Author's Note: Hello! It's currently three quarters through June, and guess what! I've only got chapter 7 done! The outline and planning for 8 is complete, but I'm nowhere close to finishing this month (unless I frickin grind throughout the night, which I'll try to). Also, in some of the fight scenes, I completely forgot they took place in low or 0g, so it took me awhile to find those mistakes and rectify them. Sorry if I missed any and enjoy the chapter! It's rather long, I know...
Disclaimer: This story contains profanity, violence, bloodshed, death and many modern world issues. These harsh and complex topics are covered in a fictional sense. This story contains only original characters. Any resemblance to any real person, alive or deceased is a coincidence.
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Summary: "The dead don't talk. Neither do the shadows." -A former CIA operative
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Bodies floated, holes riddling the corpses, globs of blood and sweat gently hovered as alerts sounded, the sector's oxygen slowly being sucked out to isolate the intruders. Empty casings and used rifles lay scattered along the magnetic floor, some still slung around their users. The charred remains of an airlock door hung limply on its hinges, with a mess of wires and insulation material protruding from the holes in the metal. Sgt Naira Kingston grunted as she sealed a bullet hole in her suit, with Sgt Harold Geir checking her oxygen and helmet seal. "You alright Naira?"
"I'm fine. No penetration."
"Roger that."
Captain Arnold Gage nodded and keyed the radio: "Copy all 1-2. We've sealed the doors and set the explosives. Complete the operation and meet us at the EZ. Hail Langley!"
He tossed Naira a small water pack and quickly emptied his own, twisting the cap shut. "Harold, give her a QRA pack and let's extract."
Harold nodded and drew a small syringe from a belt pouch, injecting it into one of her suit's valves. "Better?"
"Yeah." She grunted, cursing her sore muscles as she stood up, taking in the room. Several PCEs were placed around the room, with some jammed into the pipes and cables running alongside the wall. A piece of paneling was floating around, and Gage quickly grabbed it, taping a grenade to it. He quickly tapped his helmet with his fist, gently extending his index and middle fingers out. Harold instantly drew his pistol and fell in behind Gage, scanning the room. Naira picked herself up and checked her S4b shotgun, scanning the bolt and sights, checking for any damage. She then fell in behind Harold, preparing to move. Gage tapped his helmet again, this time with one finger before pushing it out to the right. Harold tapped him on the shoulder and moved to his right, while Naira took the left.
They exited the section, back into the hangar bay, moving quickly to avoid contact. Several enemy soldiers ran onto the opposing catwalk and engaged, ripping off machine gun rounds as the wall panels were pocketed with bullets. Harold holstered his sidearm, using his other hand to switch his carbine to full auto and blast the other side. He fired round after round as Gage threw a variable grenade, bolting to solid cover as the five rockets ignited and the grenade sailed towards the enemy, speeding up while they scattered, temporarily stopping the oncoming barrage.
Suddenly, Naira heard a sharp cracking noise in her radio followed by a gurgling scream as rounds tore into Harold's helmet, shattering his faceplate and puncturing his suit. She quickly cut the radio connection as blobs of crimson liquid started floating away, exposing the mangled pieces of flesh and bone that were once Harold's face. "Fuck."
She emptied her shotgun into an enemy and pushed it to the side, avoiding the pieces of flesh whilst grabbing Harold's ABR-12 carbine. Checking the chamber, she gazed through the scope and shot an enemy, watching as the 5.45mm Kurz rounds tore through their suits, sending blood spraying.
Her earpiece crackled and roared, causing her to flinch as Gage gave her instructions: "Naira! Withdraw on my mark!"
Another variable grenade flew towards the assaulting soldiers while she fired, emptying the magazine in a flash. Grabbing Harold's body, she took some of his magazines before shoving a PCE through the faceplate. Pushing off the ground, she reloaded and followed Gage to the bay doors.
. . .
"Check two Bird Dog. Strobes up"
"Roger Vespa. Have you on IR visuals. Any reports?"
"Negative Bird Dog. Standby." Bidley sighed and shifted his weight, kicking up a small cloud of dust. He checked his carbine again, making sure there were no defects. He keyed his radio and switched to the local channel: "Vespa T-2, status report."
