USCMRPG

Date: 22nd October, 2080AD, 0710UT
Location: Lambda Serpentis, 3 kilometers out from Pirate base
Operation: Thunderclaw
Mission timer: 01:15:00

The Marines crawled carefully backward. Plumes of white breath appeared in transparency in front of their faces in the cold night. Sergeant Steele made room for Lt Vincent next to the spikey bush, silently pointing the direction. She crawled into position, the ice cold dew soaking right through her fatigue pants. Vincent brought up the binoculars to her eyes and swept the valley in front of them. Scattered bushes here and there, the starfilled sky dotted with bright spots, the crest of the ridge on the other side. Nothing. Frustrated she swept over the fields again.

There!

A pinpoint of orange light appeared just to fade away instantly. She zoomed in the binoculars. Where was it? The electric motor whined slightly as the device focused its lenses.

Again the pinpoint led her aim. A silouette of a man appeared, he had a cigarette in his mouth. He sucked on it and again the orange light appeared, illuminating his young features softly. He was roughly 150 meters away behind a few boulders - Invisible if it had not been for the cigarette. Next to him a long slender rifle was leaned towards a rock. Next to the rifle something large moved on the ground. A shapeless black form. Hard to make out. Suddenly it rose on all four legs and wagged it's tail seeking attention from its master.

A dog!

"Got a single guard with a dog 150 metres ahead," Eileen spoke softly into the comm, alerting the others.

"Bojan, you see that group of boulders ahead, he's right by there. Get a rifle sighted on him and another on that dog. Don't take a shot yet though."



"Chappell, I don't see anything else. Keep your squad looking."



Eileen lowered the binoculars momentarily and turned to speak directly to Steel, "Well we can't leave him here, and we're not getting close with that dog." Eileen looked at the drifting mist and gave a slight shrug, "Weather's in our favour, it should dull the sound of the shots. Can't say I like it, but unless you've got any better ideas?"

Not intentionally eaves dropping, but in the dense fog, the sound traveled nicely enough, James turned to hear the conversation with his commanding officers. He smiled as an idea came to him, he had spent time in recon school learning the skills of the trade and enhancing his skills from his boyhood. He stepped up to them, "Lt, sarge. . . I think I might have a solution to the problem, that is if I might speak." He awaited their nod and then launched in to his plan.
"What if, Bojan and myself slipped forward," he tested the wind to get an idea for the direction it was traveling,"moving from down wind, so our odor won't give us away." He paused and leaned closer to his superiors and his voice barely above a whisper,"We can subdue the dog and his master. This way we can interrogate the guard and maybe learn some recent info. Those are my thoughts, of course we could always use all of the former recon members to handle this small op?"

Bojan, you see that group of boulders ahead, he's right by there. Get a rifle sighted on him and another on that dog. Don't take a shot yet though."

Bojan was about to order his squad to move when James spoke and then paused. The idea seemed good but Bojan was out of practice. "What about, we try that but you guys cover us just in case we need it"

Eileen lowered the binoculars momentarily and turned to speak directly to Steel, "Well we can't leave him here, and we're not getting close with that dog." Eileen looked at the drifting mist and gave a slight shrug, "Weather's in our favour, it should dull the sound of the shots. Can't say I like it, but unless you've got any better ideas?"

Bojan was about to order his squad to move when James spoke and then paused. The idea seemed good but Bojan was out of practice. "What about, we try that but you guys cover us just in case we need it"

"Well LT, you wanted to try and retain the element of surprise and I figure if we let L Cpl Bojan and L Cpl Eagle try it their way we might be able to do so for a while longer. Although it's probably a good idea to get our better shots sighted in first."



Nick looked around trying to size up the marines around him.

"Which of you marines has sniper training? We might have to take out those two targets down there but we're gonna wait for L Cpl Bojan and Eagle to see if they can take them out sneaky like. If it doesn't go down as planned that sentry and his dog go down."

"Not me, I just have my basic training skills. Has anyone bought along an M42 rifle, or we gonna have to make the shot with a Pulse Rifle, with no sight and mist causing visibilty problems, could prove a tricky shot".



Dugan glanced at the other soldiers uniforms and didn't notice any badge that would signify sniper training. "Why don't you select the soldiers who have the best markmanship scores?".

James nodded in acknowledgement as he slipped out of the smartgun's combat harness. He carefully laid all of the equipment down in side the APC. Slipping his combat blackened knife and the tomahawk from out of their sheaths. He squatted, doing deep knee bends to stretch and limber up his muscles. He stayed in a squat as he awaited further orders. "Sirs. I believe I have the highest accuracy among both squads as far as firearms are concerned. So I can either smoke him from here, or up close and personal.

"Well LT, you wanted to try and retain the element of surprise and I figure if we let L Cpl Bojan and L Cpl Eagle try it their way we might be able to do so for a while longer. Although it's probably a good idea to get our better shots sighted in first."

