=/\= USS-Charon, Jeffries Tube 13 =/\=
Damn Romulans. Damn frontier. Damn ship. Jade crawled through the Jeffries Tubes, phaser rifle slung over his shoulder, throwing knife tucked firmly in its' boot sheath. Every time his life seemed to get back on track things would go arye. He couldn't know for how long Seraphim would remain safely hidden away, probably not long, but he couldn't think about that right now. He had taken down one of the Romulan's already, blood stained his uniform where he had wiped the blade. They'd be looking for him so he couldn't stay in one place long.
Jade gasped for breath as he climbed up another level, craving the sweet fill of air within his lungs. Tired, it became harder and harder to keep moving. Another level reached, a little further from the 'crime' scene.
Jade stopped a moment, sitting back against the Jeffries Tube wall, throwing the rifle over his shoulder to give it a quick inspection. He hadn't taken the time yet to check on any of his equipment nor formulate any sort of plan. The bridge was too obvious a target for liberation, and frankly wasn't as important as war fiction made it seem. Engineering was the real heart of the ship, but it would be guarded well. Fuck, he thought, a sigh escaping his lips.
Brent had linked some of the internal sensors into his own suit. It kept him from having to pester Savant all the time as she seemed to be more and more distracted, hopefully working on a way to cripple the Romulan advance into the more secure areas of the ship. One of the things that the internal sensors were able to tell him is that if someone was near him and on his level. His level of expertise in computing was not enough to make the internal sensors tell him if it was Romulan, Human, Vulcan, or Klingon...
He knew that the person moving through the Jeffries tubes was doing so quickly and that they were moving in a general direction towards him. One loan person meant that it was a good chance that it wasn't one of the Gai'Shian... However in this kind of a situation, it was best to not take any chances. Brent stopped right in front of the next junction the unknown person would have to move through, seeing that the door was already shut he withdrew to the far end of the little corridor and braced himself, pointing his PPP at the far end of the corridor, and waiting for it to open. In due time it did, and Jade found himself with a phaser pistol pointed at him for half a moment before the man in Starfleet Marine armor finally spoke up. "Commander Falcon?" the armor tilted its head ever so slightly as he saw who was at the other end of the small doorway.
"Gods its nice to see a friendly face," he said the blood haze beginning to slightly dim from his mind as he saw another person here free. "It's Lieutenant Warren, we met in a few of those really boring security drills," he said before he holstered his side arm.
Jade hadn't made any snappy reaction to finding the phaser pointed at him. At that range, it wouldn't have made a difference anyway and it was better to avoid sudden moves. The revelation that came seconds later lifted an incredible weight off his shoulders, though, as the marine identified himself.
"It would seem I could do for a few more of those," he said with a grin. 'Better' was a layman's term, but there could be little contest between the ex-youth raider and the veteran marine. "He relaxed considerably now that he was in the presence of someone he didn't have to worry about or fear. "Glad to see someone else made it past those damn space elves."
"No kidding. I haven't seen anyone else out there aside from you. I'll try to get Savant to tune the internal sensors to find out if there is any other people in the jeffries tubes or hiding out in locked quarters. Maybe we can put something together and get something done," he said before he looked at Jade for a few moments. The silence was broken only after Brent had smirked inside of his helmet for a little bit as a few ideas crept into his head.
"So I've managed to put myself together a few little surprises for the Romulans," he said and withdrew two rather nasty looking bombs from the inside of a pack that he had managed to acquire. They were both bits of explosives with a bag of steel ball bearings attacked to the explosives. "I'm sure you're trained to look for this sort of thing so you know what it is," he said showing his handiwork off to Jade. "I've been cutting down groups of three pretty easily, giving myself time to let my shields recharge. They've gotten smarter if you can believe it and they travel normally in squads of 12 now." he motioned at the explosives. "Figure we can set those up to cut the odds down to something more favorable, before we finish off the rest. I was going to set up all four that I have, but with you here. Figure we can do the whole thing twice before we reevaluate our ideas," he said casting a glance at Jade. "You in Commander?"
He was indeed trained to look for such things. In his sorted past he had been taught how to build them. There was almost always a funny little way to "break" something so that it exploded when next it was used or to take various tools or piles-o-stuff to make gory explosives with. Jade eyed the explosives with a judging gaze, impressed; yes this brought back memories.
"I am most certainly 'in'." He gave the marine a nod and shifted to sit more comfortably in the Jeffries Tube. "Plenty of tactically unimportant rooms will have materials for more, but best we use what we have before foraging. Did you have a target in mind?"
Brent nodded. "I did," he said and reached over to a nearby console and began to access it. "When everything went to hell in a hand basket I told Savant to give me command codes and to lock the computer down. I think she's still doing certain things for the Romulan's to not honk them off, and I trust her well enough to no screw us over in this regard..." he said before he pulled up the internal sensors and displayed a video image. "This is about twenty meters away from the cargo bays on the same level where they are taking those who surrendered or were forced into it," he said. "We can use these two consoles here," he said and pointed to two consoles on the wall. "Plant our explosives behind each of them and I can remote detonate them," he said.
He brought up the schematic of that section of the ship. "These two rooms are unoccupied, small storage both of them. We can access into them, blow the explosives as the patrol passes by, come out guns blazing in the confusion and death, removing the rest. We'll have to be fast though, as I'm sure those in the cargo bay will hear what happens. If need be Savant can activate a few force fields for us, or she has said that she would in the past. We kill the survivors, do a little psychological warfare, beat out before the cavalry can get there and we meet up here," he said as the schematic zoomed in on a portion of the ship on deck 10 deep in the bowls of the ship. "They don't patrol there much, I've kept them out of it when they do." He looked at Jade for a moment. "If you can think of something else to do or how to make this easier I'm all ears Commander."
