Operation Cold Comfort The Frogs who came in from the cold

Posted on 22 Jul 2019 @ 9:47am by Captain Edward Bolingbroke (Dec-Jan 2389 - TRNSFR After Gorn War) & Colonel Hayes McGruder

Mission: Hahai i na pilikua nui - Hunting Monsters
Location: Xore Mine - Power substation
Timeline: T+3 1725hrs Zulu

[ON]

[Xore Mine - Power Sub station]

Inside was a large corridor, with another armored door at the end. As soon as they passed the first door it slid shut behind them. The corridor was gray featureless ferro-crete, bright lite, the only thing of note was some kind panel in the ceiling on which a couple of lights were blinking. The team stood there, for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably only fifteen seconds, then the inner door began to slide open.

Bolingbroke took a deep breath, he could feel the adrenaline rush starting to kick in, he was hot and sweating in the suit and now he was about to start a deadly firefight with a fearsome enemy.

The door slid to the side, beyond it was an open area, there only three Gorn. One sat at a control desk, the other two standing by what looked like a rack of weapons. There were dozens of disrupters and other Phalanx weapons neatly stored there. There were also some of the armored suits hanging up.

At the back of the room the walls opened onto a corridor leading left and right. Bolingbroke looked around, beside the three Gorn there did not seem to be any others present. He was relived, they should be able to take down these three without any problems. He was about to power up his disrupter and start the attack when out of the right side corridor came a marching Phalanx of armored Gorn!

A quick glance at the arriving Phalanx showed they were unarmed, probably coming to collect their weapons from the rack before a patrol. They had their suits on but were carrying their helmets and looked relaxed, as though not expecting trouble. Bolingbroke needed he needed to take the fight to them and quickly.

“Put your weapons over there” One of the Gorn said, pointing to the racks. “Then remove your suits”

“Sure thing” Bolingbroke muttered under his breath and powered up his disrupter. =/\=Weapons up! Shields on! Take them down! =/\=

The Gorn heard the weapon cycling up and opened its mouth to say something but Bolingbroke shot it in the chest. It flew backwards slamming into the wall, a smoking hole in its tunic.

The other two fell quickly to the rest of the Frogs. Now they were faced with the oncoming Phalanx. The front ranks had stopped in amazement and the ones behind had stumbled into them. They were milling around confused and Bolingbroke was not going to give them any chance to get organized and fight back,

=/\=Norman, flame them! =/\= Corporal Norman was wearing the suit with the flamethrower, it fired up with a roar and a jet of blazing fuel shot out from the nozzle on his left wrist.

He played it over the Gorn Phalanx, confusion turned to panic as several at the front caught light and the rest began to scramble back from the heat and flames.

=/\= Advance! =/\= Bolingbroke ordered =/\= Drive them back down the corridor! =/\=

He and the rest of the Team set off, taking measured steps and firing as they moved, dropping Gorn like cut grass as they steadily walked forward.

The Gorn were in full retreat now, almost fighting each other to get away from the deadly disrupter blasts and flame thrower. They clawed their way back into the corridor leaving half a dozen of their number dead, dying and burning in their wake.

=/\=Go left! =/\= Bolingbroke ordered and the Team moved towards that side of the room and the open corridor, keeping their weapons trained on the doorway down which the Phalanx had retreated. A warning klaxon started up and a Gorn voice began shouting orders.

Bolingbroke poked his head round the corner and looked down the left corridor, it was deserted; he could see the stairs a little way down. =/\= It’s clear! Make for the stairs! =/\=

The Team moved quickly Jackson and Lee covering their rear. They reached the stairs when Lee shouted a warning, =/\= They’re back! =/\+

A split second later and volley of disrupter fire tore down the corridor. The Phalanx had regrouped, found some weapons and was coming back.

