There was another loud explosion from outside the complex and the entire ground seemed to shake. The two Volunteers guarding the entrance to the room jumped nervously but no more of the enemy had appeared.
This was supposed to be a simple assignment, retrieve some information from an abandoned Taelon facility on what was now a disputed world. They should have known better. Their squad, while the best and most efficient among the Volunteer battalions, contained the most troublemakers. It was a strange fact that the Taelons had found out, even the Volunteers supposedly loyal to the Taelon cause, had troublemakers. More than that, the squads they were in could be trusted with the most dangerous and difficult assignments, they seemed to relish the challenge. It had been written off as just another human peculiarity.
Not this time though, nothing was proceeding as usual. Half the squad had been left behind on the Mothership while the rest of them had accompanied Agent Sandoval to this world. This information required someone with the security access level of Protector to retrieve it.
Right from the start things had gone badly. Taelon intelligence reports had been faulty, either that or they had neglected to tell the squad about the regiment of Jaridians on site. The battle had been fierce but with the added benefit of Sandoval's skrill they had successfully made it inside the complex and retrieved the data. Unfortunately Sandoval had been injured and they were now cut off from their escape route.
Perkins and Johnson were guarding the door, Todd was doing her best to tend to the injured Sandoval; that left Harold and Menzies to send the coded signal to the Mothership.
"Yes, sir. We have retrieved the data. No sir, we encountered severe resistance. There was a Jaridian regiment on site. Agent Sandoval has been injured sir. His current status, sir? Unconscious, sir."
The two Volunteers sending the signal were standing there rolling their eyes. Didn't the Taelon supervisor realise they were in deep trouble?!
"Sir, yes sir. We are secure for now. We need immediate assistance dispatched to this site."
"Well?" asked Perkins from the door.
"We wait. Help will be dispatched upon approval from Zo'or, not before."
Todd groaned, "We're screwed!"
Unsurprisingly enough Zo'or had not been that concerned when he had been informed of the predicament Sandoval and the Volunteers had found themselves in. He had the same view as most of the Taelons when it came to the Volunteers, that being, there are always more where they came from.
The fact that Sandoval was with this squad was an added bonus. He didn't trust the implant but the Synod would question any move he made against such a seemingly loyal and trustworthy agent. This solved his problem for him. The loss of the information was a blow but it was doubtful the Jaridians would bother to search for the information the team had been sent for. The team would probably be considered a rear-guard left behind to ensure all other personnel were safely evacuated. When the Jaridians moved on they could then send another team in.
One thing Zo'or had not taken into account was the fact that one of the Volunteers that was on duty on the bridge while he had received this report was part of the same squad, one of the group left behind.
As soon as he finished his duty-shift and left the bridge he went in search of the remainder of his squad.
In hushed tones Johansson filled in his squad. "They're in trouble. Zo'or plans to wait and send a second team in to retrieve the data after the Jaridians move on."
It was a deeply concerned group that pondered their next move. Obviously they would try and ensure that they were part of the next team sent to the planet. Unlike Zo'or they believed that their friends could elude capture by the Jaridians, they were going to need help getting out though. It shouldn't be too hard to ensure they were the squad sent, they were the best after all. The main problem would be who was sent along with them. They had alienated most of the Companion Protectors that they had served with, basically because they found they worked better without interference.
Suddenly Sanchez grinned. "I've got it. We'll contact Kincaid. He'll go after Sandoval, you know he will. We can work with him, he's good!"
Michaels, Piper, Chang and Johansson glanced at each other and nodded their agreement. Kincaid was one of the best Protectors they had ever worked with, he listened to suggestions and more to the point he followed advice!
Besides, there was something odd about him. He served the Taelons, he didn't seem to like most of them though. As for Sandoval, Kincaid always seemed to work well with him, all the Volunteers knew he had saved Sandoval's life on more than one occasion. He was definitely their best bet.
Sanchez made the call and explained the situation. As expected Kincaid agreed. He said that as soon as he briefed Da'an he'd head for the Mothership.
A couple of hours later Liam's shuttle docked with the Mothership. Ostensibly he was there to retrieve some information for Da'an. They had decided that would be the easiest way for Liam to turn up on the Mothership without arousing too much suspicion.
When he exited the shuttle Sanchez was waiting for him. She quickly and quietly gave him more details of the situation Sandoval and the others had landed in.
Liam quickly carried out his assigned task from Da'an. He then made his way to the bridge.
"Zo'or, I have been informed that there was a problem with Agent Sandoval's last mission. Was he able to retrieve the information?"
