The Heist
10 Jun 2020Chad VanGaalen
SKEGGIKO O
FEDERAL STARPORT: KUO TERMINAL
DOCKING BAY 7
As The Marauder's Curse slowly approached the Coriolis-class orbital starport, Commander Chad VanGaalen took a deep breath. He'd been preparing for this day for months, but his heart was still racing.
"Sierra Tango Romeo, please submit a docking request on approach."
He signaled his COVAS. They'd been through the scenario a few dozen times at this point.
Docking request accepted.
He nodded to Commanders Yashky, Amatin and Lansing, who quickly detached their harnesses and took off in the direction of the cargo hold.
Docking at a Federal starport was a nerve-wracking experience on a regular day, but this one was different, even if no one else knew it yet. As the ground crew approached, Chad slowly detached his harness and slid his single-shot rail gun into a hidden holster. He took a deep breath as he approached the airlock.
"Commander." The deck officer was already suspicious and practically sneering, but it was nothing unusual for a Federal.
"Hello, officer," Chad grinned.
"Are you flying alone?"
"Of course, officer. Is there a problem?" He leaned to the side, squinting past the man at the three additional armed individuals now approaching the airlock.
"Combat stablisers require an escort at all times. You know that, Commander."
He nodded in the direction of the oncoming patrolmen. "Just one? Guess I'm just imagining your friends... anyway, about that - think you and your boys could do me a solid and handle the offload? My back is killing me, and I desperately need a drink."
Disgusted, the officer rolled his eyes as dramatically as possible before motioning to his right.
As Chad brushed past the arrogant bastard and emerged into the bright lights of the docking bay, he made a quick scan of his surroundings. Personnel was thankfully limited, as expected - this was a very busy station right now. Fortunate. Unfortunate for the deck officer and his men, who were wasting no time beginning an invasive search of The Marauder's Curse.
This is going too well.
The door hissed and clicked, slamming shut. Chad knelt down and engaged a custom, highly non-standard locking mechanism from the outside, then stood, dusted off his ragged Remlock suit, and headed forward in the direction of the Brewer Corporation's private docking bay, leaving the Federal officers trapped inside a ship full of hidden corridors, traps, and three very capable Straylight pilots.
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The four Federal officers approaching the cargo hold of The Marauder's Curse had no idea that the routine inspection they were carrying out was about to end very embarrassingly.
As they approached the array of "combat stabilisers" onboard, three figures emerged slowly from the dark.
Commander Lanco Amatin fired the first shot, a hand-held pulse laser that felled the bastard that had sneered at Chad in a single stroke. Commanders Yashky and Lansing both dropped down from hidden plates in the ceiling, each one of them quickly subduing an officer with ease. The fourth officer, quickly realizing that he had been completely overrun, started running for the bridge, fumbling for his data slate. But before he could reach the door, he felt the sudden onset of sharp metal make an entrance between his shoulder blades. He sank to the floor, and looked up at his aggressor.
Commander Yashky smiled. "Au revoir, mon ami," as he calmly withdrew the knife from the hapless man's back.
All three Commanders of the Straylight looked at each other, nodded, and rushed towards the airlock to play their part in what was to come.