Episode 6 - The Eye of the Storm [SM-2]

[John Callaghan]

2330
Hangar Bay
Meropis

Callaghan had been busy all day, hauling weapons and ammunition to his jumper. They now had enough ammo for a small army. There were also about half a dozen of AT-4's. That would put a dent in pretty much anything they needed to put a dent in. They needed the ammo, though. His team would be attacking Eros today, he knew from experience what a fortress the planet was. Finally, it was almost go-time. Callaghan gathered his team. "Alright. We're attacking Eros today. You may not know it, but this place is an important place to our enemies. What's more, is that they made it personal when they imprisoned Sergeant McManus and myself there. Now, then. The plan. We'll be taking a cloaked jumper in, and determine their numbers. After that, we will be looking for weaknesses in their fleet which we can exploit. As you can see, we've got plenty of explosive power to blow a few ships up. Are there any questions?" The Major explained. He wanted the plan to be clear to his people. He would have no screw-ups on his deck.

Not a half hour later, the mission was a go. John sat down in the pilot's seat and took off, gently. He led the jumper through the hole into the Gate room and dialed the planet. "Make sure SM-1 doesn't eat our breakfast while we're gone, will ya? I expect to be back for brunch" John said to the General, a small smirk appearing on his face. Then he took the Jumper out and upon arrival immediately flew clear and cloaked the thing. That was the easy part. Now came the hard part. 

[Tom Chambers]

2330
Hanger Bay
Meropis

Tom was still feeling different since his promotion along with different since he settled his differences with the Major. He also felt a little nervous, not the bad kind, the kind that kept you alert at hours like this and alive when it really mattered. They'd moved at least one armory into the jumper along with maybe two worth of C4 in crates plus what they had on them for a normal load. It was also different being dressed in the midnight black they were in, He'd not done it, at least not professionally, he was a combat engineer not an assassin, but from the what everything had played out before and while he was here, the Etruscan's were deserving of this kind of act.

Tom patted his uniform and vest pockets, for what he needed a double check, he had a metre of det cord wound up in a vest pocket of det cord it wouldn't do much by itself but if they needed something to work as a back up fuse, some burning ones which he also had on him, the det cord itself could make an excellent distraction or part of a trap, if what he had read and overheard the Etruscan soldiers were a lot harder to kill than people.

He moved in front of the Major as he gathered them up he took his black giggle hat from hanging around his neck and put it on.

"We're attacking Eros today. You may not know it, but this place is an important place to our enemies. What's more, is that they made it personal when they imprisoned Sergeant McManus and myself there. Now, then. The plan. We'll be taking a cloaked jumper in, and determine their numbers. After that, we will be looking for weaknesses in their fleet which we can exploit. As you can see, we've got plenty of explosive power to blow a few ships up. Are there any questions?"

Tom had listened and with a quick inventory of what they had on the jumper, it was pretty clear they were going to blow quite a lot up, something he was both good at doing and stopping. "Just one for now Sir, if we are discovered are we to take the contacts out and then break contact, or break contact first? Is stealth a primary mission objective? before we blow them to where ever the hell it is aliens go when they die that is."

<TAG: John Callaghan, Quinn Monaghan, Ryan Alexander>

[Quinn Monaghan]

2330
Hangar Bay
Meropis

A new mission was upon them.  And typically, Quinn would have been excited about it.  Though not this time.  The thoughts simply kept going through her mind as they worked to load the jumper with the necessary resources for their mission.  Part of her thought that SM-1 should take this mission instead.  However, they were already busy chasing down more of Lilith's leads.  They had experience with the woman, and were clearly better fit for the mission they had.  This one though... in their instance, experience could possibly be a detriment.  After setting down a small crate of grenades, her eyes found Major Callaghan... John... issuing a few orders about where to put a few of the items.  In her opinion, he shouldn't be going back... not there.  Still, he didn't appear to have any issues with going back, and it seemed that even General Conway was ready to sign off on it, so why should it bother her?  Eventually, John called over the team as he had some words to share with them.

"Alright. We're attacking Eros today. You may not know it, but this place is an important place to our enemies. What's more, is that they made it personal when they imprisoned Sergeant McManus and myself there. Now, then. The plan. We'll be taking a cloaked jumper in, and determine their numbers. After that, we will be looking for weaknesses in their fleet which we can exploit. As you can see, we've got plenty of explosive power to blow a few ships up. Are there any questions?
"

The one question that she wanted to ask was the one that she knew that she couldn't.  He'd all but admitted that it'd been made personal when he and McManus were captured back there. She wanted to be sure that it being personal didn't mean that it became reckless.  That he didn't go racing off as he had when the city had been overrun.  That is actions didn't endanger the team as a whole.  Though, Quinn said nothing.  She trusted John... trusted him to do what was necessary to bring this team home.  She only hoped that her trust wasn't misplaced on this mission.