"2-2, all okay."
"3-2, no bogeys sighted. All okay."
"Roger Vespas. Stay alert." The occasional flash of light from a railgun slug or explosion kept them all on edge. No one knew what would happen if their exfil vessel was caught. He unhooked one of his canteens from his belt and slid the tube into the mouthpiece. The cool liquid flowed down his parched and exhausted throat, invigorating him. Suddenly, several puffs of dirt rose from the ground as flashes appeared on the horizon. He grabbed his binoculars from a pouch and sighted them, watching closely as the silhouettes of three armored vehicles crested the edge of a crater, the main guns firing at his position. He took a picture and imputed it into his tablet's ID system. It flashed and read: LTAV APC on the screen along with a small table of specs. Scanning the screen, he keyed his radio and briefed his team: "Squad, contact at my 12, four armored vehicles inbound. ID as LTAVs, 30mm autocannon and several coax guns. Capacity of 12 grunts, assumed armed with heavy weapons. Engage at your discretion."
"2-2, copy."
"2-3 copies."
Caitlyn mounted her carbine on a rock and flipped up her magnifier, locating the enemy and engaging. Tracer rounds began flying towards the enemy infantry as cannon rounds detonated all round them. The squad slowly picked off the advancing infantry while the LTAVs drew closer. Neil grunted as a bullet slammed into his shoulder, ricocheting off a ring seal, denting the metal. His rifle suddenly coughed and ceased firing, a smoke dispersing around the barrel. He found a cartridge jamming up the ejection port, preventing the next rounds from cycling. "Bitch!" He slapped the receiver and removed the magazine, smacking it against his helmet to remove any dirt. He then yanked on the bolt to clear the chamber, but to no avail. A shell detonated nearby, sending dirt and shrapnel flying. Jack swore as shards of metal peppered his rifle, rendering it useless. He drew his M2140 and continued shooting, trying to keep the enemy's heads down. "LT! We need anti armor!"
Suddenly, a shell detonated right in front of him. He was instantly sent airborne, the world flying past his visor as he started to exit the colony's tiny gravitational field. Another round smacked his hip, the momentum sending him back towards the ground. His radio crackled again, but all he could hear was a gentle buzzing in his earpiece. Darkness started to fill his vision. He felt a liquid sticking to his neck, slowly bobbing up and floating around his helmet. He hit the ground hard, the impact rattling his bones, while his legs gently floated down. Ringing echoed through his head. He couldn't feel anything anymore. The last thing he saw was a red blob gently floating past his eyes before everything went dark.
. . .
"Lucas, take us in. I'm arming the weapons."
Lt Arjun Chun tightened his harness before grabbing a joystick. He flicked the master arm switch and switched the screen to the IR camera. Checking the HUD, he confirmed the weapons were armed and keyed the radio: "Vespa, this is Bird Dog. Commencing run on four enemy armored vehicles, danger close, danger close."
Selecting the CDRF turret, he disengaged the safety and gripped the trigger. "Take us in, Luke."
LTJG Lucas Xing nodded and steered the Condor in. He keyed the radio and locked the throttle: "Vespa, Bird Dog. Weapons hot! Weapons hot!"
The airframe shuddered as the 20mm six barrel autocannon roared, spitting out tracers so fast that it looked like a singular stream. The comic earth exploded as clouds of dust erupted from the crater ground, killing visibility. Several thuds rocked the Condor, setting off alarms and killing the IR. "Damn! Too much dust."
Lucas asked: "Did we get them all?"
Replying, he sighed and tapped the radio again: "Vespa 1-2, this is Bird Dog, report status."
Silence followed. He switched the channel to the squad channel and tried again: "Vespa squad, do you copy? Report status now. Do you copy?"
The radio crackled and fizzed, but nothing came through. Lucas spoke up; "Lieutenant. Comms and cameras are down. "
"Fucking hell. Get a Spotbird out there."
"Aye."
