Uninvited Guests (Part III of III)

Posted on Thu Mar 18, 2021 @ 8:32pm by Second Lieutenant Sh'Zera & Master Sergeant Jian Zhao & Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Means III & Captain Tam "Demon" Haican & Master Sergeant Miranda Schultz & Gunnery Sergeant Terry Henderson & Civilian Hydel Turvan

2,764 words; about a 14 minute read

Mission: Si vis pacem, para bellum
Location: Pangaea Portal Complex
Timeline: MD04 0600

Previously in Under Siege

"Communication, send word to Gil Metsah to dispatch his Fighters to deal with the Starfleet fighters that have reached the surface. Avoid any civilian carriers, but I want Lt. Col Mean's air-support eradicated. Chances are their air-support is severely limited due to the station being cut off," he said to his Communications Officer.

"Yes, Gul," the younger Cardassian said as she worked to transmit the message to the squadron leader.

And now the conclusion

---

Portal Cavern Complex

The first Cardassian SAM battery went up in a ball of green and orange fire. The flaming debris landed on nearby building structures, causing them to catch on fire as well. Three nearby Hideki fighters swooped into the immediate area and began to target a Federation fighter that had become separated from the main pack of fighters. The three unleashed an unrelenting salvo of disruptor fire onto the vessel, causing it to lose its wing structure and go crashing into a nearby building before the pilot could safely eject.

Means had moved off the line to meet the transports as they came in. The shield grid glowed as the debris from the Cardassian battery rained down. But even as his lip curled in a grin, his knuckles went white as the pilot that had given the portal’s shields a respite went down in a fiery blaze.

Zhao couldn't have timed things more perfectly as three transports came in hot and Marines poured out. But when they did, one took a hit to its port impulse engine and sent the Wyvern spiraling out of control, throwing Marines and flight crew out the rear hatch before crashing a few hundred meters away.

No sooner had the others off loaded than the transports were gone, low and fast, and the shields back up. He was now down a third of his reinforcements due to the crash, but that would have to do. After sending a squad to look for survivors, he deployed the rest. The training site still held the majority of their forces, and the transports could only move thirty at a time. The more trips they made, the more losses they could take. Shaking the thought from his mind, he scanned the treeline looking for his next target.

Terry moved to the crash and quickly got those Marines who would be able to fight up immediately. He then tended to those more seriously wounded and would be out of the fight. Unfortunately there were a number of dead or nearly dead that he had to sacrifice in order to get the unit some of its strength back.

The Night Stalkers screamed into the area as the first group of transports got away, filled with civilians fleeing the combat zone. Sovrak saw a few of his fellow pilots get shot down, and instantly decided on the group’ s first set of targets. Relaying his plan to the rest of his group, the pilots suddenly split formation, each flying off in a different direction. Were they performing in an air show, the maneuver would resemble a budding flower spreading its pedals.

As they each reached the apex of their maneuvers, they all turned back in unison and doubled back towards the unsuspecting Cardassian fighters. A few beats later, the enemy fighters realized they were in trouble. Unfortunately, for them, there was no escape from the maneuver, which had been named Death Blossom by Tam two years prior. As each Hideki tried to find safe atmosphere, it was obliterated by one or more Night Stalkers.

While the whole dogfight seemed to last a long time, it was actually over in less than two minutes. The result, four Hideki fighters destroyed, with no further friendly losses. The group then hunted for their next set of targets.

Emily Ransom rolled out of the door of the first transport to land, moving to the front lines. She pulled up a hood to cover her red hair and climbed into a prepared sniper perch, eying the area around the portal caves through her scope, studying the Cardassian assault. She saw an officer and smiled. She pulled the bubble gum from her mouth and stuck it to the stock of her rifle as she lined up the shot, controlled her breathing -- and put a hole through the spoon on the Cardassian officer’s forehead.

Gor Katan was caught off-guard at the sudden jerk and slump of Glinn Baktur. He caught the Cardassian company commander in his arms as his lifeless form fell over. He immediately saw the cavernous hole in his forehead from where he had been shot by a weapon. He dropped the body and immediately rolled behind cover. He looked around, but did not immediately see the individual Federation soldier responsible for the shot. He breathed deeply as he yelled to the rest of his company.

"SNIPER! THERE IS A SNIPER!" the Cardassian Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) shouted to his unit. He looked around and tried to ascertain which direction the shots were coming from. He was immediately able to rule out the direction of the Portals, since the shield still appeared to be active, thus preventing fire in either direction. The west did not seem likely, since that was surrounded by jagged cliffs that would be nearly impossible for a sniper to set up a clear shot so quickly.

