Mission:
M3 - Into the Deep
Location: Planet's Surface
Timeline: Immediately Following Bogey Man
4200 words - 8.4 OF Standard Post Measure
”Crap, crap, crap!” Lance Corporal Ranaivoson cried out, ducking behind the stub wing of the Demophon as particle weapons fire tinged off the hull. Several shots hit in succession before he felt a current of energy that made the hair on his arms stand on end like static electricity. The next shot hit the hull and instead of making a tinkling sound it absorbed into the shielding Brightwood must have just powered on.
“Corporal, report?” Brightwood’s voice chirped in his earpiece.
“I have multiple hostiles coming from starboard side, sir. Twenty-three, mark zero, from the cockpit,” he added to give him a better idea as he didn’t think he could see their approach as they’d blown out the wall of a utility building that had been blocking their way and were now pouring out and into defensive positions.
“How many?” Mamello’s voice now asked.
“Five right now, but it looks like they’re calling their friends out,” he said, popping up briefly from behind his cover to lay a few shots on the opening just to discourage anyone wanting to come out at the moment. “I got two more heads ducking down from this opening they’re coming out of. No idea what reinforcements look like.”
He had to hand it to these fishes, they’d come up with a halfway decent counter attack coming at them from the sloping side of the facility rather than the beating heart of it where they’d been focused. Mendrika had been forced to scramble rapidly around the back of the Demophon to take position on that wing to prevent them from advancing on them. As far as he knew the Marine in the shuttle wasn’t stabilized and so they couldn’t take off and use the ships weapons to help. Plus, Lieutenant Tahriik hadn’t returned with the others so, in a way, they were pinned down of their own making.
“Can you handle it?” Mamello asked.
“I’ll keep you posted,” Mendrika answered, popping up to lay down more fire.
Inside the Demophon Corduke was shaking his head, “I know what you’re thinking, but I need you here,” he said, leaned fully over, one knee on the table for leverage, having been reduced to more rudimentary methods to try and stabilize this man who was barely clinging to life at this point.
“I am not going anywhere,” Mamello replied, replicating his movement. Once the man's ribs shifted accordingly, Doctor Corduke moved quickly to stem the bleeding and make sure it all had gone according to plan. “Maybe another ten minutes and he’ll be stable enough to move. Maybe Grayson can put us in the air.” he added through his teeth, holding a hypo in his mouth.
“Keep me posted on that,” Grayson cut in. Both looked over, surprised to see him in the back, especially with a phaser in his hand. “I’m going to help Menny,” he said, gesturing to the back, and they both watched him disappear out of the rear hatch and around out of sight.
“Does he know how to use that?” Mamello asked warily. The man didn’t seem overly confident holding a weapon.
“He’ll figure it out, or we’ll have another patient,” Duke answered with a shrug. “Let’s move on to that lung…”
The ringing of metal blades echoed loudly over the narrow pathways between buildings as Tahriik and the Pyrryx fought viciously with one another, their blades moving so fast it was hard to keep track of them with the naked eye. It was clear they were both masters of the craft, and intending the kill the other. But they weren’t the primary focus anymore, they were just a sideshow.
The true focus was following them down the path back towards the Demophon. The ape-like creature that had jumped Parveaux was somehow still on his feet and he had a friend, one that was all but dragging the aquatics reluctantly back into the fight, making their egress that much harder.
“We have to keep moving,” Declan called out to Eindorf, ducking from fire behind a metal crate full of rocks. He just nodded, then turned around the cover and began firing again to cover Declan’s movements.
It was standard fire and retreat tactics but it seemed to be emboldening the aquatics and certainly the ape-like warriors whose real value add was the intimidation they provided to the aquatics to get back into the fight. They had weapons, but Declan had hardly seen an instance where their fire hit the mark with accuracy. They were shock and awe and, if he was honest, they did a damn good job of that.
