SOLDIERS OF FEAR, PART I

        The small atmospheric shuttle rose from the landing pad, finally beginning it's journey back into the blackness of space to rendezvous with the mothership, an Earth Alliance transport ship that would be on its way back to Earth. 
        Strapped into the seat behind the pilot, Senator Art Penman relaxed a little, knowing he had done all he could at the conference to try to convince some of the alien representatives to invest further in Earth, despite that fact that his own life had been threatened by extremists back home, the likes of which sought to lessen the alien presence among humankind.
         Penman sighed, and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. It had been a couple of months since the threats against him had been made, but little had come of it. Believed to have come from the elusive xenophobes the HomeGuard, they largely hadn't been seen or heard from since some of their leadership had been apprehended by Babylon Five security back in April after a failed assassination attempt on the remote space station.
        "Malcontents." he mumbled under his breath, before looking forward out the main viewport. The familiar lines of the transport were starting to become visible, as the shuttle was now clear of Proxima III and heading away from the planet.
        "Less then ten minutes til we dock with the transport." reported the pilot, who was focused on the small shuttle's navigation at the moment.
         "Very well." replied Penman, thumbing a data crystal in his right hand and gazing at it. His plan for a new, diverse Earth that included many alien races was all summed up and contained on the small device. In his own opinion, he thought the xenophobes to be quite foolish, not really worth worrying about. 
         He still had more overtures to present to President Santiago, hoping that Earth's leader would finally cave in to his ideas, and let him institute some of them.
         'I am patient.' he thought to himself. 'The President will listen to me, eventu--' 
         Penman's train of thought was broken as the shuttle began to shudder and lurch, the pilot working the controls feverishly to bring it back under control.
         "What's going on?" he said in a louder tone.
         The pilot shook his head. "Not sure! Two out of the three engines are overloading, and I don't have a clue why!"
         Alarms started to go off as the shuttle veered out of control. The pilot quickly opened a comm channel to send a distress call. "This is Shuttle Two! In need of assistance, immediately! Systems not responding, and the engines are about to--"
         An explosion suddenly ripped the small ship to pieces, the engines finally cascading and destroying the craft. Debris floated in all directions, all that was left of the shuttle and it's two occupants.

         "In recognition of the old Earth maritime tradition of a ship's captain performing a wedding ceremony exactly like this, I now pronounce you husband and wife." said Captain Adam Reid, before turning his attention to the groom.
         "You may now kiss the bride!" he finished, with smile.
          Lieutenant William McIntyre needed no further motivation, quickly and passionately locking lips with CWO Sarah Atkinson, his fiancee, and subordinate in the elite Starfury squadron known as the 'Birds of Prey'. 
          He was wearing his Earth Alliance dress uniform, his face clean shaven, and his short blond hair slicked back. Sarah wore a simple white wedding dress that hugged her svelte form, her long red hair flowing behind her. Most of the Chimera's crew was present, as well as he and Sarah's parents, and a few friends. Captain Reid had graciously allowed limited access to the ship for the wedding guests, with General Hague's blessing.
         This kiss lasted for long minute, before a familiar voice boomed in the background. "All right you two! Some of us want to dance!" mentioned Lewis Sewell, the BoP's second in command, and best friend to Will McIntyre.
         As the kiss ended, Will couldn't help but laugh. "Always the impatient one, eh?" 
         Before Sewell could respond, the Captain walked up. "If I recall, the commanding officer always gets the first dance with the new bride, right?" he asked with a smile.
         Sarah giggled. "But of course, sir."
         The captain provided his arm to the bride, who took it gracefully, and let herself be led to the middle of the floor, as slow music began to be played over the facilities' loudspeaker.
         McIntyre watched his bride intently as she and the captain danced. "I'm really happy for you, Will." started Sewell. "You pushed yourself hard to get ahead in your career, and as luck had it, managed to connect with an amazing woman like Sarah." he said. "We could all be so lucky as this."
        Will turned to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "I appreciate that, Lewis. You're a true friend, and I'm glad you were my best man today."
        Lewis was about to reply, when he saw the dance stop suddenly, with the captain holding up his link and receiving a communication.
        "I'll be right there." was the captain's reply, before he apologized to Sarah and quickly left the room. Lewis and McIntyre looked to each other.
        "I wonder what's up?" said Will, as Sarah walked over to the pair.
        "Captain had an urgent signal from Earth." she said. "It's all I gathered before he left." she said, Will unable to take his eyes off her as he had never seen her as beautiful as she was on this day, her sparkling green eyes always pulling him in. Without any words exchanged between them, they embraced and again kissed, having a feeling that the fairy tale moment would soon come to a close.

