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Operation Crew Tango Red by Shinai Purugganan
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O.C. Tango Red: Out of the Freezer into the Fire
Date: 29 July 2003, 5:38 PM
Operation Crew Tango Red: Chapter One
Crew Chief Paul Meiser awoke as the cryogenic tube opened and released a chilling mist. He lay back while regurgitating the fetid bronchial stuffing lodged inside him. Immediately after exiting the gel bed, Paul dashed directly to the showers and expunged the unpleasant substance. He activated the showers momentarily, and then properly groomed himself. After refreshing himself, he unlocked his personal compartment and selected the proper attire.
"Everything seems like a normal cycle," he thought while climbing the ladder to the operations deck. Paul approached the duty station and the machine requested clearance. He promptly input the correct authorization on the keypad.
>COMMAND OPERATION/CRYOGENICS/CLEARANCE/MEISER, PAUL C. /SN: 25739804811-P.
>PANEL CODE: "PIGS DO FLY"/PROCESSING…
>CLEARANCE ACCEPTED. ALL CRYOGENIC OPERATIONS REMAIN AT OPTIMAL STASUS.
The computer correctly complied with his assumption that everything seemed normal; however, he distinguished the few empty tubes that divulged the truth. He lost his trustworthy engineer and a couple technicians while they were repairing systems on D Deck. Paul recalled the blue lightning that struck the starboard side of the ship, decompressing three decks and numerous sections. He yearned to rescue his comrades, but any hope of recovering them faded when the order to seal the sections ensued.
"There was never time for recovery; never a time for anything anymore," he muttered as he leaned over in regret and sorrow. His mourning ended when the intercom hailed his station. He pressed the communication control and answered, "Crew Chief Meiser reporting."
"Chief, this is Lieutenant Hall. Paul, I need you to wake your team and gather your gear. The Cap has another job for your crew after they get their mess," she asserted.
"Any heads-up this time?" Paul asked.
"All I can say is that we're out of the frying pan and into the fire. The Old Man wants you up in twenty. Take care, Paul. Hall out." The communications officer acknowledged and faded.
The expression Lieutenant Hall used was an old one, but he remembered that it meant trouble. The Chief released the button and mumbled, "More like out of the freezer and into the fire you mean." He sighed as he typed in commands to awaken his crew. In consistency with protocol, he had observed their status prior to the new order. Now Paul monitored the team as they arose from their chilling comfort.
A man yawned and stretched, then coughed out the mucus blatantly. Another crewman across from him swallowed the protein complex and then exclaimed, "Mmm, that stuff tastes like chicken!" The officer next to him bolted straight the showers and vomited.
"You're either sick or delirious, Sanders," a woman nearby flouted him, "and what is a chicken anyways?"
Sanders shook his head and responded, "Ugh, you colonists, I've been away from Earth far too long.
The Chief bellowed over the intra-com, "Come on you two, cut the chatter and put some clothes on." His crew dwelled on farce, but he learned to morph it into abetting the team's morale. Paul grinned and tapped the control again, "Mess hall in five minutes people. Last one in gets Chef's Special."
"Jeez, Sir, that's harsh!" a crewman shouted. Meiser knew how much the crew relished Chef's Special cooking and the team double-timed to the mess hall. Sanders struggled to reach the door to avoid the unfortunate ordeal, but the female crewman thwarted him.
"Colonists, huh? You Earth boys are all the same," she said as she pushed the "Turkey Dinner" option. The rest of the crew chose their respective meals and gathered at their usual table. Sanders scoffed while he sat down with Chef's Special and Surprise laid on the table for him. The technicians chuckled, yet the cafeteria was eerily silent. The Chief ate with vigor and the crew chatted.
"So Chief, why are we up so early?" a technician inquired.
"I don't know Feng, but I'm going to find out real soon," Meiser answered. He finished his meal then reported to the bridge. He walked past the weary bridge crew and approached the Captain.
"Captain Keyes, Sir!" he saluted. He had worked with the Captain previously and respected the man, but rarely met him.
"At ease, Chief," Keyes ordered calmly. He tapped on his pipe.
Meiser relaxed and asked, "What can I do for you Sir?"