“Where’s Tinkerbell when you need him!” Eindorf cried out, laughing at the absurdity of his own statement as he jumped over cover.
“Last time we don’t take him with us!” Declan laughed in reply.
Master Sergeant Vey was the Regimental Master Sergeant for the unit Declan commanded, affectionally known as ‘Tinkerbell’ as his targets seemed to disappear like magic by the tiny spec on the horizon. Vey was his most trusted NCO, but he’d worked with him for far, far longer, as had Matz even though he wasn’t part of the Recon unit. Aodhan was singularly gifted with a rifle and would have made their egress much easier taking out their attackers at extreme range. But he hadn’t known that this was going to be anything more than babysitting DeHavilland. If he’d have known that he was going to do an orbital drop and be in this deep of shit, he’d have brought a very different team. It wasn’t that he didn’t like or trust Parveaux, Eindorf, Mamello and Drakes. It was just that beyond the line incursions weren’t their schtick. Had he known they were doing this he would have brought Vey and the rest of the Recon team on station.
“I’ve got eyes on the runabout!” O’Shaughnessy called out from the end of the line. “They’re… they’re taking fire from the opposite direction!” She called out.
“Shit!” Declan cried out. He waved Parveaux over and they traded positions so he could get a better vantage point of the firefight on that side.
Declan could just make out the starboard wing of the Demophon in front of a building at the end of a clearing of sorts, facing a long corridor of buildings as a natural sort of choke point. The bow of the ship was facing the opening and the rear hatch to the building. Off the starboard wing, fire was coming at the ship, most of it pinging harmlessly off the shielded hull but plenty of fire kicking up rocks and debris elsewhere.
“Eindorf, with me. Drakes, take position here. We’ll flank them and advance. Push them back so we can board and get the hell out of here,” he said, “You unders-,,” he grunted, watching the rock that had just been lobbed over his cover plink to the ground. “The hell?” He asked. Had they just thrown a rock at him?
“Flash, goddamnit!” A strange voice called out from the starboard side of their engagement, the way that they’d been intending to flank.
“Thunder!” Declan called back quickly, sticking this head out from cover.
Gunnery Sergeant Johannes leaned out of his spot as well, “Oye, is this the way to the pub?”
Declan grinned, “The hell are you doing here, Solomon?”
“Sandy beaches, cold beer, at least that’s what we were told,” he quipped back, turning serious now. “I got Steiner and Binns with me,” he said, gesturing back. “Trade the Marshall with you and we push on this flank?”
“Hoorah, Gunny,” Declan agreed, pointing to where O’Shaughnessy was under cover.
Johannes shifted to talk to Steiner and send him on his way, but pushed him back quickly as they both dove for cover as the wall of the building behind Johannes et all exploded and the Pyrryx warrior went tumbling out of the debris, followed a moment later by Tahriik. The Starfleet Officer gave the warrior a chance to pick up his blade and then the battle was joined again, giant versus giant.
Johannes, Steiner and Binns had to scramble over towards Finn’s team to avoid getting trampled by the fight that raged on. “What the hell is going on here?” Johannes asked.
“That’s a Pyrryx,” Declan answered. “And that’s one massive Starfleet Officer. We need him. We gotta get back to the ship, and then tag him with a iso chip so we can get the hell out of Dodge,” he said.
Steiner followed the others as they bent-ran over to join the group of Marines, and took a knee. It was like something out of a cheap action-war-holo-novel. On top of the commotion from the storm, there was the flash of weapons fire and the crump of some kind of explosives, large numbers of the locals were poking around corners firing at them, behind them he caught a glance of some strange long limbed almost Gibbon-like creatures and further away was some kind of insane sword-duel going on between a Human and a damn Pyrryx!
He knelt there trying to take it all in and make sense of a sense-less situation. He only half heard Johanne’s remark “Hey! You're not trading me for anyone! I didn’t clamber all the way up here to go sit in the back of a Runabout, so tell me what you need me to do?”
