Bringing trouble onboard, Part VI: Time for a Swim?

Posted on Sat Apr 4, 2015 @ 4:14am by Captain Isha t'Vaurek & Arrain James Darson & Lieutenant Saria Rex & Captain Tam "Demon" Haican & Lieutenant Si'Lar Trellis

1,634 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Eye of the Beholder
Location: Starbase 185 & Newgate Prison
Timeline: MD 4

[Entering planetary orbit, overhead SB-185]

As the transport and fighter escort dropped out of warp, the pilot in command of Goose-Four-Two set a heading for Starbase 185 and triggered the internal comms. “Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. We have dropped out of warp and are in system, five minutes out from scenic Starbase 185. Weather there is the same as any station thanks to climate control, the view should be magnificent, and they should be expecting us. Please secure all gear and take your seats in anticipation of our arrival. All ship personnel, begin prep for landing.”

As he switched to the external comm system, he asked the co-pilot to bring up the current authorization codes for landing permission. “One-Eight-Five Control, One-Eight-Five Control. This is Marine Transport Vessel Goose-Two-Four-Heavy. We are inbound with a full belly and coming up on you, heading one-three-three mark zero-three galactic. Requesting permission to approach and land, transmitting authorization codes and manifest now.”

“Goose-Four-Two this is One-Eight-Five Control, you are cleared for landing on Runway Pier Three. Follow in-bound flight path Alpha-One, you may commence your approach.”

Tam keyed his mic, opening a channel to both the team and to the control tower. “Alright people, let's do this by the book. Kingfishers One, Two and Three, you go first. Goose-Four-Two, you're next. Kingfishers Four, Five and Six, you follow in behind. I will provide overwatch for you until everyone is on the deck, then I'll come in. Copy instructions, over.”

Acknowledgments came in from each of the Hunleys. Tam then waited to hear from the transport that carried the escort team.

The pilot of the transport vessel looked over to his co-pilot and nodded. “Affirmitive One-Eight-Five Control, setting course for Pier Three, in-bound on Alpha-One. Escorts, form up behind.” Both sets of dexterous fingers began playing across the controls. The heavy transport vessel weaved for a moment and then turned over, heading down to the planet on a standard approach vector.

Once the reply came in, Tam raised the control tower. “Control, this is Kingfisher Actual, call sign Demon. We are beginning our approach now. See you when we hit the deck.”

“Copy that. We also have a request from our local Marine commander. He will have a courier with dispatches awaiting your arrival. One-Eight-Control, standing by.”

“Understood,” Tam replied as he watched the flight group begin their landing cycles.

Once everyone had safely landed, Tam expertly brought his Raptor in for a landing. When he had finished his post landing checklist, he climbed down out of the cockpit. Once on the deck the first thing he did was stretch his tired body. Then he looked around at his surroundings. Starbase 185 was a massive floating city, located in one of the planet's largest oceans, just below the equator. It consisted of a floating circular central complex surrounded by a series of interlinking piers. The starport was made up of five floating runways. Runway Pier Three was one of the smaller ones and designated for Marine traffic only.


[Runway Pier Three/Transit craft parking ramp]

The convoy arrived a little after two o'clock in the afternoon. It was bright sunshine, a warm and humid eighty-four degrees, and a gentle breeze wafted over the runway bringing the tang of fresh salt air along with the sound of the gentle slap of waves against the sides of pier. The ships landed and moved to their designated ramp. Axsdahl stepped out of the hatch as it opened, shielded his eyes from the glare, and looked around. "Pretty nice place. Pity the ocean is full of some kind of stinging plankton..."

“Aw, you had to ruin it, huh? So no skinny dipping?” Emily asked, a sucker planted firmly in her mouth, tinging her lips blue. She shifted her rifle under her arm and looked around, brushing back her red hair and pulling down a pair of mirrored sunglasses against the glare off the water. “Nice, though. Could be Rura Pentha. So how come mass murderers get sent to paradise?” she asked.

Tam approached the group as Rice was speaking. "Probably to let them know what they will never have." He stole a quick look at Rice's physique, careful not to get caught. He caught himself and noticed that he had been starting to think about more carnal activities as of late. It had been several years since he had been intimate with a woman. Not since his wife... He pushed the thought aside quickly, focusing on the job at hand.

A few moments later a Marine ground vehicle arrived and a provost sergeant major stepped out. "I'm looking for Master Sergeant White," he said.