"I need you to link up with Lieutenant Hikowa at tactical. She'll give you the details on what you need to do," Keyes ordered.
"May I ask why Sir?" Paul questioned.
A tiny holographic figure shifted colors as it uttered the sound of a calm, feminine voice throughout the bridge. "Sensors show inbound Covenant boarding craft. Stand by to repel boarders."
"Aye, aye Sir." Meiser acknowledged with alacrity. He sprinted around the corner and consulted with the tactical officer.
"I need you to transfer maintenance access to my station. That includes atmospheric and blast door controls," Lieutenant Hikowa demanded.
"Yes, Ma'am. I'll relay access from the outside. Ship systems will be under your control in about five," The Chief responded.
"Thanks, Chief. Hurry, they could be here any minute now," Hikowa replied.
Paul rushed back to the mess hall where his crew already finished eating and stood at attention. "All right, you heard it. It's time to get working. Sanders, Yamira, Feng, Hebert, and Reyes, you're with me. The rest of you with Officer Keating secure the cryogenics bays and set up barricades leading to the bridge," the Chief instructed. "Let's move it people! Good luck out there."
The separated crew exchanged gestures and farewells. Tech Officer Keating led his contingent out to their assigned area. Chief Meiser brought the five chosen crewmen into the control station adjacent to the Marine armory. He transferred the necessary controls to Lieutenant Hikowa at the bridge while his company prepared to repel the Covenant invaders.
A colossal explosion rocked the Pillar of Autumn furiously. "Brace yourselves, they're coming!" Hebert yelled, brandishing his pistol.
To be continued…
O.C. Tango Red: Welcome aboard the Autumn, Chaos.
Date: 2 August 2003, 4:25 PM
Operations Crew Tango Red: Chapter Two
"Set up anything that will stall those bastards from reaching the bridge!" Tech officer Simon Keating ordered. He pressed his appointed crew to use any means necessary to obstruct the Covenant from attaining the command structure.
"Spread out around the Marine armory! I don't care if you have to know down walls, just block those corridors people!" The stress nearly overwhelmed him, but he remembered that if any of the crew permitted themselves to give in, everyone would pay the price. The communicator on his utility belt flooded him with uninvited static, until the voice he anxiously awaited bellowed from its speaker.
"Simon…" the incessant static interfered with the man speaking, "…enabled controls…blast doors…transferred control to Lieutenant Hikowa…you're authorized to seal…under your own discretion-" The message shorted out as the hull buckled.
"Chief, you're breaking up! Come in, Chief!" Simon shouted.
Static answered momentarily, then the Chief's voice returned along with a malicious roar. He felt the need to do something to aid his friend sections away.
"Wort, wort, wort!" growled an invading alien in the background.
Plasma discharge followed the terrible cry.
"Chief, they're getting through!" a crewman yelled firing his pistol, "Fall-arrgh!"
"Herbert! Sanders get that man out of there! Simon close-"
Another explosion cut off the Chief and left Simon with static.
"Paul! Paul!" Officer Keating nervously cried into the communicator. He dashed down to the next hallway and turned just in time to watch an eruption of flame fumble a cylindrical supply crate, blocking a blast door from shutting completely. The lights in adjacent section flickered away and walls ignited in plumes of fire. The ship shuddered against another blow, and a crewman flew past Keating.
"Everybody down there, get the hell out of there!" he marshaled.
Unfortunately the boarders opened fired upon the defending crewmen before they had the chance. One crewman received a shot in the abdomen while covering a retreating technician. A fellow crewman rushed over to drag his wounded comrade to refuge. A blue, glowing object sailed past the protective shield and landed nearby the two crewmen. The man kept pulling as fast as he could to no avail. Simon could only watch in horror as the object exploded, sending both of their bodies across the hallway. Their death was not in vain; the technician they covered had reached safety with Officer Keating.
"Seal those blast doors! Move! Move!" he commanded discovering himself back in the midst of stressful ordering. One of his engineers inputted the lock-down code and stood back as the blast door slowly converged, absorbing incoming Covenant plasma rounds.
"Wait for me!" Another technician yelped as the hustled toward them.
"Oh, God. Open the-" Simon gasped while a blue flame latched itself onto the fleeing technician and detonated. The man vaporized, and the blast doors slammed shut. An emerald-clad soldier approached him. Simon paused in awe, and then gathered himself to speak.
