A quick yawn and a stretch, and the fog of sleep slowly faded from his mind. A quick glance around the room yielded no sign of his bunkmate. A small datapad placed precisely on the table was blinking, notifying its owner that it contained a message. Stretching once more, Angel groaned as a few joints popped, and the sinews in his body returned to their normal state. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and groggily made his way to the table.

They had only been back on Tadath for a few days after successfully rescuing Terval from the Delta Ohm forces on Cepany. The campaign had been a successful one overall, having eliminated much of the resistance, while critically damaging their public image. It would be a long time before they could cause any more trouble.

"Sithspawn" Angel cursed out loud as he stubbed his toe on one of the chairs. "When do we get freaking chairs on repulsors." Rubbing the last clinging dregs of sleep from his weary eyes, he picked up the datapad and tapped the screen to access the message. He was relieved to find that the author was from Kami, written before she had left the room earlier that morning. He had been hoping for a nice little note to wake to, but his relief didn't last long. The note was short and to the point"

"Meet my office, 0830 sharp. New mission."

Sighing, Angel set the datapad down and glanced at the bedside chrono. 0817 stared back at him in big, bold, red letters. "Well shit."


**    **    **    **


Silently cursing military uniforms, Angel smoothed out the medals adorning his left breast pocket and raised his hands to knock on Kami's office door. It had been a couple weeks now since he had taken the mantle of Squad Leader of Jester, as well as Platoon Adjutant of Storm, but he still couldn't get used to having to dress in full uniform everyday. Everyday at his desk he tugged incessantly at the collar, and had to keep the air conditioner on full blast to keep from sweating through the heavy fabric.

Finally composing himself enough to knock, he struck the door twice in rapid succession.

"Come." Was the only reply he got.

The door opened with a *whoosh* as Angel hit the control pad to his right, revealing Kami sitting behind her desk, and Riqimo perched on the chair opposite. Kami's face betrayed something that Angel couldn't quite identify, but he knew immediately this wasn't going to be a simple mission. Throwing the two officers a quick salute, he stood at attention until addressed.

"At ease Sergeant." Riqimo said, returning the salute. Angel took the seat next to the Company Commander and braced himself for whatever had Kami so perturbed.

"What would your reaction be to the name 'Logan Johnson,' Jikkyo?" Riqimo continued, rising from his seat.

Angel's heart dropped at the mention of the traitor's name. His last mission before retiring had been to Cepany to investigate the rebellion there, but his squad lost four good soldiers, and gotten several civilians killed. Indeed it was this mission, and Logan's part as a key player, that had caused his retirement in the first place. "I'd say..." He started, choosing his words carefully. He had dreamed many times about the day he could get his revenge on that treacherous scum, and he didn't want to blow his chance with curt words.

Before he had a chance to complete his sentence, Kami interrupted. "That exactly what I told him you'd say." She said, flashing a sad smile at him. "He's been spotted on Cepany in the aftermath of our operations against the Delta Ohm Forces."

"We believe him to be one of the leaders of Delta Ohm, and given your...experiences...with him in the past, I approached Kami about sending Jester in to apprehend him." Riqimo said, turning on the holoprojector in the rear of the room. A map of the capitol city of Cepany flashed into existence with several key locations marked. "Your last visit did not go so well, but this time we won't be going in covertly."

Kami spoke up, continuing the briefing. "Jester will establish its base of operations here, along the outskirts of the industrial sector of the planet. From this, you will launch a three-phase attack."

"We were taken by surprise with the resistance the DO's were able to muster, especially their armament." Riqimo said rather dejectedly. "However, we now understand that they may be more well funded and much more well connected than previously believed."

The map zoomed into an island dotted with silos, containers, and cargo ships. "This is called, "Harbor Island", cleverly named, I know. This building is believe to be a subterranean weapons manufacturing facility, posing on the surface as a grain distribution plant. Intelligence believes that these silos are actually shams. The upper portion is filled with grain, while inside there are hundreds of weapons being stored."

