Unity – Semper Fidelis (pt. I)
by Alderman Dorian Gabriel & Colonel James Darson & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
ON:
Specialist Gareen studied the console before him for several moments before he closed the signal. To the average observer, it would seem like a routine geological report of the planet's surface. However he recognized the information that was coded within the report. He knew that it was a message from the team onboard Deep Space 5, informing him of where the device was located.
The team that was on the surface was waiting for their coordinates, but at the same time they were trying their best to avoid the Marine detachment that had just arrived on the planet at the same time. He knew how much was at stake, and he knew that the Marine Detachment was going to interfere with their plan unless he could do something.
Gareen observed his console again and noticed that the shuttles had made their drops and were heading towards their pre-determined coordinates. He immediately began to compose a tightbeam message using a secured channel that the team had designated for any emergency correspondences. Gareen knew that the larger the message, the more likely it would be detected by Darson' s party, therefore he made sure to keep it as simple as possible.
=+= "Company"=+= he transmitted to the recovery team on the surface.
[Mountain – 3 km. to the North]
The shuttle pulled itself around behind the mountain, taking advantage of the landmasses bulk as a way to hide itself better from the mobile sensors at the excavation camp. It climbed the height unmolested and settled onto an outcropping about two thirds up the snow cap, on the blind side where missiles and other weapons would not be able to hit them.
As they settled onto the snow covered terrain, the shuttle began to sink into the loose snow. About a foot of the landing struts were covered when suddenly they hit the hard pack and shuddered to a stop. For a moment there was only the sound of hissing coolent and hydraulics, then the pilots stepped into action, shutting the shuttle down but making sure to leave the sensors and have the capability to depart at a moment’s notice.
Darson left them to their devices with the knowledge that if anything out of the ordinary came up, they were to contact him immediately. He moved to the back of the shuttle and picked up the enormous hard-shell case that was attached to the wall. He approached the hatch and opened it, allowing a gust of frigid sub-zero air to rush in. He didn’t even flinch, choosing instead to unclip and discard his cloak, letting it slither to the ground.
Jumping out of the shuttle, he landed on the powdery snow and mysteriously enough, didn’t sink into it despite the massive combined weight of armor, man, and case. He took at a light run, leaving no footprints behind, up and around the mountain side so as to gain an observation position over the attack site.
As he moved, he began to manipulate the controls inside of his armor. Owing to the Treaty of Algeron back in 2311, the Federation had been barred from perusing cloaking technology, which put them far behind the Romulans and Klingons in terms of stealth capabilities. Admiral Pressman had tried to do the right thing and come up with an alternative cloaking method called interphase cloaking, but as history indicated, that had been a massive failure. Some attempts had been made here and there, especially after the Defiant had received a device during the Dominion war to scout the Gamma quadrant, but nothing had panned out.
So, in the interest of time, instead of trying to replicate something that they didn’t really know how to use, the Marine Quartermaster R&D division started working on some other approaches to the concept of stealth and infiltration.
One of the best ideas to come out of that division was a project codenamed “CHAMELEON”. Utilizing high-precision omnidirectional holographic diodes hidden inside the joints of armor, a polychromatic paint layer on the exterior, sensor information from a tricorder, and a dedicated processing core, one could simply simulate the images that were around them, allowing one to literally blend into the environment using a form of active camouflage.
It wasn’t perfect though, falling short of the level of the cloaking device it meant to emulate. The astute would be able to spot the silhouette, and it also could only operate in areas free from jamming. However, it did have one or two advantages over a cloaking device.
The device had a passive mode that could simply put out a static image that could be used anywhere. There were the standard patterns in it: Wood, Urban, Desert, Snow, Clown…but you could also use it to display other things.
Darson’s matte black armor flickered for a moment as he fiddled with the settings on the run, then he turned a bright white, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. He crested the mountain, blending in with the snow perfectly. He knelt in the cold wind and popped open the case, revealing its contents.