"Just one for now Sir, if we are discovered are we to take the contacts out and then break contact, or break contact first? Is stealth a primary mission objective? before we blow them to where ever the hell it is aliens go when they die that is."


Quinn's eyes fell on Tom. He had a sound question.  The last thing they wanted was for their position to be given away, or their very presence to be announced.  Once that happened, their mission was effectively over.  There was no way that they could fight the entire Etruscan force stationed their.  A planetary-scale force was one thing, but there was no telling what was waiting for them in orbit.  "Corporal, it's imperative that they not know we're there for as long as possible," Quinn said.  "The minute our cover is blown, they will flock to the Stargate to defend it... and there's no telling what resources they have in orbit.  In either scenario, one team and one jumper against that collective force are not odds in our favor."

Her eyes shifted to John.  "I'd recommend we take an upclose look at their communications network," said Quinn.  "Just to make sure that eliminating one doesn't alert the others.  If there are scheduled check-ins and they miss one...."  Quinn's voice trailed off as she figured her point had gotten across.  "The last thing we want is for someone to start looking for something that's wrong.  Someone not answering can be explained away by malfunction or incompetence.  Not being able to make contact at all raises more suspicion.  I suggest contacts."  Quinn looked to John.  It was ultimately his call, and she certainly wouldn't argue with his decision.

TAG: John Callaghan, Tom Chambers, Ryan Alexander

[Ryan Alexander]

2331
Hanger Bay
Meropis

Ryan had been helping carry the rest of the gear into the back of the jumper. Couldn’t help but be excited about being a part of an off world team, it was why he had accepted his appointment into the Stargate program. He couldn’t help but feel he was part of some science fiction show. He Listened as the Major and gave them briefing. Ryan wasn’t sure how he felt about John, he hadn’t served with him before but he had read the report about his tantrum in the gate room, and as a Marine that rubbed him the wrong way. However, the Major was in Command, and Ryan would follow his orders to the best of his ability.

"Just one for now Sir, if we are discovered are we to take the contacts out and then break contact, or break contact first? Is stealth a primary mission objective? before we blow them to where ever the hell it is aliens go when they die that is." Ryan silently nodded to himself in agreement, he had been thinking the same thing. "Corporal, it's imperative that they not know we're there for as long as possible," Ryan had turned his attention to Captain Monaghan as she finished her explanation to Tom and then made her suggestion to Callaghan.

Ryan made sure to secure the munitions that he had brought aboard. He had spoken yet as there weren’t any questions that he had had that hadn’t already been answered or been asked. He waited patiently for Major Callaghan to make is decision.

John Callaghan, Quinn Monaghan, Tom Chambers

[John Callaghan]

2335
Meropis/Eros

"You make an excellent point, Corporal. And like the Captain says, the moment they know we're there they'll take the gate and defend it from anything. Which is why we will run like smoke and oakum, and outrun them. We cannot. I repeat, CANNOT, be discovered. So yes, Captain, we will be going to their comms facility first. Following that, I want all of you to keep an eye out for their power systems, and for their arsenal. Place charges there and along any weakpoints we find. That should ensure their destruction. Now, then. If that was all." John explained everything to his team. He hoped everything was clear now. The motto to his parent unit, First Recon, shot into his head. 'Swift, Silent, Deadly.' While he was explaining this, another Marine entered the Jumper. He wasn't really part of the team, and he wouldn't go further than guarding the Jumper once they'd have arrived.

John guided the Jumper through the Gate and upon arrival to their destination he got out of there as fast as he could. Gun emplacements. They were already defending the Gate, it seemed. He hit the cloak button and flew away. A couple of minutes later, the settlement, and with it the palace came into view. The memory of his entrancement by this damn Alien, and that of his short imprisonment shot into his mind. The Major managed to shrug it off by focusing on the flying, though.