"It sounds like they were building an Army for full on revolt." Angel interrupted. "This has to go much higher than a bunch of ragtag revolters and their fat-cat financiers. When we were on Cepany, Kami uncovered the planetary governor's involvement, although we could never fully prove it."

"Indeed." Riqimo responded, "We believe now that this conspiracy stretches far beyond what was previously theorized. Your first phase will be to break into, neutralize, and destroy this facility. We're done playing patty-cake with this planet. You should plan on heavy resistance from not only security, but the planetary militia who also has an outpost on the north end of the island."

"Ultimately, the tactics are up to your discretion, but we'd prefer the militia left alone for now. We are unsure about the level of their involvement." Angel's eyes flicked back to Kami as her voice dropped a few decibels. "Just be safe out there."

"Your planetary liaison with the Army will be someone you are quite familiar with as well, Colonel Saunders." Riqimo added with a smile. "He's been briefed on your situation and will supply you with anything your squad requires."

The Lieutenant switched off the holoprojector and the lights slowly brightened back to their full luminosity. "Any questions?" Kami asked, letting the slightest hint of concern edge into her voice. Angel could see now clearly in her eyes the worry she had about sending him back. She knew that the first chance he had to go after Logan, or his monstrous brother Vaughn, he would lose himself and possibly endanger his squad.

"I won't let you down." Angel said, breaking the tense silence which had gripped the room. Tossing Kami a reassuring glance, he stood from his chair and saluted both officers once again. With a quick and precise turn on his heel, he was gone from the room, leaving his commanders in silence.

"You really think he can handle this?" Riqimo asked Kami questioningly. "I know you have the best bead on him in the Army..."

"He'll be fine." Kami answered sharply. Although her heart betrayed her words, she spoke them none-the-less. "Angel would never turn his back on his squad."


**    **    **    **

Back in the Jester Squad briefing room, Angel quickly ran over the condensed briefing he had prepared for the squad. One by one they filed in, chatting amongst themselves. Brightstar, his ASL, came up beside him after closing the door behind the last squad member in. Handing her a datapad, he dimmed the lights and began the briefing.

JESTER SQUAD MISSION BRIEFING...

PHASE I


MAP



(Click HERE for full size map.)

OBJECTIVES

- Establish local base of operations
- Break into marked facility
- Confirm status as weapons manufacturing
- Gather Intel on financiers and owners of facility
- Destroy, cripple, or neutralize the facility
- Destroy all silos containing weapons
- Neutralize security forces
- Attempt to keep militia out of conflict
- Disable shipping / transporting equipment on site

RULE OF ENGAGEMENT

- Deadly Force approved for all combat within facility
  - If facing militia forces, do not engage unless necessary for self preservation
- Civilian casualties within facility are seen as collateral damage.
  - Attempt to preserve their lives if possible, unless impeding mission goals

EQUIPMENT

- Standard squad payload
- Necessary explosive ordinance / small arms can be requisitioned from VE Army base on Cepany

CONTACTS

- Colonel William Saunders, base commander
- Colonel Leah Zanker, militia commander

OOC:

See the following links for background information on this story line
-Flight to Cepany
- Return to Cepany

Kami sat motionless within the plush chair of her office, having bid farewell to Riqimo as he sought out duties elsewhere. Her green gaze was focused on the pile of paperwork before her, though she barely saw the figures, signatures and details outlined within. She was completely preoccupied with thoughts of Cepany...and Logan Johnson.

Biting back a sigh, Kami came to her feet, moving swiftly over to the small liquor cabinet situated to the side of her desk. She allowed one hand to hover uncertainly over the amber liquid of the nearest bottle, before cursing and clenching it into a fist. One drink would turn to two, and eventually, she would finish the entire bottle. No. Drinking to avoid dealing with her past was one mistake Kami wouldn't make again.

