Both women jumped back with a shriek as a maroon and black haired woman bounded in. She had similar physiology to Mira, and the Volkova was thankful that she knew who this was.
She was this short woman wearing a cocoa jacket, opened up to reveal a grey shirt. The woman’s own eyes widened as she saw the two in such a… compromising position. Mira was the first to speak. “Hello, Lilith.”
The woman, named Lilith, wore a set of pitch black aviators that coated her eyes grey. The faintest of colours still shone through however, so it was noticeable her eyes were also a baby blue. She could be a sister to Mira, but that wouldn’t explain her height. “Mira, it’s lovely to see you.”
Lilith had to hold herself back a little, she felt slightly embarrassed for walking in on such a thing. Regardless, she understood that maybe Mira forgot to lock the door, but at least she didn’t mind.
The door closed behind her with a thud as Lilith stepped forward and Eilleen took a seat in one of the luxurious chairs behind the desk. “Is this a bad time?”
Lilith couldn’t help but ask the simple question. Mira fought the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose once more, and Eilleen? Her face was expressionless. “Not at all!”
Mira dismissed the thought with a wave of her hand, planting it back down against the desk. The woman then shook her head, motioning for Lilith to sit down besides Eilleen. “What brings you here today?”
Lilith’s own façade dropped. “I’m sorry Mira, it isn’t good news…
-=+=-
242Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MsvyG7cN7
Mira and Lilith stood side by side now, a cast of glances awaiting an order or two. Some remained vigilant, watching their every move. Others kept to themselves, glancing around the shuttle bay with ears ready for a briefing.
Whatever Mira had called for, it had been urgent. The three leaders of three separate departments had been called first, all of which were combative. Then the rest of the departments got called over.
Behind them, awaiting for its payload was a Mammoth, a special equipped dropship that could hold at least an entire armoury worth of weaponry. That was just the room dedicated to that, too. There was plenty more space in cargo, and there was even evacuation pods. It was a medium sized drop ship with high powered engines to counter its size and detectability. Whilst the ship did have some cloaking devices, its size weighed them down and they have a shorter lifespan than most other ships in its class.
“Attention!” The Chief Special Operations officer blurted out. The quiet grumbling and indistinct whispering grew silent. “The briefing starts now!” Their voice was loud and ferocious, and nobody except Mira dared to talk after that.
“Greetings, combatants.” Mira started off with her usual gesturing of thanks, but the mood changed rather quickly. “We have gathered here for Operation Silicon, and this is the mission briefing required.”
Mira paused and cleared her throat. “This was not an easy decision to make, but it has come to my attention that a band of Red Star Riders has been spotted on Gliese-II. This could be a full scale attack, so we need to be on high alert.”
Mira inhaled, then continued. “Although what we have spotted just seems to be a company, the Red Star Riders have tricks up their sleeves. If you can capture them, great. If not, kill on sight is expected. All personnel are to be armed, and prepare yourselves; this is going to be a bumpy ride.
Mira began handing out tasks to each separate department. “Special Operations,” Mira walked towards a heavily armed line of soldiers. “You will be heading to the planet surface to take out the company. You are now designated as Alpha. You will each be given a number, and that will be your call-sign. Eliminate all resisting forces, and request extraction once you are done. We will put together a recon team in case any of you are downed or killed. Am I clear?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Once Mira was given this response, she nodded.
Mira sidestepped towards a group of lightly armed individuals. “Gunnery Units,” Mira once again paused. “Your job will be to locate any ships leaving the atmosphere and protect this ship if the worst happens. Your only job is to ensure that enemies are dealt with, assuming that they launch a counterattack. You need to remain vigilant, because I don’t want any repeats of last time. That happens again and I’ll make sure your pay gets cut for every single one of you. Am I clear?”
“Yes, ma’am!” Yet another response, and this pleased Mira. She walked over to the final group.
“And Security Team, you will be in charge of protecting this ship from boarders and threats inside. I expect you to be armed at all times, and you must ensure that absolutely nobody trespasses such as the Red Star Riders. They take one step inside this ship, put a round in them. I can’t afford to take any risks. Am I clear?”
