Chapter VII:

Eye of the Storm

A noise. Buzzing. No, rather beeping. Captain Ellior's senses came to as his brain awoke to the all-to-familiar, yet still annoying, sound of the alarm clock resting on the small nightstand next to his bed. James struggled to outstretch his arm, slamming it down on the alarm clock to terminate the ever-persistent device. Slowly peering his eyes open, he glanced at the time shown on the small clock. His eyes suddenly focused in, his senses sharpened, as he read the numbers.

Realizing he overslept, his body fully awoke as he jumped out of bed and ran into the shower. After taking less than ten minutes to get ready, a knock was heard on his door. James struggled to get his shirt on as he grasped the handle to the entrance of his room. Standing there was Maria Emmit, Admiral Cyric's personal assistant, the usual happiness in her face still apparent, even after the seemingly endless journey to the Terran Sector.

"Good morning, Captain. The Admiral has requested that you visit him in the command bridge before you head to the hangar to prep the fighters for launch."

James nodded in response as he fastened his flightsuit's last strap. "Ok. Tell him I'll be there momentarily."

"Very well, sir."

James smiled. "Come on now, Maria. I thought we agreed to skip formalities."

Ms. Emmit smiled in response. "Sorry, James. Old habit. I'll try to remember next time."

"Now that's more like it," James replied with a light chuckle.

"I'll let you finish getting ready. I'll inform the Admiral you'll be there shortly."

"Ok, thanks."

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Watching the viewports while in warp speed always fascinated Captain Ellior. The swirls of black and white streaming by as they converged to a center point, along with the slow rotation, seemed so mesmerizing, as if he were to be put into a trance at any moment.
"Captain Ellior," stated Admiral Cyric, effectively breaking the Captain away from his daydreaming, "I'm assuming your men are prepared for the mission ahead?"

James nodded to the man next to him, as he continued to stare out the viewports. "They are."

"Good. It's been a long journey, hasn't it?" asked Cyric.

"Yes, but it's coming to a close soon."

Cyric stood there for a moment before continuing. "Our first destination is a small, outer-rim planet called Keyant. The Terran Dominion set up a small outpost on that desolate rock. Since DuGalle's last transmission stated that there was a truce between the Dominion, Protoss, and ourselves, we will not open fire unless fired upon. If the truce is still in place, I don't want to cause any unnecessary conflicts, however we still need to remain on our guard. We need to get in contact with that outpost and see if we can get any information with regards to the position of DuGalle's fleet."

A technician seated at a nearby console interrupted the two men in conversation. "Admiral, ETA to the Terran Sector, ten minutes."

The Admiral acknowledged the man then turned back to Ellior. "You might want to head down to the hangar now and prep your men for launch, in case we run into anything once we come out of warp."

"Right away, Admiral," stated James, as he turned around to exit the bridge.

"Captain?" asked Cyric, prompting James to turn around.

"Yes, Admiral?"

"Good luck."

Ellior smiled. "Thank you, sir."

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"Alright, everyone, listen up." Ellior addressed towards the pilots sitting before him in the small briefing room overlooking the hangar that housed the squadron's wraith fighters. "We will be coming out of warp at a small planet called Keyant, located here," stated the Captain as he pointed to a small holographic image of space.

The image than enlarged to the planet, showing a small outpost amidst a barren, yet rocky landscape. "This outpost, Sector Outpost 23 to be exact, belongs to the Terran Dominion. I don't want anyone of you to start getting trigger-happy out there. A truce has been called between us and the Dominion, so unless we are fired at, keep your weapons in check."

"Now, there are no plans as of yet to actually touch down on the surface. The battlecruiser will keep a low orbit over the planet, and will try to contact the outpost from there, to see if they have any information as to the whereabouts of DuGalle and the UED fleet. During this time we will have our fighters prepped for launch in case we are needed for whatever reason. If all goes smoothly, then we shouldn't even have to leave the hangar."

"Should a detachment be needed to be sent to the surface for any reason, Gold flight will escort the shuttle down to the surface and provide air support for the troops. Red and Blue flight will remain in orbit with the Nemesis II as escort duty."

James switched the holographic image off. "Now, if all goes as planned, terrific. Should things go the way we don't want them to, just keep a cool head and keep your wingman in mind. Work as a team and we shouldn't have a problem. Dismissed."

As the pilots stood up and made their way out of the briefing chamber and into the adjoining hangar, Greg approached James with a smile on his face. "Nice speech, Cap'n. Any reason that I should be worried?"

