A Fistful of Arrows - Part Two

Posted on Tue Mar 3rd, 2020 @ 1:45am by Commander John 'Nuke Em' Sheridan & Lieutenant Commander Mav'a Tiris & Major Sir Bruce "Scorch" Fraser, 15th Baron Fraser of North Cape & Lieutenant Commander Heather LaMonica & Major Michael "Slappy" Smith-Carey & Colonel Brianna Hobbs & Master Sergeant Gunthar Werner & Commander Erasmus Sorvok & Gunnery Sergeant Olga Vaal & Sergeant Kosmo "Bug" Burganski & Corporal Fender McCord & Lance Corporal Ta'zri Shalmar & Private 1st Class Tamara Harrak
Edited on on Tue Mar 3rd, 2020 @ 1:50am

Mission: Mission 51: Warchild
Location: Planet Surface - Retep III
Timeline: 1100Hrs Local Time - November 22nd 2391

Lieutenant John Sheridan called out. "Guys, we need to evacuate these people now!!" he screamed loudly.

"I agree," Bree spoke from around the bodies of people protecting her.

Just then there was the sound of an explosion just before a sudden high pitched screech sounded off, before an Andorian Marine tumbled forward, a thin trickle of blue cobalt blood emerging from a head wound.

'Scorch' reached the downed Andorian first but there was no mistaking that Lance Corporal Chen Dulari was indeed dead, he slapped his combadge. "Scorch to Homeplate. I'm taking casualties down here... I have one KIA already... Lance Corporal Chen Dulari. She's dead..."

Sheridan took aim as he fired into the crowd. "Guys... This is getting stupid." he called back. "The mob just got ugly." as he ducked, right before a loud phaser blast went overhead. "Guys we have got to go!"

"Acknowledged Sheridan." Hobbs replied. "Captain Fraser, make sure you protect the civilians and get them off planetside."

Fraser nodded as he tapped his combadge. "Confirmed." he responded as he gently picked up the Andorian Shen who had just been picked off.

"Gunny," Hobbs addressed Werner, "get the QRF ready. Set your weapons to lethal and stand by for transporter."

"Roger that Colonel." Werner told Hobbs. Werner then turned his attention to the QRF who were resting on the deck. "On your feet!" Werner shouted. "Set your weapons to kill and get ready to be beamed down."

"Is something finally happening?" Bug asked.

"Ya, explosions and a KIA." Werner answered.

"A civilian got killed?" Bug asked.

"No, one of ours, a marine." Werner told Bug. Bugs face went white.

Sheridan sighed. "Yeah.." as he gently began herding the civilians onto the various shuttles.

"How far are we from a safe transport sight?" Bree asked to Sheridan.

"Right over there Ambassador." as Sheridan indicated the location to Commander Unal. The taller woman nodded as she gently herded the Ambassador into the lineup to use the transporter padd.

Scorch gently placed the body of the Andorian shen into a chair on one of the escape shuttles as one of the civilians protested. "I'm not seitting with that-yaarrhh.." as Scorch's temper suddenly fused white hot, he then grabbed the offender in question and physically threw him off of the shuttle. "Pilot. Take off now!"

"Right sir."

And with that Scorch hauled the civilian away as the shuttle in question took off with two others, he turned his attention skyward as he expected trouble but none came. "Lets load up these shuttles..." as he regarded the civilian who slighted the honor of a dead Marine. "You leave with the last team..."

"Err... or what?"

"Or... I break both your legs and I might come back to you." Scorch responded. "Decide now.."

"Eeee..." he paused as he wet himself. "Sure... whatever you say bossman."

Scorch sighed. "Oh dear god..."

The rifle platoon deployed in a line between the rioters and the evacuees. They held their fire and only took the occasional shot at some one attempting to throw an object. While the mob was stick screaming and yelling insults at the line of marines they did not get closer than five yards.

Sheridan loaded up the various shuttles and within minutes he sent them flying into the darkening skies, now all that was left was to evacuate the remaining ground personnel. "Guys, hows it going?"

He was answered with a loud high pitched sounding blast before Petty Officer 3rd Class John McDougal suddenly fell over, he sighed as Sheridan knelt down next to him. "John..." McDougal gasped. "They got.... snipers..."

"Shit.. Stay with me buddy..." Sheridan responded as he gently gathered his friend up, while he did so the light went out of his friends eyes as McDougal died in his arms with Sheridan softly crying, pleading with his friend to remain with him.

Sheridan paused. "This shit has gone on long enough-" as he growled. However someone else beat him to the punch as a loud voice rang out over the com system. "All Marines open fire into the crowd, engage hostile targets as they appear... end this farce now... Open Fire!" The voice of Scorch rang with clear conviction over the com system.

Just then 1st Lieutenant Lilly Ash-tor suddenly fell to the deck, sniped through her head, she was dead before she hit the ground as Scorch caught her. "Come on..." he followed Sheridan to the transport site as the Marines prepared to do exactly what Scorch had ordered them to do.

Werner looked around and watched as casualties mounted. He desperately looked around for where the shooting was coming from. A flash from a nearby building betrayed the sniper's position. If he could get a squad of marines into that building then the sniper would be neutralized. The problem was he needed to have the marines cross a crowded plaza.

"Sergeant McCullom, are you there?" Werner shouted over his comm badge.

"She's down and the medic is working on her." Bug replied. "I have first squad now."

"Alright Bug, Riot Drill Number Four." Werner coolly told him. "Your the fire support squad."

"Understood." Bug replied. "Where is the stun zone, the objective, and when?"

"The plaza in front of the Kylos building, the Kylos building, and on my command." Werner replied.

"Got it." Bug replied. He ordered his photon rifles to switch to heavy stun. The rest of the squad readied stun grenades. "We're set." Bug told Werner.

