Mission of Mercy (poetlore and dunruffle)

[PoetLore]

Cassandra just smiled at Erik and followed close behind him. She was glad not not have to wade, but not so glad about more running. She sat down and strapped herself in and glanced at her arm. Sure enough bright red sleeve on her left arm. She pulled the harness on tight with her right arm and hoped that her arm would be fine until they were safely back at the compound.

She had to love their pilot's confidence and he was fearless, she could tell by how close he flew tot he trees. She was next to the door, so she reached up for the box and had the cord ready to pull so she could throw it out the door. "What is it?" she asked trying to use her left hand to steady the box so she could pull the cord with her right.

 

[Dunruffle]

Willis pulled the dropship up into a steep climb then levelled out. "A little surprise for tailgaters!" Moments later another barrage of lasers filled the air around them, several striking true and leaving sizzling holes in the fuselage. "Throw it now!" Once Cassandra pulled the cord and tossed the box, the small balloon immediately filled with helium and lifted the box. Looking back, one would see a starfighter pass close by the balloon. As if caught by a rope, the box attached itself to the side of the starfighter with a clang. Just as the starfighters flew past the box exploded, ripping a large hole in the hull of the starfighter. Immediately spiraling out of control, the wounded starfighter smashed into the jungle below with a thunderous crash leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.

Willis cackled happily as the dropship dove down and resumed swerving above the treetops. "Homemade aerial mines baby! Pack enough magnets and explosives in a box and it will mess up anything that passes by!"

 

[PoetLore]

Cassandra couldn't see what happened, but she sure heard it, and then hearing Willis' explanation she chuckled. "He might be crazy but he's smart."

His dive had her stomach in her throat though and she held onto the harness tightly with her right hand. "Whoa...left my stomach somewhere up there..." It jerked her a bit in the harness though and she felt her arm wound split open again. She wasn't sure whether to be happy about it or not. As long as blood was flowing out, not bacteria was getting trapped inside the wound, but. It was bleeding a bit too much. She wasn't sure how long she'd be able to ignore it.

She could feel her arm burning a bit and that concerned her, but she filed it away for when Erik patched it up later. He was the only one there that could, and she trusted his abilities. He wouldn't be able to do anything with Willis flying evasive craziness anyway. She turned a bit in her seat to hide her arm against the side of the ship.

 

[Dunruffle]

Erik noticed Cassandra's arm and pulled out a roll of gauze. "Hold still." He grunted as he put a sloppy patch job over the wound. The last starfighter exploded violently as Willis made a feint at the last second, causing the enemy craft to tear itself in half via a large tree jutting out of the canopy. Climbing back up to cruising altitude. Willis activated the intercom.

"Hey guys, got some chatter over the distress band. Figure you guys would wanna hear." There was a hiss of static as Willis changed frequencies, only to be replaced by the sound of gunfire and shouting.

"-is Badger 2-9! I repeat our transport is down and we are surrounded! Colonel Williams is dead and we are taking heavy casualties! Anyone please respond!" Everyone was silent as Badger continued to beg for help while the sounds of explosions and screaming sounded in the background. They all knew what standard protocol would be, secure the bioweapon at all costs and do not deviate from the mission. As they all glanced at the case holding the package, they were startled by Natalya pushing the reply button on her comm unit.

"Badger 2-9 this is SOG squad 8-2, we are en-route to your position. Hold the line at all costs." Badger was silent for several seconds before letting out a sigh of relief. "Copy 8-2, but you are gonna be in one hell of a shitstorm. Badger out." Picking up the case, Natalya shoved it into the cockpit with Willis. "I assume you have some sort of stash to keep things away from your superiors. After you drop us off head straight back and hide the bioweapon. You do this right and I will see about getting you a transfer. But if you fail I will cut out your eyes and feed them to you."

Willis gulped nervously but gave Natalya a thumbs up. "Y-you got it boss. Changing course to the distress signal." Turning back to her squad, Natalya looked them all in the eye. "SOG takes pride in going above and beyond the call of duty to get results. Leaving force recon to die on a mission that was created solely for our task would leave a stain on our honor that could never be erased. We are going to assist the trapped soldiers and we will get results. Understood?" The men all nodded gravely and went about preparing themselves.

Natalya turned to Cassandra and sighed. "I would give you the option of going back with Willis but I already know you would refuse. If you are going to join us you will follow orders to the letter. No heroics, and no self sacrifice, do I make myself clear?"

 

[PoetLore]

Casandra winced when Erik grabbed her arm. She hadn't been looking at him and wasn't exactly prepared for the burn of the wound being moved. He wrapped a bandage around it and she nodded, "Thanks. Hard to bandage your own bicep."

