Location: Ontarom, 500m south of Firebase Dagger.
SSV Dublin, Ops Hangar, Deck 1.
Arming himself with the same economy of motion instilled through years of drill, Liam snapped the last shoulder strap before moving onto the weapons. The Paladin pistol joined his belt.
He started reaching for the Mantis but stopped. It was going to be tight quarters from here on in, so the rifle would be nothing but extra weight.
Finishing up, he felt the familiar sensation of all eyes in the briefing platform settling on him. Hunter, Gordon, Casey and Vega stole curious glances at his attire while donning their own standard issue Alliance blue armor. Nobody questioned his choice of civilian jeans and leather jacket, it wouldn't stop bullets, but the phasic vest underneath would.
Despite the lack of space on the small platform, everyone was committed to complete and total order. The lockers were neat and tidy, all weapons were either in the laps of their owners or properly stowed away, nothing littered the dark polished steel surface. Glen Gordon scrutinized a shotgun at one of two stainless steel workbenches on either side of their central meeting area while Casey began studying the holographic map on the circular conference table which dominated the middle as everyone else finished up. They were all in sync and ready to move. Nobody stopped to marvel at how huge the hangar itself was. There was enough space to swallow a whole frigate and still have room for a fleet of ten Mako's, just standing there and overlooking the heavy unloading work going on below left him feeling miniscule. Just one more cog in the military machine.
With Flores and Preston still in the CIC, that left him in charge and from the way they were looking at him they expected orders.
"I'm sure most of you have experience setting up an FOB?" Liam asked, stuffing a silencer in his pocket.
A couple of snorts made their rounds.
"That a trick question, Commander?" Glen Gordon asked, looking up from his Katana shotgun. It had enough shredder mods to stop a charging krogan.
"Only if that's a trick answer," Liam joked, lightening the mood as he stood. "If everyone knows what they're doing then get to it. I'll be back."
A chorus of "Aye-aye" and "Yes Sir!" echoed from the senior officers as they broke off and got to work coordinating their squads.
It was good to be in charge again. Or at least it would've been if he was allowed to stay and oversee this vital operation. A strong forward operating base meant life in a battlefield, many of the half-assed ones turned into a tomb for its lazy soldiers. But he needed a head start if he wanted to investigate Elena's apartment.
He managed two steps off the platform before Casey intercepted him. "What's your comm channel, sir?" She asked, tapping her omni-tool. "I don't want to be the one to explain how we lost our new Commander."
Endeavor was the last human colony where Elena Floresregistered a flat. All the officers thought he was going to register their presence to the colony council. He wasn't ready to let something as trivial as radio frequencies show his detour and blow his op. "Give me our comm codes. I'll contact base camp directly if I run into any trouble."
"You expecting trouble, Shepard?" Gordon perked up. The Vanguard was restless but thankfully had enough professional veneer to keep it under control.
"Nah, he'd share if it came to that. Right?" Vega quipped, tapping the other man with the butt of his rifle.
Liam smiled at his new FNG buddy, worth his weight in gold when it came to switching topics.
"Yell if you need us, sir," Hunter said from his corner of a workbench. "Good luck."
"Thanks." With that Liam slipped out before anyone could ask another question. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. This crew was alright, not exactly a group of hardened infiltrators following the silence-is-golden rule, but lively enough to be interesting.
Breezy, tropical and surprisingly inviting, Ontarom was a breath of fresh air from space. The smell of wet grass and sweet flowers was a nice change from the aridity of space and it was good to be on solid ground. Sand whipped out across his face the minute the winds changed and brought his attention to Firebase Dagger, shimmering in the hot sun like a mirage. So far, yet so close. Venturing out further, Liam finally realized why they chose this place to land in. They were at the edge of a rainforest, with most of the thicker woods and deep valleys behind them and hot sand up ahead. This was a strange planet, part desert, part tropics all in one. Well if he had to choose which side he was going to operate from, it would've been right here.
The crew started their unloading procedures. Glen Gordon was at the front ordering his platoon to their positions. Casey and Hunter were huddled with another group of techs loading communications equipment into a Mako.
Vega trotted up to the entrance, eyes grim as he surveyed the same surroundings. "Ever been on Ontarom, Shepard?"
"No." Liam slowly shook his head, admiring the view from the open hangar doors. "You?"
"No. Haven't left Earth since basic on Titan." Vega seemed hesitant to leave the hangar and step onto their new planet. Frowning, Liam walked back inside.
From their vantage point the base wasn't that far away. According to the schematics, the colony of Endeavor wouldn't be much further. Getting in would be easy. The civilian attire would help with the covery story, but he was jumping in blindly that made Liam feeluneasy. There was no recon Intel to rely on and not even Kahoku's transcript could give an accurate analysis of what to expect.
"I'm guessing you're from 103rd division?" Liam ventured, though he wasn't really guessing since he read Vega's dossier, just indulging the small talk as he pondered the logistics of his plan.
They reached the vehicle platform overlooking the hangar floor, reg-force marines prepped the Mako's for transport. A few stepped aside as Liam approached, giving him a clear path to the ready and waiting Mako
"Yeah." Vega stopped and tried to swallow whatever it was he wanted to say.
"What is it?" Liam encouraged, as he took the offered data pad from the tech and signed for the keys.
"Nothing," Vega replied. "Just not used to anything but Earth. Kind of hope this posting works out, you know?"
Liam smirked. He knew what was waiting for him if this posting worked out, a one way ticket back to X-19, no ifs, buts or maybe's. But for Vega, well...at least the guy had Earth. "That eager to get back?"
Vega shook his head. "Nothing to go back to."
That got Liam's attention but Vega was already moving away, shaking off whatever it was he didn't want to talk about. "Then—I don't understand. If there's nothing to go back to, why are you so eager to get back?"
"It's nothing," Vega replied. "Forget it, Loco."
A flicker of understanding resonated through him as he nodded. Vega was just homesick, it was understandable and he'd be lying to himself if he didn't admit he missed his own home...or whatever Sasha left of it.
"Hey," Liam said, with a growing smile.
Vega turned to him with a questioning look.
"Don't let the FNG status drag you down," Liam chided, before moving to the Mako at the far end of the platform. "Join me for a beer later."
That seemed to work as Vega smiled. "Copy that."
A/N: I'd like to thank Elizabeth and Nils for their awesome beta work and support. You guys are the best!