Futuristic The Relentless: Journey To Old Earth (Chapter One)

[Xemanorth]

As the rest of the tour seemed to settle into what appeared to be the bridge of the ship. Coste took the opportunity presented to him and opted to wander off, further familiarizing himself with the layout of the ship by way of aimlessly wandering around its many halls and facilities. Likely sticking his nose where it didn't belong in the process!

Malik made his way around the ship with bouncy, rhythmic steps, almost as if the music blaring back at the club had never left his mind to begin with. Restless, like always, the man pulled to a stop sooner rather than later. "Well, I'm sufficiently bored." He announced to, to himself more so than anyone else.

What to do next, was the question at hand. Then again, was it not always? Coste slowly began to drift through the many different areas of the ship, likely to bump into someone along the way, the question remained however, who would be his first victim?

 

[DapperCat]

Kayin Nwosu

Location: Private Dock
Addresses: None

.

Kayin remained outside of the ship, snapping pictures with the X-ray function of her lenses. More than half of it was sheer fangirling, but she did also do it for her job. Running a finger under her nose she took a step back. She hadn't a clue there was a need for her to come aboard currently, nor did she know when they were set to leave. The woman was good at her job. Fixing things and making things. But everything outside of it? Well, it just wasn't as important to her.

 

[Epiphany]

The journey to the ship wasn't long for Talia either.

Unsurprisingly, a port had fast avenues of travel from the docks to its business and admin sections. Talia took an elevator down before transferring herself and a single duffel bag onto a tram that shutttled her out to the specific dock where her ship awaited. While her tram had other passengers, they were mostly dock workers or crew who barely noticed her. That suited Talia perfectly well. In her historical line of work, being noticed wasn't an asset most of the time. Being known was, though. And coming here, and going out there, meant leaving what she'd been behind.

She arrived at the Relentless with a bit of a smile, as she meditated on that thought. Talia hopped off the tram with her duffel and paused to give the Agincourt a lookover. The Relentless had military written all over it. Not a deal-breaker, by any means. In fact, she felt envious of the craft and intrigued to be going aboard it. She was just used to being on the business end of fighter craft, rather than being aboard one herself.

Shouldering her duffel, Talia walked up the dock gangway to the hull of the ship, well aware that a private dock like this probably recorded her arrival and transit. If someone in there was the responsible sort, they'd be watching external cameras or at least have a computer alert to prompt them of an arrival. Stopping at last in front of the thick hull, Talia eyed the entry keypanel with an appraising look. Sliceable? Probably. She'd never tried to break into a military craft before. But then, she didn't need to.

Instead, Talia faced the door, hit a button on the panel to signal she was there and spoke aloud, knowing audio intakes would likely pick up anything she said. "Belmore sent me."

She didn't look like much. Dressed in dark denim jeans with a fastened black synthleather coat, Talia could blend into most crowds. Just an ordinary girl out for a stroll. Except for her lack of nervousness at being in a private dock, her lack of awkwardness talking to a military vessel and her lack of discomfort at not being known by the crew. Most people had an inner hesitancy when plunging into a new social setting at a new locale, but not Talia. She simply looked...patient. Like a tiger waiting for prey.

 

[Squee]

Keller nodded in response to Othic’s reply about someone still being outside. He remembered the name ‘Kayin’ being mentioned in engineering. That only left two people that he hadn’t been introduced to—the blonde who hadn’t said a word as far as Keller could tell, and the bored-looking guy that apparently had already wandered off. He could only guess at what they were hired for.

Eclectic indeed, he thought to himself. If he were only relying on his military history, Keller probably would have been very concerned about the lack of discipline and coordination. As it was, he’d gotten used to working with all sorts over the last five years… it was actually quite amazing how many dysfunctional pirate crews managed to pull together and miraculously accomplish their goal- if somewhat haphazardly.

By the time Devereux was thoroughly distracted by the cockpit, Keller had decided to find one of the wayward crew members to make introductions, but he only made it two steps before the coms brought the announcement of someone else.