"Ah, Major Kincaid. I wasn't expecting you."
If the situation wasn't so funny Liam might have laughed. The sight of a Taelon acting like someone caught in the act of wilful wrongdoing was really funny.
"Is there a mission to retrieve the personnel and information underway?"
"With the Jaridian presence on planet it is highly unlikely that six mere humans will still be alive."
"Will you be sending another mission to retrieve the data? I must report this situation to Da'an."
In an irritated tone of voice Zo'or asked, "Are you volunteering, Major? Considering what has happened to Agent Sandoval, do you really think you want to go in his place?"
Liam never even hesitated. He knew if he irritated Zo'or enough he would be presented with an opportunity like this. With exactly the correct protocol to ensure Zo'or could have no reason to refuse he said, "Yes, I'll go. Request permission to proceed."
Zo'or, realising he had talked his way into this situation, acquiesced with ill grace.
"Request permission to take the remaining members of the Volunteer squad that was assigned to Agent Sandoval. They know their comrades best, they will be able to more accurately predict what their actions might have been when Jaridians were encountered on site. Having trained together they will be likely to work the terrain in the same manner."
"Very well. Anything else?"
Zo'or simply wanted the Major gone by this point. With any luck he might suffer a similar fate to Sandoval. It was something to hope for.
"Request permission to use one of the new larger shuttles. It would be a good opportunity to test their use in rescue operations. If any survivors are retrieved we will need the extra space."
Zo'or agreed and Liam left the bridge before he could change his mind. Sanchez and Johansson were waiting in the corridor with anxious expressions on their faces.
"We leave in an hour. Go get the rest of your squad and requisition the weapons you'll need. My authorisation under direction of Zo'or."
The Volunteers heaved a sigh of relief and rushed off. Liam stood for a moment in the corridor, just thinking, Dad, you better be alive when I get there or I'll kill you myself.
The flight to the planet had been uneventful but stress-filled. Everyone on board was lost in their own thoughts, worried about the situation they would find. They came out of ID-space on the far side of the planet hoping to avoid early Jaridian detection. Using conventional drive Liam manoeuvred the shuttle to within a few miles of the complex, that was the last reported position they had of Sandoval and the Volunteers. Piper, the pilot member of the squad, had watched in awe as Liam had flown this shuttle. He was by far the best shuttle pilot he had ever seen, then he remembered, the late Captain Marquette had trained him. No matter what her true loyalties had been nobody denied she had been one of the best human pilots they had had, bar none.
When on the ground the Volunteers instinctively followed their own methods of reconnaissance. It suddenly occurred to them that Liam might have had other plans, Sanchez turned with an apology on her lips only to find that Liam had taken up position in the middle of the squad in an effort to cause minimal disruption to their usual routine.
"Proceed as you were, Sanchez. I'll issue orders only when necessary. Till then you and your squad do what you do best. Get us there and we'll take it from there. As soon as we sight the complex I'll send a coded burst to Sandoval's global to let them know help is here."
A worried Chang said, "If they're still alive."
Liam spoke over the irritated looks being thrown at Chang from the rest of the squad. "Sandoval's alive. There's no way he'd let anything happen to the rest of your friends."
Sanchez looked at him questioningly. "How do you know he's still alive?"
"I just do, Sanchez. Don't ask how. Sandoval lost an entire team years ago on a FBI mission before the Taelons arrived. Faulty intelligence again. He's never quite put it to rest. He's changed since. He will protect his team at all costs. If it's at all possible, your friends will still be alive. Sandoval won't let anything happen to them.
"We're wasting time and that's the one thing we don't have to spare. Let's get moving."
With that the squad moved out. They had been right to ask for Kincaid's help. They had also been right about something else, he was different. So what, he was on their side.
Just over an hour later they reached a point where the could dig in and send the message. Liam, who was far more anxious about Sandoval's safety than he had let on, sent the signal. Then all they could do was wait.
Meanwhile inside the complex...
...The situation was getting worse.
In the half day that had passed since they had sent out the call for help the small band of humans had had to move several times. Sandoval had recovered enough so that he wasn't too much of a burden to the rest, he still wasn't operating at peak efficiency though.
Each of the Volunteers was carrying wounds of their own now but so far they had managed to escape capture. They had tried to avoid killing any Jaridians knowing the second they did so they would pinpoint their location within the complex.
They were making their way down a corridor when Sandoval's global suddenly emitted a beeping noise. It was so unexpected they jerked to a halt in surprise. Sandoval recovered first, just in time to see the Jaridian soldier that appeared at the end of the corridor with his weapon aimed directly at Todd. He lunged into her knocking her out of the line of fire.
