laneys.info Beware of Yankees, drunks, and loose women.

The Witch Hunt maneuvered alongside the disable yacht and extended a docking collar. Everyone aboard prepared for the boarding knowing there was going to be a firefight. The anticipation of action was like a drug. The five veterans waited until the collar pressurized watching intently through the transparasteel viewport at their prize. Jared stepped forward with his blaster rifle held at the ready position. Everyone knew their role in the boarding and Jared’s was to go first and clear a path for the others. It is what he lived for.

After the collar pressurized, Cabrin moved to the access hatch on the yacht and began working the security system. It took a minute to breach the codes and get the green light that would allow the hatch to open. “Get ready. Three…two…one…go, go, go!”

Jared burst through the hatch into the enemy vessel as several shots rang out from inside barely missing him. A single blast from his weapon sent a shot through one of the defenders, dropping him where he stood. Cabrin and the others followed right behind Jared returning fire in pre-established zones to cover the most area possible. Alec headed to the cockpit with Tullarik as Nigel and Cabrin broke for the crew quarters and engineering. Jared maintained his position covering the galley area exchanging fire with two more defenders.

As Cabrin rounded the corner to the passageway leading to engineering he ran head-on into a maintenance droid attempting to move forward to service it’s stricken vessel. Cabrin shoved the droid aside and snapped off two shots as one of the crew dove for cover into one of the staterooms. The smell of ionized atmosphere began to permeate the ship as the attackers continued pressing their enemy. As Cabrin approached the doorway the defender had dove into, he stopped. Nigel moved up behind him standing back to back with his friend covering the way they had come.
“Surrender or die. It’s that simple.” Cabrin’s voice echoed through the passage as the speaker in his helmet projected his command.

“Very diplomatic” Nigel stated still watching the rear.

“I thought so” Cabrin waited another couple of seconds and was about to turn the corner when suddenly the door opened and two empty hands slowly came into view. Cabrin switched his blaster to stun and waited for the man to come into full view before raising his weapon and firing. The man tried to step back only to slump to the deck unconscious. “How’s that for diplomacy?”

“Subtle…you’re showing your soft side again.” Nigel continued watching their back as Cabrin started to slowly continue down the corridor.

The sound of another door opening caused the two to focus their weapons down the corridor just as a barely clothed female stumbled out of one of the rooms. A glance told Cabrin she was jacked up on something as she reached for invisible floating objects which swarmed around her. Another shot from Cabrin’s pistol dropped the girl to the floor. As he knelt to drag her out of the way a metal cylinder bounced out of the room and into the corridor.

“Grenade!”

Both men dove for cover, Nigel jumping back around the corner and Cabrin diving into the still open bulkhead into the first room they had cleared. The explosion sent shards of metal in all directions, searing the air and shredding exposed flesh. It took several seconds for the area to clear of ricocheting metal and smoke.

Nigel poked his around calling out to his teammate “You ok?”

“I’m good.” Cabrin bounced his head out of the room and back into cover, quick flashing to see if anyone had come out after the blast. All he saw was the girl, her eyes fixed on the ceiling while gasping for breath. The grenade had bounced to the other side of the bulkhead she was laying against and apparently she had been hit by flying fragments. Blood began oozing from several wounds along her upper torso and neck. “Damn it.”

Cabrin keyed his com “Jared I need you back here, we have a casualty. Everyone else give me a sitrep.”