Landing

Meanwhile. No sooner had they left had the nebula reappeared. Ace made their way to the cargo hold. It looked smaller than usual but usually there were only three troopers for them to look at. Upon seeing them, Ace’s unit bolted to attention. The sound of three adults breaking the sound barrier simultaneously alerted the others to Ace’s arrival and so they followed suit. With a slight head tilt, Curves handed off her helmet and proceeded to the bridge.
“Missions on.” They started. The room quickly reorganised so everyone could hear them. “We’ve got two jobs. Reconnaissance and removal. You see it, you tag it, you get it gone.” Ace was obviously trying to impress their fellow commanding officers and so far it was working.
“Sir, how do you suggest we proceed?” Aloe was the first to speak up.
“Who put you in charge anyway?” The other commanders were getting antsy. It wasn’t long until what had started as a one person show became a pantomime.
“Quiet!” Curves made her way back to her unit.
“Thank you. Our Lore, the leader of this mission put me in charge ok. Now, if we’ve had enough in fighting, we can discuss the enemy.” There were some dirty looks exchanged but level heads prevailed. “We’ll be splitting into two units. A recon team and strike team. The recon units will scout the area and report back on the enemies numbers so that the strike team can go in and secure the base.”
“Who’s going where?” Aloe looked to the troops, assessing her optimal teams.
“We’ll be mixing things up. Aloe and I will be commanding the strike team while Arrow and Demi will be taking the recon group.” The two remaining commanders moved to the front. “When I call your name and group you move to your commanders ok?” After exchanging nods Ace got on with it. “Curves, Midpoint, Anomaly, Edge, Blindside and Pivot you’re with me and Aloe. Magpie, Arc, Avarice, Outlier, Lip and Shade, you’re with Arrow and Demi.” The room once again rearranged.
“We’ll be touching down in about five minutes.” Destiny moved towards Curves. “Good luck.” She kissed her helmet. Before leaving she turned to Ace. “I’ll be on the ship keeping the engines running should we have to make a tactical retreat. Make sure she comes back.” There was something in her smile that unnerved Ace.
The new units were getting to know each other as The Destiny touched down just outside The Slingshot complex. Arrow and Demi stood either side of the ramp as their troops scurried off into the mist. Ace and Aloe had decided that the best course of action would be to have their troops surround the ship on watch so waited for the Recon team to depart before alighting themselves. As the nebula had originated from the moon’s surface, they had been expecting some visibility issues however not to the degree they were experiencing. Most of the troopers were relying entirely on their helmets infrared to not collide with one another, all except Ace and Aloe.
“There’s something or someone over there.” Despite using their inbuilt communicators, Ace still saw fit to whisper as they gestured into the fog.
“Nothing on scanners.” Curves looked to where Ace had been pointing then back to Ace. Out of the corner she saw Aloe. “What’s she doing?”
Ace turned just in time to watch as Aloe removed her helmet and started to choke. Ace rushed over and tried to force her helmet back on but she resisted, gulping in the interstellar gasses. Oddly, she stopped choking and began breathing normally. She looked to Ace with raised eyebrows and removed their helmet. Similar happened, first choking then normal breathing.
“What?” Ace tapped around their head as if searching for a hidden helmet.
“We’ve all got a gift. Comes from our Quatarrian donor. The snipers get better eyes, the gunners get better strength, Melee users get the agility and we, we get the adaptability. Give it some time and you’ll adapt to anything.
“Still could have done with a heads up before you took my helmet.” Ace raised their pistol at the mist.
“I see them now too.” Curves nodded.
The recon team were a stones throw away from The Slingshot. All that stood in their way was the research building. Towards the end of the main building was The Slingshot courtyard, a square donut of a building which the team were preparing to scale. Arrow raised their bow and loosed a grapple line to the top of the building. They anchored their new entrance.
“Let’s go.” They put their helmet back on before starting their ascent.
Now at the top of the building, they could look into the trouble they had landed in. The courtyard alone had at least thirty scientists skittering around it, and for every two scientists, there was an armed guard.
“I count fifteen.” Demi turned to the unit and nodded to return to the ground. Arrow removed their helmet and looked again.
Counting on their fingers, Arrow had to stop and restart a few times but soon came to a similar conclusion. “We’re outnumbered.” Demi nodded.
On the surface, the team attempted to find a way into one of the side rooms to search the main building properly. Their search was to no avail, the windows may as well have been walls but did yield more information on the sieged units. The troops on the inside lacked breathing apparatus. Arrow led the group towards the buildings proper entrance, avoiding a handful of unsuspecting guards. The airlock prevented their entrance but they had all the data they needed. They reconvened with the other group outside The Destiny.
Arrow held up a holographic map they had made of the complex’s exterior. “They’ve got at least fifteen troops in the courtyard alone, three on the outside door and…” They shrugged. “We don’t know how many on the inside.”
“That’s before we add in the scientists who were all packing. If they wanted to, they’ve got a maximum of forty five in the courtyard.” Demi added.
“There’s one way to find out.” The group turned to Arc. He smiled under his helmet as he removed a grenade from his belt. Waves.