Things Past – The Tales of James Darson: In the Dark of the Moon - Part 1
by Colonel James Darson
Post Details
<> SFMC – MARINE CORP INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITY (MCIA)
<> AFTER ACTION REPORT – 2374.10.110.P1.CO.AAR.158.0001
[“SIDEWAYS SNAP”]
< * WARNING: ALL QUERIES WILL BE LOGGED! *>
[MCIA.SEC.PRTCL-A]
< SOURCE: SFMC MAINFRAME ACCESS TERMINAL [MILWAY DESIGNATION]
< IDENTIFY: “STATION ID #”, “TERMINAL ID #”, “OPERATOR ID#”
>> (…) ~ QUERY RUNNING
>> (..)
>> (.)
< QUERY COMPLETE
<< STATION ID #: SB-DS5
[STATION DESIGNATION: DEEP SPACE FIVE]
[STATION CLASSIFICATION: CELESTIAL CLASS (MW-RF)]
<< TERMINAL ID #: DS5.MHQ.XXX.XXXX.192.168.0.135.71
[TERMINAL DESIGNATION: MARINE HEADQUARTERS]
[[CLARIFICATION]]: [ERROR: INSUFFICENT DATA]
<< TERMINAL OPERATOR ID #: [ERROR: INSUFFICENT DATA]
[ARCHIVE [2374.10.110.P1.CO.AAR.158.0001] OPENED PER
OFFICIAL REQUEST: [ERROR: INSUFFICENT DATA]]
< ERROR: [CODE 107] QUERY CAN NOT BE COMPLETED
>> ABORT, RETRY FAIL?
< CONFIRMED [RETRY]
>> (…) ~ RE-EXECUTING QUERY - IDENTIFY: “TERMINAL OPERATOR ID #”
>> (..)
>> (.)
< ERROR: [CODE 107] QUERY CAN NOT BE COMPLETED
>> ABORT, RETRY, FAIL?
< CONFIRMED [FAIL]
>> QUERY PROCEEDING
>> QUERY COMPLETE
< DISPLAYING ARCHIVE [2374.10.110.P1.CO.AAR.158.0001]
>> ARCHIVE CONSISTS OF INTERVIEW WITH TEAM LEADER [FALCON]
AND THE INTERROGATOR REGARDING THE EVENTS OF
[SIDEWAYS SNAP]
>> *BE ADVISED: CERTAIN MATERIAL HAS BEEN REDACTED FOR
SECURITY PURPOSES *
< RECORD 01/05>
I: Before we begin Major, let me grant you my assurance that this is not the foundation of any criminal charges. As long as you answer all of my questions completely and honestly, there shouldn’t be any…problems. However, if you do not answer in this fashion, you and your unit will quickly find themselves the subject of a criminal investigation. Do you understand?
F: How formal you are…we’ve known each other for a long time haven’t we? I think that we can do away with any shroud of pleasantries at this point. You don’t worry about me being deceitful, I’ll cooperate to the fullest extent of my capabilities…you won’t have any trouble from me. The one thing that confuses me is why this is necessary in the first place. I thought systems like this were in place to punish failure…not success?
I: *Snort* Hmmm…Astute as usual. You also know as well as I that the [War] has taxed many of our resources to their limits. However even in the face of such odds, [Protocol] remains paramount. We’re fighting on multiple fronts…and our [Shroud] is one of the only defenses we have. During your last mission, the breach of [Protocol] that occurred, while not immediately damaging, could very well have lasting detrimental effects, regardless of the success of overall completion of objectives. Is that clear?
F: Ah, of course. As I said, you won’t have any trouble from me.
I: Very well, then let the report continue. Falcon, on the star date of [Lothair] you and your team were dispatched on board the [Chariot of Fire], registry number, NCC-XXXXX…is that correct?
F: That is correct. She was to be our transport to the mission area. As I recall, she was outfitted with certain upgrades, specifically a [Iron Curtain]…she was outfitted for speed and stealth, not for combat. Onboard was the complement of the ship’s crew, as well as a company of Marines, along with my team. Although my team was supposed to complete the objectives by ourselves, Alpha Company was to provide backup. It consisted of-
I: Is…this relevant information?
F: Yes, I think it is. You see, later on-
I: Please continue Major. In a linear fashion if possible.
F: *Cough* Of course. We boarded the vessel, and immediately dispatched to the mission area. Morale among my personnel was high. The mission, at least on the outside, appeared to be relatively simple…no trouble was expected.
I: And what was the mission regarding, Major? Although the Tactical Action Plan has been appended to this report, for the sake of thoroughness, would you mind stating them in your own words? What were the objectives of [Sideways Snap]?