While he worked she heard Willis and frowned when the pleas for help were being played for them. She DID know that helping was a direct violation of orders, but she dearly hoped that would be ignored. She knew those people needed help, and medical attention if any of them were to survive. Having their commanding officer dead was not any kind of help either.

Like the others, she was blown away when Natalya answered the call and offered assistance, but she smiled at the other woman. She had time and again been impressed by Natalya, but this was perhaps a shining moment in her memory, one she would not ever forget. She looked up when she was addressed personally, "Of course Commander. I will obey, and I do know how to use a weapon. I will use it when needed." She wasn't sure Natalya knew that, but she wanted to make sure she did. She could have mentioned shooting the man who had snuck up on Kirst, but she didn't. Yes, she was a healer, but this was a war and her people were her priority not the enemy.

She glanced at the bandage and saw a paint pink indicating that it was still bleeding, but she looked away and ignored it. She'd had far worse injuries and continued to work and function. She was glad now that she had added a few medical supplies to her pack last night, just in case someone had been injured. She always had that, JUST IN CASE mindset being a doctor.

 

[Dunruffle]

Erik handed Cassandra his pack full of medical supplies. "Since there are two of us who know how to patch people up I figure I would give this to you since I will probably be busy covering you." Turk reached up and pulled the large anti-armor rifle down from the webbing in the ceiling and checked its ammo. Dante looked over with a confused look, "yo Turk you really planning on taking that giant thing? It's made to hunt tanks not fight in a jungle." Turk simply shrugged, "better safe than sorry."

As they got closer to their destination the sounds of gunfire and explosions progressively got louder. Below them it was a scene of pure chaos. A large transport ship that could hold fifty people lay in a burning wreck, a large section of jungle had been flattened and burned from it's crash landing. Force Recon troopers were spread out around the craft in a hastily made defensive circle, taking cover behind fallen trees and hiding in craters. The two large turrets on the top of the transport were still working and continuously rotated to fire on various targets. All around the stranded troopers, confederate soldiers lay dead or dying, testament to the troopers stubbornness and tenacity. Unfortunately, no matter how fiercely the defenders fought the sheer number of enemies was close to overrunning them.

Natalya observed the battlefield as the dropship circled the area and occasionally dodged bursts of gunfire. "Dewcoy! Perform a strafing run on the souther area, we will drop grenades to give you enough time to drop us off. Remember to hide the bioweapon as soon as you get back and alert headquarters to the situation." The dropship made a wide turn and began making a beeline straight towards the large group of enemies Natalya had targeted. "You got it boss!" Moments later the autocannon roared to life, the explosive shells churning the ground and blowing enemies to bloody bits. As they flew over, everyone began tossing any grenades in the dropship they could get their hands on. Teargas, smoke, napalm, explosive, and fragmentation grenades unleashed a myriad storm of death as the dropship swooped in low and hovered over the center of the defensive circle.

"Go go go!" They all jumped out and took cover in the open cargo bay of the transport as Willis rocketed back up into the sky. Looking around, Natalya glared at a nearby trooper. "You! Who is the commanding officer in charge?" The trooper pointed towards a group of men around a box with a small holomap on top. "Second lieutenant Alco ma'am. The one with the head wound." Striding over to the group, Natalya spotted the lieutenant. "Lieutenant Alco, I am Captain Sokolov of the SOG. I will be taking command since you colonel is dead." The haggard man with a bloody bandage wrapped around his head turned and frowned. "Wait, is that all of you? Nobody else?" Natalya shook her head as a loud explosion rumbled outside. "Just us, our pilot is sending reinforcements but for now we are the only ones." Sighing heavily, Alco pointed to a large group of wounded nearby that were put in the relative safety of the transport cargo bay. "If you have a medic could they get to work? We are almost out of supplies, the walking wounded are still fighting outside but those are the worst cases."

 

[PoetLore]

Cassandra nodded and accepted the pack from Erik, "I will need your help more than back protection I wager." But soon they were making a swooping maneuver and she, like everyone else, was dropping grenades on the ground to cover their arrival. When she heard "Go go go.." she didn't hesitate. She could tell these men needed help, and they needed it now.

She ran into the cargo hold of the downed carrier and without being told, she made her way for the wounded men. She was a doctor and she had radar for injured people. She knelt by the first patient and smiled, "I am Doctor Brandford. Can you tell me your name?' she asked as she examined the multiple wounds. Nothing life threatening, but he needed attention. Setting the pack down she began pulling out the things she'd be using on all of them.

The young man let out a huff of air, "Help others...I'm ok." he was saying through gritted teeth, "Sergeant Lewis Ma'am."