"Master Chief, Sir! The situation is secure here. You're probably needed somewhere else!" he reported.
The esteemed warrior nodded in acknowledgement and continued his journey.
"He's onboard. Maybe, just maybe, there's hope on this forsaken ship," he thought as the marvel departed. His respect for the fearless Spartan fueled him with a renewed vigor. All right you two, let's round up the others!" he ordered as he gestured the remaining crew to follow him.
* * *
Paul dove backwards as the communications console exploded. He rolled over and strode over to Sanders, who carried Hebert supported on his shoulders. Yamira, along with Feng and Reyes, approached them with grim looks on their faces.
"Chief, the Covenant have our position surrounded. We can't get back to the bridge area or to the cryogenics bays," Yamira reported.
"Oh, no. We're trapped! What are we going to do now?" Feng panicked. Reyes turned his head toward Feng.
"Come on man. The Chief always has a plan. Right Chief?" Reyes assured. He pulled another pistol clip from his utility belt and snapped it into the chamber.
The Crew Chief crouched in thought. Precious time passed by and his team viewed him with desperation. He finally looked aloft. "Don't worry, I have a plan. We've got to reach the maintenance ducts a couple sections down. I know the way through the access-ways; we just have to get there before Lieutenant Hikowa drains the atmosphere in that section." Meiser stated.
"Sir, there are two Elite-types back that way!" Sanders exclaimed while he filled bio-foam into the unconscious Hebert's wound. "How are we going to get there in time?"
"Crap, well it's the only way. What do we have people?" Paul inquired on the inventory of his crew.
"Forty-eight rounds accounted for here," Reyes reported.
"I'm down to my last clip Sir," Fend said. He shook his head at the chamber of his pistol.
"Well, you know me, I'm a little trigger-happy," Yamira smirked while she twirled the gun in her fingers. She clicked the trigger followed by an echo of the click. The team sighed.
Sanders grinned. "Heh, Hebert and I shot down a couple of the little guys. We salvaged their plasma pistols and three of their explosives," he said, but later frowned, "That's how he took the shot."
"Let me see one of those things," Yamira demanded. Sander tossed over the alien weapon to her. "Hmm, let's see here…" she muttered raising the weapon and holding down the trigger. The weapon simply generated a green aura. "That's odd, she said.
"Don't they fire direct energy bolts?" Reyes implied, puzzled.
"Maybe it's jam-" a deafening discharge interrupted her. She had released the trigger. The console beside the Chief burnt to a crisp. "Any ideas" she asked, grinning at everyone.
"Plasma discharge of a expediential amount of energy compared to regular shots. You guys think it's used to melt objects?" Feng suggested.
"Shields. It's spreading energy. It must drain shields." Reyes stated.
Paul stood and turned toward his planned destination. "Yamira, was there a barricade nearby?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir," she replied. She wondered about the relevance.
"Good. Yamira and Sanders, carry Hebert and aquire theose plasma pistols. Feng and Reyes, you two stick with me. You all got me?" The Chief instructed and inquired.
"We sure do Chief," Sanders acknowledged on behalf of the entire team.
The whole crew crept through the emergency-lit corridor alienated from the rest of the Pillar of Autumn. They reached a section where a hose spewed wildly…and a pair of giants guarded the hallway. Paul raised a finger, and then gave the signal. Yamira and Sanders had laid Hebert by the wall and charged the plasma pistols. Feng, Reyes, and the Chief sprinted straight toward the protective barricade. Twin pulses of energy impacted the immediate threats. The invaders groaned and clutched their stomach, temporarily stunned.
"Now!" Paul shouted. He and his assistants drove the barriace into their stunned foes and smashed them into the corner. The aliens howled while their bodies joined the hull plating. Two crewmen dashed back. The Chief clenched the devastating sphere of contained plasma and dropped it into the firing slit. As the object latched itself onto both boarders' heads, conjoining them at their helmets, he dove for cover behind a computing console. A couple cries echoed through the corridor and were abruptly cut short by an explosion.
"Nice job Sir! Great plan!" his team yelled in high spirits.