F: Hmm…that’s easy. As you are probably aware, the mission area was [OL-4-0073]. The system itself consisted of –
I: Spare us the astrological analysis, Major, the details will be appended. Why was that planet in particular the target?
F: Not so much the planet as one person on it. If you know about the system itself, you should know exactly what sort of troubles they’ve had. Our target was a warlord, in command of a vast militia. He’d been making moves to take over the mining operations on the planet, and become the only supplier. Since this mine provided several important strategic resources, this was deemed a threat by my immediate superiors.
I: And so you were assigned to…remove…him from his command?
F: Please, let’s not mince words. We were sent there to [Displace] him. Plain and simple. And actually, that was the easiest part of the mission.
I: Alright...so what was the hard part?
F: Well, we got in and did exactly what we had planned to do. We had identified a time and place when he would be exposed, during a speech he made at the same time every week, and planned accordingly. We took up sniping positions and waited. When the time came, I ordered the shot, and it went off without a hitch. He died instantly. We began to exfiltrate as fast as possible, and headed back to the rendezvous point.
I: What was the RZ?
F: A forward base of operations about 20 kilometers outside the city. The plan was that as soon as we returned with confirmation of the [Displacement], the Marines would move in and occupy the city, routing the militia in the process.
I: And I can guess that the extraction didn’t go exactly as planned.
F: No…not by a long shot.
Sergeant James Darson wrenched the wheel of his Marine Issue ARGO All-Terrain Vehicle to the right as the warning sensors on his dashboard indicated incoming Disrupter fire. As the vehicle jerked to the side, the brightly colored bolts flashed past and exploded on contact with the ground in front of them, sending small explosions into the air.
As they passed through the cloud of smoke, small pieces of dislodged terrain pelted the 70mm ablative armor shell. Major Don Howard call-sign “Falcon”, sitting in the Navigator / Gunner seat, grimaced, “Nice dodge, but we won’t be able to outrun them forever. Turn left…” he consulted his display, “26 degrees. We’re 6.2 klicks out from the outpost…if we maintain our speed; we should be able to get there in short order...that is, if we don’t get our assess shot off along the way!”
As more disrupter fire crackled around them, the Darson ripped the wheel around to the left, narrowly avoiding another volley. He growled as the vehicle started skidding, but soon got it back under control. Without turning to the Major, he said, “Top, would you mind getting some of these guys off our backs?”
Howard smiled and began to peck at his console, “Of course,” he said. On the top of the MARGO, the 360 degree turret with a Type IV Phaser mounted on it smoothly swung around, and began firing long pulses of destructive orange light. The four modified mining vehicles that were dogging them began to take evasive action, causing one to swerve into a rock outcropping and burst into a cloud of magnificent flame and debris.
Howard grunted and turned back to what he was trying to do, raise the base on the COM channel. Unfortunately, thus far he had gotten nothing but static on every frequency. They didn’t know if it was a natural phenomenon, or if it was being jammed by the militia, but they did know that they didn’t want to come barreling towards the base unannounced with a hostile force in tow. He triggered the COM again,
=/= “Alpha base, Alpha Base, this is Viper Team….Alpha Base, this is Viper Team, do you read me?” =/=
Darson took the MARGO over a low embankment, and landed with a bone rattling jerk. As the vehicle slewed to the side, he over corrected just in time to avoid a large rock formation. He pulled the wheel to and fro, trying frantically to avoid the hail of fire coming towards them.
=/= Alpha Base! We are nearing your location, with a hostile force in pursuit! My team consists of one vehicle;” He consulted his sensor display in front of him, counting the bogies under his breath, “…Hostile force consists of three vehicles. We are exchanging heavy fire!” =/=
The turret on top of the truck whined and spat again, causing the enemies to take evasive action once more. However, this time none of them crashed, and they regained speed quickly. However, Darson took this opportunity to go focus on speed alone for a couple of seconds, increasing the distance between them.
=/= “We will flash the friendly identification signal when we are in range! Go to 100% security, and prepare to assist us! I authenticate, RED CAP, over!” =/=
The vehicle lurched as Darson guided it over the rocky terrain. He grimaced as they hit a particularly bad bump, “Anything on the COM?” he yelled over to Howard.
He shook his head and waved his hand in front of his throat in a chopping motion, “No good! COM’s down completely…We’re 2.5 klicks out, the base is dead ahead! All we can hope for is that they’ll be able to react in time…punch it Marine!”
Darson dutifully obeyed, and floored the accelerator.
