Sort of Legal Ch. 11

Ronan and Phil hustled the Marines onto the sleek looking ship, sitting them in the bay lined with simple webbing seats.

No explanation was offered before the ship took off, they were pushed down hard onto the seats as the craft carried out some aggressive manoeuvring before settling down as the faster than light drive kicked in.

"Good morning," a man said stepping into the bay they were sat in, his commanding presence seemed to fill the small bay, his head of full hair and strong thick features revelling much of his fierce character. "If you would care to come through we can begin," he said cordially gesturing to the open door.

Leaving their gear in the bay they crowded into the briefing area, the cock pit visible with two pilots checking the systems as the ship sped through the vastness of space.

"My name is Hadley-Page, thank you for coming," he began leafing through the folder in his hands. The Marines looked around at each other, smiling at the idea they had any choice.

"Before we begin, I will remind you that you are bound by the secrecy laws and you are forbidden from mentioning anything about this operation once it is over, and I have a long reach, a very good memory and if I feel you have in any way contravened this I will reach out and touch you, and it will not be good." He said making eye contact with them all in turn.

Hadley-Page put a photograph of two stunning smiling girls down on the briefing table, "this is the operation, these assets have been compromised and you will be recovering them."

He fished around in the folder for a few more moments and laid down another photograph, this one blurry showing a middle-aged man of no note worth appearance, "this is Tango one, he is responsible for the assets compromise, and this," he said laying down a photograph of another smiling man "is Tango two, he has the assets in his custody."

Hadley-Page looked around the room checking they were all paying attention.

"Good, moving on, we have confirmed they are currently being held at a location we are heading towards now. Once there you will conduct an operation to recover the assets, and if possible, I would like to hear that Tango one has been eliminated. Unless it is absolutely unavoidable Tango two is not to be touched at all, clear?"

The assembled Marines nodded their understanding and waited for Hadley-Page to continue.

"The assets and Tango One are confirmed on this island," he said producing a satellite image of a secluded tropical island featuring a landing pad and jetty leading to a large low home.

"We have assessed the situation and we feel a Trojan horse approach has the greatest change of success and to that end we have obtained two motorboats you will use to approach the island. I shall allow you good people to plan the actual assault as that is far more your forte, any questions?" he asked.

"Yeah, where are we going?" One of the sky-blue soldiers asked.

"Ah yes, not relevant," Hadley-Page replied. The trooper shrugged.

"This is legal?" Ronan asked.

Hadley-Page looked at him hard, "Yes of course it is."

"What back up do we have?" Megan asked.

"You are the back up," Hadley-Page smiled.

"You're not going to tell us anything more, are you?" Ginger asked.

Hadley-Page snorted and smiled, "Probably not, but I am here to help, shall we plan the assault?"

The soldiers crowded closer to the table and the photographs were passed round. Planning began in earnest, ideas being kicked around and discarded as they progressed. Hadley-Page providing much more help than expected as snippets of information became relevant.

"Ok," Phil said after a few hours, "so two boats, half of us on each, Mack and Ginger on one, to provide sniper and or machine gun cover, we can hide the weapons till needed right?"

"Yes, we can put a box on the top deck for you," Hadley-Page confirmed.

"Great, so Alphabet and Ronan on the other, Ronan in command overall, myself for the actual assault, anything I've missed?"

"Sounds good to me, separate approach or together?" Ronan asked.

"I'd prefer together, easier for observation," Hadley-Page suggested.

"Fine by me," Ronan said, Phil nodding his own acceptance.

***

Ginger check over the box containing the weapons one last time as the boast slipped away from the jetty in the early morning gloom, the long brunette hair annoying her as it fell forward.

Tutting to herself she tried to tuck it back, Hadley-Page telling her to leave it down, so she looked more civilian, she was surprised at the hungry looks the sky-blue troopers and coxswains, who were, mysteriously waiting with the boats when they arrived, gave her when she appeared for the first time in her tiny white bikini.

"Happy?" Mack asked as she lent against the rail with him.

"I guess, this is all a weird for me," she said taking the coffee cup from him.

"Yeah, this cloak and dagger shit is well out of my league, feels weird knowing we're going to fight and all I have is board shorts," he laughed.

Ginger snorted, "Yeah, but that's more practical than this," she said waving her hand over her body.