“I’ll check it out,” he said, and stepped through the double doors onto the balcony overlooking the cargo bay. He assumed that if Haverson wasn’t expecting anyone else that he would say as much.

The woman waiting down below was dressed casually- dark hair to match her dark eyes. She had an air of calm and confidence about her, and something in Keller immediately recognized an unspoken quality about her.

“You haven’t missed much,” Keller said, leaning forward with his forearms on the rail. “The captain was just giving the new arrivals a tour. You got a name?”

 

[Epiphany]

Talia's eyes shifted upwards, followed by her chin lifting to look at the man addressing her. Those dark eyes narrowed slightly as she took his measure. Then her face relaxed into a cheerful, friendly smile. "Talia! Talia Sarif. I'm your newest, and probably last new crew member. Steer me at the captain and I'll pick up with the rest of the group."

With her duffel bag hoisted over a shoulder, she looked like any tourist touring the galaxy the cheap-way. Talia deliberately slipped her hands into her pants pockets, completing the image...and thus drawing attention to the artifice of her presentation. If anything betrayed her training, it was her lack of incidental movement. Most people fidget, shuffle about, sway or periodically twist to look around. Talia simply stood there, hands in pockets, waiting in a way that suggested the ship might rust away before she grew impatient.

 

[Squee]

Something told Keller that this one knew how to stay cool under pressure—probably the way she stood there as if she knew exactly what she was doing. That should come in handy.

He pointed a thumb back over his shoulder before heading toward the stairs. “Captain’s up here, but they’re probably comin’ back this way soon. If you’d like to drop your bag in your room first, you can follow me to the crew quarters. I was heading that way myself anyway.”

As he reached the floor of the cargo bay, he extended his hand. “Keller. Tactical. Or “security” I guess they’re callin’ it.”

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Keller to his credit, took action without any direction from John. As far as he was concerned, the mission was ready to go and if there had been any last minute hitches or changes, he expected to hear directly from Belmore, as had been the case at every stage of the operation so far.

Othic gave John a sideways glance to which the Colonel replied with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "Myn, can you finish the tour? I'll need to see what this is about."

If the remainder of the crew went with Othic, he would have led them back out toward the briefing area to the twin stairs leading to the floor above.

At the Stern they would find the medbay, fully stocked with several machines on stand-by waiting for input from Maura. Four cots were already made up although Othic hoped the crew would have no use for them.

The large common room sat beyond the med bay "The Den," as the Colonel had labelled it, had most modern conveniences at hand. Two long, soft couches and a number of other comfortable seats for the crew to lounge on were arrayed around the room. The floor was carpetted and a large entertainment and gaming system, plugged into the network, was attached to the near wall.

The galley connected to the den through a single doorway was a plainer affair. The table was long, with ample space to fit the small crew for sit down meals.


The door at the far end of the common room led to a long corridor with five crew cabins on either side. To anyone unfamiliar with space travel, most would have labelled the cabin as cramped, but to anyone had spent time in the Navy, the room was almost palatial. Each had space for a large bed, a desk and chair and a couple of cabinets for storage. Along the back wall of the cabins, a sliding door that opened up to a small bathroom, complete with sink, toilet and shower.

John meanwhile hurried after Keller, just in time to hear the stranger introduce herself. "Talia! Talia Sarif. I'm your newest, and probably last new crew member. Steer me at the captain and I'll pick up with the rest of the group."

That was enough to give John pause. Belmore had repeatedly insisted the roster was to be picked at John's discretion. While the dossiers had been picked by the expedition overseers, crew selection had been strictly John's call with input from Othic when required.

Keller had already reached the cargo bay floor and was offering to bring the new arrival up. John waited and kept his expression carefully neutral as the elevator ascended.

"John Haverson," he said, extending a hand. "It seems I'm out of the loop, Miss Sarif. Can you explain just exactly what you're doing here?"

 

[Equusheart]

As the rest of the crew moved off to continue the tour, Kyra found herself hanging back. She stood on the bridge and staring after where John and Keller had hurried off to.

