A/N: This fanfiction is also published in german on . I actually wrote it over ten years ago but never finished it. Stopped working on it around chapter 50. Now I'm sort of remastering it :)
The shuttle hovered about three feet above the ground of Tiptree. Ellen jumped out and landed on the hard ground as gracefully as she could in her combat gear. The pilots had not landed so that they could withdraw as quickly as possible to not attract any attention.
After all the marines had disembarked, Van Hagen waved at the shuttles and they rose back into the air.
"Listen carefully, newbies!" the LC shouted over the 231st platoon. Unlike usual, they had not gathered in orderly rows, but stood together in loose groups in their respective teams. Ellen felt the tension build up inside her. Because of her arrest, she was the only one for whom it was the first combat assignment.
Van Hagen continued. "You'll find a map of this area and several markers on your omni-tools. The red triangle is the only known entrance to the smugglers' camp, but there may be more. Be extra cautious and vigilant in this regard. There is a lot of forest ahead of us, so the enemy will not see us coming. We will use this to our advantage. We'll be moving around the site separately in teams so we're not noticeable from the air, and I'll be accompanying the alpha team. Two hundred meters from the camp you'll see points A, Z and V. The last two stand for Private Zhao and me. We will stand at the positions and take out the guards outside once the rest have gathered at Point A for the push attack. We'll have your back while you storm the base. Check your equipment one last time and then go!"
Ellen checked that the magazine on her assault rifle was properly seated and that the other clips on her waist were secure. She didn't really need to check because she could do those things in her sleep, but having something to do calmed her raging nerves. Then she put on her helmet, blocking out the cool air outside. It felt like winter was about to come here on Tiptree.
"The beta team is ready," Alex told Ellen over the com.
Ellen looked at her, Casey and Jenkins and nodded. She had hardly seen Holly since she had kicked her off her team, and many questions had been asked by her comrades, but neither Ellen, nor Olivia or Holly had answered a single one.
"Let's go," she said, marching ahead into the dense forest. The unusually wide trees all had almost black bark and towered meters above them. The long branches were bare, probably from the cold, and their footsteps rustled softly in the foliage of the unusually large leaves.
"One more thing," Van Hagen said over the communicator. "Keep an eye out for hidden sentries in the forest. And take them off as quietly as possible."
"Understood," Ellen replied.
Their destination was in the south, but they initially chose a slightly more eastern route to gain more distance from the other groups. An eerie, almost oppressive silence surrounded them, broken only by the pounding footsteps of their combat boots. To release her tension, Ellen focused on her breathing and what she was seeing. The helmet's visor limited her view to the right and left a bit, but since they were moving in a diamond-shaped formation, she knew her blind spots were being covered by the others. She tightened her grip on her assault rifle, but there was really no reason for that because there was nothing ahead but thick vegetation. After fifteen minutes, they were about halfway to the target location.
"Looks like a scene out of a scary movie," Casey said softly. It was the first time anyone had said anything since they had entered the woods.
Alex laughed. "Who knows, maybe there's a creepy clown hiding behind the next tree, or..."
"Focus," Jenkins grunted. Since Ellen had punched him, he had calmed down considerably. He was still rude, but mostly not so insulting anymore.
Alex and Casey continued talking quietly, but Ellen stopped listening. Something was bothering her. It was only a hunch, but just in case, she raised her left fist to halt her squad and ducked for cover behind a fallen log. The others immediately followed suit and Alex and Casey stopped talking.
"Did you see anything, Webber?" Jenkins asked tensely.
She didn't answer right away because she wasn't sure. Instead, she leaned slightly out of her cover to survey the area ahead, but there was nothing.
"No, false alarm," she replied, stepping completely out from behind the tree trunk only to disappear right back behind it because twenty meters ahead a large, round hatch in the ground opened.
"Oh shit," Alex murmured, pulling out the sniper rifle and looking at Ellen. But she shook her head. A shot could draw unwanted attention to them, and perhaps even startle the entire camp.
Ellen watched the hatch and saw a tall, dark haired man climb out.
"Velo, I'm going to take a piss and get some fresh air," he called down. The hatch closed automatically behind him as he bounced a few meters in her direction and undid his pants.