“Yes, ma’am!” As the final group understood their goal, Mira walked back over to Lilith. She would explain the last bit, as Mira wanted to ensure Lilith also had an opportunity to do her job. “These are your roles, and you’re going to take full responsibility for them. No ifs, no buts, no maybes. Before we dismiss you all, there are a couple of things we need to go through.”
Mira nodded in approval at the tone Lilith had chosen to use. “For those on the ground, you are now known as Alpha. You are to number yourselves and work as a team, stealth is also a priority. Gunnery is to be referred to as Beta, and Security Charlie. If you wish to contact the whole ship, switch from TEAMCOM to SHIPCOM. Do not by any means talk on SQUADCOM unless you are call-sign Alpha. TEAMCOM is to be used for chatting with all three groups, and SHIPCOM for the whole ship. Only use SHIPCOM once you reach the third checkpoint, since we do not want to alert the Red Star Riders to our presence prior to. Is that clear?”
Everyone in the room replied to that, and they were dismissed. “Security and Gunnery, as you were. Report to your stations in five minutes.”
And with that, the crowd began to dissipate. Line officers ordered their groups to march out in turns, until it was only special operations left in the room.
Mira stepped forward, Lilith stepping back as this happened. The fierce-eyed woman quickly blinked as she examined the crowd that she had. The Chief of Special Operations, approached her, stopping her in her tracks. “How can we help?”
The CSO looked about. “Ma’am, what weapons would be appropriate?”
“That’s what I am about to get to, but we’re looking at a variety of stealthy and loud weapons. Until they reach the third checkpoint they must remain unseen for as long as possible. By the time they reach the third checkpoint, someone should know they are there.” Mira quickly explained. “That’s why we’re going to stay in orbit.”
“What about the Magnetic Orbital Turrets?” Mira paused for a moment and blinked for a couple of times before she cursed in Russian.
“I forgot. Do we have any anti-missile precision weaponry on board this ship?” The CSO seemed less than impressed, questioning Mira’s skill and credibility.
“We do ma’am, but they are out of operation.” She cursed again.
“Well then what are we waiting for, we need to repair them!” Mira exclaimed, not wishing to waste any more time.
“With respect ma’am, it isn’t that simple. We’re missing an ion coil on one of them.” Mira knew by looking at schematics of the Optimistic Illusion that there were two MOTs stationed on each ship. Considering the risk of orbital bombardment was far too great, the ship would need to constantly keep moving around in orbit at high speed to avoid being shot out of space, or worse.
Mira thought for a moment. It was down to her to make the right choice, since they were awaiting a new Captain after she sent the report to admiralty. She was acting captain, and she was going to either kill them all or keep them alive. Each choice needed to be valued in every conceivable way. She would be responsible for her failure, and her success.
It was a huge weight to bear on her shoulder, she looked between Lilith and the line officer as they both awaited her choice.
She found herself opening her mouth but not being able to speak, butterflies filled her stomach and she felt sick. She was stuck.
She was useless.
“Prepare the missiles on the lower deck, position the side with the gun on to take the hit if the company attacks. Whilst it leaves us exposed from other sides, we’re going to just have to hope for the best. I will put out a warning to other ships in the area, and get them on our location to assist. This threat can’t be ignored.” She felt worried sick of the consequences, but she knew what had to be done. This threat could not be avoided, and someone had to take this company out before the rest arrive. She was thankful that Lilith had spoken.
“But ma’am-“ They didn’t even get the chance to finish his sentence.
“She said, this threat cannot be ignored.” The growl in Mira’s voice was utterly horrifying. “You heard her, do it!”
The CSO turned around in disbelief, facing their soldiers, but not before Mira could whisper one sentence in their ear. “And remember, you give the wrong orders and you will get detained.”
Lilith looked at Mira now as she walked back, then glancing back at the CSO. Lilith gave a nod of approval, even if she hadn’t heard the last part. She folded her arms over her chest.
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