A/N: As promised here is a new chapter.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of the properties used in this fiction. They are entirely owned by their respective companies and this work as for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of others at no cost.
1640 Hours July 04 2525 / Undisclosed location / Epsilon Eridani System, Planet Reach
CPO Mendez stood in a darkened room looking out a window into an even darker cavern. No movement was being recorded on the equipment but he knew the cadets were already in there. His old soldiers instinct told him what advanced technology could not. Something was wrong.
Several days ago he had dropped the remaining Cadets in multiple locations in an arc that spanned nearly a thousand kilometers. Each had been knocked out and blindfolded so none could know the location of another and yet in the last 48 hours, four outposts had gone silent for short periods before reporting in that their gear had been stolen.
Each cadet had only had a map fragment and a small kit of MRE and water when dropped. Now they were all armed and well equipped in a hostile environment and his men still had no idea where they were.
A small shiver ran down his spine and Mendez glanced at a nearby technician "Report."
"No movement still sir," the man placed a hand to his ear, "the men are starting to get edgy down there sir, they say something feels off."
"Good to know i'm not the only one," Mendez considered his options for a moment before turning to a different technician, "Flood the cavern with lights. The sensors have been compromised. Alert all sailors on deck that we have been breached."
The men and women in the cavern that had been waiting in 3 hour shifts since the day before for the expected incursion all wore powered exosuits to protect them from the prodigious force the cadets could now bring to bear with their own two hands. In the first few weeks of training following their operations over half of the training staff had to be put on leave with broken bones and several more serious injuries, luckily no deaths.
As soon as the lights came on the whole situation went from silent to FUBAR in an instant. Several dark shapes were spotted climbing the walls behind the lines established by the instructors in power gear. Several more started sprinting at the lines from multiple angles the instant they were spotted. Never once staying in the same line of fire for more than a handful of seconds.
Jumping from cover to cover they made quick work of the distance that had kept them separate from their target and were amongst the instructors within a minute of the lights being turned on. The figures climbing to their goal had a harder time of things.
Jumping from their ascent as they came under fire, one figure being struck on the way down by several rounds, the others came at the assaulting instructors with well rehearsed precision. Clubs, Batons and various other blunt instruments came into play as the combatants got in close enough for their use and the power suits got put to work trying to keep up with the newly enhanced cadets.
Combat lasted only 3 minutes but by the end only one instructor was left standing. The instructors had gone into the conflict with 3 - 1 odds on their side for the offensive that they just took and on barley beat them back.
Mendez looked out at the combat zone and did a quick count of the cadets and quickly realized something was wrong. The cadets out there barely numbered more than ten, the full Spartan Cadet company was fifty five strong.
"Attention all instructors, there are still cadets active, rotate and reinforce now," even as he made the call Mendez knew it was too late. Lights were starting to blow out all over the cavern, "Kill the lights, all units switch to night vision.
The cavern was plunged into darkness even deeper than what it had been before, only the omni-directional microphones and chatter of the instructors giving them an idea of what was happening. It took a further fifteen minutes before the final instructor went silent and the condition for the cadets victory was met.
"Mendez to all units, stand down and form up."
A general chorus of assent was heard over the comms as both sides of the conflict set about helping their fallen comrades up. Quickly falling into parade rest around the goal of the exercise which happened to be a small container marked 'bomb'. Inside was a complex disarming trap, if the trap was triggered the Instructors would have won. Since the 'bomb' was disarmed successfully victory went to the cadets.
"Good work cadets, you have shore leave for the next 72 hours, don't waste it. There is a boat topside waiting to take you back to base. Dismissed." He watched stony faced as the fifty five remaining able cadets filed out of the cavern and towards one of the lifts leading to the surface several miles above their current location.
"Squad leaders front and center!" He waited a few beats for the twelve men and women to step forward and salute, "Squad 1, report!"
"We were wiped out to the man in the first wave sir!." The instructor in charge of his 6 man team, "It only took two of them to do it with nothing but a couple of steel poles, sir, they moved too fast for us to track."
"Squad 2, report!"
"One man standing at the end of the first wave sir, two man team took us all down, only them coming off the walls let us wear them down enough to bring them down."
"Squad 3, report!"
"All KIA in the first wave sir, two man team, nothing special to report."
"I am starting to see a pattern here, any squads not taken down by a two man team?" Mendez looked down the line.
"Squad 10, Sir!"
"Did you identify all the bogies Sergeant?"
"Bogie, Sir, single unit," the Sergeant of Squad 10 reported, "managed to ID as Cadet-012, moved so fast that was about all we were able to do, sir. He seemed shorter than I remember though, sir."
"That will be all, hand your vid and ops data to the tech at the door and get some R&R, these cadets Graduate next week, your job is done," Mendez looked over the 72 instructors he had worked and lived with for the last eight years and felt a pang of regret that he would never be able to see any of them again., "dismissed!"
1500 hours July 04 2525 / Undisclosed Location / Epsilon Eridani System, Planet Reach
Ranma looked over his fellow cadets and grinned. The last 48 hours had been a hectic dash to the finish line, dropped off at seemingly random locations in a massive arc throughout the mountains of Reach, given a scrap of a map and limited food and water with no intel as to the goal.
