High Noon Express Part 4: High Noon somewhere.
Posted on Wed May 22nd, 2019 @ 8:32pm by Gunnery Sergeant Flarn & Lieutenant Commander Larim Myles & Major Cornelius Tremble
Edited on on Wed May 22nd, 2019 @ 9:11pm
1,650 words; about a 8 minute read
Mission:
Episode 6 - Old Habits Die Hard
Location: Holodeck three
Timeline: MD001 1430 hrs
Neil nearly sighed at Flarn, then grinned at him. "Jumpy. IE twitchy, or doing anything that can be defined as harmful to our team or bystanders, be they innocent or not. So, in this case, if we enter yond rail born conveyance and someone points a weapon toward us with seemingly hostile intent...drop them. If they're posing, give them a chance to surrender...then drop them if they don't comply. Good intentions will get you only so far."
Wilhelmina gave a nod. "Aye that's a right fin explination, we all ready?"
The three Marines had bunched up against the end of the next holodeck car, this one the most forward of the train besides the locomotive. It was also the passenger car and more or less had to be where the robbers where located. And so far they had only run across two of the reported half a dozen plus.
"Al rit, we should expect to be out numbered, and remember thar is another car forward of this, but it's the propulsion section of the train. And reacts badly to being shot up."
"Yes ma'am" Flarn said as he locked and loaded the shotgun. He took a look around and did not see any other targets. The Gunny had the right of the situation and that is what made him slightly nervous. "Procedure would indicate that we should search the train as recon."
"Agreed nice and slow, we might still get the drop on them." She inched the door open and stepped inside the cart, a number of people seated. At least one visibly tied up. With three men currently looking at what appeared to be a large metal container, clearly trying to manipulate a large analog lock on it.
"There must be gold in that thar box." Larim said. He nodded. "Slow got it. I got my Winchester. I can cover y'all from here."
Neil kept behind Wilson, drawing his pistols but keeping them down to the side. "Following your lead, Gunny."
She gave a node, she had been hoping that some one else would think of something good right now, because she actually kind of hated enclosed spaces like this. But she did her best to start slowly moving up the length of the car stopping to shush on the the passengers as she passed.
And they made good distance getting about 1/2 the way up the length of the car before everything went.. a bit pear shaped. The front door of the car opening as one of the robbers came from the engine to the car they where in, stopped for a prolonged time before finally pointing at Wilhelmina and Neil, clearly seeing them but taking a second to figure out why they where ducked down like that.
The gunny wincing as the robber shouter at them. "Aye, thes was getta bit boring anyways." With that she pointed the revolver she had in her hand and delivered a single shot to the pointing robbers chest as she threw herself and Neil behind a seat for cover the rest of the robbers starting to shout and produce weapons. At least not seaming to have noticed Larim or Flarn yet.
Neil flailed as Wilhelmina pulled him to cover, losing one of the pistols in the process. He caught an elbow for his troubles as he levered himself up on the back of the seat, arm extending towards the robbers. He saw their weapons train and he cocked and fired the revolver in his hand. The weapon spat and caught the centermost of the nearest robbers high in the left shoulder, causing the man to flinch and half spin backwards into the robber next to him.
"Neil was forced to duck back behind the seat, keeping a hand on the Gunny's shoulder for balance as the seat back splintered under the return fire.
"Sgt. Flarn," Neil called out as he felt a tugging at his head and lost his hat to a close shot, "Make with the Boom!"
Flarn stepped into the room a surveyed what was going on. He quickly let off a shot with both barrels. He then dove and rolled behind cover. In a flash he had the shotgun reloaded and he let off a single barrel shot. That shot hit one of the robbers in the belly. He used the second barrel to keep the rest of the robbers at bay. "I believe that was the boom you were looking for."
Larim cocked his Winchester. "I'd freeze if I were y'all. It's easier."
Surprisingly the two standing bandits, one wounded and one find, stopped one dropping his weapon the other simply putting his hands in the air. The gunny getting up and keeping them covered. "Alright how many more of you are there? Anyone in the locomotive?"
Flarn cocked the shotgun in the direction of the bandits, he added a snarl for emphasis. He was finally getting into character, and the point he wanted to get across was that they better answer the question or he would start shooting.
Neil climbed to his feet, retrieving his dropped pistol and, using the seats as stepping stones, maneuvered around Wilson. The civilians cowering in the seats were not too impressed, but only mutters could be heard as he dropped to the floor near the two bandits. "Alright, Amigos. I guess we only need one of you to do the talking. First one that does, doesn't get thrown off this hear train face first."
Staying to one side, keeping out of his companions field of fire, Neil stripped gun belts from both men holding a pistol in the general directions of their navels.
"That seemed to be a little too easy." Flarn snarled as he took a quick look around. He kept his guns trained on the enemy.
The three of them and at least a few of the passengers would hear a odd follow thunk sound. One of the two bandits stopping and looking up, his finger pointing up at the roof of the train. Another two of the hollow sounds coming close, before a spray of about a half dozen bullets showered through the roof of the train, clearly one or more of the remaining bandits having moved from the locomotive to the roof of the car they where on.
Neil raised his pistol and fanned the hammer, sending five rounds through the ceiling. Then he hurled the gun belts he held out the nearest window, holstered the first pistol and drew the other. "I think I got him in the toe." More shots rang out, sending splinters into his hair and causing him to duck. The already wounded bandit took another round and dropped while the other cowered and ducked.
Then Neil began climbing though the window that he'd thrown the gun belts through and looked for handholds to the roof.
Flarn decided that it would be best for him to look after the enemies that have been captured. So he let Wilson, Myles and Tremble make pursuit. He snarled at those that were tied up just to keep them jumping. Something that the Tellarite loved to do.
Wilson likewise made her way to the front of the train, practically kicking the door to the front car in and getting into the locomotive. There being literally no one driving the train, but she quickly located and released the steam valve, the whole train rocking just a little as it started to slow down from lack of steam pressure.
On the roof Neil found himself climbing up onto the roof, with a pair of robbers to his right who had as of yet not seen him. With a third laying sprawled out on the roof having already been shot. Of the two robbers one seamed ready to jump down at the end of the front car, with the aim of attacking Flarn from behind.
The other seamed to be reloading his weapon, and seamed to be the one that had already shot down into the car.
Rather than climb to his feet, Neil rolled onto his back and drew both pistols and aimed. "Drop it or I'll fill your worthless hide full of holes," he called out, cocking the hammers back. The bandit caught int he act of reloading stared at him and then started to put his hands up.
Larim drew his pistol and walked on over. "Good idea listening." He grinned. He threw the bandits gun away. "Ya won't be needing that. Will ya?"
The bandit shook his head.
"Oh, and smart too? Great!" Larim continued as he bound the guys hands behind his back.
With the training exercise closed it seemed that the small team was able to subdue the enemy and secure the train. The four of them had no way of knowing how those skills would be put to the test in the coming mission. Each and every one of them would go through something a lot worse than anything the holodeck could throw at them. For know the group would bask in their victory and enjoy the old west, a time in which their Captain seemed to love.
A Joint Post By
Staff Sergeant Flarn
Rifle Fire Team 1 Leader, USS Pioneer
Second Lieutenant Cornelius Tremble
Marine Commanding Officer, USS Pioneer
Lieutenant Commander Larim Myles
Chief Security/Tactical Officer, USS Pioneer
Gunnery Sergeant Wilhelmina Wilson
First Sergeant/Rifle Fire Team 2 Leader, USS Pioneer
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