The Volunteers, realising that there was no other option, opened fire and killed the Jaridian. A shaken Todd turned to check on the man who had saved her and muttered an oath. Sandoval was lying on the floor with a vicious looking energy burn on his left shoulder. If his movement as he knocked into Todd had been just a fraction slower he would be dead, as it was he was about ready to pass out from the pain.
In a voice that echoed that pain he said, "The signal means that help is here. Find a place to leave me and move on; that's an order."
He then gave in to the pain and passed out.
Perkins spoke for them all when he said, "Not going to happen, sir, no way are we leaving you behind!"
Johnson took point, Harold and Menzies picked up Sandoval leaving Todd and Perkins to guard the rear. Finding a relatively safe place to hole up Harold sent out a coded burst on the Volunteer emergency frequency.
Moments later the five Volunteers heaved a collective sigh of relief when they heard a familiar voice answer. Sanchez was there!
A few brief and intense moments of communication followed. Hearing that the rest of their squad was there to help did much to lift the spirits of the other five. Their concern about Sandoval kept them from getting too euphoric, though.
Learning that it was Kincaid with the rest of the squad didn't really surprise them. As Todd put it, "We should have known he'd be the one to come."
A plan was quickly formulated. Those inside the complex would attempt to make their way to one of the side exits while the rest of the Volunteers outside would secure a perimeter to allow a safe egress and escape to cover nearby.
There were several tense moments inside the complex when the Volunteers felt sure they were going to be discovered but for once since this entire disastrous mission started luck was with them.
They exited the complex to find three of their friends guarding their escape route, Sanchez could be seen dragging a Jaridian body out of sight.
"Where's Chang and Kincaid?"
"They're guarding our cover position. Let's go!"
The squad made their way to cover doing their best not to jostle the still unconscious Sandoval too badly.
Reaching cover they dropped in exhaustion, all except Chang and Todd who assumed sentry duty.
Seeing Sandoval was injured, Liam dropped to his knees at his side to check on him. He looked up, concerned. "He needs urgent medical attention."
The grim faces of the Volunteers showed that they shared his concerns.
Two hours rest was all that Liam would allow them. Then the journey back to the shuttle began.
The journey back to the shuttle had taken far longer than Liam would have liked. It couldn't be helped, though. He and Sandoval were enmeshed in the middle of the Volunteer squad. They seemed to take the safety of the two Protectors personally. Neither Liam nor Sandoval quite understand why they were so over-protective. This mission with Sandoval had endangered half the squad. The rest were now also in danger, there was no guarantee that they'd make it back to the shuttle alive.
Sandoval and Liam didn't realise that the Volunteers not only trusted them, they liked them. It was not the usual reaction that Protectors received from Volunteers. These Volunteers though, had seen a Protector willingly put himself into the line of fire to save them. They had also seen another go into danger on the half chance that his colleague might still be alive and in need of rescue. That kind of courage and loyalty did more to impress this bunch of Volunteers than the authority of the Taelons ever had.
These Protectors had risked their lives to save Volunteers, the Volunteers would do no less to save them.
Eventually they had reached the spot where the shuttle had touched down, only to find a pair of Jaridians guarding the shuttle.
"Damn, now what?!" asked Perkins.
"We distract them," replied Liam.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I attract their attention and draw them away from the shuttle. You make a break for the shuttle with Sandoval and Piper flies you all out of here."
"Major, are you out of your mind?!"
"Does anybody have a better suggestion? Don't worry about me. I have an idea. Besides I'll have to deal with your other shuttle before I leave. Harold, where is it concealed, exactly?"
Sanchez gave him a look which showed him what she thought of this plan. Unfortunately, nobody did have a better idea. They all knew that it was only a matter of time before they were discovered, they had to make a move and soon. With heavy hearts and not a few misgivings the Volunteers finally agreed to the plan. Sandoval continued to put up more of an argument, but Liam just looked at him till he too gave in.
Once everyone was ready Liam burst from cover and started running east away from the shuttle. The Jaridians seeing him ran after him in pursuit, firing as they did so. Liam ran and dodged and jumped back into cover. The pursuing Jaridians did not notice the rest of the humans running towards the shuttle till it was to late. They stood firing ineffectually as the shuttle hovered for a moment and then jumped into ID.
Liam panting for breath heaved a sigh of relief to see the shuttle leave. The Volunteers and Sandoval were safe. Now came the fun part. Escaping himself.