The Jumper got closer and closer to the settlement, and John started looking around for a place to land in the dense forest surrounding the town. The forest was to their favour. They would be able to move on the palace unseen for a large part. After a few minutes he spotted a place where he could land. A quick estimation told him that they'd have to walk for about twenty minutes. Running it'd be more like ten minutes. That was close enough, but still far enough for nosy villagers to not bother them. The Major gently set the Jumper down and stood up from the pilot's seat.

Then he walked into the back compartment and looked at the Gunnery Sergeant. "Gunny, keep 'er running, will ya?" he asked, smiling. After the Gunnery Sergeant acknowledged it, the Major hit the button to lower the ramp, and then stepped out. "Let's go, team" he said.

[Tom Chambers]

2336
Meropis/Eros

Tom had before been accused of asking too many questions, but on more than one occasion he'd both not been blown up or had other injured, so he was always going to ask as many as he felt neccesary, and for today it was one, the rules of engagement. "Corporal, it's imperative that they not know we're there for as long as possible, The minute our cover is blown, they will flock to the Stargate to defend it... and there's no telling what resources they have in orbit. In either scenario, one team and one jumper against that collective force are not odds in our favor." Tom nodded in understanding, he was going to have to be like one of the men from THE regiment, they all were, ghosts that what they had to be.

It was then the Captain turned to the Major to discuss strategy. "I'd recommend we take an up close look at their communications network, Just to make sure that eliminating one doesn't alert the others. If there are scheduled check-ins and they miss one.... The last thing we want is for someone to start looking for something that's wrong. Someone not answering can be explained away by malfunction or incompetence. Not being able to make contact at all raises more suspicion. I suggest contacts." They could perhaps cause some very minor though problematic damage to some important or central communications equipment, maybe a relay tower or something of a similar nature could suddenly have some power or equipment failures.

"You make an excellent point, Corporal. And like the Captain says, the moment they know we're there they'll take the gate and defend it from anything. Which is why we will run like smoke and oakum, and outrun them. We cannot. I repeat, CANNOT, be discovered. So yes, Captain, we will be going to their comms facility first. Following that, I want all of you to keep an eye out for their power systems, and for their arsenal. Place charges there and along any weakpoints we find. That should ensure their destruction. Now, then. If that was all." Tom shook his head, he had nothing more, not yet at least. 

He moved into the Jumper with the rest of the team as he checked the suppressor of his P90 before he sat down in the back section of the Jumper.

The jumper and its pilot, Major Callaghan went through the pregate checks and maneuvers, quickly enough they were through the gate, flying high and cloaked.

One they landed he stood up and raised his P90 a little not aimed but ready. As the Major stepped out the rest of the team followed.

<TAG: John Callaghan, Quinn Monaghan, Ryan Alexander>

[Quinn Monaghan]

2339
Eros

"You make an excellent point, Corporal. And like the Captain says, the moment they know we're there they'll take the gate and defend it from anything. Which is why we will run like smoke and oakum, and outrun them. We cannot. I repeat, CANNOT, be discovered. So yes, Captain, we will be going to their comms facility first. Following that, I want all of you to keep an eye out for their power systems, and for their arsenal. Place charges there and along any weakpoints we find. That should ensure their destruction. Now, then. If that was all."

Quinn made note of the parameters that Major Callaghan had laid out.  She had to admit, so far so good.  Part of her was beginning to think that she was perhaps too worried.  John could separate the mission from anything personal.  At least, she hoped that would continue to be the case.  As the Jumper moved through the gate with the cloak engaged, the vessel soon came to a landing.  As the team proceeded to secure their gear, John reached up and lowered the ramp.  Quinn took a deep breath and moved out of the Jumper, her boots touching down on the earth.  She looked around, securing the area, her P90 held level as she checked the immediate surroundings.  Once she was satisfied, she lowered her weapon and took out a handheld scanner.  She swiveled a few times as she tried to get her bearings, and then replaced the scanner into a holster on her left leg.

"First target looks to be about half a click east of here," Quinn said.  She then pointed.  "We get to the crest of that ridge, we should have a vantage point to determine our best means of approach, as well as, determine how far out they are patrolling the perimeter."  

She knew that she wasn't saying anything the Major didn't already know.  Still, while they needed to be quick, they needed to be smart.  Going in blind would not only jeopardize the mission, but their lives as well.  None of them wanted that.  Her eyes turned skyward.  While they had to be on the look out for threats on the ground, she wanted to make certain that they didn't have any hover or aerial vehicles that ventured out to establish an even larger perimeter than they were expecting.

