S1, 01 Mission Briefing (FB) (January 15, 2016)

**06 January, 2096**

Galactic Imperium Base 13

Qoter

The walls gleamed with the shine of polished metal in the assembly room of the Galactic Imperium Base. Grey walls surrounded the small number of occupants of the room. Four of them were obvious soldiers: Shock troopers, to be precise. Weapons were strapped to their backs and each had the look of precision about them.

They stood like statues, waiting for their leader to arrive. The few others in the room were busying themselves with mundane tasks, leaving the soldiers to their own business. They had their own work to be done.

Suddenly, the hiss of hydraulics filled the room as the two blast doors slid open. A man marched in, his every motion the essence of uniformity and discipline. He was bald, but a large, finely trimmed moustache filled his face and a heavy rifle filled his back.

The soldiers already waiting in the room turned and raised their arms in salute. This was the one they had been waiting for; their leader Lieutenant Brock.

Brock: "At ease men." the lieutenant stated, oblivious to the inclusion of the young woman. However, all the troops relaxed slightly and settled into position. The lieutenant waited till they were listening intently before continuing.

Brock: "Glad to see you got the message so quickly. Have your weapons already been inspected?"

All four troops nodded.

"Good. We'll need them fully operational where we're heading."

The woman stepped forward, her face set and her mood serious. Risa Donovan, Sergeant of the strike team, was not known for her sense of humour. She spoke, her voice young, but with the undertones of practiced discipline clearly present.

Risa: "Permission to speak freely sir?"

Brock: "Granted."

Risa: "We are prepped and ready to leave sir, but may I ask why we are here for this mission? The quick briefing we were given gave indication of full combat and, with all due respect sir, some of us haven't been engaged in the field as of yet."

She gestured to the two men behind her. One had perfectly trimmed hair and wore a contempt smile. Private Trent was a recent replacement and had no experience in combat. The other, the team medic, was the embodiment of solemnity. Private Jacob had even less humour then Risa did, and seemed as steady as a rock. But while he was an accomplished medic, he too had no field experience. The lieutenant glanced at the pair before replying.

Brock: "I see no reason to hold your team back Sergeant. You and Corporeal Havok have proven yourselves already, and your new recruits have more than impressed me with their test scores. I trust that you will be able to keep your team together throughout the mission."

Risa: "Yes Sir, I understand."

Risa stood back in line, embarrassed to her core, but forcing herself to remain neutral. Unfortunately, Corporeal Almas Havok saw through her mask.

Havok: "Told you we'd be impressive, Sarge."

Risa held her tongue. Though she and Havok had had something once, they had it no more. She had moved on, though he had not and loved to annoy her for the sheer sake of it. But she was in no mood to start an argument.

The lieutenant missed the exchange as he moved to collect a comlink standing for use in the centre of the room. He marched back to the soldiers and turned the comlink on. Immediately, a blurred image of a man was projected to the troops. Despite the low quality, he was clearly well dressed.

Brock: "Alright troops, full mission briefing begins now. Our target is a former GI citizen who goes by the name David Robertson. We have reason to believe that this is not his real name as many inquires we have made have led us to a number of other identities."

"He has thrown his lot in with the Marauders, but recently he began harassing Imperial supply transports out of Earth. While he has mostly been little more that a nuisance, the higher-ups think that it is only a matter of time before he moves up the ladder to larger scale attacks."

"Therefore, our mission is simple. We move in two days, at 0600 and launch a sting operation at his current known location, a mansion located in England, on Earth. We'll set weapons to stun only, and take him alive. He's little more than a pirate at this stage and deserves prison, no more. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." came the reply from four throats, as well as a quick salute.

Lieutenant Brock nodded with approval before dismissing them with an order and marching out of the room. Risa was first of the bat, following the lieutenant out of the building to begin planning further logistics of the mission. The medic also left through a smaller door opposite the main entrance. Private Trent turned to Havok as the room began to clear.

Trent: "So, did you and the Sarge have a thing once?"

Havok: "Yeah, but it's all pretty serious with her. Not much humour in that one."

Trent: "But you still annoy her? She probably doesn't find it funny."

Havok: :Nope, but I know when to stop. Nobody wants to be on her bad side."