Isolated (Red vs Blue)

11: Observation Duty

11: Observation Duty

Present Day: Somewhere on the Edge of Colonized Space

"Mayday, this is Agent Washington issuing a distress call. I am a soldier. Over. Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me?"

Locus listened as the former freelancer made multiple attempts to make contact with someone — anyone — to try and rescue him and his men. The mercenary knew his efforts were being made mostly in vain; it'd be a miracle if the other soldier could pick up a signal with all the radio jammers that were scattered around the planet. Only transmissions on permitted off-planet channels could be made or recieved. Locus knew for a fact Agent Washington was not on any of those channels.

The mercenary had himself decloaked at the moment; it wasn't the smartest move, but the Reds and Blues didn't know he was there regardless. Keeping a low profile was something Locus did best. Years spent as a soldier during the Great War had taught him that stealth was key — whether one had available camouflage or not.

Suddenly, a change in the tone of the other soldiers' voices caught Locus's attention. Raising his sniper rifle, he used the scope to zero in on what was happening in the middle of the canyon. It appeared as though the simulation troopers were . . . celebrating? Why would they be celebrating?

Locus switched his helmet radio to an open channel and began listening in; what he heard was less than promising. There was a voice coming from the radio box near the comm tower — they'd managed to make off-planet contact. That shouldn't have been possible. The fact that it happened posed a very real and immediate problem.

"That's unfortunate," Locus muttered to himself.

Lowering his rifle, the mercenary activated his adaptive camouflage and stood up from his crouch. He needed to report the incident as soon as possible.

Turning his back to the canyon, Locus headed down the small, obsecured path and left the ledge he'd been positioned on. Once he was free of the canyon and sufficiently hidden within the safety of the forest, he deactivated his camo unit. Then, after checking his motion trackers to make sure he was completely alone, he switched his radio to a secure line and began his transmission.

"Control, this is Locus. We have a situation. Over," the mercenary said.

"It's not like you to call in when we're not scheduled to talk, Locus. This must be rather serious," a distorted voice answered.

"The Reds and Blues have managed to make off-planet contact," Locus replied.

There was a long pause before Control responded. "Are you sure about that?"

"I wouldn't have contacted you if I wasn't sure," Locus stated.

Another long pause. "We'll have to increase the strength of the signal jammers; ensure no more unauthorized off-planet contact is made."

"Sir, they already made contact," the mercenary pointed out. "They gave out their last known coordinates. There will be a ship heading for Chorus to come rescue them. What course of action should we take regarding that?"

"You know what needs to be done, Locus," Control replied. "There cannot be any outside interference. Either take the rescue ship down before it reaches the planet, or ensure that no one is allowed to leave should the ship land successfully."

"Of course, sir. What do you advise I do regarding the Reds and Blues themselves?"

"Continue with our original plan. Do not interfere in any way until I say so."