BtH72

==Chapter 72 - By the Horns==
------
Ivan Patrice Computer Sciences Center, University of Taurus
Samantha City, Taurus
Taurian Concordat
November 27th, 3025
----
Julius Riese rechecked his weapons magazine as the elevator descended towards the underground research laboratory. And the six other Death Commandos with him were doing the same. He nodded; each with a veteran of many operations and knew well enough that sometimes an almost full magazine simply was not enough to get the job done. And then he frowned.
Seven commandos—including himself—here, another seven topside to keep the Taurian reinforcements from interrupting their play to destroy the Core. And two men—his most trusted men—sitting idle back at the safe house and waiting for their chance to try and destroy, or at the least, disable that damned Taurian WarShip!
Ideally, he would have conducted both operations simultaneously. After all, chaos often led to the other side making mistakes that would not otherwise have. But the WarShip had rather suddenly disengaged from the orbital station nine days ago and burned outsystem to Gateway . . . accelerating at a full 2.5-G's to get there quicker. That was no hangar queen, he though glumly to himself, but (or so it seemed to him, anyway) a rather pissed-off close-to-fully operational disaster that needed to get somewhere fast. And if the rumors flying around the planet were true, that Michael Hasek-Davion had invaded the Concordat, well . . . Riese's frown turned into a smile.
Hasek-Davion had proven useful to House Liao, but it just well might be better for all concerned if he (and his not-so-secret ambitions) died in the fury of bombardment from a battleship in orbit.
And the smile faded. Because that fool daughter of the Chancellor had pissed away a sizeable portion of the Confederation Armed Forces in her own misguided attempt at invading just weeks earlier. It must have been Romano; Candace was not a fool; McCarron would not have committed his troops on his own without orders, and no officer in the CCAF would dared to have ordered such an ambitious plan without the Chancellor's approval. Which Maximillian Liao would not have given. And with that open act of aggression, Riese feared that the Chancellor's plans for getting Taurus in the Capellan camp would be for naught.
He shook his head. Enough, he though to himself. "Game faces, people," he barked. "Intel says one researcher and perhaps two assistants are working on the Core. No guards, but these are Taurians and they might be armed. Kill them all and then we set the device and try to extricate. Got it?"
And six faces nodded their confirmation.
Good enough, Riese thought as the elevator slid to a halt and he chambered a round in his submachine gun as the doors began to open.
And Hell erupted around him.
----
Previous Chapter - Return to Story Index - Next Chapter
Category:By the Horns Chapters