“We keep their attention off the runabout and them,” Johannes said, pointing to Tahriik and the Pyrryx.
“You’re the soldier, Gunny, but those -” Steiner pointed at two of the black ape-like creatures, up on the roof now and somehow directing the actions of the Korix. “- whatever the hell those are! They look like they are running things while the Pyrryx plays with sharp objects, why don’t we take them out?”
“Right,” the Gunny nodded. “Major,” he called out, pointing now to the gorilla-like things. “Secondary flank”
“Stay in cover, and wait for my signal,” Finn agreed, passing the information along to the rest of the team as Gunny Johannes moved off with his makeshift fireteam.
A minute later Steiner was following behind Johannes and Binns as they circled around the side of the building, trying to get into a position to take a shot at the ape-things on the roof. “Me and my big mouth” he thought to himself Running around in a war zone instead of chasing decent honest criminals
He stopped behind Binns while Johannes peered around the corner ahead. He had his carbine held ready, and dropped his hand to his belt to check for the next battery pack if he should end up needing it. His fingers brushed over the two FMS Flash-Stun grenades clipped there. He would find a use for those.
“There’s cover just there,” Johannes said, leaning back to talk to them. “Binns, you take cover there, Steiner, you go behind him. I’ll stay here and watch for the Major’s signal. Move quick and quiet. Don’t be seen,” he ordered.
Steiner nodded and followed Binns over to a low wall, the pair of them ducked in behind it. Steiner rested his carbine on the wall and pulled one of the grenades from his belt, he nudged Binns. “These are Marshal’s Service issue, big flash and a stun effect, four meter range give or take and drops most species for about a minute or so. If I can get one on the roof it will knock those…things… on their ass!”
Binns nodded, “Might come in handy,” he agreed.
A phalanx of the natives was moving up, they were moving slowly, hampered by their physical limitations on-land and, from what Steiner could gauge, a reticence to engage with the smaller but more aggressive Marines. Probably the first time they’ve encountered organized resistance above the odd slave uprising he figured.
One of the ape-like creatures was jumping around on the roof now, clearly trying to cajole the phalanx into action, the other one was more intent on the fight between the Pyrryx and the Starfleet officer.
Steiner pulled both grenades from his belt and passed one to Binns, “Here, they have a five second delay. And don’t look at them as the flash will wreck your vision for a good couple of minutes”
The Marine nodded and adjusted his weapon on the sling to take the grenade in hand and get ready.
Steiner pulled the pin on his but held the release lever tightly until Binns’ had his ready, then arced his arm back. “On two! Release and one… two… Throw!”
Steiner let the lever spin off, held the grenade for two seconds and hurled his up over his head, aiming to lob it down on the roof just behind the ape-creature that was screaming at the native phalanx. The grenade flew in a gentle curve upwards, following his intended trajectory. He watched it for one more second then ducked back and closed his eyes tightly.
As Steiner threw his, Binns plucked the pin from his own and chucked it at the assembled Phalanx of aquatics, taking one by surprise when it hit him square on the back. He turned away, chuckling to himself, aware they had no idea what was about to happen.
Another second later there was a CRUMP! and even with his eyes shut, there was a flash of lightning through his eyelids.
When he opened his eyes and looked again one of the ape creatures was tumbling off the roof like a rag doll. It flopped off the roof and landed heavily on the ground, a few of the natives must have been with stun range as several were already down, the first few rows of the phalanx were stumbling around, blinded by the flash, being pushed and shoved by those behind who had been out of range.
“Hell of a throw, Marshall,” Binns grinned.
The incapacitated ones were swept out of the way by the rear ranks, but instead of pressing forward with their attack they began to mill around the prostate ape-creature. Without the creature’s direction their assault seemed to have faltered. Several looked between the ape-creature and the duel ensuing in the square with the Pyrryx, they seemed confused by events.
