"Take No Prisoners"
(previous post "Revenge")
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Stardate: 60325.1940
Setting: MCO Office
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The Klingon watched her commanding officer pace the length of his office. If it annoyed her she kept that to herself. She knew he was agitated and she didn’t blame him. Although he had only shared minor details of what had happened under the surface she understood that he had been summarily dismissed. Had she been the one ordered to return to the SPHINX to wait out the action she may not have acquiesced so easily.
Alpha squad's medic had left only a short time earlier but Tes knew that he wasn't satisfied with the way the exam had gone. Corporal Black had explained to Prav that he really needed to go to the ship's sickbay and have the burns repaired there. The best the medic could do was debride the wounds and give the Lieutenant pain medication.
"Sir, you really need to get that attended to," Black told his commanding officer as he looked at the damage to the Enaran’s shoulder and chest.
"Just pull out your dermal regenerator and take care of it," Prav growled, the pain killer Lea had given him had worn off long ago.
"I'm afraid you'll need a bit more than what the regenerator can do," Black began but stopped when he saw the stern look in Pravat's eyes.
"Just do what you can," Prav said as he leaned back and let the medic do what little he was able to do. Still very unhappy about the level of treatment he was able to provide, Black began packing up his kit. "Leave the hypo," Prav said, referring to the pain medication, Black nodded and left.
He had been pacing ever since the medic left, anger at Dawson mixed with agitation over not completing his mission seemed to pour off him. Just when it seemed he was going to wear a hole in the carpeting Captain Riker’s voice filled the room. =/\= Bridge to Lt. Pravat.=/\=
"Go ahead Captain," he said abandoning the pacing for the moment.
=/\=Lieutenant… have your troops report to the transporter rooms… we will be launching a full assault on the compound very shortly.=/\= she said.
"Understood… Pravat out," he said, casting a smile over to Tes. "Let's saddle up," he said moving out from behind his desk toward the Klingon. "Get the teams assembled at the transporters. The Assault and Security teams will be first down." She gave him a surprised look. "I'm leading Alpha team," he said as they started out the door. "I just need to pick up a fresh uniform and I’ll meet you at the transporter.
"Aye, Sir," she said as she watched him grab the hypo and head toward his quarters. "All marine teams assemble in transporter rooms seven and eight."
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Stardate: 60325.1950
Setting: Deck 14 Transporter Room 7 & 8
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The five teams were assembled and awaiting orders. Alpha team and Echo team stood ready in transporter room 7 while Beta, Charlie and Delta squad filled transporter room 8. Over the communicator 1st Lieutenant Pravat filled in his men on their objective. "Our primary objective is to rescue the crew of the MERCURY. Remember, these are fellow marines, let's get 'em all out alive," he said and then added facetiously, "and if you come across any of the naval personnel, might as well save their asses as well." Smiles and smirks crossed most of the marine's faces, reflecting the appreciation for the terse relationship between the marine and naval sectors of Starfleet. "We are taking no prisoners. If it's Cardassian or Romulan, it's dead," he said almost emotionlessly.
=/\=Bridge to Lt. Pravat, are your troops ready?=/\= the Captain inquired over the com.
"We are all ready Sir," Prav responded, looking at the transporter operator. As the first team disappeared the Captain’s voice mixed with the sound of the transporter. =/\= Good luck Lieutenant… and good hunting.=/\=
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STARDATE: 60325.1954
SETTING: SURIAL III- Surface, beam down point
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They were beamed down not far from the hatch that had led the marines underground the last time they were on this planet. As soon as all the teams had beamed in, Pravat addressed his troops.
"Keep your eyes open, I'm sure the hostiles are probably scrambling for cover at this point, don't get surprised, there are lots of places to hide down there." He looked around at the assembled soldiers and felt good about the job they were about to do. "I want Echo squad to remain here and assist the crew of the MERCURY with transport off this hell hole and if any hostiles come out this way," he paused as his eyes narrowed, "drop 'em."
He moved toward the hole, standing almost on the exact spot he was standing on when he was shot. "Alpha squad, you're first in," he said as Tes acknowledged him and led her team down the hole. Starting to feel the pain once again, Prav took out the hypospray and injected himself with more painkiller and then followed the remaining three teams. Once in the hole, the teams split up as they began their search for the MERCURY crew.
