Operation Pacifica: "Liberation and Sorrow"
by ST

"No one can save the pure or the brave no one can save them at all
  Grow and decay Grow and decay It's only forever"
 -Soundgarden "applebite" _Down on the Upside_

        ST put his Jihadlinker away, after finishing his
  transmission.  He looked down and saw that the damn tracer was still
  blinking.  He walked over to a cell, out of curosity, and found the rusty
  door was unlocked.  Opening it, he saw numerous spongin and wyrmin corpses
  littered about, their dried-up blood staining the stone floor a dull red.
  ST entered cautiously, spotting the tracer that had guided him all this way
  lying on a wooden table.  He picked it up, shut it off, and thrust it into
  his pocket.  [Now to lead the troops here...] he mused, taking out his
  Jihadlinker.

 "Geier to Bullin, Geier to Bullin..." he spoke in a stage whisper
  into the linker.

 "Bullin here sir, we've penetrated the fortress and have secured a
  position, we are awaiting your..."

 "I've found the cell block, Sergeant," ST interceded.  "And there
  *are* POWs here.  I'm at the south end of the fortress, get your men over
  here and get those men out of here ASAP.  I...*gah*" ST winced as the
  fortress alarm system began blaring in his ear, responding to the intrusion
  by the TRES troops.  He got out his .357 and fired a shot, shattering the
  speaker on the wall.   He put away the weapon and brought his attention back
  to the linker.  Sergeant Bullin was yelling, "Sir! We or somebody's
  triggered an alarm!  What are your orders?!"

 "There is no change in my orders!" ST yelled.  "Get down here ASAP,
  and for crying out loud, watch for enemy ambushes!  ST out," he concluded,
  slamming the linker together with a loud click.  He exited the cell amid the
  other alarms in the fortress blaring their message of an intrusion.  He took
  up a defensive position near the entrance to the cell block and waited.

[ten minutes later]

 ST breathed a sigh of relief as Bullin and his troops streamed into
  the block.  Apparently, the enemy had forgotten to secure their prisoners,
  no spongin or other hostile troops had come by.  The troops quickly went to
  each cell, breaking down the door and taking the captured Jihaddi out as
  Bullin herded them into the center of the block.  ST continued to watch the
  entrance until every POW was extracted.  They all stood together in the
  middle of the vast stone floor, some not knowing what had happened, some not
  caring.  ST waved some corporals over to cover the entrance as he ran over
  to debrief the Sergeant.

 "We didn't run into as much resistance as we expected, sir,"
  reported Bullin after a brief exchange of greetings.  "Mostly spongin, a
  MENSAn or two, and a few wyrm minions to make it interesting.  I think most
  of the forces are on the upper levels of this fortress, hopefully we can get
  these men out before anyone notices."

 ST nodded.  "I know a quick way out of here, through a cargo
  entrance of some sort.  Form the troops into an escort formation, we'll take
  point, with your corporals watching our backs.  Understood?"

 "Yes, sir."

 "All right, let's move!" ST barked.  He went back to the entrance
  and explained his orders to the corporals standing guard.  They quickly
  moved to the rear of the mass of prisoners as the troops formed a human
  barrier around them.  ST and Bullin took the lead as they all left the block
  forever.

[20 minutes later]

 "It's just ahead, Sarge," ST whispered as he spotted the dim light
  seeping through an opening about ten yards in front of them.  He, the
  troops, and the former prisoners had encountered little resistance,
  reinforcing Bullin's theory that most of the forces were devoted to the
  upper levels of the fortress.  ST and Bullin crept ahead, through the
  entrance, taking up positions on either side of it.  After the lieutenant
  beckoned them to go forward, the troops did so, leading their comrades out
  of the narrow passageway.  They proceeded to the edge of the plateau,
  beginning the long and arduous procedure of transporting the POWs down the
  steep escarpment to the waiting transports that would be the beginning of
  the trip, at long last, home.  ST and Bullin looked on as the final troopers
  disappeared.

