OOC:

Alater
Special Forces
Level 1: Navigation Systems
Story 1: Advanced Map Reading

Alater sighed as he looked down at the foray of maps displayed on the holo desk in front of him. For over a week he had been locking himself down in this dark, dismal, dreary abyss that he loved so very much so that he could read and study a series of holo-maps made for an unknown jungle planet. Being a member of the elite Special Forces task group, map-reading and cartography were essential.

The point of the exercise was to teach the infinite facets of the fine arts to otherwise disinterested members of the group. Alater, as a heavy weapons specialist, understood the importance of knowing the lay of the land, latitudes, longitudes, and the like when it came to computing targets for artillery strikes. Shells and laser fire did not always land exactly where you wanted them to and in order to get them there you had to be able to read your maps.

As a hunter Alater rarely used maps but the concept was the same to him. How a land rose and fell could determine where your pray would be during what part of the day. How and where the sun would rise over you controlled your time in the shadow. Using a map could let you navigate around enemy defenses and arrive safely behind their lines without a serious threat to yourself or your squadmates, but as a Special Forces member there was more practical uses for maps.

Alater popped himself out of the haze that had become his reality as the map seemed to change again. The terrain was moving in a strange circular pattern that Alater didn't recognize. After minutes of observation the Barabel noticed that the way in which the holo was changing was to simulate some sort of tectonic shift that was natural to the planet. Alater wondered to himself, what type of planet would change this much, this fast. As he continued his contemplations the answer came upon him, visually.

Slowly, as the hills and valleys changed and became one another, a small encampment arose out of a hill. There, moving about on the ground were dozens of men. They seemed unaffected by the fact that their entire encampment had just risen out a hill that was now a lush valley. The men seemed to be of a military fashion and moved from place to place in ranks. Their dress wasn't exactly something he recognized but then again the map wasn't supposed to be real time holo either.

Alater was not given much time to consider this fact, as his dark abyss was soon disrupted by the opening of a very solid door which was accompanied by the sudden abundance of glaring light into his eyes. At the top of a small set of steps stood a figure whose exact features were made invisible by the large quantities of bright light flooding into Alater's hole.

“Sergeant?” Came the unsure voice of the figure that was now slowly starting to resemble a fairly muscular human dressed in the black garb that was typical of Special Forces members.

“Yes, what is it?” Alater said as he started to push a series of buttons on the console of the holo-map. The map dissipated and Alater stood up. He watched the eyes of the young human as his full height came to the man's sight. Alater judged by the lack of response and the cool demeanor that he was no rookie and definitely more than a messenger.

“Sergeant I've been sent to give you this package, and to give you a small briefing on the training mission that you'll be participating in.” The man said, reaching behind his back to reveal a large holo-tablet, handed Alater his briefing package.

Alater took the tablet from the young man and began to flip through it as they walked together in silence. The halls of the Special Forces building were lined with a special material that kept most noise to a minimum but managed to record almost all sound. Alater looked up from tablet, or more precisely so that he could see the young man that was supposed to be transporting him and giving him his briefing. The young human was looking up, probably following the movement of the large lizard's head, and their eyes met. The young man was strong, determined, and had promise. Alater sighed at the  lack of understanding in the young boy's eyes. The most talented people came through these halls, and none left the same as they entered.

“Sergeant, you've been tasked with taking a three man team through the terrain of the maps you've been studying as part of your last assignment. The planet you were studying does indeed exist and has been the host of a small group of rebels. Normally this would not attract the Empire's attention but as the planet's tectonics is so strange we decided it was a great way to train some of our troopers in some overland tactics while you continue you studies in map reading.” The young man finished as they reached a door that lead into a hangar. Inside were three men standing outside a standard imperial transport, baggage already on board.

The flight started off and made it to the jump into hyperspace without a hitch. The silence aboard was typical of the Special Forces. Taught to work alone or in very small groups Special Forces members were often quiet, reclusive, and had that 'taunt spring' feeling about them. The two younger men in the transport with him had obviously never had their first serious mission and didn't seem to be looking forward to this one. A small encampment of lightly armed men in a secluded area was not likely to be an issue. Alater pulled a data tablet from his small pack that he carried on his person and put it out on a pull-out table.

