Feet First Into Hell

Posted on Tuesday 25 May 2021 @ 12:48 by Gunnery Sergeant Alexander Beck
Edited on on Wednesday 9 June 2021 @ 19:56

Mission: A Cry from the Darkness
Location: Sheol, Cardassian Military Colony.
Timeline: Current
880 words - 1.8 OF Standard Post Measure

Sheol, Year 2, Dominion War

Sergeant Alex Beck lay prone on some high ground, a large rock ridge overlooking the jungles of Sheol. It was hot here, which is why he figured the Cardies liked the place so much. His unit, Intel and Recon Platoon of the 1st Battalion, 1st Orbital Drop Incursion Brigade, had been dropped onto the moon a few days before. It had been a hurried mission. Virtually no prep time save for the time the platoon had on the transport here, then they were dropped in before the Cardassians and their Dominion allies could activate the perimeter scanners.

"Reaper, Warlock. Tell me what you see. " said the voice of Second Lieutenant Connor Stratton, the platoon leader.

"Warlock, Reaper. I see you guys but not much else. " Beck responded. He was one of two snipers assigned to the platoon. At the moment he and his fellow sniper, Corporal James "Havoc" Smalls, were providing overwatch.

"Yeah, I figured as much. " said Stratton. Beck liked the guy. He'd done a hitch as an enlisted man before being selected for OCS. He had earned the name "Warlock" due to his uncanny ability to sniff things out before they happened, from an ambush to a prank from the enlisted men. Just as he was about to move his scope to the next sector he saw what looked like a shimmer.

"Warlock, Reaper, heads up. Just saw a shimmer. Could be a shrouded Jem'Hadar. " said Beck. His warning came a second too late as several Jem'Hadar unshrouded inside the Marines' perimeter and began firing. Some of them went after the Marines with bayonets attached to their plasma rifles while others pulled Kar'ta'kin combat spears off their backs and went hand to hand. Beck sighted in on one and squeezed the trigger on his TR-116 sniper rifle, vaporizing the enemy soldier's head.

"Havoc, you can jump in at any moment now. " he said into his throat mike as he began eliminating Jem'Hadar when he spotted them. He saw a Jem'Hadar raising his rifle to stab Stratton with the attached bayonet and fired, taking the genetically-engineered soldier out in a mist. Havoc didn't respond. Either he was out of position or he was down.

"All Marines, Gramps here! Fall back to the secondary rally point and set up a perimeter! " he heard Gunnery Sergeant Drake "Gramps" Palmer yell. If Palmer was giving the orders it meant Stratton was down. He could see Marines fighting, some grabbing their wounded and retreating while the others covered their withdrawal. He continued firing into the enemy. Then he could see the Cardassians getting into the mix, firing their own phasers at the retreating Marines.

"Damned Cardies. " he muttered as he turned his attention to them.

"Havoc, our guys are getting tore up out there, where the hell are you? " he called to his partner. Again, no answer. It was then that he knew the other sniper was dead. Havoc would never have let his buddies down like that. Beck continued to fire into the oncoming enemy units, taking them down as fast as he could. It wasn't enough. It was like trying to empty the ocean with a small bucket.

"Reaper, Gramps. We're almost clear. Disengage and head for the rally point. Set up overwatch there and stand by. " ordered Palmer.

"Gramps, Reaper. Solid Copy. See you there. " said Beck. He stood, grabbed his rifle, checked to make sure he was leaving no gear behind, and headed out.


ONE HOUR LATER, SECONDARY RALLY POINT

Beck walked into the small encampment. The secondary rally point was in a medium-sized draw roughly five miles from their previous position. It was a good spot. It was large enough to provide cover for the platoon on three sides and the sentries on the high ground could see anyone coming from any direction. Beck had been up there with two marines acting as spotters but Gramps had issued an NCO call. So he'd waited until Lance Corporal zh'Thar, one of the platoon's Andorian medics, to relieve him, then headed down the side of the draw to the platoon.

The news was not good.

"Six dead, fourteen wounded, including the Lieutenant. " Gramps said after all of his squad leaders had reported in. Roughly a fifteen percent casualty rate.

"How bad's the Lieutenant? " asked Beck.

"Doc Smitty's doing what he can, but the LT won't be walking out of here. He needs a full trauma bay. Took a bayonet to his lower spine. " said Gramps.

That meant he'd have to be carried when they had to move again.

"Havoc's dead too. Looks like you're our only sniper. " Gramps told Beck. Beck nodded. He'd already known that. There was no way Havoc would have run out on a fight. He sighed.

"Any way we can call for extraction? " he asked.

Palmer shook his head.

"We're on our own. " he said. Beck took a knee as Gramps continued the NCO call. Squad leaders were given instructions to pass down to their squads. Then they broke and headed back to their duties. Beck grabbed a few field rations and headed back to his position on the high ground.

End Log.

((>>> Gunnery Sergeant Alexander Beck
Marine Sniper
USS Merlin