Originally, when Keller had left Kyra had thought nothing of it. It was probably some routine security procedure. Someone wasn't where they were supposed to be, so Keller was checking up on it. Since that was basically his job, Kyra had pushed the thought from her mind as she continued to look over the controls.

But then she noticed the subtle shift in John's demeanor before he hurried after Keller. Kyra frowned. If it was simply a late arrival, than why did she feel her hackles rise at the way the two men reacted. She shifted in place wanting to trust that it was nothing. If something was to happen both men would be fully capable of handling it.

‘A good pilot always trusts their instincts,’ Kyra heard her father's voice say in the back of her mind. It was the nudge she needed. Kyra turned and followed after John.

She kept her pace slow to make it seem like she was just casually making her way back to the cargo, her gaze seeming to move over the ship. As if she were just trying to get one more good look at the ship. But her senses were on full alert and she had one eye trained on John, Keller, and the woman that claimed to be the late arrival.

Still trying to keep up her casual facade, Kyra moved over to the railing not far from were John was standing. She put her arms up on the rail and leaned forward as if to peer over the side. Her eyes however were locked on the woman.

 

[DapperCat]

Kayin Nwosu

Location: Cargo Bay
Addresses: None

.

Finally, eventually, the woman was done with her extensive examinations. She brushed the back of her hand across her forehead. Footsteps caught her attention, chocolate-brown eyes focusing on a new woman who seemed to-...not even see her. Well. That wasn't too uncommon, really. She usually was overlooked and when she wasn't, she got more negative attention than positive. But she couldn't help but mutter under her breath as the woman disappeared into the ship; "...rude..."

She huffed, tapping another button on the side of her glasses as she stepped up the ramp. She tried to rush a little. Making sure to slip through the open metal door before it slid shut with a puff of air. Despite her earlier comment, her being ignored always made her feel awkward. She adjusted the backpack on her back and attempted to leisurely begin her own tour of the aircraft.

 

[Epiphany]

Squee
Talia smiled again at Keller's response and waited patiently for him to descend down to let her in through the main hull door. She nodded at his suggestion of dropping off her duffel. "Don't mind if I do, Keller." Her lips quirked at his invocation of 'security' with all that has meant for her historically. "On a ship like this, we may have similar roles. Looking forward to working with you." And, before they headed in, she offered to shake hands.

Equusheart DapperCat
Neither the pilot nor the engineer drew an immediate reaction from the casually dressed woman with the duffel bag. In Kayin's case, at least, she might have assumed the woman was part of the port staff, finishing up an inspection before releasing the vessel on its mission. For Kyra, the pilot's casually look over the rail didn't draw and obvious attention from the dark-haired arrival. Instead, all of her attention seemed focused in front of her, towards Keller and beyond him the approaching John Haverson.

Shannon Trevor
When the leader of the expedition arrived, Talia stiffened perceptibly but her smiling expression didn't slip and inch. "I can explain what I was told, sir," she said in response. "You'll probably want to verify it with Belmore, though. I was commissioned to join this expedition under his direction. I'm-" she paused, glanced at Keller and her friendly facial expression gained an edge of amusement. "-I suppose you could call me Security, sir."

It was an accurate statement, given most of her talents lay in combat. But the double-meaning, that she was here to protect his investment, was also entirely intentional. And if she made every show of deference to John Haverson, she'd relaxed again and there was no trace of the kind of nerves or eagerness to please one usually saw in someone reacting to their superior. To those of a military background, she might very well give off something of the vibe of a civilian politician, someone who'd follow orders aboard ship but didn't consider themselves under the military chain of command. Except at the same time, she plainly wasn't a politician. If anything, she had the physical presence of someone who not only expected confrontation but might very well look forward to it as a nice change of pace.

"Let me know if you'd like me to wait here while you verify my credentials, sir," she added. And once more, she just stood there like someone who had absolutely nowhere else to be.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

"There's no need." It was Othic who cut in to the exchange between John and the new arrival. He held up his personal slate by way of explanation to the Colonel who took it from him.

