Legacy of the Void Fleet-Chapter 277: Ch
First: the Minotaurs had no idea anyone was sneaking around. They were caught out in the open while Tim’s squad was still deep in the shadows. That revelation alone relieved everyone.
Second: the reason they were running into all these Minotaur groups was simple. This entire section of the ship connected not only to the secondary command bridge, but also to a hidden hangar bay.
All the Minotaurs they kept encountering were merely moving toward that hangar—completely unaware of any intruders aboard the ship. They weren’t looking for Tim’s squad at all; they didn’t even know the squad existed... not yet.
Tim forced himself to push aside the previous encounters, but new, more critical problems immediately demanded his attention. These were issues he couldn’t ignore; otherwise, he risked jeopardizing the entire operation.
The problem, Tim realized after a quick interrogation of one neutralized Minotaur, was that this route was a major thoroughfare. There were at least half a dozen more groups scheduled to pass through here, and potentially many more.
"Of all places, the route to that hidden hangar has to pass through here... dammit!" Tim cursed, stomping his foot in frustration at the continuous string of bad luck.
His headache was only increasing. He groaned. "Ah, this is just great! Now, not only do we need to take care of those Minotaurs coming here, but we also need to neutralize those in the hidden hangar bay and take over the secondary command bridge at the same time."
First: they were in a hurry to get somewhere.
Second: they were far too relaxed.And by "relaxed," Tim meant completely unalert—a terrible state for anyone supposedly out hunting intruders.
To confirm his suspicion, he captured one Minotaur after neutralizing the rest of the group, and interrogation gave him the answers he needed.
First: the Minotaurs had no idea anyone was sneaking around. They were caught out in the open while Tim’s squad was still deep in the shadows. That revelation alone relieved everyone.
Second: the reason they were running into all these Minotaur groups was simple. This entire section of the ship connected not only to the secondary command bridge, but also to a hidden hangar bay.
All the Minotaurs they kept encountering were merely moving toward that hangar—completely unaware of any intruders aboard the ship. They weren’t looking for Tim’s squad at all; they didn’t even know the squad existed... not yet.
Tim forced himself to push aside the previous encounters, but new, more critical problems immediately demanded his attention. These were issues he couldn’t ignore; otherwise, he risked jeopardizing the entire operation.
The problem, Tim realized after a quick interrogation of one neutralized Minotaur, was that this route was a major thoroughfare. There were at least half a dozen more groups scheduled to pass through here, and potentially many more.
"Of all places, the route to that hidden hangar has to pass through here... dammit!" Tim cursed, stomping his foot in frustration at the continuous string of bad luck.
His headache was only increasing. He groaned. "Ah, this is just great! Now, not only do we need to take care of those Minotaurs coming here, but we also need to neutralize those in the hidden hangar bay and take over the secondary command bridge at the same time."
The rest of the Gamma Team could only sigh. They knew Tim was right. If they didn’t manage the endless traffic and secure the hangar, their cover would eventually burst open like a blinding signal flare, drawing overwhelming enemy attention.
Tim knew they couldn’t afford to let any Minotaur group pass. Every passing Minotaur would certainly notice the absence of the scheduled patrol teams who were supposed to be stationed here. If the patrols weren’t found, it would immediately raise suspicion, leading to an investigation by the incoming groups.
Therefore, all incoming Minotaur traffic needed to be dealt with, as they presented a continuous threat that neither Tim nor the other squads wanted to handle. He had to ensure that the detection cascade never started.
Neutralizing those within the hidden hangar bay was equally necessary. They would inevitably realize something was wrong when the scheduled patrols failed to show up and their comms went unanswered. It was only a matter of time before they initiated checks—something Tim and the others understood.
If the hangar personnel grew suspicious, they would definitely try to reach out to the missing patrols. Taking this a step further, the Minotaurs would then reach out to the stations where the patrols were supposed to have originated to confirm whether they had even left. Once confirmed that the patrols had departed a while ago, the alert would go out, and their cover would be completely blown.
Tim and the Gamma Squad had no choice but to deal with the continuous flow of traffic, secure the hangar, and capture the Secondary Command Bridge simultaneously to preempt the Minotaur’s escalating investigation protocol.
Failure to manage the Minotaur investigation protocol would most certainly raise concern and cause the alarm to ring across the entire ship and even the whole Minotaur fleet. This would cause an enormous setback for the Void Marines’ team, as well as the others onboard the Taurus Prime and its flanking ships.
To avoid this disaster, Tim knew he had to deal with these new, interconnected problems simultaneously and without delay, understanding the consequences of ignoring them would be catastrophic.
Tim took a heavy sigh, which was clearly audible to his team, indicating the depth of his trouble.
"Okay, team, here are the things," he began, his voice strained but firm. "First, we are in a pretty bad situation. Second, this pretty bad situation would get even worse. Third, if we don’t deal with it properly, it would most definitely become catastrophic, to say the least."
"To avoid that, what we all need to do is deal with at least five more groups of Minotaurs that are on their way—something we just confirmed by interrogating one Minotaur."
"And simultaneously, we must also take care of the Minotaurs stationed in the hidden hangar bay, along with completing our main objective for being here."
"So, all in all, we need to execute three missions at the same time. And with how things are going for us, expect them to be ten times worse than expected. But no matter what, it is clear that we need to do it, and we will do it," he concluded.
"So, what we will do now is split into three groups," Tim commanded. "One group, which I will lead, will go toward the secondary command bridge. A second group will stay here and take care of the upcoming Minotaur groups. The last group will move toward the hidden hangar bay and clear up all the Minotaurs stationed there."
"And after both the teams are done with their objectives, they should move toward the secondary command bridge immediately, without any delay."
: "Lieutenant Anky, I’ll leave the clean-up of the hidden hangar bay to you, along with the 99 Marines in your team. I expect you to make quick work of all of it." "Roger that!" Anky responded, bumping his hand against his combat suit’s chest plate with an air of full confidence. "I like the confidence that you always burn with. Good! Now, move!"
Tim turned to Alna, one of the most physically imposing Marines in the squad due to his height. "I’ll leave it to you, along with 97 Marines following you, to take care of the upcoming Minotaurs. I also expect you to make quick work of them and move toward me. Is that okay with you?" "Yes, sir! You can leave it to me!" Alna confirmed.
Tim nodded at him. "Follow me, the rest of you."
He looked at the remaining 97 Marines (plus himself, totaling 98). With that, he left with the third team toward his primary mission objective, hoping that their string of bad luck would somehow go away and no new surprises would meet them ahead.
The Gamma Squad was now fractured into three teams, simultaneously moving to secure the Secondary Command Bridge, clear the Hidden Hangar Bay, and neutralize the incoming Minotaur patrols.
Though they understood that splitting their forces was far from ideal—overplaying their hand when their numbers were already finite—the overall severity of the operation dictated this high-risk strategy. It was for their collective safety that they overwhelmed themselves, accepting the certainty that their bad luck would make things worse. Yet, despite the stacked odds and their misfortune, they were confidently moving to achieve their objectives.
The Marines knew this deployment was their only chance to avoid coming out of the shadows prematurely. This stealth was crucial, as early detection would create massive trouble for all allied units. However, those in the Gamma Squad couldn’t help but question the concept of "trouble reduction," given their continuous string of bad luck since the mission began.
Still, one truth was unavoidable: their presence would eventually be discovered by the Minotaurs, if not on this ship, then on others. Their confidence rested on one final principle: even if that happened, it would occur at a point where all the main and important objectives of the mission were already achieved.