She grinned at him, "I will get to everyone, never you worry. Just ask Ritkof here. he's seen me in action." She pressed her hand to a wound on his leg. "Sorry I know this is going to hurt, but you have a bleeder here, and I don't have time to numb you." She pulled what looked like a soldering iron from her pack and pressed the button. It was red within seconds. one of Harrison's more handy inventions. Lifting her hand from the wound she used her fingers to open it a bit and patting the area with gauze found the culprit. She pressed the iron to it and held it for the three seconds it would take to seal the bleeding vessel. She pulled out a syringe and numbed the area and two others an then went to work stitching. She wasn't going for beauty, just closure. She bandaged him and then patted his shoulder, "Good job...Ritkof..can you give out pain meds?"

She moved to the next guy and there was a rather large section of his right thigh missing. She looked up at his face and smiled, "Hi, I'm Doctor Brandford, What's your name?"

He was shaking, and pale, "Private Jones...Henry Jones.."

She nodded, "Henry is a nice name. Are you named after someone?' she asked as she assessed the damage. There was not going to be any saving this leg, and his life, so she opted for saving his life. "Henry...You've had a serious injury to your leg...I am going to save your life but not your leg."

Henry closed his eyes, "So much for dancing at my wedding, do what you have to do Doc..."

Tying off a tourniquet just below his hip, which she didn't like to do, because it gave them so little muscle and flesh to attach an implant to but in this case there was no other option, she motioned for Erik to come over. "I need help." She handed Erik a sedative. "He needs to be out. Down deep out."

She kept readying her tools as Erik administered the sedation and then she looked at him, "can't save this...pull on the foot so I have a good clean cut." She waited for him to get in place and then used a laser to slice off the leg but at the bottom she slid the laser sideways leaving a thick layer of skin for use in sealing the wound shut again. Pulling the layer of skin up she used the sealer she'd used before to close the wound and adhere this skin to the stump that remained. She bandaged the whole thing quickly and moved to the next patient. She glanced at Erik, "Told you I needed help..."

They continued to work at a fever pitch, one man was dead when they got to him and she quickly moved past him to the next. They had a good rhythm going, he was handling pain and she was working as quickly as possible doing the best, cleanest surgical procedures possible given the circumstances. All she was trying to do was keep them alive but having no idea what their medical situation was, she was trying to do everything she could for them. She was covered in various men's blood but she kept working.

Hearing the sounds of battle all around them, she ignored that and stayed focused. This was what she had trained for, and her mind was able to keep the possible threat from crippling her. Somehow Erik being there with her, even though he was helping and not actually protecting her like he probably wanted to, made this easier for her. Something about his presence made her feel like she was safe no matter what. Might be false faith, but she felt it and it kept her going.

 

[Dunruffle]

A large explosion roared above the group and a gout of fire erupted from the ceiling. Everyone dove to the ground and a few moments later the fire abated. "Fuck! They got a turret! They are gonna make a push we need all available units ready to defend! I dont care if you cant walk, if you can fire a weapon you hold the line!" Alco grabbed his rifle as he yelled at his troops, leading them out into the battle outside.

"Squad! Prepare for heavy fighting! We hold this line or die trying!" Natalya unsheathed her chainsword and readied her smg as the rest of the men prepared themselves. Erik stood up and grabbed his rifle, looking down at Cassandra. "Cassandra this is gonna be bad, please just stay safe." Before Cassandra could respond, Erik was charging out of the transport along with his comrades.

Outside the battle had reached a fever pitch, bullets flew everywhere as explosions sent shrapnel scything through the air. Confederate soldiers where rushing straight at the besieged troopers, using craters and debris as cover to help themselves advance. The last of the living Force Recon where making their final stand, determined to fight to the last. Turk had taken position behind a large fallen tree trunk and was methodically killing the advancing enemy with single precise shots. Dante and Xanders had reinforced the forefront of the defensive line supporting the beleaguered defenders. Dante's machinegun chattered in long bursts cutting down swaths of enemies while Xanders' shotgun roared and punched massive holes in bodies. Erik and Kirst had posted themselves in a large crater with Alco, tossing grenades and accurately dropping the advancing confederates.

 

[PoetLore]

Cassandra felt the heat of the fire and frowned. they were trying to burn away any possible cover to expose their people even more than they already were. The man she had just moved over to grabbed her hand. "Keep going Doc," he breathed out in stiff, pain-riddled gasps, "I'm done...help ..them.." Cassandra looked at him and her eye scanned him for injuries and she frowned at the extent of his damage. She held his hand when Erik stood and grabbed his rifle. "You too..." she called after him. Her worried eyes turned back to the man, "What's your name?' she asked.

"Private Wash...burn...."

Cassandra gently squeezed his hand, "Do you want something for pain?"