She gazed out the window of her office, watching a a patrol of Stormtroopers beneath whirl in perfect lockstep about the training yard. In the past, she'd dealt with her problems directly, often with a rifle in hand. It was what she had been trained to do since she started walking, and despite her love for politics and the fact that she was enjoying her new role as PC, some situations couldn't be fobbed off to subordinates.

Biting her lower lip as she considered the implications of what she was about to do, Kami spun on her heel and moved to the comm on her desk. Her receptionist, a young Corporal with a quick mind and a keen wit, answered immediately, “M'am?”

“Desio, I need you to contact Lieutenant Pershaw once he's clear of meetings. Inform him that I'll be tagging along with Jester Squad to Cepany to ensure things go smoothly. I'll be available if he needs to contact me but he should understand.”

There was a brief pause as Desio jotted down a note, “Understood. Anything else?”

“Ensure my paperwork doesn't overflow into the hallway,” Kami responded, already rifling through her drawer to find her sidearm, “Forward anything critically important to Colonel Saunders at our Cepany base of operations. He'll ensure I get it.”

“Of course Lieutenant.” Desio didn't bother to question her logic, “When are you leaving?”

“Immediately,” Kami cast her entire upper desk drawer into a small knapsack, slinging it over her shoulder, “Oh, and Desio,you better venture from that desk to sleep whilst I'm gone. No more later nights.”

“Yes m'am,” Desio's sigh was poorly concealed, “I guess I'll make an effort to go and mingle with the grunts down at the barracks at some stage.”

“God forbid you enjoy yourself,” Kami murmured under her breath, already stalking from the room. She wasn't sure how Angel would react to her presence, but then again, he didn't really have a choice in the matter. Despite his overwhelming hatred for Logan Johnson, the man had to be handled delicately, as did a large portion of Cepany's twisted and corrupt higher circles. She wouldn't trade Angel for anyone else in the Army, but his tendency to react rather than employ rational thinking could spell disaster for this particular mission. Better if she was there to clean up the mess and ensure no-one else was killed.

Her mood suddenly dark at the thought of the friends she had lost on Cepany the last time she was there, Kami set her jaw, and moved down a side corridor towards the hangar bay.

Waiting impatiently at the landing bay of the Army HQ, Angel wore a hole in the duracrete pacing back and forth in front of their transport. It was scheduled to depart in less than 10 minutes, and no one from Jester was anywhere to be found. Waiting there alone left his mind nothing to do but replay the atrocious failure of his last mission, and the high price tag it had resulted in. Three of his best had died, costing the Vast Empire thousands of credits covering up their adenoiditis, and Angel himself faced a disciplinary hearing upon his return. The meeting had been convened in secret, as word of the Army's involvement in the death of an immensely popular actress and her billionaire tycoon father, two of the Cepany elite, would have destabilized the entire sector.

In the end the disciplinary committee had allowed him to retire rather than be formally discharged, a tribute to his service record. Angel fired up another cigarra and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke burn into his lungs to calm his nerves. A dozen butts already laid at the sergeant's feet, testament to the nasty habit he picked up since returning to active duty. He couldn't blame the Army for re-enlisting him, they were at war after all, and recruitment was down. But saddling him with a squad so soon after returning, then putting him right back where he left off...

"You know those things will kill you?" A familiar voice spoke up behind him. During his ruminations, Angel had failed to notice Kami entering the hangar.

"If I'm lucky it'll be these." Angel quipped half-heartedly, throwing a mock smile at his commanding officer and fiancée. She had changed out of her service uniform and into combat attire with a duffel slung around her shoulder and sidearm at her waist, a fact that didn't escape Angel's notice. "Don't you have drawers of paperwork to be filling out? A rookie squad leaders tears to wipe?"

Rolling her eyes at Angel's teasing, Kami dropped her duffel at his feet and fixed him in her icy-green gaze. "I've decided to go with you." She said, placing her hands on her hips. "And before you ask; No, you don't have a choice and yes, you'll still be leading the missions."