Dear Gentlemen,

I trust the pitch went well and the prospective crew are now fully on board with the job proposed. My employers are aware it's less than twenty fours hours until scheduled departure and are excited to see the Relentless and her brave crew on their way after years of preparation.

We do have one concession to ask of you and by now I'm sure she has already introduced herself. Miss Sarif will be accompanying the Relentless on her journey. I apologise on behalf of our esteemed benefactors that this has been sprung on you so close to departure but I'm sure you can understand our reasoning for this.

I can assure you Miss Sarif's credentials are impeccable for the job at hand and I trust you will find her a worthy addition to your crew.

Good luck to you all.

- E. Belmore


"I expect you'll have a similar message sent to your own slate," Othic said as John finished reading the message.

John handed the slate back to Myn and looked at Talia. "Welcome aboard," he said with a sigh and a thin smile. It wasn't Sarif's fault but John felt like he had been blindsided and so close to departure, could do little to change it. "Myn will show you around and you can meet the crew...." He trailed off as another stranger sauntered up the cargo ramp. John ignored Myn as his friend stifled a laugh. "You know," John said, leaning his elbows on the rail, "The ship does have a maximum crew size."

The new stranger was another young woman. She took her time to study the Kodiak before looking up to John and the crew gathered around on the gantry. "I'm looking for a Captain Haverson." She was a slender thing, clad in a bright orange jumpsuit at least two sizes too big, with jet black hair styled into a pixie cut and a jaw that jutted out with an air of defiance.

"That'd be me," John replied.

The woman jerked her thumb behind her. "Dock master's looking for you."

John's brow furrowed as he stood himself up straight. "In regards to what?" he asked. On a job like this, it was essential that everything was squared away to save on complications. John had been thorough on every piece of admin and payment required to have the Relentless harboured safely on the private dock.

The woman shrugged and motioned for John to follow, ending any argument John might have considered putting forward. The Colonel sighed again. "Alright, I guess. Everyone, get yourself squared away and feel free to explore the ship. Any questions, ask Myn." John turned to his friend, tapping the Rolex on his left wrist. "I'll be a few minutes. Try not to recruit anyone or find any stowaways while I'm gone."

 

[Equusheart]

As everything was sorted out with the newcomer, Kyra slowly began to relax her guard. It seemed the woman was meant to be part of the crew after all. But something still had her slightly on edge.

Her gaze drifted down the ramp as another woman, a dock worker of some sort probably, approached saying the dock manager need the Colonel for something. Probably some last minute paperwork or something like that. Kyra rested her chin on her crossed arms as she leaned on the railing and watched as John followed after the woman. After a few minutes Kyra sighed and turned to Myn.

“Well I guess I should go collect my things from the other ship,” she said. “I shouldn't be too long.” Kyra gave them all a smile and a wave before making her way down the ramp.

 

[Epiphany]

"Splendid."

Talia glanced between Othic and John before offering another warm, friendly smile and her hand stretched out in a plain invitation to shake hands. The arrival of another visitor to the ship obviously drew the Captain's attention so she shrugged and stepped out of their way as she hauled her duffel bag inside. "Can't make any promises, sir," she said over her shoulder, flashing Haverson a cheeky grin. That one, at least, seemed completely genuine.

Stepping inside the ship proper, Talia glanced back at Kyra as the other woman leaned against the railing but she judged her uninterested in casual chit-chat just yet. So instead she fell in behind Keller. "I'm trying to decide if you're the guy with a story for how he got here, and a story for everything else. Or if you're the guy with nothing to say about himself. Which end of the spectrum do you see yourself leaning?" Judging by the amusement on Talia's face, she'd probably find any answer he gave entertaining.

 

[Squee]

Keller stood by while the captain dealt with the business of the new woman. It seemed strange that she was added at the last minute the way that she was, but if the last five years had taught him anything, it was not to get worried about things you don’t get paid to. Along those same lines, Keller was glad to not be the one in charge right about when the dock master’s assistant walked it.

Shoot stuff and get paid, or don’t get paid and shoot some more stuff. Sometimes life was best when it was simple.

