Bypassing the Frying Pan
Posted on Sat Aug 23rd, 2025 @ 4:12pm by Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble & 1st Lieutenant Jeksyne Vale & Lieutenant Mira Jayna & Gunnery Sergeant Tessia T'Lar & Sergeant Azure Thompson & Sergeant Tyrigus Fry & Sergeant Miranda Schultz
Edited on on Tue Aug 26th, 2025 @ 4:51pm
1,918 words; about a 10 minute read
Mission:
Episode 16 - Silent Cries
Location: Below the surface of Wren IX
Timeline: MD010 0850 hrs
Watching as the giant spider tore through Azure’s munition, Fry swallowed back the raising fear in the pit of his gut and ran to the left, staffing shots as he moved to flank the thing, using his jump pack to clear some rocks and land on a firm looking shelf, hoping to draw fire and confuse the spider.
Neil took stock even as he edged along the rim of the waterfall, moving and firing his pulse carbine, stitching rounds along the metallic spider’s thorax and head. As the others scattered and continued firing, Rommie’s voice sounded in his ear.
“Assessment. Pulse fire is not economical on this foe, Colonel.” After a few beats, she continued. “Analysis of the beam out of the gunny. Piggy-back relay emergency beam out was successful, but I’m reading an increase in interference on all channels. That won’t work again until and unless we can clear it. As of now, we are cut off from the rest of the Teams and the Pioneer.”
Her tone was even and controlled. Neil really wished he felt the same way.
Keying the comm, with a flick of his tongue, Neil said, “Switch from pulse fire to beam mode. We’ve lost contact with the rest of the teams and the Pioneer. We need to deal with this and get moving.”
Closing the channel, his hand twisted the grip on his weapon. The next time he touched the trigger, a condensed beam of scarlet lanced out, making contact with one of the spider’s legs, causing it to start glowing from the concentrated energy attack, steam from the super-heated water billowed away.
The stress was starting to get to Azure as she attempted to avoid the spider's webbing. She'd used up all her plant passed weaponry and was now down to her carbine, that was rapidly running out of energy, she slipped in her last power clip and continued her assault on the spider.
Jayna moved closer to Neil. She kept getting mental flashes of a giant cave spider with malicious multi-faceted eyes that set her nerves on edge. She was normally able to remain calm under pressure, but she could almost taste something odd in the air. It was like a buzzing like an electrical build-up. She wasn't sure. She switched her rifle according to Neil's recommendation and focused on a spider nearby. The beam burned a hole through the carapace, causing the hairs on the spider's legs to catch fire. She didn't stop until it curled into itself and died. Then she moved on to another target.
Neil's mind back processed events as he took in the Team moving to take out the spider...thing? Jayna's words flashed to the front of his mind and he had to push them back. This was absolutely not the time or place to process any possibility of him being a father.
In fact...
"Rommie," Neil said, "Based on Jayna's words, what's the likelihood she is pregnant. Command override. I need to know what's going on in my troop."
Rommie processed for five seconds and said, "Lieutenant Mira's bio feedback has not changed since she was first was fitted. Or at least has not changed beyond her baseline, Colonel." Her tone was regimented and clipped. Neil knew he was talking to the most secure version of the AI. And he sighed, even as his carbine lanced out, taking off the spider entity's leg. He eyed his power pack and shifted fire to the metallic creature's head.
For all intents and purposes, Jayna had likely used that to get his attention and it had worked. But a small part of him felt disappointment.
But Neil, didn't have time for that. They'd need to talk about things after and in order for there to actually be an after, they had to get through this.
Gritting his teeth, Neil watched the entity's head start to spasm as his carbine stopped firing. It was starting to overheat from the dwell time required. They were getting enough energy on target, but now there were other baby spider's starting to crowd the chamber. While his carbine's countdown for cooldown timer scrolled on his HUD, Neil cycled to his regular shoulder mount, the heavy phaser he had been using had dropped away as he'd entered the water and he put it on automatic as he processed data.
They were getting hemmed in and the two remaining drones were showing even more targets heading their way. He was also getting strange feedback signals from the waterfall now and the AI was extrapolating that Sierra-Six-Two-Six-Delta was most probably using the water as a carrier for the energy it was stealing from the Silence it had caged here. They didn't dare damage things up here and he wasn't ready to sign the fate of five thousand of the Silence to their doom.
That left him with only a choice. Keying his comm, he said, "Sergeant Fry. Take point."
When the Marine's helmeted head swiveled toward him, Neil pointed downward and updated the Team's HUD with protocols and telemetry from the Stiletto drone that was currently swimming through an underground passage.