"Agreed. Alright, Bojan, Eagle, let's see if you can do this nice and quiet. If he sees you, forget quiet, just make sure he goes down before he can alert anyone."



"Bojan, I recall Bren and Williams aren't bad shots," Eileen rolled to face the other two members of first squad, "Bren, cover the dog, Williams you've got the guard. You don't fire unless I say so."



"Chapell, your squad keeps watch for anyone else they've got wandering out here."

"Sirs. I believe I have the highest accuracy among both squads as far as firearms are concerned. So I can either smoke him from here, or up close and personal.

Huey listened to the conversation going on amongst his squad while he provided rear security for the unit. "Get to see if that story wasn't all bullshit" He thought, he wasn't too sure about the story Eagle had told being all fact, but he was sure that he could probably sneak past a dog and his handler and grease the both of them no problem.

"Bren, cover the dog, Williams you've got the guard. You don't fire unless I say so."

Hearing his name called he took a good look at the figure in the distance.
"Roger that" He said getting into a good position where he laid down on the ground. Touching his pointer finger to his tongue he held his hand up just a little bit and checked the wind, just one of the many checks he had in his mind to ensure he hit his target. Shooting had very little to do with luck, do it the right way, and you'd get a bull every time.

That's exactly what Williams wanted to accomplish. Adjusting his sights, placing the rifle to his shoulder, his sights fell naturally over the guard in the distance. He was about 150 meters away, just shy of two football fields not a bad shot, his finger switched the weapon to semi. Huey just focused on his breathing, keeping the target in view, he may have been concentrating on that but he still was listening waiting for the order to fire.

"Chapell, your squad keeps watch for anyone else they've got wandering out here."

"Affirmative... so the interrogation is out?" for a strange reason, this saddened Red. It had been quite some time since his last 'forced learning' exercise and he was hoping to get another under his belt. He'd been told he was 'rather adept at the technique', and had applied for further training in this field.

"Eyes and ears , second squad..its about to get wild...watch for action and listen to the 'Firsts ability..."

He crouched and motioned for his squad to do also, all the while watching the red ember of the sentry's cigarette with envious, ice blue eyes, awaiting the familiar death snap of a lit assualt rifle round...

Rolling his shoulders, his neck popped and snapped, James looked over at Bojan and nodded at his squad leader and friend. “I’ll take the right side and come up on the man from there. You take the left and take out the dog.â€

Bojan had left all his equipment back with the rest of the platoon but kept his VP70. He could use it as a club or at worst it could save his life. He followed James, although James' squad leader, James was much better at this than Bojan. Bojan felt he was a bit out of practice (OOC: I dont actually have any of the recon skills anymore)

[quote] “Okay on the count of three we strike. We move fast and hard!â€

Watching L Cpl Eagle and L Cpl Bojan move into the mist towards the sentry and dog made the hair on the back of Nicks neck stand up. Nick preferred straight forward assaults as he wasn't built for stealth work but he could appreciate the nerve it took to take a man out in hand to hand.

Constantly scanning the platoons surroundings, as he didn't want the platoon to get caught off guard while they were waiting for Eagle and Bojan to make their move, Nick noticed Pfc McKenzie. Nick was worried by the fact that they were going to have to take out the dog and what effect seeing that might have on the former dog handler.



Nick put the worry he had about McKenzies mental state out of his mind and focused instead on the rest of the squad. The other new guys, Williams, Bren and Simovic seemed to be fitting in well but the real test would to be see how they handled themselves in the coming firefight with the rest of the pirates.

The new medic, Skellen, had been awful quiet but as long as he did his job which was to make sure any injuries they sustained got patched up ASAP then he could be a mute for all Steel cared.

Bringing his attention back to the sentry and dog team Nick couldn't make out Eagle and Bojans approach but he knew that very soon they'd be making their move.

The tomahawk landed with a muffled crack on the back of the head of the sentry. He grunted and slumped forward, the cigarette bounching of his chest in a shower of sparks.

The dog proved to be bigger problem. Just as Bojan pounced the large beast spun and met him half way, triggered by the sound of his masters demise. However Bojans larger mass ment that Bojan landed ontop of the two combatants. The dog ferociously bit after Bojan whos throat was missed by bare inches. The dog spun and with incredible strength shrugged off Bojans. Before Bojan could blink, the dog sank it's teet into his underarm and tore violently at it. Bojan frantically slammed his pistol against the dogs head to little avail.

Hearing the sounds of the scuffle, James spun in the direction of the scene. He saw where the dog had bitten into the man's underarm (Armored?). He leapt over the unconscious man and wrapped his arm around the neck of the dog, and began to squeeze tight, closing off the wind. I don’t want to kill this animal, but if I must then I will, James thought. He maneuvered himself until he could wrap his legs around the dog and began to clamp down with both his arms and leg.