"Save..for..them..." His breathing was erratic and there was a gurgle in his throat. She held his hand as he breathed that last ragged breath and then folded his hands before moving to the next man.

She could hear the gunfire and grenades, but she kept moving from man to man, not once stopping to consider that there were bullets riddling the frame of the ship. She felt a few whiz by her but she ignored it and continued to work. Her arm was burning and painful but that didn't stop her either. She needed to keep moving, and still her mind from dwelling on the Saints, and more specifically Erik, being out in that hell storm.

Once she had everyone stable, she went back to the more critical patients and did as much as she could, physically do under these conditions to give them the best possible chance at survival once they were back at the base. It never once occurred to her that they would not get back to base, such was her faith in the Saints and Natasha's determination.

 

[Dunruffle]

Outside, the situation had gone from bad to worse. Confederate troops in power armor armed with heavy weapons had emerged from the tree line and were slowly advancing on the defenders. The last of the force recon and the saints had retreated to form a semicircle just outside the cargo bay of the transport. With a crack like thunder, Turk fired the Fist of the North Star. The giant bullet nearly tore a power armored enemy in half with a spray of gore, causing the enemy to redouble their efforts.

But eventually the Saints luck ran out.

The first was Xanders. A grenade landed next to him and a force recon trooper. In a split second decision, Xanders shoved the trooper to safety as the grenade exploded. Xander's legs were blown off just below his thighs, leaving them bloody and burned stumps. He screamed in pain and anger as he continued to fire his shotgun even as he lay bleeding on the ground. Watching his best friend fall, Dante roared in rage. Grabbing Xanders by the collar of his armor, Dante pulled the legless man behind a tree trunk while firing his machine gun one handed. Enemies swarmed the hole in the defensive line only to be met by the enraged Dante. Using his weapon like a club, Dante tore into the attackers in a blind fury. Skulls were crushed to a pulp and limbs were torn off as Dante used his mechanical arm to tear into his targets.

Suddenly a high powered laser sliced Dante's human arm off, making the large man stumble and fall next to Xanders. Meanwhile the armored enemies had targeted Turk and unleashed a barrage of fire at his position. Unflinching under the assault, Turk kept methodically cutting down his targets. With a bang an explosive round detonated against the cover in front of Turk's face. The burning shrapnel sliced into Turk's features, leaving his eyes a bloody mess. Falling on his back, Turk cried out in agony as he blindly tried to get back up.

Seeing Turk get hit, Kirst bounded forward to save him. Just as he was about to reach Turk, Kirst was knocked off his feet as a bullet tore into his torso. Grunting in pain, Kirst crawled next to Turk and grabbed the screaming man's shoulder. "I...got you soldier...I am here..." Hefting his rifle, Kirst began firing into the advancing attacker's trying to finish the pair off.

Erik fell as he tried to throw a grenade at the horde of attackers. Just as he threw his grenade, a stray bullet hit the explosive in mid-air, causing the grenade to detonate prematurely. Erik's hands were shredded into a pulp and he was knocked unconscious.

The last few defender's watched in horror as their friends and the Saints fell. Panic began to overwhelm the troopers when a voice rang out.

"STAND AND FIGHT COMRADES! DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT SURRENDERING! YOUR FRIENDS WILL HAVE DIED FOR NOTHING IF YOU GIVE UP AND DIE LIKE DOGS! STAND WITH ME AND FIGHT TILL YOUR LAST BREATH AND MAKE THESE WORTHLESS TRAITORS PAY FOR THIS GROUND WITH BLOOD! YOU CAN EITHER STAND AND DIE LIKE HEROES, OR GIVE UP AND DIE LIKE COWARDS!"

Natalya's voice rang out over the battlefield like a clarion call as she stood up and charged the enemy. The fearless captain began cutting a swathe through the confederate horde as the last force recon troopers roared and rushed to join her. The battle had turned into a bloody close up fight to the death. The troopers engaging the enemy in close combat with everything they had. The battlefield had turned into a scene from ancient times, with man and women fighting hand to hand and with any weapons they had.

In the middle of the blood soaked battlefield, Natalya fought like a woman posessed. Discarding her firearm, Natalya unleashed the full power of her swordsmanship. The buzzing chainsword tore through bodies with brutal efficiency. Limbs were cut off, heads sliced from shoulders, and bodies torn in half. Natalya's snow white hair had become almost entirely soaked in blood, turning it dark red. Blood and gore caked the sword wielding warrior's uniform as her red eye glowed like a flame. Truly she had become what everyone had believed she was, a demon.

@PoetLore

 

[PoetLore]

Cassandra had finally attended to everyone that was inside the ship. Her back was screaming as was her injured arm, but she push on. She could tell the fighting outside was getting closer and she'd had to duck down a few times when explosion rocked the ship. She wasn't at all sure anyone was going to survive this, but that thought too was pushed aside stubbornly. Yes they were going to survive.

