The rest of the journey went surprisingly smooth. Having a diplomatic envoy on board took care of any patrols they met along the journey and even saved them from cargo inspection. They arrived in the star system without incident and on time. The meeting itself took a couple of days where Eirik like he had done during most of the journey, spent his time training.
Contrary to what most of the crew believed, Eirik spent very little of this time on hand-to-hand training. He was spending his time getting used to moving and fighting in the siege armor while carrying a 2-handed weapon, and also getting in practice with said weapon. The m134 Minigun was outdated, to say the least, but its destructive firepower was still formidable. And Eirik was betting everything he had on the combined firepower of 4 of these to get him down to his brothers and back out again.
He had also spent time studying the map layout he had purchased from the Infiltrator and had, to his dismay, discovered that his brothers were located near the metaphorical heart of the underground complex. Getting to the complex was not difficult. Enter the prison and take the stairways located in the security station a few rooms over. Once underground, however, he was going to have to cross several checkpoints and go down multiple floors with increasing amounts of resistance. He wasn't worried. As long as the entrance was held and he had a way out, he was certain he would succeed. All they needed was speed and brutality. Just like their ancestors in their longboats.
He also spent time in the armory, packing a duffle bag to bring with him so he could arm his brothers once they were freed. Having more guns on your side was only going to be a win, and he was certain his brothers were hungry for revenge. He also put some food supplies, some water, and as many first aid supplies as he could think of, in there.
Knud gave him a mass casualty trauma kit to bring with him as well. Peter was a trained field surgeon and could keep them alive, with the right supplies, if the worst should happen.
Jesper volunteered to be one of the 3 that went inside with Eirik, along with the 2 veterans Eirik had used before. Jeanette held a ceremony where she handed them small talismans of protection to be worn on their person. Eirik received 4 extra that had different runes carved in them. After studying them for a bit he had looked at Jeanette with surprise and said, "Rites of healing?"
"Indeed," Jeanette had replied, "I sense your brothers are in bad health." She had refused to elaborate any further, only maintaining that he was to give them to his brothers at the first chance he got.
Even Old Pan came by with a bunch of small bars covered in cloth. "homemade high-value energy bars. Prisoners are never fed well enough" He had grumbled as he handed them to Eirik and trotted back to his kitchen without waiting for a reply.
Signe had guaranteed that the weapons were all functional and their electrical engines were set to the highest fire rate. She also informed Eirik that she had managed to make a system that still allowed for linkless feeding into the guns from an ammunition box mounted in a slot she had installed on the back of the armor. The custom ammunition box contained 2000 rounds, making it both bulky and heavy. Reloading would have to happen with the help of a fellow soldier. At the highest setting, That was 20 seconds of continuous fire before a reload was required.
Their in-built firing mechanisms were loaded with high explosive rounds and each man was designated 2 reloads, for each weapon. This, alone, would add 52,3 kilos of extra weight. combined with the 39 kilos for the m134, the duffle bags filled with supplies, more weapons, and ammunition for said weapons, and even wearing siege armor they would be straining to move at top speed. But Eirik knew that they would wish for the weight back once their ammunition was getting low.
Once everything was ready, all Eirik could do was lean back and wait for the diplomats to stop diplomating. After 3 days of near-constant talking and deliberation, they finished up. Eirik's still had no idea what the meeting was about, and to be honest, he didn't care. He was craving to get started but he had to wait and play nice.
At last, Jensen came back to the ship and he had barely left his shuttle with his honor guard before Eirik's ship was moving to the planet with the correct prison. Eirik was gathering with all of his pack members and offensive soldiers in the armory, going over their part of the plan when Jensen and his honor guard entered.
"Perfect timing," Eirik exclaimed, already wearing his siege armor and resting his hand on the m134, You will hold the entrance open together with the rest of my soldiers while Jesper, I, and these 2 fine gentlemen," Eirik gestured to the 2 veterans also wearing siege armor along with Eirik and Jesper," Enter the prison and free the captives.
"Prison? Captives? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!!?" Jensen shouted as he tried to make sense of what was happening. "Why are you dressed for battle? We had a very successful meeting resulting in sanctions against the Kloxna!" He continued before being cut off by Eirik.
"Do you remember your history, Jensen?" Eirik's voice cut through Jensen's tirade and Jensens just looked at him. "Do you remember the Plyxii offensive?? Specifically, our final operation that resulted in the Plyxii seeking peace talks?" Eirik continued.
"I remember," Jensen said, quite confused with the mention of history, "We lost 4 commando troopers during that operation. May they rest in peace."
"They were never killed..." Eirik let the words hang in the air as Jensen, the diplomat that he was, first furrowed his brow in concentration at this piece of news, then recoiled in horror as he envisioned the political ramifications for not only keeping 4 Terrans prisoner after the war ended but to openly lie about their death while keeping them prisoner. "...This could start a new war with the Plyxii..." He muttered, utterly breathless at the thought.
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"Which is why I plan to take them back from the Plyxii! They deserve freedom!" Eirik was getting worked up and Jensen could not understand why.
"What do they mean to you, Captain? You seem more invested than I would expect you to be" He asked, but at the sight of the vein that started pulsing in Eirik's temple, he wondered if he had overstepped.
After a silence that seemed to drag on forever, Eirik finally looked Jensen in the eye as he answered. "Those 4 soldiers are my brothers! Now, keep quiet and let the professionals do their work!!"
