Wake up Call

Posted on Wed Mar 3rd, 2021 @ 4:41am by Captain Rhenora Kaylen & Lieutenant JG Sarah Wilson & Chief Petty Officer Ronson Mitchell & Commander Savar cha'Salik hei-Surak Talek-sen-deen & Lieutenant Dean House & Chief Petty Officer Remal Kajun

Mission: The Jungle
Location: with Retrieval Team

The Jungle went quiet with the sound of weapons fire, the Liberty team having no chance against Haldeman and his weapon. They hit the dirt where they had stood and remained unmoving, leaving only Haldeman to survey his handiwork.

No chance Dean's ass. Considering that it was taking way to long for the Captain, or her husband to come back, Dean was up and about to head that way when he saw Haldeman. If it wasn't for that real blast, Dean may have gotten the drop on him and shot off first. Well that didn't happen, damn shoulder. "Son of a bitch!" Though it was going to take more than one shot on stun to drop him. Which Haldeman apparently figured out, because just as soon as the first didn't work there were three more and Dean felt the ground and saw nothing but darkness.

Haldeman turned to look at the drone overhead. " Their dead. Get the R team in here and get out of my office. You have time to clear out." He told the Exec.

"We'll see about that...you haven't got the ratings back where they need to be yet" The Exec said smugly, although there was a tinge of concern in his voice. They would lose the 'underdog' portion of the viewers but that could be an acceptable loss if the numbers continued the way they were trending. So far the broadcaster was still streaming, they had a chance to save their necks.

A team of lesser hunters - those that didn't have the gull to kill on site entered the jungle, pushing antigrav retrieval units to conceal the reality of death from the audience to a point. The audience loved the thrill of the hunt, but picking up bodies was no-ones prime time viewing.

"Get them loaded up." Haldeman snapped. "I'll ride in with them. Let the people and her remaining crew she what happened. Should get quite the reaction." He noted.

"Yessir, right away sir" The lesser hunter snapped, loading the limp figures into the cover unit. He waited until Haldeman was ready before moving towards the chute.

Haldeman hopped onto the grav unit and stood besides the boxes as the grav unit moved. His arms upraised like a victorious general returning from his latest conquest.

"Go by the stockade, I want her crew to see what happened to their Captain." He ordered as he discretely made sure the boxes were unsealed. "Then leave me as I want to tell her crew what is going to happen to them." His voice arrogant and full of confidence.

"Yes sir." Came the crisp reply.


Rhenora was unaware of the passing of time. One moment she was standing in front of Haldeman discussing their fate, the next she was in a long narrow space. Her mind raced and she schooled her breathing into a relaxed state, recalling the points of the Manchester captain's plan. They would be taken to the weapons cache, and would stage the rebellion from there. First she had to get out of the damned box.

The motion stopped, they were at the stockade Haldeman looked at the Liberty crew in the stockade. " Former crew of the starship Liberty." He waved his arm at the boxes. These boxes contain the bodies of your Captain, her husband and her small team. They were no match for The Game or me." He said ramping up the arrogance. "Their fate is your fate. Prepare yourselves."

There was a shocked gasp and a disbelief as the boxes moved past the congregated crew. The silence was palpable - a pin could have been dropped and could have been clearly heard. Somewhere someone started to cry.

Haldeman watched and waited as the boxes containing Rhenora and the others moved past the stockade. They were approaching the hidden weapons cache. All eyes on the boxes and not him as he wandered to the master control that would free the Liberty crew.

At the right moment he smashed the control, which open the massive gate on the stockade. "Now!" He shouted to the crew and his hunters as they arrived and began to uncover the weapons they had hidden. "Now!" He repeated. "Rise up! Fight back!"

There was another pause as the crew tried to wrap their heads around what was happening. Haldeman had just killed their Captain and all those in her team yet now he was telling them to rise up?

" You killed our Captain, how can we trust you?" Bob the Engineer challenged - finding the balls that no-one else seemed to have right at this moment.

"I did what was necessary and so must you unless you intend to die on your knees." Haldeman replied as his men were now armed and firing at the drones, taking out the eyes in the sky.

There was another moment of hesitation, each waiting for another to make a move. Normally in these situations a senior officer would make a definite first step - however in the absence no-one seemed to want to be the first. Bob once again showed his bravery and marched forward, grabbing the largest weapon and standing up on the highest thing he could find.