OFF:
Major James Darson
Marine Commanding Officer
Deep Space 5
by Colonel James Darson
Post Details
| Title | The Tales of James Darson: In the Dark of the Moon - Part 1 | |
| Mission | Things Past | |
| Author(s) | Colonel James Darson | |
| Posted | Sat Jul 18, 2009 @ 2:55am | |
| Location | Oori'llana IV | |
| Timeline | Backpost - 2472 |
<> SFMC – MARINE CORP INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITY (MCIA)
<> AFTER ACTION REPORT – 2374.10.110.P1.CO.AAR.158.0001
[“SIDEWAYS SNAP”]
< * WARNING: ALL QUERIES WILL BE LOGGED! *>
[MCIA.SEC.PRTCL-A]
< SOURCE: SFMC MAINFRAME ACCESS TERMINAL [MILWAY DESIGNATION]
< IDENTIFY: “STATION ID #”, “TERMINAL ID #”, “OPERATOR ID#”
>> (…) ~ QUERY RUNNING
>> (..)
>> (.)
< QUERY COMPLETE
<< STATION ID #: SB-DS5
[STATION DESIGNATION: DEEP SPACE FIVE]
[STATION CLASSIFICATION: CELESTIAL CLASS (MW-RF)]
<< TERMINAL ID #: DS5.MHQ.XXX.XXXX.192.168.0.135.71
[TERMINAL DESIGNATION: MARINE HEADQUARTERS]
[[CLARIFICATION]]: [ERROR: INSUFFICENT DATA]
<< TERMINAL OPERATOR ID #: [ERROR: INSUFFICENT DATA]
[ARCHIVE [2374.10.110.P1.CO.AAR.158.0001] OPENED PER
OFFICIAL REQUEST: [ERROR: INSUFFICENT DATA]]
< ERROR: [CODE 107] QUERY CAN NOT BE COMPLETED
>> ABORT, RETRY FAIL?
< CONFIRMED [RETRY]
>> (…) ~ RE-EXECUTING QUERY - IDENTIFY: “TERMINAL OPERATOR ID #”
>> (..)
>> (.)
< ERROR: [CODE 107] QUERY CAN NOT BE COMPLETED
>> ABORT, RETRY, FAIL?
< CONFIRMED [FAIL]
>> QUERY PROCEEDING
>> QUERY COMPLETE
< DISPLAYING ARCHIVE [2374.10.110.P1.CO.AAR.158.0001]
>> ARCHIVE CONSISTS OF INTERVIEW WITH TEAM LEADER [FALCON]
AND THE INTERROGATOR REGARDING THE EVENTS OF
[SIDEWAYS SNAP]
>> *BE ADVISED: CERTAIN MATERIAL HAS BEEN REDACTED FOR
SECURITY PURPOSES *
< RECORD 01/05>
I: Before we begin Major, let me grant you my assurance that this is not the foundation of any criminal charges. As long as you answer all of my questions completely and honestly, there shouldn’t be any…problems. However, if you do not answer in this fashion, you and your unit will quickly find themselves the subject of a criminal investigation. Do you understand?
F: How formal you are…we’ve known each other for a long time haven’t we? I think that we can do away with any shroud of pleasantries at this point. You don’t worry about me being deceitful, I’ll cooperate to the fullest extent of my capabilities…you won’t have any trouble from me. The one thing that confuses me is why this is necessary in the first place. I thought systems like this were in place to punish failure…not success?
I: *Snort* Hmmm…Astute as usual. You also know as well as I that the [War] has taxed many of our resources to their limits. However even in the face of such odds, [Protocol] remains paramount. We’re fighting on multiple fronts…and our [Shroud] is one of the only defenses we have. During your last mission, the breach of [Protocol] that occurred, while not immediately damaging, could very well have lasting detrimental effects, regardless of the success of overall completion of objectives. Is that clear?
F: Ah, of course. As I said, you won’t have any trouble from me.
I: Very well, then let the report continue. Falcon, on the star date of [Lothair] you and your team were dispatched on board the [Chariot of Fire], registry number, NCC-XXXXX…is that correct?
F: That is correct. She was to be our transport to the mission area. As I recall, she was outfitted with certain upgrades, specifically a [Iron Curtain]…she was outfitted for speed and stealth, not for combat. Onboard was the complement of the ship’s crew, as well as a company of Marines, along with my team. Although my team was supposed to complete the objectives by ourselves, Alpha Company was to provide backup. It consisted of-
I: Is…this relevant information?
F: Yes, I think it is. You see, later on-
I: Please continue Major. In a linear fashion if possible.
F: *Cough* Of course. We boarded the vessel, and immediately dispatched to the mission area. Morale among my personnel was high. The mission, at least on the outside, appeared to be relatively simple…no trouble was expected.