That only left the east, from which there was a treeline. More importantly, several air assets had flown from that direction. Gor Katan originally believed that they were just evacuation transports. It was obvious now that the Marines were using them in an attempt to out-flank the approaching Cardassian forces.

"This is Gor Katan. Glinn Baktur is down. We have a sniper situation. I want heavy fire on that eastern treeline!" the Cardassian NCO yelled into his comm unit to the heavy weapons team within the unit.

Within several minutes the entire treeline exploded with debris and fragments from exploding trees and rocks as the entire general area was cross-fired upon by the Cardassian infantry forces.

“And that’s my cue to leave,” Emily muttered, dropping from her tree perch as the heavy weapons opened up to her left. She raced deeper into the woods, letting them decimate the tree line as she curved around toward the shield line.

Even with their reinforcements the pressure from the Cardassian forces was relentless. Means looked to the Marines around him to the mix of wounded, walking wounded, and dead Marines, and for the first time he thought he might have to surrender.

The Marines in forward positions were fighting on, and there was an explosion near the line, and he and several others rushed to fill the hole in their line it had created. While several tossed grenades, others added suppressing fire to push back another assault. A critically wounded corporal reached up to him and he took his hand.

Kneeling beside him, Means looked over him, a gaping hold in his abdomen that caused a partial disembowelment. "Hold fast Marine! The corpsman's on the way."

Swallowing hard, the Marine grinned through the pain. "I got it..."

"That's right. You got this. It's just a scratch."

Coughing repeatedly, the Marine spasmed, and Means gripped him tighter. "Tell my folks..."

"None of that, Corporal. You need permission to die."

The Marine spasmed again and he frantically gasped for breath. Catching his breath briefly, he said, "Sorry...sir. ...gonna have to...diso..hey."

"Save your strength..." Another spasm cut him off as the young corporal half gasped and fell still, his eyes wide open and fixed.

Means released the Marine’s hand and placed it on his chest before reaching up to close his eyes. Removing one of his tags, he added it to the collection he already had.

Suddenly, from overhead, a barrage of phaser fire tore into the Cardassian lines. Dozens were incinerated instantly, while others were thrown meters into the air by the force of the energy blasts, only to crash back down to the ground in heaps.


A group of five Raptor starfighters pounced on the enemy, much as an attacking bird of prey would harass its prey. The starfighters moved with a deadly grace, diving, blasting enemy troops and equipment, climbing and banking away at the last minute in an almost singular mind of motion.

Means' comm unit crackled to life, being this close, the Cardassian jamming efforts were less effective. "Apologies...our tardi...ss, Colonel," came a calm male voice. "Th...Firs...tenant Sovrak. Ca... Haican sends...regards."

Means and his Marines had instinctively taken cover as the far side of the river was lit up from the incoming fire. Several cheered as they watched the fighters accelerate away.

While it had given them a reprieve, he knew it wouldn't last,and even if they made a break for it they wouldn't get far before the Cardassians closed in and cut them off. Especially with their wounded.

Means slapped the shoulders of the two closest Marines. "Go down the line. We are falling back! I want everyone inside the cave entrance! Now!"

The two looked to him, nodded, and headed in opposite directions in a crouching run passing the order as a fighting retreat to the portals began.

Getting the withdrawal order, Emily fell back with the rest, falling behind the shield line and toward the caves as instructed. She covered the retreat, moving from sniper post to sniper post, focusing on Cardassian officers, or any of the artillery gunners she could manage as they fell back.

Schultz got the message to retreat to the caves and made her way to where the others were regrouping. From her sniper hole it wasn't looking good and she was happy to get to a different position.

Parhtz managed to jam his weapon. Swearing, he ran into the cave where he wasn't just a big target.

Sh'zera heard the order to retreat. But she was watching the Cardassians bring up some of the biggest missiles she'd ever seen. It was large enough to have its own shield generator to wrap around it. They'd obviously planned for not being able to bomb the shield from orbit. "Move us to block the main road." It wouldn't stop troops on foot, but it would slow down anything heavy rolling up to the caverns easily. It might buy the rest of the unit a few precious seconds. "And concentrate fire on that bunker buster." The shields on it would make it pointless most likely. But her goal now was to delay the inevitable long enough for Means to pull back into the caves. And if everyone was watching the tanks, they wouldn't be watching inside the shields. "Fire at will."

The remaining Stryker opened fire on the newest heavy weapon being brought to bear against them. The gunner yelled out as he began to fire repeatedly on the Cardassian position. "You heard the order...get out of here!"

"No way in hell... You can't hit shit without me driving, jamming, and keeping your ass alive!"


Entrance to portal caves

Means was ushering Marines as they ran in by themselves or carrying wounded. Sending them deeper into the caves while others provided covering fire or finished setting up auto defense batteries. "Go! Go! Get past the barrier but do not cross the dimensional line!"

