Aboard CFV Phobos, Tau 29, 1333 Crayter Standard Time, 1933 Sirius Main Time
Admiral Richard and his ship, Phobos, was on a superheavy patrol duty that day over the darkness of Tau-29. Freeport 6 could be seen barely and them knowing the Gallic threat looming one-two systems away was helping them to be cautious. The venerable Zephyr-Class Carrier was strong, however it could not deal with a whole Gallic Fleet. While Richard ordered moving to Tau-23 and do a sweeping quick strike, he got a message that was labeled extremely urgent from Council General Pierre LaFlamme. There wasnt much details, just an encrypted frequency given to his eyes only to contact. He did not waste anytime. "Give me the nearest phone!." A marine gave him the phone and Richard entered the encrypted frequency Access Code 'DGRSS-001'.
"Bonjour, General, i take it you need urgent assistance. Are you in trouble? Give me the coordinates and we will jump as soon as possible"
Admiral put the phone on standby and ordered people around. "Contact Battlegroup Atlantis Commander Leto Atreides and inform him to deploy two Thanatos Cruisers, himself aboard on one would be preferred."
Then he took the phone back to his hand and waited an answer among the statics the connection transmitting...
Bonjour, Fleet Admi... - Pierre was quickly interrupted by Richard, asking questions, but abruptly setting the channel on standby for a moment before an answer could be given. With a sigh Pierre looked down, trying to be patient in a situation requiring quick action, then looked back at the holotable he was standing at, once Richard was back at the phone.
Richard, calm down et listen to me. - he said firmly. - First of all, I need a cool head from you. Secondly, I am not in distress, but there is an opportunity present to seize a Royal Naval Ship in Leeds with an ongoing mutiny onboard, et I want to ask your help at taking the ship.
According to them the ship lacks any escorts as was deemed unnecessary within Leeds, furthermore information about the mutiny did not escape to the GRN yet. The Council does have a scouting party close enough to intervene with ample anti-fighter support against the occasional nearby patrols, but our boarding capacities are lacking. We have two teams in that party ready for deployment, but we need two more to effectively assist the resistance onboard. Can you help us, mes amis? - a bit relieved he could speak without interruption, it was now Pierre waiting for a response.
Aboard CFV Phobos, Tau 29, 1335 Crayter Standard Time, 1935 Sirius Main Time
Richard carefully listened LaFlamme and assessed the situation. Thought loudly "Hmm, a Royal Naval Ship, Leeds, ongoing munity. Probably an Obstinate or Valor if Council's forces werent enough..." He turned at Navigator and said "As soon as Leto arrives, prepare the FTL Drive and jump us to Leeds quickly!" Navigator was shaken by sudden change of plans and did not like the idea of using the FTL Drive at all. It was installed just a week ago and tests werent conducted on Phobos at all. Combined with its Cloak Disruptor and Hyperspace Matrix Beacon Creator devices results could be disastreous "Admiral, we did not properly test the device yet and this vessel is housing loads of other experimental Technologies. We have no idea how the Drive will react combined with other devices. Our Xiphos Mark II Core may not be able to handle all the strain." "Navigator, i am aware of the risks as much as you do. However we need the Drive active as soon as possible to save time. That means we take the risk and you f**king activate the damn thing!" He activated a tactical display to check the fleet formation and see Leto's position. Saw that he was at 15 clicks and approaching at cruise. He brought the Atlantis and three Tnanatos-Class Cruisers. "Navigator, begin accumulating power for the FTL Jump. Also be sure our Jump Bubble encompasses the whole task force. One more thing, check if you entered coordinates correctly. I dont want to end up in gods knows what corner of Sirius." "Yes, Sir! Beginning charging process. ETA at Leeds: 4 Minute." He opened the phone again. "LaFlamme, we are jumping to Leeds in 3 minutes. Give us your NavMap Grid coordinates and we will randezvous. Our task force is composed of 2 Zephyr-Class, Phobos and Atlantis and 3 Thanatos-Class, Tartarus, Styx and Cerberus. We are full of eager marines that seeks a party aboard a big Gallic warship right now!" Just as he finished his talk, Atlantis and his company arrived and formed with Phobos. Meanwhile Phobos was at half charge already. 90 seconds later, a flash of light occured at Tau-29 and the task force arrived 20 clicks to Stokes Mining Station...
