Not all fun being King.
16 Oct 2018Garesu
Despite being called ‘the king’ in Starstone Enterprises it was more a joke title given his luxuriously pretentious lifestyle. In reality, he was third in the line of directors and due to certain contractual stipulations required to complete tasks fitting his skills when needed.One such moment he almost regretted signing the papers was now. The blue and white glow of his cutting tool reflected in the visor of his white powered armour suit. Slowly he sliced through the outer casing of a data node. Not far drones hovered along a set patrol vector he was closely keeping an eye on.
The panel fell away and he put the tool down and rummaged in a carry case. “Come on… damn it, finally.” Pulling out a black box it split in half and as he put it over a bundle of wires and melded around them when snapped shut. His finger tapped out a set of predefined routines and the data node began to stretch up and rotate delivering the package.
A drone started its path towards him, turning to face him as it drew close the machine began to scan him trespass alerts popping up on his display warned of death in thirty seconds. Garesu took a deep breath in anticipation but as the count reached twelve the drop dropped helplessly to the floor disengaged. “Security interrupted, move for the mission target.”
Two figures near the small outposts main building stood from behind a large group of rocks and began a low gravity sprint towards the door. “Yup, beginning incursion.” One figure strapped something to the control panel and it began sparking. No alarms sounded but shutters around the building slid down as lockdown engaged from unknown depressurisation.
The two dragged the door open as Garesu approached “Let's get this over with. I’ve got a new thargoid incursion to get back to.”
All three of them wore white powered armour suits more refined than most for exploration and combat use. The trimming was blue with small blue jets popping every now and again keeping them level as they glided through the door.
The faces were tinted out to obscure their identities, no use disgruntled thugs rocking up at your door every day. Each unclipped a case from their backs, the cases unfolding into rifles of various personalised styles.
Behind Garesu the commander checked the sights on a custom AM rifle, the glow of Guardian energy lit up the room slightly as he panned around.
“Five guards waiting for us. Three with the target, they are using staff as human shields. One room I can’t scan.” The commander then fired five shots through the door they were about to open. A hissing noise began as air escaped through the holes and into the vacuum their side.
Some shouting and movement could be heard and then some heavy thuds hit the door and blood began to pool through the hole and float in the air, some drops pattering their white suits. “All five down.”
The commander ahead stuck another box like device on the door terminal. An electric fizz and spark later and the doors behind them closed and air began to vent into the room.
Finally, as the doors slid open Garesu watched as two heavily armoured bodies that had been sucked to the door slid down and fell sideways no longer propper by the door “Well funded operation they have. Established an outpost, heavy military grade Federal armour and military issue Imperial laser rifles.” The commander taking the lead almost sounded impressed.
The outpost was a build by numbers standard. Buy what you want and it makes itself in the hour. So the room was standard metal with metal furnishings giving it a somewhat torture house look in the dull light and red flash of emergency lighting.
Garesu kicked over the closest body to him and checked for insignia on the armour. Gangs couldn't help but show themselves off in gear like this. “I’ve got Coastin Gang here.” The others checked the bodies as they moved in covering each other.
“I got Mafia of Daesitiates over here.” The lead commander moved up raising his BN799 Carbine and checking around the corner.
Moving up Garesu checked the room ahead and came to a stop at a blast sealed the door.
“Hey, this one's a Sanuma Free rebel. Looks like they got all the freaks in on this one. Someone definitely is paying well for them to work together.”
“Or they hate us that much,” Garesu Smirked as he stuck some high burn explosive on the blast door in the shape of an arch. “Clear behind?”
The sniper checked again and shrugged. “Rooms got a thick bulkhead around the edge. Probably the lab should be careful, put that explosive on a slow burn.”
Garesu nodded typing on his wrist com. “Ok, clear.” He stepped back shouldering his Fairlight Excelsior, which was his pride and joy constantly and professionally maintained to retain retail price.
The blast lock door lit up bright white as the explosive burned slowly in an arch. “Come on. Been ages since I had some up close combat.” the AM rifle user commented as the burn slowly came to the end.
The first commander kicked the burned door in. Garesu moved passed, throwing in a flashbang that was nullified by their own suits but might catch the enemy by surprise. As the flashbang died the emergency lights illuminate four armoured soldiers ducked behind the desk
The red flash of emergency lights illuminated four soldiers momentarily dazed. Garesu dashed to the side for cover and began to open fire as the other two commanders moved through and did the same.