The vibe he got from the new gal was still that she had far more going on than she let on, but he liked the understated quality about her. He also liked her subtle way of asking about him. Far too many of the out-going types liked to fire a million questions and expect to become soul-mates over a single cup of coffee. He didn’t have anything against getting to know the people he might be living with for weeks or months, but some stories were better suited for a bottle of whiskey than a cup of coffee.

“Oh I’m sure we’ve all got a story,” he said, giving her a slight smirk to go along with the understated tease of his answer before he turned to lead her upstairs. “I suppose I’m a little of column A and a little of column B.”

 

[Shannon Trevor]

"Kyra." John called out to the pilot as he stepped down from the cargo ramp. "Need a hand?" he asked as he jogged to catch up the small distance between them. "Myn can get things squared away and I can't see the dock master taking up much of my time."

John saw a good chance to begin to get to know one of his new crew mates. They would all be spending a lot of time together and their ship wasn't that big. It would help if everyone got on.

Sorry," the dock worker said as she stepped into their path. "Boss says he wants to see the Captain only." She gave an apologetic shrug to Kyra as if the matter was out of her hands. She lowered her voice as she leaned toward the pair. "Trust me, you want to stay on his good side."

"Not a people person, I take it?" John asked, faintly amused.

The young woman gave a shake of her head. "Not at all."

John sighed. "Wait for me by the entrance." he said to Kyra before indicating to the docker to lead the way. The dock was cluttered with crates and machinery but aside from a few idling workers, dressed in identical clothing to his escort, it was quiet. John glanced at his Rolex. "I hope this won't take long."

The woman stopped, turning to face John. "No time at all. Colonel."

John's brow furrowed at the sudden change in title. His honed senses screamed out a warning but it was too late. He heard the shuffle of feet pick up behind him. He turned as an unseen assailant clamped a foul smelling rag over his nose and mouth. The John's shout of surprise was immediately muffled by the firm hand pressing the cloth over his mouth.

The suddenness of the attack had taken John unawares, causing him to breathe in a mouthful of the noxious fumes on the thick rag. "Mmmphh! Mmmmpphhhhh!" Almost immediately John could feel himself weaken and knew he had to act quickly. He was a strong man but the chloroform was an equaliser.

John's left arm reached up to the hand clasped over his nose and mouth in an attempt to pry it away but his attacker was just about strong enough to hold it in place, grunting with the effort of holding off John's attempt at resistance. The woman who had lured John into the trap, grabbed hold of his arm with both hands. She struggled to hold on as the Colonel done his best to free himself from her grasp.

"Mmmmpphh...." Slowly, the fight faded from John. The Colonel's arms dropped limply to his side. The edges of his vision slowly grew dark.

"Trap worked perfectly," the woman said, sneering at him.

With a final deep sigh into the cloth, John lost consciousness.

​

*******​

The thug armed with the chloroform, a tall, stocky male of a similar age to his counterpart let the limp body of the old man slump to the ground. He prodded him with his foot but their target didn't move. "Tough old bastard," he said, breathing heavily.

"Handsome too," the woman said as she crouched next to the Colonel. She pickled up the man's left arm and held it. With no sign of resistance, she dropped it across his broad chest. She activated the concealed comms held in her overalls. "Target secure. You can proceed with Stage Two."

"Understood. Make the target ready for exfil. We're moving out now." Concealed in the neighbouring dock, the call was answered by a male in plain black combat armour. Standing close to six and a half feet, with an ugly jagged scar running from brow to chin, he looked every bit as dangerous as he was. Five other similary attired individuals checked their weapons as he terminated the exchange. "Objective one is down. It's our turn now. Our target is the engine. We cripple their ship and put down anyone that gets in our way."

 

[Equusheart]

Kyra stopped when she heard John call out to her. As she turned to face him she gave a nod of her head. She honestly didn't really have that much aside from a few extra pairs of clothes. But she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to get to know him a little better.