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2 hours later they arrived in orbit around the planet in question and with a final instruction to David concerning the arrival of the rest of his troops, Eirik, Jesper, and the 2 veterans pulled their helmets on and the pressurization of the suits could be heard with a hiss of air. As they walked into the airlock, Jensen spoke up. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD ARE YOU DOING, MAN?!??!??" But was stopped from approaching by David who mumbled in his ear "We cannot give away all our secrets. Just watch and learn what kind of man you are looking at" The 4 men entered the airlock and it cycled.
5 minutes later a red lamp shone in the airlock and the 4 men kicked off.
10 minutes later they slammed into the ground only 500 meters from the prison, The guards milled about in the distance, but no one approached them. Their suits cycled the hot air for the cooler air outside as they all got up and confirmed their safe arrival, they checked their weapons and waited for the shuttle to come down. The shuttles were carrying the duffle bags with gear that would not have survived re-entry into the atmosphere.
After they finally arrived and the men got organized, Eirik and his 3 men lumbered towards the prison, severely weighed down by all the equipment. As they came within 100 meters, 2 light military vehicles drove out of the prison, headed for them. As they came to a stop, Eirik activated the speaker modification Signe had installed in his helmet and spoke first, "You are blocking my way. Leave, or be disintegrated!!" The helmet distorted his voice to a half robotic mess but the words were clear enough.
The response he received was a warning shot, well over their heads. "Let them rip!!" he ordered and he heard their 4 barrels spin up. For a few moments, the world was nothing but the sound of gunfire and tracer rounds as the 2 vehicles were torn to shreds under the combined firepower of the 4 miniguns. At the end of the barrage, the 2 vehicles exploded. leaving the 2 vehicles as mangled skeletons of their former glory.
Without hesitation, the 4 men in siege armor swept their guns over the top of the walls and the towers that were visible from outside the prison, turning any guard foolish enough to think of retaliating, into a yellow smear of blood and meaty chunks where they had stood.
While the barrage was underway, the regular soldiers charged forward, firing their weapons in short controlled bursts at anything that might hold an enemy inside, to keep them pinned down. After 10 seconds of mayhem had passed, Eirik and his men stopped firing, the barrels glowing red with the friction of a thousand bullets fired, and advanced in silence. The outside of the prison looked like it had been under military siege for weeks, with corpses, blood smears, rubble, and ruined building facades littering the area. Eirik stopped 25 meters from the main entrance. According to the maps, There was a long corridor behind this door where reinforcements would pour out. The long hallway was made so they could come out at a running speed, like a battering ram. Effective against prison riots, Truly horrible against a waiting firing line with heavy weapons.
As the doors were knocked open by what seemed to be an ocean of Plyxii guards coming down the corridor, every single man present opened fire into the corridor. The carnage was unbelievable. Those in the back were sprayed with the blood and entrails of those in front who were more or less turned to mist under the combined firepower of 4 miniguns and 53 assault rifles and shotguns. Those that got sprayed started to panic and tried turning around, only to get tangled up with those that still had not understood what was going on further ahead.
The result was short and incredibly brutal. The corridor looked like someone had exploded cans of yellow paint inside from the blood of the dead Plyxii guards. Eirik was not encouraged. He had not seen a single ranged weapon, which meant that this had only been the riot control force. They had yet to breach the complex as well, but cross that bridge when they got to it.
The diplomat's honor guard took up a position inside the courtyard alongside Eirik's men. If they lost this entrance point, he would have no exit and was doomed. The internal security team was on standby and ready to reinforce if needed, but that was the last resort. As Eirik readied himself to enter the corridor where the mission could begin properly, 4 men arrived, each carrying an extra ammunition box that Eirik had not packed. IT made sense though. Here, they had the chance to resupply from the ship. Inside he would only have what he was carrying. They got fresh ammunition for their miniguns and headed inside, setting a course for the security station.
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Peter was in despair. This latest transfer seemed to have drained the last will to fight on from his brothers. They longer did anything if he didn't tell them to. They just sat on the floor and stared into the wall, uncaring of everything around them. Like empty shells, just waiting for death to claim them.
Suddenly, an alarm went off and lights started flashing along the corridor outside their cell. That had never happened before, not once in all their captivity had anything unplanned happened.
"Mads, Matthias, Jonas, something is happening!! It might be Eirik, finally coming to free us!!" He shook his brothers as he spoke with an ecstatic voice, He had to keep his spirit up for his younger brothers' sake. He thought he saw a flicker of light in their eyes before they turned dull and dead again.
"You'll see!! He will be here soon!!" He continued as he went over to the iron bars and leaned against them to look down the corridor.
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Eirik, Jesper, and the 2 others found the security station easily enough and dispatched the Plyxii guards inside. They made their way down the stairs that led to the beginning of the complex and headed straight for the next set of stairs. The Plyxii had moved them around on each floor, preventing prisoners from reaching the ground level quickly.
They met little resistance as they made their way along the 1st floor, but as soon as they went down to the 2nd floor, they walked into an ambush. Eirik turned a corner and caught 3 glancing shots on his right arm before he managed to scramble back behind the corner. Jesper's gun was already spinning as he put the barrel around the corner and hosed down the barrier the Plyxii had established in the corridor. The 2 veterans used this break in the enemy fire to turn the corner and aim properly, turning the barricade into dust, along with the soldiers behind it, in less than 2 seconds.
These ambush points became more regular as they advanced on the 2nd level. When they reached the stairs to the 3rd level, Eirik stopped them. Eirik grabbed one of the more intact corpses and flung it down the stairs, only to see a barrage of fire stream past the opening,
"Alright, here is what we do," He said over their private comm channel and gestured them closer.