Asteroid Blues

“Ra’id Aafah, the Dahshat forces are prepared. Please be warned.” the comm-link spoke out with the adh-Dhi’b’s operations control.

“Acknowledged, but we need to find where these bastards are coming from.” Aafah responded.

“Analysts are prepared, please proceed with mission.”

“Unit 29, spread out, I need information on who is sending these mercenaries.” Aafah ordered.

The Nomad forces were returning slowly to the The Gorge complex, and it appeared their operation had been cancelled. Now Unit 29 was on a personal mission before withdrawing. They were tracking down the Dahshat patron, believed to be residing in Liberty Cargo. Moving as one, with Leila and Ein-213 taking the right flank, Aafah and her team moved up under smoke.

Fahims spitfire roared as he brought a bounty hunter into his sights, the man collapsing under the withering fire. Moving up along the side of a habitation module, he rounded the corner, a Hunzakut raising her shotgun as he put several rounds into her chest. Continuing along the wall, weapon ready, he caught a Shihab remote by surprise, placing a single shot through its optics. Recognizing that their team had pushed beyond support, Toma ordered a slight withdrawal. Fahim dropped a few more rounds into the remote as he withdrew, putting it completely out of commission.

As Toma withdrew, a sudden distortion in the air appeared, and a blade sliced down onto Fahim, crackles on the blades discharged, and an explosion rocked down onto him. His knee hit the ground, cracking the cement underneath but he caught himself. Ripping off the mask covering his mouth, Fahim spat blood onto the ground and drew his blade from the sheath, and struck at the ninja. Saito’s mask met him, as his black glove caught the blade.

“All is as Allah wills.” Fahim spat, and the ninjas blade sliced down through his chest armor. The microcharges bursting again, launching the Khawarij against the wall with a crash.

Turning, the ninja dropped the scimitar to the ground as he bounded towards Toma. Dodging the shotgun rounds and machine gun rounds from the Shihab, he cut the NCO down, again the blasts of the ninjas blades taking down the faithful. Pixie saw the carnage happening and sneaking into a building behind the Ninja, raised her SMG. Grinning she depressed the trigger. Saito sensed something though, as he turned, his blade flashing, and the bullet flying off.

Khadim took a grenade and tried launching it around the corner, before Aafah called, “Khadim! Take cover! Gregory! 200 feet! 10 feet down!”

The blast of the grenade caught Saito dead in the chest, blasting the wind from him, knocking him to the ground. Blood pouring from gaping wounds. Walking forward, and drawing his sword, Khadim ripped off his mask, anger etched across his face.

“You have cut down my brothers, your cube is mine.” Crouching down on the ninja, the doctor ripped the cube out and scanned it. “Aafah. Sending data scan to the adh-Dhi’b.”

On the right flank, Leila was dodging away from Ein as he exploded, hit by a DEP from a Libertos who appeared suddenly. The creature kept advancing, bullets following Leila as she tried to get a shot off, while she broke for cover. A round suddenly found purchase on her side and she collapsed. Turning, the Shihab tried to protect the two civilians caught in the fire fight, but a round caught it in a critical joint, collapsing it. A hunzakut broke cover and ran for the civilians, designating one of them for some unknown purpose.

Pixie ran forward, a civilians strange quantronic signature pinging on her overlay. Sprinting to the door, she weaved her hands in predesignated patterns to run an espionage program, casting her “spell”. The quantronic intrusion into the civilians wetware, sent a databurst of the individual straight to the adh-Dhi’b. Seeing the data stream off to the cruiser, she cast another spell, draping her signature into that of just another Dahshat Bounty Hunter.

Grinning at her disguise, she began skipping past the front of the Dahshat fireteam, and past their doctor, giving them a wave, as they looked on perplexed. Rounding the corner, she cackled loudly suddenly, turning and driving her sword into a Rafiq standing on guard. The remote lurched and collapsed. The Libertos broke from cover suddenly and began firing into Pixie who dodges a couple of shots before one caught her in the chest and she collapsed to the ground. Following this, the Dahshat forces began withdrawing from the area, dragging their casualties with them.

“All units move forward, and secure the area.” Aafah ordered. “adh-Dhi’b, do you have what you need?”

“Ra’id Aafah, we are analyzing now, it should not take long.”