The fire coming in from the Stryker was being spotted and called in by someone still out there. Who it was he didn't know. He shouted over to the battery crews, "They ready yet?"

Slapping the control panel closed, the Marine shouted back. "They're hot!"

Before he could reply a fighter streaked over and a huge explosion marked the end of the last of their armored support.

The Marines didn't wait for an order, and the defense batteries were live. The three batteries targeted any movement, sending rapid fire out with a 210 degrees combined range of fire. Whoever was still out there, if still alive, was on their own and knew to make their way to the training site.

Upon reaching the command console, he opened a channel, hoping the Cardassians were listening, that the forcefield would protect them from the blast, and his ploy would work, even if they were only actually collapsing the entrance.

"Gul Meran...if you are still alive. I told you I would deny you your prize."

Cutting the channel, he kicked the command console so it would be buried in the rubble along with their dead. Into the mix he tossed his field communicator and eyepatch, to be discovered if they managed to dig things out.

Ripping off a section of cloth, he tied a new eyepatch as he moved behind the barricade and their makeshift forcefield went up.

"Blow it."

Outside the cave the ground shuddered as the entrance to the portals exploded and collapsed the entrance, creating a landslide that further buried the entrance.


Cardassian Compound

"...I told you I would deny you your prize" the voice of the Marine crackled over the comm unit. Moments later, Gul Meran could hear what sounded like an explosion as the vibration rumbled across the nearby terrain. It would be another fifteen minutes before any of the line units would be able to re-establish communications with Gul Meran's command center.

"This is Gul Meran, REPORT!" the Cardassian shouted into the comm unit. He tried repeatedly, but it would be another fifteen minutes before he would receive a response from any of the line units located near the shield and Portal Complex.

Regiment HQ, this is Flight Leader Glinn Cekua. I'm currently over the Portal Complex entrance. Ground forces are scattered after the Federation detonated a series of exp..*static* devices and se...*static* entrance, over," the Hideki pilot reported.

"Regiment HQ to Glinn Cekua. Say again, what is the status of the Portal?" Gul Meran asked anxiously.

"Sir, they buried the entrance on purpose. I'm not seeing any movement on the Federation side. If anybody was caught in that, they're either dead or trapped inside," the pilot reported.

Gul Meran closed his eyes and pounded his hand on the console in frustration. That crazy bastard sacrificed himself and his men rather than allow Cardassia to seize the portals. With the entrance sealed, it would take even longer to access the Portals, regardless of when they overwhelmed the outer parameter shield.

How they would get into the portals was a problem he would have to sort out at a later time. For the time being he needed to secure the portals and suppress any remaining resistance from the Federation. He had shown far too much leniency to the Federation. It was a mistake that he was about to rectify.

"Regimental HQ to Flight Leader Glinn Cekua. You are to take your available forces and target any and all evacuating vessels from the planet. If it has the ability to flight and it is leaving this planet's surface you are completely destroy--" Before he could finish his order, he was interrupted by a direct feed from Deep Space Five.

“Attention all Starfleet personnel and residents of Deep Space Five. This is Commander Caleb Ryan. As of this moment, the station is being turned over to Cardassian forces. All members of Starfleet should lay down their weapons and report to their quarters. Residents should also report to quarters and remain there until given further instructions. To the colony and Marines, lay down arms and report to barracks for withdrawal and evacuation.”


Inside the Portal Complex ruins

Means and others donned and activated their wrist beacons. "Okay, people. We have some caving to do to get out of here, and then we have a forty-six kilometer hump to the training site...if it's still there."

Emily popped some fresh bubble gum into her mouth. “This will be fun,” she said, securing her rifle over her shoulder as she tightened up the red ponytail she wore.

"Digging..." Parhtz muttered. "Forty-six clicks. Where's my entrenching tool?"

[OFF]




Lt. Colonel Nicholas Means
CO 21st MEU

1st Lieutenant Sovrak "WRAITH"
NPC Tam Haican

2nd Lieutenant Donovan "BANSHEE" O'Callaghan
NPC Tam Haican

2nd Lieutenant Devora "CHEETAH" Nogalla
NPC Tam Haican

2nd Lieutenant Micheal "DEATH DEALER" jub'Cha'kU'Un
NPC Tam Haican

2nd Lieutenant Christina "SATAN'S WIFE" Sutherland
NPC Tam Haican

Lieutenant Buck Winters
Shuttle pilot
NPC Tam Haican

2nd Lieutenant Emily Ransom
Marine sniper

Gunnery Sergeant Terry Henderson
Combat Medic

Master Sergeant Miranda Schultz
Marine

Private Peter Parhtz
Marine

 

RSS Feed