A Trip to the Base

[Nicolas Lepage 0]

Owen signalled for Rieve and the others to follow him down the stairs after he had made sure the Romulans were all stunned. He kept looking around in case there were others down the hall but it seemed deserted.

 

Marine Captain Hanna-Beth Rieve followed behind Owen, quickly bringing her team down the stairs. The basement room appeared darker than the upstairs rooms, with a few flickering lights on the ceiling.

 

"I don't know why, but I'm almost sure there are more of them hiding somewhere." Slowly Owen's eyes were adjusting to the dim light and he could see farther down the hall. He could swear he had seen something move just a moment ago but everything was still now. "Left or right?" He asked, shooting a quick glance at Rieve.

 

"Of course there are, these guards we've seen are too inexperienced. Probably the base's rookies." She looked around the room. "Mendez, hold position here." The sergeant followed his order.

"Buddha, it looks like there are more rooms down that hall." She pointed in the direction where Buddha had seen the motion. "And, it's darker. That must be where they're hiding."

 

Matthews nodded and pointed his rifle down the hall. He tried to make out some details while he waited for Rieve to give him the order to move on.

 

"Buddha, take the left side of the hallway. We'll take the right." Rieve pointed her rifle forward and went into position. It was door kicking time.

 

Owen nodded curtly and took his position at the left side. This was getting better by the minute. After all this was why he had chosen to become a marine in the first place. He took a deep breath. "Alright let's teach them a lesson."

 

Rieve liked the new Marine's enthusiasm. She went forward to the first door. She stood to its side while Lance-Corporal Dobson butted it hard with the rear end of a rifle. But, whoever was on the other side expected it. Just as the door collapsed, a green disruptor bolt passed the Marines and hit the dark ceiling.

 

Owen ducked instinctively as he saw the green flash. He pointed his rifle at the now empty doorway. For a second he was not sure whether or not to advance. Obviously the Romulan who had fired the shot had taken cover before any of them could take a good aim at him. Owen looked questioningly at Rieve and shrugged.

 

Rieve didn't wait for the less experienced Marine to act. She immediately turned to the door, facing the rifle inward and began peppering the room with phaser fire. She hadn't yet acquired the target, but, at least she'd made it deepen its cover. Meanwhile, Lance-Corporal Dobson made his move, poking through the door and acquiring the target. The Romulan was hiding low on the ground behind a desk. Dobson began firing just above the desk to keep the Romulan pinned down. Rieve ordered "Buddha... fire forward, low to the ground!"

 

Owen acted at once. He entered the room, crouched and fired. The Romulan didn't have the slightest chance to escape.

 

Rieve moved in while Owen maintained fire and Dobson kept the Romulan from escaping. She dived into the room and quickly took position on the other side of the desk. The Romulan was still trying to poke his head and disruptor upwards to get some kind of aim at Dobson or Owen. A few choice shots made sure he wouldn't even think of it... or anything else, for that matter. Before the Romulan realized what hit him, he was on the floor in a pool of green blood.

"All Clear!"

 

"Nice shot." Owen got up and looked around the room. They had done a thorough job. Almost everything in there bore marks of their phaser fire. "Guess he won't be telling us much anymore, eh?"

 

Rieve looked back at Buddha, he sure was wise. "No, but, the room might." It was darkened, but, it looked something like a mix of a lab and an assembly line. There were canisters of unknown substances all over. But, it didn't look active.

 

Owen walked over to the canisters. "I wonder what this is. It definitely looks like they were building something." He turned back to Rieve. "Somehow I'm glad we didn't find out what happens when these things," he jabbed his thumb at one of the canisters. "Are hit by phaser fire."

 

Rieve ordered Dobson to secure the room's entrance. He complied. She attempted to scan the canisters. The sensor damping field was still in effect, and strong. They were close to its source. Despite the differences in technology, there was one thing she did recognize.

"Disruptor cavities," she said, as she looked at a haphazardly placed pile of what might have been this room's finished product.

 

Owen frowned. "You mean they were assembling weapons?" He let out a low whistle. "If that's true they better pray we won't take prisoners. Somehow I get the feeling they wouldn't enjoy our... special attention." He went on looking around the room, trying to find more evidence that this facility was used to make weapons.

 

Rieve responded. "It's possible. And, it would all make sense. The Romulans could be using these base facilities to arm themselves and bring in an invasion force or to rearm the population. They may be preparing a full scale rebellion against the Empire!"

 

"Bad move. Well, lucky we found them before they achieved their goal." Owen would probably never understand why some species were stupid enough to try a rebellion against the Empire.

 

Rieve nodded. "Now, all we have to do is get past these subordinates to find - and punish - the leaders." They had done all they could in this room. The Marines moved on down the hallway.