Preparations

[Jake Snake]

Jake stalked through the almost dark hallway. His rifle was raised and ready as he looked carefully through his visor. If the map was correct, he should be close to the hanger. Knowing that danger was all around, Jake chose the slow and quiet way, reather and running head on and getting killed.

He had done this before, at the acedamy, but that was long ago and over the years he hadn't had much practice. At a time like this he wished that he would have made the time. As he moved through this ship, Jake realized how much he admired the Federal Marines. They had gone through a lot quicker and he was.

Before he could finish the thought, a door slid open to his left and instantly turned to face it, rifle pointed toward the opened just as light filled the dark hallway and a figure stepped out. Without thinking, Jake squeezed the trigger and the figure fell with two shots in the chest. No other sound was made and nothing else moved. Crouching against the wall, Jake waited for a moment before moving forward again.

He was impressed with himself for not hesitating and in acting so fast. Maybe he wasn't that out of it. The skills were still there, just in the back of his mind. When he really needed them, they emerged and helped him react. For this he thanked the extensive training programs that the Federacy military implimented. Allowing himself a smile, Jake proceeded to the hanger.

The hanger, as it turned out, wasn't that far away and the trip there was uneventful. This was a fact Jake was thankful for. However, now that he was here, he witnessed that the hanger was guarded by 4 seen soldiers. He didn't know how many more were out there. All he knew was that the only way off the ship was the single shuttle parked in the center of the bay. The only problem was getting past those guards.

As Jake hid in the shadows near the balcony that over looked the hanger he looked around, trying to develop a plan. His eyes wondered around and settled on a hoop of rope laying there. An idea almost instantly poped into his head, but could it possibly work? It just might.

He eased towards the rope, laying flat on the cold steel and grabed the rope. With it he moved towards the rail and gently fastened it to the railing pillar. Right after he quickly crawled back into the shadows and slung his rifle over his shoulder. Standing up he took a few deep breaths and went for it.

He ran as quietly as he could towards the edge of the balcony and jumped over the railing. As he feel toward the hanger floor, he gripped the rope with his gloved hands and tugged on it. The pull released the rope from the railing and also stabilized his fall, allowing him to drop on the hanger on his hands and knees. What happened after was a blurr inside Jake's mind. His training fully took over and as the guards turned towards the noise, everything went into slow motion.

Within a second Jake's rifle was up and being aimed, as the guard turned and brought this rifle up. He was put down with a quick burst before Jake rolled and got back up to target the other guard. As the guard was till turning to follow Jake's roll, two shots hit him in the chest and one in the stomach. The large man fell to the floor limp.

Knowing that there were two other guards in the hanger, Jake turned around to search for them and came upon one off them. This one had Jake in his aim, but missed, his shot going a little wide. The miss allowed Jake to return fire, but he on the other hand didn't miss, bringing the guard down with a shot to the head.

As he started to look around once more, he felt his arm spasm and grow numb for a moment before his back spasmed and he feel to the ground unconsious. This only lasted for a moment, but to Jake, it seemed like a long time. When he came to, he was still in the hanger, being helped up by the guards he had "killed".

"Good job, sir. We never expected the jump. That was a great move."

Memories rushed back to Jake as he smiled and nodded, "Thank you, but it didn't work as well as I thought. I still died."

"That was still really good for your second time and your first in this senario."

With a nod Jake straightened and followed the men out. He looked back at the hanger as they left. Another training mission down, but not the last. His men would be back in this fallen ship many times over, perfecting all their skills and techniques.

[Jake Snake]

The old ship floated in space like a piece of long forgoten debris. Its hull scorched and potmarked as it sat there motionless. The vessal itself was probably fifteen years of age and had been rusting at a salvage yard until Commodore Jake Snake found it. He had instanly ordered it to be hulled in and placed in this location. It would be a great accet and would be put to fine use.

All over the ship dummy weapons had been installed to make it look realistic. The real ones had long since been removed and either tossed or placed in sealed storage. As the lifeless ship floated there, streaks of light converged on it. These streaks were in fact missile trails. Twelve of them ran straight, seperating slightly as they aimed for their targets. In seconds explosions blossomed over the ship's port side. Weapons emplacements, targeting stations, and sensor modules winked out of existance.

From the horizon appeared a squadron of small, agile fighters. These escorted a single shuttle, forming around it so that the almost defenseless craft was in the middle. As the fighters broke appart, they flew around the floating ship. Only one of the Diablo's fired at the hull, slicing into it and punching through. It slowed enough to ensure a proper sized hole was cut and then accelerated away.

The shuttle came in last. It floated over the hole only long enough to drop the contents of its hold. As it engaged its main engines again, a team of fifteen Marines were left behind at the top of the hull. Grenades feel inside the hole and fire rushed out. As it died, the men jumped in.
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"Sir, boarding team reports mission complete. They have taken the bridge." Called out the XO.

Jake looked at the chrono and nodded. "Twenty minutes. That's not bad, but not good enough. Have they do the excercise again."

He wanted his man trained and ready. His mission was to make them the best possible before sending them into combat. With the reporting coming in, he knew that combat wouldn't be far off. Sooner of later his force would called into action and he would be ready.