         Starting to lose his composure a little, the security officer in charge of the interrogation slammed a fist into the table angrily, unnerving the man seated behind it.
         "Dammit Roberts, we know you had a hand in this!" he shouted. "You were seen by two different people leaving the hangar the night before, and you have more than enough technical expertise to pull something like this off. And....add to the fact that you were also a suspect three months ago in the incident on Babylon Five, and voila - we have you!" he finished, never taking his eyes off his prisoner.
         Major Cliff Walton of Earth Alliance security had a reputation for finding guilty parties, as well as a leadership style that was both impressive and fearful. A taller man in his forties, he had been on the short list to become commander of Babylon Five, but turned it down to head EA security instead.
          His dark hair was starting to grey, his hazel eyes piercing anf full of energy. Unfortunately, they were useless on Roberts, who grinned in defiance. 
          "You got nothing on me." he said nonchalantly. "And besides, I was a victim on Babylon Five. Bunch of snakeheads beat me up for no reason."
          Walton felt more anger welling up inside. "You expect me to believe that? We already know about your connections to the HomeGuard, and other xenophobic hate groups. Better to confess now, and save yourself the spacing later." he finished.
          Roberts laughed. "You don't have the guts to space me. Are we done yet?"
          Sensing that the conversation was going nowhere, Walton motioned to the security guard standing near the door of the interrogation room. "Take him back to his cell." he ordered. The guard only nodded, and walked over to the table, grabbing the prisoner by his arm and leading him up onto his feet, and out the door.
         When the door slid shut and left him alone, Walton sighed. "Tough nut to crack." he muttered, having a harder time than he had anticipated with this suspect. Still, he knew that time was running out to bring the perpetrators of the assassination to justice, else they become more bold and brazen, and cause more chaos and death.
         'The Joint Chiefs of Staff AND the President are going to want answers, and fast.' he thought. 'I need to speed up this investigation with all due haste.'
         Just then, his link beeped, notifying him of something. Walton tapped the buttons on his link. "Walton here." he said into it.
         "Control, sir." replied a voice on the other end. "You have a Captain Reid wanting to speak to you on the StellarCom."
         Walton nodded. "Very well." he said, before leaving the interrogation room and headed to his office, wondering what was next up in this very volatile situation.

         Luther Biggs sat at the desk in his quarters, staring at the blank comm panel as if to wish it to come to life with a transmission from one of his men. He was quite cross at the moment, having found out earlier in the day that one of his sympathetic operatives had gotten sloppy and been caught by Earth Alliance security. 
         The last thing his organization needed at the moment was a breach in their secrecy that might shut down everything they had been working towards for the last year. The arrest of his brother, Malcolm, on Babylon Five months earlier had nearly derailed everything, and had thrown the plan into temporary chaos.
         A couple years older than his brother, Luther had been part of the HomeGuard much longer, and had recently become one of the key figures, taking over the leadership as well. He scratched his head for a moment, pushing aside some of his ruffled blond hair. 
         "Bloody inconvenient." he mumbled, unhappy with the situation. It was then that the door chime sounded, alerting him to a visitor outside his quarters.
         "Enter." he said calmly, as the door whisked open to reveal an average-sized bald man who wore a dark tunic and slacks. It was Sykes, his second in command. He entered the main room, waiting for the door to slide shut behind him before speaking.
         "Earthforce cops are fanning out all over Crystal City, making inquiries and setting up some checkpoints. Looks like we'll have to lay low for a while." he explained.
         Biggs' blue eyes turned to slits for a moment, not happy with the turn of events. "It's that idiot Roberts' fault! We should have never taken him in!" 
         Sykes shrugged. "Yeah, but he hates snakeheads more than most people, and his tech knowledge made him valuable at the time."
         Feeling frustrated, Biggs slammed a fist into the desk. "I don't care! The man is sloppy, and we have no room for that in our organization! Clear?" he asked of his charge.
         The bald Sykes nodded, the veins on the side of his head growing due to the stress he was suddenly under. "Clear. Got any orders for the rest of us?" he queried.
         Biggs stroked his chin for a moment, and thought about the request that had just been made, trying to figure out his next plan of action. The overall operation still had to go forward, but needed to be a little subdued for the time being, given the circumstances.
         "Let the Earthforce people tire themselves out for a while. They won't find anything of use, and then they'll leave and everything will be back to normal." he stated.
         Sykes nodded. "Okay. As long as you don't think they'd go any further than this."
         Looking to his right-hand man, he grinned slightly. "They wouldn't dare."
         Without another word, the bald headed man took his leave of Biggs, and left the small quarters, leaving his boss alone with many thoughts and things to ponder.

