Author's Note: This is a new chapter that wasn't in the original 366 story, so it took me a while to finish. Sorry!! Also I've tried to do more first person (ish... more like second person), but I don't find it to be very good either. I'll keep trying! Please enjoy! (More notes and vocab/definitions at the bottom)
Disclaimer: This story contains profanity, violence, bloodshed, death and many modern world issues. These harsh and complex topics are covered in a fictional sense. This story contains only original characters. Any resemblance to any real person, alive or deceased is a coincidence.
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Summary: "Vespa 1-1, this is Bird Dog, how copy?"
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"Vespa 1-1, this is Bird Dog, how copy?"
"Bird Dog, this is Vespa 1-1, copy all. Send traffic."
"CDRF turret at your 12 o'clock, 400 meters. Three bogeys in the picture as well."
"Copy Bird Dog. Any ID?"
"Negative Vespa. Assume as hostiles, you are clear to engage."
"Roger Bird Dog. Standby."
LTJG Lucas Xing rubbed his eyes and yawned, slowly stretching his cramped leg muscles. Lt Arjun Chun floated up behind him and swung into his seat. The view was magnificent. Giant cruise liners edged into the spaceport, packed to the gills with refugees. Lucas grabbed the throttle and control wheel, slowly edging the DSR-8b Condor closer towards the colony. Arjun clipped in and twisted a knob, turning the radio on. It crackled and fizzed before catching a signal. "- all contact with Side One has been lost and USNCCF has been skirmishing with LAF forces. Currently, the USNC has ordered all sides to deploy their self defence forces to aid with the transportation of refugees from Side 1 along with assistance in combating the LAF. Expert James Narlich commented on the issue yesterday:"
"The USNC has no idea what to do. This kind of situation, though the most likely out of all the scenarios discussed in the USNC security council emergency response declaration, was not anticipated. They are struggling to contain this war. They are struggling to suppress the LAF. I'll be frank, victory is damn uncertain. And right now, there are no buts."
Lucas snarled: "Turn the damn thing off."
Arjun nodded and twisted the knob again, killing the radio. He grabbed a headset and put it on, tuning into the laser comm system. He turned his eyes to the black and white screen, watching closely, waiting. Six white figures floated slowly towards the CDRF turret, hugging the ground with IR strobes flashing. He zoomed in and watched as they raised their rifles, slowly creeping along towards the bogeys. Waiting.
. . .
The plastic rifle butt slammed into his skull with a crack as the guards grabbed him, sinking their fingers into his bony arms. Dragging him out the door, his feet gently bounced along the metal floor. Warm liquid slowly dripped down his face, stinging his eyes and coating his dry lips. He was manhandled into a hard chair, joints popping and bones creaking as he sat down. A woman sat across from him, studying a tablet. "Water?"
She gestured towards a small bottle. The room was silent, save for the soft sound of a fingernail tapping glass. He slowly reached for the bottle, uncapping it and taking a swig. The cool liquid flowed down his parched throat, causing him to emit a grateful groan. She smiled and continued scrolling through her tablet.
. . .
"Geir, Kingston, on me. Doan, Yuzuki, you're with Bidley. Move out!"
The team nodded and split up, with Lt Neil Bidley towards the spaceport control room, and Capt Arnold Gage taking his deeper into the spaceport. He used the railing to pull himself forward, the 0g environment making it easier for the enemy to spot and ambush him. He was tense, his heartbeat skyrocketing as he continued through the hallway. Drawing his pistol, he pushed off of the wall towards a doorway, slowly rotating before gently kicking the door frame, stopping himself. Sgt Harold Geir covered the doorway while still gripping the rail as Sgt Naira Kingston landed opposite of him, chambering her S4b shotgun and preparing to move in. Arnold quickly signalled and the two of them pushed into the room. Bright lights blinded him for a moment, then his visor quickly darkened to compensate, exposing the hanger. Two retractable bridges sat unused, and unwrapped machinery and tools lay on the steel floor. Arrows were mounted on the wall with dirty text scribbled on them: Airlock. Gage keyed his radio: "Vespa 1-2 , this is Vespa 1-1, how copy?"
