joshuadim
the writer
Vance gave the agent a smirk before speaking: "Not exactly."
-
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Futuristic Starpath: Shadow Contingency
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
The agent blinked. "Then where the fuck are you from?"
"Tax collection," muttered one of the other agents which caused everyone else to laugh or chuckle.
Nathalie looked at the agent with narrowed eyes. "You get paid to ask those questions, agent?"
The agent shook his head. "No ma'am. Just wondering where the dinosaur came from."
"Tax collection," muttered one of the other agents which caused everyone else to laugh or chuckle.
Nathalie looked at the agent with narrowed eyes. "You get paid to ask those questions, agent?"
The agent shook his head. "No ma'am. Just wondering where the dinosaur came from."
joshuadim
the writer
Dinosaur. Another term used by some to describe him. Pretty funny all things considered and it made Vance give off a chuckle. "Well, they dug me out of the ground when searching for fossils. Found a velociraptor right next to me as well."
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
"Fucking comedian, eh?" Muttered the agent. Before Vance could respond however the co-pilot spoke up once more.
"Thirty seconds! DZ is cold."
This was it. All the agents fell silent. Gloved hands jumped between weapons, pouches and other equipment before returning back to the rifles, carbines and handguns- gripping them tightly as they did.
Outside the distant ranch was fast approaching. There were two large structures that looked like your typical two-storey block houses, a rectangular barn and a small assortment of sheds. Around the premise was a small fence with gaps here and there. Several run-down vehicles were also littering near and around the buildings with some being partially covered by tarps of various colors.
Most of the ranch was dark. The exception were a couple of isolated lights seen through windows as well as a handful of floodlights scattered about to deter any curious intruders.
Unfortunately the floodlights wouldn't be enough to scare off this particular dropship and its passengers.
Dust was kicked up as the dropship descended towards the ground. A pair of doors retracted to reveal Nathalie, Vance and their team of agents just as they hopped out with their guns trained at the structures ahead.
Nathalie, as well as three other agents, kneeled down while the others remained standing.
"Walker here. Team three on the ground."
"Understood. Carry on as planned," replied Stingray over the radio.
"Roger, out." Nathalie looked at Vance and pointed towards the first building. "Vance! Take point!"
"Thirty seconds! DZ is cold."
This was it. All the agents fell silent. Gloved hands jumped between weapons, pouches and other equipment before returning back to the rifles, carbines and handguns- gripping them tightly as they did.
Outside the distant ranch was fast approaching. There were two large structures that looked like your typical two-storey block houses, a rectangular barn and a small assortment of sheds. Around the premise was a small fence with gaps here and there. Several run-down vehicles were also littering near and around the buildings with some being partially covered by tarps of various colors.
Most of the ranch was dark. The exception were a couple of isolated lights seen through windows as well as a handful of floodlights scattered about to deter any curious intruders.
Unfortunately the floodlights wouldn't be enough to scare off this particular dropship and its passengers.
Dust was kicked up as the dropship descended towards the ground. A pair of doors retracted to reveal Nathalie, Vance and their team of agents just as they hopped out with their guns trained at the structures ahead.
Nathalie, as well as three other agents, kneeled down while the others remained standing.
"Walker here. Team three on the ground."
"Understood. Carry on as planned," replied Stingray over the radio.
"Roger, out." Nathalie looked at Vance and pointed towards the first building. "Vance! Take point!"
joshuadim
the writer
Vance gave a nod and quickly got into position at the front, gun at the ready as he moved forward in a semi-crouch walk to lead the team towards their objective. All manner of joking and playfulness immediately went into the back of his mind as his soldier's instinct kicked into full gear as he pushed forward. Now was the time to be all business.
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
As Vance approached the first building two of the agents, of which one was the same agent that had referred to him as a dinosaur, followed closely. "We got your six," said one of them, nodding.
Meanwhile the sudden intrusion had caused a pair of dogs to bark loudly. Their metal chains held them in place though the loud clinking made the people inside the house wake up.
Yelling and indistinct chatter could be heard as the suspects tried to ready themselves for the assault that was about to come.
Vance and his agents were closing in on the door- fast. In a matter of seconds they'd be through.
Meanwhile the sudden intrusion had caused a pair of dogs to bark loudly. Their metal chains held them in place though the loud clinking made the people inside the house wake up.
Yelling and indistinct chatter could be heard as the suspects tried to ready themselves for the assault that was about to come.
Vance and his agents were closing in on the door- fast. In a matter of seconds they'd be through.
joshuadim
the writer
The element of surprise had been broken by the hounds owned by whomever ran this place, and now they had a few spare moments to get in before they were fully prepared inside. Vance quickly motioned to the agents with him: "Flashbangs through the windows, on my mark." he spoke quickly as he moved in front of the nearest door. He quickly got into position and brought his hand into a fist as the sign to begin, with the two agents pulling pins and throwing four flashbangs inside. A few seconds passed as someone yelled inside prior to the explosions going off followed swiftly by Vance kicking the door open with such force that it launched it towards an armed man inside, launching him back into a wall and knocking him unconscious.
A split second of information was all Vance needed to make his analysis of the room he had just barged into. Four armed suspects and 7 non-combatants, three of whom were children. Two of the suspects were too far away to be reached with hand to hand, while the other two were close enough to reach. And so Vance quickly fired shots towards the two in the back. Rather than kill, he sought to incapacitate with a shot to the shoulder and to the leg for each. His shots landed with expert accuracy and superhuman speed as Vance moved between both targets extremely quickly. Immediately after he moved to slam the other man with his shoulder with his own body mass, causing the man to fly back but not before Vance grabbed a hold of the man's own gun and threw it at the other. The force from such a throw knocked the other man out rather quickly as Vance quickly walked over to them and kicked their guns away. The two agents that had followed Vance entered shortly after to secure the room as well as ensure none of the civilians did anything stupid.
"Building secured." Vance spoke into his comms as he kept his weapon trained on the two that he had brought down but not killed. To the suspects and the civilians, it practically was over in a matter of seconds.
