Chapter 5
Med bay of Kilo11. 0600 Hours
Scooby held the implosion det up to the blue light. It looked perfectly normal but looks can be deceiving. He ran his scanner across the surface of the det. The scanners shown there weren't any problems but he didn't insert it into his ordinance pack. He took a long hard look at the det, wondering what he was going to use it for. He once had an opportunity to attend an ordinance training session lead by SCUBA Trooper P-01, Gunnery Sergeant Flak. At the time Scooby was a very lowly private and he was still a part of the 45th SCUBA Regiment. Flak was considered the best of the best in the whole regiment and could do things with ordinance nobody could do. This time the session featured a captured serial killer. Flak got permission to borrow one of the prisoners on death row. Flak demonstrated what an implosion det could do to a person if he was in range of it. He had two security troopers drag the guy out. Predictably, the man struggled and got away a few times before being set inside the chamber. There were holo-cams inside, but Scooby had known they were only there to provide entertainment; the cams themselves would be incinerated along with the prisoner. Once he was put inside, Flak walked them through with the scientist's theory, while the prisoner himself was screaming and yelling. Scooby himself was very amused and tried to stifle his laugh, but couldn't. Flak turned to him and berated him for that. A clone commando next to him, Scorch, gave him a stifled smile. Scooby gave him a very exaggerated, sarcastic smile back which made Scorch snicker very loudly. The whole group looked at them but when Flak whipped around they went back to standing at ease. Flak gave them a very evil look but they both looked at him innocently. Gunny Flak then continued with the lesson in all appearances not noticing what had happened. Afterwards, after the session, Flak called them both outside where the rest of SCUBA Regiment was waiting for them. They were both wrapped up in blankets and hung upside-down. Then the troopers took off their socks and placed bars of soap in them. Then they proceeded to hand out the punishment 45th SCUBA Regiment was famous for. Both he and Scorch were black and blue for days. After the punishment had been doled out, they both introduced themselves and promised to hang sometime. Too bad Scorch got captured, he was a good guy and Scooby felt he was going to need another ordinance specialist.
He crammed the det into his ordinance pack and sealed it. He then checked his medical gear. Besides being the ordinance man, he was also the medical specialist, much to the whole squad's disapproval. Scooby wondered why, but returned the task at hand. He took with him certain vaccines and other supplies they would need and gently placed then inside his other pack. He was more careful with the medical supplies because they were fragile compared to his ordinance. Scooby had thrown one of his frag-grenades at Gun one time, as a test and to scare him. It didn't blow and Gun ,well...Gun didn't speak to him for the remainder of that day. Once he was done, he sat on one of the temporary cots. He rummaged around in his sack before finding his personal datapad. This particular datapad had been confiscated from the former Coruscanti Police Chief. All the files that had been on it were downloaded and used in court to prove the man guilty of misapplication and several accounts of bribery. Scooby had Cody modify the datapad for him so he could watch the Holo-Net on it.
He watched his favourite show, Medic. It was a typical war based show in which the characters' lives at the field hospital were shown. The nurses at the Havlo Republic Base introduced him to it some missions ago. Everyone in his squad hated the show a lot. He was hooked as soon as he watched it. Unfortunately, the show was on every time one of the others' show was. Well the problem was solved as soon as the Coruscanti Police incident occurred. Now he could watch it anytime he chose.
Everyone onboard was sleeping besides him and presumably Cody or Jangotat. Gun was still out cold due to the injury he had received nine hours earlier. Tat was probably up by now, examining the disk and coming up with some plans. Cody, since it was his shift, was monitoring the ship's instruments. Scooby had no idea what the Deltas were up to. He didn't bother checking nor did he care. Their business was theirs'.
Star map room of Kilo 11. 0800 Hours.
Everyone who was assigned to the mission was there. All except for Scooby. Jangotat paced across the room. It had been thirty minutes since Cody had called for all of them to be in here. Jangotat was about to start off without him when he ran through the door. He slowed his pace to a measured trot before stopping next to Sev. Sev's blood painted helmet turned toward Scooby slowly. Scooby grinned at him, faced forward to meet Jangotat's gaze. He saluted and stood at ease.
"Where were you," Jangotat probed.
"Uh, preparing the ordinance, uh, sir," Scooby replied fake innocence bubbling out of him.
Jangotat narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice, " Really?"
"Yes sir," Scooby said brightly.