“Look,” Alater said as he switched on the holo, “The target is a pretty small encampment of men, lightly armed, using this planets tectonics to hide. I know you've already been briefed on this, but you need to learn how to read these maps. See how the change in dimension and depth occurs as the planet shifts?” Alater asked as the two stared studiously at the map. Alater waited for both of them to nod before he continued.

“Well, what this map shows is the different degrees to which each planetary shift makes. As the planet rotates, and with it the plates, the tectonics change a degree here and a degree there, until they make a full out change. This is what we're going to use to not only find, but attack and leave the encampment, undetected.” Alater said, setting the map down inf ront of them.

As the long hyperspace voyage continued all three continued to study the map. They memorized how the terrain seemed to bob up and down. Alater discovered that each shift was a rotational cycle that changed the varying degrees in which the plates shifted. By showing a three dimensional map that not only showed the above ground lay out, but also showed the underground aspects, he finally understood exactly how the planet was going to shift, and when.

When they reached the planet all three filed into the back of the transport. There, waiting like three black daggers, were their drop pods. One was obviously Alaters and the other two filed in and put in their comms. Gear already inside the pods were especially cramped.

“All settled? Good. Drop in three, two, one.” Alater called the countdown and they were launched straight from the transport.

The trio plummeted towards the surface, which changed right under them so that instead of crashing into a valley the pods all descended onto a bare hill. The pods never did make for a comfortable landing but the stealth technology of the Special Forces did make it a bit more comfortable than most, which isn't saying much.

Once outside their pods the trio began to move silently up and over hills and through valleys that changed in a pattern now predictable to them. About twenty clicks south-southeast was their target, and the hill that was in question seemed to always be right in front of them. Alater began to question why it never moved until, when they reached only about a click, he realized that the hill was at a focal point in the platonic shift.

As they reached the top of a hill that had been a valley as they started climbing in the encampment came into view. About twenty men moved about, most on guard duty, the rest in something resembling a squad did physical training. Alater pulled out his goggles and zoomed in.

“Ok, we've got approximately eighteen men down there. Right now we're looking at this as a hill, but in about twenty minutes we'll have it as a valley again. James,” Alater addressed the younger of the two men, “Take your sniper rifle and move to that valley over there. It's on the same time line as area and is only ahead by about two minutes. Snipe from there.” Alater directed, and waited for the man to move into position while himself and Ranith, the other trooper, inched down to easy range of the outer wall.

“James, it looks like there two down here in towers, and two on the walls. There all yours. After that you give us what support you can. Ranith and I will move as soon as you make the first shot.” Alater said, and they settled down for the last few minutes.

Quickly the hill became a valley and everything opened up for James up on the hill. Alater almost didn't hear the first shot, and the only sign that it had been fired was that the man in the tower slumped over. Alater and James were already moving by the time the second man fell. Once they had reached the front gates and scaled them James had dropped the two on the walls.

Alater and Ranith stalked quietly around the grounds, searching buildings and barracks as the squad PTed in a sort of circle around the general grounds. All rooms being clear, except for one office which Alater marked for James with a laser, the pair moved off in a hammer-anvil maneuver. Quietly they set up the medium-heavy weapons they had been carrying on their backs, aiming them at the squad. With a simple hand signal a pair of automatic lasers ripped through ten of the squad members. Their two obvious leaders fell immediately, and the one who attempted to run was cut down by sniper fire.

The remaining three had taken good cover but were pinned down by James' and Ranith's fire. Alater moved around and flanked them as they cowered behind the corner of a building, dropping down on the one in the center of the pack. The second fell as Alater snapped his puny neck so hard that his head was facing backwards. The last had time to draw a combat-knife only to realize, right as he died, that that didn't work against Barabels. After cleanup Alater called in to their transport and sent a single message to control.

“Mission Complete. Coming Home.”