Mon dieu, Richard, what is that for? - was surprised at the amount of forces the Crayterian Fleet Admiral wants to send to the site, losing his temper bit by bit. - We need to capture et secure the ship, not blow it up into tiny pieces. Twenty of ours with twenty of yours would be enough to take over the... Le signal est perdu, Général. Quoi? Probablement, ils ont sauté. [We'll have them back in a moment.] - Pierre sighed and facepalmed in the meanwhile. - Et ils sont ici. Fleet Admiral, do you copy? - he looked up from his palm. - The ship in question, the RNS Dutertre, is completely unarmed against external threats at this point, we need boarding parties, not a whole battlegroup. The system is full of hostiles, it would be dangerous to draw their attention. I would have advised against jumping there, but I have a feeling that it's a bit late for that. According to the latest information from them the target is in the vicinity of Glasgow outpost, I propose a rendez-vous point in the middle of sector F3 at the edge of the Stokes Field. Our group is nearby, I will instruct them about the location as well, then call back Officier Dumont, as I promised. I really hope you understood what I said et you know what you do. LaFlamme out. - with that he closed the channel.
Alors, [hail the Candide, and tell them to instruct the scouting group to rendez-vous with Crayterian forces at sector F3. Objective is to capture the RNS Dutertre by assisting Crayter forces and onboard resistance against loyalist crew members. It is important to report any and all movements and actions of all the hostiles, the resistance and the Crayter forces during the operation.] - with a sigh he looked down at his watch. It read 19:38 SMT. - Alors, [now open a channel to the Dutertre, our response to Officer Dumont is quite due by now.]
Leto looked at his crew and wondered what is really going on, but he ordered the "Tartarus", "Styx" and "Cerberus" from the CIS to join them, and he calm guided the fleet to meet with Admiral Richard.
Once he joined the "Phobos" orders came to prepare to make a jump. 'Good, finally we can see this working... ' and he thought about the new technology and the roots from Crayter and was happy that the fleet will soon be dotted with this new gear.
Immediately after the jump, he ordered his navigator "Deanna, check the position of the ship. Put also our AI to do a separate check"
"Lynne, set Condition 1 throughout Atlantis. Also deploy the Thanatos vessels around us, in a wedge formation. Give the Go-Codes throughout the fleet"
He searched with his eyes for John, his AIT leader but couldn't find it and he turned to the 2ic "Martin, where is John?"
"Getting his AIT ready just in case"
"Good" and he turned to Deanna "Anything to report?"
"Commander we are in Leeds."
"Very good. Fleet situation?"
"Tartarus and Styx reports all green. Cerberus also. Ships deployed and in position. Nyx and Pytho ready to launch"
"Hold the launch of Nyx and Pytho, Lynne. Now someone contact flagship and report our readinnes"
"Phobos CIC, Phobos CIC, this is Atlantis CIC, we are reporting in. Atlantis Group deployed and awaiting orders."
Aboard CFV Phobos, Tau 29, 1337 Crayter Standard Time, 1937 Sirius Main Time
Richard sighed multiple times and listened as Pierre facepalmed and explained him the situation. Then trying to hold his annoyance at bay he responded. "General LaFlamme, we, obviously, thought it would be unable to respond at external threats, as there is a bloody munity on board. We brought the battlegroup to deploy marines! And ensure the safe extraction of RNS-Dutertre. We brought some excess in order to not fail this mission." As LaFlamme was to answer he continued "We will deploy 50 or so marine to capture the ship now. Richard out." Then he switched channels to order the ask force. "This is Phobos CIC, Atlantis CIC, prepare for deployment of AIT at Dutertre. Over." Atlantis R.O answered back. "Roger that, Admiral. I will relay the order to Commander Atreides." Richard ordered one last thing. "Formation, Full Cruise to Glaslow Outpost. Fleet Formation Beta 3-3. Over." And the task force moved at Glaslow, Phobos and Atlantis forming rear line and Cruisers forming the frontal line.
A bolt of plasma. A polished, metal wall of the bridge was harbouring its reflection. As blue as the reflection of the sky in the sea, it shone like a shooting star. The best wish that one could imagine is that it does not fall on them. On its opposite side was a clock. It stood hung by the wall. Its minute hand had just passed 44, and its second hand 6. The grain of plasma did not land on its target, but it landed with mechanical precision. That was the last this clock had ever ticked. For a moment, it became a spectacular flash, the colour of the Gallic monarchy, almost engulfing the whole room with its imposing light, and in the next one, it became a pathetic, smoldering orange mass that slid down the wall with the grace of a dead slug.
It was 4 hours until the end of the day, but the mutineers were already out of time.
The next grain of plasma hit its target. Another mutineer lay dead.