Van Piet sent off a shot but the Phalanx had their helmets and shields on now and it flashed ineffective against them. He was he last to dodge around the corner into the stairwell, a disrupter blast caught his left side, impacting his shield but the force of it knocked him over.

The rest of the Team dragged him to his feet and they charged up the stairs, taking them two at a time. There was an open landing area, with three corridors leading off it and two doorways.

Two Gorn, wearing what looked like technician overalls were just coming out of one door, they stopped and stood there, open mouthed. Bolingbroke shot one in the face, Lee dropped the other.

=/\= Go! =/\= He urged his Team on, pointing towards the left hand corridor =/\=Norman get the door! Jackson, watch the stairwell! =/\= They piled into the corridor, Jackson turned and taking a knee, powering up the grenade launcher mounted on his right shoulder.

As expected the door was locked shut, but this was a civilian operation, not a hardened facility. Lee slammed an armored fist into the door panel, it shattered under the blow, sparks flew and the power to the door died.

Bolingbroke adjusted the beam on his disrupter and burned a hole in the door, Norman and Lee managed to get their hands into it and began prizing the door open.

=/\= Here they come! =/\= Van Piet called. Behind them three armored Gorn climbed the stars and were looking around the landing, weapons leveled.

=/\=Firing!=/\= Jackson launched two of the Rocket Propelled Grenades, the first sailed past the three Gorn and exploded in the wall.

The second slammed into them and blew all three off their feet, Two at least would not get up again. =/\= More coming! =/\+ He warned.

The door had slid open about nine inches and then stuck, Norman and Lee were tugging at it furiously but it was wedged fast

=/\= Incoming! =/\= Van Piet shouted as several disrupter blasts came tearing down the corridor. The Gorn were bunched up at the corner of the stairwell, just their weapons poking around and firing blind.

The shots missed, a helmeted Gorn head popped around for a second and then they adjusted their aim.

The second valley slammed into the Frogs, flashing on their shields. Bolingbroke staggered but managed to remain standing. Norman went down but got straight back up.

Jackson sent another two RPGs down range, both impacted on the corner, tearing chunks of the ferro-crete out of the wall and for the moment the Phalanx weapons withdrew.

=/\=Stand clear! =/\= Bolingbroke ordered and turned his disrupter on the door again. This time cutting down the side of the frame. The beam melted the metal quickly but it was still taking time.

=/\=Grenade! =/\= Van Piet warned as two of the black spherical Gorn grenades sailed around the corner, their red timing lights blinking rapidly. =/\=Down! Get Down! =/\=

Three of the Frogs dived for the floor, Bolingbroke huddled against the door and Norman knelt against the wall.

The two grenades exploded in quick succession, the blast punched into Bolingbroke taking his breath way. In the process, he was pounded into the door, which was nearly cut through and with the heavy impact it tore free and fell into the room. Bolingbroke went sprawling on top of it.

Norman was not as lucky, his shield had not recharged and a large chunk of grenade shrapnel tore into the back of his suit, cutting into one of the battery packs and embedding itself in his back. His life support system began to fail as the power dropped and he could feel the warm spread of blood from the wound.

The other three clambered quickly up and sent a salvo of fire and two more RPGs back towards the stair well in response,

Bolingbroke got quickly to his feet, shaken but alert. He brought his disrupter up and scanned the room. They had found the right one. There was a semi-circular control desk in the center and banks of panels down each side. Three Gorn technicians were still seated in their chairs, astonished at the sudden intrusion by what appeared to be one of their own Phalanx units.

The one at the center desk got to its feet. “I am the Control room Master. What is going on here?!” It demanded, advancing on the intruders into its domain

Bolingbroke.jabbed it hard in the gut with his disrupter barrel. “Get back against the wall! Now! Move! Move!” He shouted, the words emanating in Gorn from the speaker on his helmet.

The Gorn hissed at him, clutching it’s belly. “This is outrageous! I am in command here! Talon Zrk’Szchul will hear of this at once! I will have you working in the mine with the Humaoids if you are not executed!” It bellowed in rage.