A split second of information was all Vance needed to make his analysis of the room he had just barged into. Four armed suspects and 7 non-combatants, three of whom were children. Two of the suspects were too far away to be reached with hand to hand, while the other two were close enough to reach. And so Vance quickly fired shots towards the two in the back. Rather than kill, he sought to incapacitate with a shot to the shoulder and to the leg for each. His shots landed with expert accuracy and superhuman speed as Vance moved between both targets extremely quickly. Immediately after he moved to slam the other man with his shoulder with his own body mass, causing the man to fly back but not before Vance grabbed a hold of the man's own gun and threw it at the other. The force from such a throw knocked the other man out rather quickly as Vance quickly walked over to them and kicked their guns away. The two agents that had followed Vance entered shortly after to secure the room as well as ensure none of the civilians did anything stupid.
"Building secured." Vance spoke into his comms as he kept his weapon trained on the two that he had brought down but not killed. To the suspects and the civilians, it practically was over in a matter of seconds.
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
The two agents joining Vance had barely made it through the door when the superhuman soldier went on his melee spree. As he spoke into the radio the agents trained their rifles on anyone that moved. One of them remained on overwatch while the other moved in to secure suspects and civilians alike using single-use plastic restraints. Commands such as "STAY DOWN! PUT YOUR HANDS ON YOUR HEAD!" and "HANDS! HANDS! SHOW ME YOUR HANDS!" were barked out, forcing everyone to stay put.
Meanwhile similar yells echoed from across the ranch with Nathalie and her team securing the other building. "Second building secured. Let's find the susp- wait, what's that?"
A window was punched out and the panicked breathing of a man could be heard as a single man tried to escape the ranch. He rushed towards one of the vehicles littering the yard- a partially rusted 6x6 offroad truck with a large flatbed- and zipped open its canvas door before climbing in. At this point Nathalie and one of the agents were rushing outside and taking aim at the vehicle while the dropship that initially dropped them off was coming back around.
Headlights turned on to illuminate most of the yard just as the dropship turned on a swivel-mounted search light. Nathalie opened fire with her pistol as the vehicle took off, kicking up mud and dust as it pummeled through the nearby fencing.
"Vance! Go after him!" Yelled Nathalie while gesturing towards the other vehicles. The dropship descended quickly to collect Nathalie and the agent before going up once more to chase after the lone vehicle heading away.
Meanwhile similar yells echoed from across the ranch with Nathalie and her team securing the other building. "Second building secured. Let's find the susp- wait, what's that?"
A window was punched out and the panicked breathing of a man could be heard as a single man tried to escape the ranch. He rushed towards one of the vehicles littering the yard- a partially rusted 6x6 offroad truck with a large flatbed- and zipped open its canvas door before climbing in. At this point Nathalie and one of the agents were rushing outside and taking aim at the vehicle while the dropship that initially dropped them off was coming back around.
Headlights turned on to illuminate most of the yard just as the dropship turned on a swivel-mounted search light. Nathalie opened fire with her pistol as the vehicle took off, kicking up mud and dust as it pummeled through the nearby fencing.
"Vance! Go after him!" Yelled Nathalie while gesturing towards the other vehicles. The dropship descended quickly to collect Nathalie and the agent before going up once more to chase after the lone vehicle heading away.
joshuadim
the writer
Vance didn't need more to go off of that as he dashed out of the building and saw the rusted flatbed speed away in an attempt to flee. As Natalie went into the dropship to pursue the vehicle with the ship's searchlight Vance sprinted towards a nearby dirtbike and hotwired it as fast as he could, his urgency increasing when he looked to see the flatbed speeding away. A few moments passed before he managed to get it working and put himself full speed after on the road.
With help from the dropship's spotlight, Vance was easily able to keep track of the flatbed and where exactly it was going as he did his best to not only keep up but to gain on it. A few minutes passed as he slowly but surely closed in to the back of the flatbed, Vance wanted to make sure he had a clean jump before trying anything. That was until a few shots rang out that whizzed past Vance and turned his attention towards the vehicle's front. The driver was firing wildly at Vance as was getting pretty close to actually hitting him on target. This led Vance to push the dirt bike to its limit as he closed in to transition to the flatbed.
With help from the dropship's spotlight, Vance was easily able to keep track of the flatbed and where exactly it was going as he did his best to not only keep up but to gain on it. A few minutes passed as he slowly but surely closed in to the back of the flatbed, Vance wanted to make sure he had a clean jump before trying anything. That was until a few shots rang out that whizzed past Vance and turned his attention towards the vehicle's front. The driver was firing wildly at Vance as was getting pretty close to actually hitting him on target. This led Vance to push the dirt bike to its limit as he closed in to transition to the flatbed.
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
"Identity confirmed: Gustav Wallin spotted," said Ava over the team communications just as another burst of gunfire whizzed past Vance. "I KNOW MY RIGHTS!" Yelled the man, clearly distressed.
Meanwhile, aboard the dropship following high above, Nathalie and the lone agent that accompanied her steadied themselves in the left troop door. Wallin was about to fire at Vance yet again when a sudden burst of rifle shots pinged off of the rover's rear chassis and flatbed, forcing him to take cover inside the driver's cabin.
Nathalie followed up with a burst from her own weapon. "Vance! We got you covered! Remember; we need him alive."
Meanwhile, aboard the dropship following high above, Nathalie and the lone agent that accompanied her steadied themselves in the left troop door. Wallin was about to fire at Vance yet again when a sudden burst of rifle shots pinged off of the rover's rear chassis and flatbed, forcing him to take cover inside the driver's cabin.
Nathalie followed up with a burst from her own weapon. "Vance! We got you covered! Remember; we need him alive."
joshuadim
the writer
Vance gave a thumbs up to the craft above as he positioned himself to get onto the flatbed of the truck he was pursuing as he got the bike he was on closer and closer into position for a smooth transition. Yet as he approached, Wallin's hand appeared from the driver's window and Vance's eyes went wide as he saw a grenade being dropped right towards him. In a split second decision, Vance jumped off his bike to safety as the grenade went off and completely mangeled the bike. Rolling for a bit on the ground, he quickly stood up from his rough tumble and watched as the flatbed sped off: the chase would have to continue on foot.