Angel arched an eyebrow at this latter comment, the hidden meaning more than apparent in the worry played out deep in her eyes. Dropping what remained of his cigarra, Angel extinguished the burning paper with the heel of his boot. "Riqimo doesn't trust I can do this alone does he?"

"Angel, it was my decision to come." Kami said softly, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I know you, and I know how you react to things." Wrapping him in a quick hug, the platoon commander added, "Besides your squad is shorthanded as it is, and you should welcome another gun added to your arsenal."

Out of the corner of his eye, Angel finally spotted Brightstar making her way towards the shuttle at a light jog. Verkur and Squall rounded the corner into the bay just moments after the Jester ASL. Flashing him a sad smile, Kami reached out and gave his hand a squeeze before shouldering her duffel again and entering the shuttle. Nodding to Brightstar, Squall, and Verkur as they boarded, Angel spotted Jori and Jager. The former coming at a dead sprint, while Jager sauntered over at his own pace. The always energetic Jori muttered an apology for being late as he quickly dashed up the boarding ramp. Jager on the other hand, smelled faintly of booze as he passed by, giving a casual "Sarge." on his way in.

Laughing to himself, Angel grabbed his duffel and boarded the shuttle last. Retracting the boarding ramp and closing the hatch behind him, he made his way past where the squad had settled in, Kami and Brightstar already engaged in some sort of conversation while Squall and Verkur both equally ignored everyone. Jori was bolt upright in his seat, eyes flicking anxiously back and forth, while Jager was leafing through some sort of dirty magazine. Angel silently hoped that it was humanoid at least, the other possibilities causing him to shudder.

Finally reaching the cockpit, the Jester Squad leader informed the pilot they were ready for take off. Nodding her affirmation, the pilot prepped the shuttle for departure while Angel made his way back to his seat. He had just settled in when the whine of the repulsorlifts kicked in and the shuttle lifted off the ground. Closing his eyes, he tried to drift into sleep,  but his restless mind centered on Logan and his brother Vaughn.

I'm coming you sons of bitches, and you're gonna pay.

"No... dont... Come on, I'am a paying customer. You cant treat me like this" Jager mumbled in his sleep, his  magazine lying over his face. The shuttle hummed and rumbled along as it entered Cepany and towards the landing pad. Within moments of entering Cepany the shuttle had touched down in the pads a few kilometers east of the facility.

"Welcome to Cepany ladies and Gentlemen," The Pilot announced from the cockpit. One by one the Jesters got to their feet and out of the shuttle. No one bothered to wake Jager, so as the pilot made for the exit he grabbed Jager by the leg and dragged him onto the floor.

With a metallic Thud Jager woke up, replying to the pilots unorthodox methods of waking a sleeping trooper with an abrupt but necessary extension of his middle finger as he staggered to his feet and out the door to his Squad. A small hover-van waited for the squad on the far side of the pad.

"Everyone in," Angel ordered. The van was cramped with the the seven members of Jester in the back. Jager was seated in between Bright and Jori. Immediately Jager pulled a flask out of his gear and went to take a swig but paused when he realized that everyone was looking at him.

"I'll take that for a while" Bright said in a condescending tone as she snatched the flask out of the pseudo-groggy Lance corporals hand.

"If I be a good boy, can I have it back?" Jager asked, Bright shoved him slightly

"Not a chance"

"Come on..." Jager pleaded half-heartedly, causing Bright to shake her head and turn away. Disheartened Jager began considering his options when he felt someone bump against him.

Jori... he thought, shuddering slightly

Turning to the newly appointed corporal Jager threw on a sarcastic and deceitful smile

"Hey Buddy..."

Jori's eyes narrowed, "....What?"

Jager knew he was losing him, he had to act fast

"Jori my old chum, wouldn't suppose you had any liquids of an intoxicating nature on your person... in particular any you'd share with a certain lance corporal?"

Jori let out a 'hmph', "Your the last person I'd share a drink with."

Jager knew this wasn't going anywhere so he turned away, muttering "Tight-arse" under his breath.

