[center][color=ed1c24][h3]Rod
Security Officer[/h3][/color][/center][hr]
Rod stood guard as the last of Team Alpha exited the chute, rolling his eyes at the glowing beacon of a doctor who [i]had[/i] to put a mask on for three minutes.

[color=ed1c24]"Dweeb,"[/color] he muttered under his breath - or at least, the best a burly deep-voiced man like himself could attempt to do anything under his breath.

The dweeb made a point, though. The squad was just too good to be seen, but maybe these squids had a great sense of smell for all anyone knew. Rod followed Mason's lead in scraping off some of the grime, for the good of the stealth mission.

Rod followed Mason's gaze at the grouchy pirate dragging a defenseless hostage. Yeah, that guy didn't look drugged yet. The group listened to Mason and decided to hold their ground for a couple more minutes. Rod took it upon himself to guard the dweeb while some others kept their ears peeled for any sounds coming from either side of the hallway.

[color=ed1c24]"Hey, what if the squids are all just mean drunks?"[/color] Rod offered his insights to Mason. [color=ed1c24]"Like... it's supposed to be happening by now, so what if it already did? Maybe they'll all pick up some chairs and start brawling each other, and we won't even have to fire a shot, heheh."[/color]

That would be a hilarious story to embellish.

The sudden crackle of blaster fire snapped Rod back to attention. Karxon yelped and ducked back into the alcove as a couple more rifle blasts burst on the wall around him. Rod narrowed his eyes in sharp focus as the soldiers formed up along the wall, behind the corner. All was quiet for a few heartbeats, save for the sound of bootsteps creeping closer, each side playing chicken with the other. But the squids had the major advantage of being able to call for backup, an advantage which only increased with time. Team Alpha had to act [i]now,[/i] before they were hopelessly outnumbered!

Rod gulped in a deep breath. He edged out around the corner, fired twice at the first glimpse of a squid he detected, and ducked back in before the return fire could reach him. He heard a pained groan, which was great! He hit a squid on the first try! Oh, but wait... the screaming meant the dude was still alive. Bummer.

With that inspiring act of courage, the rest of the soldiers joined in the rapid-fire chaos of battle. It was four-on-four, a tense fight between expertly trained foes. Fortunately, the squids looked to be slightly dazed and unbalanced in their movements, thanks to the subtle poison, making them easier targets. For Rod, the battle went by in an epic flash of hazy red rage and the sweet pulsing of his blaster trigger. 

The next thing he knew, the team was creeping their way down the hallway lined with squid bodies, no serious injuries on their own side. Rod wasn't sure how many of the pirates he personally killed -- three? He would say three.

Guarding the rear, Rod noticed a flash of movement as the group neared the hostage hold. Rod gasped and hit the ground right under a burst of red blaster fire. The shot was so close, it tore through the pack on Rod's back, leaving a wide hole. One of the incendiary grenades tumbled out onto the hard floor.....

And did nothing. Undamaged, un-activated.

Rod barely even noticed the grenade. The pirate lurched forward for a better shot while the muscular human scrambled for his blaster. One shot rang out. The pirate's throat spewed out the back of his neck and he collapsed, his tentacled limb just a hair's-breadth away from the trigger.

Rod glanced at the grenade, then back at the fallen pirate, and let out a definitely-not-nervous laugh. He started to get up, but then crouched back down to pick up his lucky grenade.

[color=ed1c24]"That was almost really bad."[/color]

As the pirate released his last breath, all of his tentacles tensed and curled like a dead bug. The blaster in its hand fired once more. Even at nearly point-blank range, Rod's helmet did its duty of stopping the blast. But not before caving in with the sheer force, shoving Rod's nose a few inches into his skull. The soldier slumped to the floor, spewing blood and the occasional gray chunk into his crushed helmet.