Sergeant White looked up from where he was supervising the offloading of a pallet of MRE’s to see a Provost Sergeant Major arrive and call his name. Slapping the PADD into the chest of a junior logistics officer, he made his way across the landing pad to the other Marine. Snapping to attention, he said, “Master Sergeant White reporting, Sergeant Major. What can I do for you, sir?

The sergeant major snapped to attention and handed over a PADD then held out another one. "Sir, I'll need a signature for that one, sir."

White entered his signature code on the one PADD, a copy of the incoming manifest and his ship’s landing authorization. The other one he kept resting under his arm. With a few more words exchanged, the Sergeant Major and his vehicle departed and Master Sergeant White turned back to the transport.

“What's it say?" Axsdahl asked once the provost Marine had departed.

White entered a second code on the other PADD and began scanning its contents. After a minute, he nodded to himself and handed it wordlessly over to the Marshal to read, knowing that Axsdahl had been read into top secret clearance for this op.

The PADD contained instructions from Marine Corps Brigadier K'alluar:

============

FROM: SFMC Brigardier K'alluar, Sector Command Headquarters, 21st Marine Expeditionary Unit

TO: Master Sergeant White, Designated Escort Team Leader, 6th Combine Operations Group; DS-5.

TOP SECRET - Team Eyes Only

MISSION: Collection and escort of Prisoner STERLING, Veronica; from Federation Correctional Facility Newgate to Deep Space Five

MISSION START TIME: 02.30 Hours Local

MISSION CONTACT: Warden Scot Collins, FCF Newgate

MISSION BRIEFING:

At 0100 Hours Local, escort team from Starbase Deep Space Five will meet with FCF Warden Scot Collins. After all identities of the team are verified, you will accompany the warden down to FCF Newgate facility proper. Once there, team leader will be given all pertinent information regarding to Federation Penal System Prisoner, Number Seven-Six-One-Four-Eight-Alpha, also known as Veronica Sterling. Once team leader has been fully briefed on the current status of the prisoner, Warden Collins will then escort the team to Sublevel Forty-Seven, where said prisoner is currently located.

At 0230 hours local, the escort team will take possession of Prisoner, adhering to all Federation Penal System transport guidelines at all times. Once Prisoner is secured, Warden Collins, along with prison security team, will escort Starbase Deep Space Five escort team and Prisoner back to the landing area on Runway Pier Three.

Once Prisoner is properly secured in escort shuttle, Deep Space Five escort team will reboard their shuttles and immediately lift off. They will be given sole access to planetary exit routes so they can attain orbit unmolested. Once in orbit, escort team is to return to Deep Space Five at best possible speed.

END MISSION BRIEFING

"Huh. Sounds simple enough," Axsdalh said wryly. "Which means it's going to be a sonofabitch to pull off!"

“Well, this trip has been boring so far. We could use the excitement,” Emily said.

"Careful what you wish for, Rice," Tam stated. "Fate has a way of jumping up and biting you in the ass."

"Stinging plankton, a watery dungeon, and teeth marks in your butt. Maybe not paradise after all," Axsdahl said with a grin.

Tam shrugged playfully. "I dunno, the teeth marks in the butt thought sounds kinda interesting." He smirked slightly as he spoke.

White spoke up. “Enough joking around. We have a not-insignificant job to do, and very serious constraints on how we should be doing it. Discretion is paramount, and I would be concerned under ordinary circumstances of being able to perform the task in question. But this location presents certain…obstacles. Deputy, walk us through the prison.”

"Sure," Axsdahl replied. "Let's go back on the ship. No point loitering around out here drawing attention to ourselves."

Once back on board in the main cabin Axsdahl described the facility to the others. Newgate was a maximum security facility and was located on the seabed, some six hundred and eight meters below Starbase 185. It held three hundred and twenty inmates in eight different housing modules, with additional segregation, medical and treatment modules. There was no direct link from the surface to the prison. All movement was via underwater craft. The facility purposefully had no transporter capabilities of its own and transport inhibitors were in place and operational to prevent outside transports. There were also a considerable number of security perimeter defensive systems to prevent escape or intruders.

"If we weren't invited, getting in or out would be nigh on impossible," he concluded. "So I guess we use one of the Hunleys to go down there then follow the Warden's instructions."

He checked the time. "It's 1530 local. We have eleven hours before we need to meet up with Collins. So I suggest we stand down and meet here again at 0100 for a final briefing before we proceed."

[OFF]




SD Sven-Erik Axsdahl FMS

LCpl. Emily Rice
Marines
NPC Caleb Ryan

Capt. Tam "Demon" Haican
Bravo Assault Wing Commander

 

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