Lucas stood and reached over to a small panel and opened the lid, quickly flipping a switch and hitting a small button. The Condor rattled as compressed air blew the thin plastic lid and forced the SpotBird out of its tube. Sitting back down, he activated the camera and gripped the control joystick. Looking at the screen, he confirmed the SpotBird's deployment: "Tube cleared. Feed systems go, sensors go, visual check please." Arjun looked out the plexiglass canopy and checked the sleek drone. It gently floated in the 0g, the clear dome mounted in the nose giving the cameras full visibility, the gimbal mounted rocket providing exceptional maneuverability gently moved around as Lucas tested it. "Visual check cleared. Gimbal online. Fire thrusters."
Several short puffs appeared and dissipated, moving the drone in a small 360 degree arc. "Thrusters fired. Propulsion go. Visuals?"
"Visuals go. All systems go."
"Roger. Cleared to deploy." The engine nozzle flashed and ignited, flames spewing from the rear as the drone sped away. Arjun gently pulled on the control column and the Condor soared further away from the colony.
. . .
"Name, rank and file please."
"Leftenant Argram Kerr, 221401."
"Unit and directives."
"Classified."
"Damn it Kerr!"
A baton slammed into his skull, rattling his brain. He felt the hard plastic impact his shoulder, shattering the bone. A gloved hand grabbed his head and slammed it into the table. She gently moved herself to his side, whispering into his ear: "No one is coming for you. Not your comrades, not your army, no, fucking, one. Fighting for your country will get you nowhere. You can either spill and die peacefully, or be tortured, spill, and die slowly, and in pain. Your choice, lieutenant."
He groaned, his head throbbing from the repeated beatings. "Fuck yo-"
A fist slammed into his back.
"MY GOD! STAYING SILENT WILL NOT FUCKING HELP! IF YOU TELL US THE INFO THAT WE NEED, I'LL END YOUR SUFFERING AND KILL YOU NOW. TALK DAMMIT!!"
Blood gently dripped down onto the smooth table, pooling next to his eyes. "All I see these days is my own blood. God help us all."
He gently scratched his stomach, gently gripping the rough handle of a pistol. "Waxing poetic? At this point, God's gonna need to help you."
The baton slammed into his ribs, shattering two of them. He felt the bone fragments enter his lungs as he coughed up more blood. At the same time, he drew the pistol and cocked the hammer.
. . .
"Meerkat 2, flank left! Cover the grunts!" Major Cameron Lyle re-sighted the remote control .50 cal machine gun and pulled the trigger, ripping off a long burst towards the enemy. The LTAV's 30mm main gun roared as the gunner, Sgt Seker Insat engaged the enemy, doing her best to keep them pinned. Cameron fired another burst before ordering the driver forward: "Hit it Letz!"
Cpl Letz Hindam punched the accelerator and the LTAV jumped forward, speeding towards the crater shielding their targets. Looking at a screen, Cameron spotted another bogey pop their head up and fired. Rounds peppered the rocky surface, throwing up another cloud of dust. The radio beeped as Meerkat 2 hailed them, instantly transmitting to his earpiece. He hit the audio button and said: "Go ahead 2."
"Taking heavy fire! An enemy aircraft is engag-"
The radio suddenly cut as the screen flashed, and Meerkat 2 exploded. "Shit! Seker, switch to airburst shells! And lower your damn faceplate!"
"Roger."
She turned and quickly grabbed the cannon's charging handle, yanking it back. The bolt automatically locked open, ejecting the chambered round and unlocking the current ammo belt. Cameron ducked down and removed it, pushing it towards the floor of the turret before grabbing another off a small rack. He slammed it into the receiver, with the bolt automatically shutting and chambering a round.
He then tapped Seker's shoulder twice. She nodded and re-engaged, the cannon shuddering and clanking after each shot as the empty casings were ejected. He clambered back up into the cupola and grabbed the joystick, swiveling the .50 cal around, searching for targets.
. . .
"Staff! Take Reeves and Harbudin and follow the LTAV! Dixon and Schnieder on me!"
"Aye Lieutenant!"