James lowered his head slightly and gave a small laugh. "No, Greg. You know as much as I do. Come on, let's go relax in our cockpits and wait for this mission to be over."

James' wingman shook his head. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Because you always have a bad feeling about everything," retorted James to his friend.

"Yeah well, I think this time I might actually be right for once."

James looked towards Greg before they parted ways to their own separate fighters. "Well, for our sake lets hope your wrong."

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"Coming out of warp speed in five… four… three… two… one…" stated the navigation technician on the command bridge as the viewports showed the swirling blur of white and black slowly separate and reveal multiple stars amidst a blackened void, with the planet of Keyant covering the bulk of the view in front of them.

"Larsan, give me a scan of the surrounding space immediately in addition to a scan of the planet surface, concentrating near the location of the Dominion outpost." Cyric requested.

After a few seconds the man reported back, "Admiral, surrounding space appears clear. As far as the planet surface, various indigenous life forms scattered throughout the surface. The Dominion outpost also shows lifeforms throughout it."

"Corporal Danos, contact the outpost and let them know who we are and why we're here. Larson, keep me up-to-date with those scans. I want to know if anything moves down there."

The Corporal typed in a few numbers on his computer console, then said over the small intercom in front of him, "Dominion Outpost 23, this is the Nemesis II of the UED fleet, do you copy, over."

A few seconds went by in silence before the technician tried again. "Dominion Outpost 23, this is the Nemesis II of the UED Armed Forces requesting information. Do you copy, over."

Again, time went by in silence as the radio received no signal. "Corporal, try another frequency."

Corporal Danos hit a few keys again and then repeated the message. As before, static was the only sound coming from the speakers of the intercom.

"Dammit, this just had to be difficult, didn't it?" Cyric said in frustration. He turned to the nearby marine that stood a few feet behind him. "Sergeant Brockton, get your men to the hangar and head down to the surface. Make sure to land outside their perimeter defenses. I don't want them blowing you out of the sky thinking we're hostile. If they are still down there, figure out why their dang communications aren't working."

The marine saluted swiftly. "Yes, sir." He then turned and began to head out of the command bridge.

Cyric thought for a moment, then spoke to stop the Sergeant from exiting the bridge. "Sergeant Brockton."

The man turned and faced the Admiral. "Yes, sir?"

God I'm going to regret this, Cyric muttered under his breath. "Take Lieutenant Smith of Intel with you. You might need his services, should things go wrong."

Brockton nodded his head at the Admiral's request. "As you wish, Admiral." He then turned and exited the room.

As the door closed behind the Sergeant, Cyric turned to Corporal Larson. "You said there were lifeforms inside the base?"

"Yes sir. If the Dominion abandoned this outpost, it's probably local wildlife making their home among the remains."

Admiral Cyric shook his head. "We can't be too sure of that. We need to take extra precautions on this one. I don't want to lose any men today."

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"Gold One, do you copy."

James straightened up inside the small cockpit as the intercom announced his callsign, toggling the switch to activate the small unit built into the front panel.

"Gold One here, Admiral. What's the news?"

The radio crackled slightly as the response came in. "Communication was unable to be reached with the base. Might be a bad link on their end. I'm sending down Raven Squad to check it out. I want you to escort the shuttle down to the surface as planned and provide close-air support to the men."

"Roger that, Admiral. I'll deploy the squadron immediately." James turned a knob that dialed in the frequency of the squadron that lay dormant in the hangar around him, each pilot waiting inside his or her cockpit.

"21st squad, listen up. Comms are down on the surface below. Ground forces are being deployed and we're to escort them. Plan will follow according to briefing, with Gold flight escorting the shuttle and providing close-air support, while Red and Blue flight will remain in orbit around the battlecruiser. Alright everyone, let's do it."

The engines on the A-17/G wraith-class fighter hummed to life as switches were turned and dials were set. The rest of the squadron followed suit, and soon the entire hangar was filled with the high-pitched thrum of the agile fighters. James gently pulled back on the stick, which in turned raised the noise up slightly as it slowly lifted the fighter off the hangar deck. Touching forward on the throttle, the craft slid out of the hangar, with the other fighters following in unison. The dropship carrying Brockton's marine squad came out of the adjacent hangar and began it's descent towards the planet surface, with Gold flight soon linking up with it.

It was only a matter of minutes before the small force burst through the atmosphere of the planet with the small Dominion outpost coming into view. "Boy, remind me not to ever visit this place again. What a wasteland." Greg crackled through the intercom.

