Freeing the Slaves - Marines

Posted on Thu Mar 16, 2017 @ 11:51pm by Major Kasia S'er'in'e & Lieutenant Colonel S'er'in'e & 2nd Lieutenant Gage Aravan

Mission: An Orion to Die For
Location: Shol'Tar Slave Facility
Timeline: MD 4 || 1500 Hours

Once they were in position, the Marines were the first to be beamed down to Shol'Tar.

The facility at Shol'Tar was a heavily fortified compound with sentry towers spaced every fifty yards with two men in each of them manning a sentry cannon. Searchlights swept back and forth outside the walls which seemed to be made of stone and the area surrounding the walls had been cleared for a hundred yards in every direction from them.

The Marines appeared in a copse of woods less than fifty yards from the beginning of the clearing and Gage did a quick check to make sure that everyone was down before he looked at the Major. "What are your orders, Sir?" he asked her.

''Exographic targeting sensors on," Kasia ordered as she placed the device on and began to survey their surroundings. Only eight guards were visible, but they were about to infiltrate a high security facility. Others would be hiding somewhere. She removed her phaser rifle and reached for the TR-116a with the SPW-201A1 Weapon mounted Grenade Launcher . "Once I take out the guards in the tower, Aravan you use the P-788A1 to breach the wall. There are ten guards on a catwalk just behind the wall.. I want them taken out. We're going to sound the alarm when that happens, and this place will be swarming. Those of you carrying the M-970A1's and the M-1024's, be ready," she said, preparing herself. "That does not mean the rest of you do nothing. We're all getting out of this mess alive." She lined the tower in her sight and took a deep breath.

Gage grabbed the P-788A1 Sniper Rifle and sited on the targets that were hidden as his Exographic Targeting Sensor came online and two other Marines quickly set up the M-2A3. They sighted it in using the holographic scope and hunkered down behind it as another Marine worked on calculating the range variables. "Read when you are, Major," he said.

The other Marines gathered up their M-970A1's and the M-1024's as they prepared for the assault on the veritable fortress barring their way to potential Starfleet personnel. Each called in their readiness and waited on Major Petrova to give the order.

"Fire!" Kasia ordered, shooting at one of the towers before turning to target the other. Her line of sight was clear of any of her fellow Marines so there was no chance they'd be hit by friendly fire. Not that what they were doing was considered friendly, but there were people on the inside that didn't deserve to be there. That, in and of itself, played by Rules of Engagement.

Gage opened fire with the P-778A1 rifle and began punching holes through the walls across the clearing, each shot taking out one of the guards hidden on the inner catwalk that he spied with his Exographic Targeting Sensor. He rapidly switched from target to target as the Major took the sentries on the top wall while the team with the M-2A3 opened fire with a deadly barrage designed to create a breach in the wall.

The other Marines began to charge forward in a leap frog formation, twenty-five going forward while twenty-five laid down devastating cover fire. The team with the M-2A3 lifted the heavy weapon with an anti-grav handle and began to charge forward behind the others while a grenade unit began to launch gas grenades over the walls which would dissipate before the Marines made it into the breach.

Not willing to send her men and women into a situation she wouldn't put herself in, the Russian woman led the charge toward the breach that was just created. She kept her weapon aimed in front of her as she scanned her surroundings. Of course, her movements were an unspoken command for them to follow, and like her, she hoped they were all on high alert. "Where are you, you bastards," she muttered.

Unknown to the Marines, a single pregnant stowaway had climbed into a Marine's backpack when they were in the woods and made itself comfortable before they took off.

Gage ran beside of the Major, laying down cover fire as they neared the breach with the other Marines behind them. The crew with the M-2A3 paused to take out a drone that came over the wall, blowing it out of the sky while others fired towards the upper ramparts.

The enemy began to stagger out under the effects of the gas, some wearing masks and wielding phasers and disruptors and attempted to set up a skirmish line to prevent the Marines from getting inside.

The infantry fanned out and began to return fire with expert aim and forced the enemy combatants to fall back into the breach once more. A few seconds later, a heavy rumbling sound was heard and six wheeled vehicle came around the side of the building and began to open fire.

Kasia came to a halt, skidding across the gravel when they started to undergo fire from the vehicle coming their way. There was no chance of them taking it out on their own. "Move! Move! Move!" She shouted to her men as she tapped her combadge. "We're in need of assistance on the surface! The coordinates are.." She proceeded to call out the vehicles position, making adjustments for movement.

In a matter of seconds, an arch a weapons fire broke through the atmosphere and hit its mark, taking the vehicle out immediately. With that done, the Russian woman laid down cover fire as she rejoined her team.

