Asteroid Blues

Mission: Annihilation
Score: 9-1 OP, 200-8 VP

“Unit 29! Wheels up on the transport in 15 minutes! Grab your gear and let's move. Nomads Cosmika HQ has been hit hard by ALEPH forces and mercenaries under their directive. Let’s do this like Johnny-5. Get in, smash some robots, get out!” Aafah yelled to her comrades in the barracks.

Everyone immediately fell about getting equipment and gear. Being Razia Detachment though, they kept their gear immediately available, and ready to go. It was the first thing the Ramah Task Force hammered into them. Know what you need, know what you don't, always have it ready. Mission specific will be provided enroute, or make it up as you go.

Unit 29 moved out into the primary hanger of the NBIS where several armed space transports awaited, their engines firing up, and engineers running around them doing last minute checks. There was no subtlety in this one. Ramah markings were clearly emblazoned. As they all boarded, Aafah continued, “Do know that Nomad ground forces may be cut off and standing orders are to shoot all who come within the Cosmika HQ structure. If Nomad forces engage you, you are to disengage and regroup. All other forces are deemed hostile.”

“Ra’id, what about O-12? They are watching us more after the Batteries.” Toma asked.

“When command cares, you can as well.” the major responded.

The transports roared out of the hangers into the deep, dark void of space. Sound suddenly muffling to almost nothing as they left the docks. Steering out over the emptiness of the asteroid, they headed for a deep gorge.
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Breaking through an atmospheric bubble near the bottom of the deep cut in the asteroids surface, they are greeted by the ominous red and black structure of the Nomads Cosmika HQ structure. The doors opened on the side of the spacecraft as they came in to a slow hover. Unit 29 fast roped out of the doors and ramps, their boots pounding hard against the ground, followed quickly by the ropes being let loose to fall. In a matter of seconds, the transports were lifting away.

“Unit 29, move out, cover each other, keep your eyes open. If you see anything call out. Pixie, I need you to go around the flank.” Aafah ordered.
Pixie gave a quick grin and darted off, her superhuman speed quickly taking her out of sight among the rocks. As they moved forward they came upon what could only be a construction and support yard. Transport containers, and a few structures littered the area. Taking over watch positions, Pixies gleeful voice cut over the comm-link, “I foooooouuuunnnd theeeeeemmmm!”

SMG fire could suddenly be hard in the distance by a tall container bridge.

“Enemy contact confirmed. Engageing Dahshat forces.” Fahim reported shortly after.

Rolling off the rooftop they were taking cover on, the Khawarij moved forward. The hunt was on, and they knew they had big game to take down. Moving to the corner of the first building, Fahim leaned out, his Spitfire already at his shoulder as a Zuyong equipped with a machine gun came into his view. Wasting no time, he let out a short burst, wounding the armored infantry, forcing it to fall back. Motioning to his squad to take the roof top, he noticed a distortion in the area in front of where the Zuyong was. Moving up, he discovered at the last second the Libertos as it pulled its chain colt, spraying metal shards all around the Khawarij. Not even flinching as the shrapnel lanced through the air, ricocheting off his armor, he put two rounds straight into the chest of the helot, knocking it to the ground.

Leaping up on top of the structure, he moved swiftly along the wall, seeing a Brawler ping on his AR behind a wall. Bringing the enemy into sight, they found their sniper rifle unfit for the closer range firefight, a few of the Spitfires rounds hitting home, knocking the mercenary into cover as she called for a medic. Going back into cover he took a couple more shots at another mercenary, putting him down as well, his adhesive rounds flying wide.

The Dahshat response came immediately. The Zuyongs moved forward while the hired doctor worked to get her comrades back into the fight. As soon as the sniper was ready, she moved to the edge of the building. Knowing he had no chance of bringing his rocket launcher to bare in time, Qadim launched a salvo at the retreating mercenary, trying to sneak back behind the boxes to not be seen. The rounds hit Qadim hard, cracking and breaking his armor as he got knocked back.

“I can’t do anything for him right now.” Zyah yelled out, studying his vitals on her HUD.

Suddenly machine gun fire burst between the buildings, “The Zuyongs have moved up! AH!”

Tifah yelled in pain as a round struck home, her missiles going wide. The Shihabs HMG continued firing, pouring bullets in the Zuyongs direction. The heavy infantry simply took the hits though as he stood out, and put down the remote.

Suddenly of the Units comms can Pixies cackling.

“Pixie, are you alright?” Zyah responded, pulling up her biometrics and studying them. “Uhoh.”