         The captain quickly left the briefing room to attend to his duties, and was halfway to the nearest lift when he heard a voice from behind urging him to wait up for a moment. Reid stopped and turned to see Lieutenant McIntyre catch up to him in the corridor.
         "A moment, sir." said the leader of the Birds of Prey.
         Reid smiled. "Of course. What can I do for you?" he asked of his officer.
         McIntyre responded first with a thank you. "I appreciate you marrying Sarah and I. It meant a lot to the two of us."
         Captain Reid bowed slightly. "Ah, the pleasure is mine. I've always wanted to do that, and is was a honour to be asked to do so." he replied. Noticing there was something else, he queried the Lieutenant. "Something else on your mind?"
         McIntyre nodded. "Yes sir. I completely understand the mission briefing, and my team will carry it out. It's just that....we've never done a ground mission before." he explained, perplexed at the fact that the majority of the mission would be outside of their Starfuries, something they were mostly unaccustomed to.
         "I was a little apprehensive at first upon getting the orders from General Hague, but it is what it is. They need a team like yours to go in and provide the intel, so that the main Earthforce security force doesn't scare all the perpetrators off. I know it's not the fly-by-the-seat-of-your pants kind of adrenline rush you're used to out in a Starfury, but a mission is a mission."
        "Aye sir. We'll do our best." replied McIntyre.
        Reid smiled. "I know you will, because you always do. Carry on, Lieutenant." he said, before turning and walking down the rest of the corridor and right into the lift. McIntyre turned and headed back down the corridor, alone with his thoughts for the moment. He had gotten so used to climbing into a Starfury and blasting out into open space, that the concept of a ground-based mission seemed foreign to him. 
        'It wouldn't surprise me if the rest of the team were a little unsettled as well, but like the captain said, it is what it is.'
        Regardless of his own feelings, he knew that the mission was important, and that his team would be ready to go on a moment's notice. The home-grown terrorists needed to be brought to justice before they could commit any more acts of chaos and anarchy against anyone, and if he and his squad had to go in on the ground to stop them, than so be it.
        McIntyre suddenly realized he was still in the corridor staring out into nothingness. After checking his link for the time, he decided to go have lunch with Sarah.