One of the personal weapons that he had brought onboard during his initial arrival on the station, he hadn’t had the chance to use this particular one for some time. He reached in and began assembling the rifle contained within: stock to loading mechanism, to barrel, to battery, to scope. Completed the whole thing was about the size of a man, two meters long with a menacing looking barrel and a large scope attached to it.
This was a relic of a forgotten age, the design harking back to World War III. It had been a project during the years leading up to the Dominion war, in an effort to provide Marines with effective anti-material support. Only a few prototypes were produced and disseminated to various elite units, but eventually the project was scrapped owning to the lack of armored combat encountered in modern warfare, and the ease of production associated with the newly designed TR-116.
Darson still had his though, and he loved it more than almost anything else in the universe.
The TR-X99, codenamed “TRUNCHEON”. Doing away with chemical propellants or phasers, this weapon utilized a series of electromagnetic coils as a source of kinetic energy for small, aerodynamic projectiles. The result worked very well against armor and hardened targets of any sort, as well as “soft” targets.
What Darson liked most about it was that the range on this weapon far eclipsed that of ordinary sniper rifles, and in the right hands (his) would allow him to make perfect killing shots from unholy distances away, in the most horrible of conditions.”
He wrapped the barrel of the weapon a white cloth shawl to conceal it, then propped the bipod up against a rock, aiming the weapon down to the excavation site below. He connected the scope to his armor’s computer system, getting targeting information and zooming in on the cluster of buildings and what appeared to be a series of guards rushing around frantically, like they knew they were about to be attacked.
He took in the scene and activated one of the sensor filters to show the positions of his team. They came up highlighted on the display. He triggered the secure burst communications channel, =^= “Able, Bravo…eyes on. Wardog has the overwatch. Standby…looks like they might know that they’ve got company.” =^=
The team leaders sent a click to show their acknowledgment. Darson focused on the guards, noticing their positions. He zoomed in until one of the guards filled the picture. He quickly analyzed their armament. Zooming out again and flicking his eyes to the roof of the main building, he saw what appeared to be two snipers lying prone facing East and West.
He began to tag the locations of the guards with his onboard computer and linked his telemetry to the teams down in the forest. =^= “Able, Bravo, this is Wardog. Tango count appears to be 16 on the ground with 2 snipers on the roof. Equipment looks to be minimal armor with standard disruptor rifles. I’ve tagged them all for you so that you can find your targets easier. You are red and free. Prepare to take your shots and move in. I’ll provide cover for you. On my mark.” =^=
He zoomed in on the west facing sniper on the roof and practiced a couple of times moving back and forth from him to the other one. Settling his reticule back on the first one, he loaded a projectile, flipped the safety off, and casually rested his finger on the trigger. Taking one moment to steady his breathing, he began to count off his heartbeats.
Everything was still.
Suddenly he smoothly depressed the trigger, sending a 5.4 mm projectile screaming through the air at 15,000 meters per second through the sniper’s head, blowing him apart. As soon as the first round had left the barrel, he made a minute movement to swing the sight over to the other one and fired again.
=^= “Mark.” =^=
The bullet traveled its intended distance, piercing the air at an accelerated rate. cl'Ron never saw nor heard the projectile hurdling towards him until it was too late. The bullet penetrated his skull, rendering the remaining portion of his body lifeless in a matter of seconds. All according to plan.
As the second bullet prepared to perform an encore performance on D'han, the personal forceifeld came online and disintegration the bullet before it could shatter his skull as well. D'han and the remaindering of team had received the message from Gareen earlier, but they had to maintain the illusion of ignorance in order to determine the location of the invading team. Unfortunately, cl'Ron had to be the sacrificial lamb in the name of success.
=+= "They've arrived! Time is not on your side!" =+= D'han radioed to the excavating team as he changed position to prepare for the arriving assault force.
Darson frowned as he saw the flash of a forcefield appear around his second target, the bullet apparently causing no damage. His suits COM interception system caught the short transmission from the soon-to-be dead man, and he frowned as he dialed up the charge for the next shot, slightly surprised that the forcefield had managed to repel a shot meant to pierce through a tank’s defense systems.