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Stardate: 60325.2010
Setting: Underground complex corridor
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Prav was retracing his steps from the first time he had gone through this place. Although he knew his primary objective was finding the MERCURY crew, he still had Lea's disappearance in the back of his head. Moving quickly through the corridors this time he covered more ground in a few minutes than he had the entire time he was down here before. The corridor turned 90 degrees about 30 meters from their present location but sounds of scuffling feet caused them to stop before reaching the corner. Cautiously the six man assault team inched down the corridor the sound of muffled voices all they could hear. Corporal Yang held up three fingers, indicating she could hear three distinct voices. With a quick flurry of hand signals the marines prepared to come around the corner. The six of them moving as one, the marines were around the corner with their weapons trained on the three bodies standing a quarter of the way down the short corridor.
Prav’s hand went up as the marines held their fire as they faced a Cardassian, being followed by a Nausicaan and a Hirogen in Starfleet uniforms. Although his initial impression of the two crewmen from the MERCURY had been favorable, the incident with Dawson and the fact that these two had 'escorted' Prav back to the SPHINX had changed his opinion greatly. Fleeters were and would always be fleeters.
"Looks like you're going the wrong way," he said looking from the fleeters to the Cardassian. "Where exactly is he taking you anyway," Prav said to Nico as he stepped around the extremely harried looking Cardassian.
"He's leading us to our crew," the Nausicaan stated.
Prav shook his head. "He's leading you to the surface," he said and then stepped in front of the Cardassian. "There's nothing up there for you, your ships are gone, nobody is coming for you, well, except us," Prav said with a sadistic grin. "Now you are going to tell us where the prisoners are," Prav stated emphatically as he raised his weapon at the Cardassian.
"If you kill me, you'll never know where they are," he said, knowing that the information he had was the only thing that he had to bargain with.
Prav smiled and nodded and then lowered his weapon. The Cardassian breathed a sigh of relief but stiffened when Prav reached out to him. Unsure of exactly what the Starfleet marine was doing when he realized the hand was empty Dokat relaxed slightly. The Cardassian watched as the marine’s hand was held near yet never touched him. Before he could even generate a question, the marine had dropped his hand.
"Thanks, Dokat," Prav said, using his name even though no one had told him what it was. He gave him a smile and then lifted his weapon once more and fired directly into the chest of the Cardassian.
Uxtar and Nico jumped as they watched the body slump to the ground. "What the hell are you doing?" Uxtar yelled as he moved toward Prav.
Prav glanced at him briefly and then turned his attention to his men. "The MERCURY crew is about 2.8 klicks in the northeast quadrant of this complex." He activated his communicator and ordered the other teams to rendezvous with alpha squad.
Turning back to Nico and Uxtar he told them, "If you continue around the corner and follow this corridor back to the junction, you should find an exit, the marines there will get you transported back to the ANUBIS." Without waiting for a response he turned back to his men.
"Just wait a minute," Nico said, stepping over the body of the dead Cardassian. "We have no intentions of leaving." Uxtar stepped up next to him, indicating he too wasn't ready to give up the search.
Prav sighed and looked up at the two fleeter. "I don't give a damn what you two do, just stay the hell out of our way. We don't need your help so go find Dawson if you don't want to leave but don’t even think you are tagging along with us," he snarled and then walked away from the two.
The corridor began to fill with marines and Nico and Uxtar watched as Prav seemed to do the same thing he had to Dokat, to several of his own troops. Out of earshot, the two refugees from the MERCURY had no idea what he was saying.
"You should now have the information on exactly how to reach the captured crew," he said after transferring the information he took from Dokat to each of the squad leaders. "Let's go," he said as he pushed passed Nico and Uxtar and soon disappeared down the corridor followed by 20 marines.
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Stardate:60325.2040
Setting: Underground complex, corridor
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The marines trotted down the corridor, the sound of their boots filled the underground complex and any Cardassian to stupid to flee found himself at the business end of a marine combat assault rifle. It was like cutting through butter with a hot knife the way the marines moved through the complex toward the area where the MERCURY crew was being held.
They knew they were getting closer as they found more and more resistance but the more Cardassians that tried to stop them, the more Cardassian corpses littered the corridors. Soon they found themselves facing what looked like a cargo storage area. Not wanting to waste any more time Prav called for ordinance to clear the door.
After doing his best to warn off anyone on the other side, Corporal Ha quickly attached the charges to the perimeter of the door. "Fire in the hole," he yelled as the rest of the platoon took cover. The door blew and before the smoke cleared, the marines poured in through the gaping hole.
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Matt Kelly (downwitmal@yahoo.com)
Writing for:
1st Lt. Pravat 2005 post #372
MCO
USS ANUBIS