"You were watching Medic again, weren't you..."
"No sir."
"You are becominga civvie."
"No sir. I just act like one. Sir." Scooby retorted.
Jangotat heaved a sigh turned back to the star map. He inserted the disk into the holo-projector. The faint image loaded up and showed a facility surrounded by jungle.
"I examined the mission profile uploaded into my datapad and..." He paused. The other's looked at him expectantly.
"Command's only giving three days to breach the facility before the Palpatine arrives at Uarhur. This is critical because,"he continued, " If the CIS finds a star destroyer orbiting the planet, they will know we are on the planet."
Jangotat touched the screen to give them a closer view.
"The entire facility is underground. They only way in is to go through the entry way." He pointed to the turbo-lift entrance.
"Once underground we are directly sent into the checkpoint where there are two or more guards waiting to search us. Gun, I want you to use the Force or whatever to disrupt them, render them immobile. I don't want any of us to use flash bangs or EMPs because of the Central Control Room." He then tapped the screen once again to zoom in.
"Now there are three ways we can get in the CCR. We can take the passage way leading to the Galley and up into the CCR, the middle way leading to the Guard's Quarters but the passage way has a split leading directly into the CCR or we could go through the Guard's Quarter's itself and take out all of the guards."
"We should take the way into the Galley as it is the furthest away from the Guard Quarters and the cooks are captured Republic assets, they could be of some help to us," Jangotat suggested.
"Tat, what if they see us?" Gun asked.
"Then you better hope to the Force not. The facility is surrounded by at least fifty meters of water all around. They can flush us out and we'll either drown or get captured."
"Right."
"Once we get to the CCR, Cody has to slice into the main terminal and program it to lock down the Guard's Quarters and unlock the Prisoner Holding Area. Afterwards program it to not respond to anything other that us."
Cody nodded and Jangotat continued, " Once we're through we have to move into another security checkpoint. This time without the CCR to protect them, we disable all enemy personnel, exterminate them. We take no prisoners."
He paused for a minute to let the information sink in and to take a breather.
"After we eliminate all the enemy, we go through two narrow passage ways."
He glanced at Scooby who raised his eyebrows.
"In one of the passage ways there are removable floor panels. Underneath that is a water tunnel with moving water. That's where you and your SCUBA gear come in. You have to follow the water tunnel's until they lead you directly into the Armoury which is heavily guarded outside."
"Once you're in place, the rest of the squad will move in through the PHA and the pressure rooms to get there. Scooby, you will assault them from behind while the rest of us will deal with them up front."
"And what exactly are we going to do," Boss asked.
"Well, you two are going to free the prisoners and re-arm them. All of them. That answer your question?"
"Adequate enough."
"All right. Scooby once we get through the Armoury, there is the Lab where the weapon is being contained. Once we get everyone out of there, have the ordinance specialists from Delta and Omega help you place all of your ordinance in there. Use what everything you have. Remember, overkill is the best way of making sure someone or something won't get back up and kill you."
"Ah yes. It's going to make a pretty little mushroom cloud, " Scooby said dreamily.
"More like give the damn planet an asteroid belt of it's own," Gun snickered.
"Gun..."
"Excuse me. A miniature planetary system," Gun corrected himself.
"Once we are out of the facility and about a few klick away from it. We detonate it and we rendevous with the Palpatine. Any questions? No? Okay there are two more hours till we exit hyperspace and another thirty minutes till zero hour. Make the most out of these two hours."
Everyone turned and went out of the room. Except for Gun.
"I have a bad feeling about this one, Tat."
"Don't worry about it, this mission will go off without a snag. We've had more challenging ones than this..."
"It's not that... it's something. It slips away from me every now and then but as we get nearer... Tat it's something ominous. One or more of us will be killed. I don't know how but..."
Gun's face was calm enough but his eyes glistened with dread. Jangotat felt scared at first but shot down that feeling.
"Ugh, don't tell anyone else. You... You'll scare them," Jangotat snapped.
"O-okay."
Gun turned away and left the room. Jangotat felt bad for snapping at him like that. He knew Gun's Jedi instincts were eerily accurate. He gulped down his fear and returned to his room to his bunk to make the most of his dwindling time.
A/N: If you want an idea of what Medic is like, think MASH meets Scrubs. Yes, everyone in my family hates MASH except me. I'm the only one that watches the show.(sigh)