Lt Perr Drosk leapt out of the small crater and blind fired towards the enemy's general direction with his BAK-2 rifle, with .303 Kersia casings flying out the ejection port. Pfc Keelan Dixon lay prone in a small ditch nearby, covering him with his BAK-9 LMG, the smaller 6.5mm Dren rounds leaping out of the muzzle at near light speed, the tracers combining into a single concentrated beam.
Drosk jumped into another crater and reloaded, dropping the empty magazine and slamming a new one into the magwell. Pvt Dominic Schnieder jumped in behind him and crumpled as a bullet slammed into his side. "Dom! You alright?"
"Shit... It penetrated."
"How much blood?"
"Too much."
Perr swore again and grabbed a QRA pack from his belt and ripped it open, stuffing cotton into the wound, watching as it absorbed more and more blood. Using the bandages, he applied constant pressure to try and seal the wound before injecting morphine into a valve. He then sealed the suit shut with duct tape, and tied a red armband around his leg. "All good Dom?"
"Yes sir."
"Can you keep going?"
"I don't think so sir. I'll do my best to cover y'all."
Perr nodded and radioed Dixon: "Dix, get over here and give Dom the LMG. He'll cover us as we flank."
"Roger. I'm en route."
Yanking a grenade out of his pouch, he pulled the pin and threw it as hard as possible. He watched as it detonated in a cloud of dust, and quickly emptied his magazine into the cloud. Pfc Dixon bolted over the top and leapt into the crater, hitting the ground with a soft thud. He handed Dominic the BAK-9 and several belts of ammo before racking his BAK-4 SMG and tightening his suit. "Ready sir."
Perr tapped his radio and selected the squad channel: "Staff! Mount the LTAV and go in close! Dom is out of the fight so Dix and I will continue to flank."
His earpiece crackled and Staff Sergeant Takahan Melburn replied: "Roger sir! We've taken a casualty and the LTAV's been disabled-"
Dixon peeked over the crater edge and confirmed it with a thumbs up.
"-We'll flank and link up at the objective!"
"Damn it! Understood staff. Over and out."
. . .
The LTAV bounced as 20mm rounds slammed into the cabin, killing the driver, Cpl Letz Hindam instantly. Shrapnel tore through the cabin, slicing up Sgt Seker's face and punching into her leg. Her commander, Major Cameron Lyle sat limp in his seat, a large, jagged piece of metal was poking out his faceplate, another had gone clean through his arm while several large holes in his chest gently leaked globs of blood. 20mm rounds had punched through the LTAVs thinner, top armor and destroyed the interior. Seker quickly lowered and locked her faceplate as the cabin depressurized, and injected herself with some morphine, sighing as the pain slowly flowed away, replaced by the cooling numbness that painkillers brought.
Unbuckling the seatbelt, Seker drew her pistol, an 11mm PAT-12 and got up, opening the turret's side escape hatch. She clambered out, slowly dropping onto the ground in the minimal 0.2g gravity. A bullet suddenly slammed into the ground beside her, kicking up a cloud of dust. She turned and saw several flashes, and then felt the heat of the powerful rounds through her suit as they zipped by her, missing her by a few inches.
Diving behind the disabled LTAV, Seker poked her pistol around the corner of the vehicle and fired blindly, trying to create an opportunity to escape. She looked around, before unlatching the LTAVs rear door and yanking it open. Climbing in, she tried to avoid the scraps of metal stuck in the walls and paint, but felt a few pieces slice into her suit's external layer. A small weapons crate sat under one of the fold out benches, and Seker propped her foot against the wall and pulled it out, flipping the latches open before lifting the lid.
Sitting on the soft, convoluted foam was a sleek, black BAK-4 and five magazines. Seker tucked the four spare mags into her vest and slid the fifth into the magwell, locking the bolt open to check for any imperfections. Satisfied, she chambered a round and slid the strap around her shoulder, before rechecking her pistol. She dug around for a water bottle, but couldn't find one. "Damn."
