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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ptolemy" data-source="post: 9271312" data-attributes="member: 1412">“We see two in the accommodation centre, 2 in the admin block, two out on the road stamping their feet to keep warm and we think two more moving from the accommodation to, yes, to the ATV garage.”Helena and I had already located another two, one on the reactor shed and on on the garage. I guessed snipers. We needed to take them out first…The landing pad was to the north of the base and the road ran south for 3-400m. All the buildings were to the west of the road, the admin and reactor shed buildings next to each other to the north, with the admin nearest to the road. Facing the admin building from the south was the ATV garage. Facing the reactor shed and next to the garage was the accommodation block. I had felt the presence of a sentient life on the roof of the admin and accommodation buildings. We approached from the west, on foot. We cut a hole in the fence in the south west corner. Team Red, V and P, waited a little way outside the hole covering it. Team Blue, Myself and Helena, moved along the inside of the southern edge of the fence. All the lights were on and we felt exposed. However, the heavy snow masked our movements. By the time we got there the two moving across the compound into the garage had reached their goal.We made it to the rear of accommodation and climbed up as quietly as we could. The snow was dampening sounds and window ledges served us well in getting up on the roof. Helena was ready with her shotgun while I was armed with my nob gun - set to fully automatic. A figure was standing over by the edge overlooking the entrances to the compound. It was rubbing its hand for warmth and we could hear muttering. A crunch of snow underfoot gave us away but only when we were almost close enough to touch them. A head turned to face us and froze. I put a finger to my lips and pointed to their belt, from which hung a holster with an auto pistol. They weren’t foolish enough to try any heroics so they unbuckled and dropped their belt. Standing less than 2 m away with my pistol aimed at her their head I passed the roll of duct-tape to Helena and she bound the sniper’s wrists and ankles and even their eyes and mouth for good measure. We assumed this was the group of mercs who had slaughtered the three murdered base staff so we didn’t care if we ruined their eyebrows. Then Helena frisked our captive and took out a small transceiver from their pocket and a comm-dot from their ear. Helena put it in her own ear with a grimace. The sniper had a laser sniper rifle propped up against an antenna in addition to their pistol. We reported our success to Team Red and told them to hold as we could see another figure on the admin building. Helena picked up the sniper’s rifle and hefted if a couple of times to get its weight and knelt down and aimed at the figure across the way. She handed me the weapon and I used the scope to get a better look. The snow made it difficult and would interfere with the firing of a laser. I could see a lone shape holding what looked like another similar rifle to this one. Returning the rifle to Helena she again drew a bead and I knelt down facing towards the rare of the building I was on and moved.I appeared in the middle of the admin building, on one knee, pointing directly at the back of the sniper. I paused and was about to speak when they turned and took a couple of paces towards me. They froze when they registered me. Then they jerked their weapon up. At this range, maybe 3 metres, the snow barely mattered. My gun made a stuttering noise and the sniper fell backwards. Their steps towards me in the dark had carried them away from the edge and they didn’t fall.  I pulled them into the centre of the roof, took their transceiver, ear-piece and rifle. They were bleeding heavily and I knew they weren’t going to make it. For all my training and the fire fights Vasquez and I had been involving in on Feri it was still the first time I had shot and killed someone. I felt horror rise up inside me. I let the others know that I was in place and that Helena and I were covering the compound with laser rifles. We hear V swear at the idea of lasers in this weather.We asked for an up date from the ATV. “Four in admin, two on the road, two in accommodation. No, wait, the two on the road are moving.”Team Red had moved to the south west corner of the reactor shed. The sentries on the road were moved anti-clockwise around the rear of admin and towards Team Red.“Understood,” - V“We will pin the others in their buildings,” - me“Understood,” - VI lay down by the edge of the roof and levelled my rifle at the entrance to the garage then the accommodation and back. A moment later the slightly muffled sound of a gauss pistol came from behind me, answered with the heavier and slower bark of an auto rifle. The merc comms went mad.“Motherf*ers firing on us. Behind the reactor! F*! F***!’“What, say again?”“How many?”“What the f***.”“We’re on our way.”