Within seconds of muttering the van took a sharpe right turn then halted abruptly.

"Where here, everyone out" Angel ordered. The van door slid open and the Jesters quickly jumped out. On exiting the Vehicle Jager's wish for liquor increased exponentially. The squad's base of operations was an old warehouse, reminiscent of the one used on Kolstor.

"Deja vu anyone" Jager stated as he slowly made his way into the center of the somewhat spacious, yet small warehouse.

The night air should have been refreshing, but Kami felt sweat trickle from her hairline down the side of her face as she moved out of the transport after Angel's broad shouldered form. Her stomach was clenching and twisting at random intervals, testament to the extent of her anxiety over this mission. Everytime her and Angel had been on this god forsaken planet, friends had been hurt, and missions had gone horribly astray despite intense preparations.

“See you on the other side,” Bright's whisper cut through Kami's whirlwind thoughts as she turned to lead her team in the direction of the lower of Harbor Island's bridges. Letting her gaze linger on the three soldiers before they were swallowed completely by the night, she forced herself to take a deep breath and hold it. Giving into her fears was not an option. She didn't have the liberty of cross checking approaches and potential threats as she had become so used to in her office on Tadath. In the field the mission depended entirely on your ability to adapt as situations presented themselves.

“Kams,” Angel dropped back one step, his murmur no louder than the whisper of the wind, “You alright?”

Laden with weapons, her rifle clutched firmly in her grasp, Kami was unable to reach out to him. Shaking her head to clear the last vestiges of doubt from her mind, she smiled, aware that Angel would be able to sense the reaction even if he couldn't see it, “Ready to finish this.”

There was a glimmer of white in the darkness as Angel matched her predatory expression, before he increased his pace, taking point once again as the trio weaved their way about the edge of the island towards the looming shadow of the high bridge. Reaching the structure unnoticed, they swept along at a half crouch, briefly exposed to the eyes of anyone watching as they turned west.

The two outposts were virtual beacons in the night, a series of lights providing a runway to direct incoming and outgoing traffic easily through security. Angel barley missed a step as he calculated, then turned towards the outgoing outpost. Kami silently agreed with his choice. Better to risk more of the enemy entering than allow anyone to exit.

The outpost was deserted save four soldiers, clad in a nondescript black without distinguishing badges of any kind. Automatic rifles were slung casually over their shoulders, their attention on the  card game on the monitoring console before them as Jester swept into the light. Angel gestured with one hand, and Kami and Squall fanned out to either side of him as they approached the small building. Seconds later, they were at the back door, which was held unsteadily in place with a rusting chain. There was a brief pause as Angel broke the chain with the butt of his rifle, then they were in.

Alerted by the slight noise, one of the soldiers had his rifle in hand only to die as Kami's first shot took him in his unshielded face. Another died  as he dove towards the alert button, a series of Squall's perfectly timed shots tracking up his side and sending him crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs. The final two guards died in their seats, as Angel calmly drilled two bolts through their chests.

“Before the others react,” Was all Angel said as he moved back out the door at a run, angling towards the incoming outpost. Kami and Squall moved with him, crossing the distance in seconds to a similar back door, held in place by a twin chain. The door burst open before they could  break it, revealing the startled expressions of another four outpost guards. Angel lashed out unthinkingly with a kick, driving the lead soldier back into his comrades. Caught off balance, all four died as Jester opened up with their rifles, leaving a bloodied mess on the floor.

Not waiting to be ordered, Kami leapt lithely over the dead bodies into the main room, her green gaze sweeping the console. She turned as Angel arched a questioning eyebrow, “No alert. They must of agreed to check it out before reporting.”

Angel nodded, his relief hidden, “Alright. To the security post then.”