Jade certainly appreciated the plan. At this point all they could really do is play the attrition game, but Brent's plan would fell a good amount of bodies in a single attack, and that was very important given their unreliable access to further resource. "Mutilate the bodies and booby trap them. We can use some of the weapons they died with." It wasn't much, but it was a good contribution. "If this Savant," that was the AI he knew wandered the ship, seemingly aimlessly, "can throw up the force fields when they check the trapped bodies the blast will be more...cleansing."
"I can rig them to overload easily enough. Give say a minute? There will be too many of them hiding under bodies for them to disarm them all..." Brent nodded. He liked the plan. "Alright. Lets do it," Brent said as he laid out the attack plan again to make sure that they knew what was going on. Once it was all said again, he shut the view screen off and took off towards the dry storage room, telling Jade which one to go to. "We should have limited communications now, and they're secure. Don't say too much though as relying on technology to keep us secure for too long is a fools errand. Never use real names or ranks or even positions. You're Mr. White and I am Dr. Black got it?" When Brent felt that Jade had gotten the point Brent took off down the nearby junction before finally coming to the dry storage room. Once his internal sensors assured him that nothing was going on in the corridor he went out there, quickly placing the two explosives behind the consoles he had specified to Jade...
When it was all said and done Brent returned to his room there, before activating his communication system in his suit. "Dr. Black is open for business. Is Mr. White read to assist?"
Jade had never really been a wiz with communications. Improvised explosives, knives, practical knowledge? Check, but not comms. It was really a detriment given his current job. "Dr. Black, business is booming." He glanced down at his rifle again, making sure the fire setting was to his liking. He'd have liked an ergo grip and holo-sight but his rifle was in a very well guarded area. He dawned on him that he was in a storage room and he took a moment to read a few labels off the shelves. Finding something of interest, he pocketed the pouches of powder and waited for the signal. The weapons stock went firmly against his right shoulder, fists clenching the weapon. Everything would have to go just right, but he was as ready as he could be.
Brent drew his PPP and the Romulan weapon he had taken off of a dead Gai'Shian when this whole mess started and watched the scene outside in the corridor. The Romulans marched in sets of two six deep. Twelve total. No changes so far. That would change now wouldn't it? When the first pair of Gai'Shian hit the second set pannel, Brent detonated the charges. The results were nothing short of gruesome. eight of the Romulan's perished as the ball bearings tore their bodies apart. The four remaining were seriously injured even through their armor. "Go," Brent said across the communicator as soon as the explosives went off and he entered into the corridor.
The two closest to him were still reeling from their wounds when the first of them had a PPP and disruptor blast slam into the Romulan's chest. The second Romulan near Brent managed to raise his weapon before he was cut down just as efficiently as the first. Brent then turned his eye to the others that were a moment ago still standing, checking to see if Jade needed any help. "Clear up," he called out with an eerie calmness in his voice.
Whether or not the Romulan's nearby heard the explosion, Jade certainly did. He was only right outside the room after all. Once the go had been given he was off, bursting onto the scene just as explosively as the bombs that had preceded him. Phaser bolts flashed forth from his rifle, scorching armor and boiling away skin and bone. "Clear," Jade motioned towards the two bodies. He knelt down and began collecting anything of value.
"How long do you think we have?"
"Not long," Brent said as he holstered his sidearms and moved over to one of the corpses. Without much ceremony or pop he removed the head with seeming great ease. The blood spurted out in a delightful green shower against the nearby wall as Brent placed the head of the man into his own lap, before moving onto the next. "Place the disruptor behind their backs, that should keep them occupied trying to find them all before they blow up in their face. The crude decapitation was becoming routine for the disturbed Marine... And he was getting quite good at it. When all was said and done he took his green blood soaked hands before writing out another 'letter' to the Romulan's there on the wall.
"DEATH COMES FOR YOU"
Jade was rather impressed with the marine. Decapitation was not Starfleet protocol. Not by far. He worked fast to set the disruptors appropriately and set them carefully under the dead. He had done similar things in years past, and, mimicking Brent's disturbing blood letters, took a quote from his old raider captain and first love, Dahlia.
"ABANDON ALL HOPE"
He wrote it on the wall opposite the marine's message. "Didn't know anyone else on this ship had the stomach for blood. I always hope for red, being human, but I'm always disappointed." He hadn't cut any heads off, not his style, but gashes from his knife were all over those he had killed. "We all set?"
Brent nodded. "Go. Meet me back at the rendezvous point. I'll meet you there," Brent said before he disappeared into the side room again, watching as Jade did the same. By the time the two Starfleet officers were back into the Jeffries tubes, the four Romulan's sent to investigate discovered the carnage. They carefully looked about at the horrific sight in front of them, contacting their superior on the ship about what had happened. At least they were almost completely through with their report before one of them discovered a disruptor set to overload. Then another, and another. The explosion was contained in that small portion of the ship, aided by forcefields that Brent had set up in conjunction with the explosives.
More mangled bodies were added to the death toll, sixteen on this attack... While nearby just beyond the reach of the forcefiled, the two messages slowly dripped down the dark green blood towards the floor.
________________________________________
Brevet First Lieutenant Brent Warren
Marine Commander
USS-Charon
&
Commander Jade Falcon
Assistant Security Officer
USS-Charon