“An interesting gambit,” he thought gamely to himself, enjoying the unexpected challenge a little, “But one that will not work a second time” As the target scrambled to his feet to try to get away, Darson unleashed a second shot that carved its way through the air, literally blowing away all the snow and air that blocked its path. A blink of the eye later found the round connecting with its intended target, the force field crumpling and blood and body parts flying everywhere. The new trajectory aspect made it so that the bullet continued on through the building, sending up a rooster trail of metal and building materials
He swept the roof one more time and moved his gaze to the battle. Only about ten seconds had passed since he fired the first shot, =^= “Grey Squad, be advised…hostiles are aware of our presence, we’re now working against the clock. Move up and be on the lookout for personnel force fields” =^= Darson knew that a field with the capacity to deflect a shot from this rifle was bound to be more the exception than the rule, and probably couldn’t be used while mobile…but just in case, he wanted to be careful.
Darson turned his attention to the rest of the troops on the ground and opened fire, emptying the magazine down range, the sonic booms echoing through the mountains and causing several avalanches lower down.
[Back by the Buildings]
Abel and Bravo teams had made their trek smoothly through the forest to get here. There were a couple of rudimentary traps set up, which weren’t that hard to deal with. What was hard to deal with a patchy network of mobile sensors somebody had distributed in the forest. Fortunately, an easy way around that was to simply take the more difficult terrain, away from where a normal person would seed the devices.
They had made good time, and were currently holed up inside the forest, checking their weapons and scouting out the area. So well hidden they were, that a couple of guards on patrol had walked right past them and not noticed.
Things came to a head quickly. Darson transmitted the telemetry to their HUD’s, and they all picked their shots, whichever guards were in easiest view found themselves with a reticule centering on their head.
The first shot rang out, and in concert with it and Darson’s command, all eight members fired a couple of silenced shots, dropping their intended targets. Unfortunately, this seemed to stir up the hornet’s nest considerably, and the guards instantly took cover, as if they had been expecting the attack all along. More guards exited the building and reinforced the ones outside.
Abel 1 sweated inside his helmet. Things were becoming complicated real fast. Regardless, he remained composed, gesturing with his hands for the troops to switch weapons, from TR-116’s to Mk. 17 Phaser Rifles, with under-mounted Mk. 23 Grenade Launchers. He communicated for Bravo to do the same. About fifteen seconds later, the weapons were up and armed. He tossed a smoke grenade into the clearing, which immediately began to spew a cloud of noxious black smoke, and on the opposite side of the building he could see the same. The enemies began to fire back, shooting wildly into the forest.
As more sonic booms indicated the best sniper coverage in the galaxy was forthcoming, He barked the order to lay down a layer of grenades 50 meters in front of their current position, and expand outwards. The troops complied with trained precision, and in seconds, grenades were shot up and arcing through the air over their heads, making an easy whistling sound. Both teams got two salvo’s out before the grenades reached the apex of their trajectory and began heading towards the enemy fortifications
As soon as they detonated in a series of devastating explosions, Abel 1 said over the COM, =^= “Move up! Stay tactical. Abel, we head toward the security junction box at the north end of the building. Bravo, you head towards the south and cover the main entrance.” =^=
The Marines were on their feet and running as soon as the commands were issued, taking advantage of the smoke and disarray the hostiles were in to advance to cover. Once they were firmly in place, they began to return fire.
