The Ace of Spades Campaign - Raid on Sterling part 11

Hostage Rescue Mission
Kimberley and her team had discovered an old abandoned mining camp situated 15 miles west of the Sterling Agriculture Colony. It was here that they believed the bandits were holding the six hostages taken from the colony a day ago. Under the cover of darkness, Celeste, Julia, Danica and Katja closed in on the camp and confirmed that it was being used by the bandits. This was ascertained by the weapons the men were carrying - 9mm Harrison and Krupp HK18 military assault rifles. These were the kind of weapons mercenaries would use, not miners.

The abandoned mining camp as viewed from the hills to the west.

The camp was surrounded on three sides by a ten foot tall chain-link fence. To the west, it was bordered by high, steep hills, which is where the mine entrance was located. To the east and the south were four two-storey buildings, two on each side, which were all barracks. The long building in the centre of the camp was the mess hall and kitchen. To the west of it were a small radio shed and the officer's quarters. A watch tower was situated in the north-west corner of the camp.
From sensor readings, the four women knew that there were sixteen people in the camp, which they presumed were the six hostages and ten guards. Celeste scouted all around the perimeter fence utilising her chameleon circuitry to remain hidden from view, whilst her three colleagues hunkered down in a dip in the ground by the south-east corner of the camp. There was one gate leading into the camp, which was sited just in front of the watch tower. The gate was closed and padlocked.

When she returned, she informed them that she had seen four men outside. One was on guard in the watch tower.

Two more were situated on the upper floors of a building in the south-west corner of the camp. That was most likely where the hostages were being held, Celeste surmised.

Finally, there was one sentry on roving patrol who circled around the camp at a leisurely pace. None of them seemed particularly alert. No doubt, they did not expect any trouble.

They waited until the sentry moved out of sight before cutting the wire fence and moving inside. They took cover behind a pile of crates, to await the return of the lone sentry.

After a few minutes, he sauntered back and walked right past them without noticing any of them. Danica, Julia and Katja were dressed in high quality black mesh armour jumpsuits, which made it extremely difficult to spot them at night. Plus, he just wasn't very perceptive.
(The mesh armour jumpsuits provided them with SOAK:6 against all damage except Blunt damage. Celeste's natural armour provided her with SOAK:10 against all damage.)
He got the biggest shock of his life when Celeste clamped her left hand around his mouth and pressed the barrel of her disruptor pistol to the side of his head. He had never heard her move, a fact that alarmed him greatly.
"Carefully kneel down and lower your rifle to the ground," she whispered softly to him. "Make a sound and I'll blow your head off."

He did as he was told and Celeste shoved him onto his back as the other three women joined her. The sentry was in his late teens and absolutely scared witless as the women surrounded him, all pointing guns at him. Danica was armed with a phaser pistol and a longsword and Katja carried a Galactic Concepts KRH16 Starbird Disruptor Rifle. A holstered phaser pistol and laser-sword hung on her belt. Julia scared him the most. She was armed with a large Transfarer R43 Fireflash Microwave Sniper Rifle with scope-sight. In a holster and sheath on her belt were a disruptor pistol and a long knife.
"Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me," he murmured repeatedly until Julia knelt down beside him and positioned the barrel of her sniper rifle under his chin.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions," she said in a quiet and calm voice. "Answer them truthfully and I promise I won't kill you."
He nodded his head vigorously.
"Good. First of all, where are you holding the hostages?"
"In the buh... building down there, on the cuh... corner from here," he stammered.
"Are they all well?"
"Yes, nuh... no-one's harmed them. I swear."
"I know there are two men guarding them and you have another in the watch tower. Where are the rest of your men?"
"The suh... sarge and corporal are in the office."
"Is that the building directly opposite where the hostages are? The one with the lights on?"
"Yuh, yuh... yes, it is."
"Good. And the other four?"
"They're all in the buh... barracks. It... it's just here. This buh... building next to me."
"Good boy," Julia smiled at him but there was no warmth in her eyes. She stood up and said, "I promised I wouldn't kill you but I never said anything about Celeste."
Julia quickly glanced at the android and winked, "Celeste?"
The teenager's eyes bulged and he opened his mouth wide to scream in protest. But his scream became a gurgled cry of pain as Celeste speedily squatted down and punched him hard in the mouth with such force that she broke his two front teeth. As if that wasn't bad enough she activated her electrical discharge enhancement to her fist. Her second punch completely shattered his nose and fried his brain. The smell of burning flesh hung heavily in the air.

Celeste looked up at Julia with hooded eyes and a grim expression. The bounty hunter just shrugged and gave her a brief nod of approval.
Katja and Danica turned away, unconcerned by the death. They'd seen worse and they were well aware that Celeste and Julia were natural born killers. They remembered what Kimberley had told them before they set off on this mission. "Your main priority is the safe return of the six hostages. What you do to the bandits is entirely up to you. If they resist or get in your way, kill them."
"What if they surrender?" Katja had asked.
"I leave that up to your discretion," was Kimberley's ambiguous response.
"We'll go get the hostages," Katja declared. "Julia, take out the watch tower guard and the two NCOs. Celeste, deal with those four in the barracks."
Celeste and Julia nodded in response and they set off.

Moving at a brisk walk, Julia, Danica and Katja moved to the south-western corner building where the hostages were being held. Fortunately for them, the two guards above them were not watching the back of the building.

Julia took up position at the rear corner of the building. She raised her Fireflash Microwave Sniper Rifle to her shoulder and took careful aim at the guard in the watch tower.

Katja and Danica silently climbed the metal ladders to the roof of the ground floor. Danica raised her eyes, indicating she'd go up to the next level. Katja nodded and smiled at her lover before turning towards the corner of the upper room. She clearly heard the yawning of the guard just a few yards away from her.
"Tired, huh? Don't worry, mate," she thought. "I'll soon put you to sleep for good."

Celeste quickly ran along the side of the barracks. The night was deathly quiet and she made no noise as she soon reached the corner. A quick glance round confirmed there was no one outside who could see her.

She stealthily approached the front door and was pleased to find it unlocked. It slid open at the press of a button. Inside, the room was in darkness, apart from a few small areas illuminated by the moonlight coming through the two front windows and the open doorway behind her. It would not have mattered if the room was in total darkness. Celeste had infrared vision, which gave her superior vision in the dark. She activated her communicator.
"I'm in place," she whispered to Julia, Danica and Katja. "Go, go, go!"