"Shuttle Deliverance, Gold One here. Make sure you land outside their perimeter defenses. If they're hostile, we don't want to get blown out of the sky just yet."

"Copy that, Gold One. I'll land the squad on that small plateau over there to the west. It's outside the range of those missile turrets."

The shuttle came to a halt on the small plateau, it's landing thrusters initiated as it touched down. The hatch underneath the shuttle lowered, and Raven squad filed out quickly, guns raised.

"Deliverance, Raven leader. It'd be nice of you to stay put here in case we're in need of a quick evac."

"Roger that, Raven leader. I'll be here."

"Raven squad, this is Gold One. We're going to keep a holding pattern around the shuttle to keep out of their turret range. You holler when you need us, and we'll be there within a flash."

"Sounds good, Gold One. You let us know if anything strange shows up on that radar of yours. Raven squad, let's move out. Delta formation, firebats in the rear. Lieutenant Smith, you stay with me at all times." James watched as the group of thirteen men descended the plateau, the servos in their armor boosting their running speed as they glided down the mountainside. He kept the intercom tuned to the squad's radio frequency, in case they were in need of assistance.

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COMMS>online / set-frequency> 169.34 / Transmissions received: start-0824

Frequency>169.34 Raven Squad/Sgt. Brockton, Squad-leader
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Begin-signal:

Lt. Smith-Intel / 0824 - Man, why the hell do I only get a needlegun?

Sgt. Brockton / 0824 – Because you're a non-combatant, that's why. Consider yourself lucky you got anything. Now keep your mouth shut and the channel clear.

Cpl. Martin / 0825 - Sarge, nearing outer perimeter of base. Still no movement.

Sgt. Brockton / 0825 - Copy that. Keep…sharp eye on… bunkers.

Pvt. Clayton / 0825 - I hate these damn comms. Can't hear… thing outta them.

Cpl. Martin / 0825 - Sir, they said they were getting life-form readings within the base, right?

Sgt. Brockton / 0825 - That's right, Martin.

Cpl. Martin / 0825 - Then why… picking up nothing?

Sgt. Brockton / 0825 - Your guess is as good as mine, Corporal.

Pvt. Nesh / 0825 - These pansies probably heard us comin'. Probably were… scared for a good fight.

LCpl. Anderson / 0825 - You an idiot, boy? One squad of marines couldn't take on an entire base defense.

Pvt. Nesh / 0825 - Who you callin' an idiot, you over-grown sack of meat?

LCpl. Anderson / 0826 - You want me to come over there and try out my new polished flamethrowers, boy?

Sgt. Brockton / 0826 - Enough… both of you. Keep the comm channel clear. It's hard enough hearing outta… things without you guys cluttering… up.

Pvt. Lewis / 0828 - We're within range of their bunkers, Sarge. Moment of truth.

Sgt. Brockton / 0828 - Spread out, men. I don't want them taking us all out at once. Lewis, try to contact them now.

Pvt. Lewis / 0828 - Roger sir… Dominion Outpost 23, this is Raven squad of the UED Armed Forces. Do you copy…

Pvt. Lewis /0828 - Nothing… but static sir.

Sgt. Brockton / 0829 - I want two teams. Martin, take Wellington, Kursov, Johnson, Nesh, and Garmon. Move up… northern side of the base and sweep eastward. The rest of you, follow me. We'll cover the southern end.

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0829 - You heard him. You men, on me. Let's go!

Pvt. Nesh B-3 / 0831 - It's awfully quiet here, Corporal.

Pvt. Johnson B-4 / 0831 - He's right, sir. This place looks abandoned.

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0831 - Sarge, you… up… on your end?

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0831 - Say again, Martin? I'm losing you.

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0831 - I said are you seeing anything on your end?

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0831 - Negative, Corporal. Not a thing. Not even a cricket. Either the systems on the battlecruiser were malfunctioning, or these guys split as soon as they knew we were comin'.

Pvt. Nesh B-3 / 0831 - See, I told you they probably split.

LCpl. Anderson A-6 / 0831 - You're lucky I'm on… other side of the base or I'd…

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0831 - I said keep the comm channels clear of chatter! I swear if I hear one more word outta you guys about this I'll bust you both into the lockup faster than you could say fried zergling.

Pvt. Clayton A-2 / 0832 - Sir, I've noticed some damage on the surrounding buildings. Looks like… base has been hit… few times.