Then one of them kicked the ape-creature in the head, once then again. At first the others pulled back as though horrified at the action. But another one pushed through and joined in, two of them set to the ape-creature with a will, kicking and stomping on it with their heavy flipper-appendages. Something broke and seconds later the mass of the phalanx surged forwards and began savagely beating on the unconscious creature.
The body disappeared from sight as the phalanx turned into a brutal mob and they crowded around it. A moment later the body was tossed up in the air and the mob tore it apart.
“Dammit” Steiner muttered “That turned ugly! I don’t think we need do much more”
“Let’s get out of here,” Johannes called from his cover, waving them back. “Nothing else to do. This is their fight, not ours.”
They backed off from the corner and jogged back around the side of the building to the Runabout. The Marines there were no longer firing, the counter assault had faltered and the natives were more intent on dealing with the other ape-creature than continuing their attack.
It happened so fast, that Declan very nearly missed it. The Pyrryx parried Tahriik’s weapon with incredible strength and speed, putting him off balance and getting behind him to put him in a choke hold so he could stab him. With one arm holding around Tahriik’s neck, the Pyrryx tried to stab him but the massive Starfleet officer was holding back the attack with both hands. It was a battle of sheer strength and force of will. The Pyrryx tried to twist Tahriik’s neck with his bicep to choke him out and rob him of his strength, but Tahriik was holding firmly, his arms shaking with the effort and his face turning red from the lack of air.
The marine at the Demophon tried to shoot the Pyrryx to break the fight but the shots just bounced off his war armor and he turned his back towards him to further block the assault. Tahriik didn’t look like he was going to make it, the blade was getting slowly closer to his chest but at the last moment, just when it looked like he was going to lose, he let his knees buckle, putting his full weight into the Pyrryx’s arms. The move ended the resistance, meaning he was going to get stabbed, but he used the surprise shift to move the blade into his shoulder where it went through easily.
Tahriik howled with pain, but with the Pyrryx off balance, he was able to throw him off his shoulder and they grappled down to the ground. The Pyrryx slammed his hand to Tahriik’s shoulder were his blade was still lodged and tried to spin on the ground to pin him, but the Fleet officer was faster and twisted the Pyrryx up in a Jiu-jitsu arm bar. The Pyrryx tried to flail but Tahriik just pulled harder on his arm, flexing his massive thigh against the warriors neck. The Pyrryx roared with the effort of trying to lift Tahriik off of him. A loud, bellowing roar of frustration and effort that echoed off the buildings, dimming the sound of weapons fire until it was suddenly stopped with a choke and the loud snapping of bones. The Pyrryx went limp and Tahriik let him go, falling back against the ground and then howling himself with frustration.
Finn watched the whole thing in disbelief, and so had the aquatics. Tahriik stood up carefully and with a wince that made Declan cringe as well, he drew the blade from his shoulder and then walked over to where his was and picked it up, stowing his on his back. He then walked over to the Pyrryx and grabbed his arm, pulling him up into a fireman’s hold. It was at this point he realized that there were others and he turned back to see the aquatics just staring at him in disbelief. Tahriik stared back for a moment, then just adjusted the dead Pyrryx on his shoulders and walked back towards the Demophon.
“Time to go,” Declan waved to his team. They quickly shuffled after Tahriik, weapons ready, but not firing on the aquatics who seemed completely perplexed as to what to do. They’d just savaged one of the ape-masters and now had seen the unthinkable - a mortal Pyrryx.
Tahriik walked towards the ship, crossing the line of fire with the rest of the Marines, but like the others, when the aquatics saw the dead Pyrryx on his shoulders, they stopped. Many stood up to look on in disbelief.
The few remaining ape-like warriors bellowed for them to charge on, physically pushing some of them forward. But the aquatics weren’t moved by it. Finally, after a long moment in which the Marines condensed their lines back to the ship, the aquatics turned on the ape-warriors and began firing at them. Joined by their comrades who already dispatched their own overseer.