" We fight - we fight in the Captain's honour. Let her death not be in vain!" He shouted.

Haldeman clasped Bob on the shoulder. "Good man! Your Captain will be proud!" As the crew began to spill out of the stockade and into the surrounding area.

As they did so the Idol and the timer went dark - the artificial lighting dropping as though someone had turned the power off. The Exec seethed from his office - he had no footage and the broadcaster had cut the feed, replacing it with another program.

Haldeman looked up in the direction of the Exec's office. He would be coming for the sleezeball but first. He opened Rhenora's box, "You've been lying down long enough time to join the fight." As he placed a phaser rifle in her hands

Well this was not great at all. Not only did Dean have a clue what was going on, but as far as he knew, neither did the rest of them. At least, feeling around, catching his bearings, persay. he could tell he was in a box. As well as that wasn't helpful, he wasn't claustrophoic. There was that. Something else if it were might have been a problem. Shoulder was still sore or more, that didn't stop him from trying to wriggle around a bit so he could feel any hinges and start trying to break them.

Chaos erupted, the Libertys junior and non-com staff flooding out of the corale and into the streets - they looked towards Haldeman for guidance.

"Go to the government offices, there, and there, and there!" He pointed as the hunters were passing out more weapons to the crew.

IT took Rhenora a few minutes to gather her senses and work out what was going on. One minute she was being shot at point blank range, the next she was waking up in a box that resembled a coffin a little too closely. A weapon was shoved inside and words to get up and make herself useful or something along though lines graced her ears. Was that Haldeman? Groggily she shimmied out and into the bright daylight.

Haldeman looked back as Rhenora shimmied out of her box. "LOOK! LOOK!" He shouted. "Your Captain rises like a Phoenix!!!!! It is a sign!!!!Our cause is just! Fight! Fight!" He yelled.

"Who what?" Rhenora stumbled, still groggy from the stun, the crew were running, fleeing out of the corale, weapons high in the air as though a seige was taking place. Her mind struggled to keep up - that's right - Haldeman wanted to take down the government .

"Come on Rhenora! Snap out of it! Your crew needs it's Captain! Lead them !" Haldeman urged her. "They will follow you into hell! They trust you."

She looked at him with a mixture of distrust, resentment and surprise. "You followed through..."She started as she jogged over to him, weapon in head. The crew seemed to stop and await her leadership.

"I kept my word. I shot you. Like I said I would. Now lead your crew. Show them and me the Captain I know you are." Haldeman replied evenly.

Stepping slowly from his oversized box, weapon in his hand, Remal walked up behind his wife, then around her and continued walking until he was right in the face of the overzealous Haldeman. He looked him deadpan square in the eye, balled up his fist, and punched the proud man square in the jawline knocking him off his feet and onto his ass.

Remal looked down at the man rubbing his jaw, "You ever shoot me or my wife again, you'd better make sure I'm dead, you got me?" He then turned back to Rhenora. "Orders, Captain?"

"It's a promise," Haldeman answered simply as he rose to his feet. To his credit he didn't rub his jaw. Instead his eyes conveyed a silent message to Remal that this wasn't over.

"Gentlemen please...." Rhenora started, looking from Haldeman to Remal and back again. "Which way to the government offices? And what do you want us to do when we get there?"

"To your right. Take control of the broadcasting center as well as the science division. It will give you access to the transporter and shut down their main planetary weapons." Haldeman replied.

"Weapons on stun people, only use force if necessary. This isn't our fight - but it's our ticket out of here" Rhenora ordered her people who swarmed to the right towards the broadcast center.

Remal stayed close to Rhenora, "Tell me later why we are doing this man's bidding?" He looked to the tower they were about to storm. "Seems to me we are playing right into their hands." He then knelt down to provide her with arm support.

She leaned heavily on his arm, supporting her weight in the absence of the crutch. Her leg burned but the prospect of returning to the Liberty was so close she could almost touch it.
" We stop the broadcast, we stop this demented game and prevent it ever happening again. Then we arrest his ass and throw him in the brig" Rhenora said sternly as they made their way to the broadcast location.

Haldeman watched as Rhenora and her husband moved towards the government building. He had an appointment of his own to keep as he moved to where the senior executives had their offices.