Bolingbroke raised his disrupter and pointed in the Gorn’s face “Against the wall now! Or I will shoot you in the face!”

The Gorn hissed angrily, opened its mouth to argue but then decided against it and backed slowly to the wall, snarling as it did so.

“And you two! Move” Bolingbroke turned his weapon on the other two techs who got up and joined their leader, clearly confused by events. “What is happening? Are the Federation attacking?” One demanded.

Behind him the rest of the team had entered the room, dragging Norman, who was bent over in pain. =/\= They’re making a try for the top of the stairs again! =/\= Jackson called

=/\= Get the door up, build some kind of barricade and hold them off! =/\= Bolingbroke ordered.

He looked around the control panels, searching for one that controlled the shields but they were all blank. The senior Gorn hissed “What do you want here? Are you insane? What is the meaning of this?!”

“Cut the power now!” Bolingbroke ordered “I want the shield power down now!”

The Gorn looked shocked “You are insane! I will do no such thing! The panels are locked!”

Bolingbroke advanced on the Gorn Master. “Unlock the panel now or I will shoot you!” He threatened

The Gorn hissed in fury. “How dare you threaten me! Ii is you who will be executed!”

=/\= El Tee! =/\= Norman called =/\= I can’t breathe, my suit’s life support is dead! I gotta open the visor! =/\=

Bolingbroke turned, Norman was down on his knees. This would blow their cover for sure, but there was not much they could do about it now anyway. =/\= Okay go ahead =/\= He agreed.

Norman undid the clips and slid up his helmet’s visor, revealing his Human features. There was a furious outburst from the Gorn technicians.

“You brought a Humanoid here?!” The senior one raged “You are mad!”

“It’s worse than that buster!” Bolingbroke muttered and hauled his up his own visor with one hand, keeping the weapon leveled with the other. The Gorn went apoplectic now, snarling and snapping their jaws in fury when they saw he was Human too.

One of the two technicians lost control and charged at Bolingbroke, jaws wide and claws extended as it tried to tear his face off. He dodged back and shot it in the head, the beast dropped like a stone. Quickly bringing his weapon back around on the remaining two who also looked like they might rush him.

“Stand off! Stand Off!” He warned them. The suits translator still converting his words to Gorn. They stood still but twitched and growled.

“So, either you can unlock the panel, lower the shield and live… Or, I’ll just shoot you both now!” He said coldly. He was bluffing, as much as he hated what they had done to the colonists’ children he really could not shoot unarmed prisoners who did not try and attack him.

The Master Gorn sneered “Then do so! The Hegemony trusted Federation promises once before and you destroyed our capital! I will never submit to you! I will die before that!”

“Fair enough! I’ll shoot your companion first then!“ He flicked the barrel left, lining up on the other Gorn. This one had said nothing so far, just snarled and snapped.

It went still when he sighted on it, bringing the rifle up to the aim and slowly closing his finger on the trigger. The Gorn’s eyes widened and it tried to back away. “Unlock the panels or die” Bolingbroke said slowly

“Die for the Hegemony Brother!” The Master screamed.

The Gorn was starting to tremble Bolingbroke could see and he pushed a little harder “Yeah sure, listen to him. After I shoot you, he’ll unlock the panel for me and you’ll still be dead!”

“Nonsense! He lies, I give my life willingly for the Hegemony!” The Master snapped “Die with honor brother!”

The other Gorn was shaking with fear now, it began edging away from the other one. Bolingbroke sensed an advantage. ”Just unlock the panels and you‘ll live” He coaxed

“You …you will let me live?” It asked. “I… I have hatchlings…”

“Silence Coward!” The Master yelled “Do not bargain with these creatures!” It hissed at the junior Gorn.

“You’ll live,” Bolingbroke assured it “Just unlock the panels for me and - .” The rest of his sentence was cut off because the Master Gorn charged the other. Claws outstretched, teeth bared “Traitor!” It screamed.