“We’re on our way.”“We’re on our way.”Two came out of accommodation. I was already aiming at the entry so I merely exhaled and fired. The head of the first one out of the door burst into flames and they dropped, lifeless. The second jumped back into the cover of the damaged doorway. The snow enabled me to make out the red of the Helena’s laser as she did the same. More frantic sounds came over the comms: “We are pinned down,” “Suzie and Lance have gone crazy,” “Get the f***over here they've hit Walt.” Gunfire continued from behind me then the sound of a grenade going off. I think a thunderflash, not a frag but it was hard to tell. More gunfire. The lone merc opposite me in the accommodation started shooting at me pouring rounds into the air. It took all my nerve to aim and take a clear shot - I knew the snow and dim light on the roof was making it very hard for my enemy to be accurate, along with the fact only my head was visible. But still, it’s hard to rely on those things when someone’s shooting at you. I missed and a small flame ignited on the wall next the the merc. They ducked back. Again they peered round the entrance and fired, again I was waiting for them. Again we both missed in the snow.I knew that Helena had hit one, from the comms. I wasn’t sure how V and P were doing, but I could still hear a nob gun and a shotgun firing, so I assumed they were ok. I couldn’t let the mercs in accommodation get out or they could take Team Red in the rear. A third time they moved into view and opened fire. This time I was lucky and hit them. They fell backwards, out of sight.“Look out Poly, incoming,” Helena’s voice was loud and shrill over the comm. Absorbed in my own struggle I hadn’t seen that one from admin had timed a run with Helena’s shots and run over to the garage. I just saw them taking cover in the entrance as I turned to look. I didn’t see the grenade they threw. It hit the wall below me and dropped a couple of metres before it went off - a thunderflash. I looked up and just caught a glimpse of someone disappearing into the garage.Another grenade landed on the roof. This one had come from the north side of the building. I covered my head with my hands and lay as flat as I could. A sinister hissing noise came from it. Vasquez is going to be so smug. I threw a handful of snow onto the tranquilliser grenade and drew my nob gun. A head appeared to the north, checking what the grenade had accomplished. Obviously nothing due to my breather. I fired and the head dropped out of sight. Covering the area the head had occupied I cautiously moved towards the edge. I looked over and a merc opened fire. I pulled back and leaned forward. We both fired a burst and we both missed. There was another merc pressed against the wall of the building. He disappeared out of view to the west.  I pulled back again, not having the nerve to see which one of us would hit the other first. I heard a click which told me they were out of ammo. I stood up and aimed. They dropped an empty magazine. I took a deep breath and they inserted a full one. I started to exhale and they raised their weapon. I squeezed my trigger and flame burst from the barrel of their gun. It felt like an invisible hammer struck me just below my ribs. I took a step back and then my legs gave way and I sat down. I clawed at my coat. I could hear gunfire from below but I paid no attention. There were three grooves in my flak jacket. Due to the angle at which I had been hit my armour was effectively thicker which had probably saved my life. It hurt like hell. Wincing, I crawled on hands and knees and looked over again. My assailant had collapsed. I think Peter or Vasquez got them. A second merc had their arm around a third and was half-carrying half-leading them round the building. As they started to cross the area between the admin block and garage an area of snow in front of them flashed into steam.“Drop your weapons and lie down,” - Helena.“I’m helping wounded,” came the reply.“You’re untrustworthy murdering c***s, now throw your weapons in front of you and lie face down,” - Helena.The wounded one was dropped to the ground and the other threw away his rifle and unbuckled his belt. He lay down.Vasquez and Peter rushed into the area between the buildings as well.“Who's left?” - Vasquez“We have one in the garage who is unhurt and one in the accommodation block who is definitely hurt.” - Eric.My climb down was painful. At gun point we made the merc pick up his buddy again and take him into admin and put him on a table. He had taken a gauss needle to his right bicep. It had passed right through but it had pulled most of the muscle with it and now he looked there was a huge bloody slug hanging from his arm. His arm was contracted and it was hard to straighten. I shot him up with pain killer and did what I could. I cleaned the wound and shoved his muscle back under the skin. I stitched up the tears in the skin. With my skill and the equipment at hand that was all I could do for him. He had lost blood, naturally, but not enough to be life threatening. By the time I had