The soldiers opened fire sending red imperial lasers sizzling off the laboratory apparatus. The Commanders returned fire, the AM rifle slowly blasting rounds through the tables into the soldiers as Garesu and the other commander kept the soldiers confused.
Slowly the noise smoke and colour died down leaving the starstone commanders breathing heavy from behind their various turned over cover. “Even wearing this power armour firefights are tiring. Bean, Mits lets see what they are working on.”
Garesu had that uncomfortable moment of needing to scratch an itch in his helmet but fought the urge for fear of decompressing. The red emergency lights flashed over the plasteel containers filled with various liquids and powders.
Bean was plugged into a desk com unit and looking through scrolling text as Mits shouldered his carbine and began scanning the various equipment. “None registered Narcotics, Nano-tech enhancers, illegal stims, even some chemicals used in terraforming. I have two here system does not register and a carbon to oxygen microspore.”
Bean finished the download and picked his AM rifle up again. “Using terraforming materials for new stims and narcotics? Ok, now I've seen everything. Frac knows what this would do to a person.”
“Not a good day I imagine.” Garesu had walked over to a transparent box with what may have been a Neanderthal of some sort used for testing. He couldn't be sure but the creature was twisted and rip marks all over its blood matted furry body ending with its fingers plunged into its own eyes. He couldn't be sure but Garesu thought the creature was smiling. “Ok let's clear up and rescue those hostages Starstone wants their terraforming knowledge.”
The trio moved up to the next door and Bean used the scope to scan. “No more surprises between us and the hostages. We’ll have to repressurise the facility.”
“I got a few surprises I'm my belt.” Mits unclipped some grenades from the utility belt and grinned under the helmet. “Don’t worry, the hostages will live.”
Securing each room they moved up to the final position with no hostilities. “Ok bug man, your up.” Garesu gestured to Mits and pointed to the door. “Bean, let there be light.”
As bean tapped into his wrist com the facility buzzed to life emergency lights flickered off and the main overheads shone down along with his pressure and air returning to the undamaged rooms.
Bean gave a thumbs up and Mits nodded through the helmet. “Go.” Bean pressed one last button and twisted the rifle with trained style into both hands. Garesu stood the other side of the door to Mits and as the door slid aside the two grenades rolled into the room.
First, a flash and a high pitched bang rang out the first grenade followed by smoke and a continuous screaming noise that even made Gareau's visor flicker.
Beans rifle blasted sending what looked like a leader slamming against the wall a gaping smouldering hole through his armoured chest. “I love this gun!” Bean's battle cry could be heard as the next soldier's body was riddled with Mits’ Carbine rounds before the head evaporated from an AM round.
In the smoke and noise, Garesu had crossed the space, the two commanders round expertly flying passed him to the targets. The last soldier was blinking in the chaos a pair of vision enhancers tossed to the floor. The hostage was held by one of the man's arms the gun in the other moving randomly in every direction.
The power armour made the dash a mere two steps. Colliding with the pair the hostage tumbled away as the soldier's laser rifle fired blindly to the side and tumbled away.
Grabbing a knife the man stabbed into Gareau's armour the blade sizzling in the shield and then scraping the exoskeleton keeping its wearer unharmed. Lifting the man off the ground by the throat the knife dropped away, metal fingers gripped tighter as the man's neck buckled then turned to a red mush in the vice.
The body fell away by itself the gore dripping through the entire process of clearing took moments but felt minutes. Crying came from the corner as civilian lab assistants and others huddled in one corner blood trailing from their ears and noses. It was just red so Garesu surmised they'd live.
Walking over to the lead scientist and their mission objective Mits and Bean joined him. Looking down the smoke cleared enough to distinguish the woman and lab coat. She rocked to the side facing away from them clutching her ears.
“Listen up! You are now under the authority of Starstone Enterprises. Be at ease, you are safe l.” Gareau's voice was firm but gentle enough that the others began to help each other up even if they still whimpered.
“It wasn't me.” Mits’ voice was shaky at what he saw. Garesu turned and looked back at the woman. She rocked back and forth a wide smile on her face almost unnaturally large. The problem was the pen and shard of plastic shoved in her eyes as she began clawing at her face.
“Well shit.” Bean winced and looked to the side as an auto-injector rolled out from under her. “Gwydion won't be happy.”