"Squad One in position."
"Squad Two in position."
"Squad Three in position."
The corvette's captain, Janos Gurych, merely smiled and gave his comm officer a firm nod. As a result, the latter immediately turned back to his instruments and opened a comm channel back to the three squads of Remnant Stormtroopers. "This is the Captain speaking. Squads One through Three, you are cleared to proceed."
The truth of the matter was that the ship's captain was still trying to figure out exactly what was happening around him. Bits and pieces made their way to his ship's comms but there were too small and too far in between to make any sense of whatever was going on. On one hand there were rumors of disturbances on the planet's surface. On the other hand there were cryptic messages sent from high up the chain of command to the Nebulon-B frigate also stationed on the planet's orbit - the frigate which being the largest craft present in the system acted as the group's flagship.
What's happening? Captain Gurych asked himself for the tenth or more time in what must've been just as many minutes that passed on by. The man's gut was telling him that something big was going down but instead of being kept in the loop and made an actual part of whatever that something was... the fellow was instead being tasked with apprehending a rusty transport that was attempting to make a quick getaway.
Such occurrences weren't in fact as infrequent as the general public may have been led to believe, but they were for the most part nothing more than routine: disabling the craft, tractoring it in and next boarding it with properly trained and equipped Stormtroopers. Most of the culprits were spooked merchants or rich kids going through some sort of rebellious phase. There were the occasional smugglers too, but the latter were smart enough not to make a fuss when apprehended. They knew how things worked and were all too aware of their chances after being caught red handed...
What would be the case this time around? Exactly who would turn out to be the passengers of the small transport? Given the timing and manner of their speedy departure, would they be connected to whatever was going on? Those questions and many more would soon find their answers once the boarding teams would pop open the transport's hatch and stroll right in, using numerical advantage, superior firepower and carefully honed skills to bring a quick resolution to yet another disturbance.
~~~~~~~~~~
Quick nods were exchanged by the three squad leaders once their mission received the Captain's green light. They'd already spent a little over eight minutes to cut a hole through the captured ship's fuselage and were now ready and eager to blast through that hole and storm the small vessel.
The present Stormtroopers may not have necessarily been the best in the Remnant's ranks - as their position on a small craft orbiting an isolated planet clearly indicated. They were however Imperial soldiers nevertheless, properly trained to do their jobs and nurturing ambitions of eventually running their own squads aboard important ships of the line...
"Team One moving in", the leader of the first squad announced and motioned for a couple of his troopers to kick down the ruined transport's hatch and in so doing thus reveal the hole they'd created earlier thanks to their industrial class cutting apparatus.
The inside of the transport was strangely enough dark however, even the emergency lights having been either neutralized by the ion surge or otherwise having been turned off on purpose by whoever tried to break through their small blockade.
"Eyes open everyone", the squad leader instructed as he followed a couple of other Stormtroopers inside the small vessel. "Spread out", the man's next order came once the small group reached a small intersection. Assuming the transport had not been terribly modified then the squad leader knew that to the left lay the crew quarters, galley and refreshers. The cargo hold would likely be located somewhere to the right, alongside other utilitarian quarters, leaving the cockpit and main area of the ship straight ahead.
Already knowing the drill from previous experiences, the nine men split into three smaller cells of three individuals each. One group advanced towards the port side, another towards the starboard and the squad leader paved the way forward towards the cockpit itself. "Same as always everyone - maintain radio contact and report anything strange as soon as you see it..." Confirmatory clicks came in response and the squad leader smiled inside his helmet, feeling a somewhat warm and fuzzy sense of pride...
~~~~~~~~~~
One small step at a time the squad leader kept advancing forward, making sure to stay alert and keep his guard up. He knew the two troopers behind him would have his back so he only needed to ensure that the front would remain clear as well. The main area they were passing through now was in all likelihood the most dangerous one of them all with plenty of positions to take cover from and attempt an ambush.