That wasn't a problem for Vance as he quickly picked up speed and began to run as he darted into the woods alongside the road and pushed himself through the gaps in the many trees to follow along the car. Occasionally crashing through and felling a thin tree due to his momentum, Vance pushed on as he saw the dropship's searchlight through the canopy of the treeline which helped give the man a decent idea of where Wallin's vehicle was. It became evident however that Wallin's road would need to take a turn and Vance quickly pushed himself further to intercept. Before long, he pushed out of the treeline and jumped straight into the path of the flatbed as he grabbed on just barely with his hands to the opposing side of the vehicle.
Quickly gaining a firm grip, Vance pulled himself onto the back of the vehicle and quickly climbed over to the side of the vehicle and found himself nearly face to face with Wallin who immediately tried to aim his gun right at Vance's face. Yet that would prove no match as Vance quickly grabbed the mans gun and forcefully yanked it out of his hand before punching the man in the face hard enough to not only knock a tooth out but also to knock the man out where he sat. He would quickly then open the door and move to put pressure on the brake to stop the vehicle in its tracks before pulling the man out and laying him out on the ground. "Target secured, he's out cold but I made sure not to rough him up too much." Vance spoke into comms with a chuckle.
That wasn't a problem for Vance as he quickly picked up speed and began to run as he darted into the woods alongside the road and pushed himself through the gaps in the many trees to follow along the car. Occasionally crashing through and felling a thin tree due to his momentum, Vance pushed on as he saw the dropship's searchlight through the canopy of the treeline which helped give the man a decent idea of where Wallin's vehicle was. It became evident however that Wallin's road would need to take a turn and Vance quickly pushed himself further to intercept. Before long, he pushed out of the treeline and jumped straight into the path of the flatbed as he grabbed on just barely with his hands to the opposing side of the vehicle.
Quickly gaining a firm grip, Vance pulled himself onto the back of the vehicle and quickly climbed over to the side of the vehicle and found himself nearly face to face with Wallin who immediately tried to aim his gun right at Vance's face. Yet that would prove no match as Vance quickly grabbed the mans gun and forcefully yanked it out of his hand before punching the man in the face hard enough to not only knock a tooth out but also to knock the man out where he sat. He would quickly then open the door and move to put pressure on the brake to stop the vehicle in its tracks before pulling the man out and laying him out on the ground. "Target secured, he's out cold but I made sure not to rough him up too much." Vance spoke into comms with a chuckle.
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
The shockwave and ensuing explosion from the grenade made the dropship swerve upwards and ascend to evade any possible shrapnel. Nathalie covered her eyes to shield her from the flashing light and once she regained her vision of the ground below she could only see the pickup- not Vance. "Where did Vance go?"
Her eyes spotted a smoldering wreckage farther behind and her thoughts began racing just as the agent next to her tapped her on her arm and pointed.
"There!"
Seeing Vance sprinting through the terrain was equally comforting as it was impressive. Just by looking at him in his current state Nathalie could tell that he truly was a super-soldier. What made the whole thing more impressive was the fact that he could most likely keep up with the current-day super-soldiers fielded by the SSOID- despite being generations ahead of them.
The spotlight illuminated the scene perfectly and Nathalie was simply captivated as she witnessed Vance charge into the vehicle and subdue Wallin all by himself. Once the vehicle slowed down and halted the dropship slowed down as well before descending. Nathalie and the agent were quick to jump out and move over to Vance.
As the agent placed a couple of plastialloy cuffs on Wallin and seated him against the vehicle Nathalie holstered her weapon and nodded towards Vance. "Good work."
She smirked. "Not bad for an old man."
"Walker to Stingray," said Nathalie now speaking over the team's internal comms. "Package secured. I repeat, we have secured the HVT. Requesting exfil. How copy?"
Slowly the comms crackled to life. "Understood Walker. Stryker. Ava. Deploy to Walker's position ASAP." Stingray paused. "What's the status of the HVT?"
Nathalie glanced over at Vance. "Sound asleep, sir."
Her eyes spotted a smoldering wreckage farther behind and her thoughts began racing just as the agent next to her tapped her on her arm and pointed.
"There!"
Seeing Vance sprinting through the terrain was equally comforting as it was impressive. Just by looking at him in his current state Nathalie could tell that he truly was a super-soldier. What made the whole thing more impressive was the fact that he could most likely keep up with the current-day super-soldiers fielded by the SSOID- despite being generations ahead of them.
The spotlight illuminated the scene perfectly and Nathalie was simply captivated as she witnessed Vance charge into the vehicle and subdue Wallin all by himself. Once the vehicle slowed down and halted the dropship slowed down as well before descending. Nathalie and the agent were quick to jump out and move over to Vance.
As the agent placed a couple of plastialloy cuffs on Wallin and seated him against the vehicle Nathalie holstered her weapon and nodded towards Vance. "Good work."
She smirked. "Not bad for an old man."
"Walker to Stingray," said Nathalie now speaking over the team's internal comms. "Package secured. I repeat, we have secured the HVT. Requesting exfil. How copy?"
Slowly the comms crackled to life. "Understood Walker. Stryker. Ava. Deploy to Walker's position ASAP." Stingray paused. "What's the status of the HVT?"
Nathalie glanced over at Vance. "Sound asleep, sir."
joshuadim
the writer
"For a man pushing 491 I'll take that as a compliment." Vance replied with a smile of his own as he took a seat in the dropship. He felt himself take a few deep breaths to relax following the amount of stress he had pushed himself through by going through those woods. He was fine, though he internally joked to himself that his joints were a bit stiff. As Nathalie reported in on the status of their objective, Vance chimed in as well: "He'll need a bit of dental work though."