Crew Chief Paul Meiser arose from his cover smiling "Thanks. Come on people, we've got a maze ahead of us. He and his crew proceeded to the maintenance access-ways joyously.
To be continued…
Operations Crew Tango Red: Retreat and Reunion
Date: 9 August 2003, 5:18 PM
Operations Crew Tango Red: Chapter Three
Paul unhinged the ladder hatch above the maintenance ducts and pulled the ladder down. Fend and Reyes, who were standing guard in case the Covenant they killed earlier would reanimate, climbed the ladder first and checked the access-ways with their standard flashlights.
"All clear!" Feng reported. He poked his head out of the hatch and gestured the rest to follow.
"Okay, let's get him up!" Paul ordered to Yamira and Sanders. The two carried Hebert over to the ladder and lifted his body aloft. Reyes shone the flashlight as Feng grasped and pulled the wounded crewman to safety.
Grunting voices clamored from down the dim hallway. Emergency lights flashed rapidly as a suction noise surround their current section. "Lieutenant Hikowa is draining the atmosphere! Hurry up, we have to go, now!" exclaimed the Chief.
Yamira double-timed her ascent into the maintenance area. Green bolts streamed out of the fog, which filled the section, straight toward her. She felt a sudden jerk push her.
Sanders climbed the ladder after her and smiled. "You scared the hell out of me Sanders!" Yamira yelled and then smacked him.
"That plasma was coming right at you! I just saved your life! What did you do that for?" he asked, rubbing his cheek.
"Chief, come on!" Reyes shouted to his superior below.
Paul fired off a couple suppression rounds and then jumped on the ladder. Plasma discharge stuck the duct under the Chief and a chilling blast erupted from the duct below him.
***
"Everyone check in!" Officer Keating demanded. Five other crewmen approached him and reported. Simon sighed, acknowledging that his crew of eleven dwindled to five. His insubordinates recognized the casualties as well. Everyone experienced loss at the hands of the last Covenant push toward the bridge. Although the Covenant had come within fifty meters of the command section, his crew and a few marines managed to hinder them from attaining the Pillar of Autumn.
"So what now Sir?" a female crewman inquired. The officer opened his mouth, but the intercom suddenly boomed throughout the corridor.
The Captain's voice echoed inside the ship. " Crew and ops personnel on decks one through four: report to evac stations immediately."
"That's our cue. Let's hit those lifeboats," Simon commanded.
"Just how exactly will we reach the lifeboats Sir?" a crewman queried. The others turned their heads to their commander.
"We're going back to the cryogenics area and I'll think of a way out when we get there," Simon answered.
"Pardon me Sir, but why not go through the mess hall and catch an early exit?" another crewman suggested. The rest of the team nodded in agreement and wonder.
"We'd be sitting ducks if we went that way. Other crews probably already evacuated already. Besides, we've secured the cryogenic area for the most part. There's no reason to risk it," Simon explained. "Now follow me, we're going back there on the double."
The others listened contently to their superior's orders and quickly pursued him as he entered the marine armory. Simon was right; none of them wanted to risk running into any one of those deadly aliens and Tango Red officers had a reputation of getting their crew out alive. When everyone reached the armory, Simon stopped and returned to the door.
"Everyone search the armory for anything we can use while I lock the door," he instructed.
The crew scoured the area and Simon entered a security code into the adjacent panel. The automatic door slammed shut. He walked over to a barricade. "Ashen, Matthews, give me a hand here!" he ordered.
Two crewmen immediately rushed over and both of them joked.
"Where would you like us to park that thing Sir?" jested Matthews.
"You aren't going to bring that with us are you?" Ashen followed up. The two laughed concurrently.
"Very funny. Let's put it in front of the door. That'll make sure we have no stragglers."
"Yes, Sir!" the men acknowledged and helped the officer push the barrier in front of the door, obstructing anyone from tailing them. The other three members approached them.
"All of the weapons are gone Sir. There's nothing we can really use here," a crewwoman stated.
Simon sighed and pulled out his pistol. "We'll have to stick with what we got. Everyone check your side arms. We don't want to walk into something with nothing in the chambers," Simon warned.
After reloading a couple clips, the crew nodded simultaneously.