The loyal marines kept pouring in through the charred entrance. There was nowhere to hide behind. The mutineers were being prematurely put behind a firing squad. The promises of external help collapsed with the defense, and they evaporated with the defenders' souls. Dumont thought he could see it. And that was all he saw. His idea becoming a whirlpool of ghosts, sucking them in, and then disappearing as if nothing had happened. For him, all the firing, screaming and dying was silence. His life was passing in front of his eyes -- how he went to school, how he fell in love for the first time, all the anger and sorrow for a failed exam, all the thrill for enrolling with the Navy, for being promoted, married, getting children, all the sorrow for not being at home to see them, all his grudges with Belkhodja, all the injustice in the Gallic society -- all of this was irrelevant now, as if it had never happened. The world will become lighter for a soul, and everything will continue as it once went.
His thigh muscles could not hold the weight any more. He dropped to his knees. With the last of his men dying in front of him, he collapsed onto the floor and released a weep. With the last bit of humanity leaving his body, he hid beneath the corpses, and wept, remembering his dead mother's smile. With the last mutineer falling, the bridge was, save an occasional spark from the damaged equipment, as quiet as a cathedral. The lacrimosa of Dumont's destroyed soul was the only sound that disturbed it.
Having been told that his men had pacified the situation, Belkhodja slowly drove into the bridge on his wheelchair. Its wheels rolled over his enemies' blood. His smug grin glanced over his conquest. His eyelids opened to show an infernal flicker when he turned his view towards the pile of corpses beneath which was the origin of the weep.
Aboard RNS Dutertre, Leeds, 1938 Gallia Standard Time
Dumont checked his watch and he saw it has been 8 minutes since DeChamp contacted with General LaFlamme. Just a second later he got a beeping on his Communicator. He flipped the switch and heard LaFlamme's voice that informed him for around 3 minutes. There was hope finally...maybe. Then as the briefing ended, he saw a nervous DeChamp. "Sir, Squadron Leaders are not responding! They are dead, Sir! Captain Belkhodja re-captured all sections of the ship except here, the bridge. We must- AAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHH!" And DeChamp dropped dead. With only four men protecting him, Dumont tried to hold the hordes of Gallic Marines. However all he saw was his comrades dying. Dumont was the sole survivor at the end, after 6 minutes of fighting. Belkhodja, with his new appointed guards, appeared in front of him from the shadows. "Here we are, First Officer. Your puny mutiny has been supressed and you, only YOU, caused their deaths. You have the blood of 124 Crewmember on your hands now." Belkhodja drove his wheelchair nearer to Dumont and draw his blade, made a slashing move but stopped right at Dumont's neck as the guards kneeled him down. Belkhodja shouted. "STRAP THIS MISERABLE SON OF A BITCH!" Guards kicked Dumont back to standing position and forced him to walk towards nearest functional, one piece seat...
Belkhodja approached the strapped Dumont. He reached Dmont's eyes with his cold rapier and soaked it with tears. "Mmmm...", exuded his state of ecstasy as he licked them off the sword. Dumont had completely surrendered to his fate -- he was sitting perfectly motionless, and breathing only because the reflex forced him to. All of his soul had gathered in his nose, ready to leave the body once a sufficient excuse finally appeared.
"Mister... what was your name again?"
Silence. "Nameless is good, too. You will not be remembered anyways." Belkhodja reached Dumont's eyes with his rapier again. "So, you had the eyes to see my injustice. You had the ears..." The steel slapped Dumont's left earlobe. His tears, his sweat and Belkhodja's saliva slid down his neck. "...to hear my cruelty. And you had the balls..." The rapier stuck the seat between Dumont's legs. "...to plot against me. But what is the worst, is that you had the HANDS TO ACT ON IT!" The rapier slammed into the seat arm, slicing through Dumont's left index finger. At first he tried to compose himself, releasing no more than a groan, but his soul had already been broken, so his strength let him down and exploded into a scream that melted with a weep. Belkhodja indifferently pulled the rapier back into its scabbard, together with Dumont's blood. This was personal. There should not be a piece of metal separating him from the victim he was exerting vengeance on. He grasped Dumont's left thumb with his both hands and began yanking it to and fro, and spun it in circles in an attempt to tear it off. But the tendons were too strong, so he leaned forward and tore it off with his teeth. Then, impatient to complete the "work", he simply bent all the remaining fingers backwards, producing a crack. Dumont's soul was still trapped inside. With an acrobatic movement of his arm, Belkhodja pulled out his rapier again and, all part of the same movement, sliced Dumont's left earlobe off. Blood gushed out, but his soul still stayed inside, as did the pain. It made his eyes almost pop out -- but Belkhodja's rapier helped the one on the right do so. It stood stuck on the tip of the sword like a piece of fruit. No, Belkhodja did not chew it. But Dumont's mouth was conveniently open. He spat his own eyeball out between his legs. A thread of saliva still kept it connected with his bloody teeth.