Ellen weighed her options, then pointed to Jenkins and then in the smuggler's direction. He would have the least trouble with him in close combat. Jenkins nodded his understanding and pulled a knife from one of his boots. Meanwhile, the smuggler whistled blissfully to himself.
Ellen watched with bated breath as Jenkins sidled around him and crouched behind a log while the smuggler sauntered deeper into the woods after his business was done. As he passed Jenkin's position, the Private leapt out and finished off his opponent with a deep slash in the throat without even having a chance to draw the pistol from his belt. He gave a soft gurgle and fell to the ground like a wet sack, where a pool of blood quickly formed.
"Nice job," Ellen said, emerging from cover with Alex and Casey. They approached the hatch, weapons at the ready in case it opened again.
"Lieutenant Van Hagen, we found a second entrance and killed one of the smugglers," Ellen reported over the com.
"Did they notice you?"
"No, sir."
"Okay, wait a moment. What is the status of the other groups?"
"Team Gamma is almost at the rendezvous point," someone replied.
"Delta too."
"Team Epsilon will need about five more minutes, sir."
Ellen checked the map on her helmet display and read the displayed distance to her destination. "The Beta-team would need seven more minutes."
"Good. Webber, stay with the hatch with one of your privates and secure it for now. As soon as I tell you, storm the facility from there and surprise the smugglers from behind. Zhao, you hurry up and go to the target location together with the other private. All other teams continue as before"
"Understood," Ellen and Alex replied in unison, and the other Privates 1st Class also confirmed.
"Jenkins," Ellen said, turning to him. "You make sure that Alex gets there safely. Casey and I are staying here."
Without saying a word, he nodded to Alex, then, as if at an invisible cue, they left as quickly and quietly as possible. Ellen and Casey ducked behind nearby trees and watched the hatch, assault rifles at the ready.
"Things are going well so far," Casey said reassuringly.
A/N: Thank you
Ellen replied, "Yes, but the hard part is still ahead of us."
She didn't like that only the two of them were supposed to storm the hatch, since they had no idea what awaited them down there.
"The two of us clear the field from behind, what could go wrong then?" Casey asked and Ellen heard her smile from her tone. She was about to explain what was worrying her when the hatch opened again.
'Damn' she thought and positioned herself so that the person who just came out wouldn't see her.
"Hey Warren, the boss wants to talk to you," someone shouted and Ellen could hear a person step outside.
"Warren?" The person walked around a few steps and then stopped abruptly. "What the-!"
Ellen groaned. They hadn't thought to remove the body, and the smuggler had probably just stumbled across it. She hastily jumped out of her hiding place, aimed at the surprised man and, without thinking, fired a short burst that knocked him to the ground.
"Lieutenant Commander, we have a problem," Ellen said contritely over the com. "They may now know we're coming."
A split second later someone climbed out of the hatch, gun drawn, and roared upon spotting her.
"Marines! Tell the boss!"
When he fired at her, Ellen rolled to the side while Casey returned fire.
Van Hagen cursed in her helmet: "So the plan is null and void. Alpha, Gamma, Delta, attack immediately, Epsilon brings up the rear! Go, go!"
"Shall we too?" Casey asked, having successfully eliminated the smuggler.
Ellen thought about it for a moment. If they waited here, they could hope that more smugglers would come out of hiding and give them an easy target. But if they entered, they would make it easier for the other troops to go on the offensive as they took the camp from the rear.
By the time she had decided that they should storm the hatch, it was already too late. A grenade flew out of the shaft and got so close to Ellen and Casey that they did long dives just out of range of the blast. The blast pinned them firmly to the ground, and dirt and undergrowth rained down on them. Ellen's ears rang a little. She looked a little dazed at Casey, who was already getting to her feet, then at the hatch that was just being closed from below. But as if in slow motion, the smuggler shook on the ladder, and blood spurted from a gaping hole in her breastplate. Then she fell down and landed with a crash at the bottom of the shaft.
"Who -" Ellen started to ask, but then she saw Alex and Jenkins coming towards her from the woods.
"The original plan was done and we weren't far off yet," Alex shouted, putting the sniper rifle back in the holster on her back and pulling out the pistol in return. "We are more useful here."
"Excellent," was all the still dazed Ellen managed, and when they got to them, Alex clapped Casey's raised hand.