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
Stingray audibly grunted over the comms. "Roger. We'll make sure to get him a brace then."
As Vance got seated Nathalie took a knee next to Wallin. She nodded towards the agent and without a word the agent returned the gesture before stepping away, giving Nathalie her space. SSOID spooks were known to hold improv-interrogations in the field and as such the request- albeit silent- was nothing out of the ordinary. No Sol Marshal or Colonial Deputy would be daring enough to stop or deny such a request- an SSOID field agent wouldn't even think the thought of it.
Nathalie glanced at Vance over at the dropship with a neutral expression before looking at Wallin who was still out cold. She produced a small pen-shaped object from the inside of her jacket. Placing it against Wallin's lower right arm the device flashed as it sent a jolt of electricity through his nerves, causing the detained crimelord to yell and instantly wake up. Wide-eyed and clearly shaken up from the punch he had taken Wallin's eyes darted between Nathalie, the agent and the nearby dropship.
"Twenty on her. He's gonna spill the beans," muttered the dropship co-pilot loud enough for Vance to hear. Both the pilot and co-pilot were leaning forward in their seats to catch a glimpse of Nathalie and Wallin next to the neutralized car. The pilot grunted. "Sounds like a bad bet. You know no one can hold it in when the SSOID sends their best."
"Chicken," said the co-pilot. He glanced into the troop compartment at Vance. "You game? Or maybe you've done enough wetwork yourself to know where this is going."
Meanwhile at the vehicle Wallin spat out some blood onto the mud-covered ground besides him. "What do you want lady? I'm just an honest and hard-working man."
Nathalie narrowed her eyes. "Honest? No, I doubt it. Hard-working?" She tilted her head before snapping to, pulling her sidearm and pressing its muzzle against Wallin's chin. "That you are. Maybe a little bit too hard-working, don't you think?"
Wallin's eyes widened further. His cuffed hands worked hard to boost his body up and relieve the pressure from Nathalie's pistol. "Hey! Look! All I do is a bit of smuggling here, arms-dealing there and some other stuff in-between. It's nothing major either- not enough to send spooks after me."
He gave Nathalie a brief toothy grin. "Just tell me what you want- who you want- just don't send me to Titan. I've already been on ice before."
Nathalie pulled down her gun, allowing Wallin to sit properly without any pressure directly to his chin. "Oh really? That cooperative?"
Wallin nodded. Twice.
"I've got a name for you then," said Nathalie. "Talon."
Almost instantly Wallin's face darkened and his eyes narrowed. "Lady-" he stated, glancing at the agent "-you're real pretty for a spook but you're not that smart."
"No one gets to Talon. Least of all me." Said Wallin. "Yes, I've helped him out. Twice. Launder some credits. I get to keep twenty five percent. Easy money. That's it. I don't know nothing about where he is, who is and what he's doing."
Nathalie nodded slowly before looking at the agent. "He knows nothing. What a shame."
The agent nodded before stepping forward and striking Wallin in the gut with stock of his carbine. Wallin cursed and spat out even more blood. His expression had now shifted from fear and confusion to outright anger. "LOOK! I'm telling the truth! I know his type and trust me, business is hard enough. I don't need no SSOID spooks kicking in my door and charging me with some grand terrorist conspiracy. I already have a couple hundred Marshals actively trying to track me down as soon as I make a noise, so why would I ever want to attract you people?"
"Greed," said Nathalie. "You must know something. You're too smart- too paranoid- to not know anything."
The pistol was pressed against Wallin's chin once again. "How does he contact you? Any middleman? Money-trail? Drop-off?"
Wallin shook his head. "It's all via the HoloNet. Distorted faces and voices. Proxy-transfers. He-" Wallin paused. Nathalie raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"There's something," said Wallin. "I never used it and he gave me the cords weeks ago but it might work." He glanced at the agent before looking back at Nathalie. "Weeks ago when I was about to send the second transfer the Marshals were hitting hard all around the system. I told Talon about it and he gave me the coordinates to some backup spot in-case I couldn't get my people to a station for a wire-transfer. We never used but I suppose the coordinates could be of use to you."
Nathalie grunted. "Cough it up, Wallin."
Then, as Nathalie's questioning continued, a second dropship emerged nearby. It began its descent and slowly set down next to the identical dropship in which Vance was seated. As the doors opened Stingray stepped out. He nodded towards Vance. "Where's Walker?"
As Vance got seated Nathalie took a knee next to Wallin. She nodded towards the agent and without a word the agent returned the gesture before stepping away, giving Nathalie her space. SSOID spooks were known to hold improv-interrogations in the field and as such the request- albeit silent- was nothing out of the ordinary. No Sol Marshal or Colonial Deputy would be daring enough to stop or deny such a request- an SSOID field agent wouldn't even think the thought of it.
Nathalie glanced at Vance over at the dropship with a neutral expression before looking at Wallin who was still out cold. She produced a small pen-shaped object from the inside of her jacket. Placing it against Wallin's lower right arm the device flashed as it sent a jolt of electricity through his nerves, causing the detained crimelord to yell and instantly wake up. Wide-eyed and clearly shaken up from the punch he had taken Wallin's eyes darted between Nathalie, the agent and the nearby dropship.
"Twenty on her. He's gonna spill the beans," muttered the dropship co-pilot loud enough for Vance to hear. Both the pilot and co-pilot were leaning forward in their seats to catch a glimpse of Nathalie and Wallin next to the neutralized car. The pilot grunted. "Sounds like a bad bet. You know no one can hold it in when the SSOID sends their best."
"Chicken," said the co-pilot. He glanced into the troop compartment at Vance. "You game? Or maybe you've done enough wetwork yourself to know where this is going."
Meanwhile at the vehicle Wallin spat out some blood onto the mud-covered ground besides him. "What do you want lady? I'm just an honest and hard-working man."
