It was another hour of slogging through the mud before they came to anything resembling civilization. It started as a brick path that rose up out of the mire. Then it was a brick path that sprouted poorly maintained huts. The group froze as they took in a skyway some kilometer up, that the slums had cropped up underneath, rising up the support struts towards like lichen growing up the trunk of a tree.
"Home, sweet home." Nelis said. Corr looked at him, expecting a look of disgust or contempt for their surroundings, but found none. He gripped the man's uniform and pulled him aside between two of the huts, pulled out his combat knife, and pointed it at his throat as the rest of the team came closer.
"Now you listen. I'm gonna cut your binds. You stay with us, and you stay quiet. If you break our cover, I will end you before they take me down. Understand?" Nelis's eyes were locked on the knife, but he managed a weak nod. Corr sighed and sliced clean through Nelis's binds. He shook out his hands and rubbed at his wrists. "Which way do we go if we need to remain hidden?"
"Well… if we stay here you'll be safe. The arbitrators are almost never down here, let alone the PDF. But, since you need to get to the mansion, we'll have to cut through the city. And… well… we look like deserters." Nelis answered, gesturing at the state of their pilfered uniforms. The thick, dark mud still clung to the fabric, despite the deluge of rain that fell from the sky. Mason frowned and wiped at the mud that covered him from head to toe nervously.
"Not my fault… Briggs splashed me." He muttered. Briggs lowered her head into the palm of her hand and muttered angrily to herself.
"I'm going to kill him, Seravin. I swear it."
"Right, so we just need to clean up a bit, make ourselves presentable to the Governor, and then blow up his house. I like this plan." Stakely said as he peered through the window of one of the huts.
"It… it won't be that simple. He's barricaded himself in the mansion with his palatial guard. The PDF are the first line of defense, the fortifications the second, and the palatial guard the last." Nelis added.
"He seems awfully paranoid considering he shouldn't know we're coming for him in particular." Briggs said.
"That's… well… now that you mention it, he started this about a year ago." Nelis said quietly. "He… he called an emergency conference with his advisors and the PDF generals. It was shortly thereafter that we were mobilized. We started building fortifications around his mansion and the main city thoroughfares. Then he ordered organized patrols to the abandoned settlements. And then he set up temporary outposts in those abandoned settlements."
"Like where we found you?" Callahan said. Nelis nodded.
"Something is off. We only got our orders a couple weeks ago." Corr said. He leaned against the hut for a moment and looked down at the mud in thought. "We were told that there was a munitions stockpile on the mansion grounds. Where is it?"
"Uhh… there's a bunker at the rear of his estate. He and the Generals had all major ammunition and equipment for the PDF in the city moved there. But that bunker is older than the city and it's virtually impenetrable." Nelis muttered.
"We need those munitions. So we'll need a way inside." Stakely said as he toyed with his combat knife.
"Impossible. It'd take days of Earthshaker bombardment to get through it." Corr looked up. Even with a breather obscuring his face, it was clear that he was grinning.
"Then we'll just have to find someone with the keys, won't we?"
"There's our man." Nelis muttered with a nod of his head. Down the rain-washed street stood a rotund man in the livery of a Colonel, barking orders at a group of PDF troopers that looked like they desperately wanted to be anywhere but standing in the rain being screamed at. Corr's group stood under a shop's meager awning, watching as the colonel continued to berate the troopers.
"You know him?" Corr asked.
"Only be reputation. Name's Colonel Davric. Bit of an ass from all the talk I've heard. Once had a trooper drummed up on charges for spilling recaff on him. The trooper was flogged and then incarcerated. I think he's still in the brig." Nelis said.
Briggs scowled.
"Let's just shoot him and collect the key off his corpse." She hissed.
"We can't. He is the key. Need his DNA, his voice and a retina scan." Nelis said, digging the toe of his boot into the mud. Corr sighed. Of course it couldn't be easy. For the briefest of moments Corr debated pulling off his mask and breathing deeply of the world's toxic air. That would solve his problems quick, fast and in a hurry.
"Okay. Suggestions?" he asked, looking at his haggard squad.
"One tag-along is enough." Stakely muttered. "Though I 'spose I could gut this one and pick up the new one." Corr simply shook his head and Stakely's shoulders fell. Nelis, however, seemed quite pleased with Corr's decision.
"What if we just tell him we're under order to get into the munitions supply?" Mason mumbled. Nelis shook his head.
"Only the Generals have that kind of authority, and we don't have the proper paperwork to show him."
The group fell silent again as everyone mulled over various ideas in their heads.
"Oh, to hell with it." Briggs mumbled. Before Corr could ask, her long-las was shoved into his arms. "Hold this. Don't let, Cally touch it." She hissed as she peeled off her helmet and shook out her shoulder length brown hair. Corr's eyebrows rose steadily as she jogged away from the group.
"Uhhh… what's Briggs doin'?" Mason mumbled.
"I haven't the slightest clue." Callahan said.
Colonel Davric puffed out his chest, doing his best to make himself seem imposing.
"Trooper! Why are you out of uniform?!" he bellowed. The PDF trooper looked down at his uniform.
"S-sir?" he said, looking back up at the Colonel. "I-I don't-"
"You are a disgrace to the Strontius PDF, trooper! Your uniform is a spectacular mess! Straighten your shirt and shine those boots before I have you publicly flogged!"
"B-but Colonel, sir. I'm on guard duty in the rain, sir." Davric's eyes widened.
"Are you arguing with a superior officer, trooper?!" he barked.
"N-no sir!" the trooper stammered.
"Do you want to be executed for disregarding orders?!"
"N-no sir!"
"Colonel Davric, sir?"
Davric rounded, ready to tear into whatever poor soul had interrupted his rant, but stopped short. Before him stood a short and shapely woman who seemed to fill out the PDF uniform rather nicely, even if she was completely doused in mud.
"Y-yes , trooper. What is it?" he said, his demeanor completely flipped from two seconds ago.
"Colonel Davric, sir. I… um…" the young woman paused. She held out a hand and gestured for the Colonel to come close with her index finger. Davric's face turned the faintest shade of red and he cleared his throat as he moved closer to the trooper.
"Yes?" he said quietly.
"Colonel Davic, sir. I was out on patrol, and I fell into the mud and… and I can't find my rifle. I dug around for a full hour, sir and it's just g-gone. I'm s-so sorry, sir." the girl sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes. Davric's harsh features softened and he looked over his shoulder at the other troopers still standing at attention. After a moment he cleared his throat and returned his attention to the girl.
"Right, yes. Dry your eyes. We'll go get you another from the depot." He said quietly to the girl. The young woman sniffled and wiped her eyes with muddy fingers. Davric reached into his pocket and retrieved a stark white handkerchief and handed it to her. He then rounded on the spot and glared at the PDF troopers.
"Troopers! Remain on station! I will be back shortly! And if you haven't straightened up your act by then I'll throw the lot of you in the brig myself!" The troopers straightened and saluted the Colonel as he trudged off, the woman in tow. As they marched down the muddy street Briggs looked over to Corr and the others and waved them to follow. Corr stared in silence as the pair moved down the street.
"Uhh… what did I just see?" he asked. Stakely and Callahan shrugged, too transfixed by the scene to comment. Mason on the other hand smiled wide as he nudged Nelis.
"That right there, was grade 'A' actin'." He said as he began to follow Briggs and Colonel.