Evading capture from an entire regiment of Jaridians on full alert and making his way back to the shuttle was not really an option. He was going to let the two Jardians that had just let the others escape catch him. Then all he had to do was break free of custody when he was close enough to where the shuttle had been hidden and escape before being recaptured. If that couldn't be done he'd destroy the shuttle himself, somehow. The Jaridians could not be allowed to get access to the ID drive.
Before he could change his mind he walked back out into the open with his hands raised in surrender. The Jaridians quickly searched him for weapons and started back for their base keeping Liam between them at all times.
As they started the march back Liam thought to himself, I hope this works.
The return of the shuttle to the Mothership had caused quite a stir. The fact that Sandoval and the others were safely returned had caused joy among the Volunteers and shock on the part of the Taelons, they had severely underestimated these humans. Da'an, the lone Taelon who had believed the humans could survive, scanned the shuttle bay for his Protector.
"Where is Liam?"
Silence descended as every other person in the bay looked at the survivors.
"He used himself as bait to distract the Jaridians and allow us to escape. He says he'll make his own way out. There is still the matter of the other shuttle."
Da'an's expression conveyed his concern, it was one shared by both Sandoval and squad. Having nothing he could do to help his Protector, Da'an made it his concern to see that everyone else involved in the mission went straight to the medical bays for care. It was the least he could do for Liam.
Back on the planet Liam had found things were not exactly going to plan. Big surprise there. His captors had met up with another patrol of Jaridians, he now had four to escape from, and not two.
Why can't things ever be simple? thought Liam.
Dusk, or what passed for dusk on this planet, was approaching and Liam knew he'd have to make a move soon. Spying an out-cropping ahead, he realised the time had come to make his move. Pretending to stumble, he jerked to a sudden stop. Quick as a flash he had shot past the two Jaridians guarding the rear. He dashed into the gloom, making as much noise as he possibly could.
He spent the next hour manoeuvring around the Jaridians in the dark. Not an easy feat at all considering their ability to switch their sight into the infra-red ranges of the spectrum. He had managed it though and spent the rest of the night sheltering on a ledge below the rock out-cropping that he had seen the night before.
The next morning, after making a cautious scout around the surrounding area, he had started his way towards the shuttle's hiding place. Encountering no further difficulties, he managed to get to the shuttle.
Quickly prepping for flight he had not noticed the fact that the Jaridians had found him again. As he prepared to jump to ID they fired an energy cannon at the shuttle, Liam felt the jolt but a split-second later the ID drive kicked in and the shuttle flew to safety.
Almost immediately alarms started blaring out and Liam realised the shuttle had suffered more damage than he had first thought.
"Just hold together for a few more seconds..."
Liam jumped the shuttle back to conventional drive and heaved a sigh of relief to see the Mothership, if the situation wasn't so serious he might find that ironic. He signalled the Mothership and informed them that he was coming in with a conventional drive that was deteriorating rapidly.
The Volunteers were still in the medical bay when they heard the alarm that signalled that a shuttle was making an emergency landing.
Sandoval, looking worried, said what they were all thinking. "It's Liam."
They all brushed past the medical personnel and rushed towards the shuttle bay.
Emergency procedures were in place as Liam attempted to dock the shuttle. It jumped and twisted fighting his efforts at control, those personnel in the shuttle bay held their collective breaths as they watched him strive to bring the shuttle down.
Finally he managed to put the shuttle down. Piper and Harold, the two pilots with the squad, watched in admiration. They knew they wouldn't have had the skill to land a shuttle in that condition.
Liam exited the shuttle and was quickly surrounded by the squad. They gave him hugs of welcome even as they uttered threats as to what would happen to him if he ever put them through that again. Liam laughed and accepted the teasing with good grace all the while scanning the bay for the two people he wanted to see most.
Da'an and Sandoval stood to one side of the bay just watching.
He approached them and quickly found himself pulled into a hug by Sandoval. That stunned him so much he almost missed the gentle hand that was placed on his arm as Da'an said, "Welcome home, Liam."
It was a sentiment echoed by all the personnel in the bay. Meanwhile Zo'or having watched the entire scene from the bridge, sat there and seethed. Sandoval and the Volunteers had survived, Liam and the rest of the squad had pulled off a remarkable rescue and the Synod was both pleased and impressed. This meant he could take no action against any of them, for now that was, his time would come, he'd see to it.
Oblivious to the seething Zo'or, the Volunteers were planning a party and much to their surprise and delight, Liam, Sandoval and Da'an were to be the guests of honour.