Kami signaled consent, her fingers flying briefly over the console and locking the heavy bars allowing entry to the island in place. Grabbing at the security access card on the closest dead soldier, she accessed the outgoing outpost and locked those bars as well. They wouldn't stop anyone on foot, but vehicles would have a hard time of it. Stepping back, she pulled on her rifle's trigger again, turning the card swipe point into a pile of superheated slag. Then, sliding a new ammo clip into place, she jumped back over the bodies and reentered the night.

The trio of Angel, Squall, and Kami moved quickly through the night. Several light posts were simply ran by, momentarily revealing three stormtroopers running past, weapons drawn. Sacrificing stealth for speed, Angel knew it had to be only a matter of moments before the two outposts were scheduled to report in. Once they failed to, the alarm would be raised and their mission would be over. The path he lead them out only chanced the light when no transports were near, a task easily done with the night shift working and the loading docks shut down. The only traffic were the inter-facility transports carrying parts and people around to their various destinations.

Slipping past one such transport, the three Jester squad members slid up alongside the western security post. One of the guards was outside talking to a transport driver about the latest episode of their favorite holocast. Cursing to himself, Angel knew they had to wait out the conversation, the three of them would never be able to take the post and transport quickly enough, and each minute wasted brought them closer to being caught.

"Hold" Angel whispered to Squall, who fingered his weapon anxiously. After what seemed like an eternity, the transport finally started to pull away, and Angel made his move. Opening the door quickly, he bull rushed the two guards inside, flipping both over his shoulders, then turning and emptying a  few rounds into each. Kami quickly dispatched the third guard sitting at the communications console, while Squall had snapped the neck of the guard outside.

"Good work, now we just have the security center." Angel said, just as the outposts comm crackled to life.

"Outpost Two. Outpost Two. What is your situation. Outpost Two do you copy?"

Kami looked at Angel, who in turn looked at Squall, who had just entered from outside. A momentary look of panic passed over each persons expression. Squall acted first, the sergeant yanking the body of the dead guard from the seat next to the console.

"Roger central, this is outpost two." He spoke into the comm, trying to do a decent impression of the man they heard talking to the transport. "We are at situation One-S-Q."

"One-S-Q?" Kami whispered.

Squall merely shrugged, a confused look on his face. "What the hell else do you say? I was never a rent-a-cop."

"One-S-Q? Davis, is this your idea of a joke?" The reply came. "I don't have time for jokes."

"Well," Angel said, "Talk to the man."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Yes...of course...you know me! Always a jokester." Kami's groan interrupted Squall, who shot her a nasty look before finishing. "Everything is fine here, was just getting caught up on my soaps."

"Roger that, next situation report in 30 minutes."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Angel and Kami patted Squall on the back. "I should get an award for that acting. Think I have a future in drama?" The trooper mused.

Stifling another groan Kami just shouldered her E-11/m. As she had done before, she closed the gate at the security console, then fired a few rounds into it so no passer byes could unlock it.

"Let's move out." Angel commanded, already halfway out the door.

The trip to the security center was much slower than their previous jaunts. The traffic was a lot more dense within the confines of the facility. Trucks and droids scurried busily back and forth, trying to keep on schedule. This close to the militia base, Angel dared not risk traveling in lit places, so they were forced to wait until passing headlights revealed the safe spots to cross the roads. After two trucks crossed paths, Angel gave the signal to move, and all three sprinted across the road to the exterior of the western security center. Silently hoping Beta team was on the same objective already, Angel prepared himself for whatever lay inside, then opened the side door of the center.

Bright signaled for Jager to knock on the door. Three loud, quick bangs was enough to stir the centers occupants. The plan wasn't great, but it was going to have to do. Knock on the door, take out whoever answers then clear the building... to easy.

In the moments following the initiation of the plan the group could hear a feint murmur from behind the thick concrete wall. Sure enough someone stepped out and was immediately caught in a head lock and rammed into the wall by Jager. The occupants of the norther security post sat in stunned silence as they watched their co-worker pulled into the darkness then silenced.

"...Frank?" One stammered,

Bright had stopped them from storming the building. At first the group estimated that there would be two.. maybe three guards inside, instead there were nine. On impulse Jager picked up the body of Frank and held him up as a shield.

