Not a Hero
A dropship roared overhead of Sergeant Valkren Calderon as he dodged and weaved through a densely wooded area of an unmarked planet somewhere still in Republic jurisdiction. He moved quickly but cautiously, gripping his assault blaster in both hands to keep himself ready for any confrontation, avoiding a multitude of roots and low branches that tried to keep him away from the objective at hand.
The young commando tilted his head up, momentarily taking his eyes away from the trail he was running through to glance at the dropship from behind his illuminated visor. "I've got eyes on the bogey! Heading northeast! Looks like it's closing in on the relay!"
"Saber three's got eyes on." Watson's voice crackled through Saber team's communication system, Saber team's designated marksman.
"Think I karked up my ankle awhile back there! Leave me behind!" A third voice crackled through, this one coming from a much further ranged communications transmission.
"Piss off, Irish!" Michaels voice cracked through, the demolitions expert sounding rather winded, signaling that he was also chasing after this illusive dropship that was storming ahead of them. After Saber team's insertion into the area three weeks ago to do recon on a group of mercenaries, they had stayed much longer than expected after not coming into contact with these mercs at all. This unmarked dropship being the first sighting of anyone other than Republic personal in the area since their insertion, making it a top priority.
Valkren dodged another low-hanging branch as he came to a large opening suddenly, the dense wooded area turning into an open plain with a flooding of light. The grass was suddenly up to the commando's thighs, his visor and Head's Up Display taking a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness. He'd stop for a moment before dropping to his knees to cover himself in the tall grass, watching as the dropship soared over him once more and suddenly took an unexpected stop at least four-hundred meters away from him, letting a group of a dozen or so armored men fall a short distance from the dropships now-open loading ramp.
As the young commando observed the group of shooters gather their belongings they dropped with and begin moving, he set his rifle momentarily into the dirt below him. "Got eyes on what I'm seeing, Sabers?" He spoke up to the three other commandos that were on the ground with him. During the chase for the dropship he had ordered a ten meter spread, giving them enough separation to track the vessel's unpredictable movement.
O'Riley, Michaels, and Watson's voices all came through with positive comms chatter.
"Copy"
"I got about a dozen unidentified individual targets, all armed.."
"Sounds like our mark."
"Dropship's moving off, might come back around for a perimeter check. You got eyes on, Overwatch?" The soldier mentioned as he watched the shuttle leave the group of men it had just deployed moments ago.
O'Connor had pulled the easy job of providing security for the lack of man power the republic had spared for this new assault ship, and while on the bridge he had enjoyed his time-off by messing with his team below, stating how bad the run was and referring about how sexual Michaels' breathing was. It was all playful banter, the usual 'Irish.' Young had taken a spot with the other intel officers onboard the bridge, keeping track of the team's progress and monitoring the surrounding area of Saber team. "Copy, Saber one..Overwatch has eyes on."
Young, switched camera lenses on his personal computer, using surveillance technology to get an 'eagles-eye' view on the battlefield to provide his team leader with key tactical support. "Dropship is marked, confirmed twelve targets..Looks like they're converging on something about a klick ahead of you.."
O'Connor had made his round about the bridge, holding his helmet down under his left arm, listening in on the transmission with his ear piece. He placed a hand on the back of Young's chair, leaning in to take a glance at the screen that flickered before the pair. His usual smirk and joking demeanor faded as he took in a new feature. "Looks like they're heading towards a strange power source, boss man."
"Power source came from up ahead, Sir." A voice crackled through the mercenary's communications system, Brooks picking himself up and guiding the fireteam toward the unknown energy signature that had thrown a wrench in their employers' plans. His team moved quickly and efficiently, seeming to be professional in nature, all possibly having prior-service in some sort of military force. The Lt ceased the movement of his team when he came upon an odd sight for sure, [member="Razel Kolt"]. The team spread out in an arc, assault blasters and scatter shots trained on the strange looking, what seemed to be a cyborg at first. It was difficult to tell with the grass confining their field of vision.
"What do we have here?"
The young commando tilted his head up, momentarily taking his eyes away from the trail he was running through to glance at the dropship from behind his illuminated visor. "I've got eyes on the bogey! Heading northeast! Looks like it's closing in on the relay!"