His helmet fizzed for a bit before 2nd Lt Bidley replied: "Vespa 1-1, this is Vespa 1-2, copy all. Send traffic."
"Copy Vespa 1-2. We've located the airlock and are proceeding to breach. Status report on your side please."
"Aye sir. No contact yet, all CCTVs have been disabled and we're nearing the objective."
"Understood 1-2. Vespa 1-1 over and out."
Gage nodded and pulled himself towards the airlock doors, using a sonic measurement tool to scan the door. The blue airlock doors were made of 16 inch thick steel, riveted together with titanium bolts and sealed with thick rubber skirts. A large handle protruded the midsection, with a small screen displaying the pressure in the surrounding area. Gage signalled Naira over and she quickly shoved a pressure cap explosive into the handle and activated the fuse. Harold quickly took up position with his ABR-12b carbine and undid the safety, standing alongside the wall to try and negate the pressure wave. Naira readied her S4b and fell in behind Harold, placing her hand on his shoulder. Gage moved himself opposite of the two and readied his carbine, activating the laser.
. . .
Bullets ricochet off of the walls and floor as gunfire punctuated the silence. 2nd Lt Neil Bidley quickly raised his ABR-12b carbine and engaged: "Contact front! Weapons free!" 5.45mm Kurz rounds zipped towards the enemy as Sgt Jack Doan threw a B-95 grenade and ducked behind his CBP (Collapsible Ballistics Protection) shield, hollering for everyone to get down. Neil threw himself to the ground and covered his helmet visor as the grenade detonated, sending shrapnel towards the enemy. Doan switched to full auto and blasted the enemy with rounds before they could recover, ripping through them in seconds. Sgt Caitlyn Yuzuki drew her sidearm and shot the last enemy with her sidearm, a PTR M2140. She quickly swapped the magazines and reloaded her rifle, slamming a fresh magazine in. "Stand down guys. Let's get moving."
As he swapped his carbine magazines, he keyed the radio: "Vespa 1-1, this is Vespa 1-2, how copy?"
"Vespa 1-2, standby!" The sound of gunfire punctuated the captain's words as the radio crackled and went silent. "Fuck... Lets move team." Bidley raised his rifle and grabbed the railing, pulling himself forward. He looked back and saw Yuzuki and Doan following suit as he slowly made his way to the control room. The door wasn't reinforced, and Doan had no problem wrenching it open, followed by a flashbang. Both Bidley and Yuzuki followed him in, quickly killing the staff inside. Globs of crimson liquid floated around the room as Yuzuki got on the computer and began. Bidley keyed the radio again and spoke: "Vespa 1-1, this is Vespa 1-2, how copy?"
"Vespa 1-2, this is Vespa 1-1. Copy all, send traffic."
"Roger 1-1. We were forced to go loud after being compromised, but all bogeys have been eliminated. We've arrived at the objective and are beginning the operation."
"Copy all 1-2. We've sealed the doors and set the explosives. Complete the operation and meet us at the EZ. Hail Langley!"
"Aye sir. Hail Langley."
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More notes: The name still doesn't make sense. *sighs* Anyhoo, I'll be posting a lore chapter soon, which includes a full and comprehensive explanation for each term, so basically a longer, more detailed version of the vocab and definitions section with pictures (if possible. Probably not though). Next chapter in a week or two. TTFN! -Genpatz4
P.S So many definitions... whoops!
Vocab and Definitions:
-DSR-8b Condor: A fictional streamlined two seater Direct Spotting and Recon (DSR) spacecraft. A top mounted CDRF turret provides close-in defence and 8 TBs-91 heat seeking missiles allow the Condor to conduct long range interceptions. Eight URV-2 SpotBird drones allow the Condor to conduct its primary objective without exposing the crew to significant danger.