There was however no sign of movement. No shadows disappearing into the darkness and no sounds echoing back throughout the hall. Things appeared to be pretty much still and peaceful. A good thing too - assuming the appearances were indeed real and not merely fabricated instead.
"Squad Leader to everyone else - status?" the man stopped and inquired all of a sudden. "Flynch here... nothing to report", came one of his men's replies. "Baldr here - likewise reporting nothing unusual thus far."
Are they playing dead? the team leader wondered but otherwise kept the thought to himself. "Understood", he instead replied as he continued moving ahead. They were about to enter the tight hallway leading to the transport's cockpit and there was technically a slim chance for the pilot to have been knocked unconscious or otherwise injured by the ion blast from earlier. So at least the squad leader chose to explain the strange lack of activity throughout the rest of the ship.
"Come on... Come on... Come on... Come on... Come on..." the barely audible words made the Stormtrooper stop in his tracks. Once the man ascertained that he was not in fact hearing voices and that the sounds were coming from further up ahead the squad leader motioned for his two companions to raise their rifles and get ready.
~~~~~~~~~~
On a different part of the ship - inside one of the crew quarters - another cell of Stormtroopers also stopped their advance. Before them, leaning against one of the beds, laid almost motionless a fellow wearing a Remnant uniform. The man was clearly not dead as the occasional twitch in his limbs as well as the unsteady rising and falling of his chest made it obvious he yet drew breath.
The three Stormtroopers approached slowly, one aiming his gun at the seemingly wounded individual, another one covering the rest of the room and the third having turned around and instead covering the exit.
"Who are you? How did you get here?" the lead Stormtrooper inquired after kneeling right by the other's side, not once lowering his weapon in the process however. "Petty Officer... First Class... Myu-Myurj Razso, regis-registration number... J26-8T3-9... oh the pain!!! Meds... I need some meds... Do you have some pain meds for me?" the prone figure asked weakly at first and rather anxious and hopeful towards the last.
"Team leader this is Flynch, I have a wounded here. Sir, he appears to be one of ours - please advise!"
~~~~~~~~~~
"...please advise!" the transmission ended but the man leading boarding team one was not yet in a position to reply. He and his two other companions were instead busy pointing their guns at the sole occupant of the ship's cockpit, a young and nerdy looking Human that was either deaf, mad or stupid to continue playing with his datapad after already been given three distinct warnings to just drop whatever he was doing, get on the floor and bloody stay put.
"Come on... Come on... Come on... Come on... Almost there now..." the geeky fellow kept mumbling, for all intents and purposes seemingly oblivious to the presence of the armed troopers behind him. "Yes! Just one more firewall and I'm in..." the lunatic spurted out and whether intentional or not the words sent goose bumps down the squad leader's spine. "This is your final warning kid. Slowly put that away and get on the floor or I will shoot you were you stand", the man delivered his ultimatum fully intending to carry through with his promise.
His mistake was that he got too caught up in the moment and failed to notice that he was not in fact the only one. As all three Stormtroopers faced the strange fellow in the pilot's seat, weapons raised and poised to fire at the slightest provocation, nobody noticed the shadow silently dropping down from on top some thicker pipes running throughout all the ship. The shadow straightened up and grinned as it just as silently approached the enemy trio, menacing vibroblade clutched tightly in the right fist.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Sir, this is Flynch. Please advise regarding injured ally..." the leader of the smaller cell tried to once more get through to his boss but for whatever reason the squad leader did not appear to answer. "No... no time... information... vital... Remnant must learn... any cost", the fallen individual struggled to speak as he weakly raised an arm and motioned for the other to approach.
Not wishing to pass on the opportunity to learn some supposedly vital information for which he could later be awarded for bringing forward but at the same time not fully trusting the half dead individual before him either - the kneeling Stormtrooper instead gave his companion a nod, followed by a subtler one aimed towards the potential threat. Understanding the message the other trooper aimed his rifle at the downed Petty Officer whilst the kneeling trooper lowered his and brought his head closer to the injured fellow's head.