"Holy crap!" Gage exclaimed as the enemy vehicle exploded. "That was close." He motioned for the rest of the Marines to continue forward as he jogged up beside the Major. "Let's show them what we can do," he said with a nod to the breach that was only yards away.

Kasia closed the distance and jumped through the breach in the wall, making a quick survey of their surroundings. Things needed to move quick. "Keep your eyes open for any non-friendlies!" She snapped, looking for a way in. The Russian woman knew things were likely going to be a lot worse on the inside, and when she spotted what she was looking for, she gestured with her hand and moved that way.

Gage entered behind the Major and gestured with hand signals for the other Marines to fan out and begin to search the place, which was a warren of doors, corridors and offices. He switched out his Sniper rifle for a standard M-970A1 with a SPW-201A1 Weapon Mounted Grenade Launcher on it. He activated a tricorder and gave a nod as he did a quick scan. "I'm detecting human life signs about thirty yards ahead," he said. "There's also ten Nausicaans, twelve Orions and a Klingon there and a mix of other races."

"Let's move," Kasia ordered, switching out her weapon for something that had a little less kick. The last thing she wanted to do was take out their own. She made her way to the door and moved inside, unwilling to put her own in harm's way. A good leader needed to be capable of putting themselves in the line of fire just as those who served beneath them did.

With her weapon ready, she scanned the area as she moved along, waiting for the ambush. Unbeknownst to those trying to keep the facility secure, the Starfleet numbers were large, and they still hadn't lost a single soul yet. Kasia planned to keep it that way. A large part of her hoped one of the goons inside would view her as weak for being a woman, then she'd be able to show them just how wrong they were.

Gage transferred his tricorder scan to Kasia as he scanned with his Exographic Targeting Sensor. He alternated between that and his tricorder, then gave a sharp whistle and laid a hand on the Major's shoulder. "Booby trap ahead," he said quietly.

"Sapper," she said quietly as she came to a halt, looking around to see if she saw where the trap was.

The Marine sappers came forward with modified Engineer tricorders and scanned the area, then pulled off their backpacks. They retrieved their equipment and began a foot by foot scan of the area until they located the booby trap's mechanism. When they had it figured out, the lead sapper went to work with his tools and quickly disabled it, setting the trap aside which contained a cannister of lethal gas. "Got it, Major," she said to Kasia.

"Looks like they knew we were coming," the Russian woman murmured, gesturing for her team to follow. With Gage next to her, she knew he'd pick up on the things she might miss, though Kasia didn't plan on missing much. She scanned the area to see where their nearest opposition was, then prepared herself for a fight.

"Maybe not," Gage said as he scouted ahead with the tricorder as the Marine sappers fell back. "If I were going to do a setup like this, I would have traps for people who tried to take what I saw as mine, too."

The other Marines fell into formation and the sound of phaser fire was heard followed by the sound of bodies hitting the floor. =^=Enemy personnel down in Sector G-7=^= came the report. =^=Our area is clear.=^=

"Acknowledged, Porter. We're clearing Sector G-1 now. We'll meet in the middle. Let's move!" The Major ordered, readying her weapon once again as she moved forward, scanning the area in all directions except behind them since that was already covered.

Gage once more went ahead and then paused as he checked the information coming from the tricorder. "The readings are a bit confusing, Captain," he said. "There appears to be traces of minerals in the door and walls here that's blocking my scans."

Kasia frowned. Nothing about this could be easy. "Take cover," she ordered, moving back and reaching into her thigh pack for one of the combadges that was left over. Once everyone was clear, she tossed the device at the doorway to see what happened.

After the Marines took cover, the combadge hit the door and fell to the floor. Gage stood up and motioned to the Sapper who came forward and checked the door with his tricorder.

"It's clear, Major," he said.

Taking a deep breath, Major Petrova moved back to the door and reached out to touch it with a gloved hand. When nothing happened to her, she mentally prepared herself for the shitstorm that awaited her and her team in the other side. She held her hand up and gestured for them to hold back, while she got the door open.

Gage readied a stun grenade in his SPW-201A1. "When it opens, get ready," he told the others. "Major, you may want to jump back."

Upon hearing Aravan's words, the Russian woman pulled her hand back and kicked the door in, then jumped back as she waited for what was to happen next. It was a wonder her blonde locks hadn't turned to silver yet dealing with the constant high stress situations they were always put into. It was all part of the job, though, and she wouldn't want it any other way.