finished the one from the garage had surrendered and, along with the sniper who gave herself up and the one who had been carrying their comrade all were bound. The one in the accommodation block had died by the time we got to him.Eric drove the ATV into the compound, checked in with us in admin and then took his family to accommodation. He looked shaken by the level of violence he had witnessed on the security feed. Not as shaken as I felt. We laid out the dead to the rear of the reactor shed. We had killed six. It felt like a lot more. I had shot at people before but didn’t think I had killed anyone. It’s not a good feeling. We sat in silence and drank hot coffee. I think we all got a shock when a voice came out of the merc’s comms a couple of hours later:“Hey, found anything? We’ve been checking on a radiation reading we got but we didn’t find anything. We will be landing in about 30 minutes.”We hadn’t forgotten about the ship but everything felt unreal after the fight. We got up and looked at eat other.“Ok, we don’t answer and they might think there is a fault with the comms. We hide and take them as they leave their ship. They will be suspicious but we don’t want them to start blasting the base.” - Vasquez. We all nodded and picked up auto rifles and laser rifles. Each sniper had a spare cartridge for the rifle. This time V and P took one each as they are the better shots. V had a tiny flesh wound in her left shoulder - not even deep enough to damage muscle. It was sore but not a problem after I had dressed it. P and H were fine, other than the horror of the fight. P hurried over to accommodation to tell the Bothildrs, Katrin and Egil that the end of the situation was about to play out, one way or another. We needed someone to guard the captives and for the rest to hide. Eric came to watch the prisoners.We took blankets from beds in accommodation and when we got to the landing strip Helena, Vasquez and Peter all lay down and I covered each one with a blanket and shovelled snow onto them. It was the only way we could think of hiding our heat signatures if they thought to do a thermal scan. It wasn’t likely but we really didn’t want the ships weapons turned on us. After no reply came from the base the ship kept trying to get response. We ignored it. I hid by the fuel processing equipment. We only had a few minutes to wait before the ship came into view. It was at least 400 tons and was a class of ship I hadn’t seen before. It landed facing the base. I could see a ramp or stairs on the other side of the ship from were I was. I closed my eyes and psionically moved my vision to where I thought the top of the ramp was. Three people were walking down the steps. All wearing flak jackets and helmets. Two carried auto rifles or submachine guns and one a shotgun. In the airlock a fourth was in the process of closing the door. The door closed, I counted to 12 and once again I moved, teleporting into the airlock.I moved to the inner door and looked through the viewing panel in time to see a corridor and a door to ly left, which was closing. I hefted my rifle and opened the inner airlock door and pressed farther into the ship. I moved as quietly as I could towards the door I had seen closing. Every step sounded unbelievably loud to my ears. I opened the door and quickly stepped in. There was one man, sitting in front of a screen who looked up with a start. I screamed “Freeze” as loud as I can and they froze in an awkward pose. “Stand up slowly.” He stood. "Hands in the air." He put his hands in the air. “Now open the airlock doors again, slowly.” I must have looked half deranged. Regardless, he reached over very slowly and did as instructed. We waited. It seemed like time stood still. The others hadn’t questioned me when I said that if we can lure the crew out then I can get inside to make sure ship weapons weren’t used. It seemed like forever before a voice came over my comm:“They’re down. Are you in?”We had put a comm under a jacket and the plan had been to tell them to stand down when they were close to the edge of the landing strip. I later found out that when they were told, via the comm in the jacket, to put down their weapons they replied by opening fire on the jacket. Peter and Vasquez took down two, each with a shot from a laser rifle. This, with Helena’s chaotic auto fire convinced the last to surrender. They then joined me with their prisoner in the ship.Out of 14 mercenaries seven had died, two were seriously wounded and five were taken prisoner relatively unharmed. We didn’t waste any time in taking over their ship. There were four low berths so we put the two wounded mercs plus Egil into those. We bound the others with duct tape. Later, when we found an empty cargo container in the hold we shoved them in there taking turns to guard them to make sure they didn’t get out. We did the usual safety checks, got the Bothildrs, and Katrin and took off, wishing we had never landed in the first place. I felt sick.It was early in the morning of 201-1080</blockquote>

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