Her head jerked up when she heard Xanders screaming in agony. She grabbed the box with the grenades in it and moved closer to the door. Seeing the battle up close she blinked at how near it was.

Private Jacobs saw the box and grinned, "Good thinking Doc." he said and grabbed them and took off running with them. He was near where Eric had tripped and began throwing them one after another into the enemy line. He then dragged Eric back to the shuttle. He smiled at Cassandra, "He's one of yours Doc....take..." His words stopped as a spray of bullets took off his head.

Cassandra pulled Eric inside and away from the door, somehow managing to not get shot herself. How she managed to evade all the shots and shrapnel, she would never know and was wise enough not to question when her guardian angel was flying low and efficient. She looked at him and frowned tearing open his body armor and looking for wounds and a reason for his being unconscious. His hands were a mess and she knew there was not much she could do for them here. The left might be salvageable but the right, she doubted. She applied antibiotic to both hands and wrapped them and examined him carefully.

"DOC!!" she heard the scream and closed her eyes as she stood and left Eric and went to the call. her eyes widened when she saw that it was Xanders and Dante.

"Over here." she said as the two corpsmen dragged Xanders and Dante over to where she motioned.

"There's a lot more Doc...." the one man said, "but we can't bring them..."

"Go do what you have to do."

They nodded and left her. Xanders was in shock. His legs were gone and he was shaking and clammy. "Try to relax Xanders...You know I am going to take good care of you. Just relax." She pulled out her sealer and stopped the bleeding before he completely bled out and she could do nothing for him. She covered him in the heaviest blanket she had and then injected him with the strongest pain killer and sedative she had. there was nothing else she could do for him until they were home.

Dante's human arm was gone too and he was watching her take care of Xanders like nothing had happened. She went to him and used the sealer on him as well and then looked at him, "He's going to be fine Dante and so are you. None of my boys are leaving me today...hear me?"

She was just finishing with him when Kirst appeared dragging Turk. Once they were by her Kirst fell to the ground. She caught him as he slumped and paid him on the floor and then helped Turk sit down next to Dante. Going back to Kirst she frowned at him, "Where are you hit?" she asked, but saw the red seeping through his body armor and pulled it open. She was feeling a bit frantic that every one of them had been hit. What she wouldn't give to have Eric alert and able to help her right now.

A young corpsman came in just then with another wounded man and before he could slip back out she called out, "Corpsman!!"

He turned and came back, "Ma'am?"

"I need to to assist me for a moment," she said, "Have you ever helped with a field surgery?"

The boy swallowed and shook his head, "No Ma'am.."

"Well...you will after today." She handed him a bottle, "Wash your hands in that three times."

She pulled at Kirst's clothes and then looked at him, "You will see that family again..promise." And then shot him full of sedative. She began to clean the area and then washed her own hands and pulled out her kit and poured the solution over the instruments too. She looked at the corpsman, "What's your name?"

"Private L...lang...ma'am."

"She snapped ehr fingers in front of his face, "Private Lang. I need you to stay with me here ok. When I ask for something hand it to me. If I say hold something do it. ok?"

"yes Ma'am."

"Good." She worked fast and dug bits of debris and shrapnel out of Kirst and found every bleeder and sealed them all off. She went fast but was careful and thorough as well. The kid did well, though he looked green most of the time. She stitched the layers closed and left a drain just in case infection set in. She looked at Lang then, "Good job. Sit here a moment while I tend to the others will you?"

Lang nodded gratefully. he didn't think he could have stood then if the general commanded it.

She went to Turk then and saw the mess his eyes were in. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze. She looked at Dante, "How are you doing? Can you still control your arm?"

It was then that she heard Natalya's voice echoing above the din of the battle and her head turned to look out the door at her as she became a fighting one woman army, that slashed through the enemy like a hot knife through butter. Her admiration and respect rose about a hundred notches as she turned back to the men, Dante...can you hold Turks head still for me while i work?"

She hit Turk with that same powerful sedative and then went to work removing the shrapnel from his eyes. She scanned them both with her eye and she was grateful the optic nerves were in tack even if his eye balls were destroyed. With a good nerve she and Harrison could work miracles. She got all the bits and shards out and then bandages his eyes and then wrapped another bandage around his head.