OFF:
Maquis/Founders of the Beginning Soldiers
NPC'd: Thom
Colonel James Darson
Marine Commanding Officer / Sniper of Legend
6th Combined Operations Group
Deep Space 5
Giles Prendergast
Absent Archaologist
NPC by Louise
by Alderman Dorian Gabriel & Colonel James Darson & Commander Karen Villiers
Post Details
| Title | Semper Fidelis (pt. I) | |
| Mission | Unity | |
| Author(s) | Alderman Dorian Gabriel & Colonel James Darson & Commander Karen Villiers | |
| Posted | Sun Apr 25, 2010 @ 7:36am | |
| Location | Orbit of Greiirh after Fast Rope | |
| Timeline | SD 17 - 13:30hrs |
Specialist Gareen studied the console before him for several moments before he closed the signal. To the average observer, it would seem like a routine geological report of the planet's surface. However he recognized the information that was coded within the report. He knew that it was a message from the team onboard Deep Space 5, informing him of where the device was located.
The team that was on the surface was waiting for their coordinates, but at the same time they were trying their best to avoid the Marine detachment that had just arrived on the planet at the same time. He knew how much was at stake, and he knew that the Marine Detachment was going to interfere with their plan unless he could do something.
Gareen observed his console again and noticed that the shuttles had made their drops and were heading towards their pre-determined coordinates. He immediately began to compose a tightbeam message using a secured channel that the team had designated for any emergency correspondences. Gareen knew that the larger the message, the more likely it would be detected by Darson' s party, therefore he made sure to keep it as simple as possible.
=+= "Company"=+= he transmitted to the recovery team on the surface.
[Mountain – 3 km. to the North]
The shuttle pulled itself around behind the mountain, taking advantage of the landmasses bulk as a way to hide itself better from the mobile sensors at the excavation camp. It climbed the height unmolested and settled onto an outcropping about two thirds up the snow cap, on the blind side where missiles and other weapons would not be able to hit them.
As they settled onto the snow covered terrain, the shuttle began to sink into the loose snow. About a foot of the landing struts were covered when suddenly they hit the hard pack and shuddered to a stop. For a moment there was only the sound of hissing coolent and hydraulics, then the pilots stepped into action, shutting the shuttle down but making sure to leave the sensors and have the capability to depart at a moment’s notice.
Darson left them to their devices with the knowledge that if anything out of the ordinary came up, they were to contact him immediately. He moved to the back of the shuttle and picked up the enormous hard-shell case that was attached to the wall. He approached the hatch and opened it, allowing a gust of frigid sub-zero air to rush in. He didn’t even flinch, choosing instead to unclip and discard his cloak, letting it slither to the ground.
Jumping out of the shuttle, he landed on the powdery snow and mysteriously enough, didn’t sink into it despite the massive combined weight of armor, man, and case. He took at a light run, leaving no footprints behind, up and around the mountain side so as to gain an observation position over the attack site.
As he moved, he began to manipulate the controls inside of his armor. Owing to the Treaty of Algeron back in 2311, the Federation had been barred from perusing cloaking technology, which put them far behind the Romulans and Klingons in terms of stealth capabilities. Admiral Pressman had tried to do the right thing and come up with an alternative cloaking method called interphase cloaking, but as history indicated, that had been a massive failure. Some attempts had been made here and there, especially after the Defiant had received a device during the Dominion war to scout the Gamma quadrant, but nothing had panned out.
So, in the interest of time, instead of trying to replicate something that they didn’t really know how to use, the Marine Quartermaster R&D division started working on some other approaches to the concept of stealth and infiltration.
One of the best ideas to come out of that division was a project codenamed “CHAMELEON”. Utilizing high-precision omnidirectional holographic diodes hidden inside the joints of armor, a polychromatic paint layer on the exterior, sensor information from a tricorder, and a dedicated processing core, one could simply simulate the images that were around them, allowing one to literally blend into the environment using a form of active camouflage.
It wasn’t perfect though, falling short of the level of the cloaking device it meant to emulate. The astute would be able to spot the silhouette, and it also could only operate in areas free from jamming. However, it did have one or two advantages over a cloaking device.
The device had a passive mode that could simply put out a static image that could be used anywhere. There were the standard patterns in it: Wood, Urban, Desert, Snow, Clown…but you could also use it to display other things.
