Antaria's last message: Surprises, I hate surprises…
Night had fallen yet again, and aside from a few scattered sentries, the main combine strike team had retreated back into the station to relax and wait for their support to arrive.
Jackson soon found himself in a random corner of the main communication room, a cup of coffee in hand. As it turned out the place had been well equipped, and no one had found a reason to complain yet.
Still nothing on the scanners, not that they'd picked up on at any rate. And in turn the cruiser they were watching hadn't shifted from orbit yet. Either the dominion was onto them, or they were loading up another shipment of minerals.
Either way, it wasn't good for them. "Any sign of a search party?" This was the third time since they'd taken the array he'd asked that question. Most people would have called him paranoid by now. Luckily Alessa wasn't the type to make comments, or she was simply reading his mind and knew the kind of response she'd receive from the marine.
"Nothing yet. There's defiantly something out there though, I'm getting some feedback from the eastern perimeter…' She idly tapped a few buttons and adjusted the scan. "Can't get a decent lock on it though…Seems to be a signal however, maybe a radio…"
Jackson was silent for a long moment, before he simply downed the remaining coffee in a single mouthful and set the mug down on the nearby table. "Better then sitting around." He sighed, before idly collecting his impaler and setting off for the door.
Having rounded up two other marines, Jackson and his team quietly swept the perimeter of the comsat array. Aside from the crunching of rocks and sand beneath their' CMC armoured boots; nothing else was to be heard. Now and then the courperal would spare a glance towards the tiny screen off to one side of his visor, it being a small map of the area. "This is where the signal came from…Don't see anything though." He muttered quietly, his voice being transmitted to both marines beside him, and in turn back to their captured command center.
"Nothing? Let me run a diagnostic." Alessa replied, the faint tapping of keys being audible through the comm.
"Damn does she ever stop typing?" One of the soldiers, Max commented, having heard the response as well.
"Who cares? Better her stuck in that station then us." Jackson retorted.
Whatever response Max had planned, was swiftly cut short by a loud bang. Followed by a cry of pain as a impaler spike slammed into his shoulder. "Contact!" He shouted, his free hand jumping to the wound and swiftly yanking the spike out.
Having little idea as to what, or how many was shooting at them, the trio swiftly ducked for cover, Jackson finding a patch of rocks to drop behind. Max luckily found a small crater to dive into.
The third marine wasn't fast enough however. As another burst of impaler fire ripped through his armour and shredded his insides. He was dead before he even hit the ground.
"Damn it! Under fire!" Jackson barked into his comm., before he brought his rifle up to his shoulder and risked peeking up over the rocks. Nothing, wherever they were, it was well concealed.
He ducked back out of sight a second later as another rifle burst peppered the rocks around him, forcing the marine back out of sight. "Any ideas?" He whispered into his comm, the loud pinging of spikes hitting the rocks around him leaving his ears ringing to the point he almost missed the response. "Just keep you're head down a second." Max replied, before pulling himself up into a crouch.
Without pausing to aim, he brought his rifle up and fired several rounds in the direction the dominion seemed to be shooting from.
Sure enough their attention, and fire, shifted to the marine, forcing him back into cover, but also allowing Jackson to spot where they were hiding.
Taking steady aim, he fired off several spikes. Two dominion marines collapsed, a third was forced to retreat with a spike jutting out of his shoulder.
They wised up fast however, as the three remaining shifted their fire between the two, keeping both pinned down. "Some help would be nice." Jackson muttered, knowing no one else was out here.
Or so he thought. "Keep you're helmet on." Shadow sighed, before the distinct crack of a canister rifle filled the air, one marine fell a hole punched cleanly through the back of his head.
Before the others could react, the ghost flickered into view, his rifle fired again, felling the second. Faced with no other choice, the only marine still standing dropped his impaler and lifted his hands above his head.
Shadow shrugged but didn't lower his gun. "Least one of you has some brai-" Another shot rang out, and the dominion soldier was pitched forwards face first into the sand, a metal spike lodged between his shoulders.
Shadow's gaze snapped over to Jackson who was busy reloading his weapon. "Like hell I'm taking prisoners." He said by way of reply to whatever the ghost was going to ask.
"…Whatever." Shadow flickered and vanished from view once again. "You're welcome by the way!" He called out before setting off back to camp.
Shaking his head slightly, Jackson waved Max over. "Dominion knows were here now. Looks like things just got interesting."
