Chapter Sixteen: "Dogs of War, Soldier of Fortune

Chapter Sixteen: "Dogs of War, Soldier of Fortune"

"Alright, we're about to jump into the system that we think the Pirates are in. Marines, do your jobs and I'll make sure there's a bonus for everyone." I said over the small craft comms as we prepared to jump into the system that we had pulled from the Unions computers showed. "Second Lieutenant Felicia Paige, It's your show from here on out. I'm along for the ride." I nodded at the Commander of the Marine Platoon.

"Alright ladies, you know the music, time to dance." Lieutenant Paige said through the comms of the vacuum rated combat suit. "Our goal is to take any Jumpships in the vicinity of our point, given recharging times, we may only have a few minutes to launch and take whatever is at the Jump point." We are launching in two separate boarding shuttles escorted by our new hires Wardog Squadron. If there are two Jumpships we'll split up and take both. Do your jobs, follow instructions and lets live to spend that combat bonus."

"You heard the Lady." Staff Sergeant Jones repeated. "Now strap yourselves in and get set for a Combat Launch."

"Yes Staff Sergeant!" The two Shuttles roared.

As we sat down and strapped ourselves in we made sure our magazines were loaded with Frangible rounds and that and our weapons were charged. "This is Captain Frye, jumping into the unknown in three, two, one." I saw someone bleeding out underneath me as a fighter roared above and then we were in real space once again.

"Shuttles, you have permission to launch, we have two jumpships on sensors." Captain Frye repeated over the comms. "Transmitting Coordinates now. good hunting Marines Godspeed."

The pilots boosted out of the shuttle bay and all of us in the troop bay triple checked both ours and our neighbors seals to make sure that we wouldn't die due to vacuum exposure. "This is your pilot speaking, we have two minutes until we reach Jumpship target one. Shuttle two has already begun deceleration to target two. Initiating deceleration burn in three, two, one." The shuttle turned back towards the way we came in order to change our momentum in order to hit one of the Docking clamps directly. Upon impact, we locked into the airlock and waited for our tech to override the Airlock doors.

When the tech specialist finished, we stacked up and on his signal went through the now cycling airlock. "Captain, you're on rear guard, Mathis; you're on point. Watch your corners and lets do this." Paige ordered.

"Yes Ma'am." we responded and moved to our positions. I stayed focused on making sure we didn't get sneaked up on while she commanded the Marine Fireteam with grace and precision. "Hold!" She commanded as we stopped and cleared the next room. Popping the door open, Mathis tossed a Flashbang in and then followed it up by racing to clear the right hand corner of the room. Lieutenant Paige was second and followed up by clearing the left corner. I was on read and heard two shots with calls of "Tango down."

"Alright, this room is clear let's move up." We began to clear the hallways systematically and anyone that surrendered we plasticuffed and moved on. When we reached the bridge, We stacked up and cleared it to realize that there was a hostage being held by a pirate at gunpoint.

"I will Shoot him!" Screamed the Pirate. Not realizing that we had no idea who his hostage was. "You need him alive right? In order to keep the systems running." At this point, the pirate was just rambling on and on. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Paige signaled to Mathis and I to get in position to take a head shot if we were able to do it without injuring the hostage. Because we were wearing helmets with Encrypted comms channels, we were able to discuss what we planned to do. We had captured enough pirates that we didn't necessarily want this one alive and so Paige told Mathis to take the shot.

One shot range out from Mathis' rifle as the pirate dropped with the top and back of his head missing. The hand holding the hostage released in death and the hostage began to weep. When we were finally able to get him coherent, he told us that he had been one of the original Jumpship crew when it was first taken by pirates twenty years ago. He said that he and a few others were made slaves and had to maintain the Jumpship or that they would be killed.

We took all of this with a grain of salt and warned him before cuffing him and putting him with the rest of the prisoners that we had collected in the cargo hold. We had just doubled our interstellar carrying capacity with one move and zero casualties. Not bad for the beginning of our pirate hunting adventure.

The Tramp wasn't in great shape but had been maintained fairly well, and we would be keeping it while we would be trading the Merchant that fireteam two had taken for some extra lift capacity in the form of dropships. After clearing both of our new acquisitions of all resistance and checking for booby traps I shuttled back over to the King Henry V. 

Once I was aboard the King Henry V again, I got aboard the Bittersweet and we began our burn to the moon we were detecting signals from. We had gotten lucky, the Tramp and Merchant were almost at the end of their recharge cycle and they hadn't had any Dropships either on their way, or attached when we boarded them.

Three days later…

"This is Blaze, you are go for drop Bittersweet Wardog has you covered." Sounded over the comms of my Warhammer. "Listen up boys and girls, we have no idea what is on this moon so make sure your seals are tight and make sure every shot counts." I said as we stepped out of the 'Mech bay of the Bittersweet. 

"Wardog, anything you can tell us as far as recon goes?" I asked over our comms as I jogged the Warhammer in the direction of the base the pirates were using. "Yes Captain, we have what appears to be a massive ship crashed into this moon to the north and the Pirates are trying to tear it apart for fortifications."

"Copy that Wardog, thanks for the heads up." I replied. "Rifle Lance flank speed north. I want to try and catch these pirates with their Pants down."

"Yes sir." Sheppard responded, "Moving at flank speed to scout ahead." His Mongoose kicked up a decent wave of dust as he moved upwards of 120 KPH while flicking the switch on his Beagle Active Probe. "I read a couple of turret emplacements but that's it so far." He reported and slowed down to let the rest of the lance catch up.

As we sniped the turrets from long range, I got a strange feeling that something bad was about to happen just as Bitchin' Betty announced. "Mech powerup detected, 'Mech powerup detected." A Quickdraw leading a pair of Griffins and a Locust crested over the hill behind us. "Mckay, Lamb, focus fire on the one Griffin at a time, I want them down before we get sniped. I'll take the Quickdraw with Sheppard in support, we'll join you after we're done." I gave my orders and fired both PPC's at the ankles of the Quickdraw. "Sheppard, go flank Griffin designated target one." I ordered as I began to back up from the Quickdraw to lure it in.

Alternating fire from my PPC's I actually busted out in a full belly laugh as one of them snapped the Ankle joint of the Quickdraw and sent it smashing into the surface of the moon. I slowed down and waited to see if there would be a response. When the Quickdraw didn't move for thirty seconds, I moved to assist the rest of Rifle lance. They had already savaged one Griffin and taken the Locust out of the fight with a lucky shot to the cockpit, just leaving one last Griffin to go.

Finally settling into the Goldilocks zone of all of my weapons, I launched a savage Alpha strike on the final Griffin along with the rest of the Lance and watched as one of Mckay's LRM's landed a shot that hit the ammo compartment. Cooking off all of the LRM ammo and wrenching the Griffin to the ground where Sheppard stomped on the chest of the 'Mech and pointed his Medium lasers directly at the cockpit.

"Power down and surrender, or don't, that'll be more fun." Lamb Snarked over the channel as the Griffin actually powered down. "It's less fun when they actually give up." She remarked as we called and waited for the Infantry and salvage teams to reach our location