His pounding head bought him back to reality. He squinted his eyes in pain trying to keep from waking up, but slowly they opened, his vision was blurry, and he was trying to clear his vision and make out his surroundings.
Michael Keegan was in a heap on a dirty floor in what looked as though a bombed out building.
An athletic buzz-cut Marine Corporal was the first one to notice him, he turned away and raised up his voice to an almost a blaring yell. "Sir, captain, the CAG is awake!"
He saw a blurred and undefined figure turn towards him curious, and then move on over at a fast pace. Keegan had to blink his eyes in one more attempt to clear his vision, it worked.
He could clearly see Captain Patterson coming over to him with a rather concerned look on his face.
"How are you feeling Lieutenant?" His Captain asked bending down to examine him.
"Well, my head is pounding and my body aches but I think I can walk sir." He responded trying to get up.
"Alright." Patterson said offering a hand.
Keegan seized it and got back up onto his two feet, wobbled for a second, and then straightened himself.
They walked into another room, with sun shining into it making shadows stretch across the drab gray interior, with the debris scattered across the field.
"What is this place? Keegan asked of his commanding officer.
Patterson stopped, paused, and then turned to his CAG to answer the question.
"It seems to be a factory of somesort that has been abandoned."
"And why? In fact why this area I cannot see any real sign of habitation in the general area?" Keegan turned to his Captain puzzled.
"We think this is one of the most damaged areas of the planet when the Narn and Drazi bombed it, and they were not able to repair this, it looks bombed out and destroyed and not able to finish the repairs on it. Leaving it desolate and worn down. Perfect landing space."
"I see. What's going on?" Keegan said glancing around curiously.
"Right now we are hunkering down here as I am having the Marines scouting out the surrounding area and we have equipment up scanning the radio waves and coms. Trying to gather intel before we go and try and infiltrate the Royal Court and try and get Vintari on the throne."
"So nothing right now?"
"No we are just hunkering down." Patterson said with a twisted expression.
A little while after that the technician manning the communication gear waved Patterson over. He came over curious along with the Captain of the Marines.
"What is it?" Patterson asked the person responsible.
"It seems we have intercepted a message pertaining to a resistance group."
"A resistance group?" Jose asked the technician.
"Indeed, no more details other then that but it came in that the Centauri are asking for them, some names that I could not quire make out."
"If we can use those to infiltrate the Royal Court…." Jose wondered his eyes sparkling in relief.
"Yeah but its coming over a government net, its not like they are giving coordinates, in fact just the opposite, they are asking for any help while reaffirming their efforts to catch them. No information on potential whereabouts."
"Still we know they exists and they know that we are here. All we have to do is seek them out and keep in mind that they are probably doing the same. An Earth Ship with an exiled prince on board could be a big boon." Patterson said considering and analyzing.
"Yeah, but they may not know about the Prince, just about our existence." Jose shot back. Then added "Sir"
"True, but keep on our toes." Patterson said walking off to walk the perimeter.
The troops were mulling around eating their rations on the factory floor, still waiting and on full alert for trying to do…whatever they were going to do to complete their objective.
But, they were grateful the rest before the two storms. The one getting here, and the one now. The troops were on edge, but were also relaxed, waiting to spring but not fully in combat mode either.
All except for their leader. Captain Patterson was wondering how the heck he was going get into the Royal Court. The task seemed to be insurmountable.
They were obviously in a hostile environment, with people that wanted to see them dead, massively outnumbered when they did not even have the terrain to their advantage.
It frustrated him no end, and left him brewing, and his mind working in over drive.
They had a great defensive position from infantry right here and now, but being in the defensive could not possibly bring about the result that he wanted.
Another frustration that caused his eyes to scrunch up and wrinkle in concentration.
The only thing that he could see that they had to their advantage was the resistance movement.
But they were a literal unknown and unquantifiable quantity on the battlefield.