“Zyah, what does uhoh mean? Uhoh is not something that should be used in our situation!” Aafah said authoritatively, yet also sounding very nervous.

“It is the Nayib program ma’am. Pixie reacts...differently to it. Her record denotes that under extreme pressure and battlefield situations, she is prone….crazed euphoria.”

“Zyah. Please define crazed euphoria.”

Zyah did not get the chance to respond as Pixies insane cackling burst across the units eardrums through their comm-links. Sprinting around a cargo container, the small woman put several rounds into an unsuspecting mercenary armed with a red fury, the look of horror and surprised permanently stuck on the dead body, as it collapsed in front of their lieutenant. With the danger now realized the other two by him raised their weapons and began firing. Dancing between the enemies shots, she raised the smg again, its weight and kick barely registering as she put point blank shots into another mercenary to her right, and quickly snapped the last shot into the brawler lieutenant in front of her. A shotgun round slammed into her chest, her subdermal armor absorbing the blow, pausing her mad dance only momentarily as she looked down confused. In only a second she looked up, grinning at the hacker who shot her, a wild and insane look.

“Oh lad, you done cut me!” she screamed, every word coming out as a different emotion from amused to digested to anger.

“Oh sh-” the Hacker yelled as Pixie raised her sword, running at him in the blink of an eye, the blade biting deep and cutting him down.

Breathing heavily, her eyes rolling, laughing in a low voice, the maddened Nahab looked around her for another target.

Khadim had been hearing the madness over the comm-link, and checked his pack for the tranquilizing agents he carries on hand for situations like this. Confirming their location he nodded to the others. Fahim stood and looked over the roof to a hunzakut below and her mine. Squeezing the trigger, he was was again, engulfed in fire, only for the faith in his armor to be proven. Moving along the wall, he got a line of fire on the Zuyong with HMG again, and a quick, accurate burst of fire put the enemy down.

Moving in the shadows just out of sight he saw the Zuyongs leader. Leaping onto the ledge of the building, he brought the spitfire to bare with a single hand, as he held tight to the edge of the roof with the other. His shots impacted the soldiers armor directly, but not enough to get through. Firing again he lifted himself back up onto the roof, only for the zuyongs round to hit home. Collapsing behind the wall, he grabbed his arm where the round entered, Khadim already moving forward with his medical supplies.

At this point, the Dahshat forces were in disarray, most watching behind them where they could hear the Nahab yelling crazed taunts. The Zuyong leader took it upon himself to end Pixies antics. Walking to the back of the building he caught sight of her as she saw him. They both reacted quickly, dodging each others shots as their guns flashed up. The Zuyong pressed the attack though, and a round slammed into Pixie’s abdomen, blood beginning to come from the wound before the heavy soldier stepped back into cover.

“YOU MADE ME BLEED!” Pixie screamed, sprinting towards the Zuyong.
A hunzakuts shotgun round slammed into her from the side but did not phase her, this was quickly followed by Valerias combi rifle shot, but it wasn't until the Zuyong deftly raised his rifle and fired point blank into the Nahabs chest that the woman crumpled to the ground, holding her wounds. Breathing heavily and erratically.

“Allah bless us.” Khadim said, finishing patching Fahim up. “We need to retrieve her, come.”

Leaping into action, the Khawarij advanced onto the last hold out of the Dahshat forces. The hunzakut brought her rifle up too late. Fahims spitfire found its mark. Moving forward, Khadim motioned to them to hold back, “This job is for me, I must recover her.”

Leaping onto the roof of the building, her moved along the edge, until he came face to face with another ghulam, a doctor. Blinking in slight confusion, as he recognized this woman from his medical school days. Suddenly she raised her shotgun, but the reflexes the Runihura program provided could not be beaten. His larger shotgun blasted into her. Below the Zuyong turned, just as Valeria was gunned down by Fahim. Khadim leapt down from the roof suddenly in front of a window, his shotgun blasting into the heavy armor, piercing it.

Groaning in pain, the Yu Jing soldier fell back around a wall, raising his rifle. It was not enough, Khadim was on a mission. His shotgun blasted again, and the Zuyong collapsed. Moving quickly over to the bleeding form of Pixie, the doctor worked quickly to stabilize her, an introduce regenerative additives to the tranquilizer.

Aafah and her unit regrouped quickly as Khadim was finishing his work with Pixie. Zyah had the Nahabs biometrics up as she was doing a thorough check up of the now tranquilized Nahab. The ghulam nodded to Aafah who turned to the rest of the unit, “Well done Unit 29, check your gear, get bandaged up, and let's move on. We have a lot of work to do.”