TAG: John Callaghan, Tom Chambers, Ryan Alexander

[Ryan Alexander]

2340
Eros

Ryan stepped out of the Jumper a little excited, though he made sure to hide it from the rest of the team. This was only his second time off world, and it was even more exilarting than the first. Drawing upon hours and hours of practice, Ryan began to Fan out from the jumper, his M4 at the ready. He was about to say clear when he heard the Captain start speaking.

“First target looks to be about half a click east of here. We get to the crest of that ridge, we should have a vantage point to determine our best means of approach, as well as, determine how far out they are patrolling the perimeter."

Ryan nodded. Though he would have approached it bit differently. “Chambers, do you still have that Kino? We can use it like a UAV if you do.” Ryan pointed out, trying to find a way to decrease their risk of detection.

Tag: John Callaghan, Quinn Monaghan, Tom Chambers

[Tom Chambers]

2341
Eros

As they exited the Jumper Captain Monaghan took a read of their situation she was good, however it was always going to be difficult on a mission like this, something his training told him might be in the spot just slightly to the left of impossible, however they had to make to it work and surely three marines and a skip digger could manage to man handle the situation to a win, couldn't they?

"First target looks to be about half a click east of here," Quinn said. She then pointed. "We get to the crest of that ridge, we should have a vantage point to determine our best means of approach, as well as, determine how far out they are patrolling the perimeter."

Looking around his surroundings he focused his mind away from flying and to situational awareness, they needed to not get killed or captured those would surely give them away. He however agreed, the higher they got the more they could see, hopefully and high ground was always good,though one thing he was keenly aware of was traps, they could take any form, from an ambush to a mine however crude they could be made, that he'd learned figuring out how to dispose of them.

“Chambers, do you still have that Kino? We can use it like a UAV if you do.” He looked over at the Marine staff sergeant, he would admit he didn't know what a kino was, he was still trying to remember all of this new stuff but one thing he did remember was the weird opaque white hand computer called a life signs detector he had in a vest pocket. "No, the jumper should have a life signs detector unless the Captain or the major have already perused it." He was as ready as he ever would be.

<TAG:John Callaghan, Quinn Monaghan, Ryan Alexander>

[John Callaghan]

2345
Eros

"Aye, let's do that" John said. The Captain made a good suggestion. John expected no less from her. She'd been sharp -sharper than him- since the two of them were working together in SG-21. That's exactly why he had recommended her for OCS, and exactly why he wanted her on his team.

"I got a kino in my pack" John said as he took his backpack from his back. He opened it and fished out the sphere. He threw it at the Staff Sergeant, and then fished out the tablet used as the controller. He realized throwing it wasn't the best way to take care of an item that's pretty rare in these parts. "I assume you know how to handle this thing?" he then asked as he handed the Staff Sergeant the tablet.

As for the life signs detector, he had one in his vest... Somewhere. He'd know where it was when he needed it, and right now, he didn't need it.

The team cautiously moved towards the ridge, their rifles at the ready. Silenced, of course. They wouldn't want to attract attention should they have to use their rifles. Though it was preferable that they didn't. Of course. It didn't take them long to traverse the 500 metres. The Major crouched at the ridge, and took his binoculars from his pack. He looked at the palace. That damned place. That palace was their end target, though. And by God, did he want to blow that place up. Then he looked at what seemd to be the communications centre. A large building with antennae on the roof. There weren't much guards in sight, but his view was blocked in several places, and they might also be inside.

John handed the binoculars to the Captain and then turned to his right, to the Staff Sergeant. "Staff Sergeant, tell me what you see with the Kino." he said. 

[Plot Twist]

2348
K3X-779, 'Eros'
Triangulum Galaxy

Nightfall had given SM-2 the cover they'd needed to avoid detection. Now, with the rain starting to come in, the team had set out on foot to a nearby ridge to observe the battlefield. Before them they could make out great shadowy shapes rolling into the distance lined with an army of tiny flickering lights constantly moving around. The Kino was able to use its night vision mode and show the team more than they could see with the naked eye. In the foreground remained the Erosian Palace that Callaghan and McManus had become familiar with many weeks ago, beyond that... Nothing else remained.

Etruscan mother ships littered the landscape as far as the Kino could make out. The horizon was blotted with the outline of yet more of them. These ships hadn't landed with any great care, no, they had fallen upon this world from the skies and flattened everything in their path. Forests had been demolished and towns had been burned to ruin by the enormous alien engines. Etruscan soldiers, human looking, were clad in metallic armour that the rain ran straight off. Some carried torch lights, all carried threatening looking alien rifles. They were equally matched if not outnumbered by thin, emaciated slaves clad only in rags. Some crawled in the mud and toiled away, even at night, carrying out routine tasks for the soldiers. Others were tied by chain and hacked away at old Erosian buildings, destroying their very homes to provide raw materials for the alien race.