Nathalie narrowed her eyes. "Honest? No, I doubt it. Hard-working?" She tilted her head before snapping to, pulling her sidearm and pressing its muzzle against Wallin's chin. "That you are. Maybe a little bit too hard-working, don't you think?"
Wallin's eyes widened further. His cuffed hands worked hard to boost his body up and relieve the pressure from Nathalie's pistol. "Hey! Look! All I do is a bit of smuggling here, arms-dealing there and some other stuff in-between. It's nothing major either- not enough to send spooks after me."
He gave Nathalie a brief toothy grin. "Just tell me what you want- who you want- just don't send me to Titan. I've already been on ice before."
Nathalie pulled down her gun, allowing Wallin to sit properly without any pressure directly to his chin. "Oh really? That cooperative?"
Wallin nodded. Twice.
"I've got a name for you then," said Nathalie. "Talon."
Almost instantly Wallin's face darkened and his eyes narrowed. "Lady-" he stated, glancing at the agent "-you're real pretty for a spook but you're not that smart."
"No one gets to Talon. Least of all me." Said Wallin. "Yes, I've helped him out. Twice. Launder some credits. I get to keep twenty five percent. Easy money. That's it. I don't know nothing about where he is, who is and what he's doing."
Nathalie nodded slowly before looking at the agent. "He knows nothing. What a shame."
The agent nodded before stepping forward and striking Wallin in the gut with stock of his carbine. Wallin cursed and spat out even more blood. His expression had now shifted from fear and confusion to outright anger. "LOOK! I'm telling the truth! I know his type and trust me, business is hard enough. I don't need no SSOID spooks kicking in my door and charging me with some grand terrorist conspiracy. I already have a couple hundred Marshals actively trying to track me down as soon as I make a noise, so why would I ever want to attract you people?"
"Greed," said Nathalie. "You must know something. You're too smart- too paranoid- to not know anything."
The pistol was pressed against Wallin's chin once again. "How does he contact you? Any middleman? Money-trail? Drop-off?"
Wallin shook his head. "It's all via the HoloNet. Distorted faces and voices. Proxy-transfers. He-" Wallin paused. Nathalie raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"There's something," said Wallin. "I never used it and he gave me the cords weeks ago but it might work." He glanced at the agent before looking back at Nathalie. "Weeks ago when I was about to send the second transfer the Marshals were hitting hard all around the system. I told Talon about it and he gave me the coordinates to some backup spot in-case I couldn't get my people to a station for a wire-transfer. We never used but I suppose the coordinates could be of use to you."
Nathalie grunted. "Cough it up, Wallin."
Then, as Nathalie's questioning continued, a second dropship emerged nearby. It began its descent and slowly set down next to the identical dropship in which Vance was seated. As the doors opened Stingray stepped out. He nodded towards Vance. "Where's Walker?"
joshuadim
the writer
The pilot was right, Vance had seen and done enough back in the day. And back then, he justified it to himself more often than not as in defense of liberties of millions in the free world. Who wouldn't back then? The reds were the enemy, oppressing people without a care of their wellbeing for their own agendas. But the things he, and others, had to do sometimes... seeing it back on a historical viewpoint made him question if any of it had been worth it. He didn't respond to the pilots as he watched with a slight frown as to what Nathalie was doing to the poor guy. Even though the man was connected to bad things, did he deserve to be threatened and hurt like this? It didn't sit right with him and his face showed as Stingray arrived on scene.
Vance motioned with his head over to where Nathalie and Wallin both were. "Right over there." he said, as he turned to face the man. "She's questioning him."
Vance motioned with his head over to where Nathalie and Wallin both were. "Right over there." he said, as he turned to face the man. "She's questioning him."
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
Stingray looked to where Vance pointed and sighed. He shook his head slightly. "With me," he said before approaching Nathalie.
As Stingray approached Nathalie looked up. "Sir, we have some coordinates."
Stingray nodded before looking at the nearby agent. "Escort Mr. Wallin to my ship." The agent nodded and complied. Nathalie stood up and holstered her sidearm. She crossed her arms. "I wasn't done with him."
"Yes," said Stingray. "Yes you were. In fact, I don't remember giving the order to interrogate him in the field." Stingray placed his hands on his hips. "So tell me Walker, why the rush? Should I be worried? Or do you have a habit of breaking orders?"
Nathalie glanced at Vance before looking at Stingray, raising her chin slightly. "I was just trying to save us some time, sir. That's all."
Stingray grunted. "Alright then. Head back to your insertion point. Clean up the rest. SDF Marines are arriving in thirty to lock the place down. Once they're here we're shipping out. Got it?"
"Yes sir," said Nathalie, nodding.
As Stingray stepped off she relaxed a bit and looked at Vance. "I'll explain later."
As Stingray approached Nathalie looked up. "Sir, we have some coordinates."
Stingray nodded before looking at the nearby agent. "Escort Mr. Wallin to my ship." The agent nodded and complied. Nathalie stood up and holstered her sidearm. She crossed her arms. "I wasn't done with him."
"Yes," said Stingray. "Yes you were. In fact, I don't remember giving the order to interrogate him in the field." Stingray placed his hands on his hips. "So tell me Walker, why the rush? Should I be worried? Or do you have a habit of breaking orders?"
Nathalie glanced at Vance before looking at Stingray, raising her chin slightly. "I was just trying to save us some time, sir. That's all."
Stingray grunted. "Alright then. Head back to your insertion point. Clean up the rest. SDF Marines are arriving in thirty to lock the place down. Once they're here we're shipping out. Got it?"
"Yes sir," said Nathalie, nodding.
As Stingray stepped off she relaxed a bit and looked at Vance. "I'll explain later."
joshuadim
the writer
Vance followed close behind Stingray as he made his way over Nathalie and proceeded to chew her out. Over what exactly wasn't made entirely clear, as Stingray seemed rather apprehensive over an immediate interrogation for some odd reason. As he listened in, Vance twiddled his thumbs as the two of them talked it out with Stingray walking away shortly after.