"Fire in the hole!" Gage yelled as he squeezed the trigger and fired the stun grenade into the room and hit the deck with the others, his mouth wide open to equalize the backlash of the grenade. A second later, it detonated and there were cries of pain from inside the room and bodies stumbling around or hitting the floor.

Damn Aravans, Kasia thought as she moved into the room to clear it before calling for anyone else to come inside. She was fully prepared and ready to fire on anything that moved. One is the CO of the ship I serve on, and the other is gung ho. I should have listened to my mother and married that Rear Admiral. She began firing. "Clear!"

Gage and a four person team entered behind her, each of them picking a target and firing at will. Another squad came in and they began taking out the opposition as well until there were no enemy left standing.

In front of them were cages that were too small for the prisoners to stand upright. All of them looked as if they hadn't bathed or changed their ragged clothing in days or longer and some of them looked as if they had sustained broken bones and had open sores. A few had a look in their eyes that said they were broken and waiting for death, but they were all stunned and too weak to fight it off.

In a cage to the side of the room was a large white Caitian male with a shock collar around his neck, a metal muzzle over his mouth and steel gauntlets over his paws.

S'er'in'e saw Starfleet officers storm in and he moved to ask for help but in his moment of hope he ran out of leach that was connected to the floor and the shock collar activated bringing him back.

Kasia looked around at those present in the cages and frowned. To be kept in such conditions was sad... inhumane. Then again... who were they dealing with? Death was too good for those currently lying on the floor, but she couldn't think like that. "Start releasing the prisoners. Some of us will remain with them while the other Sectors are cleared. We'll all meet back at the pickup location. Remember... we all make it back. There is no other option," she said, making her way toward the cage where the Caitian was.

She crouched down in front of it and looked inside. "We're here to get you and the others out."

S'er'in'e looked at the female speaking to him, he understood what she was saying but unable to speak himself because of his harsh bindings. He simply nodded lightly.

Gage and the other Marines went about setting the other slaves free, Marine medics giving hyposprays to the worst ones to stabilize them while attaching combadges to their shreds of clothing. He worked on phasering the locks off the cages, a look of disgust on his face at how the prisoners had been kept and treated. Their information had led them to believe that the people kept in these locations were pampered, but if this was pampering, he didn't want to see what harsh conditions were like.

After he got the last cage open, he turned to see the Major by the Caitian's cage and headed over her way. "Do you need me to help get this thing open, Major?"

"Please," she said, standing upright and moving aside. Kasia didn't want to blast the lock and risk injury to the Caitian, so she chose to let Gage handle things. "I'll go in and take his restraints off once that's done."

Gage took his Type II phaser out and set it to a tight focused beam on a medium setting and began to work on cutting the lock off of the cage. He was careful not to get it close to anything else and in a minute, he was done. "All set, Major," he said as he eyed the huge felinoid. "Do you require assistance?"

S'er'in'e could only watch as the door to his cage was by force, unlocked. With all the chaos of the scene who knew where the key was for it so he patiently waited.

"No," Kasia replied. By now, Gage would know she had the ability to handle herself in most situations. Once the lock was off, she moved inside in a crouched position and stood in front of him. She showed no signs of fear or hesitation as she brought her hands around to the back of the shock collar. "Before I try to take this off, do you know if it will hurt you?"

S'er'in'e turned and brought his waist forward from the side, he used his tail to point to his muzzle. Once it was off he'd be able to talk.

That simple action let him know she didn't have to be as on guard anymore. She reached behind him to undo the straps that held the muzzle in place, then removed it, tossing it to the side. Now Kasia imagined him flexing his jaw and the like. Who knew how long he'd been wearing that thing? "Take your time," she said, producing some water from her thigh pack and bringing it to his mouth.

The sudden ease of pressure on his muzzle was a welcome reprieve. In a yawn like action he stretched his jaws exposing his four dominant fangs and the sets of smaller equally sharp teeth before he closed his mouth. He had little doubt his breath was unpleasant. He saw she wore a badge and now his own plans came into form. He offered his hands to get them free.

Seeing that the Caitian wasn't going to attack, Gage turned back to go help the other Marines get the slaves out of the cages and support the ones who couldn't walk on their own.

Kasia looked to his hands, then began to get the restraints he wore undone until they were joining the muzzle on the floor of the cage. "Easy," she said softly, her Russian accent thickening slightly as her emotions threatened to get the best of her.

S'er'in'e flexed his claws, dulled but still very long and sharp, and fingers letting them rap against the floor as he rose to stand on all fours like a feline. "You will need to disconnect the chain from the floor first. Then unfasten at the back."

