Operation Intercept, Part 1 (Freecloud's Getting More Crowded)
Posted on Sat Mar 22nd, 2025 @ 7:32pm by Petty Officer 1st Class Enam Nemec & Commander Maxun Spello & Lieutenant Commander Razka Kas & Major Clay McEntyre III & Lieutenant Xalanth & Lieutenant JG Jezra Siv MD & Ensign Cha'joga d/o H'gren & Corporal Eden McKenzie
1,438 words; about a 7 minute read
Mission:
Gone, Without Ever Knowing the Way
Location: Freecloud, on the way to the outskirts of Rag City
Timeline: MD 1, Late Afternoon
Major Clay McEntyre briefed the team as their shuttle made it's way to Freecloud. "Eyes Up!! Be briefed or be dead! Called back to the Bridge because our sensors picked up on something that's going to help us focus our mission. We now have coordinates for what is believed to be a rendezvous point for an illegal weapons deal," the major explained. "Once we land we will beam to a location near the site and set up a perimeter."
Ensign Cha'joga navigated the Marine's covert shuttle to a hotel rooftop several kilometers from their target coordinates. The owner had already been paid a handsome fee for the privilege thanks to connections that Lt. Commander Razka had been able to get to pull through on short notice.
Once they landed, the crew began to gather their gear to beam out to the location.
“Remember we don’t want to give up our hand so radio silence until they arrive. Once we got them in sight we’ll take them all, Oo-Rah?” He asked his assembled officers.
"Aye, sir." Cha'joga wasn't a Marine, and so it didn't feel right for her to return the expression - though she still looked tickled pink to be there.
"Oo-Rah, Major!" Eden piped up with a nod as she picked up her equipment. He did realise she was more the behind the scenes Marine, right? Having Cha'joga there with them was going to be good fun for all too.
Noha also acknowledged with the rest of the group while gathering his own equipment. The Vulcan wasn't particularly enthusiastic about being taken away from his meditation time, but if there was one thing he was good at, it was being quiet.
“Check gear!” Clay called out, taking his own rifle up, checking the charge and racking back the charge handle before he slipped his sunglasses on. “TAC Links on!”
Eden double-checked her gear, following suit from Clay with her rifle and making sure her tac links were on and functioning correctly. "All ready and working, sir. If anyone has any malfunctions or something's not working right, let me know and I'll do a quick fix on it for you." She said the latter part more to the others nearby.
When Clay saw his team ready, he nodded towards the transporter pad.
"Transporter, Marines! On the Bounce!" Clay nodded to the crew then turned and stepped onto the transporter pad.
With her rifle slung onto her back for quick access, Eden followed and stepped on the transporter behind and to the left of Clay.
A chance to join the Marines on the ground? Yes, please! Cha'joga was more than happy to join the others on the transporter pad, having grabbed a set of gear for herself.
The Vulcan followed the rest of the group.
Once everyone was in place, Clay's booming voice filled the cabin one last time. "Computer, Energize!"
The crew rematerialized in an older part of the city. The coordinates Clay had chosen carefully placed them in an alley between two large brick buildings. Their view to one side was partially obscured by a dumpster, but the other side was unobstructed. The target was an abandoned warehouse about half a kilometer away, and the team would have to figure out if they would be able to surround the warehouse without being seen or causing too much of a disruption in a somewhat populated area.
"Fan Out" Clay signaled with his hands, shouldering his rifle as he took a position to start a perimeter at the beam-in site.
After a few moments and signals of all clear from his marines, Clay tapped his wrist comm. "McEntyre to Holana. Area Clear, ready for beam down."
With a familiar glow and a hum, the transporter opened as Xalanth appeared now in the standard federation security armour with a phaser rifle in his hands. "Where do you need me, Major?" He asked calmly.
"Do you have something you can put over all that Federation gear, Lieutenant?" the Major asked, peering over his sunglasses. "We're hopin' for a bit of a surprise here."
Xalanth nodded and opened one of his armour pockets and drew a silver packet from within. Using the tip of one of his figures he opened the packet drawing an expanding trench coat which he quickly pulled over his armour. It even had a holster inside to slid his rifle in. " First law of the legion always come prepared." He grinned.
Clay simply nodded.
“Eden with me.” the major ordered, taking up his rifle and nothing to Eden to follow as they moved to take a look around.
"Yes, sir." Eden followed suit and raised her rifle into a ready position as she followed the Major.
The red lizard nodded. "Noha and Cha'joga you two are with me." Xalanth said as he headed off heading to loop around the rear of the warehouse with the two officers following.
At a site overlooking the warehouse where the transaction was scheduled to take place, Kas materialized and quickly activated a scanner with an antenna feeding directly to the Holana. He crouched at the edge of the rooftop and set up his rifle, then activated the scope and adjusted his goggles. Kas tapped his badge. “Razka to Enam, I've activated the scanner link do you read me?”
"Solid copy, Commander," Enam replied. "I've got locks on everyone for emergency transport as necessary."
“Razka to McEntyre, the raptor in place.”
Around the back of the warehouse, Xalanth's team was moving into position, though cautiously trying to not appear too suspicious. The red lizard eyes darted around as he kept his yellow eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary.
Noha followed suit as he settled into position, looking around for any sign of trouble.
Clay and Eden took up a position on the opposite side, climbing up onto a roof s that they were overlooking the alley. It was a position that they could observe but not be seen easily. “McEntyre to group, in position.”
The crew had been in place for nearly an hour before three Nausicaans walked into the area, not particularly concerned about their surroundings as they talked boisterously amongst themselves.
Commander Razka only gave Nausicaans a cursory look, he counted three that his comrades could also see. He turned his attention to the wider perimeter, looking for a counter-ambush, or other hazards. He wasn't used to being so far from the fray, He thought of Xalanth, the only one of the team who he knew was also a father, wondering how he was processing risk.
Xalanth was doing his best to stay hidden as his yellow eyes scanned the rear of the warehouse. Still nothing. The back of his mind as always drifted to his girls. How he loved them and longed to hold them again. They thought of him as an invisible hero, not some mere mortal.
Stay alive for them. Push on through the fear and emerge victorious. For clan, for family, for life. The words of his grandmother and clan matriarch echoed in his head. Words he always lived by.
His eyes darted to a few figures walking near the warehouse. More Nausicaans.
"Be alert everyone looks like we have a backup team around the back of the warehouse," Xalanth said softly into his comms.
Kuuth, the lead Nausicaan walked with heavy steps and broad shoulders. His primary concern was finding their supposed buyer and making sure that they didn't get ripped off by this risky deal they were trying to make. The package was being held elsewhere as a precaution for this reason.
"This is the time you said we were to meet." Kuuth grumbled loudly in their native Nausicaan tongue.
"It is," replied the slightly taller, but more slender Nausicaan in the back. "They are likely here."
After a few more minutes of jabbering, a Breen soldier, or at least someone outfitted in their distinguishable uniforms had opened a small door from inside the warehouse, and with an arm gesture indicated they should enter. The first three of the spotted Nausicaans displayed crass brazenness as they acquiesced to the request, noisily entering the warehouse with puffed out chests and swinging their arms widely.
The other group that Xalanth had spotted toward the back remained out of site from the main door.
“McEntyre here, it looks like they’re armed. Multiple signatures.” Clay spoke over the encrypted commlink.
"Confirmed," Noha quietly said. In his head, he was keeping track of the Nausicaan movements while trying to identify just what kind of weaponry they had.
~to be continued~
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