So for the purposes of his thinking he had to act as though they did not exist at all.
This mission seemed doomed from the start, and James Patterson had never felt so trapped in his entire life. The fate of billions was lying on his shoulders, and he could not see a way through it.
Might have been a bit dramatic but that is what he had to deal with.
Jose went up to him and sat down bringing the Earth Alliance ration pasta.
"Sir"
"Captain." Patterson acknowledged the presence.
They both continued eating not saying or doing anything. Just eating and not saying a word between them.
"How do you deal with this? An impossible situation?" Patterson asked out of the blue.
"I find thinking outside the box usually helps in situations like this." Jose said, Patterson shot him a rather know it all look.
"Look in basic Marine tactics when dealing with a situation such as ours there is really only two things you can do. In basic. You can either go at them and try and over power them, or you can go around them, pole-vault over that fence. For instance."
"Go on." Patterson said intrigued.
"Now we do not have the forces to do the first, and we do not have the information to achieve the second." Jose said gesturing emphatically.
"So what you are saying is we are pretty much doomed?" Patterson said waiting to hear he was wrong.
"No, we just have to require some really far out of the box thinking if we hope to succeed."
"We could try a distraction, draw their forces away from the imperial palace?" Patterson suggested.
"No that is more in the second plan. It is just likely to put their forces on high alert in the palace, and just transfer forces from secondary bases, divide up our forces, and give them a place to search for us."
"So…then…what do you suggest?"
"Well if we cannot find a way to win by going to them, maybe we can win by having them come to us." Jose said simply, getting himself up off the ground and dusting off his knees.
That got the wheels turning.
Towards another building about a kilometer away two Marines were in an upstairs room, looking out through the scopes out scouting the area and giving the rest of the force warning.
It was boring and tedious work, just having each other for company and not really anything to talk about as they watched the gray background for any signs of potential danger.
"Hey take a look at this." One of the Marines told her comrade handing him the scouting scope.
"Wow, looks like trouble." He agreed staring into them for a long moment. Looking long and hard to make sure of what he was seeing, was what he was seeing.
"Yep." He said, focusing on one of the walls.
Along it a bunch of soldiers were trying to sneak along the walls, approaching them carefully and stealthily, trying to sneak up to the camp.
He radioed the home base. "Captain, about twenty or thirty foot mobiles are coming in from the North. Please advise."
"About time." Jose said putting his hands on the map bench.
"Very well, fall back to the base, carefully, do not allow yourself to be seen." Patterson ordered, getting a click back in response. Then he changed channels. "All recon fall back to home base, prepare for defense, be careful, hostiles are present."
The troops fell back quickly, and then got into defensive position waiting the storm.
The 'non combatants,' were getting ready too.
Jose went over to one of them and looked down on the crouching figure studying the PPG rifle uneasily.
"You sure you know how to use that thing?"
Keegan started. "Yeah, in theory, have not fired one since basic but I suppose its just riding a bicycle right?" Keegan turned around hefting the weapon loosely.
"A very dangerous rifle that shoots high energy plasma at its targets." Jose said walking off.
Keegan loaded a cap in and charged his weapon, putting up against his assigned window.
The building that they were in were over looking a court yard that was a square patch of gray and rubble, broken ground.
Across that on one wall were full of bombed out windows where they could fire easily out of. And in front of that was stairs leading up to a door near the top of the facility that provided access, where there were more Marines.
They had lured the Centauri into this trap. By sending a single deep into space, trying to get the Gandalf, a perfectly legitimate tactic to try and get themselves out or get more information.
And the Centauri had fallen for it.
They were starting to poor into the area, right in front of them, moving in carefully and cautiously, but still entering the area.
The Marines drew their weapons, and aimed down the sights on them and started to lock on target waiting for the ambush.
Including Michael Keegan, with Patterson overseeing it all with his PPG pistol.