"er, yeah," Mack said averting his eyes.

They took turns watching the horizon through high quality binoculars as they approached the island, still many miles off, the approach timed so they would have a final stand off from the target for several hours till the sun set, the sky-blue preferring to attack at dusk.

"Standby," the radio ear piece, that all of them wore, announced, Mack and Ginger continued to scan as they waited to find out what alerted Ronan on the command boat.

"Boat, on intercept course, twelve kilometres," Ronan said from the radio.

"Fuck, what do you think?" Ginger asked.

"Could be nothing," Mack said with a shrug, the coxswain continued to pilot the boat.

"Yeah, its closing, we're going to swap sides and allow it to interdict you, we'll cut them off when they stop you," Ronan said.

"Understood," the coxswain said slowing the boat slightly letting the other move ahead then across their path.

Ginger and Mack moved below to continue observing the approaching boat with less chance of being seen.

"You see weapons?" Mack asked as the boat closed.

"Yeah, I see two with long weapons," she confirmed.

"Weapons confirmed," the Mack reported over the radio.

Ginger watched the two armed men standing on the foredeck.

Grabbing a couple of silenced pistols Ginger crawled onto the sun deck and hid them in the cushions around the stern of the boat.

"Practical Elegance, turn back now, you are entering a restricted area," someone yelled from a bullhorn from the approaching boat.

Ignoring them the coxswain stuck to his course, the approaching boat closing in closer, the armed men levelling their weapons at the Practical Elegance continued.

"Turn back now, or we will open fire!" They yelled.

"What do we do?" Ginger called quietly to Mack, he shrugged and continued watching the boat.

Suddenly a few shots rang out.

"Fuck," Ginger swore.

"Turn back now!" The bull horn shouted as the boat took up station off their rear quarter.

"I got an idea, be ready," Ginger said, quickly she shrugged off her top and stood up pulling down her sunglasses.

"Hey! What's going on?" she shouted. Waving her arms at the boat her breast jiggling.

"Heave too, we'll come aboard and check everything," The bullhorn announced, Ginger nodded over her shoulder and the coxswain cut the engine, the boat with Ronan and Alphabet continued to pull away, tracking off to the left slightly.

Ginger waited standing, so she was in full view as the boat approached.

"Only three of you? How disappointing, I was hoping for some fun," she said as the boat close in and bumped the Practical Elegance.

"I'm sure we can entertain you sweetheart," one of them said jumping onto the back of the boat, "papers now."

"Do you want a drink, lover?" Ginger asked, standing her ground.

"I want papers and no crap from you," he said stepping forward.

"God you're no fun," she huffed walking into the wheelhouse, she held her hand out low to Mack, hoping he'd get the hint.

He did and tossed another silenced pistol to her, she grabbed it and spun on the spot, the man stepped into the wheel hose, the round catching him on the bridge of his nose, his body falling aside as Ginger stormed back onto the sun deck, the other armed man frozen in shock, Ginger fired twice, both rounds passing though his skull, blood and brains bursting out the back.

Grabbing a second pistol she jumped onto the enemy boat.

The coxswain there was reaching for his radio as Ginger cut him down, blood spraying across the console.

"Mack, get us tied, Phil give a hand getting the body back on board, we need to be quick." Ginger yelled.

Phil and two others came on deck and grabbed the first man, still sprawled in the wheel house, as Mack tied the two boats together.

He helped Ginger drag the other armed man into the wheel house, they pushed his body down the stairs along with the coxswain, Phil and the others threw the third body down.

"Let's see if we can sink this," Phil said.

"Yeah, see if the coxswain can set it to sail off somewhere and we can set it to sink slowly?" One of the troopers suggested.

"Good call, Ginger, Mack can you take top cover?" Phil asked. They nodded and crossed back to the other boat taking station on the top deck scanning the horizon as Ronan's boat approached, he gave them a thumbs up as the moved off slightly, realising the situation was under control.

Phil and his team set the boat moving, and they crossed back to the Practical Elegance and hid themselves below deck again.

"Wanna put your top back on?" Mack said holding out her top.

"Shit I'd forgotten," Ginger laughed taking the bikini top and shrugging it back on.

"You're the only one who did, good thinking by the way," Mack said scanning with horizon as the boats moved away.

"Asshole," she laughed.

"And remind me not to piss you off," Mack said.