“Sure,” she said with a smile. What the hell was this fluttering in the pit of her stomach. Kyra mentally gave herself a shake. Oh stop it, Kyra, she told herself. You've been around guys before. He's no different. Still, she found herself walking to meet meet him.

When the dock worker stepped in their way, insisting that John was to follow her, Kyra felt the same irritation she had felt with the barkeep flare up within her. Damn it all, was everyone trying to get in the way of her fun? Watching John and the woman exchange words, Kyra was reminded of one of the reasons why she hated landing. Dealing with stupid pencil pushers and their paperwork bullshit. Kyra sighed and spared John a smile.

“Duties,” she said, not even bothering to hide the irritation in her voice.

Kyra nodded at him when John asked her to wait at the entrance. She had started walking that direction when abruptly turned on her heel to follow after John. Hell, if they were going to go collect her stuff together anyway she might as well stay with him. Maybe she could even help.

Kyra picked up her place a little hoping to catch up with them. As she rounded the corner the sight that met her made her stop in her tracks. John lay unconscious on the ground with the dock worker from before and a strange man standing over him. Stunned, she watched as the woman knelt and took off John's watch.

“What the hell is going on here?” she asked stepping forward. Her voice was cold and hard. Taking a casual stance, Kyra slipped her hands into her pockets. When she felt her tablet she pressed it. Without being able to see what she was pressing, Kyra prayed to whatever deity was out there that it was to Myn.

"What exactly do you think you're doing with my Captain?" she asked cooly as she took a step forward. She removed her hand from her pocket and slid it down her hip to hover over the handle of her pistol. Her eyes went to the watch the woman was holding in her hand and Kyra felt anger rise inside her.

"You know, robbery can get you into trouble for sure. Trust me I know from experience." Kyra took another slow step forward. "But assaulting an officer means serious jail time."

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Myn felt the vibration of his slate in one of the pockets of his baggy combat pants and reached for it. The screen read Kyra Devereux. He had messaged the crew earlier with details about the ship and the expedition but had no idea why their pilot was calling him now. Had she already decided to pack it in and couldn't face having to tell the Colonel in person. "Kyra," he said as he answered the call. All he got in reply was loud rustling. "Kyra?" He tried again which was answered by further rustling. He was about to put the call off as a mis-dial and kill the connection when he heard Kyra speak, although not to him.

"...exactly do you think you're------my Captain?" Kyra's voice was faint and distant but her tone was already setting off alarm bells in Myn's mind. What the hell was going on? He held the slate closer to his ear and strained to listen.

"Hey now, this is-----oks like. We were just-----" The reply dropped in and out as Kyra's slate moved about in her own pocket.

"You----robbery can get you into----sure. Trust me I know from ex---- assaulting an officer means serious----"

Myn swore, cursing himself for not picking up the warning signs immediately. He practically bowled over Coste who was still lingering around the common area like a bad smell as he ran for the armoury. He already had a pistol holstered at his hip and quickly selected a M4 Avenger Assault Rifle and a Wraith Machine Gun from the well stocked weapons rack. Overkill maybe but at the situation was bad. At a minimum, someone had robbed and assaulted the Colonel in some way, badly enough that he was not responding which meant Kyra was possibly alone with John's attackers.

And that was the best case scenario. John had been plain about the dangers of this expedition not being confined to whatever Old Earth held.

"Keller!" He found the Selenian chatting with Sarif. He thrust the rifle out to him. "Colonel and Kyra sound like they're in trouble. I need help." He turned to the newest recruit. "Fancy tagging along? Might need every gun hand we have."

 

[Epiphany]

Talia openly laughed at the Security officer's evasive answer. "A little more column B, by the sounds of it. That's fair. Personally, I've spent most of my time over in column C; plenty of story to tell but it's anyone's guess how true any of it is. Maybe we get can get a poker game going once we're underway and all settled in with each other. Nothing cuts across who we are, or who we say we are, like poker."

