The Ironwood Marine complement was nothing if not well trained in boarding actions. SSG Morin had personally seen to augmenting their training spending long hours drilling the Marine's into shape. He barked orders over the comms calmly as reports came in from the pairs that had split off taking cover behind debris and other items in the hangers staying out of the bubble gunners arc of fire. "I want that blade launcher dead 5 minutes ago!" He snapped, as the Marines worked in tandem forcing the enemy guards to keep their heads down. Sarah waited calmly on the shuttle for the hanger to be secured only wearing light armor left her more exposed than the Marines who were currently in their heavy armor.

In next to no time SSG Morin had the two heavy teams set up on either side of the shuttle providing cover to the entirety of the hanger. The Heavy Machine Guns chewed through flimsy pallets and barrels and bodies turning the back half of the hanger into a killing field. The SSG Morin directed the two remaining Marines from his complement and two from the Hermes to board and clear out the shuttle.

   The firefight  was   as fast as it was brutal. AN Ironwood  trooper went down , a heavy pulse  round taking his left arm off at the elbow.


 Form somehwere else... a Hermes Trooper  went  down as  a Blade seem to spring from his  chest.

 One of the other Hermes  folks  called into the COMs....There  are steps in the  back...they branch off  for and Aft..i think that is where the Blade fire is  coming  from.

 As the Group of troopers  boarded the enemy shuittle , the secured the  'goods'. two EDT  crewmen where dead..whether by  boarding team fore..or the Bubble Gun.

 .........

 breaking into the COMs..we are through?,. fire fight in the engine room.. we have secured  the doors, and have some of the crew pinned  down.. they seem to be  humans, with one largran..

SSG Morin comes on the Comm back to the engine room, "Good finish up quick. I want complete control of this scrape heaps power plant in two minutes!"

Once Secure the Ironwood Marines, move quickly to get the goods aboard the Ironwood Shuttle.  PO Trainor had his hands full, with the handful of injuries. He worked quickly with a driven motivation stabilizing fallen troopers and getting them back to the shuttle before diving back out in the fire fight.

SSG Morin called back to the trooper, "Get me teams on either side of the steps, I want grenades down each direction give the bastard something to think about."

The Ironwood troopers were quickly advancing across the hanger putting down any additional resistance and securing entry points.

   The   trooper  said, ..we have a brad stet of stairs.. that branch upward, in  narrow stairs...

  there were  pusle round   randomly fired down each stair way.

.............

 from the back,..here is what we have... 2 troopers   down..one  dead..one sorely injured...they have the largran and  3  humans,,,we downed a  good 6 on them...right now?   we can't get to the controls, and neither can they...so? if someone's on the bridge, they can fly in, they just can't  speed up...or slow  down.

Sarah emerged from the shuttle as the goods were brought on board. Though she'd been listening on the comms she asks SSG Morin, "Status update SSG?"

SSG Morin, jogs over from giving several orders, "Ma'am, currently we've got 2 troopers down in the engine room, our two teams down there have taken out 6 but are currently engaging the remaining opposition there.

Up here we have the hanger bay secured, though currently we are working on taking out a choke point at the stairs, it's slowing us down, but they have a blade slinger up there that's giving us a spot of trouble."

Sarah nods calmly, "Do we have any mobile cover we could move into the stairways that would give us a shot at them?"

"No ma'am, we looked into that but there's nothing robust, but light enough to maneuver easily. I was about to set up a double breaching movement with a few timer cooked flash bangs to keep the scum down, and then floor each side with as many bodies as possible clearing the stairs, worse case we exchange a 1 for 1 injury, though if we're fast enough we may surprise them and get them before they get a shot off. From there I was going to send a team forward toward the bridge and look into flanking the engine room." David Morin replied.

Sarah considered it for a moment, "I'll approve it, though we've taken four casualties so far, if that number gets to 10 I expect you to pull out and we'll just shell this hulk. We've gotten the shipment, any more than 10 casualties exceeds what could be considered acceptable." SSG Morin nods, "understood Ma'am." before turning an jogging off.