The Kino, operated by a member of SM-2, focused itself again and picked out something else of interest. The seven foot Etruscan created warlords that had attacked Meropis previously, roamed through the fields, townships and groups of soldiers. There wasn't many of them, one for every ten human soldiers it seemed. But they were tough looking and showed no hint that the night nor the rainy conditions bothered them. The team watched on the Kino screen as one of these beasts slowly approached a frightened Erosian slave. It appeared that this slave had decided enough was enough and had downed tools to run, but he had been spotted. The slave tried to run but fell, he then set about a desperate crawl as the hulking beast loomed over him. The team could only watch from the far, far distance as the beast grabbed the slave by his throat. It hauled the man up into air before taking hold of his waist with it's other, enormous hand. The creature then effortlessly cracked the slave's back over it's knee before discarding the limp, lifeless body to the ground.

As it walked away, still not showing any hint of emotion, two further soldiers approached the corpse pointing. A further four slaves ran to their aid and set about removing the body. The Kino focused elsewhere, whoever was operating the device had seen enough.

<tag John Callaghan Tom Chambers Quinn Monaghan Ryan Alexander>

[Quinn Monaghan]

2353
K3X-779, 'Eros'

Triangulum Galaxy

"What the hell was that?" asked Quinn.  She was certain that she had said what was on all of their minds after watching the senseless massacre.  Of course, that was hardly the only thing on their minds.  As far as reconnaissance went, they had certainly stumbled on one hell of a pebble of information.  The number of ships was certainly more than she had anticipated from the intelligence reports.  It seemed to be nearly a fully established foothold.  Quinn took one last look through the binoculars that John had passed to her before giving them back to him.  She sighed.  She knew that the numbers didn't matter... not to John.  They were going in.  Though, she wanted to make sure that they were coming out as well.

"There looks like there's a small break in their defenses on the west end," she pointed out.  "The sentry tower doesn't have a full vantage point of that area.  We time it right, we can infiltrate from there.  Of course, we also need to think exit.  If we don't commandeer some sort of transport, they'll nab us long before we make it back to the jumper."  The rain continued to fall down upon them all, but it was an afterthought compared to what they were facing.  Of course, while the rain provided additional cover, it also slowed their ability to move.

"So, are comms still the primary?" Quinn asked.  A long sigh left her lips.  "Because I don't know how many of those ships we can take down.  Especially, if we factor in collateral damage."  It felt like an ugly word to utter, but that's what those slaves would become: collateral damage.  Though, the four of them field a revolution on their own, especially knowing only what they did.  "There are a few armory and supply keeps that we could hit, but those ships...."  Quinn's voice trailed off.  While she wanted the mission to be a success, she was also interested in making certain that the entire team went back through the gate and to Meropis.

<TAG: John Callaghan, Tom Chambers, Ryan Alexander>

[Tom Chambers]

2345-2355
Eros

Luckily it seemed they had everything they needed, along with one of these Kino's he was probably one of the few to admit he didn't know everything they had available he'd mostly been concerned with repairing the city, forcing himself not to strangle the bothersome scientists and the many and varied emergencies the base seemed to go through.

As they moved up to the lip of the ridge they were probably all ready for one of the Etruscan soldiers to come charging up it, luckily however none did, but what they witnessed on the other hand was probably worse than even the some of the worst things he'd seen back home, and that rather worryingly for this situation included injured and dead children, however watching a society that valued life, human life at probably less that a slave might have been valued on Earth was another thing all together.

It wasn't even like the alien had shot him, it had probably not even directly killed the person, broken his back and made the person unable to survive was worse than shooting them, at least that way you didn't suffer for hours or days on end before finally dying.

Surveying the situation it was clear if they were found they'd be better off taking their own lives than putting themselves at the mercy of the Etruscan soldiers. However still on mission he observed what Captain Monaghan was describing.

"There looks like there's a small break in their defenses on the west end, The sentry tower doesn't have a full vantage point of that area. We time it right, we can infiltrate from there. Of course, we also need to think exit. If we don't commandeer some sort of transport, they'll nab us long before we make it back to the jumper." Maybe a distraction as they pulled out, but there wasn't much that could he could think of that made sense, creating an explosion would draw some nearby, but it would certainly raise the alarm, and setting it off once they were fund out, which from his point of view was inevitable was hardly a plan.