She went then to see to the new wounded that just kept coming. Her legs and body were screaming for relief, but she did not stop. She'd lost more men in one day than she had in five years of field service, but she was not giving up on anyone without a fight. As she bent over the fifth patient she realized that the deafening sound of explosions and shots being fired was lessening and finally stopped altogether. She wanted to turn and look to see if the shuttle was about to be boarded by the enemy, in which case they were all dead, or if Natalya's rallying cry had proven to be the turning of the tide, but she was elbow deep in this guy's chest trying to get his heart to beat for her. Another loss. She reached up and closed his eyes and moved to the next, pulling off the gloves and pulling on a fresh pair.

Private Lang finally found his feet when the fighting died down and moved to the shuttle door. "He saw the woman with the red eye covered in blood blinked at her. He glanced around and saw a few people stirring and went out to help them. he pulled in one after another even though he wasn't very big and some of these men were heavy, he kept working until every living man was on that shuttle.

 

[Dunruffle]

The remaining enemy forces began to scatter and disappear back into the jungle. At first, many of the defenders thought that Natalya's ferocious last stand had turned the tide. But the true reason for the enemy's retreat roared overhead and began unleashing a storm of death on the enemy. Dozens of Force Recon attack craft and dropships filled the sky, either chasing the fleeing enemy or landing and disgorging reinforcements.

A shiny and new dropship landed nearby and the doors opened to let out it's passengers. A squad of heavily armed and armored troopers immediately spread out in a defensive ring as Major Thompson stepped out of the transport. The spotless uniform on Major Thompson contrasted sharply against the bloody surroundings. Walking over to Natalya, Thompson looked around with his usual bored demeanor.

"Looks like you managed to keep yourself alive Captain Sokolov. The General wants to speak with you so get your men back to base as soon as possible. They will be put in the medical bunker and taken care of properly."

For once the emotionless mask that was Natalya's face fell away as she snarled and pressed the tip of her bloody chainsword against the major's sternum. "I will talk to the General when I damn well please." As Natalya turned away, Thompson sighed and wiped the stain of blood off his uniform.

Suddenly there was a cry of warning from a nearby trooper as a half dead confederate soldier shakily raised a pistol to aim at Natalya. Flinging herself sideways, Natalya narrowly avoided being killed. Unfortunately she did not escape unscathed. The bullet impacted against her lower jaw and shattered it into a bloody pulpy mess.

 

[PoetLore]

Cassandra was still in the cargo transport attempting to save the remaining men, desperately trying to stabilize everyone. She heard the voice of Major Thompson saying the men would be properly cared for and her brow lifted. No one but her was touching the Saints, and she'd defy anyone to buck her on it even the general. She pushed her thoughts aside and smiled at the young man before her, who was conscious, one of the few all day that was.

"I'm Doctor Brandford," she said in a soft voice, "Who are you?"

Private Lang was by her side then, "This is my brother, Jeff....is he ok Doc?"

Jeff reached for his brother's hand, "Saw what...you did...proud a ya.."

Lang shrugged, "You would have done the same."

Jeff just shook his head in the negative, "Was...hiding..."

Lang didn't comment on that. He supposed the smart thing to do in that situation was hide and pray for mercy. The enemy didn't seem to be willing to dole out any mercy today, but you never knew what fate would shine on you, he supposed. "Shhh...let the Doc have a look at you. She's saved a lot of ours today." His glowing smile and nod of respect accentuated his words.

Cassandra felt like a failure having lost so many today,l but hearing him say she saved lives helped ease it a bit. She examined Jeff and apologized for any discomfort she placed him in while she looked for wounds and injuries. She scanned him with her eye and though Jeff 'looked' fine and was alert he was bleeding internally and the sac around his heart was filling up with fluid. "Are you having any difficulty breathing Jeff?' she asked, knowing what the reply would be if the man was honest.

"Yes Ma'am...feels...heavy.."

She nodded and looked at Lang, "You stay with him. I'll be right back." She stood and went quickly out to where she was sure the major was and saw Natalya get hit. "Natalya!!!" She ran to her side and frowned at the wound. "Do not speak." She said forcefully. reaching into her pocket for fresh gloves and her gun she began carefully sealing off bleeding vessels and then bandaged up the open wound. I'll fix it when we are in a sterile environment. Damn proud of you.... bravest person I know." She looked up at the Major, "I have ten that have to go first, who are in need of major surgery. Many others are going to require augmentation and implants. Do you have facilities for that? I will work on everyone here if you do, and if not I will see if we can offer assistance from our end. I lost 15 of your men, but the rest are alive and they are my patients. I don't care if they are your men or not, they are my patients and I will see they are properly cared for." She looked tiny standing in front of him but there was fire and determination in her eyes and an unshakable confidence that made her seem larger than life at that moment.