He issues a few commands to the engine room troops to attempt to flank the defenders if at all possible. He lines up the troops on either side of the stairs just out of sight  of the stair well and on a silent count of 3 two flash bangs that had been cooked to within 2 seconds of their fuses were lobbed up each stair well, 2 seconds later they flashed before they could roll back down, half a ssecond after the burstthe two columns of troops poured into the stairwells in each direction the front row shooting at anything that moved.

 In the  Hanger Dec, the troops  move, the Flash bangs  go off , there are shouts of dismay, and  random fire  down the  stairs.

  One  Ironwood  trooper  is thrown back as he  takes  several of the   ill aimed shots...

 the troops  heading  to the stern  clean up the defenders  at that stair  way..

 COMs come back, from here  we  got a free run to the enginbe room, there are some   side  hatchways, they  are are closed...

 as they moved  up the stairs to the  Bridge, a Hermes trooper  catches  a  Blade in the left shoulder and  tumbles  down the stair way. laying   unmoving.

 AAdi  has   a pulse rifle  ready  as he stands  halfway between the shuttle and the stairway,as he waits for his order to try  and  go to the bridge.

 COM  come through from one of the troopers  who made it to the tops of the stairs,... there are three dead EDT humans... I saw a tail goign in the   hatch way to the bridge...so there is at elast on largran...and some weirld loking  oneyed guy..i think he's the blade  weapon.


.............

 In the engine room the   rounds  fly back and  forth..  one of the Hermes troopers takes  a pulse round in his left  leg, and   is behind a consule,other then that, the three crewmen are holding the  troops at bay.

SSG Morin acts quickly, signaling for Aadi to take half of a team and make a beeline to the engine room clearing it and securing it before bounding back up and clearing every secured room while the remnants of his troops get all the casualties to the shuttle, Trainor sets up a triage using the med kit in the shuttle. Once the wounded and casualties are loaded Sarah sends the shuttle on a run back to the Ironwood with the casualties to be cared for in the better equipped med lab. On top of that the shipment would be secured out of reach of anyone aboard the freighter.

Seven casualties since the start, Sarah winced inside her helmet at the losses. She was betting and staking her hope on a decent score. Right now there were a series of compartments that the remaining Hermes troopers would clear quickly and systematically once they'd finished off the opposition in the engine room. Currently at the stairs were the two heavies, SSG Morin, and the helmsman not counting her. Which meant six to assault the bridge. While the rest cleared the rest of the ship leaving a team of two of her troopers with the engineer to hold the engine room.

Drawing her side arm she nods to SSG Morin indicating that she'd be joining the assualt. There was a Lagran, a one eyed alien with a blade launcher, and whomever was already on the bridge.

SSG Morin organized them, the two heavies would swing left and right along the bulkhead closest to the door, SSG Morin would push forward into the doorway, with Sarah and the helmsman to flank him from the doorway. He held up three fingers as they move up to the door, and waits for Aadi and the Hermes troopers to move to the engine room before starting his countdown and breaching the bridge.

  The group gathered  around the  hatchway to the Bridge... and waited.

  Aadi and the others  were  approaching the   Engine  room door, , one trooper  banged on the door  with the butt of his rifle., The Door Opens to see three of the  cutting team  facing them with  readied  weapons.

 They called out to the Crewmen who were pinned down, to surrender.. the answer was scattered fire, bouncing off the   walls

,,,,,

 the word  came  back that the  Cutting team was reinforced, and it may take a bit, to  secure the  engine  room

......

 At the Bridge, the Hatch way was dogged, the lever  couldn't  couldn't be moved.

In the engine compartment the reinforcements were able to spread out surrounding the resistance on three sides giving the enemy little by way of options.

At the bridge they considered the door mechanism, Sarah examined it momentarily trying to determine if it was possible to override the locking mechanism via the controls. SSG Morin starts setting the plans in motion to breach the door with explosives.

  After   looking at the hatch, it  became clear , this was a freighter, and  they used the  cheaper,  'wheel and lever' hatchways, Something must be Jammed in the  wheel or stopping the lever  from turning

  .........

 In the Engine  room, shots  were  still be traded, however  one of the   EDT people  were now  dead, but  an Ironwood trooper s  was  wounded badly.

Weighing his options SSG Morin decides to wait until the engine room is secure. Setting his two heavy gunners guarding the door. Sarah and him move back to the engine room with the helmsman to assist the clean up there. At this point it's two versus too many for the resistance.

