Maih Aafahs boots slammed on to the rainy ground as she fast roped from the open hangar door of the HSN ahd-Dhib. Loosening the sling on her marksmans rifle, she raised it up, moving away from the bottom of the rope as Palavi follows. It took a matter of seconds for the rain to soak through her clothing, even with the heavy coat. Next to them the 3 heavy forms of Fahim, Rashid, and Khadim land with heavy thuds of their boots as they had simply leaped the full 30 feet to the concrete pier. More troopers came down the ropes as they spread out. The soft hum of the magnetic locks below the pier could be heard. These locks were the targets. They kept the ship held fast, and Brutus was not letting them go.
"We need to get to the access hatch to the mechanisms below the pier. Doors are expected to be locked." Maih explained to the growing group.
"I can fix that." Kepri suddenly appeared next to Maih, holding a d-charge with a cheshire grin, her cat eyes flashing.
"That was the plan. You and Pixie. Pixie has Pier 32, you have Pier 34. Team assignments and routes are broadcast. Get to work, I want to be in orbit in 2 hours. We have an appointment with some aliens that I would hate to reschedule."
"Inshallah!" Came the resounding response.
"Ra'id! Did you say I can blow somethign up?!" Came Pixies loud and excited voice over the commlog.
"Yes, check your assigned objective! Get to work!" Maih responded in annoyance, then motioning to Fahim she said, "Fahim, your team has point, lets move. Palavi, in the middle with Kepri and Khadim."
The Haqqislam soldiers moved swiftly through the rain soaked shipping containers and machinery of the pier as they advanced to a short square structure. Sparks suddenly bloomed along the top of the containers just above their heads, making them dive for cover, the ringing of bullets on metal.
"Anyone have sight?" Maih yelled up the line.
"Contact, North, North east, red connex box, PhiloFirm Corp, left corner, top. I dont have a clear shot. Rashid, you should from your angle." Fahims voice was firm, loud and to the point.
The Khawarij with the Mk12 nodded, and adjusted his visor, moving a bit further on the line. Leaping up onto a second level shipping container, he edged along it to the see around, raising his heavy rifle.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Three heavy shots rang out, the rain muffling them ever so slighty. He quickly motioned for the group to move along as his position burst into sparks forcing him to duck lower. He quickly responded with his mk12, directing the enemy fire to him.
"I see Druze armor and emblems, be warned moving forward. They are in defensive positions around the target structure." Rashid reported through his intermittent bursts of fire.
"Affirmative, I see two on the structure, and two more deployed on connex boxes to the left and forward." Fahim responded, there was a sudden report from his mk12, "Two remain on the structure, both forward corners."
The group advanced to the end of the shipping containers. Maihs map indicated, from here to the right it would be a straight shot to the structure that led down into the piers machinery. Looking to Fahim for a signal, he motioned that there two forward on the structure. He then motioned he would take the right target, and Maih would take the left. Nodding her understanding and giving a thumbs up, she got behind him and kneeled down, three, two, one. On one, they both leaned out, Fahim leaning out above Maih. Finding their targets, their guns light up, a stream of low caliber fire from Fahims Spitfire, while a few quick successive shots from Maihs marksman rifle. Keeping their weapons shouldered, they confirmed their targets were down before Fahim tapped Maihs shoulder as he moved forward to the next row of containers to take cover by.
Giving a thumbs up behind him, Kepri, Palavi, and Khadim moved quickly up behind him, before Maih followed. Taking this leapfrog approach, they were only 5 yards from the structure when an explosion knocked several shipping containers down behind them where Rashid was firing from.
"Ramhorn! Take cover!" Rashid yelled over the commlog.
Suddenly a large TAG slammed through two shipping containers to the right of the structure, scanning the area before it before raising its over sized rifle. Heavy rounds slammed into the ground before them as they all scattered and dove for cover among the shipping containers. The thin metal containers did nothing to stop the huge rounds from piercing them as they continued moving deeper. The heavy steps of the main battle tag could be heard as it moved towards where they were, looking up and down the rows of metal boxes. Taking cover behind a large connex moving truck, Maih raised her rifle and sent off a couple of shots, the armor piercing rounds not finding purchase on the heavily armored shoulders. The Ramhorn was about to let off a salvo when suddenly a flurry of blows came from behind it as the heavy spitfire of Fahim opened up, drawing its attention.
"Gotcha now!" Kepri flashed out from the shadows behidn the TAG, her blade crackling with energy as she leaped on its back and sank it deep into the power housing.