~~~~~~~~~~
Two long arms rose behind the Stormtrooper closest to the cockpit's entrance. One moment they hovered above him and the next they moved with practiced exercise: left hand to pull back on the man's helmet and skull, right hand to bring the sharp vibroblade upward from the other side. Its aim? The surprised trooper's exposed throat as well as the cerebellum should the blade reach that far in the individual's skull.
Death was instantaneous and almost silent as well save for a slight gurgling sound. The sound in question caused the nearest trooper to turn and face the commotion but by the time he did so and noticed his companion slumping down, a raised weapon was already aimed at his head. Realization of what had happened finally hit him but by the time he had a chance to react the gun's muzzle already flared twice, thus sending two subsonic rounds straight through the trooper's visor.
This time around the cracking of the helmet was easier to hear and the squad leader turned just in time to see blood still spraying out from the two small holes in his companion's visor. Like his colleague before him, the man next attempted to fully turn and deal with the threat - a motion he was in fact already pursuing by instinct alone. A motion that just like before would remain unfinished as the barrel of the same gun next stared him straight in the face.
A single prayer went through the squad leader's head at that precise moment. He prayed that his shots would be faster than his assailant's. He prayed that this would not be the day to leave his wife a widow and his two sons orphans. He prayed for strength and victory...
~~~~~~~~~~
"Information... must hear me out... must deliver it... all costs", the injured fellow kept mumbling even as he motioned for the Stormtrooper to get closer and closer still. "What is it? What's the information?" the soldier finally asked in a clear and somewhat more understanding sounding tone than before.
"You... You're all... You're all so..." the injured Imperial coughed a few times and appeared to have difficulty in continuing to speak. "You're dead", his voice suddenly changed and the words came out as clearly as they could've possibly come. Just then a different figure rolled out from one of the bunks holding two silenced blasters in each hand.
The first one to get shot was the sole trooper aiming his rifle at the supposedly injured Remnant soldier. Two rounds hit the man in the back of his head, sending him collapsing forward. Quickly adjusting to the positions of the other two targets Snow wasted no time in sending another bolt straight in the second trooper's head. The man caught it straight in the face as he tried to turn and check out the commotion from inside. The final shot was reserved to the kneeling trooper that was otherwise kept immobile by Ice's strong grip. Once all three targets were down, the two mercs stared at each other for the briefest of moments before getting on their feet and heading towards the doorway.
~~~~~~~~~~
Of all the gods in all the cultures and religions throughout the galaxy Seth believed and worshiped none save one and one alone. The goddess in question however had no authority over life, death, love, fertility, wisdom, war, prosperity and peace. No, the goddess Seth Qorbin believed in was none other than Lady Luck herself - a goddess whose actions were not restricted by any one single field, instead being felt throughout possibly all of them together.
The reason Seth liked this deity was because she did not ask for anything in exchange. She bestowed her blessings equally and indiscriminately, regardless of species, race, sex and status. What was more important still was the fact that she appeared to gaze more favorably on those who attempted to help themselves first and foremost.
This could've possibly been one reason for which Seth's blaster managed to fire before the squad leader's rifle. Another could've been attributed to skill. Another still on the logistics themselves - the blaster needing to only turn a few degrees whilst the rifle had to come to almost a full a hundred and eighty degrees. Yet one reason more could be the fact that the blaster's firing mechanism was simply able to fire faster than that of the rifle's.
Regardless of exactly what was the reason for his victory over the armored Stormtrooper, the fact remained that Seth Qorbin remained standing whereas the Remnant squad leader did not.