"Hope this works" he mumbled as he stepped into the door way using Franks body as a human shield. At first the occupants were perplexed by Jager's poorly thought out plan. A few stood in horror as they witnessed their co-worker start moving back inside, the top of his head caved in from the impact with the concrete wall. The lance corporal used this moment of confusion to throw Frank at the nearest guard then drop to a knee and hose the room with automatic fire. Bright poked her head in the doorway and began dropping anyone who Jager missed.

the entire episode lasted a good forty seconds, its end heralded by the 'Click Click Click' of Jager's m82. Bright stepped in and surveyed the damage. The reinforced glass, now smeared with blood, had held, containing the indiscriminate spray to the room. Jager remained very still as Bright brushed past him, her side arm drawn. Jori quickly followed knocking Jager as he passed to assist Bright.

The security center looked as if a bomb had hit it. Bright slowly made her way around the semi-circular room, checking the bodies and just examining the area.

"What a mess..." Bright sighed as she pushed a corpse onto its back and quickly examined it.

"Well, I do try" Jager retorted, reaching his cigarette packet.

"I could of done better" Jori quickly added as he sifted through a pile of scattered papers on a desk.

Jager let out a brief 'heh', "Didn't see you coming up with any idea's outside..."

"You call this an Idea, you were making it up as you went along... Bright just let you go ahead with it because she guessed it would of killed you"

Both troopers turned to the sergeant, who had been coming in and out of the argument. Giving a slightly confused look she turned to Jori,

"Well, the important thing is that we're inside... even though I'd rather be outside now"

Jager's smirk grew, "Beggars cant be choosers".

Jori sighed and shook his head, then went back to aimlessly flicking through papers. Jager got to his feet and lent against a wall. Slowly he went about replacing the magazine in his weapon while the others finished their search.

"Take five guys. Jori, hit the lights.. I don't want anyone seeing the mysterious stains on the windows."

Jager pulled a chair up and Jori sat on a table while Bright raised Alpha on the Comm,

"Alpha this is Beta, center clear. Heading down to building B."

Alpha team made it to 'Building B' without incident, despite an unusually high level of activity on the surrounding roads. The central structure of the facility loomed above them, a huge black mass broken only by security lights at the few entrances. All windows, if there were any at all, must have been shuttered to prevent the building from being easily targeted by the air.

“Beta, report in,” Angel's voice was barely a murmur, though the response came immediately.

“Southern entrance looks to be the least difficult,” Bright replied, “We'll have to move quickly though, we encountered a patrol on the way here.”

Kami's brows creased beneath her helmet. That gave Jester around ten minutes to half an hour before the base would be aware of their presence, depending on the patrol's check in pattern. Perhaps even earlier if the security posts they'd already cleared were discovered.

“Move in, we're on our way.” Angel ordered, moving swiftly out of his crouch and into a run. Kami followed on his heels, her rifle constantly scanning the landscape about her, straining her hearing in an attempt to hear the movement of any other patrols. She started slightly as Squall let out a soft grunt behind her, his armored leg connecting with a solid mass of flesh. Glancing back, she saw the strewn form of a dead soldier, his vacant gaze turned skywards. Beta's dead patrol. The time frame of the mission didn't allow the Imperial troopers the luxury of hiding the bodies.

They was a flash of light ahead, followed by the muffled  whine of blaster fire. Alpha skidded about the side of the building to see Bright, Jori and Jager engaged in a close firefight with the posted security detail. Unable to do anything but watch due to the proximity of their comrades to the enemy, Alpha team pivoted, weapons scanning the darkness to prevent an ambush from behind.

“Clear,” Jager's voice, calm despite the circumstances.

Angel strode forward, his visored gaze meeting Bright's, “You know what to do. Place the charges, we'll confirm that this is the target we're after.”

She nodded, signaling to her team, and abruptly Alpha were alone once more.