"Sergeant Douglas, do you copy?" Werner asked?

"This is Douglas, I read you Gunny." He replied.

"Good, how is your squad?" He asked.

"One team is down but we can still fight." Douglas replied.

"Okay, you heard my conversation with Bug, I want your squad to rush the objective and get that sniper. He's on the eighth floor." Werner told him.

"Got it." Douglas replied. "We are ready."

Werner looked over to see that Bug was waiting. When Bug gave him a nod Werner gave the fire order. Several burst of energy shoot over the crowd. An instant later there where several flashes and energy bursts. The as the smoke cleared stunned bodies lay stunned across the plaza.

"Go, go, go!" Douglas yelled as the marines crossed the body strewn plaza. They crossed safely and easily got into the building.

As they entered the lobby several shots rang out on the marines entering. Everyone took cover and started to give return fire. "Ybarra, Fender report!" Douglas ordered.

"Ybarra is dead!" a voice shouted back. "Schemko too and Takmoro and I are hurt."

"I have one wounded and my legs are shot up!" Fender shouted.

Douglas cursed. He would have to carry the sniper with only two marines. "Shalmar and Harrak on me. Fender, lay down some fire when we rush the stairs. Then after we're in take the rest of the squad and beam out. Understand?" Douglas asked and Fender nodded.

"Now Fender!" Douglas shouted as he and the two female marines followed him. Fender fired on the armed rioters and kept their heads down. The three marines entered the stair well and headed up to the eighth floor.

As they left the stair well and entered the open office floor they could hear laughter. They turned a into one of the side offices. Several people were drinking alcohol and watching the riot below. Three were armed with phasers and one man dressed in fine clothes was armed with a high end hunting phaser. As the well dressed man fired the small crowd cheered him on.

"You almost got that marine in the head." A woman said gleefully.

"Don't worry," another man told her, "He'll pop her on the next shot."

The marines got behind cover. "put your hands up and surrender." Douglass ordered.

The crowd quickly dispersed. The men spun around and started to shoot. Douglas put one man down while Shalmar and Harrak got the others. The man with the sniper rifle shot Douglas center mass and he fell dead. Shalmar's gun lost it's energy cell and Harrak fired on the man but he dived for cover.

As Shalmar tried to change her energy cell the finely dressed man aimed the rifle at her. "Say goodbye marine." He jeered her as he smirked.

As he fired his energy cell also failed to fire. He gave a quick curse as he noticed Harrak had him covered. He put down his hunting rifle and raised his hands. "We'll I guess I'm your prisoner he smirked at Harrak.

Harrak was flush with anger. She fired several shots at the man at close range. His body jerked as he fell to the floor. After a moment the crowd came out of hiding.

"You can't shoot him!" A woman shouted. "He's an important person."

"You'll pay for this!" Another man yelled at them.

"I think he's alive!" A third shouted.

Salmar stood over him and fired another shot into him. "He's dead now." She told the angry crowd before she waved her rifle at the small gathering, shooting fur of them, causing them to fly backward, stunned or dead, she didn't care. "Argonne, two alive and one dead to beam up."

"Copy that. I'm bringing up all of our dead" responded the transporter chief up on the USS Argonne as he brought the marines home.

Meanwhile, the riots continued. With the sniper gone it was a little easier, although it still was a riot.

Werner looked at Bug, "Alright, keep up a steady rate of fire until we get our people evacuated." Bug nodded. "By the way, how is Harrak doing?"

"Harrak? She is with Douglas' squad." Bug told Werner. "They went into the building."

Werner had a horrible, sinking feeling. Harrak was still on extra duty when the mission came up. He didn't talk to her since the incident in the Dragon. "Werner to Argonne: Is Harak aboard and how is she?" He asked in a worried voice.

"Werner this is Hobbs, she is fine now keep the landing zone secure." She told him. Werner let out a sigh of relief. It was short-lived as a small explosion ripped the air.

Sheridan dove before he rolled on the ground. "What the hell?"

"They're tossing Molotov cocktails sir." responded a voice with a squeaky tone, clearly someone who was very young.

"What the hell is a Molotov cocktail?" came the shout from someone.

"Homemade explosives, made from soap and wood shavings, when gasoline is added, it combines to form a potent and dangerous mixture." responded the same voice.

"Lovely," Sheridan responded in a dry tone.

"We're there are a half dozen of us left." Mav'a Tiris responded evenly. "Assemble for evac... last group."

Sheridan withdrew to the transporter. "Activate the explosives.." as several loud explosions sounded off, one of the smaller buildings in the embassy suddenly shattered into a zillion pieces.

"Sheridan to Argonne." He sighed softly. "Requesting bombardment of the local city with phasers set to stun everything, we need cover for extraction."

On the bridge of the Argonne. Lieutenant Heather LaMonica turned her head. "Captain, we have a request for fire support from ground teams. orders?" she inquired.

Smith-Carey was at his post. "Target site identified. The area is a right mess down there sir. rioters in the tens of thousands.."

"Target the evacuation area Lieutenant and fire only enough as needed," Sorvok ordered.

Smith-Carey nodded. "Targeting... and firing." as they were rewarded with images of Argonnes's main weapons array opening fire on the planet. "Phasers set on mild stun... or as close as I can get to it."

Meanwhile planetside. Lieutenant Sheridan watched as the barrage impacted every building for five blocks around the embassy as everyone around them, when caught in a phaser blast, they dropped like towers caught in the pull of far too much gravity as they collapsed under the weight of it. "Sheridan top Argonne. Thanks.." as he reached over and tapped the display once, then he rushed over to the transporter padd before he and the last Federation personnel planetside were beamed away.