"So, are comms still the primary? Because I don't know how many of those ships we can take down. Especially, if we factor in collateral damage." The Corproal knew exactly what she meant, the human slaves, they weren't combatants, and it had often been his job back on earth to make it safer for these kinds of people, in fact he'd gone through very strict instructions and courses on how to avoid collateral damage. "Who knows what happens when their weapons or star ships go up, they could destroy the entire planet." The Major might have had a problem with him having ahead on his shoulders, but he wasn't going to become a war criminal just to accomplish a mission, not when the only risks they could factor in was their own survival against possibly thousands of indentured servants.

"There are a few armory and supply keeps that we could hit, but those ships...." He trained his eyes over as much as he could, see so many armed hostiles, too many for them to hope to survive, however he was going to keep quite, if he'd felt anything about this mission, it was that now, Tom was somewhat glad he didn't have the burden of command, because for him it would have been an easy choice, they wouldn't go in.

<TAG:John Callaghan, Ryan Alexander, Quinn Monaghan>

((OOC: Tom honestly believes they are pretty much already as good as dead.)

[John Callaghan]

0005
Eros

"I've seen enough" John said after the Alien commander killed that poor girl. He turned away from the tablet and started thinking of his options. He and his team could continue on and plant the explosives aboard the ships. As a result, though, the local populace was most likely going to be punished. As witnessed by the display just now, these Aliens didn't seem to know how to play nice. John had sworn revenge on these Aliens, but he wasn't about to condemn an entire planet of humans to get it. The only other option he could think of was to abort the mission and go home. In that case, he would've liked to plant a few subspace trackers... If they had any to plant...

The Major stepped away from the ridge. He needed to make a decision. After a few moments, he decided to put it to a vote. This wasn't a call he could make on his own, without consulting his team. "Okay team, gather up and take a knee." John said as he waited for his team to gather round. "Right. As I see it, we have two options here. Number one" the Major raised his index finger. "We continue with the mission. Plant the explosives and kill some aliens. As a result, the people of this planet will most likely be blamed. You all know my desire to get payback. I don't know about you three, but I'm not about to have these innocent people put to the sword for something we did. And as you just saw, they are capable of simply killing everyone." he said.

He took a few seconds to let the first option sink in with everyone. Then he continued. "Or number two," he said, raising his middle finger in addition to his index finger. "We abort the mission and return to base. They're preparing for an assault, and most likely we are on their list. Destroying these ginormous ships would seriously hamper their ability to do so. If we go with this option, we will have to find a way to hit them another time."

Again, he took a few seconds to let it all sink in. "I want your opinions, people. This team isn't normally a democracy, but in matters regarding the destruction of entire civilization, I want your votes. I have no vote in this right now. If the majority of you say to go on with the mission, we will go on. I will take full blame for everything. If the majority says to abort, we abort. Again, I will take full blame for the failure of the mission. Either way, we need to sort this out. I'll give you three a few minutes. Come see me when you've made a decision."

There. That was all. Having said that, John moved away from the group. Just far enough so he couldn't hear what they were saying, but close enough to still be able to have eyes on them. He was on overwatch now, and had to keep an eye out for the enemy as well.

[Quinn Monaghan]

0005
Eros

Quinn listened as John presented them with the options.  She had to admit, she was actually glad that he was considering aborting the mission.  Part of her had been worried that he'd be so determined to exact vengeance, that his ability to command would be compromised.  Suffice it to say, she was relieved to see that wasn't the case.  Of course, now, with the options laid out before them, Quinn felt obligated to give her opinion.  Regardless of Callaghan's words, it may sound like it was a choice, but ultimately, it was his decision to make.

"Well, sir," she began, "I think you're right.  If we proceed our mission of reconnaissance becomes a suicide run.  And any attempts at sabotage could essentially put the lives of the natives in imminent danger.  So, I do believe aborting the mission and returning to Meropis with the intel we have would be the prudent course of action."  Quinn turned to look over the ridge once more.  "The best chance we'd ever have of sabotaging a force that large would be a strafing run by the Sun Tzu.  Of course, without knowing the defenses they have in place in orbit, that would have about as much a chance of succeeding as we do."

<TAG: John Callaghan, Tom Chambers, Ryan Alexander>