The End of All Things (Part 1)

Location: Planet-side Military Installation 462-b
Planet: Classified
System: Classified
Constellation: Classified
Region: Hemitar

Setting: 7 Years after their first mission together, Sargent Burn and Corporal Mag, now each 19 years old, sit in the command room of the installation watching their grey-haired CO, Major Jor Atkin scream at the comlink.

Jarik Utoni, dressed in long black trenchcoat and sporting multiple weapons of death played with his combat knife. He drew its 7 inch blade and used it to pick at the underside of his fingernails. Mag shook her head disapprovingly, she was also wearing a long black trench, and though she sported far fewer killing weapons, she had many smaller ones.
"I've had enough of this yelling," she exclaimed "Burn, let's go find something to do."
Jarik nodded and they both got up and began to walk the halls, traumatizing everyone in the base. Mag unsheathed her throwing knives from special pockets on the inside of her jacket and began idly trying to miss the children who ran from them. During the 7 years they had killed for the RMS their dispositions had rapidly changed, what used to be a friendly team of trained killers had become callous and unfeeling, killing anything in sight that they knew they could get away with. On missions it was all business, kill who needed to be killed and get the fuck out of there, but on leave, they egged fellow service personnel into fights to have an excuse to kill them to the point that they were banned from all bars on the base. They traumatised the newly taken children and sometimes even killed them. For a stint Jarik had worked the Dark Room, when recruits never survived they shortened the time, and Jarik killed them faster prompting them to find a less dangerous soldier for the job. Jarik and Mag were collectively known as "Kill Squad Zephyr" and they were the most dangerous group on the base. For a while Kill Squad Zephyr was no danger to anyone else, but when their separate base was discontinued for funding issues they had been moved back to installation 462-b and their true nature revealed itself, in ugly fashion.
They continued down the hall idly playing with their weapons and found themselves drawn to the cell block, here they watched the children stolen by the recovery teams as they cried for answers.
"Hey, you're not allowed in here!" came the voice of the guard
Jarik turned and nonchalantly broke the man's outstretched arm, he screamed and fell to the floor but by now the crying had stopped and fear was on the children's faces.
Just then the loudspeaker came to life, a loud mechanical voice drowning out the cries of the guard,
KILL TEAM ZEPHYR, REPORT TO THE MAJOR'S QUARTERS IMMEDIATLY.
Mag looked at Jarik,
"Looks lke another mission love."
Jarik smiled taking in the awesome and dangerous beauty of his spotter,
"Indeed," he said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

Well Oiled Killing Machines (3 of 3)

Location: Deep in the jungles of an unknown temperate world.

Jarik Utoni, also known as Specialist 'Burn', scanned the forest for hostiles. He gave the all-clear to Mag and moved forward. little by little they got closer to their objective, a ridge overlooking a secret mercenary compound and their targets, the merc command staff. they got closer to the ridge and Jarik saw the ridge guard. He motioned for Mag and she crept forward slowly getting behind the unsuspecting guard. she placed a silenced pistil under the man's chin and asked;
"Name and rank."
the startled man said; "Private first-class Georges Varmus, service number: 3766383"
Mag thanked him and blew out his brains.
"Get what you need Mag?"
she replied with the voice of the Merc synthesized by an implant in her larynx
"Private First-class Georges Varmus, service number: 3766383"
"I've also got his gear here just in case."
"OK," Jarik looked around, "Set up the observation post here, Sniper there and spotter there. Let's get it done."
For the next three hours they were setting up the post, Jarik had thrown chicken wire covered in a thin semi-translucent brown cloth over the entire area and then proceeded to spray-paint it to match the area's surroundings, Mag had grabbed dirt and small plant's from the surrounding forest and transplanted them onto the chicken wire covering their position and began to move the gear inside. once it was finished no one could have seen it for what it was without being on top of it.

"I have confirmation on three of the targets so far Mag." Jarik said, looking through his scope, his ocular implant automatically matching faces with service tags, "Two more."
"Burn, main target spotted, confirm."
Jarik swung his rifle and aimed it using the shared feed from her ocular implant,
"Target confirmed, Mag get ready, we need to take out ten men in under three seconds."
Mag got on her rifle and was adjusting for her targets when they received a com burst.
Burn, this is Rain, come in Burn
Jarik grabbed the com link and sent off a burst,
"Rain? we're about to execute what's the word?"
We have a Alpha in high orbit awaiting a firing solution
Jarik looked at Mag, her expression matched his own, the code word for Maelstrom was Alpha!
Jarik called it in "Confirm, target grid 45 south 25 west 9 fire-for-effect"
"We are exfil at this time stand by for pickup"
They grabbed their gear and ran back to the dropship, covering what had taken them a day-and-a-half to travel in a matter if minutes. Just then the maelstrom began it's orbital bombardment, huge 1400mm shells pounded into the surface, destroying the forest and the base that they had been watching.
as the dropship began it's accent they saw the carnage wreaked by the maelstrom's concentrated fire.
Mag looked frustrated,
"Our first mission and we can't even take the shot."
Rain's avatar appeared on the holo-display between their seats,
"Operative Mag, taking out ten people in under three seconds is impossible, even for you two, i suggest you thank the RMS Special task force for relegating the maelstrom to hostile space, it probably saved your lives"
"We could have done it..." Jarik looked up, "All ten would have died in three seconds"
Rain's avatar sighed "No one but you thought so, it is your first mission, so congratulations on your success, and survival."
His avatar swiveled to face Mag, "Now child, will you take these sedatives and not puke all over my ship?"