Vance raised an eyebrow for a moment as Nathalie spoke up but gave a nod afterwards as he looked to where they came from before. "We should head back." he simply stated as he began the trek back to the houses they had previously burst into.
Vance raised an eyebrow for a moment as Nathalie spoke up but gave a nod afterwards as he looked to where they came from before. "We should head back." he simply stated as he began the trek back to the houses they had previously burst into.
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
Later...
Nathalie sighed and rolled her shoulders. The dim light illuminating hers and Vance's room made her blue eyes stand out in the dark. Following Wallin's arrest the extraction back to the Modus Operandi had been relatively quick. No SSOID casualties had been reported nor had there been any civilian ones. SDF Marines had shown up just as Goblin promised, deploying into the area of operation to assist the local SSOID agents. Alongside Wallin himself a hefty cache of weapons and narcotics had been recovered, giving everyone else on the ground a victory for the books and multiple reasons to simply forget Nathalie, Vance and the rest of Taskforce Predator.
Looking at Vance, Nathalie nodded.
"So," she started. "The interrogation. I'm sorry you had to see that."
She adjusted her seating, leaning back against the wall opposite of the bunk bed in the room. "There's a secondary reason for you and I to be here. While Stingray is chasing terrorists for Goblin I- and by extent yourself- is chasing something else. I was assigned this mission by my handler- Druid- to observe and report suspicious activity. We think that the rogue groups currently claiming responsibility for the numerous terrorists attacks being carried out on monthly basis are in fact something else than former USR-loyalists."
"On paper whenever an attack gets carried out Taskforce Predator is quick to step in and neutralize a suspect, but in reality there's very little information to go around and some members of the SSOID have begun to suspect that it's all a show for the public. Imagine; Faking dozens of attacks just to fuel your own private ventures. Who could be behind such a thing?"
Nathalie shook her head. "The arms industry. Magnates. Oligarchs. Foreign powers." She turned, looking Vance in the eyes. "Even the SSOID itself."
"It saddens me to say it but Sol is not what it used to be. For every two steps forwards there's also a step backwards. The war is supposed to be over, yet we just deployed an expeditionary fleet to keep survivors of the conflict under our boots- for peacekeeping. It's rotten. That's why the brass needs us. To find the truth."
Nathalie sighed and rolled her shoulders. The dim light illuminating hers and Vance's room made her blue eyes stand out in the dark. Following Wallin's arrest the extraction back to the Modus Operandi had been relatively quick. No SSOID casualties had been reported nor had there been any civilian ones. SDF Marines had shown up just as Goblin promised, deploying into the area of operation to assist the local SSOID agents. Alongside Wallin himself a hefty cache of weapons and narcotics had been recovered, giving everyone else on the ground a victory for the books and multiple reasons to simply forget Nathalie, Vance and the rest of Taskforce Predator.
Looking at Vance, Nathalie nodded.
"So," she started. "The interrogation. I'm sorry you had to see that."
She adjusted her seating, leaning back against the wall opposite of the bunk bed in the room. "There's a secondary reason for you and I to be here. While Stingray is chasing terrorists for Goblin I- and by extent yourself- is chasing something else. I was assigned this mission by my handler- Druid- to observe and report suspicious activity. We think that the rogue groups currently claiming responsibility for the numerous terrorists attacks being carried out on monthly basis are in fact something else than former USR-loyalists."
"On paper whenever an attack gets carried out Taskforce Predator is quick to step in and neutralize a suspect, but in reality there's very little information to go around and some members of the SSOID have begun to suspect that it's all a show for the public. Imagine; Faking dozens of attacks just to fuel your own private ventures. Who could be behind such a thing?"
Nathalie shook her head. "The arms industry. Magnates. Oligarchs. Foreign powers." She turned, looking Vance in the eyes. "Even the SSOID itself."
"It saddens me to say it but Sol is not what it used to be. For every two steps forwards there's also a step backwards. The war is supposed to be over, yet we just deployed an expeditionary fleet to keep survivors of the conflict under our boots- for peacekeeping. It's rotten. That's why the brass needs us. To find the truth."
joshuadim
the writer
Vance had stayed relatively quiet as the duo had returned to the ship following the mission and didn't speak much afterwards as he stayed in their quarters and simply read a book on a holo-tablet as time passed. The silence did end with Nathalie breaking the ice as she explained a variety of things, including their reasoning for being here. Vance frowned briefly as he learned something that hadn't even been told to him in the first place by those above, perhaps to keep him in the dark, and slowly brought himself to sit up on his bed to listen further.
When she finished, Vance gave off a deep sigh: "Back when I was last in the field, we compromised. Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well at night, and I told myself it was to keep people free. Looking at how history unfolded, I'm not so sure it turned out that way." he spoke, "There was a saying I remember: the more things change the more they stay the same. Seems no different now than it was back then to me, except how... strange everything is to me nowadays. More often than not, the 'truth' is what those in power only want others to know. If you would've asked me all those years ago, I would have no qualms in espousing the ideals of my country. But after being on ice and far from home, I suppose I've woken up with a new... perspective. I'm not loyal to any country, or person or anything else except the dream. A dream that I believed in back then and I still do now no matter how tough the going gets."
"I fight for what's right: truth and justice. Back then I held those beliefs and I still do now. And although I am working for SSOID with you, I'm not fighting for them. And if what you're saying is possible... that the very people we work for might be instigating this... then I'll have no qualms in tearing them down as I would with any other terrorist or tinpot dictator."
When she finished, Vance gave off a deep sigh: "Back when I was last in the field, we compromised. Sometimes in ways that made us not sleep so well at night, and I told myself it was to keep people free. Looking at how history unfolded, I'm not so sure it turned out that way." he spoke, "There was a saying I remember: the more things change the more they stay the same. Seems no different now than it was back then to me, except how... strange everything is to me nowadays. More often than not, the 'truth' is what those in power only want others to know. If you would've asked me all those years ago, I would have no qualms in espousing the ideals of my country. But after being on ice and far from home, I suppose I've woken up with a new... perspective. I'm not loyal to any country, or person or anything else except the dream. A dream that I believed in back then and I still do now no matter how tough the going gets."