"First class shot."
"I'll go in first," Jenkins grumbled and was the first to jump down the shaft to the smugglers' camp.
Casey laughed. "He's really no gentleman."
They rushed down the entrance, but instead of jumping, they grabbed the outer bars of the ladder and slid down. A few yards away, several shots were already ringing out as Jenkins engaged a beefy krogan in a firefight. Jenkins flinched as a bullet pierced his shield and grazed his arm, but Ellen, Alex, and Casey positioned themselves side by side and sent the krogan back with several rounds. He fled down the hall into a larger storage facility.
"You okay?" Ellen asked worried while Jenkin's shield slowly rebuilt.
"It's okay," Jenkins grunted, and charged after the krogan, the rest of the Beta team hot on his heels.
As they entered the warehouse, they were shot at from the other side, but managed to hide behind metal cargo crates in time.
"I count at least two," Alex said, crouched right next to Ellen. More shots rang out in front of them, banging into the crates, causing them to tremble. Ellen and Jenkins leaned forward and briefly returned fire, but their opponents had long since ducked.
She thought feverishly for a moment, then Ellen made a decision. They had to hurry because their comrades were counting on attacking their opponents from behind, so they couldn't engage in a time-consuming cover battle.
Their options were limited. The storage room was about ten meters wide and twenty meters long. There were a few stray storage crates to one side and several tall shelves to the other, making it impossible to get a clear shot. They had to change something about their environment.
"You all still have your grenades?" Ellen asked her team, checking her own on her hip.
All confirmed.
"We should try to get the shelves out of the way. Whoever crawls out from behind is an easy target for Alex. Agreed?"
Casey seemed hesitant. "Aimed throwing isn't really my forte..."
Alex giggled, Jenkins sighed.
"If we just get two or three near the shelves it should be enough to knock them over," he muttered, arming one of his grenades. Ellen and Casey did the same.
"On my command. We take on both sides at the same time. Jenkins and Casey on the left, Alex and I on the right. Three, two, one… go!"
They threw their grenades across the room and all of them, including Casey's, crashed into the front shelves and exploded loudly. The shelves tipped over backwards with a crash, knocking over those behind them like dominoes. Shouts echoed through the hall, then several smugglers ran from their cover, startled.
"NOW!" Ellen shouted and they all fired rounds until nothing moved anymore.
They cautiously stepped out of their cover. For the moment all seemed quiet.
Ellen breathed a sigh of relief. Up to this point everything had gone more or less smoothly and apart from Jenkins' arm, which was bleeding a little from the graze, they were unharmed.
"Karl, let me fix your arm," Casey said, pulling out Medigel. The tall, beefy man held out his arm and pointedly looked away. Ellen could swear she could tell through his visor that he blushed a little.
Ellen activated the tactical display in her helmet and could see that her comrades' signals were about two hundred yards ahead, albeit slightly offset in places. Apparently they had to split up.
"El, we can move forward," Alex said when Casey was done with Jenkins' arm.
"Good. It's not far anymore," said Ellen and cautiously stalked ahead. She stepped over the bodies of the smugglers, ignoring them as much as possible, feeling sick to her stomach at the sight of the bodies lying in pools of blood.
As they left the warehouse, they entered a corridor that soon branched off to the right and left. Shots were heard from both directions.
Ellen commanded, "Jenkins, Casey, you go left, we go right."
"Aye aye," Casey replied jokingly, walking down the left aisle with her comrade.
Ellen picked up the pace and put a new clip in her assault rifle. After they rounded a corner, their path ended at a thin metal door, behind which by the sounds of what seemed to be a heated skirmish, judging by the sounds.
Alex went ahead and leaned against the wall to the left of the door, Ellen to the right.
"Ready to save Norah's proud butt?" Alex asked teasingly, holding a fist over the green glowing opener in the center of the door.
"Anytime," Ellen replied, rolling her eyes.
Alex then pounded on the door and they stormed into the hall side by side, which was a lot bigger and more crammed with boxes than the previous one. From her position, Ellen's enemy detection got visual contact with four smugglers.
Directly in front of them, two thin men were hiding behind wide storage boxes that had been covered with sheets. With four shots, Ellen and Alex took them out without even being noticed. In doing so, however, they drew the attention of a few others.