"Saber three's got eyes on." Watson's voice crackled through Saber team's communication system, Saber team's designated marksman.
"Think I karked up my ankle awhile back there! Leave me behind!" A third voice crackled through, this one coming from a much further ranged communications transmission.
"Piss off, Irish!" Michaels voice cracked through, the demolitions expert sounding rather winded, signaling that he was also chasing after this illusive dropship that was storming ahead of them. After Saber team's insertion into the area three weeks ago to do recon on a group of mercenaries, they had stayed much longer than expected after not coming into contact with these mercs at all. This unmarked dropship being the first sighting of anyone other than Republic personal in the area since their insertion, making it a top priority.
Valkren dodged another low-hanging branch as he came to a large opening suddenly, the dense wooded area turning into an open plain with a flooding of light. The grass was suddenly up to the commando's thighs, his visor and Head's Up Display taking a moment to adjust to the sudden brightness. He'd stop for a moment before dropping to his knees to cover himself in the tall grass, watching as the dropship soared over him once more and suddenly took an unexpected stop at least four-hundred meters away from him, letting a group of a dozen or so armored men fall a short distance from the dropships now-open loading ramp.
As the young commando observed the group of shooters gather their belongings they dropped with and begin moving, he set his rifle momentarily into the dirt below him. "Got eyes on what I'm seeing, Sabers?" He spoke up to the three other commandos that were on the ground with him. During the chase for the dropship he had ordered a ten meter spread, giving them enough separation to track the vessel's unpredictable movement.
O'Riley, Michaels, and Watson's voices all came through with positive comms chatter.
"Copy"
"I got about a dozen unidentified individual targets, all armed.."
"Sounds like our mark."
"Dropship's moving off, might come back around for a perimeter check. You got eyes on, Overwatch?" The soldier mentioned as he watched the shuttle leave the group of men it had just deployed moments ago.
*****
Just outside of the unmarked planet's atmosphere, The 'Atlas' sat and drifted gently while in orbit. It's occupants short on manpower as it provided mission support for the special forces team down on the terrain below. On the bridge of this Spewer class assault ship, with a couple of other republic navy crewchiefs stood the remaining two members of the special forces unit that was on the planet; O'Connor and Young.O'Connor had pulled the easy job of providing security for the lack of man power the republic had spared for this new assault ship, and while on the bridge he had enjoyed his time-off by messing with his team below, stating how bad the run was and referring about how sexual Michaels' breathing was. It was all playful banter, the usual 'Irish.' Young had taken a spot with the other intel officers onboard the bridge, keeping track of the team's progress and monitoring the surrounding area of Saber team. "Copy, Saber one..Overwatch has eyes on."
Young, switched camera lenses on his personal computer, using surveillance technology to get an 'eagles-eye' view on the battlefield to provide his team leader with key tactical support. "Dropship is marked, confirmed twelve targets..Looks like they're converging on something about a klick ahead of you.."
O'Connor had made his round about the bridge, holding his helmet down under his left arm, listening in on the transmission with his ear piece. He placed a hand on the back of Young's chair, leaning in to take a glance at the screen that flickered before the pair. His usual smirk and joking demeanor faded as he took in a new feature. "Looks like they're heading towards a strange power source, boss man."
*****
Approximately a klick ahead of Saber team, Lieutenant Tyler Brooks, an enforcer in the same mercenary group that the Republic was here in response to and a known criminal in the outer rim, landed with a roll in the tall grass just below the roaring flames of their dropship. After regaining himself and the weapon and kit that landed with him, he'd take a glance up at the vessel that brought them here before his visor shut, hiding any facial features worth of note. The same happened for his eleven men, now regrouping on him."Power source came from up ahead, Sir." A voice crackled through the mercenary's communications system, Brooks picking himself up and guiding the fireteam toward the unknown energy signature that had thrown a wrench in their employers' plans. His team moved quickly and efficiently, seeming to be professional in nature, all possibly having prior-service in some sort of military force. The Lt ceased the movement of his team when he came upon an odd sight for sure, [member="Razel Kolt"]. The team spread out in an arc, assault blasters and scatter shots trained on the strange looking, what seemed to be a cyborg at first. It was difficult to tell with the grass confining their field of vision.
"What do we have here?"