"Micro, how are you doing?", the VENI agent whispered but instead of getting a reply he only saw the geeky kid's thumb raising from his side before the fellow pulled back his arm and began typing like mad once again. "Awesome..." Seth nodded, by now understanding that he was unlikely to get a more complex answer from the busy looking individual.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Did you hear that?" the impromptu leader of the remaining Stormtroopers asked one of his comrades. The three men were about to enter the small engines room when a silent thud weakly echoed throughout the hallways. "Boss, do you copy?" the man tried contacting the squad leader first. "Boss?" he repeated after a few seconds passed on by without any reply. "Flynch, you there?" A few more seconds went by before the fellow tried contacting his squadmate for a second time. "Flynch, answer me buddy..."
"Something's wrong", the man surmised after still receiving no reply from neither of the two other cells. "Squad Two this is Baldr, I've lost contact with both Lead's group as well as Flynch's. Moving in to investigate now. Requesting reinforcements on standby just in case..."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Acknowledged Baldr. Squad Two ready to deploy. Squad Three standing by", the second squad's leader managed to reply in a clear and collected voice. The truth however was that the man wasn't nearly as calm as he tried to appear. This was the first time he ever lost contact with part of a team going in to subdue a small vessel's occupants. The fact that communications were still possible, as well as sounding perfectly fine for that matter, somewhat implied that there couldn't have been a jamming or any other type of technical glitch.
Then again there was no gunfire either. No loud noises, no cries for help, no nothing. Given their training and experience the Stormtroopers that went onboard would surely not have all fallen so easily and without putting up one hell of a fight first. So then why weren't they answering? Unease began growing within the man as each passing second went by.
"Baldr, come in. Have you located the others?" There was no reply however. Ten long seconds went by without a single squeak from the other end of the comm. "Baldr, do you copy?" the second boarding squad's leader attempted once more. "Baldr, are you there? ... Is anyone there, over?"
~~~~~~~~~~
"...anyone there, over?" The noise was barely audible through the small holes now decorating a Stormtrooper's helmet. Three such bodies laid on the floor, with two figures standing on top of them, fuming blasters still clutched tightly in their hands.
The Remnant trio never saw it coming - just as they were about to turn and retrace their steps, two men jumped from either side of the engines room. One subsonic round after another was shot next, the blasts hitting the unprepared Stormtroopers full on, riddling them with holes.
RedTape watched as Smiley checked for vitals and seeing the other nodding satisfied brought a small smile in the corner of his mouth. He couldn't believe it but the VENI agent's plan had actually worked thus far. Rather than sticking together and forcing the boarders into a straight up firefight in the main corridor, Qorbin instead chose to divide their forces.
Not only that but the fellow demonstrated a very sharp wit, being able to account for the enemy's tactics, keeping in mind the ship's layout and blind zones but most importantly also correctly deducing where each member could best be used.
Micro for instance was to be left in the cockpit and from there try and take over the corvette's systems. If in the process he could also act as bait for Seth then all the better... Since Ice was still wearing a Remnant uniform the VENI agent asked the man to put on an act for the invaders. His job was to basically act as a distraction while Snow could take out the enemies. Given her light frame it was as such easier for her to hide in the same room as the others. And given her marksmanship skills she was the top candidate for dealing with multiple enemies at the same time anyway...
That in turn left everyone else to hide in the engines room. The rescued women would stay behind and out of sight whilst RedTape and Smiley would help create a choke point right at the door. Even if their presence would be detected they would still benefit from the door frame's cover, all the while the approaching Stormtroopers would have no place to hide instead.
Dangerous son of a kath hound, RedTape narrowed his eyes and turned to look at the sole approaching figure. The footsteps were heavy, metal clinking against metal. The whiteness of the armor managed to still make itself visible even despite the lack of proper lighting throughout the entire ship. There was a single crimson patch of liquid spread across the chest piece but that did not appear to bother the individual coming ever closer.
"Any problems?" the new arrival asked using the Stormtrooper helmet's vocal rendition software. "None", RedTape replied bluntly. "Good, then we can move on to Phase Two", the Stormtrooper replied and moved away next...