Kasia placed the water in his large paw-like hands and moves over to the chain that was locked to a mechanism on the floor. She made quick work of getting it undone, then made her way behind him to work on the collar. It didn't take a genius to know what it was doing to him during his time locked up.

Once she had the collar undone, she let it fall to the floor, then spotted another one that was hidden beneath it and only partially concealed by his matted and ruffled fur. Kasia brought her hands to it. "Do I remove this one as well?"

"NO!!." S'er'in'e spoke sharply. "No." Softer. "That one stays." He knew she couldn't take it off anyway due to the locking mechanism needing claws. He didn't move as she was close to him, given his size and weight he didn't want to shove her to the side of the cage. "I'd like to stand now." His plans bore some colour, the door right in front of him.

Kasia couldn't help but jerk backward at the initial NO!! that was directed her way. She hadn't been expecting that. "I... I'm sorry," she said softly. "I... I will let you stand now." Without saying anything further, the Major left the cage.

S'er'in'e hadn't meant for it to sound as harsh as it had but the Orions had done too much touching of that private area of him that others doing so was pushing his limits. On all fours he padded out of the door and made to stand.

Kasia took another step back to give him his space to stand upright, and even though he was on all fours, he appeared much larger on this side of the cage. She made no sudden movements as to not spook him, but she did speak. "We need to get to the pickup point once the others have been rescued. Do you need help walking?"

After being freed S'er'in'e walked through his cage door and stood up to his full height. His bones creaked in protest but hope had finally paid off. Starfleet personnel were everywhere freeing the slaves and victims of Orion treatment and for him with that freedom came an opportunity. 

Revenge!

S'er'in'e didn't say anything but the look on his face spoke volumes, his posture, quickened breathing, flared whiskers, the snarl to his lips and exposed fangs. He dwarfed everyone around him height and build but he was a feline of singular vision now and all that mattered was one thing. He left his rescuers, pushing and shoving anyone that got in his way, federation or otherwise...all he was seeing now was red. 

He knew where the office was from his many visits there over the months, to see the young Orion male who seemed to take particular delight in torturing S'er'in'e daily. Now he would reap the rewards of his efforts. S'er'in'e found the male trying to pack information into a container. The male was quick to swing a weapon at the feline but S'er'in'e caught his arm at the wrist, his long sharp claws dug into the green flesh causing the young male to cry out, S'er'in'e felt his claws hit bone. Fear quickly took hold of the young male, the look in his eyes told S'er'in'e everything his predator senses needed to know. S'er'in'e blinded by the moment didn't see the other fist coming and took it to the ribs, two broken ribs ensued but right now...irrelevant. S'er'in'e slashed the attacking arm high on the bicep in a deep gash.

S'er'in'e started to talk but Caitian was not a required language for the translator so what said fell on deaf ears of the Orion. S'er'in'e hurled the male to the other side of the room, brought him to his feet and tossed him to the other wall. For six long months this male had taken great pleasure in ridiculing him, torturing him, humiliating him and all of that right now at this moment culminated in the pure rage and hatred of S'er'in'e towards this male. S'er'in'e was unaware if he was being watched but he didn't care, his world right at this moment was him and his need for revenge.

S'er'in'e hacked and slashed at the male's back and body as he fumbled around trying to flee causing him to cry out in pain and agony. Claw cut through flesh with ease and S'er'in'e picked him up and backed him to the wall. More slashing followed but as the slashes came the male fell to the floor whimpering with his back to the wall, crying out in pain and unable to speak as he looked down, S'er'in'e had disembowelled him, his innards pouring out of the wound around his bloody hands and fingers desperately trying to hold them in. 

S'er'in'e spoke some more knowing it was futile but he did it anyway, an old Caste vow of revenge. S'er'in'e grabbed the Orion by the throat claws sank deep and the male squirmed enough to slide onto his back fighting S'er'in's grip. 

A sharp yank of his strong arm tore the throat out of the Orion male who gurgled loudly, hands clutching his throat. S'er'in'e lowered himself to his hands and feet like the feline he was and with one hand held the Orions bald head so he could see the death throws in his eyes.

Now to end this. His innards spilling from his gut was not enough, drowning on his own blood was not enough, S'er'in'e opened his mouth wide and clamped down on the Orion's face, his fangs meeting skull but he piled on the pressure, all of which started on the points of 4 large fangs. It didn't take long for the Orion's face to cave in, the sound of cracking bone, taste of blood and flesh. Death was instant, but brutal. 

Letting the corpse go S'er'in'e stood up again and roared loudly, a long and rolling roar that blocked out most of the sounds of fleeing slaves but if anything served to speed up the fleeing at least. 