        Wreckage was strewn all about the floor of the cargo bay, looking like a bomb had gone off somewhere in the middle. Earthforce security officers picked their way through the debris, and took readings with hand held scanners as they progressed. 
        Major Walton had just entered the large cargo bay, surveying the mess before approaching one of his main personnel, and inquired about the progress.
        "Any news, Chief?" he asked of the security woman in charge of the investigation. She nodded carefully, still going over some of the data she'd been given. "Yeah. No question about it now. Sabotage for sure. Someone rigged the engines to overload using some sort of cascade device." she explained. "Part of the device was found intact in the surviving piece of the shuttle's starboard engine."
         Walton shook his head and scowled. "And we had the perfect suspect in custody that had the motive, and the tech experience necessary, but we had to let him go due to a lack of evidence. This just gets better and better."
         The chief frowned, and scratched her head, the ponytail of grey hair barely moving. "Sorry sir. I know you want heads to roll in this affair."
         Her words rang true, as Walton had beenn chasing the HomeGuard and other local terrorist groups for a long time, bringing some to justice, but not enough to his liking. He stroked his chin for a second or two, wondering what to do next. 
          'I'm tired of all of these troublemakers always having the upper hand, and I'm tired of all the bureaucrats back at EarthDome make excuses for not giving me the resources I need to fight this properly! I'm a soldier dammit! Give me what I need to do the job, and I will bring you results!'
         Walton suddenly realized he was losing focus, and probably looking like he had gapped out for a minute or two.
         "Thank you, Chief. Carry on." he said to his subordinate, before turning and examining some of the other pieces of wreckage. Walton was annoyed with the turn of events, especially with Earthdome sending him a starship and fighter squadron, rather than more security officers to help bolster Proxima's ranks, and snuff out the terrorists.
          'I ask Earth for more security personnel, and better equipment, and what happens? A senator gets assassinated, and because of it, send me a starship with an elite Starfury squadron that have NO experience on the ground! How's that for backwards? The Joint Chiefs have lost their minds methinks.'
          That was when he realized it was almost time to meet with the team from the Chimera, and hurried off to make preparations.

          "What the hell do you mean Earthforce sent a ship?" asked Biggs of his subordinate, again slamming a fist into the desk out of frustration.
          Sykes' eyes went wide. "Just what I said! Some of out boys intercepted a transmission from Earth. They've sent a destroyer here, and might be deploying some people to help hunt us all down!" he explained.
          Biggs yelled an expletive and swiveled in his chair before calming down and shaking his head in disbelief.
         "Great, just great. We're not ready to fully move out, and we have to deal with this. It looks as if we'll have to deal with these fools before we move on the next part of our plan. Luckily, I have an idea that might work in this situation."
          His curiosity peaked, Sykes wanted to know more. "Whatcha got planned? Do we get to take it to them down here?" he queried, anxious for details.
          Biggs nodded his acknowledgement. "That's right. They want to come down here and find us? Then let's give them what they want. We'll lead them right to our 'old' base of operations, and set off the booby traps we left behind. They were meant for any aliens that might have 'set up shop' so to speak, but it didn't happen as of yet." he explained. "Earth wants to try and crack down on us? Fine. We'll take out their team, and show them that it's not worth it to try and come after us."
          After pondering for a moment, Sykes grinned. "Those explosives we left behind can be rigged to go off if a PPG is fired nearby." he offered. "We can have the Earthforce team chase us and start a firefight, and end up wiping themselves out!"
          Biggs smiled, evily. "Why Mr. Sykes, how very intelligent of you! I'll have to make sure you move up in the organization for this. Go set it up, and let me know when you're ready." he ordered, as he rose from his chair.
          Sykes nodded. "Oh yes sir, right away!" he said, before leaving his leader's quarters and heading off to do his part.
          The door slid shut afterwards, leaving Biggs alone with his thoughts, hoping that the plan would be a success, and give him enough time to institute the second part of his plan. Time was becoming to be a hot commodity, and he had less than two days to get him and his people off of Proxima III and onto a waiting ship that would take them to their next target.
          "All in a day's work, I suppose." muttered the HomeGuard leader. "Earthforce thinks this is going to conclude soon? Oh no, it's just begun...."

