Operation Ado IV

IV. Flame-Retardant
0200 Hours, June 23, 3043 (military calendar) // Moodrig System, somewhere inside the pirate facility on Ado //


     “Do you have communication with the surface?” the youngest of the three pirates asked the man with the radio in a slight panic. He wore the standard pirate’s black uniform with his armored vest hastily thrown on and not even fully strapped. The radio operator sat behind the cover of a metal crate, holding the radio to his ears, but then threw it aside angrily.
     “I ain’t got nuttin on the talker,” he spat. “Whole damn thing’s out.”
     “Maybe we should run?” the young soldier suggested, his continuous shifting of weight to either leg showed his worry in coop with the sweat on his brow. “I think we can find a place to hide. Maybe we can surrender?”
     “We don’t surrender!” the third soldier, a middle-aged Elrish runaway, growled, his tail swishing back and forth gently.  The young human pirate quieted down. “We stay and fight.” The lizard squinted his slit eyes at the young man. He always was the first to act up. Humans were full of whiners.
     The man lowered his head. “Yes, master….”
     The lizard peeked out from the metal crate he was hiding behind. Two black figures moved down the hall. One bore the unmistakable marks of an Imperial Marine. The other…was different. It had a small, meager frame, with white eyes instead of the EM red eyes. The lizard lowered his head and grunted. He saw the worried gaze of his newest soldier, and the loyal stare of his friend. A battle with an Imperial Marine with their puny weapons, the Tesion Mict-5 assault rifles, would only end in complete failure, and his squad knew it. They also knew he was the kind of lizard who would order that suicidal engagement anyway; for he constantly told them of the great honor that was to be won upon dieing in battle.
     “I don’t mind death,” the second man said, with a grin.
     “I knew you wouldn’t, Kriz,” the lizard replied. He grinned back at his friend, and then glanced over to the newest member, who rested against the wall almost in tears. “You shouldn’t fear death, Kevin. The Uni will be fair to you.”
     Kevin nodded solemnly. “Yes, Master Tura.” He closed his eyes and shuddered at the thought of death.
     “Today is a good day to pass on,” Tura said as he pulled out a grenade. He glanced at the two humans. “Let’s go out with a bang.” Kriz nodded with a grin, pulling out one of his grenades as well. Kevin pulled out a grenade a second later. Tura nodded to the two, and in two seconds, they jumped out of cover with their primed grenades, only to be immediately getting acquainted with jets of searing flames, burning through their clothes and skin instantly and turned them into crisp, smoldering piles of charred humans and lizard remains.