Gage came running into the office where he had seen the Caitian go and stopped when he saw blood everywhere which seemed to have the giant felinoid as the center. The roar sent chills down his back and he wondered if he were going to have to shoot the man where he stood as he raised his P-788A1 rifle. "Stand down!" he ordered, his finger a hairsbreadth away from applying pressure on the trigger. 

S'er'in'e slowly turned to face the voice, knowing the situation, weapon raised, firm commanding voice. He knew because that's what he'd have done. He saw the comm badge. "I..." He breathed slowly. "Am Lt.Colonel S'er'in'e, SFMC Special Forces. 94-Gamma-774." 

"Aravan... stand down," Kasia ordered as she moved into the office and saw the scene that was left behind in the aftermath of the Caitian's rage. This wasn't the first time the Russian woman had seen carnage like this before, but in the past, those moments had been caused by explosions... one of which she'd been unlucky enough to be caught in. "Colonel S'er'in'e... we need to get you and the others back to the ship. We can talk about this there."

S'er'in'e wiped his mouth but the blood had stained his normally snow white fur. Seeing a blanket in the office, marked with blood he slung it over his shoulders. At least now he didn't quite look as intimidating, but not by much. "I am ready." 

Gage lowered his phaser rifle but was certain he'd never get that image from his mind. "We need to get to the extraction point," he said as he cocked his head. "Everyone's is reporting the other prisoners are free, Major," he told Petrova. 

"Let's move. I don't know if there's anyone left, but I sure as hell don't want to stick around to find out," the Major said, keeping her weapon in hand. "Cover the Colonel at all times." With that, she gestured for them to make their way out.

"Roger," Gage said as he turned and headed back towards the exfiltration point and to where the other Marines had gathered with about twenty-five slaves. 

"Are you ready to be free, Colonel?" Kasia asked, looking up at the huge Caitian standing next to her.

"What is the date?" S'er'in'e asked, though his lip movements were not in sync with the translator but he needed to know how long he'd been here. 

"It's 68059.64," Gage said over his shoulder. "How long have you been here, Colonel?" 

It took S'er'in'e a moment but it struck him like a slap to the face. "That can not be right." He muttered. "Six months?" The realisation was a painful one, he knew it was a while but a full half year....

Kasia winced, unable to imagine being locked inside of a cage like an animal such as he was. And, as if to add insult to injury, with a shock collar on no less. Without hesitation, she placed a hand against his arm in a gesture meant to comfort. "I can't begin to imagine what you've been through, but we need to get to the exfiltration point," she said in a soothing manner as she reached into her thigh pack to produce a combadge, then placed it into his large hand she'd witnessed shred a person apart. "So the transporter can beam you out with the rest of us." She handed a handful of badges to another Marine so they could be distributed among the others, while a few others were passing ones they'd been carrying out.

S'er'in'e looks at a badge he'd not seen in half a year, familiar yet feeling distant. "Thank you." He saw his hand, fur matted and caked in blood from his brutal murder, and it was murder, of the guard. This particular female was there when he did it, saw what he did, the raw violence of his actions and yet such a gentle voice with with him. 

"You're welcome," she said softly, keeping her weapon within reach just in case there were any surprises that were coming their way. "Let's get going. It won't be long before the transport begins." With that, she lead the team toward their pickup location, but kept close to S'er'in'e in case he needed anything.

S'er'in'e followed in silence. Six months he'd been holed up in that cage, day in and day out tortured and humiliated and even though he killed the guard responsible for it all it just didn't seem enough. He knew the team he was with was dead but what happened to them, Where were the bodies? All the gear they had? What happened to the mission? Was Starfleet implicated? How would they take his rescue and more importantly....what was left of his career?

Finally, they met up with the others and First Lieutenant D'Angelo stepped up. "We found twenty-one prisoners total, Major," he said. "The facility is secure, but I would advise getting out of here before reinforcements arrive." He paused and looked up at the giant, blood Caitian and swallowed. "I...take it....he's one of the good guys?"

"Yes," Kasia replied, looking over to the rescued Caitian. His emotional state had to be quite fragile right now, and she made a mental note to speak to him about that when time permitted. Right now, she tapped her combadge and called to the Galor class vessel waiting for them. =^=Petrova to Lischka... mission accomplished. We're at the pickup site and ready to begin transport.=^=

From the other end of the transmission came a slight German accented voice belonging to a female. =^=It's good to hear your voice, Major. Congratulations on a job well done. Stand by for transport.=^= The link was ended, and moments later, transport began.