-URV-2 SpotBird: A small drone with a gimbal mounted rocket motor and 16 pressurised air thrusters mounted to fire in a 360 degree arc, giving the SpotBird exceptional maneuverability. A 360 degree high definition camera is mounted in a nose bubble, along with an IR and night vision camera. The SpotBird also utilises a radar, Pulsar, sonar and RPI (Radio wave Pulse Imaging).
-RPI (Radio wave Pulse Imaging): Utilises a more powerful sonar to create a detailed 3D image.
-Pressure Cap Explosive: In 0g, pure explosives are not that effective, due to space nullifying the effects of the oxygen based detonation. As such, concentrated explosives gained popularity. Concentrated explosives direct the resulting pressure wave towards a single point, which allows for the same destruction without the risk of injuring the people around it. LAF Pressure Cap Explosives use a steel pressure cap on a small plastic vial filled with explosives to redirect the explosive force towards a specific direction, generally towards the target. This allows operators to stand behind the explosives without the risk of being affected by the blast, but this is unsafe and not recommended.
-ABR-12b Assault Carbine: A fictional carbine designed for LAF spec ops chambered in 5.45mm Kurz. Made from mold-injection plastic and pressure-molded titanium, the ABR-12b is a resilient rifle designed for use in high radiation and pressure environments like space. Originally manufactured with a built-in flashlight, LAF special forces have replaced this with a laser to assist in shooting.
-5.45mm Kurz: A streamlined 5mm bullet designed for use in space. Has more propellant than a normal bullet. Also comes in hollow point, armor piercing and pressure explosives.
-Langley S4b: A fictional semi-auto combat shotgun designed for use in space. The thicker barrel allows for the more powerful rounds needed for use in space, and the S4b has an experimental folding stock and rear facing gas vents to absorb more recoil. Chambered in 12 Gauge SR.
-12 Gauge SR: A more powerful 12 gauge shotgun shell designed by the LAF for use in space.
-Sonic Measurement Tool: Utilises hypersonic sound waves to penetrate thick surfaces to measure the depth, length, height, etc.
-B-95 Fragmentation Grenade: A PCE (pressure cap explosive) grenade that utilises pressure caps to concentrate fragmentation to reduce injuries for friendly units. A dial allows the user to adjust the spread of the fragmentation and fuse length.
-CBP (Collapsible Ballistics Protection) Shield: Utilising ballistic mesh, this collapsible shield provides ultralight and effective bulletproof protection for soldiers. The CBP uses springs to rapidly expand and motors to easily collapse for storage, along with a bipod that folds out to turn the CBP into stationary cover. CBP Shields can absorb most low to medium caliber rounds.
-Ballistic Mesh: A reinforced soft mesh not unlike kevlar, used in most modern ballistics protection equipment. Designed to absorb and dissipate the impact of the bullet rather than deflect it. Generally also useful for protection against fragmentation and debris as well.
-PTR M2140: A fictional pistol designed by the LAF and put into service in 2140. Chambered in .45 SSR, the M2140 packs stopping power and accuracy into a single package. Made of pressure molded steel and plastic, the M2140 is a hardy and resilient pistol, designed to take a beating in the harsh environments of space.
- .45 SSR: A large pistol round designed for law enforcement to give sidearms more stopping power in a smaller package. The standard .45 SSR round is a hollow point, but armor piercing and standard rounds are available as well.
-Flashbang: A stunning grenade that produces an extremely bright flash and a loud bang, disorienting any targets standing within 15 meters of the grenade. Utilises pressure cap explosives to create the bang, and a chemical to produce the flash.
-EZ: Extraction Zone
Note about callsigns: Vespa is the team name, the first number is the person's designation in the team, the second is the section in the team. For example, the fourth person is section 2 of Vespa team would be Vespa 4-2. :)
Next Time... Almara falls and the USNCCF deploys in CHAPTER VI: Siege.