Fry swallowed again, mouth dry as he surveyed the Colonel's data package and bit his tongue before he could say, "Why me? Instead, the Sergeant edged forward, watched his telemetry and used a brief burst from his jump pack to carry him out toward the center of the fall's area. His rifle kept firing as he turned the pack off and he began to fall, the last shots twisting more of the tiny (relatively?) spider's to charred husks. Then he was splashing deeper into water, using his pack to steer for the channel below where the river twisted deeper.
Neil moved to take over Fry's place in the overlapping fields of fire and said, "Everyone in the pool. Probably going to be a rough ride but we need to move, Marines!!"
Jayna didn't say anything. She was going to stay by Neil's side. The mission parameters had changed a little, but she was still going to be his backup. Even if it meant going into the water. She'd overcome her fear in the underwater cave on Aquil and she wasn't going to let this bring it back. As long as she was near Neil, she was safe. And she would make sure he was safe, too.
She picked up another spider or something coming across the roof of the cave and turned her weapon on it, frying it until it curled up and dropped into the water with a hiss. She was beginning to really hate spiders.
Azure fired her carbine as she backed off into the 'pool'. Entering the water, it cradled her as it sped her to her destination.
Assessing its foe through eight eyes the size of soccer balls, the huge metallic spider picked a likely foe as it skittered across the ceiling, attempting to dodge the incoming fire. Then it focused on one target not moving as quickly as the rest and simply dropped.
Vale grabbed the spider, the mechanical whirring mass of electronics with a reflex only enhanced by his MARVEL suit. His team would see a rage and anger in his eyes as he slams it to the ground, by a leg, like a ragdoll. Over and Over and Over again until it stopped moving.
He looks around for several moments before he raised his rifle and fired on the swarm, bolt after bolt flying down range.
"Let's move! Y'all want to live forever?!?!" He howled as he moved with precision ahead.
"Fall in Team One, job ain't done yet!"
Neil felt himself being pushed back as his phaser packs drained. "Jump. Go!!", he ordered as he waited for the others. "We need to get distance between us and them. We'll deal with these Silence later. We need to make sure there is a later."
Miranda fired a beam along the webbing, getting grim satisfaction from watching it burn. The spiders who couldn't get away fast enough emitted a high-pitched scream as they died. Then it was her turn. to jump in the river. The suit immediately sank to the bottom, then she activated her thruster and sped down river behind the others.
Jayna's suit kept track of the other Marines as they jumped in the river ahead of them. She wasn't going to leave Neil behind, but she would be right on his tail. She kept one eye on her HUD while she made sure the bugs didn't cut them off. The last thing they needed was to be surrounded with drained weapons. "Time to go, Neil. I'll be right behind you."
Tessia, already bloodied and fighting alongside the others, didn’t hesitate. The moment the order came in, she dove into the water. Her arm throbbed with pain from the earlier gash, but right now, all that mattered was getting out fast.
Jeksyne continued to cover his fellow marines, changing power packs and continuing to fire his phaser while the others fell back. He would be the last out.
Neil watched the Spider go down. Checked fire then said. "Let's go. Follow Fry's telemetry." Using his suits augmented movement and a touch of his jump jets, he leapt out into the center of the waterfall.
And was then falling. Rommie's recordings picked up and automatically locked on all of the Silence that stared out at him as he dropped. Four thousand eight hundred and fifty six of the aliens passed judgement on his form as he fell away. Neil's mind already turned to monitoring the others and tracking Fry. Using his jump jets, he braked slightly before impacting into the water.
About six meters below the surface Neil was caught up in the current. His sensors swept ahead, using Fry's readings to help navigate as he twisted and turned trying to keep himself in the middle of the channel as the underground river current grabbed him.
Jayna didn't follow where Fry went. Her focus was on Neil. As soon as he hit the water, she jumped, landing a meter off his entry point. A minute later, she was heading downstream.
A Joint Post By
Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius Tremble
Executive Officer, USS Pioneer
Battalion Commander, The Cure
Sergeant Tyrigus Fry
Rifleman, Team 1, The Cure;
USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Mira Jayna
Intelligence Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Sergeant Miranda Schultz
Communications Specialist HQ, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Sergeant Azure Thompson
Corpsman, Team 1, The Cure
USS Pioneer
First Lieutenant Jeksyne Vale
Company Executive Officer, The Cure
USS Pioneer
Gunnery Sergeant Tessia T'Lar
Sniper, Team 1, The Cure
USS Pioneer
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