I: And what was the mission regarding, Major? Although the Tactical Action Plan has been appended to this report, for the sake of thoroughness, would you mind stating them in your own words? What were the objectives of [Sideways Snap]?
F: Hmm…that’s easy. As you are probably aware, the mission area was [OL-4-0073]. The system itself consisted of –
I: Spare us the astrological analysis, Major, the details will be appended. Why was that planet in particular the target?
F: Not so much the planet as one person on it. If you know about the system itself, you should know exactly what sort of troubles they’ve had. Our target was a warlord, in command of a vast militia. He’d been making moves to take over the mining operations on the planet, and become the only supplier. Since this mine provided several important strategic resources, this was deemed a threat by my immediate superiors.
I: And so you were assigned to…remove…him from his command?
F: Please, let’s not mince words. We were sent there to [Displace] him. Plain and simple. And actually, that was the easiest part of the mission.
I: Alright...so what was the hard part?
F: Well, we got in and did exactly what we had planned to do. We had identified a time and place when he would be exposed, during a speech he made at the same time every week, and planned accordingly. We took up sniping positions and waited. When the time came, I ordered the shot, and it went off without a hitch. He died instantly. We began to exfiltrate as fast as possible, and headed back to the rendezvous point.
I: What was the RZ?
F: A forward base of operations about 20 kilometers outside the city. The plan was that as soon as we returned with confirmation of the [Displacement], the Marines would move in and occupy the city, routing the militia in the process.
I: And I can guess that the extraction didn’t go exactly as planned.
F: No…not by a long shot.
Sergeant James Darson wrenched the wheel of his Marine Issue ARGO All-Terrain Vehicle to the right as the warning sensors on his dashboard indicated incoming Disrupter fire. As the vehicle jerked to the side, the brightly colored bolts flashed past and exploded on contact with the ground in front of them, sending small explosions into the air.
As they passed through the cloud of smoke, small pieces of dislodged terrain pelted the 70mm ablative armor shell. Major Don Howard call-sign “Falcon”, sitting in the Navigator / Gunner seat, grimaced, “Nice dodge, but we won’t be able to outrun them forever. Turn left…” he consulted his display, “26 degrees. We’re 6.2 klicks out from the outpost…if we maintain our speed; we should be able to get there in short order...that is, if we don’t get our assess shot off along the way!”
As more disrupter fire crackled around them, the Darson ripped the wheel around to the left, narrowly avoiding another volley. He growled as the vehicle started skidding, but soon got it back under control. Without turning to the Major, he said, “Top, would you mind getting some of these guys off our backs?”
Howard smiled and began to peck at his console, “Of course,” he said. On the top of the MARGO, the 360 degree turret with a Type IV Phaser mounted on it smoothly swung around, and began firing long pulses of destructive orange light. The four modified mining vehicles that were dogging them began to take evasive action, causing one to swerve into a rock outcropping and burst into a cloud of magnificent flame and debris.
Howard grunted and turned back to what he was trying to do, raise the base on the COM channel. Unfortunately, thus far he had gotten nothing but static on every frequency. They didn’t know if it was a natural phenomenon, or if it was being jammed by the militia, but they did know that they didn’t want to come barreling towards the base unannounced with a hostile force in tow. He triggered the COM again,
=/= “Alpha base, Alpha Base, this is Viper Team….Alpha Base, this is Viper Team, do you read me?” =/=
Darson took the MARGO over a low embankment, and landed with a bone rattling jerk. As the vehicle slewed to the side, he over corrected just in time to avoid a large rock formation. He pulled the wheel to and fro, trying frantically to avoid the hail of fire coming towards them.
=/= Alpha Base! We are nearing your location, with a hostile force in pursuit! My team consists of one vehicle;” He consulted his sensor display in front of him, counting the bogies under his breath, “…Hostile force consists of three vehicles. We are exchanging heavy fire!” =/=
The turret on top of the truck whined and spat again, causing the enemies to take evasive action once more. However, this time none of them crashed, and they regained speed quickly. However, Darson took this opportunity to go focus on speed alone for a couple of seconds, increasing the distance between them.
=/= “We will flash the friendly identification signal when we are in range! Go to 100% security, and prepare to assist us! I authenticate, RED CAP, over!” =/=
The vehicle lurched as Darson guided it over the rocky terrain. He grimaced as they hit a particularly bad bump, “Anything on the COM?” he yelled over to Howard.
He shook his head and waved his hand in front of his throat in a chopping motion, “No good! COM’s down completely…We’re 2.5 klicks out, the base is dead ahead! All we can hope for is that they’ll be able to react in time…punch it Marine!”
Darson dutifully obeyed, and floored the accelerator.
OFF:
Major James Darson
Marine Commanding Officer
Deep Space 5