Darson’s matte black armor flickered for a moment as he fiddled with the settings on the run, then he turned a bright white, from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. He crested the mountain, blending in with the snow perfectly. He knelt in the cold wind and popped open the case, revealing its contents.
One of the personal weapons that he had brought onboard during his initial arrival on the station, he hadn’t had the chance to use this particular one for some time. He reached in and began assembling the rifle contained within: stock to loading mechanism, to barrel, to battery, to scope. Completed the whole thing was about the size of a man, two meters long with a menacing looking barrel and a large scope attached to it.
This was a relic of a forgotten age, the design harking back to World War III. It had been a project during the years leading up to the Dominion war, in an effort to provide Marines with effective anti-material support. Only a few prototypes were produced and disseminated to various elite units, but eventually the project was scrapped owning to the lack of armored combat encountered in modern warfare, and the ease of production associated with the newly designed TR-116.
Darson still had his though, and he loved it more than almost anything else in the universe.
The TR-X99, codenamed “TRUNCHEON”. Doing away with chemical propellants or phasers, this weapon utilized a series of electromagnetic coils as a source of kinetic energy for small, aerodynamic projectiles. The result worked very well against armor and hardened targets of any sort, as well as “soft” targets.
What Darson liked most about it was that the range on this weapon far eclipsed that of ordinary sniper rifles, and in the right hands (his) would allow him to make perfect killing shots from unholy distances away, in the most horrible of conditions.”
He wrapped the barrel of the weapon a white cloth shawl to conceal it, then propped the bipod up against a rock, aiming the weapon down to the excavation site below. He connected the scope to his armor’s computer system, getting targeting information and zooming in on the cluster of buildings and what appeared to be a series of guards rushing around frantically, like they knew they were about to be attacked.
He took in the scene and activated one of the sensor filters to show the positions of his team. They came up highlighted on the display. He triggered the secure burst communications channel, =^= “Able, Bravo…eyes on. Wardog has the overwatch. Standby…looks like they might know that they’ve got company.” =^=
The team leaders sent a click to show their acknowledgment. Darson focused on the guards, noticing their positions. He zoomed in until one of the guards filled the picture. He quickly analyzed their armament. Zooming out again and flicking his eyes to the roof of the main building, he saw what appeared to be two snipers lying prone facing East and West.
He began to tag the locations of the guards with his onboard computer and linked his telemetry to the teams down in the forest. =^= “Able, Bravo, this is Wardog. Tango count appears to be 16 on the ground with 2 snipers on the roof. Equipment looks to be minimal armor with standard disruptor rifles. I’ve tagged them all for you so that you can find your targets easier. You are red and free. Prepare to take your shots and move in. I’ll provide cover for you. On my mark.” =^=
He zoomed in on the west facing sniper on the roof and practiced a couple of times moving back and forth from him to the other one. Settling his reticule back on the first one, he loaded a projectile, flipped the safety off, and casually rested his finger on the trigger. Taking one moment to steady his breathing, he began to count off his heartbeats.
Everything was still.
Suddenly he smoothly depressed the trigger, sending a 5.4 mm projectile screaming through the air at 15,000 meters per second through the sniper’s head, blowing him apart. As soon as the first round had left the barrel, he made a minute movement to swing the sight over to the other one and fired again.
=^= “Mark.” =^=
The bullet traveled its intended distance, piercing the air at an accelerated rate. cl'Ron never saw nor heard the projectile hurdling towards him until it was too late. The bullet penetrated his skull, rendering the remaining portion of his body lifeless in a matter of seconds. All according to plan.
As the second bullet prepared to perform an encore performance on D'han, the personal forceifeld came online and disintegration the bullet before it could shatter his skull as well. D'han and the remaindering of team had received the message from Gareen earlier, but they had to maintain the illusion of ignorance in order to determine the location of the invading team. Unfortunately, cl'Ron had to be the sacrificial lamb in the name of success.
=+= "They've arrived! Time is not on your side!" =+= D'han radioed to the excavating team as he changed position to prepare for the arriving assault force.