 

[Dunruffle]

There was a brief moment of gunfire as the dying confederate soldier was riddled with bullets until he was blasted into many bloody pieces. Major Thompson watched the events unfold and as he was about to reply to Cassandra when he was interrupted by a beeping on his waist. Pressing a finger to the communicator in his ear, Major Thompson listened to whomever was on the other end. "Yes sir...affirmative...over eighty percent either dead or injured...yes...the Special Operations Squad provided assistance on their way back from their mission...affirmative...understood."

Major Thompson ended the conversation and turned back to address Cassandra. "It seems your...Director...sent a transport of his own for your return trip." As if on cue, a large, sleek, and black space transport descended from the clouds and landed nearby. The cargo bay ramp lowered and several men in SOG logistical uniforms approached Cassandra. One of the men with a sergeant rank insignia on his sleeve stepped forward.

"Doctor Brandford, we are here to take you back to HQ. Luckily we have stasis pods and portable medical equipment in the ship. We also were...contacted by a pilot named Dewcoy. At first we ignored him but he insisted that Captain Sokolov wanted him to deliver something or she would feed him his...eyeballs I think? Anyways he is onboard with the..um...package."

Natalya struggled to stand but her legs collapsed beneath her, causing her to cry out in distress. Her lower jaw was barely attached and the bandages were quickly turning red with blood. The SOG men quickly brought Natalya and the Saints onto the transport and immediately put them in stasis pods. The sergeant saluted Cassandra and began walking up the ramp. "We are prepped and ready to go on your command doctor."

@PoetLore

 

[PoetLore]

Cassandra was horribly conflicted. Her face was a mask of anguish as she looked over the men she had worked to save, and whom she did not want to leave behind. Looking up at the general she frowned, "Do you have any field medics with you? Or corpsmen?"

The general shrugged and before he could answer two men stepped forward. "Corpsmen Vicks and Lewis at your service Ma'am."

Cassandra nodded, "Come with me." She led them into the shredded transport. She motioned to her people, "This man here..." she pointed at Jeff, "He comes with us. Put him in a stasis pod." She looked at private Lang, "I will make sure he lives. Thank you for everything you did today."

Lang blinked at her, "but Ma'am..."

"Don't worry about me..I will handle any repercussions."

She motioned for Lewis and Vicks to follow her. "I am going to give you a quick, and I do mean quick rundown of what I have done and what needs to be done, and who MUST go first." They followed while she informed them of her methods and what she had done. "If you do not have implant technology here, you better find a way to get it." She finished and then went to the transport, finding all the Saints, Natalya all safely in stasis pods. She sat in the seat provided and buckled in, "Thank you Sergeant for not bucking me on Jeff Lang. That man's brother saved one of ours today, and I am going to return the favor." The director might not like it, but she didn't care.

That was when she noticed Dewcoy, who looked more than a little out of place. She released her buckle and went to him and accepted the case and box from him. "You are the best pilot I have ever flown with," she said with a smile, "Keep them guessing and fly safe."

 

[Dunruffle]

The sergeant simply nodded in response to Cassandra's thanks and sat down in a seat. Dewcoy looked up at Cassandra and smiled nervously, "hey man i'm hitching a ride with you offa this shithole. Captain Demoness said she would give me a transfer if I kept that baby safe for her. Also I sorta already said I was being transferred to the HQ staff. Those buzzkills probably were happy to see me go. Hopefully your digs are better than my old ones. I think my socks have become molded to my feet." The ramp closed with a hiss of making an airtight seal and the transport smoothly lifted off into the sky. The pilot's voice sounded over the intercom as the logistics squad kept tabs on the stasis pods. "Gonna be a few hours till we arrive at home base. Feel free to take a nap to pass the time."

 

[PoetLore]

Cassandra smiled at Dewcoy and motioned to the seat next to hers. "Have a seat then," she said with a grin, "Our digs are pretty sweet. Not maybe any less hazardous, but a pilot of your skill will be greatly appreciated I am quite sure."

She heard the captain's voice and wished she would be able to rest, but she knew it would never happen. She was going over everything she needed to do for the Saints, Natalya and Jeff Lang. She glanced over at Dewcoy then, "Were you injured in the fighting?" she asked feeling remiss at not having checked him over sooner. She let her eye scan him as she waited for him to answer and seeing that he was indeed fine she let out a slow breath of relieve. She was exhausted but now was not the time for rest.

She grabbed the communications tablet and began sending Harrison and the others a detailed list of everything they were going to need, and to have seven bays ready for immediate use. She had very specific instructions for Harrison, detailing who was injured and what was going to be needed for implanting. Dante's arm, Xander's legs, Turk's eyes, Erik's hands, possible artificial bowel for Kirst possibly in conjunction with Doctor Sechen if Kirst didn't take to her artificial tissue, Natalya's Jaw and face, and Jeff Lang's lungs, ribcage and right kidney. He would most probably benefit from Doctor Sechen's genetic studies, but again she wasn't sure about trusting that one yet. She finished the notes and hit send, knowing that they would have everything ready when she arrived. She closed her eyes but her mind was running through procedure after procedure, and which would need to be performed first and who would be able to stay in stasis longer without undue stress to their systems.