“No time to waste,” Major Finn called out to the rest of the team. “Everyone aboard, let’s go,” he ordered, waving everyone into the runabout. Declan gave one last look about and then hustled in and closed the hatch. The runabout was already lifting off the ground as the hatched finished sealing and he hurried to the main cabin.
“I need you on the tactical station,” a man with a clipped British accent declared, “The storms too heavy. I’ll take the helm,” he added.
“Understood,” Tahriik said, taking the tactical station. An elder man had hustled in behind him with a med kit and was trying to stem the bleeding from his shoulder.
“Just give me two minutes, Tahriik,” Doctor Corduke said.
“We may not live two minutes if you do not let me work,” Tahriik countered.
Duke grunted, but moved quickly to mend the wound at least enough to keep him from bleeding slowly out and for good measure gave him a hit of pain medication.
“I need you on Ops, Doctor,” Brightwood called out from the helm. “Kat, can you take Comms? Start screaming bloody murder about our position,” he further called out.
“Where can I help?” Declan asked, making himself known.
Brightwood glanced back, “Right. Engineering station,” he ordered, pointing to it.
Declan certainly wasn’t an expert, but they all took basic indoctrination training in case that they had to be of use on a Starfleet vessel in emergencies such as this.
“Buckle up, everyone,” Brightwood offered solemnly, “This will get bumpy.”
The storm was raging outside and though they were all aboard and away from the engagement, they hadn’t ascended much at all. Grayson was doing his best to plot a course through the soup but after three tries with the computer unable to find a path, he’d just decided to screw it and do it himself. He looked back and around at everyone else buckled into their stations and took a steadying breath.
“Here we go,” he said, angling the bow up and throttling the engines.
There were so many things to be concerned about in this soup, but the biggest one was going to be wind shear trying to flip the vessel and spin it about. It was going to be worse if he tried to go against the wind so he set their course in line with the spin of the massive hurricane’s winds while gaining as much altitude as he could without taking too sharp of angle that might invite counter winds.
The ship was buffeted like kite in a gale and he could feel the gravity of the planet trying to pull them down just as hard as he was trying to get away from it. He’d trained extensively in these kind of atmospheric scenarios, but even his stomach was starting to feel a bit queasy. It didn’t help that he had little visual reckoning and was relying completely on the more analog flight instruments as the kelbonite was still playing games with the sensors.
All around him lighting was flashing, darting across the sky in every which way. At the lower altitudes a crisp, white light, but as they ascended the clouds fairly glowed with lighting of orange, green and blue. He had no idea how far the cloud layer went up but he continued to follow the flow of the storm nosing up just a little bit more to gain that much faster.
Quite suddenly, in a flash of white lightning that clung to the hull, they broke free of the upper cloud layer. The smile on Brightwood’s face to see that they were free and clear to link back up with the Theseus faded from his face in an instant.
“Bloody hell…” he breathed in disbelief.
The lightning that had been illuminating the clouds around them in a conflagration of color hadn’t been lighting, but weapons fire as there in front of them were three Pyrryx vessels, all three engaging the three section of the Theseus that had already split into multi-vector mode. They’d been forced to do so without two of its more senior officers, including the Tactical officer at his back.
“Too soon, Callum,” Tahriik groaned from his seat, thumping his panel with a fist. The simple gesture by such a large being spiderwebbed the glass and he just groaned again with disappointment.
The holographic form of Captain Callum appeared on the left side of the front glass, barely a foot tall.
“Grayson, stay the hell out of this. Pathfinder went for you. Dock with them and get the hell out of here,” Callum ordered. “No arguments. Those are your orders,” he barked, turning his attention back to the engagement around him.
“Bollocks,” Brightwood complained, immediately dropping out of orbit and back into the atmosphere of the planet. “Any sign of them?” He asked Corduke.
“No,” Duke answered. “Wait… wait… I have something…”