Darson frowned as he saw the flash of a forcefield appear around his second target, the bullet apparently causing no damage. His suits COM interception system caught the short transmission from the soon-to-be dead man, and he frowned as he dialed up the charge for the next shot, slightly surprised that the forcefield had managed to repel a shot meant to pierce through a tank’s defense systems.
“An interesting gambit,” he thought gamely to himself, enjoying the unexpected challenge a little, “But one that will not work a second time” As the target scrambled to his feet to try to get away, Darson unleashed a second shot that carved its way through the air, literally blowing away all the snow and air that blocked its path. A blink of the eye later found the round connecting with its intended target, the force field crumpling and blood and body parts flying everywhere. The new trajectory aspect made it so that the bullet continued on through the building, sending up a rooster trail of metal and building materials
He swept the roof one more time and moved his gaze to the battle. Only about ten seconds had passed since he fired the first shot, =^= “Grey Squad, be advised…hostiles are aware of our presence, we’re now working against the clock. Move up and be on the lookout for personnel force fields” =^= Darson knew that a field with the capacity to deflect a shot from this rifle was bound to be more the exception than the rule, and probably couldn’t be used while mobile…but just in case, he wanted to be careful.
Darson turned his attention to the rest of the troops on the ground and opened fire, emptying the magazine down range, the sonic booms echoing through the mountains and causing several avalanches lower down.
[Back by the Buildings]
Abel and Bravo teams had made their trek smoothly through the forest to get here. There were a couple of rudimentary traps set up, which weren’t that hard to deal with. What was hard to deal with a patchy network of mobile sensors somebody had distributed in the forest. Fortunately, an easy way around that was to simply take the more difficult terrain, away from where a normal person would seed the devices.
They had made good time, and were currently holed up inside the forest, checking their weapons and scouting out the area. So well hidden they were, that a couple of guards on patrol had walked right past them and not noticed.
Things came to a head quickly. Darson transmitted the telemetry to their HUD’s, and they all picked their shots, whichever guards were in easiest view found themselves with a reticule centering on their head.
The first shot rang out, and in concert with it and Darson’s command, all eight members fired a couple of silenced shots, dropping their intended targets. Unfortunately, this seemed to stir up the hornet’s nest considerably, and the guards instantly took cover, as if they had been expecting the attack all along. More guards exited the building and reinforced the ones outside.
Abel 1 sweated inside his helmet. Things were becoming complicated real fast. Regardless, he remained composed, gesturing with his hands for the troops to switch weapons, from TR-116’s to Mk. 17 Phaser Rifles, with under-mounted Mk. 23 Grenade Launchers. He communicated for Bravo to do the same. About fifteen seconds later, the weapons were up and armed. He tossed a smoke grenade into the clearing, which immediately began to spew a cloud of noxious black smoke, and on the opposite side of the building he could see the same. The enemies began to fire back, shooting wildly into the forest.
As more sonic booms indicated the best sniper coverage in the galaxy was forthcoming, He barked the order to lay down a layer of grenades 50 meters in front of their current position, and expand outwards. The troops complied with trained precision, and in seconds, grenades were shot up and arcing through the air over their heads, making an easy whistling sound. Both teams got two salvo’s out before the grenades reached the apex of their trajectory and began heading towards the enemy fortifications
As soon as they detonated in a series of devastating explosions, Abel 1 said over the COM, =^= “Move up! Stay tactical. Abel, we head toward the security junction box at the north end of the building. Bravo, you head towards the south and cover the main entrance.” =^=
The Marines were on their feet and running as soon as the commands were issued, taking advantage of the smoke and disarray the hostiles were in to advance to cover. Once they were firmly in place, they began to return fire.
OFF:
Maquis/Founders of the Beginning Soldiers
NPC'd: Thom
Colonel James Darson
Marine Commanding Officer / Sniper of Legend
6th Combined Operations Group
Deep Space 5
Giles Prendergast
Absent Archaologist
NPC by Louise