"Change of plan, we're going straight in, we have no idea how long till they notice the patrol boat missing," Ronan said over the radio. Everyone on the radio net confirming the change on orders.

Mack and Ginger carried out one final check of the weapons and made sure they had something to eat and drink.

"Here we go," Mack said when they spotted the island.

"Break out weapons now or wait?" Ginger asked.

"Sorry, do you mean take your top off or guns?" Mack teased.

"Yeah? Remember what happened to the last asshole who looked at my tits?" she laughed back.

"Ok, fair point, keep close but we'll keep them undercover, weapons too, unless Ronan does different,"

They scanned the beach seeing nothing as they approached, nor was there any sign of anything on the horizon.

"Boat at the jetty," Mack said as the approached.

"Yeah, can't see anyone on it can you?"

"Nah, nothing, were we expecting a boat?" Mack said.

"Don't think so, but we are early," Ginger said flicking the top of the box open, so the weapons were available.

"Two minutes," the radio called out, the sky-blue troopers hiding in the wheelhouse ready to disembark from the boat once it touched the beach.

The anchor chain rattled out over the stern as the boats ran into the beach, they were to be used to haul the boats off the beach when it was time to depart.

Ginger mouth went dry as she scanned the beach searching for enemy targets, her hand already on the rifle ready to use it, the beach was deserted as the sky-blue troops leapt over the edge into the shallow water.

With astonishing sped they raced up the beach and into the tree line.

"Get the weapons set up," Mack said, Ginger grabbed a belt with a holstered pistol and slung it low on her hips, quickly she grabbed her rifle and set that up on its bipod. Mack set up the machine gun beside her, the box pushed aside as she checked and readied the weapon.

"Ready," she confirmed.

"Cool, standby,"

Ginger glanced to the left, Ronan and Alphabet were set up on top of their boat, thirty meters away, Ronan kneeling as he scanned ahead with the binoculars. Ginger gave Alphabet a thumbs up he grinned and flicked off the safety on his rifle.

Ginger nodded and copied him returning her eye to the scope looking for anything. Nothing was happening.

"Movement," Mack said, Ginger picked up the disturbance just inside the tree line, bringing her rifle to bare on the target.

"Got it," Ginger said letting Mack know he could go back to scanning for anything else. Desperately she tried to see what was moving, but it was just to indistinct.

A man appeared on the beach, he looked open mouthed at the two boats, he turned to run, before he could Alphabet shot him the round sprawling him into the sand.

"Eliminated," Ginger said returning to scan the beach.

The sounds of firing could be heard disturbing the peace.

"And we're overt," Mack sighed.

Faint crumps of grenades could be heard in the distance as the sky-blue assaulted the house.

"Fuck, movement on the jetty," Mack said, "get round here."

Quickly Ginger scurried round so she could check out the movement on the jetty with her scope.

"Its deserted," Phil said over the radio.

"Fuck," Mack said.

"Pulling back, we've got contact!" Phil said through the radio, intense firing could be heard filling the air.

"Crap, that's not good, get ready," Mack said.

"Yeah, shit I got four on the jetty," she said, "Long weapons, crap, it's the assets!" she said seeing more figures emerging onto the jetty, including the two assets, bound blindfolded being dragged along.

"Your cleared to engage," Mack said.

"Yeah, I fucking know, its not a clear shot!" she snapped back.

"Ok," Mack started as Ginger took her first shot, striking one of the men in the chest.

"I got this," her rifle spat again the second man falling.

"We got multiple hostiles, its going to be hot," Phil said over the radio as the firing got closer.

Gingers rifle spat again dropping a third guard, "Get down you stupid bitches," she muttered under her breath.

The blindfolded girls on the jetty seemed unable to do anything but huddle together as the remaining man pushed them towards the boat, he kept the girls between himself and Gingers position.

"Come on out you mother fucker," Ginger muttered.

"We're not far," Phil warned them as the sky-blue approached the beach.

"Fuck Mack, they'll get away, we can get them if we're quick," Ginger shouted.

"We hold until we're told not to," he replied.

Ginger tracked the assets as they were pushed towards the boat, the captor hiding behind them. Just to let him know and to try and spook him Ginger put a round as close as she could to the man, he held his position.

"You cunt," Ginger snarled as he closed on the boat, herding the girls was slow going neither of them being in any way cooperative.