"I fight for what's right: truth and justice. Back then I held those beliefs and I still do now. And although I am working for SSOID with you, I'm not fighting for them. And if what you're saying is possible... that the very people we work for might be instigating this... then I'll have no qualms in tearing them down as I would with any other terrorist or tinpot dictator."
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
"Whatever you do Vance, never change." Nathalie shook her head. "I wish we had more people like you. People with morals and ideals. Gets even more rare by every passing day."
She sighed and looked down into her lap. "As far as your role in all this, well, I suppose someone thought you'd well here. I'm just glad to have someone watch my six, though until we can determine whether or not Stingray and his team are in the clear we can only trust each other. We don't know how far, wide or deep this thing goes. Hell, we barely have any details as is."
Nathalie leaned in. "Thanks to Wallin however we now have a clue: If that drop-off location is a backup for supplies and payment between him and the supposed terrorists we can hopefully locate additional clues. If not, us going there might as well make the real conspirators make a mistake if they need to scrub the place." She shrugged. "It's not much but it's a start."
"Granted, that is if you agree to help me," said Nathalie while looking at Vance. "This is alot to take in and I wouldn't judge you if you wanted to bail out- your war ended a long time ago."
She sighed and looked down into her lap. "As far as your role in all this, well, I suppose someone thought you'd well here. I'm just glad to have someone watch my six, though until we can determine whether or not Stingray and his team are in the clear we can only trust each other. We don't know how far, wide or deep this thing goes. Hell, we barely have any details as is."
Nathalie leaned in. "Thanks to Wallin however we now have a clue: If that drop-off location is a backup for supplies and payment between him and the supposed terrorists we can hopefully locate additional clues. If not, us going there might as well make the real conspirators make a mistake if they need to scrub the place." She shrugged. "It's not much but it's a start."
"Granted, that is if you agree to help me," said Nathalie while looking at Vance. "This is alot to take in and I wouldn't judge you if you wanted to bail out- your war ended a long time ago."
joshuadim
the writer
"If there are people in danger, then I have a duty to ensure their safety no matter who the enemy might be. I'm not one to be on the sidelines anymore... especially after being out of it for all those years." Vance replied as he stood up to head for the door. He wanted to grab a bite to eat, but he stopped before leaving as he turned to Nathalie for a moment: "Although, I'd appreciate if things weren't kept from me next time." he then said before heading for the ship's canteen.
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
"I'll keep that in mind," said Nat, also standing up. She nodded towards the door. "I'll join you in a few. Save a seat for me."
Northwestern Quadrant
2 days after the assault on Zalavari II
11:19 AM (Local Time)
Merchant's Den
Two days had passed since the arrest of Wallin and the dismantling of his illegal activities. According to Goblin several interrogators at the SSOID headquarters had taken a crack at the arrested Valhallan. Odd in Nathalie's opinion as he wasn't exactly the type of guy to stonewall someone under questioning as clearly demonstrated by Nat's improvised field-interrogation of the man. Still, she hadn't questioned Goblin about it as the handler felt satisfied with the mission.
According to him Wallin had shared with him the location of the drop-off point mentioned to Nathalie as well as other "strategic pieces of intel", to quote Goblin himself. Because the intel was hot Goblin wanted the team to act on it right away, deploying them to the neutral planet of Freeport in order to secure the site and grab anything usable on-site. The operational plan was a schoolbook-example with the Modus Operandi providing tactical liaison to the ground team split into pairs. With tactical and aerial support from their mothership the teams would converge on the marked location- a private hangar bay near a large strip of marketplaces and apartment buildings- and execute a synchronized breach of the building.
With any luck the team would be able to grab anything usable and fall back to the Modus Operandi as soon as possible. Not that local security forces were an issue (they were practically non-existent) but because they were all privatized gunmen, mercenaries and reformed pirates working for the plethora of private actors and companies on the planet they were expected to be both trigger-happy and highly territorial even when faced with clandestine SSOID special forces.
Now, as the teams were slowly creeping up on the hangar, Nathalie and Vance found themselves walking down a narrow street. On one side they had hookah parlors, taverns, hotels and apartments while the other side was riddled with tents, stalls and other marketplace stores. People of all races, shapes and sizes were walking to and from. Merchants. Diplomats. Rich corporation types. Pirates. Mercenaries. All of them passed by one another. Aside from having business to attend to they all shared the common trait of being armed. Sure, some individuals seemed to only be carrying small and easily concealable self-defense weapons (as revealed by rough shapes protruding out from underneath shirts, jackets and belts) while others openly carried large-caliber sidearms, worn melee weapons of alien designs or sling-mounted assault rifles and machine guns.
Out of everyone though the corporate security forces stood out. Wearing different armors and symbols they all represented one or more private party present on the planet. Freeport had a relatively short but undeniably profitable history related to its en masse cattle farming operations spread out around its rocky and arid surface. Several nearby empires and independent worlds relied on Freeport's farms to supply them with meat otherwise solely found on the opposite end of the galaxy. It was a delicate operation, with all commerce leading through the capital city of Merchant's Den which indirectly made the city one of the most well-defended locations on the planet and within any number of nearby systems.
Nathalie frowned as she and Vance passed by another patrol, this time a squad of four grunts and a single squad leader, and squeezed their way past them as they argued with some merchants whom had parked their stall illegally, putting it out in the middle of the street.
"Keep your eyes on their hands," said Nathalie as they continued. "These boys are a bit too twitchy for my taste. Might start shooting for some bullshit reason without warning."
Just then one member of the squad they just passed yelled before firing a warning shot into the ground, making the merchants hurriedly raise their hands and apologize for the inconvenience. The squad leader raised an accusative finger at them before ordering his men to resume their patrol.
Nat sighed and shook her head. "Let's hope we can find something useful at the hangar."