Pvt. Carter A-3 / 0832 - Yeah, doesn't look normal though. It's almost as if the metal… melted away. There aren't any blast shards or explosive damage on them.

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0832 - It wasn't human, whatever hit this base. Must've been either the Protoss or the Zerg.

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0835 - Sarge, we're at the barracks. I'm sending a couple guys in. Wellington and Kursov, check the building.

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0835 - Door's sealed shut. Breaching… now.

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0835 - Door breached. Move in!

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0835 - First room clear.

Pvt. Kursov B-5 / 0836 - Wellington, what the hell… this crap?

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0836 - Well it looks like… Dammit, Corporal we got infestation here! There's creep growing all over the walls and floor.

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0836 - There's what?!

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0836 - I said we got creep in here! This place was hit by…

Pvt. Kursov B-5 / 0836 - What the hell was that?

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0836 - What was what?

Pvt. Kursov B-5 / 0836 - I thought I saw something move… there. Behind those crates.

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0837 - Martin, what's going on over there? Report in!

Pvt. Kursov B-5 / 0837 - There, did you see that?

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0837 - See what?!

Pvt. Kursov B-5 / 0837 - There's something movin- On your left, watch it!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0837 - What the hell's going on in there? Wellington, report!

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0837 – We… Zerg… in here! Numerous contacts! Pull back, Kursov!

Pvt. Kursov B-5 / 0837 - Jesus, where'd these guys come from? It's like there spawning out from the walls!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0837 - Wellington, Kursov, get the hell outta there! Make…

Pvt. Kursov B-5 / 0837 - They're behind us! Watch it!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0837 - …the barracks. You hear me? Get to the front of the barracks now!

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0838 - Martin, get your men out of there and make your way south to us. We'll rendezvous in the middle.

Pvt. Lewis A-4 / 0838 - Sarge, I got numerous contacts bearing east, north, and west from our position!

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0838 - Range?

Pvt. Lewis A-4 / 0838 - Twenty-five to thirty meters and closing!

Pvt. Kataerski A-5 / 0838 - I've got badies comin' on the right!

LCpl. Anderson A-6 / 0838 - Contacts, left side! They're clos-…

Pvt. Carter A-3 / 0838 - Damn, where did they come from?!

LCpl. Anderson A-6 / 0838 - …-eally fast!

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0838 - Take 'em out, now! Lieutenant, stay behind me!

Lt. Smith-Intel NC-1 / 0838 - Man, I wasn't trained for this kinda sh-…!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0839 - Wellington, where the hell are you?!

Pvt. Kursk B-5 / 0839 - Behind us! Look out!

Pvt. Wellington B-2 / 0839 - Aahh!… Get it off me!.. Jesu…

Pvt. Kursk B-5 / 0839 - Jesus, they're all over him! Oh god!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0839 - Get the hell out of there!!

Pvt. Kursk B-5 / 0840 - They… Wellington!… He's gone! Oh god, they're right behind me!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0840 - Nesh, Johnson, get up there and spray that corridor to give Kursk some cover! Go!

Pvt. Nesh B-3 / 0840 - Take this you bastards!

Pvt. Lewis A-4 / 0840 - God, they're everywhere!

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0841 - Group of 'em movin' up through the supply depots! Anderson, torch 'em!

Pvt. Johnson B-4 / 0841 - Hurry up, Kursk! Get your butt outta there! We can't hold 'em off forever!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0842 - Kursk is out! Keep firing… at… building! Garmon, light it up inside!

LCpl. Garmon B-6 / 0842 - With pleasure!

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0843 - Corporal, where are you with your men?

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0843 - Barracks is torched, Sarge. Wellington…

Pvt. Carter A-3 / 0843 - Jesus, Sarge, we gotta get outta here! They're everywhere!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0843 - …moving to your position now.

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0843 - Say again, Martin. Repeat your last!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0843 – Wellington's down! We're… your way now. We'll see you…

Pvt. Johnson B-4 / 0843 - Bogies, bearing east and west from our position!

Cpl. Martin B-1 / 0843 - … the middle! Well then shoot the damn things Johnson!

Sgt. Brockton A-1 / 0844 - Gold One, we're getting swarmed down here. We could probably use your air support right about now!

"Roger that, Raven leader. We're on our way." James replied. "Gold flight, move in towards the base. Lasers only, it's too tight in there for missiles. Be careful what you shoot at! We got friendlies scattered throughout the outpost who just stirred up a hornet's nest."