“We better move, we have four floors to clear,” Angel examined the small lift nearby, then sighed, kicking the stairway access open with a booted foot, “Here's hoping that everyone's gone home for the night.”

Jori knew he was making Jager mad, but he couldn't help it. Normally the wisecracking was Jager's job, but Jager was just handing Jori ammo. Since Jori wasn't the one to pass an opportunity like this up, he was taking every chance he could to take a jab at Jager.

I'll leave him alone, but sometimes I just can't help it and it comes out anyway.

As they moved around on the floor, Jager and Bright looked around while Jori kept an eye on Gary, who shifty eyes gave away the fact that he was looking for a moment to run. Jager said something and Jori looked away from Gary for a second, but that was all it took. Gary jumped for a doorway and ran inside, but before he could close the door, Jori slid inside just ahead of the door. Gary backed away slowly with a look of terror on his face.

"Wrong move." Jori said, leaning forward and grabbing Gary.

Throwing him up against the wall, Jori opened the door back up and pushed him out. As Gary stumbled forward, Jager knocked him down with the butt of his gun.

"You better not do that again, or the consequences will be much worse than a shove and hit in the back of the head." Jager threatened, close enough to Gary's face that he could see the individual drops of sweat.

"Get up, Jager, before you kill him with you breath. Instead of hitting him in the back of his head, you could of just breathed in his face. The effect would of been the same." Jori said, laughing as he pulled the tech back to his feet and pushed him forward with the barrel of his gun.

Following the tech, who obviously wasn't going to try and escape again, Jori lifted the Silent Death as Gary suddenly stopped in front of a door.

"I'm sorry, but this is as far as I can go. I don't have level three clearance so I can't get through this door. You're on your own now. So are you going to let me go?" the tech said, all in one breath while looking apologetically at them.

Looking back at Bright, Jori waited for orders on what to do. When she strode forward, he stepped back quickly to allow her to pass. When she was eye to eye with him, she squinted and sneered menacingly.

"I know you have access to higher levels than this. If you don't open this door right now, I'm going to kill you with my bare hands, so you better get to work." she said as the tech broke out into a sweat.

She stepped back as the tech swung around quicker than Jori thought possible and swiped his card through the door, opening it. Jori pushed him through, whispering in his ear.

"You better not lie anymore or else she really will have a reason to kill you." Jori said.

Gary nodded quickly.

"Good boy. Now walk." Jori ordered.

Jori regained conciousness a few minutes after the explosion with a nasty headache. The headache was caused when the force of the explosion threw him back into the wall of the elevator, nearly cracking his head open. Then, Bright fell back a split second after he did and as his head was rebounding from the brutal hit against the wall, her elbow smashed into his nose, nearly breaking it. When he realized where he was, he noticed that there was blood on him. He touched his nose and his fingers came back with dried blood. He sat up and was instantly dizzy. He shook his head and nearly threw up when a wave of nausea and pain washed over his body. Making a mental note to avoid moving his head much, he slowly got to his feet. After taking a few shaky steps, he got the hang of it.

Oh man. Jeez. I've got to find Bright or Jager.

He managed to stumble out of the elevator and was suprised to find Jager and Bright standing there. He managed a grin and sat down on what used to be a table. Heaving out a sigh, he tried to speak. Finding that he couldn't, he was stumped for a few moments until he realized his throat was dry. He looked around and spotted a water dispenser over in the corner that had thankfully been nearly unaffected by the explosion. It had a dent in the side, but was otherwise in good shape. After taking a few swallows, his thirst was quenched and his throat had been wettened enough for him to talk.

"So, what do we do now? Continue on?" Jori said slowly.

Jager shrugged and Bright looked uncertain.

"I guess thats what we do. But we have to be careful from now on because something like that might happen again. Lets go." Bright said, turning toward the stairwell.

Nodding, Jori checked the Silent Death for ammo and, satisfied, he moved behind Bright. That left Jager, still with the cigarette in his mouth, last.