 "You've done well, Sergeant," ST spoke after a brief silence.
  "Your men are very well trained and have been instrumental to the general
  success of this mission.  They.. "

 "Since when did you compliment in cliches, if I may be frank, sir?"
  Bullin chuckled.

 ST winced.  He usually didn't talk like a politician.
  "Ah...dammit, I'm too fucking tired to think," he growled.

 "It's all right, sir, I get your drift," the sergeant responded.

 ST nodded.  "Although this conversation may be somewhat
  interesting, I would think that it would quite prudent to get the hell out
  of here, this isn't exactly friendly territory," he said rapidly, in
  realization.

 Sergeant Bullin was already moving towards the edge to begin his
  descention.  [What's with him?] ST wondered.  He took a few long strides to
  catch up, finally falling in step with him.  Neither spoke a word.

 ST wished for the rest of his life that he had paid more attention
  to the faint footsteps he heard behind him.  They had almost reached the
  edge of the plateau when Bullin suddenly shoved ST into the rocky ground,
  sending him rolling over it.  Taken by surprise, the young knight nearly
  tumbled off the cliff before grabbing a dead tree and righting himself.  As
  he did so, he heard an M16 on full auto and a body hitting the ground.  He
  looked up and saw the tall frame of a MENSAn, continuously pumping bullets
  into Sergeant Bullin's writhing body, his blood spraying into the air.  ST
  drew his sword, his body and mind filling with rage.  The MENSAn laughed as
  he continued his gratuitous firing, the sergeant now mangled beyond
  recognition, obviously dead.   Finally, the weapon repeatedly clicked, out
  of ammo.

 "Drat!" cursed the MENSAn.  "Oh well, at least Sir Timothy paid for
  his unholy deed, and many times over at that.  I.."

 *BLAM*

 "Arghhh!" yelled the pseudointellectual as a bullet hit it in its
  leg.  It collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely.  It turned its head to
  see who or what had hit him, and gasped when it saw the six and a half feet
  tall Jihaddi holding his smoking .357.  ST looked upon this hapless creature
  with such an expression of ultimate hatred that it made the MENSAn flinch.
  ST did not change his expression as he put away his pistol and drew Schlee,
  the sound of the crystal blade being drawn making the MENSAn recoil in
  horror.  ST finally broke the silence.   "Come and get
  it....MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!"

 ST started his rush towards the saurian, his hair and eyes
  beginning to glow incandescent.  The MENSAn could only gibber in horror as
  ST planted his left foot about two feet from it and became airborne.  He
  soared almost five feet into the air, seizing his blade with both his hands
  and bringing it behind his head.  At the peak of his jump, he brought it
  down with incredible force, splitting the nagenta creature's head.  As he
  landed, the MENSAn fell over, spilling its lifeblood onto the ground.  ST
  pointed his right index finger at the fresh corpse, muttering a word.  It
  froze instantly.  He brought his blade up again and shattered the frozen
  body with all his fury, sending chunks of ice scattering across the
  landscape.

 Breathing heavily, ST finally regained control of himself, putting
  his sword away and looking sadly at the corpse of Bullin, so badly
  eviscerated that he didn't even look human.  [He gave his life for me.  How
  can I repay that?] he thought wistfully.  [Another man dead.  Another man
  killed because I was a target.  How much longer...how much longer...]
  "Dammit, I just can't leave him here like this," he cried out suddenly.  [He
  deserves to be buried with others like him...others who died for The
  Cause(tm).]  He took his Jihadlinker out of his pocket and opened it.

 "If there are any TRES forces still climbing down, report back to
  the summit, there is one dead to take home.  I will freeze the body for
  easier transportation.  Lieutenant Geier out," he said, his voice breaking.
  He knelt and put a gentle hand on the body, the ice gradually flowing from
  his fingers until it covered the dead man entirely.

 ST straightened, looking back at the fortress.

 "I have a score to settle."

Music - "Boot Camp" Soundgarden _Down on the Upside_

-To be (possibly) concluded
ST