Bolingbroke shot it. It dropped instantly, sliding to a halt at the feet of the trembling technician. It lay there twitching but still breathing. Bolingbroke had turned the weapon to stun.

“I promised you, you’ll live, now unlock the panels and cut the power to the shield” He said calmly.

=/\= EL Tee! They are coming! In force this time, maybe ten.. fifteen of them! =/\= Jackson yelled from the door. =/\= Grenade!=/\= There were three more explosions from the corridor and a vicious fire fight erupted. Norman was back in the fray now that he could breathe and he sent a jet of flame out through the doorway.

The Gorn technician seemed rooted to the floor, maybe contemplating whether or not it should try and hold out until the Phalanx broke in. Bolingbroke waved towards the control desk with his disrupter. “Do as we agreed or I’ll make you another promise. If they get in here, I’ll kill you, before they kill me!” He warned it.

That made up the technician’s mind and it hurried to the desk, tapping in commands. A moment later the control panels flickered to life. It pointed to a panel with three long red slider controls. “There, that is the power control panel on the side of the room, turn off those three, and push the yellow button. That will cut power to all systems” It said.

“Alright” Bolingbroke moved over to the panel, not taking his eyes off the Gorn and trying to ignore the fire-fight going on in the hallway. He put a hand out and slid down the three controls. A warning flashed on screen and a computerized voice spoke in Federation Standard Warning! Power shut down activated. Press yellow button to complete shut down

Bolingbroke did so. “Power shut down initiated. Total shut down in ten seconds.. Nine.. Eight”..

=/\= ELTee they’re coming! =/\= Jackson called from the door.

Bolingbroke pointed to the Gorn, “Back over by the wall, stay there, don’t move!” It hustled to comply and he moved up to the doorway. He risked a quick peak around the door, there we six armored Phalanx Gorn troopers moving down the corridor.

“Power goes down in less than five seconds” Bolingbroke told the others “We have to hold them off! How many RPGs you got left?” He asked Jackson

“I got six!” The Sergeant confirmed.

“Alright on my mark we get into the hallway and you launch all six! Norman you toasts them straight afterwards” Bolingbroke instructed “Ready? Mark! GO GO GO!”

The five of them charged out into the hallway, weapons blazing. Jackson went to one knee and launched all six rocket propelled grenades in quick succession. They tore into the Gorn at knee level, chopping them down.

The Gorn managed to get off some shots of their own and the Frog’s shields flared and flashed as they took the hits. But as they Gorn fell their fire stopped, Norman stepped forward and released a burning jet of fuel at the downed troopers.

Their suits caught fire and they writhed around as the team finished them off with disrupter fire.

The whole fight had lasted only a few seconds when the lights went out plunging the corridor into darkness, lit only by the burning remains of the Phalanx. A moment later red emergency lighting began to flicker on.

“Cease fire! Cease fire!” Bolingbroke called. He looked up and down the corridor, there was no sign of living Gorn.

“Ok, back in the doorway!” He ordered and they returned to the control room, like the corridor it was dimly illuminated with red light and the panels all seemed to be in standby mode.

As they entered Bolingbroke saw the Gorn technician on the floor, it was bent over the unconscious form of the Control room Master. It looked up at him, it’s snout was covered in a thick dark liquid. “What the hell?” He brought his Disrupter to bear “What are you do…”

The technician got up backing away from the Master, it raised it’s hands. It’s claws were covered in the dark liquid too. The body of the Master was on it’s back, the Gorn’s throat had been torn out, dark fluid spread out in a puddle on the floor.

“I had to kill her” The Technician said “Or she would have denounced me, now I will say it was she who unlocked the panels for you and none will know of my shame” It gave a weak sort of grin.

Bolingbroke shot it.

The Gorn dropped, dead before it hit the floor

“What is it with these monsters!” Lee muttered.

