Chapter 3
Gunny dropped down from the freighter into an oven. Or at least that's how it felt, coming from the cool of the cargo bay. Of course, their armor had limited environmental control, and the air conditioning was already circulating at the maximum possible efficiency. That was not enough, though. The temperature readout said that it was 110 degrees fahrenheight outside the suit, and he could feel it.
His sight was currently obstructed by the dust thrown up by the Wild Karrde's exhaust, and it was too hot to use thermal vision, so he switched to infrared vision. The IR made a different spectrum visible, allowing him to see farther and clearer. What he saw didn't surprise him. He saw the many bodies of the Stormtroopers firing superheated laser blasts at the Starfleet officers behind the wall of the fortified outpost.
Gunny grabbed his rifle and began firing at the troops. He nearly pulled the trigger at one of the new Shark squad men, but stopped short as his HUD finally informed him that this was a friendly. Gunny growled at the man's stupidity- he had waited too long to activate his friend/foe helmet-to-helmet beacon. Gunny noted the man's name, Serek, and continued firing on the Stormtroopers. He continued firing as the dust slowly cleared. The Wild Karrde had moved more to the center of the incoming troopers and was firing into them, forcing the troops to retreat.
As the dust continued to clear, Gunny saw Ed firing, and they met each other's eyes. In that look, it was made clear that Ed shared his disapproval for the new man. Finally, the Imperial's broke their assault and retreated back to their forward command center, which was under attack by the Wild Karrde. A cheer arose from inside the walls of the Outpost as the Starfleeters realized that the attack was over, for now, at least.
The Karrde broke off the assault on the command post as its anti-ship weapons finally started firing on the attacking freighter. The Karrde lifted over the MACOs and hovered over them as a crewman dropped a line. The MACOs climbed aboard the ship. The Karrde then lifted up above the walls, unhindered by the anti-ship weaponry, and hovered over the hatch. A few moments passed, then the shields went down briefly and the hatch opened. The Wild Karrde dropped through it, and it closed behind them. The freighter landed on a large central platform next to a battered shuttlecraft and some speeder bikes.
The Wild Karrde's primary hatch lowered, and Talon Karrde, followed by the MACOs and his XO, walked down it. Standing there waiting for them were two men and a woman in dusty Starfleet uniforms.
"Boy are we glad to see you guys!" said the first of them. He was a tall, broad shouldered man with a patch over one eye and three pips on his collar, indicating the rank of Commander. He offered his hand, which Karrde gripped. "I'm Commander John York, and this is my Exec, Lieutenant Commander Sarah Kobek and my quartermaster, Covar Selton."
"I'm Captain Talon Karrde of the freighter Wild Karrde," Talon replied. He gestured towards Buck. "This is my XO, Buck Aves. I presume your quartermaster will be happy to hear that your supplies are ready and waiting to be delivered."
"That is good news," the quartermaster replied, taking a PADD from Buck that listed an inventory of all the cargo.
Meanwhile, Ed and Gunny stepped forward. Ed started off, as he was the senior officer.
"I'm Lieutenant Colonel Ed Carroll," he said as he saluted. "Shark and Alpha squads reporting for duty, sir."
"Welcome to Fort Apache, gentlemen," York replied. "Why don't you all come with me to my office, and we'll get the briefing underway. You're welcome to attend, if you want, Captain Karrde."
"With all due respect, sir, civilians are not usually permitted to attend official briefings," Soran interrupted.
"Well, this isn't an official briefing," York replied. "I'll explain there."
"If that's the case, I'd kind of like to hear what's up," Karrde said as he left the landing bay with them.
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On their way to his office, York gave them an abbreviated tour of the outpost. He explained that the base was enclosed with a dome to keep the hot air out of the enclosed fort. This kept the officers posted at the outpost from boiling, but the temperature was still higher than average Earth temperatures. York also showed them the arboretum, the most frequented area of the outpost on off-duty hours. The arboretum was the only temperature regulated area, and it featured plants from many different planets, as well as a constantly flowing waterfall and pond supplied by the underground river that fed all of the oases on the planet. It was a small amount, and it was carefully conserved, so nobody could swim in it or drink directly from it, but it was nice to sit by and just relax to the sound of the waterfall. York said that he himself spent much time beside this pond, but due to the siege, he had been unable to visit it recently.
York also gave them a tour of the Outpost's armory, weapons facility and power reactor room. Finally, he took them to the command center and his office.
"Have a seat," York offered, gesturing to the two chairs in front of his desk and the couch along the wall. Most of the MACOs remained standing, but Talon and Trapper both sat, Trapper putting his boots up on the table in front of his desk.