"All right. Let's go!" Officer Keating ordered and dashed down the hallway. Fortunately, the blast door that he saw earlier was still obstructed and remained open halfway. He crouched and crawled through and then walked over to the entrance to the cryogenics bay he and shipmates had slept in before the chaos erupted.
He inputted the clearance code into the door panel and the light flashed green. The team followed his every movement and approached him as the doors parted. Simon stepped into the room first and peered around the bay.
"It's all clear," he said, indicating them to enter with his hand.
The others slowly walked inside and later ran toward their lockers. The officer already opened his compartment and gathered his most dear belongings. It seemed there was more than the original reason why he returned, but the others understood.
"Keep it light. This isn't going to be a first-class flight," he reminded them.
The team finished retrieving their possessions and parted with what they could do without. They climbed to the observation deck and gathered around the computer console. Simon had already finished locking the door leading back further into the ship when they arrived. He walked over to the exit and started to jog until the lower level door opened. Three massive figures rushed into the room.
"Get down!" Simon roughly whispered while he stopped and ducked. The others crouched and looked onward with hope of remaining undetected.
The three intruders scoured through the cryogenics bay, concentrating on examining the contents of the cryogenic-tubes. One of the aliens considered scaling the ladder and put a hand on it.
"He's going to come up! Let's kill the bastard!" a nervous crewman muttered.
"That's exactly what I'm going to do!" Ashen mumbled and pointed his pistol at the alien. The others tried to lean over and stop him, but the round exited the chamber and impacted with the invader's head. Some of them stared and others began praying.
The bullet ricocheted off of the shield, and the three cocked their heads to the observation deck and raised their weapons. One bellowed a cry in an eccentric language.
"Ashen, you moron!" a female crewman yelled as she aimed her pistol at an alien below.
Plasma fire streaked toward them and splashed against the window. The team fired their side arms at their oncoming enemies. The bullets made contact, phasing their shields.
"Keep firing!" a shout rang from among them.
"Oh my God, they're coming up!" another reported.
The giants began adjusting to the ladder, slowly reaching the upper level one at a time until the lights shorted out. The three aliens halted, confused.
"Now, take them down!" a command came from behind the crew. A salvo of rounds flew from in back of them into the nearest glowing armor. The crew followed suit with their pistols. A flash fluttered then a gurgle echoed throughout the room as the boarder's body collided with the floor.
Another elite jumped on top of the walkway and bolted toward the defending crew. A constant stream of armor-piercing projectiles smashed into the incoming warrior. The luminous figure fell backwards and met the same fate as his comrade.
The last soldier fired aimlessly and pulled his body onto the ladder. A bullet cracked at his shields while his hand gripped the pole. The cryogenic bay's lights flickered back and revealed all three intruders punctured by multiple projectiles. The last one hung his lifeless body in abeyance by his hand. A single hole passed straight through his helmet. Simon stood behind the computer console and slammed another clip into his pistol's chamber.
"Whoa, nice shot Sir," a woman congratulated her leader.
"Yeah, good going!" Matthews shouted along with the other teammates. They all rejoiced.
"Thanks, but we don't have time for that. We have a lifeboat to catch," Simon indicated. He smiled and then ran down the corridor that led to a maintenance outlet. He entered the doorway and activated his flashlight. The crew chased him through the maze for a few long minutes until they heard footsteps echo toward them.
"Shhh, it could be more of them," a crewwoman said.
A figure stepped out from around the corner and flashed a light into their faces. "Ah, ha! You little guys can't sneak up… Oh, wait, is that you, Keira?" the figure interrogated.
"Do you mind not shining that thing at my face?" Ashen roared.
The man pointed the accessory at the floor. "You guys and girls really made it!" he shouted. "Hey, everyone, it's team two! Good to see you again Keira!"
"Nice to see you too, Ben," Keira remarked.
Feng walked up, helping Paul limp through the crowded access-way. "Great, just what I need, less space to walk through!" joked the Chief. He held his hand out to the officer. "Welcome back."
Simon shook the hand of his long-time superior and friend. "It's good to be back Sir," Officer Keating remarked. The reunited crew did their best to welcome themselves in the tiny walkway.
Paul nodded. "Well, don't just stand there! There's a lifeboat with our name on it!" he commanded.
To be continued…
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