* * *
Freeport, Neutral Space
Northwestern Quadrant
2 days after the assault on Zalavari II
11:19 AM (Local Time)
Merchant's Den
Two days had passed since the arrest of Wallin and the dismantling of his illegal activities. According to Goblin several interrogators at the SSOID headquarters had taken a crack at the arrested Valhallan. Odd in Nathalie's opinion as he wasn't exactly the type of guy to stonewall someone under questioning as clearly demonstrated by Nat's improvised field-interrogation of the man. Still, she hadn't questioned Goblin about it as the handler felt satisfied with the mission.
According to him Wallin had shared with him the location of the drop-off point mentioned to Nathalie as well as other "strategic pieces of intel", to quote Goblin himself. Because the intel was hot Goblin wanted the team to act on it right away, deploying them to the neutral planet of Freeport in order to secure the site and grab anything usable on-site. The operational plan was a schoolbook-example with the Modus Operandi providing tactical liaison to the ground team split into pairs. With tactical and aerial support from their mothership the teams would converge on the marked location- a private hangar bay near a large strip of marketplaces and apartment buildings- and execute a synchronized breach of the building.
With any luck the team would be able to grab anything usable and fall back to the Modus Operandi as soon as possible. Not that local security forces were an issue (they were practically non-existent) but because they were all privatized gunmen, mercenaries and reformed pirates working for the plethora of private actors and companies on the planet they were expected to be both trigger-happy and highly territorial even when faced with clandestine SSOID special forces.
Now, as the teams were slowly creeping up on the hangar, Nathalie and Vance found themselves walking down a narrow street. On one side they had hookah parlors, taverns, hotels and apartments while the other side was riddled with tents, stalls and other marketplace stores. People of all races, shapes and sizes were walking to and from. Merchants. Diplomats. Rich corporation types. Pirates. Mercenaries. All of them passed by one another. Aside from having business to attend to they all shared the common trait of being armed. Sure, some individuals seemed to only be carrying small and easily concealable self-defense weapons (as revealed by rough shapes protruding out from underneath shirts, jackets and belts) while others openly carried large-caliber sidearms, worn melee weapons of alien designs or sling-mounted assault rifles and machine guns.
Out of everyone though the corporate security forces stood out. Wearing different armors and symbols they all represented one or more private party present on the planet. Freeport had a relatively short but undeniably profitable history related to its en masse cattle farming operations spread out around its rocky and arid surface. Several nearby empires and independent worlds relied on Freeport's farms to supply them with meat otherwise solely found on the opposite end of the galaxy. It was a delicate operation, with all commerce leading through the capital city of Merchant's Den which indirectly made the city one of the most well-defended locations on the planet and within any number of nearby systems.
Nathalie frowned as she and Vance passed by another patrol, this time a squad of four grunts and a single squad leader, and squeezed their way past them as they argued with some merchants whom had parked their stall illegally, putting it out in the middle of the street.
"Keep your eyes on their hands," said Nathalie as they continued. "These boys are a bit too twitchy for my taste. Might start shooting for some bullshit reason without warning."
Just then one member of the squad they just passed yelled before firing a warning shot into the ground, making the merchants hurriedly raise their hands and apologize for the inconvenience. The squad leader raised an accusative finger at them before ordering his men to resume their patrol.
Nat sighed and shook her head. "Let's hope we can find something useful at the hangar."
joshuadim
the writer
"Yeah, jumpy goons with guns are always a good combination for disaster." Vance replied as he continued to walk with Nathalie. Freeport was a rather fitting name given how many varied and differing businesses laid themselves open to anyone who was willing. It wasn't his particular taste to visit any of them really, but he could appreciate the fact that they went about peacefully unlike the corporate guards that stuck out like sore thumbs. "I counted four in that last group, seems like they're getting more frequent in numbers and in groups the further we get into this place," he then commented, "I don't like it."
Viper Actual
Ask me about my tourniquet fetish.
"Neither do I," replied Nathalie as the two of them continued to walk down the street. Ahead another patrol comprised of corporate gunmen and mercenary-looking types laughed at loud and exchanged jokes in front of a stall covered in holographic projectors and monitors. Meanwhile two different squad leaders were chatting close by with a third stepping out of a low-altitude hovercraft parked nearby.
It would seem that the farther in Vance and Nat got the more expensive and well-protected the marketplace were whereas apartments and hotels got fancier and more decorated to symbolize their high-end value.
After passing by a particularly well-staffed hotel with dozens of extravagant and colorful holosigns outside the pair of operatives was able to just barely spot the hangar;
Large and wide, the main hangar building appeared to be mostly out of concrete or a similar material with the top of the building covered with angled plating in a jet-black color topped with barbed wire, cameras and sensor arrays.
On the far end of the building Nathalie and Vance could barely see a group of antennas sticking up, most likely mounted on a small-scale air control tower or the hangar's own guiding center with the latter being a unmanned and efficient way of electronically guiding incoming aircraft to and from the hangar- like an autopilot but capable of communicating with local traffic AIs, smart landing systems and other incoming craft.
At the foot of the structure was a large terminal door used for cargo shipments. It was currently closed with a holographic red warning triangle being projected above to further reinforce the statement. Next to the terminal door was a smaller man-sized door which would serve as Nathalie's and Vance's entry-point.
"Place looks to be deserted," commented Nathalie before glancing at Vance. "See anything out of the ordinary?"
joshuadim
the writer
Vance took a quick look at the area for personnel, security, or whatever else might lie on the outside. The one thing that made him suspicious already came to his mind as he muttered: "For something seemingly deserted, it seems well guarded. Barbed wires, cameras, sensors... could be storage for something inside that's valuable." He then pointed to the roof: "I don't think we'll be making a grand entrance through the front door. I bet there's a way to get onto the roof and inside through a service door or maybe a ventilation shaft, but that would mean dealing with the sensors without alerting anyone to our break in."
"...Unless you got something to deal with whatever security systems are placed around the door?"
"...Unless you got something to deal with whatever security systems are placed around the door?"