     The squad had split up. One Imperial Marine with one Blazer. Corporal Minta was following Denson like a shadow. The two were traveling down a hallway, passing the scorched metal crates with the crisp corpses behind them.
     The tan corridors had minimal resistance. Most of the pirates must have been killed already.
     “Sir,” Mendez’s voice broke over the COM. “We found the pirate leader. He ran off behind a set of double doors leading deeper into the facility.”
     “Follow him,” Denson ordered.
     “Negative, Sir,” Mendez relied. “The door is guarded by a mounted heavy plasma repeater.”
     “Plasma,” Denson mumbled. “Where did they get plasma weapons?”
     “Unknown, Sir, but the leader and his personal guard had plasma rifles as well.”
     “Everyone, regroup at Mendez’s position,” Denson ordered. He received three green acknowledgments on his HUD. Mendez’s marker was only 20 meters away, only one hallway across from where the two where. Denson and Minta continued down the hall: The Imperial Marine with his rifle out and scanning the hallway, the Blazer with her seductive and relaxed waltz. Quickly, the two had met with the rest of the squad.
     The hallway led to an intersection, where the imperial marines and blazers were waiting along the walls; waiting to attack the auto-turret. The edge of both the walls were melting, indicating that the plasma turret had just gotten done trying to kill Denson’s squad. The weapon ten meters down the hall itself was just a large plasma rifle with two cooling vents, each located on either side, with a small camera mounted near the tip to locate it’s prey, all mounted on a tripod.
     “Sir,” Makaio said, nodding to Denson as he walked up, “we’re dealing with a FoE Plasma Repeater auto-turret. It’s got this hallway covered.”
     “Then blow it up,” Denson retorted. He turned to Mendez. “I’m gunna need you to throw the grenade.” He received a green acknowledgement on his display. He looked over to Reeves; he was on the opposite corner. “Reeves, I want you to make a break for our side right before Mendez throws his grenade. You’re the fastest here, so you can get across before you get hit. Give Mendez the time he needs to throw the grenade.” Again, Denson received a green acknowledgement light.
     “Remember,” Makaio added in, “this thing will anticipate your next move, so think ahead of it.”
     The blazers looked at each other and chuckled a bit. Had they went about, they’d all charge it while using their high acrobatics to avoid the plasma, but even the blazers would admit that one or more of them might die in the attempt. These EM’s could take care of this threat without anyone needlessly dieing. They crossed their arms and waited. Of course, if this plan of theirs failed, they wouldn't hesitate to call Denson out and rush in with their own form of attack.
     Denson counted down from three; two, Mendez prepared a grenade; one, Reeves prepared to sprint. Zero, Reeves darted out from cover. Wasting no time, the turret opened fire. Mendez jumped out of cover, grenade already primed, and tossed it down the hall. Reeves dived forward and over the plasma bolt the turret shot in prediction of where he’d be.
      However, his leg drifted. A bolt strafed his leg. He hit the ground and rolled before landing on his back. As he landed, the grenade detonated; sending the turret forcefully to its side as its other vital equipment detonated, sending pieces and bits all around.
     Makaio walked over to Reeves and helped him up. “Enjoy the fall?”
     Reeves grunted and shook his head in annoyance.
     Denson looked back to Reeves, having currently observed the downed turret. “Reeves, how’s your leg.” Reeves gave him a thumbs up. They all knew that the armor could hold against the single plasma bolt. Denson shook his head and looked back to the door. “Alright, let’s move out.”
     The Denson and Mendez took point, heading down the short hallway to the door at the end. The blazers headed down before Makaio and Reeves.
     Minta looked back to Reeves, “Hey, why don’t you talk?”
     “A mute?” the other girl added in.
     “He can talk,” Makaio answered. “But he nearly refuses to talk if he doesn’t have to in a mission. He’s a scout, and he doesn’t make noise.”
     “How boring,” Minta giggled as she looked back to the front.
     “Quiet,” Denson ordered. Mendez took the left side of the door, and Denson too the right, since he was left-handed. The motion tracker didn’t show movement, but of course that didn’t mean no one was inside. Denson hit the door’s open button and it slid open.
     Mendez aimed his gun out the door, but immediately had it blasted out of his hand as bullets screamed through the doorway; fired from a Spider-Tanks duel miniguns. This also prompted an immediate swear from Mendez.
      “Get away from the door!” Denson shouted, shortly before the wall blew apart as a gauss cannon shell detonated upon impact of the door. The wall erupted and sent debris flying everywhere, along with Denson and Mendez. The blazers, Reeves, and Makaio all bolted for the corners they had once previously occupied. Before the dust even settled the Spider-Tank opened fire with the miniguns. The two EM’s and the two blazer gals made it to cover, but the bullets ripped into the back of the other two. The two male blazers fell to the floor as more bullets pelted their backs.
     Minta’s screams overcame the hallway as she watched her friends and comrades fall under the barrage. Her suit, as well as the other girl’s suit, engulfed in flames as the gel lit up.
     “Sir!” Makaio shouted into her COM. “Sir!?”
     Denson grunted, and shifted under the rubble.
     “Don’t get up! Stay under the cover of the rubble!”
     “Damn it…Makaio…get us some anti-armor down here now!”
     “Sir…Mendez’s bio signs aren’t reading!”
     Denson looked over. He could see Mendez was exposed, hardly protected from the ruble…but he wasn’t moving. Denson checked his team’s bio readings. Mendez’s heart rate had flat lined….