 

[Dunruffle]

A soft blue light began flashing on a nearby panel and the logistics sergeant walked over to see who was calling. After a quick scan of the message, his face went pale and he hastily walked over to Cassandra. "Umm, it's the Director ma'am. It says he wants to speak to you personally." Before Cassandra could reply, the sergeant and the rest of his men scurried into the forward area and locked the door behind them.

For a few moments Cassandra was alone, the only sounds the various beeps from the stasis pods and the low thrumming of the engines.

Suddenly a hologram flickered to life in front of Cassandra. A life sized Director sat in his chair pouring over dozens of datapads on his large desk. Looking up, the lithe man set down a tablet and sat up.


"Doctor Brandford, I have just recieved a communication from the logistics crew and it has some...interesting notes. An entire veteran SOG squad is severely injured and in critical condition, Captain Sokolov has been mutilated, and three unauthorized D-Class soldiers are being brought to my highly classified home."

Steepling his fingers, the Director's ice cold gaze bored into Cassandra.

"In your file it said you were highly impulsive and stubborn. Almost to the point of insubordination. The only thing that has kept you in the armed forces up to this point is your skill at saving lives on and off the battlefield."

A holographic screen appeared next to the Director and he began quickly scrolling through the lines of text.

"Medical Lieutenant Harrison, B-Class Nurse Point, and Medical Assistant B-Class Graves. All three of these people are here on this base because of your insistence. Need I remind you that your actions not only affect yourself, but your subordinates as well. So think carefully before you respond to this question. How far are you willing to go over the line just to satisfy your sense of...right and wrong?"

 

[PoetLore]

Cassandra was surprised and not surprised at hearing the director wanted to speak to her privately. The way the others scurried out of the area both confused and amused her, but she sat and waited. She hadn't been expecting a communication of this type and had been watching her tablet. Seeing a light flicker her head lifted and she was greeted with the image of the director.

She sat silently as he read off what he felt he knew of the situation. Her back straightened and she squared her shoulders as she listened to his words and the underlying accusations she heard as well. "The only part of this whole fiasco that was my doing was bringing one class d soldier aboard. That one class D soldier's brother saved the lives of many men today, and even one of our own Erik Ritkof. Every other decision made during this mission was made by Major Sokolov. She was brave and professional, and I will support her decisions in any airing you wish. I will also add, that though all of our men are injured there is not one injury that my team cannot correct, even the 'mutilation' of Major Sokolov. You speak of my file. I assumed you were aware of my reputation before you hired me. I am stubborn where lives are concerned, but I did nothing that would damage the reputation of your organization in many way. In fact, I dare say it will be vastly improved because of the amount of lives I was able to save today. We were able to successfully retrieve all that we were sent to retrieve, and that mission was carried out fully. What more were you hoping for us to accomplish in such a hostile environment? I should think a few Class D soldiers would be the least of your concerns."

She had not spoken in a tone of disrespect or defiance, but merely stated what she saw to be the truth of the situation as she understood it. She was completely aware that she was not informed of every detail of this mission, but most of it had happened as a result of the situations, not the mission. Still, she was proud of all of them and herself. It had been a grueling day, and everyone had paid a price. Her day was far from over, since the surgeries would commence as soon as they were in her hospital wing at the facility.

She waited for his reply to her words. She wasn't one to be intimidated by higher ups, and she wasn't afraid of him. She knew she could get other work. There was nothing he could do that would change who she was, or her reputation. She sincerely hoped he would not force her to leave the people she had come to love and admire, but she was steeling herself for that possibility.

 

[Dunruffle]

The Director was silent for a few moments as he stared back at Cassandra. Closing the screen next to him, the Director went back to perusing the datapads on his desk. "I am concerned about captain Sokolv's mental state, it seems that since she met you she has become less mission oriented. Please keep the relationship between you and her on a professional level. As for the D-Class soldiers, the two brothers will be kept under strict supervision by two guards at all times. Once they are both recovered, they will sign an non-disclosure agreement. I am sure you can imagine what would happen to them should they reveal any classified information about the SOG. Also I expect a full report and analysis about the air toxicity levels and the rotlung outbreaks once Lieutenant Harrison has completed his research."

Director Valentine stated his last request dismissively, obviously his surveillance methods still in full effect on Cassandra and her friends.

The hologram shut off, leaving Cassandra alone with her thoughts as the spacecraft continued towards it's destination.