Mitsubishi, a surviving member of the captain's guard, according to his grin was apparently taking pleasure in this. At this point he bent slightly forward to hide what he was ashamed of. It was not the fact that he reacted so on such a situation that he wanted to hide, but the fact that Kusarians were experts of miniaturization, and it was more of a disgrace to his family than something to take pride in. He was currently behind Belkhodja, but the old space monster had exceptional awareness. He noticed this. And it was clear what treatment Dumont was to get now.
"Enjoy", he said as he gave his rapier to Mitsubishi. Obviously very satisfied, Mitsubishi held the sword and caressed it with his glance. But, at that moment, something severely shook the ship, and he fell down. The handle ended up in his mouth. The rest was protruding from the back of his neck.
As if completely unaffected by this, and as if he had forgot about Dumont, Belkhodja casually gave an order. "Status report!"
Aboard RNS Dutertre, Leeds, 1350 Crayter Standard Time, 1950 Sirius Main Time
"TAKE COVER!" Marine shouted while the hangar bay blasted off by a Reaper Missile shot of Phobos. Shockwaves made everyone lose balance, but experienced AIT troops recovered quickly as their power armor helped them to do so. Then Admiral Richard, adorned his combat gear and power armor, wielding a special variant of Purifier MK III. his special 'Jungle Phoenix' .700 Nitro shelled slug pistol, and a shortsword of his own craftmanship, appeared in front of smoke and dust. "Marines, our objective is capturing the goddamn ship and saving whats leftover of rebelled crew. Lets get going." Marines acknowledged the order and kept moving. Mowing Gallic troops one by one, Richard ordered S&D advancement. Then he reported at LaFlamme. "General, we have breached the hangar bay and capturing the ship slowly and steadily. Your Council guys moved to prison bay with a dozen of my men and they will advance from there. While i and rest of the men moves to top deck and bridge." Then he pointed at two dozen men to come with him to bridge, while pointed rest to the top deck. He turned to the Beta Squad's leader. "Colonel, you are to kill every gaul scum in that ship. Except the survivors of rebellion and our allies of course. If something shoots, no questions, kill it." Then he turned at Alpha Squad, the dozen men he pointed at. "You guys and gals are with me. We will storm the bridge." As they moved to the bridge they saw the battle's remains. devices sparkling, blood everywhere, Richard stopped at Mess Hall and inspected a man closer. As he inspected him more, he found a dogtag and a tatoo at his arm, a phoenix. He let anger and sorrow take him for a brief moment. He drawn his pistol and shot the dead body once more. "YOU SCUMBAG! HOW YOU BETRAYED YOUR PEOPLE!" Then Charlie squad leader called him. "Sir, it appears that every mutineer is dead, albeit there is heavy losses from Captain's side, all hope is lost for the mutineers. I am sorry, sir." "Acknowledged, Commander. Order your men to RV at the bridge, i have a feeling their leftovers are there." He and nearby men followed him to the bridge. Meanwhile he got more reports of clear sectors. He started to hear screams of a man and the other speaking angrily. "Bastards must incapaciated one and let him die in his agony." After some mere seconds, he saw the bridge door is sealed. Ordered around while prepared his special rifle and armed its mini-rocket launcher. Aimed and fired two shots at the sealed door. The door managed to resist first shot , however could not withstand second one. After the dust, smoke and particles settled in and decided to give Richard a relatively clear vision, he saw a man strapped into the navigatör seat, while a man appear to be Captain's guard, laying dead. The man strapped continued to scream in agony and losing blood. Richard shouted. "Medic! We need medic and evac the guy ASAP!" Just as he finished calling for medic, he heard cracking bones and a blade drawn out of its scabbard. Then a bold, unwavering and unshakeable voice... "Bonjour, Mister Michael Richard, i heard about you and your stories so much. You have my utmost respect as an enemy." Then the voice shouted like a mountain. "AND THE HONOR OF KILLING YOU SHALL BE MINE! EN GARDE!" Richard only turned and looked at the man, that worn a Captain's Suit. Merely half of his height, yet so bold, so certain and so controlled...
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