"The rest of us will stand, if you don't mind, sir," Ed said.
"Whatever you feel like," York said. "Let's get down to business. Starfleet can't hold this planet for much longer, and two squads of MACOs, no matter how good, can't change that, no offense intended, of course."
"None taken," McCoy replied for them. "But Shark squad did manage to hold Geonosis, if it's all the same to you."
"Yes," York acknowledged, "but Geonosis was important to the Alliance because of the droid factories, so you had back-up. Apache has little or no strategic value since the Cardassians pulled out of the war. We don't even know why the Empire wants the cursed place."
"With all due respect sir," Ed interrupted, "if you really believe we can't make a difference, why did you ask for us?"
"I didn't say you couldn't make a difference," York pointed out as he stood. He walked over to the replicator. "Whiskey," he said, and a bottle of whiskey formed in the device. "You boy's want anything?"
"I'll have some…" Serek began.
"We're fine, thank you," Ed cut him off. "You were saying?"
"During the Dominion War, this planet had strategic value, being close to the Cardassian border," he began again as he sat down, pouring some whiskey into a shot glass. "Now, as I said, Starfleet and the Alliance as a whole don't see any value in it. However, to the natives, this planet is home, as much as the Southwest on Earth was home to their ancestors. They are the ones that have asked Starfleet to remain here to defend them. But ever since the war began, natives have been slowly disappearing. Now we know why.
"This native's are being used as slave labor. Now, we don't know yet what they're building, but whatever it is, it's big. Outpost one tried to stop them, but they're gone now. We're too isolated to help them now. So they need to help themselves. The natives on this planet have set up a resistance movement against the Empire."
"So? What's that got to do with us?" Serek asked.
"They need a little assistance from you, some training, if you will," York explained.
"Are we talkin' about the same people that produced the Chief?" Trapper asked incredulously. "If so, I'm sure they don't need us to show 'em how to fight."
"No, they know how to fight just as their ancestors fought," York clarified. "What they need help with is organization and weapons training."
"Is the Alliance supplying them?" McCoy asked, more familiar with guerrilla warfare than the others.
"No, I'm supplying them with whatever this outpost can spare," York replied. "These people have had a hard life. First Earth abandoned them to the Cardassians, who of course oppressed them, then the Dominion fought them and Earth finally came back, then the Federation pulled out relief supplies from the Dominion War when the current war started. Half of these were wiped out when they joined the Maquis resistance. And yet they're still willing to fight for their homes. I say we owe them our help."
"So you want us to train them, to organize them?" Gunny asked for clarification.
"Yes I do," York replied.
"Why us?" Soran wanted to know. "Why did you not choose one of your own men to train them?"
"Well, that's where it gets complicated," York said. "You see, this isn't an official mission. Also, we need you to do a little stealthy recon work, and Page's Commandoes weren't available."
Page's Commandoes were famous throughout the galaxy. They were the New Republic's analogue to the MACOs, but went on only missions they chose. They were made up of all three different divisions of Republic officers, the navy, fighter pilots, and ground assault forces. They were in heavy demand to pull off missions, so it was understandable that they weren't available.
"Basically," York continued, "we need you to find out why the Empire wants the planet."
Ed leaned over and whispered into Jaina's ear.
"All this is fascinating, but I just wanna fight someone," he said, and Jaina grinned.
"Something you want to add, Mister Carroll?" York said irritably.
"No sir, just getting a little anxious to whoop some stormy cans sir," Ed replied.
"You'll get your chance, Colonel," York replied. "In the meantime, get some desert gear together. Let my quartermaster know anything you need. As for you, Mister Karrde, I've been asked to approach you as to the possibility of offering your services to the resistance movement. They need someone to teach them how to, well…"
"Smuggle? Run guns?" Karrde offered.
"Yes," York said matter-of factly. "And they asked me to assure you that you will be sufficiently compensated for your troubles."
"I'll do it," Karrde said. "I'll have Buck take the Wild Karrde to it's next stop, and I'll stick around here."
"So it's settled, then," York said as he stood. "One of my scouts can take you out as soon as you're ready."
"Give us an hour to grab our gear and pack it on a horse, which I'm assuming is what we'll be taking," Ed said.
"You're right," York confirmed. "Two horses will pull a covered equipment sled, but you'll have to ride in the saddle."
"Got it," Ed acknowledged. "I've been teaching my boys- and Jaina- to ride on Karrde's holosuite."
"That's good," York said. "Because for a while, that's all you'll have."