Keegan was aiming down his sight, mouthing 'come on come on', waiting for them to get into the firing zone, waiting for the Captain to give them the word, as the Centauri continued to advance, the front more boldly, and the back still cautiously, getting set up.
Finally the order came down from the Captain.
The firing commenced at once, a volley of plasma a rapid fire wall of energy soared out to meet the Centauri forces.
Catching them square in the chest, the knee caps, and the arms, and face, dropping them down writhing in pain.
Also plasma bursts bounced off cobbles and stone fragments on the ground, further pounding them into dust.
Some Centauri looked for cover and could not easily find it, firing up with their blue discharges of energy at the building, causing it to fragment and break off, causing the troops to break away and take cover.
Bodies were strewn across the area.
Keegan was missing with many of the shots that he was firing, he was not really equipped for this and by no means was he an expert, especially considering that the Centauri were moving in a diagonal and evasive pattern, trying to get close enough to kill all the Marines.
The Marines taking cover in the stair well popped up and opened fire with their own weapons, swiftly taking down more Centauri at point blank range.
The Marine next to him collapsed after being hit and writhed out the rest of his life.
Keegan pointed his weapon upward and reloaded.
"Running out of charges!" He yelled to the space around him, remembering it from long practiced and long tried out training from years ago in his past.
"More ammo coming through!" Someone said throwing him two more caps that could be used later on in the battle.
And the Centauri continued to advance.
Despite stumbling over the bodies.
"Get down!" Someone yelled out.
Keegan dropped to the floor just as the window and space around him exploded in sparks, shrapnel, and splinters as blue balls of energy scoured the entire area scorching and destroying everything in their path.
Keegan got up hard to engage the enemy, and saw the three marines in the stairwell get shot down to the ground.
Keegan was starting to panic with all of the firepower going off around him, trying to acquire targets by spinning and jerking around. It was the building across the courtyard that they were firing from.
Butchering the Earth Alliance forces.
The door to Keegan's exploded in wood chips and splinters knocking him to one side, knocking him to the floor.
Patterson drew his pistol in a flash, instantly acquiring his target and squeezing off two plasma pulses that caught the Centauri square in the chest. Patterson held there shocked that he was able to pull that off.
Another Centauri entered the room hefting his bronze colored rifle through the door at the still shocked Patterson.
Keegan raised his weapon up and his body into a crouch grunting in pain as he fired a full powered burst of nearly a dozen pulses as he slammed the target into the door frame, causing him to collapse in a heap.
He was shocked, but had no time to think about his actions, only to react as he heard a rush of feet coming up the stairs.
He caught the first one through the door with a double tap of plasma, causing him to shriek and collapse.
Then a pulse hit him in the shoulder, and another in his chest, catching his clothing on fire and knocking him to the ground making him grimace in pain.
A swarm of boots entered the room at high speed, lots of guns waving around and a lot of bustling and barely audible shouting that he could not quite make out on the ground, he hit his head with his hand and could mow make out some words.
"Surrender humans!" One of the Centauri said.
Met with threats from the surviving Marines and the group around them. The two forces were about evenly balanced.
Then Vintari snuck up on them from behind with PPG rifle held down before him. But there was no way he could take them all out before they all shot at the remaining Marines.
"Soldiers." Vintari growled.
They all spun around and faced him surprised.
"Prince Vintari" One of them said with scorn.
"Captain." He responded back. "I claim my right as a Prince to be taken before the Royal Court, with these people under my protection."
"You are exiled, you have no rights." The Captain snarled back.
"I am a Royal Prince of the Centauri Republic. I do have the right to demand an audience with the emperor, instead we are treated like criminals. I will be seen."
The Captain froze, knowing the situation like he did he knew that if he killed Vintari and the humans there would be investigations galore.
"Very well. You may follow me."
The Captain led them out. Jose and one of the Sergeant's picked Keegan up by both of the arms and started to drag him, barely walking in pain, out the door.
Heading for the Royal Court.