What the instructors and Mendez didn't seem to know though was that Ranma and John had worked out a plan for a similar scenario a few years ago. Once the effects of the sedative wore off it was just a matter of racing to a predetermined RZ. First of the pair there gets lead on their operation so it was worth spending a bit more energy than necessary to get there first.
Ranma had managed to arrive about an hour before anyone else so he had plenty of time to get the lay of the land and think over what their options were. Hunting around found him several small animals that the team could eat while they pieced the puzzle together and planned their next move.
Since gathering at the clearing and establishing their goal the cadets split into four teams. Each team had a measured balance of power and stealth. Once divided properly they went in different directions, each aiming for a specific goal before reaching their final target. Two days later the cadets were in position above one of the entrances to an underground complex which seemed to be their destination.
"Linda, take 2 squads down and find out the lay of the land, we will come down in 30 minutes. Radio silence unless 100% needed," Ranma nodded as Linda gave a small salute and silently left the small circle to collect her team with Kelly close behind, "John I need you on point for the attack. You can bet the instructors know we are coming and will be wearing those power suits they love so much. You have command of the assault, I am needed in the thick of things."
"Copy that, Ranma. Ok I want the squads to split up, we will be going with 2 man team formations. Sam you are with Ranma, you're about the only one aside from Kelly who can keep up with him," scanning the small group of remaining squad leaders, "I need one pair to stay with me as a rear guard, scouts will act as the vanguard and soften them up for us, if they can achieve the objective then perfect, if not then the rest will come in and save the day. Dismissed."
The others quickly went off to their own groups of men to let them know as John watched Linda and Kelly's squads head into the shaft.
"Shouldn't one of us gone with them Ranma? We can both sneak as well as any one of the others."
"We could have but then the teams would have been out of balance. Its been almost 8 years John, neither of us will be there at all times, the others need to get a feel for leading as well." Ranma started walking back to the makeshift camp the cadets had made several hundred meters back from the shaft entrance.
"I still feel like one of us should be with them." John insisted.
"They will be fine John, Kelly and Linda areā¦" Ranma stopped talking and John turned to see why. A shorter redhead stood under a now dripping tree branch, "when was the last time it rained in this part of the forest, honestly this defies logic." The new female complained to her friend.
"I still can't figure out where the extra mass goes when you shift like that. Want to get some hot water going before we move out?" John had a small smile but anyone who knew him could tell he was on the verge of laughter.
"Nah, dont bother, might give us away if we start a fire. I will go like this. Faster in this form anyway, should be fun."
"Ever the optimist, huh? Your call, just make sure to carve them up just as good."
"Sir, yes, sir!" Ranma replied with a grin and a quick salute.
The wait before their descent was painful in its length, Ranma paced the perimeter of their camp like a caged animal, waiting to be let out. His team were busy stretching and preparing for the conflict that was sure to come but he was always ready.
As the drop time approached the whole group went silent, only the occasional footstep could be heard above the normal sounds of nature. As one the team moved towards the entrance shaft, Ranma leading the way.
John kept himself and his escort in the middle of the group as they began down a narrow set of stairs. He could feel nothing but pride for the ability the other cadets were showing. With 43 sets of feet moving down stairs in an enclosed space it should be impossible to make no sound, but they were managing it somehow. It was a sign of how well they had all been trained, by the instructors and each other.
The stairs came to an end abruptly into a room that was only just large enough to hold them all, John could hear soft talking to one side and moved towards it to find out the situation. Ranma of course was the cause of the disturbance but she was talking with Kelly so he couldn't fault his breaking the silence.
"Report." John said as he approached the pair.
"Cavern about 1 klick ahead, Sir, instructors are spread out around a tower in the center of a labyrinth. Clear space for 50 meters on all sides of it," Kelly replied quickly, "cavern is pitch black and too tall to see if it has lights."
"Ok then, head back and tell Linda to head in, you take a team and try to scout the tower, our objective is probably in there. Eye's and ears open at all times. Keep radios silent."
"Sir!" with that Kelly was gone back down the small hallway she had been standing in front of.
"Ranma, we go in 10, spread the word." With that he moved back to his escort and considered his options.
The last time Mendez had given them a capture the flag scenario had been 4 year ago, it was never as simple as that anymore, there must be another angle to this mission. Without more information he couldn't come up with a clear idea but breaking radio silence was too dangerous in this environment.
Suddenly light flooded the room, shocking John out of his thoughts and blinding him since he still had his night vision gear on. Shaking off the shock quickly and blinking his eyes John was already moving towards the hallways Kelly had gone down only minutes before.
"Everyone move out, we all know the objective, take down any instructors you see and stay with your partner they are the only thing keeping you alive. Don't take stupid risks and lets show these instructors how things are done!"
The whole team was already jogging down the hall by the time he had finished speaking, Ranma was in the lead, already a good distance ahead. As the team emerged into the cavern they spread out without John needing to speak, some cadets who had gotten their hands on stun guns started taking out the lights above them. Someone noticed this tactic and plunged the cavern into darkness again.