          The squadron personnel shuttle was loaded with weapons and equipment, along with all five members of the Birds Of Prey. CWO Ray Park had been designated as the pilot for the mission, and he had already taken the liberty of boarding the ship, albeit with his trademark cup of tea that he was happily sipping. As someone of Korean background, Park had a fondness for green tea growing up, but had found peppermint tea in his teenage years, and stuck with it all the way through the Academy and into Earthforce.
          "Mmm." he mumbled as he took another sip of the hot liquid. His quiet moment alone in the cockpit was broken suddenly by a familiar voice from behind.
          "Would you tw like to be alone?" asked CWO Jack Whitmear with a grin. Ray turned and laughed, balancing his cup. "Nah. We're good." he said with a chuckle. "Are the others ready to board?" he asked of his comrade.
          "Yes." started Jack. "Right behind me. You'd better get your pre-flight done. This mission needs to get done and over with ASAP. I'm not one for this ground pounding nonsense."
          When informed of the mission they would be going on, there were of course questions raised about why an elite DStarfury squadron would be sent out on the ground and whatnot. Still, they had accepted the mission unanimously, even thought there was some lingering apprehension. 
          "Most of the pre-flight is already done. As soon as everyone is onboard, we're going." said Park, ready to leave the Chimera's hangar bay on a moment's notice. After taking another sip of tea, he heard some footsteps from behind, and saw Lewis Sewell take a seat, with Will and Sarah in tow, occupying the last two seats.
          "Ready to go, sir?" Ray asked of Lieutenant McIntyre.
          Will nodded, strapping himself into the seat with the provided harness, as the others did the same. "Ready when you are. Let's get this show on the road."
          The five of them were wearing their black commando uniforms, blending in with the seats of the shuttle as well as the harnesses. Park noted to himself how odd they all looked, himself included, wearing these comapred to their normal flight suits.
          "All right. We already have clearance from the bridge, so let's blast off!" he said happily, working the controls and starting the shuttle's departure sequence. As the back hatch closed and sealed itself, he lifted the shuttle off the hangar floor, and hit space a few moments later. The small ship began its short journey down to Promixa III, cleared to land in an isolated section of Crystal City where the terrorist base was rumoured to be.
          'This will be a piece of cake.' thought Ray Park, unaware of what lay ahead.

          The dimly lit alleyway two blocks from their target was an ideal place to use as a staing area for their mission, concealing everyone involved inside its shadows. Major Walton stood in an alcove, and talked quietly with the five squadron members, a couple of his own security team stationed nearby.
          "A few of my men will be stationed nearby should you require assistance, but as far as the actual mission goes, they won't enter the hideout. We're stretched too thin down here as it is, and I can't afford to have any further setbacks."
          McIntyre nodded his acknowledgement. "Fair enough. This shouldn't take long anyways. Either someone is in there and we'll capture them, or no one is in there, and we'll come out empty-handed." he mentioned.
          Walton shrugged. "It is what it is. This is one of their primary facilities that we know of, so there must be someone inside. Unfortunately, it's hard for us to know for sure."
          "I understand. We'll do out best, regardless." responded McIntyre, before tightening his grip on the PPG rifle he held in both hands, the rest of his team following suit as they prepared to move on their target.
          "Go time." he said to the others, softly.

          Watching from an adjacent structure with a great view of their secondary base, Biggs turned to Sykes, whose gaze didn't move from the scene.
          "Your surprise is ready, I take it?" he asked of his right-hand man.
          Sykes smiled evily, and nodded. "Oh yes sir. That, and the base has been cleared out, with only two men left behind to initiate the 'firefight'." he explained.
          Biggs grinned. "Excellent. And, on the off chance someone might survive our little plan, have our men throw them in the storage area and leave them there." 
          "Aye aye." replied Sykes, who perked up once he was able to make out five dark forms dart into the alley next to the base, where an entrance that was normally concealed had been purposely been left visible for the most part, enough for someone to see it and use it to gain access into the structure.
          "Not long now, boss. As soon as they go inside, our two men will cause a ruckus." he explained, waiting to see his handiwork in action. A tense few moments passed as he watched the group of five commados cautiously enter the structure through the almost-hidden entrance, leading with their weapons.
           Once he was sure they were all inside and moving closer to the building's interior, he pulled a comm device out of his pocket, and pressed a button.
           "Now." was all he said.