His idea is to secure the engine room and then cut into thee bridge from the top.

   The scene  is  as bad  as it sounded, the  dead were...dead. Hit hard,  and the wounds great.

 The Wonded   man, who  was pinned  down, byt the  two that were pinned down by the rest of the ESN  forces, was trying to  keep his  pain from making him cry out into the COMs..Now and then he fired in the general direction of the  EDT  folks, they would reply back..then have   to duck back as a shower of  round came  from the rest of the Crew.

 A Hermes  trooper Looked  back as they entered, and  Motioned  for them to stay low. ...we thought  about  tossign grenades.....but  if the    fractured a power Cell?  he shrugs.

 If  we  raush from all sides.. there is  a good chance at losing two or three people...but  the   Engine room  will be ours.... Both of the  targets are Humans.. they refuse to listen to any talk about  surrender.

Sarah looked at the trooper and then SSG Morin who's body language was the equivalent of a tired eye roll. He reaches out a plucks a concussion grenade from the troopers armor. "See this trooper?" He asks, "it'll make his head ring and him temporarily flash blinded, but won't damage equipment or electronics unless it's directly touching them." He plucks the pin from it, "now the trick in a sensitive room like this is to slide it along the floor so it can't land on anything important" he says completing a bowling motion sliding the grenade along the floor. "FRAG OUT!" He calls turning his head away from the imminent flash and bang. When the grenade pops, he charges in to the area gun up along with the rest of the Ironwood troopers with a practiced ease. Rifle up.

Sarah closes her eyes and turns away keeping a console between her and the grenade to avoid being affected by it.

   When the dust settled, the remaining boarding teams  went through the  engine room, locking all hatchways in, except the one Sarah use to reach them.

  Trooper on the COMs,we lost three..one badly wounded...none of them are alive....Engine room is ours..

Sarah surveys the carnage, it is much more gruesome than a space battle where when a round slams into an occupied area there often wasn't much left to see. "Let's get our wounded aboard the shuttle, and get them evac'ed to the Ironwood. I want the deceased crew of the ship stacked in the hanger to one side for easy clean up. Engineering, I want all power to the bridge cut, I don't care if you have to cut every cable and wire between here and there. Let's move quickly."

The task force quickly set out executing the orders, SSG Morin departed  for the bridge choke point, taking the cutting equipment from the shuttle with him and a marine to help carry and move it.


The clean up went quickly, as the engineer worked cutting off the bridge of the ship from the engines and any power. Once clean up had been completed, the group formed up outside the bridge. SSG Morin had the cutting gear set up and ready to breach the door.

 by the time  the last of the Bodies  were cleared, the engineers   figured out  how to  Cut the power, by removing a series  of Power cells.

 The COMs  cam on....Ma'am?  we have power to the engines, but only from here... all other  power to the Bridge will be out when you give the word, just need to pull on more power Cell for that....


.......................

  At The Bridge door, the troopers that were standing looked a little worse for wear, with some flash scoring on their  armor and such

 everyone looked at Sarah  when she approached  to wait for  the

Sarah nodded to SSG Morin who lined everyone up in the corridor preparing to assault the bridge the two heavies are in front behind the cutting team. The plan is for the two cutting to provide security to the rear in the case anyone was missed in the sweep. Without saying a word SSG Morin tapped his finger against his helmet lights indicating to switch them over to the strobe feature. Once set he transmits over the whisper comm to the engineers, "On my mark." As the breach team slices through the unarmored interior airlock with ease SSG Morin counts down quietly over the secure comm channel, "five.... four.... three.... two.... one....Mark!" At his mark the power is cut, and the bridge door is opened, inside the now dark room the strobe lights are blinding. The team fans out away from the door. The two heavies one on the left, and one on the right a step away from the wall allowing the rest of the team to step behind them staying behind the brilliant lights. Pulse rounds flash out as do the flashes of the hard ammo rounds being fired at enemy forms highlighted by the dazzling strobes.