As the pair made their way to crew quarters, the abrupt arrival of the XO interfered with the pleasant chitchat. Talia's face held a smile like a suit kept its creases but then she saw the rifle and dropped all pretense. A cold expression settled across her dusky features and, by the shape of her face, it was an expression she was much more used to wearing. Talia slung her duffel off her shoulder and unzipped it with one hand as it dropped to the ground. Reaching into it, she produced a Devion Industries Stinger IV pistol before fishing what looked like a combat knife out as well.

"A lady never turns down an invitation to dance, sir," Talia answered back, smiling coldly at the XO. "Let's not be late for the ball."

 

[Squee]

Keller was debating how to answer Talia’s suggestion of poker when the sound of hurried footsteps immediately pulled his attention to Othic. There was always something about a fighter that became immediately apparent when they took their gloves off. Training kicked in, and it was game time. He was ready for the rifle when it was handed to him. He would have preferred to use his own, but on short notice, it would do just fine.

He was already starting to head for the cargo bay as he checked the magazine and slid the butt up against his shoulder. Safety off, finger resting just above the trigger, he moved quick only slowing down once he reached the boarding ramp. Once there, he raised the rifle as he headed down, scanning for any signs of trouble. Once he reached the bottom, he took cover on one side of it, staying crouched and ready to cover Othic, preparing to follow behind him as soon as he came out.

 

[Equusheart]

Kyra took another step, slowly inching herself towards the unconscious John and his two attackers. Her gaze shifted back and forth between them, concern for John growing as she tried to quickly assess the situation before her. She needed to get John away from them, but there was only one of her and two of them.

She hoped that somehow her tablet had gotten through to Myn and he was on his way. But if he wasn't she'd have to make do the best she could until she could get a proper alert out. Her hand slowly closed on the handle of her pistol and took another step forward.

“Now I'm going to ask nicely,” she said cooly. Part of her hoped she wasn't about to do something stupid. “Give me my Captain…” Her eyes fell on the rolex in the woman's hand. “...and his watch and no one will get hurt.”

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Keller covered Othic as he tore down the cargo ramp. He reminded himself to take it slow. Rushing in to an unknown confrontation was rarely best practise. He knew John and Kyra couldn't be far. The dock worker had obviously been part of some kind of trap. A ploy to get John away from the ship and to a part of the dock where he could be ambushed.

The dock was private but still a huge space. The clutter of machinery, crates and vehicles only added to the scale and made the task of finding John and Kyra a deal more complicated.

The trio moved carefully, covering each other as they advanced, taking positions behind the cover available and pushing steadily forward.

It was Myn who spotted them first. Or spotted Kyra at least. The young pilot was engaged in some sort of conversation with an unseen person or persons hidden behind the wall of a lone prefab building.

He held up a hand for Keller and Talia to halt at his position. There was a large piece of open ground between them and Kyra and he wanted covered.

Myn moved off quickly, keeping low. He would never know what sense alerted him towards the dock entrance but he looked up in time to see five heavily armed and armoured individuals hurrying through the doorway a hundred metres away. They had no identification but they didn't need to. Myn knew they were there for them.

He heard one of them shout a warning, just as he raised the machine gun to his shoulder and fired off a long string of bullets. The shots were high, sparks flew off the doorway as the bullets struck, but enough to scatter the black armoured hostiles into cover.

Feet pounding, Myn dived for the nearest cover as all hell broke loose.

 

[Equusheart]

The sound of gunfire coming from the dock entrance made Kyra jerk in surprise. ‘What the hell?’ The moment of distraction was all the pair she had been standing off with needed to draw their guns and aim them at her. Sucking in a breath, Kyra drew her own gun and shot off a few rounds.

The man and woman flinched and backed away a few steps to find cover. Taking the opportunity that had presented itself, Kyra hurried forward and crouched down next to John. She ran a hand over him and breathed a sigh of relief when she found he was still breathing.

“Find some trouble did ya?” Kyra asked. She knew he wasn't going to respond, but it still helped her to clear her mind. “Let's get you out of here.”

Kyra grabbed him up under his shoulders and had started to tug at John when gunshots went off nearby, causing her to duck her head and lean over him to shield him from any stray bullets. Cursing, Kyra raised her gun again and fired back. When she was able she went back to trying to drag John behind a nearby crate.

