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jeriendhalThe wild boat ride back to the colony, bouncing over small rapids and tearing around unlit bends, was going to remain one Ali's more persistent nightmares. The electric motor on the inflatable raft was built for stealth, not power, and even coming back down with the current seem horrifically slow. Worse, communications with Longwalk and the rest of the colony ceased before they were halfway there, after the sergeant had reported trying to mount a defense of the Governor's Palace.
Worse still, the destroyer in orbit was out of position, on the wrong side of the planet to render any immediate aid to the besieged colony, though it reported launching its remaining drop shuttle, carrying the four Marines the captain had held back, along with a team of medics.
Ali could hear it screaming down out of the stratosphere on a steep emergency landing approach, as the boat rounded the last bend and the colony came into sight. Five kilometers away the burning remains of the first shuttle glowed. More fires filled the town, and she could here Emergency Services sirens coming from all the directions.
There was no one to meet them at the dock, chaos seeming to reign supreme. Ali climbed up the dock's ladder and started to pelt towards the Governor's Palace, but was stopped by Blacksailor, who grabbed hold her shoulder.
“Get your paws off of me!” she snarled.
“Are you going to rush the Governor's Palace by yourself, or do you have a plan?” Blacksailor demanded.
“Milady needs me!”
“Do you think she wants you to run into a crossfire?” he shot back.
“Frell, fragg, fuck,” Ali cursed, even as she saw the logic of his point, every nerve her body wanting to just run and find Salli. She turned around and called to the Marine lieutenant, who was helping the rest of his squad disembark. “I need you to meet with the rest of your unit and the medics, then escort them to the medical center to help any wounded. I'm going to take the CPs and find Longwalk.”
“Yes, ma'am!” The lieutenant peeled off the scout corporal and a second Marine to her, and Ali began leading them and Blacksailor towards the security office. She found the front doors blown open, and an agitated vixen deputy trying to coordinate local relief with runners, the com network tower having been blown down in the attack.
“What's the situation?” Ali demanded of her.
“We're still trying to figure that out,” the deputy said, looking ready to tear her own tail off in frustration. “The first news we had something was wrong was when the destroyer's drop shuttle was blown up by someone with a portable rocket launcher. Then a group of pirates ran straight into a town and shot out of the com tower and lobbed explosives into the medical center.”
“Mother Goddess, why?” Blacksailor exclaimed.
“Terror tactics,” Ali said. “They were trying to create as many problems as they could in as many places as they could to scatter everyone's attention.”
“Yah,” agreed the deputy. “We figured that out when the last group of pirates arrived, coming down on a military flyer. Cold and Dark, where did they get that?”
Ali cursed again. “At least one went missing when the Red Vixen attacked Bloody Margo's band. They must have been keeping it in reserve, using it to gather together all the pirates they could find that scattered to the ground when their original base went up in flames. And we missed them.”
“What do you want us to do, ma'am?” the deputy asked, looking more than a little desperate.
“First things first. Where's Lady Sallivera?”
“I don't know. She and Sgt. Longwalk were in the Governor's Palace when it was hit.”
“Fragg...” Ali turned around. “Stay here. Try to get the fires under control and find out if there are any pirates still in town. I'm heading towards the Governor's Palace to find Sal... to find Lady Sallivera.”
As it turned out, the Governor's Palace was on fire.
TBC
Worse still, the destroyer in orbit was out of position, on the wrong side of the planet to render any immediate aid to the besieged colony, though it reported launching its remaining drop shuttle, carrying the four Marines the captain had held back, along with a team of medics.
Ali could hear it screaming down out of the stratosphere on a steep emergency landing approach, as the boat rounded the last bend and the colony came into sight. Five kilometers away the burning remains of the first shuttle glowed. More fires filled the town, and she could here Emergency Services sirens coming from all the directions.
There was no one to meet them at the dock, chaos seeming to reign supreme. Ali climbed up the dock's ladder and started to pelt towards the Governor's Palace, but was stopped by Blacksailor, who grabbed hold her shoulder.
“Get your paws off of me!” she snarled.
“Are you going to rush the Governor's Palace by yourself, or do you have a plan?” Blacksailor demanded.
“Milady needs me!”
“Do you think she wants you to run into a crossfire?” he shot back.
“Frell, fragg, fuck,” Ali cursed, even as she saw the logic of his point, every nerve her body wanting to just run and find Salli. She turned around and called to the Marine lieutenant, who was helping the rest of his squad disembark. “I need you to meet with the rest of your unit and the medics, then escort them to the medical center to help any wounded. I'm going to take the CPs and find Longwalk.”
“Yes, ma'am!” The lieutenant peeled off the scout corporal and a second Marine to her, and Ali began leading them and Blacksailor towards the security office. She found the front doors blown open, and an agitated vixen deputy trying to coordinate local relief with runners, the com network tower having been blown down in the attack.
“What's the situation?” Ali demanded of her.
“We're still trying to figure that out,” the deputy said, looking ready to tear her own tail off in frustration. “The first news we had something was wrong was when the destroyer's drop shuttle was blown up by someone with a portable rocket launcher. Then a group of pirates ran straight into a town and shot out of the com tower and lobbed explosives into the medical center.”
“Mother Goddess, why?” Blacksailor exclaimed.
“Terror tactics,” Ali said. “They were trying to create as many problems as they could in as many places as they could to scatter everyone's attention.”
“Yah,” agreed the deputy. “We figured that out when the last group of pirates arrived, coming down on a military flyer. Cold and Dark, where did they get that?”
Ali cursed again. “At least one went missing when the Red Vixen attacked Bloody Margo's band. They must have been keeping it in reserve, using it to gather together all the pirates they could find that scattered to the ground when their original base went up in flames. And we missed them.”
“What do you want us to do, ma'am?” the deputy asked, looking more than a little desperate.
“First things first. Where's Lady Sallivera?”
“I don't know. She and Sgt. Longwalk were in the Governor's Palace when it was hit.”
“Fragg...” Ali turned around. “Stay here. Try to get the fires under control and find out if there are any pirates still in town. I'm heading towards the Governor's Palace to find Sal... to find Lady Sallivera.”
As it turned out, the Governor's Palace was on fire.
TBC
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no subject
Date: 2014-01-11 03:36 am (UTC)It isn't a good day, is it? And everyone missed the pirates, Ali, Longwalk, the destroyer in orbit...
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Date: 2014-01-11 09:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-11 09:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-11 04:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-01-11 09:21 am (UTC)