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More notes: Yes, the main battle of this chapter makes no sense. I only just realised during editing that I wrote that the hangar bay in the colony was 0g, but the outside of the colony had 0.2g pull, sorta like the moon. Oopsies! I'll try to rectify that, so apologies for stuff not aligning. Also, I have zero medical knowledge, so healing and patching up wounds will not be accurate. I'll do my best though! -Genpatz4
P.S I still have no idea how to format the paragraphs... so the flow is kinda iffy. oops
Vocab and Definitions:
-QRA Pack: Stands for Quick Recovery Aid. Most packs contain cotton, bandages, duct tape, an emergency oxygen mask, morphine, a powdered hydration drink and a red arm band to signify the user's status.
-Variable Grenade: Officially the Variable Thrust Grenade, Variable Grenades, or VTGs are self propelled, long range grenades, designed to bypass the need for a grenade launcher to send grenades a long distance. A dial allows the user to control the distance, and by using their helmets built in IR laser, guide the grenade to the target. VTGs generally have five thrusters. Four for maneuvering and one solely dedicated to thrust.
-LTAV (Lunar Terrain Armored Vehicle): A eight wheeled armored vehicle functioning as a APC and IFV for ADF (Almara Defence Force). The LTAV is armed with a PVRG 30mm belt fed auto cannon, a .50 cal RWS (Remote Weapons System) and another coaxial .50 cal. Has a 12 person capacity, with three crew and 9 passengers. The armor can stop most small caliber ammo up to .50 caliber, but beyond that, it is very vulnerable to ATGMs and larger calibers.
-RWS: Remote weapons station
-Coax gun: Short for Coaxial Gun.
-HUD: Heads Up Display
-BAK-2 Battle Rifle: Chambered in .303 Kersia and made by Bakier Heavy in Almara, the BAK-2 is a high velocity, closed bolt, select fire battle rifle, designed to put rounds downrange as accurately as possible. The composite adjustable stock allows any user to comfortably use the rifle without much hassle, and its basic mechanics and workings make it maintenance light.
-.303 Kersia: A high velocity, high caliber round designed for use in the wide open areas of space. The .303 Kersia is the embodiment of the long distance engagement mindset adopted by many after the colonization of space.
-BAK-9 LMG: A heavier light machine gun chambered in 6.5mm Dren, the BAK-9 is one of the most resilient and hardy machine guns in service. Designed with a variable recoil control system to help the user fire more accurately, the two pins located just forward of the bolt allow for smooth cycling and extraction. The BAK-9 is belt fed, but specialised magazines can be used to decrease weight and increase maneuverability.
-6.5mm Dren: Designed as the new intermediary between larger battle rifle rounds vs assault rifle rounds, rifles chambered in 6.5mm Dren have the power of battle rifles while remaining within the weight range of assault rifles. The ADF is the only defence force in the Earth Sphere that utilises this type of cartridge.
-BAK-4 SMG: Chambered in .50 Beagle, the BAK-4 is manufactured in Almara for the ADF by Bakier Heavy. Utilising a closed bolt, the BAK-4 is resilient and cheap to produce, being able to continuously function in high stress conditions. Though incredibly popular in military and law enforcement/anti terror applications for its stopping power and low cost, the BAK-4 is prone to jams and low accuracy when fired with full auto.
-.50 Beagle: A modernised, space capable cartridge based off of the older .50 AE cartridge. The ADF is the only force in the Earth sphere that utilises this cartridge in a select fire SMG, namely the BAK-4.
-Pasam Tech PAT-12: Made by Pasam Tech in Almara and chambered in 11mm Bechard, the PAT-12 is the ADFs standard issue sidearm. Being one of the few military grade firearms chambered in 11mm, the PAT-12 is known for its low weight but increased stopping power.
-11mm Bechard: Designed as a new conceal carry cartridge for Law Enforcement, the 11mm Bechard was supposed to be lighter than the more common .45 SSR, but retain the same amount of stopping power. The 11mm Bechard is popular as a civilian self defence cartridge after its widespread adoption by many Earth Sphere forces. (yes, I know 11mm is the other designation/name for .45 cartridges, but ignore that, its different here...)
-Convoluted Foam: Basically the egg carton-like foam found commonly in weapons crates to protect the firearms.
Next Time... ADF aerial assets and special forces are deployed to eliminate Vespa squad, and new pieces are introduced onto the board during CHAPTER VII: Exfil.