The man raised his hand to strike one of the women as he tried to move them faster, Ginger smiled grimly as her round destroyed his hand, she could hear him screaming from her position less than a hundred meters away.

"Ronan, the assets are free, we can get them!" Ginger yelled into the radio.

Mack opened up with his machine gun as enemy soldiers appeared on the beach.

"Fuck they're right here!" Ronan replied, as he started firing too, Alphabet's rifles sounds drowned out.

"I can get them, they're blindfolded." She said.

"Fuck it, go, we'll pick you up!" Ronan said.

Ginger dropped her rifle and grabbed another pistol, jumping down she hit the deck and leapt over the side, splashing into the ankle deep water she surged forward, checking the tree line to her right as she ran towards the jetty.

Closing in Ginger pushed harder, the man trying to get to the boat, Ginger was faster, she jumped onto the jetty and pounded down it.

"Get down," she yelled aiming her pistols down towards the group. The assets dropped to the deck and Ginger opened fire on the remaining guard, he tried to fire back but with one hand his rifle was hopelessly off target the rounds chewing the boards ahead of Ginger.

Her rounds hit him in the chest driving him down to his knees, bright red spots flowering on his chest. The man snarled and tried to lift his rifle, Ginger blasted two rounds into his head as she ran.

"Come on!" she screamed at the assets hauling them to their feet, the girls struggled up and Ginger pulled them the remaining few meters to the boat, checking her six as she went.

"On, on!" she yelled pushing the two girls onto the boat. Firing intensified from the beach glancing up she saw her boat pull back from the beach, Mack firing the machine gun into the tree line, sky-blue troopers adding fire from the rail on the foredeck.

Leaving the assets in a heap she dashed down to untie the boat, gritting her teeth she ran back and untied the boat form the rear.

Rounds snapped over her head. Looking down the jetty she saw three armed men mount the jetty and start running towards her, grabbing her pistol she sprinted down the jetty screaming at them, firing wildly as she ran, none of the rounds found its mark, shocked at her assault the three bailed. They dove for cover off the jetty. Not wanting to push her luck Ginger returned to the boat pushing it away from the jetty and jumping after it.

Rushing into the wheel hose Ginger ducked as the men opened fire on her, shattering the windows, spraying glass everywhere.

"Fuck it," Ginger yelled as the glass cut her bare feet, she peaked up and saw the keys in the ignition, twisting it the engine came to life.

Spinning the wheel, she slammed the throttle forward, more rounds pierced the roof of the wheel hose and Ginger ducked.

She poked the pistol over the console and emptied the remaining rounds down desperately.

Glancing over the console she piloted the boat away from the jetty, more rounds plastering the wheel house, Ginger ducking down again hoping nothing hit her, more glass cutting her soft skin as she jumped.

More firing joined in, but no rounds struck the boat, hopefully Ginger peaked out of the door, the two boats passed the jetty gunning down the three men who'd been shooting at her.

"Fuck yeah!" Ginger yelled standing up and taking the wheel, steering the boat further out to sea.

The wind blowing through the broken windows making her long brunette hair stream out behind her.

"You gonna slow down?" Ronan yelled through to her.

Laughing Ginger cut the throttle and the boat slowed and wallowed as it ran out of momentum.

Descending to the sundeck she helped the two assets sit up, blood ran down her limbs from the many cuts she'd picked up from the broken glass.

"How you doing?" she said to the shaking girls as the friendly boats bumped into her's.

Phil and his team jumped onto her boat and helped untie the girls. Ginger shaking her head seeing the deep welts from whips and burns all over the girl's bodies.

"Oh Jesus," one of them said removing the blindfold. The girl had been blinded, empty eye sockets oozing blood, quickly he replaced the bandage as the girl collapsed into his arms.

The sky-blue troopers gently handing the girls over to the friendly boat.

"You need some first aid too," Megan said appearing next to her.

"What? Nah, I'm good," Ginger said smiling, she looked down at her arms and legs seeing the many cuts from the broken glass, bloody foot prints on the white deck.

"Oh shit, maybe," the adrenalin wearing off as suddenly as it started Ginger sagged as shock took her.

"Make a fucking hole!" Mack bellowed leaping onto the boat, the troops responding instantly to the order, Mack sild in catching Ginger as she collapsed.