The TAG shuddered and slumped slightly as it lost power. The two Khawarij Rashid and Khadim, wielding their large scimitars in both hands came at it form both side. With skillful strokes, they severed the anckle gears and tendons, the heavy machine falling backwards with a loud thud. Kepri rolled away with her blade, as the khawarij leaped up onto the chest, sinking both of their blades into the cockpit. The fight was over in a flash as they pulled their blades free, and slid them back into their belts. Unslinging their guns, they leaped down from the ruins of the TAG, and advanced carefully on the door. Khepri pulled out a d-charge from her belt pouch, and slapped it on the metal door and moved to the side, covering her ears. After five seconds an explosion rocked the area as the charge blew in the door.
The Namurr quickly leaped in, Rifle raised, her finger on the underslung shotgun. The room was empty though as the dust was settling. A small room with a desk on the wall and some cabinets. On the left side a spiral staircase led down. Looking down the hole, they saw it led to another small room and a door. Checking that everyone was ready, Khadim raised his large shotgun and led the way. They arrayed themselves on the wall on either side of the door. Gently checking the latch, Khadim confirmed the door was unlocked, and he quickly turned the nobbed, and threw the door open from behind the wall. The doorway erupted in fire from the room beyond. Crouching back along the wall and turning their faces away to protect them from shrapnel, Khadim and Rashid prepared their grenades. As the fire abated, the super soldiers, deftly twisted and tossed their grenades into the room. A loud commotion could suddenly be heard before two resounding bangs. Fahim didnt wait for the sound to disperse before he was already through the door, his spitfire leveled, and roaring.
"Clear." He said briefly before moving in.
Before them lay a long hallway, simple wooden barrier errected on either side that 4 different druze bodies sat slumped against them. Moving down the well lit concrete hallway, they eventually came to an open, steel door. Beyond was a large, long room four heavy machines, great hydrolic arms extending through the wall near the cieling.
"Well, Kepri, get to work." Maih said.
The namurr took off swiftly into the room, fishing through her satchel for more D-Charges, and setting them up within the machinery. After a few minutes she returned to the group holding a detonator. Nodding Maih motioned for them to leave, quickly retracing their steps out of the complex. Getting back out into the pouring rain, Maih pinged Pixie, "Pixie are you set?"
"Yes, Ra'id. Were all set here, making our way back to the ship now."
"Understood, we are getting a Roc back to the ship, prepare to blow your charges. Kepri, ready?" Maih responded.
"Aye, ready." Responded Kepri.
"Aye, ready." Said Pixie after a few moments.
Calling up the bridge of the ahd-Dhib, Maih reported to her brother, Fayaz,"Were about to blow the locks, confirm ship readiness."
"Ship ready." Came the near immediate response.
"Pixie, Kepri, on my mark, three, two, one, mark!"
Dull blasts could be heard underneath them as the pier trembled, and acrid, black smoke began pouring out form under the Haqqislam ship. Only a moment later, the atmospheric thrusters under the ship roared to life. Wind and rain blasted into Maihs face as they took cover behind the shipping crates. Slowly the cruiser began pulling up from the docks as more thrusters sprang to life, adding to the roar. After a few moments the roaring began to die down as the ship gained altitude.
"ahd-Dhib is clear of docking zone. Ra'id, you are free to make your way to the Roc waiting." Came the voice of a communications officer over Maihs commlog.
The group quickly made their way along the pier towards their initial exit from the ship. As they arrived at the waiting transport, they were joined by Pixie and her group, quickly piling in. Maih waited until the last trooper was aboard and accounted for before hoping through the door. Signalling the pilot, the ship quickly ascended as the doors closed, chasing the slower moving naval vessel. It took only a few minutes for the Roc to dock with a heavy thud, and the hangar doors to close. The ahd-Dhib was quickly gaining ascent speed, making it difficult to move around. Magnetic clamps engaged on the Roc to secure it to the hangar floor as the pilots voice called back, "All passengers are to remain seated."
The Haqqislamite Light Cruiser broke through the atmosphere and into orbit after an hour of ascent. Gravity suddenly failing for everyone in the vessel. Rolling in the zero gravity, and twisting its hull, its weapons and quantronic suite quickly changed control and jobs as it broke out of Brutus sphere of influence, and entered the sphere of influence of the Halmeoni. The ship quickly hid its signature from the O-12 battleship, now Combined Army occupied. Entering a geosynchronous orbit with New Hypatia, all of the ships sensors and guns turned towards the O-12 vessel and began scraping data.
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