“Damn it,” she groaned at the effort of moving him. “Why must all you military men weigh a fucking ton?”

Every now and then gunshots would fire off, forcing Kyra to shield John and fire back before going back to dragging him behind the crate. Eventually, Kyra managed to get them both under cover. Breathing heavily, Kyra leaned up against the crate as she checked her gun, lamenting leaving her other one back on the cargo ship she'd flown in.

Once she had caught her breath she peeked back out from behind the crate. Now that John was safe, she could focus her attention on the other two.

“Stay,” she said to the unconscious John before slipping from her hiding place. Staying low and keeping her gun at the ready, Kyra crept her way towards where the man and woman had gone.

 

[Epiphany]

Talia moved in concert with Myn and Keller, reflexively covering the field of fire 'assigned' to her by virtue of her placement in the formation. She'd never been through boot camp but her upbringing in many ways wasn't substantially different and the two men brought a comfortable reminder of what it was like to be part of an enforcer team again.

Unfortunately, these docks were mostly open space barring a few prefab structures like the one the pilot was next to. Myn's instinct to hold up before crossing it meshed with her own instincts and she silently cursed as she likewise spotted the soldiers moving in. Unlike her fire team, they'd come prepared in armor, better weapons and there were more of them. Her Devon Industries Stinger IV had excellent stopping power but even it might not get through that much armor, and she didn't have a rifle on her right now.

At first, she cursed again when Myn wasted the advantage of surprise with blind fire. But a moment later, she nodded slowly at the result. She'd stopped them some distance out, and if that wasn't optimal range for her pistol, it also put them farther away from the pilot and the Captain and whatever situation was going on that she couldn't see there. Hopefully the pilot had a good head on her shoulders; while she wouldn't be intercepted by enemy reinforcements, Myn had essentially cut her off from friendly reinforcements too.

Talia sighted down her pistol and began laying down suppressive fire. At this range, it wouldn't do much but her Stinger used a micro-scaled mass accelerator to fire. That meant she had thousands of rounds, as each was a sliver of metal from an internal ammo core, shaved off and magnetically accelerated to lethal speeds. She wasn't panicked or in a rush; Talia took shot after careful shot, letting the two men with rifles focus on actual target solutions while she focused more on shooting at any of the hostiles that were aiming at them. No one aimed well when under fire and the least she could do was break up their concentration and sense of safety.

Too bad they couldn't cut and run...this fight was definitely lopsided against them.

 

[Squee]

Keller fell in behind Othic as if they’d been serving together for years. The thought that Othic used to a lethal enemy of his was only fleeting, and the part of his military training that tried to tell him that the CAPs were the enemy was easily overridden by the more pertinent objective: shoot the guys that are shooting us.

A few seconds before arriving at the site of the fight, Keller broke away and cut to the right. As much as he would have preferred having his tactical gear equipped, the fact that he wasn’t weighed down by armor had its advantages too. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, he jumped up several crates stacked against a large steel shipping container. Climbing on top on his belly, he prepared his rifle while inching closer to the edge until he had the position he wanted—almost right on top of them.

He opened fire, hoping to surprise and scatter them, concentrating his bullets on the closest one in the hopes of dropping him before they could find better cover.

 

[Shannon Trevor]

Bullets slammed against the machine Myn had sought cover behind. The initial surprise that had initially caught the opposing force unawares had ran out and heavy fire was being returned on their positions.

Peeking out again, he saw one of the hostiles go down, courtesy of Keller gaining top position and pouring some fire down on them. As the survivors looked for cover, their attack let up briefly.

From behind, footsteps echoed on the cargo ramp. Myn turned to see Coste running toward them. The scout didn't stop at Myn's position. Instead he hurdled a low lying crate and took off toward the back of the dock, as far away from the fight as possible. Evidently his cool and arrogant demeanour was purely for show.

"Talia!" Myn called out. "Stick with Keller! I'm going to get Kyra and the Captain. We're getting out of here!"