Sarah slips into the bridge in the second to last group staying beside the heavy, while the helmsman slips into the same position with the opposite heavy. Her sidearm is in her hands and held at the ready position.

 as soon as the   Door  open and the Strobes go There is a  short cry and  a  Ironwood  Crewman  Falls The Blade  quivering ,Just under his neck, Flashes  of  Muzzle  fire  erupt  from the rest....and  all is quiet on the Bridge....

 One  Here....dead.....

  One here here.....dead....

 don't know  WTF this is...but its  dead....

The bridge is quickly cleared, "get the trooper to medical do everything you can!" Sarah snaps, "Engineering get power back to this bucket. SSG Morin give me a final sweep of this gods forsaken dump and let's get back to the fleet. Aadi," She looks at the Hermes Trooper. "Do you think you and your people could handle getting this bucket back to fleet space? We'll leave your shuttle as well as the fighters from the Ironwood as an escort." She asks rather than ordering.

Troopers rush about securing ever location one more time searching for any tricks or hideouts that may have been missed as the engineer works at restoring the power.

  Aadi  salutes  with a smile,...i am not seeing  a problem.... me  and  one other here..the rest in the Engine room...we  will not be  flying her  fancy?... but she is not a fancy flier!


 a Female ensign was setting her weapon near her  as she   flicked  switches   and  screens started  coming  back up,5...maybe  6  minutes... we get the juice in her  bones, we  can see  about  waddling her home....

Aadi  Grins and shrugs as he looks at Sarah

Sarah nods, "well done all around. I want a copy of the manifest to take with us, once she's up and running we'll depart for the Ironwood." Internally she sighed, once this was over there were going to be a lot more letters to write than she liked or wanted. "SSG Morin, get those that are departing down to the hanger shuttle. Aadi, if you get in over your head rig the cells to blow and get out off this crate on the shuttle. No point in losing anyone else. LT Mayhew is in command of the flight of fighters that you'll have escorting you."

She comms over to the Ironwood updating LC McKeon on their current disposition and informs him she expects a flight plan to get them over to Nivar in the shortest time possible.



Once aboard the Ironwood after seeing the ungainly freighter on its way back towards Everest, she sat down at her desk rapidly typing out a report on the action including casualties and other details. She attaches the copy of the manifest including the items in the package they'd picked up. Finally she submitted the Ironwood's flight plan to the Hermes to get their assignment if any in the battle.

  Aadi saluted ,Aye  Ma'am, it is  already done....

 Aadi  takes the Helm instead of the Captain's chair and  begins  feeding iformation into the   ship to get them to Everest


  about 10 minutes after Sarah's Report was sent. A COM  Text  pushed through with the area 'in the Valley of the moons' for her to find the Hermes there.

  GOING DOWN TO GREEN MOON.........


 The fighters  took Off, flight  by  flight.... Torpedo craft would take off after the shuttles.. and stay near the Hermes for protection

 Once they were in the air air  Shadow COmed  all fighters...

 Alirght guys  and gals....Ther  Hermes and the Harvesters aircraft are gpoing to stay , just below  atmo..so the  Moon can see us flying around..... all other ships?  Your  WC  will direct you... one of the tenders   is  picking up ships coming from  inbetween the Hillite susyem and the Verian's Space... we have to assume they are hostile, until they prove they are not..... so stand  ready....If  we are engaged ..operate  as you  WC's  and  Ship's captains  direct..until the Admiral  says other wise...Shadow out...

 To the Hermes  own fighters he says I want the flights  spread out.... stay in the  eastern Hemisphere so were are able to strike and  cover the shuttles evacs it things go wrong....
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:22, Thu 30 Mar 2017.

  The shuttles take off..one   by one...flying in  a three craft 'V'

 The Admiral looks around  the Spade's hold, he pens  COMs to the other  two shuttles.....If the Cavet is  keeping her  word..this  should be nothing but a Vid-Op for the media....however... we have seen we cannot  trust Nivarians very far....so..be ready....

.............

 In The Diamond Lyri..as her wont , is  walking about  holding on to the drop lines.

 ..Understood, Admiral... we will be shooting, I am thinking...where we are going.....

......

 In the Clubs, Henry and his people hear  the cross  talk

   Garrat pipes up, "I Find it interesting that the Quarl mountain sat overlooking this particular lake.  Why were they guarding that ship without destroying it?"  He frowns.  "I really should have tried to capture one of the bastards."