"They're coming from behind!" a female voice yelled and suddenly they were shot at from many directions. Ellen hastily dodged a few projectiles with a roll to the side, but the last ones hit. Her shield flared up, and after she managed to return the fire and get a smuggler, it went down entirely. She would have to wait half a minute for it to regenerate. Alex pulled Ellen behind her and caught two shots with her own shield, while Ellen noticed a burly woman trying to sneak up on her from behind. She lunged forward and tried to snatch the gun from Ellen's hand. Ellen, surprised by the woman's strength, couldn't help herself and gave her a hard kick in one of the shins, making her howl. When she loosened her grip on Ellen's assault rifle, she jerked it free and hit her in the head with the butt of the gun, knocking her out.
In the meantime, Alex had eliminated the last attacker. They both paused and looked at their work. A shiver ran down Ellen's spine as she saw the lifeless bodies and pools of blood all around them. She wished there would have been another way to solve this conflict.
"Let's continue," she said in a shaky voice.
They snuck along a wall close together and caught another smuggler from behind. It wasn't an honorable way to fight, but if it helped prevent her comrades from dying, Ellen was fine with that.
"Webber, is that you on the other end?" asked Van Hagen.
"Yes sir," Ellen replied, spotting her supervisor at the end of the long aisle of boxes she was standing in.
"Good. All units, there are two more of those crooks hiding here. Fan out and find them!"
Ellen and Alex turned left and walked ahead, paying close attention to their surroundings. As they rounded a corner, Ellen collided with someone and immediately raised her rifle, but then realized she was facing two Marines.
"Careful, that's not a toy!" Norah said in amusement, nudging the rifle pointed at her with her own.
Lauren, standing behind her, asked worriedly, "Are you two alright?"
"We're okay," Ellen replied. She was about to continue walking when a small, round object landed between her feet. Irritated, she heard the thing begin to beep, the noise increasing in frequency. They jumped aside in panic, and not a moment too late, because a second later the grenade exploded. The blast threw Ellen to the ground, and she felt a piece of metal from the explosive device graze her helmet, ripping part of its fairing off.
"Get up," Alex shrieked, pulling Ellen to her feet. At first she didn't understand her panic, but then she saw how one of the shelves leaned to the side. With a long dive she just made it out of danger. The shelf fell with a crash onto a stack of boxes, which were also knocked over.
"What happened?!" Van Hagen asked over the com, sounding almost worried.
"A grenade knocked over some cargo boxes and shelves," Lauren explained.
"OK. If none of you are hurt, move on."
Ellen and Alex helped each other to their feet while Norah and Lauren climbed the shelf to get to them.
"That was close," Norah said, shaken. Then she looked at Ellen in dismay, put her hands on her helmet and seemed to be studying the place where the splinter of metal had torn. Ellen let it happen, irritated.
"That was close," she murmured. She pressed her visor to Ellen's and looked at her worriedly. "You have to take better care of yourself." She wasn't talking over the com where everyone could overhear, and so quietly that only Ellen could hear her.
Ellen put her hands on Norah's. "I'm trying," she replied, smiling crookedly.
Suddenly there was a shot next to them and Norah was thrown to the side. Ellen turned right in an instant and, along with Lauren and Alex, who shot down the smuggler that was standing at an intersection.
Lauren hastily crouched next to Norah and examined her hip, where a hole had been torn in the armor and blood was oozing out. The smuggler had been firing a shotgun, and at close range their shields were mostly useless against them.
"It's alright," Norah said, trying to push Lauren's hand away, but she wouldn't allow it. "It was just a graze."
"Don't be silly," Alex replied.
"She's right about that," said Van Hagen, suddenly standing behind them. "You'll have to get patched up, Private Eli. Commander Lance, we're done here."
"Copy that, Van Hagen. Pick up in ten minutes."
"Understood. 231st platoon, gather at the main exit."
Norah pulled herself up on a box and tried to walk a few steps on her own after Lauren had applied some medi-gel, but after two meters she had to grab a shelf again. Ellen took one of her arms and put it around her shoulders.
"Who needs to take better care of themselves around here?" Ellen said with a soft smile as they left the base together.