Bolingbroke snorted “Monsters is right!” He checked the power panel, everything was dark. “Well the power’s down, which means the shield’s down. Time to call in the heavy mob!”

He activated his Starfleet comms channel =/\= Marine Command This is the Frog Squad “FROSTBITE!” I say again “FROSTBITE!” =/\=

Only static returned to Bolingbroke.

"Dammit!" He repeated the code phrase several more times, with nothing but static in reply. "Alright, we may be here longer than expected!" He said to the team. "Status and weapons check!"

"My suit's life support is done, shield is only at thirty percvent" Norman said. "And this fricking hurts" He gestured to his back "But rifle's good, I've got a quarter tank of fuel for the flame thrower left and I can fight!" He was laying on his front while Van Piet applied a dressing to the shrapnel wound in his back.

The Corpmans looked to Bolingbroke and nodded "Shrapnel's still in there but I've bandaged it up. He'll be ok. I'm also good, shield and weapon operational"

"I'm out of RPGs" Jackson reported, he held up his Disrupter, it had taken a hit to the barrel. "Targeting is off but on wide beam I can still hit stuff! Suit shield is hundred percent"

"I'm good eLTee" Lee confirmed "Shield is at seventy percent, weapon's good"

Bolingbroke checked his own shield, it was an eighty percent, his disrupter was operational.

"Alright we hold for as long as we can, if it comes to it, we blow the control room" He pointed to the doorway "Right now let's get as much of a barricade in the hall as we can. Lee watch the hall!

The rest of you grab anything else in here you can find, chairs, desk whatever and toss it out there! Those three can go for a start!" he pointed to the three bodies of the dead Gorn technicians.


[Hawaii Transporter Room 1]

Master Sergeant Kadesh and the rest of 2MSOT HQ and Orange Element waited tensely for word.

"How long has it been?" He asked Hudson. "Fighters brought them down about forty minutes ago Sarge. So they should be in the substation by now.

"That's still over schedule" Kadesh muttered 'Five more minutes and we're beaming down! Get ready!"

"You can't just transport down" The Transporter technician objected "We need to wait for the order"

Kadesh walked over to the Technician, the big Klingon towered over him as he stood at the transporter console. Kadesh leaned in and pointed to the patch on his own shoulder

"See that? Marine Special Operations Team! We have ourorders, from our commander! In four minutes and thirty seconds we will be beaming down. Is that clear?!"

The technician gulped 'But...."

"I said IS THAT CLEAR?!" Kadesh roared in his face.

"Yes yes Ok! OkI" The technician stammered.

"Good!" Kadesh gave him a wide toothy grin and clapped a big fist on the technician's shoulder "I knew we could count on you!"


[Marine Command Center - USS Adelaide]

Colonel McGruder had been watching on the floor of the command center. The operation had started almost two hours ago.

"Have we heard from them?" the Colonel asked, antsy for any news.

"Negative, sir," the marine sergeant at a console answered.

"Something isn't right. Anything on sensors?" McGruder pressed.

"Nothing, sir. No explosions detected," the sergeant answered. "Transporter room is reporting that Orange Element is beaming down."

"Send in the rest of the team," McGruder ordered.

"Sir?" The sergeant turned to face the Colonel, surprised.

"Execute the order, Sergeant," the Colonel stared at the enlisted man.

"Yessir," came the quick reply. =/\= FROSTBITE, I say again, FROSTBITE =/\=

[Canterra Orbit]

The four shuttles at the staging area descended towards the mine.

[Xore Mine]

=/\= REX 2-4, Frog Squad, we are inbound to your location. Come in, Frog Squad =/\=

There was nothing but the hiss of static...


To Be Continued...

[OFF]

Hayes McGruder, Col, SFMC
Marine CO, TF-ODF

Edward Bolingbroke, CAPT, SFMC
BMSOC/CC