Extraction to Crater Lake
The APC threaded its way between the trees, closing in on the activated distress beacon. This was the site.
Kelek-Moro Benz-Tasi tapped several buttons, and his human co-pilot, Nazaneen Gorugov activated the landing gear, dispersing the antigravity field. The Tourliski on board grunted as Dirts gravity kicked in once again, only to be slowly alleviated by the activation of their own personal environment suits. Kelek activated his response signal.
Tau Wing survivors, please report. This is Omicron Wing, weve arrived to extract you.
Several silent moments passed. A mixed group of Tourliski and Human marines scratched their claws and tapped their fingers nervously on their weapons. There had been several ambushes already, and the humans had apparently learned how to activate false beacons. Bloody adaptable enemies- Kelek was glad that the humans in his APC were on his side. Hopefully.
There!
One of the marines pointed to the surveillance center. A floating drone in the area had detected movement. Shuffling in the bushes. It was the perfect setup for an ambush.
Tau Wing, are you in our area? We see movement, is that you?
A sudden movement dashed into the air. Several cameras focused on it. A Tourliski in tattered pilots fatigues, bearing a laser rifle, buzzed across the treetops with several rapid flutters of her wings, before spotting the APC and swooping down. Coming right up to the camera, mounted on the exterior of the APC, the Tourliski tapped three times, gesturing towards the vehicles rear door.
Great- I think she cant hear us.
She? asked one of the human soldiers, incredulously, How can you even tell?
I could ask the same of you.
Youre not just going to open the doors are you? Weve been baited into traps before because you go out of the way to let your people in.
Kelek tossed his heads in an uncertain gesture, and activated the external speakers.
Are the survivors with you? Please instruct them to come out of cover.
The Tourliski quickly gave an affirmative gesture, and flew off back through the trees.
Dont worry, Im not going to be fooled by that trick twice.
But why dont they have any radios?
It does suggest that they had to abandon their base quickly. I can only hope that they destroyed their equipment before letting it fall into the hands of the humans. Keleks eyes darted through the NPC for a second before he appended. The humans here, that is.
At that moment, the radio buzzed.
Attention Extraction Force Pi, this is Omicron Command. Our Uplinks have found local human militias on the move in your area. They have some heavy weaponry, and seem to be wise to the beacon system.
Should we expect a conflict?
If youre not out of there in the next 20 minutes, yes.
Any support?
Weve got a force of Tau Wings recovered pilots operating a squadron, theyre scrambling out of Crater Lake right now. Until then, keep your eyes up and your brainpans down.
A few of the humans were somewhat confused by the turn of phrase, but Tourliski anatomy makes such a feat fairly straightforward, seeing as their neural cores are centered in their torsos.
Affirmative Omicron Command. The radio connection went silent.
Alright, marines, unload and activate your weapons. We might need to provide a welcoming party for more people than wed intended.
The rear doors of the APC opened with a hiss of pressure equalization, and the mixed force poured out, assembling in sheltered locations around the edge of the clearing. Humans bunkered down, while Tourliski took to the trees, seeking secluded perches before clicking their laser rifles into active firing mode. Kelek and Nazaneen reactivated the APC, sweeping it across the clearing and into a more defensible site. Kelek squeezed his way into the targeting perch, as a plasma turret emerged smoothly from the back of the APC, providing a firing arc across the site.
So this is America then. Commented one human marine, looking around the mountainous forest, Doesnt look all that great to me.
A few of Omicron Wings soldiers chuckled, but the merriment was short-lived, soon overtaken by a din of silence. Inside his turret, Kelek kept one eye on the timer, ticking down second by second, the other on the targeting reticle.
Eight minutes passed before the first sign of movement. Into the clearing, flying through the trees, came a group, possibly 30-strong, of Tourliski, carrying a variety of equipment.
Extraction Force, get them loaded into the APC with all of the equipment we can fit.
Kelek slid back down into the main body of the APC and flew out. At the front of the group was the Tourliski he had seen before.
Flight-Lieutenant Kelek-Moro Benz-Tasi at your service. Im glad youve arrived.
Myself as well. Thanks for waiting, apologies for the poor communications- weve been caught in the wild for a while with very limited supplies. Im Mali-Gido Anz-Go, and Ive got 31 survivors of the destruction of Tau Spire in Salt Lake City. We had to abandon the beacon after placing it here because-
Okay, you can do a full report later, we have to get out of here quickly. Humans are coming.
Again?!
Kelek reacted with muted alarm at the implication that theyd already been to this site, but refused to show it.
Load your group on immediately, and were evacuating the site. Dont mind the humans in this clearing, theyre with us.
What?!
Later. Get on.
Mali boarded the APC, and Kelek flew out to the rest of the group, directing them into the large vehicle. The APC was normally spacious, but the survivors were packed in tight. Kelek flew again around the clearing, calling his forces out of their positions.
Alright, some of us are going to have to take a little ride in the fresh air if we want to fit everyone on board. Ah... the Tourliski here arent entirely familiar with working with Humans yet- in fact, they just were nearly wiped out by the locals here, so it might be best if we introduce them to you guys (Kelek gestured at the human contingent of his force) a little later. Plus, if weve got humans riding on top, they might just think that youre driving a commandeered vehicle in case we run into any of the humans.
I dont speak any English at all, they wont fall for it.
Ill try to avoid driving this thing within talking distance of them. But in case we do run into anyone... can anyone speak the local language here?
One soldier raised his hand.
Hello... here... guy.
Great, just say youre from... Kelek consulted his map, Canada. Anyway, were getting out of here.
The last few soldiers loaded in, and the APC powered off, back through the woods.
Several minutes later, Resistance forces entered the clearing. Extraction Force Pi was already long gone.
