Background II
14 Jun 2020SunshinyComet
Background II3287
The tram smoothly slid to a stop at the terminal. The security forces seated inside all began to stand and prepare themselves for the shitstorm to come.
Three days ago, an anarchist faction opposed to Darkwater had somehow managed to plant a bomb on one of the shuttles inbound for Fort Szarabajka. The only lucky thing about the bombing was that it had detonated in transit, so neither shuttle docks were damaged in the attacks. The shuttle itself, though, was destroyed, along with all thirty of the fresh recruits on board.
As such, an order had just come down all the way from the top to crack down on the group responsible. Hard. An entire Darkwater Security platoon had been sent into the hotbed of the group's activities, a notoriously crime-ridden part of the station rife with illegal activity. Darkwater had never had a reason to come down on it... until now.
Sergeant Augustus A. Atraedis checked his mags, rifle, and stun baton one last time before standing with the rest of his fireteam. At the front of the tram, the platoon's commander clapped his hands in the air and called for attention. Yells echoed down the lines. "LT's talking! LT at the front!"
First Lieutenant Gerhardt paced back and forth at the front of the lines, facing the intimidating rows of soldiers decked in black body armor and opaque visors.
"Listen up! You all know what happened on that shuttle. You all know what we're here to do. Some terrorist shitheads are out those doors, thinking they can fuck with us and get away with it. Well, that's bullshit, and you all know that, too!
In about thirty seconds, that door to your left is going to slide open and you, security forces of Darkwater Inc., are going to get out there and find me some God-damned rats!
Ready?
Go!"
The shuttle door began moving slowly upwards. The orderly lines of security forces turned to the left, and what had been their side became a wide and unified front. As it happened, Augustus was on that front, and he felt a thrill of adrenaline and rage run through him as the shuttle door came up past his eyeline.
Once the doors were clear, a single moment of silence enveloped the scene. The Darkwater troopers, a unified mass of polymer and menace, looked on at several groups of strangely-dressed and scraggly-looking people, who stared right back.
The lieutenant spoke again.
"Round them up!"
Like a flood tearing through a valley, the front line of Darkwater troopers surged forward. Augustus whipped out his stun baton and struck at the first bodies that presented themselves to him, an equal-parts satisfying and sickening crackle of electricity meeting his ears with each blow he struck. Ahead of him, he saw several trying to run further into the slums, and he sprinted after them, his rifle bouncing against his hip. He rounded a corner and saw another gaggle of street rats in front of him; he came in swinging, catching one behind the ear and another at the crook of his neck before the rest began to flee.
Augustus continued to give chase, mercilessly whipping down anyone who got in his way. His fireteam followed closely behind and around him, covering him in case one of the slum rats decided to pull a knife when the security forces weren't looking.
After rounding another corner in the urban maze of the station's slums, a burst of fire whizzed past his face. Augustus nearly fell from how quickly he stumbled backwards. He brought up his rifle and engaged his commlink.
"This is Sergeant Atraedis 726005, I've just made contact with unknown hostile forces, presumed anarchists, at Deck 4, Level B-3. Be advised, we are employing lethal force and may encounter further resistance, over."
Augustus disengaged his commlink and nodded to his fireteam behind him, who all nodded back. He slowly peeked around the corner again, and saw two figures huddled behind a half-salvaged limpet container. He saw one of the figures raise their arm, and more fire began arcing through the hall, bursting open the exposed pipes. He waited for the fire to subside before leaning out and lining up his smart scope to engage the two targets.
It took about a half-second to line up his first shot; the smart scope glowed green, and he squeezed the trigger, letting loose a short burst of 7 millimeter gunfire at the target on the right. The scope confirmed that the target had dropped, and it took another half-second for him to line up his next shot; the scope glowed green, and he squeezed the trigger.
"Clear! Let's move," he called out. Not lowering his rifle, he stood and began to move down the hall.
Ten more uneventful minutes later, his fireteam reached the point designated as their RV point with the rest of the platoon. Augustus called it in, and his fireteam set up defensive positions around the designated intersection.