           PPG fire rang out as Will McIntyre and his team scattered to find cover in the large room, taking shelter behind several pieces of large equipment they had come across, as well as some furniture.
           "Return fire as necessary!" he ordered, lining up to take a couple potshots with his own rifle from behind a computer terminal.
           He looked to his right to see Lewis setting up for a shot, before firing a couple bursts from his rifle. The PPG bursts had barely left the weapon, when something exploded violently from just in front of his position.
           Debris and chunks of the floor above came raining down on him and his team, the building starting to come apart. 'Dammit! They must have rigged some booby traps in here! No option but to retreat!'
          "Fall back immediately!" he yelled over the noise. "Regroup outside the structure!" 
          Will watched as Ray Park and Sarah pulled back from their hiding places and started for the way they had come in. Lewis was next, covering them on his own way out. Looking over to Jack who was directly to his left, he motioned a thumb behind him and to the way out.
          Jack nodded, and left his position. Just as he was about to follow, a couple more PPG bursts from the terrorists let him know that they were still there, and wouldn't let them get away that easily. Jack had stopped to provide cover as the others made their way out, and started returning fire with his own PPG.
          Without warning, another explosion occurred, knocking the two comrades off their feet and onto the ground, with Jack hitting his head on a piece of equipment and getting knocked unconcious. Will scrambled to his feet to try to help, but didn't make it in time. The whole ceiling collapsed over the exit, trapping them both inside.

          Sarah picked herself up off the ground, and helped Ray to his feet as well. Lewis had his back up against the nearest wall, his rifle at the ready for any further trouble. 
          "Will!" yelled Sarah, looking to the entrance across the alley that had been buried by rubble from the structure. "We have to find a way back in, we have to--" she was yelling frantically, before Lewis cut her off. PPG blasts suddenly rang out as well, unnerving the second in the command.
          "You heard Will!" exclaimed Lewis. "We pull back and get the hell out of here! We don't know how many of them there are!"
          Ray gripped his PPG tighter and looked to the crumbling structure. "We have to go back in and get them while this thing still stands!" he said sternly, ignoring the perils.
          Lewis always wished he never had to make a decision like this, but he was in command of the squadron at the moment in Will's absense, and he had to make sure no one else was lost in this meat grinder.
          "No. We pull back, and we do it now! I don't like in anymore than you do." he said. Ray looked resigned, but nodded as they started to move out and distance themselves from the chaos. Sarah stood motionless for a moment as a tear ran down her cheek. "Will...." she whispered, before Lewis stopped and summoned her.
          "Sarah! We got to leave, now!" he exclaimed. Sarah took one last look at the blocked entryway before hurrying off to catch up with Lewis and Ray, her heart heavy, and her body feeling like it was about to shut down.
           'Will, I'm sorry....'

           When Jack Whitmear came to finally, he sat up slowly to find himself staring down the barrel of a PPG rifle being held by an unfamiliar person. A quick glance around showed him that Will was nearby, in the same predicament. They had apparently been taken out of the crumbling headquarters that he remembered they were fighting in, and were in a much more industrial looking facility.
           "Ah good, you're awake." said a man in a chair before him who wore a navy blue suit, and whose blond hair was ruffled slightly.
           "Your pathetic attempt to flush us out, gentlemen, has failed." he said calmly. "You will be our prisoners - I mean guests - for some time, as we have work to do and can't afford to be bogged down with your nonsense."
            Jack looked to Will for something, but got only a shrug from the Lieutenant.
           "Ah yes," started the suited man again. "We are the HomeGuard if you must know, and one day we will rid Earth and her colonies of the putrid alien influence that threatens to choke it and destroy it from within." he explained. "People like the two of you present a problem, and always seem to get in the way of these things, and it's quite--"
            Will cut him off, tired of the rhetoric nonsense. "Do you have any idea what you've started by capturing two Earthforce personnel and keeping them pri--" he didn't get a chance to finish as he himself was cut off by the blond man.
            "Yes, yes. Heroic nonsense that I don't have time for, as there are time constraints to my plans." he turned to a bald man in casual wear who had ben standing there, silent the whole time. "Mr. Sykes, it's time to go. Instruct your men to lock these two up. They have earned a permanent stay here at our 'luxury' resort." he finished, before laughing to himself.
            Will and Jack knew that this was the worst case scenario. Locked away, in an unknown location, where no one could find them. Will looked to Jack, then down off into nothingness as he thought about his wife, and whether or not he'd see her again.
            'Sarah....?'

                                                TO BE CONTINUED....