"Let's move in, advance by fire once the objective is in sight. Put down all resistance. Happy hunting!." John finally broke radio silence as he followed his escort into the maze ahead.
Flicking across radio frequencies as he ran John managed to get parts of what the instructors were calling to each other, it wasn't until he heard one instructor call out a deadline which was only 10 minutes away that John knew something serious was in that tower.
"All team's still in transit, take to the walls, we have 10 minutes to secure that objective and this maze is going to take to long," switching to a private channel he spoke again, "Ranma, hand Sam off to another team, I need you to clear a path for me to the tower. Collect Fhajad as well before we meet up." He got two clicks in response but that was enough.
Turning and jumping onto the nearest wall, John took note that the other cadets were a lot further in than he was and started making short jumps in the direction of the Tower. The sounds of combat quickly filled the cavern and a few stray bullets came close enough to John that he felt them pass but his luck held true and he advanced without injury.
Coming off the final wall, John found Ranma and Fhajad already waiting for them and with a few quick hand signals they were on the move towards the tower. The sounds of combat which had been so intense for the last few minutes were already starting to fade but John kept an ear out for the heavy footfall of an instructor just in case. A set of stairs built into the interior of the tower made their ascent much faster than trying to climb it and they soon found themselves in a small room filled with Instructors.
Ranma had been leading the group and was amongst the instructors before they even knew that someone was attacking. The fight was as short as it was brutal, those sets of power armor would probably never be used again but the instructors would be unharmed, once the armor was removed. Lightning fast fists and feet combined with an expertly used stun baton took 6 well trained marines in a matter of seconds.
Moving forward without hesitation they stepped over their fallen instructors and continued up a second set of stairs. The final room had no walls on it, and the roof was held up by four pillars around the outside of the room. In the middle of the room was an egg shaped object maybe the size of a duffle bag, John recognized it immediately as a dummy mini-nuke.
"Fhajad your up, you have 3 minutes to disarm that bomb. Do it wrong and we lose." John turned to the slightly smaller cadet and watched him as he moved with a far more confident step than he had before the operations they had all undergone.
"I have this covered, sir." Fhajad pulled several tools from pouches on his gear and started on the small panel near one of the cones. The next minute or so was tense for them all as the sounds of combat outside the tower finally came to an end. Ranma especially seemed anxious to get back into the thick of the fight but knew protecting the objective was more important.
Their caution ended up being unnecessary as Fhajad disable the device without any interruptions and the lights came back on with a siren announcing the end of the exercise. Brief smiles were shared amongst themselves as they started back down the stairs at a slightly more leisurely pace. Ranma took pity of the instructors who were struggling to remove their broken armor and helped them removed the parts that held them immobile.
Fhajad carried their objective in his hands as proof of their victory and set it down in front of the already forming up cadets before getting into formation himself. The instructors formed ranks opposite them and all eyes went to Mendez as he came out of the maze and approached them all.
"Good work cadets, you have shore leave for the next 72 hours, don't waste it. There is a boat topside waiting to take you back to base. Dismissed." Mendez' expression gave nothing away and the cadets felt pride fill them at the slight praise given to them by the man who had been so sparse with his kind words over the last 8 years.
As they filed out in the same direction that Mendez had come from they found that the maze could be altered as walls dropped into the ground ahead of them. No words were shared between the cadets as the moved through the cavern. Very little of the elation they felt at their victory was actively shown by any of them. They each moved with a slight spring in their step and a few had smiles on their faces but only they could tell how happy they were with their achievment.
Ranma however was frowning slightly but kept his thoughts to himself for the time being as he let his teammates enjoy their victory. John noticed his mood and could guess the reason but decided to say nothing on it.
Once the cadets were all seated in the transport plane that would take them back to camp, Ranma finally broke his silence.
"All right cadets! You think we did good these last few days?" Ranma stood at the end near the cockpit and got every cadets attention, "you think beating the instructors in this mission is a great achievement?" a small chorus of assent came from several of the teenagers he spoke to, "well I think our performance today was a joke."
"We won! How is that a joke?" Kurt asked from the back.
"Because of the 55 of us, 20 were disabled! We are a small group, there is no one else like us in the known universe, we can not afford to lose so many in one fight," Ranma countered, "we lost 20 of our friends to the operations, either to death or disability and I will not lose that many in another operation again. I refuse to accept that we are not able to prevent such losses."
"People die in fights, Ranma, you have to accept that." Kurt responded again.
"Maybe so but all the same, this 72 hour shore leave is not going to be fun, for any of us. Be prepared for a long 3 days, because I am going to make sure it is filled with lessons you will never forget."
A/N: Ok so at long last I have posted a new chapter. For those who don't remember I had 75 Cadets in chapter 2 and not the 100 something from the books. 55 survived the surgeries and remained combat effective. 12 died and 8 were too disabled to do anything combat orientated with (I may revisit them somehow later).
Hopefully my next chapter is not 3 years in the making. Until then,
Ja Ne
Mority
