Through the Abyss

by Daniel Litchfield

  Stalkers, on the other hand, were single crewed fighters that utilized incredible speed and long distance firing capabilities to benefit their side on the battle space. They were designed to provide support to friendly fighters, run reconnaissance missions, and sit on the edge of a battle space to provide long distance protection and oversight. Each one was shaped like an arrowhead as well, except the rear portion of the fighter had a wider and noticeably thicker frame. Equipped with larger, more powerful engines, Stalkers also had stronger heat chamber shields and larger thrust nozzles spread around their frames to produce their speed and tight maneuverability. The long range smart missiles, also placed in the belly of the craft, were capable of tracking the enemy through multiple channels; however, zeroing in on electromagnetic fields and radiation were the primary means to acquire a target lock. Adding to the Stalker’s lethal capabilities were its versatile camouflage and scanner jamming abilities, making it an excellent, silent killer.

  The Special Operations Transports carried twelve Royal Huron Special Forces soldiers with their gear, including any needed ground equipment depending on the situation. They only had one door in the rear, with the front being heavily armored in case soldiers needed to be picked up or dropped off on hot landing zones. Flown by specially recruited aviators, these Transports were designed to fly into areas too difficult or too dangerous for normal Transports. Fortunately for all involved, they remained mostly undetected during operations due to their stealth capabilities.

  As he walked out of his personal quarters on Trough the Abyss, Euphretes flipped through the Huron Intelligence Report, which was streaming from a small screen attached to his forearm. He needed to get updated on the news about the Baikal forces. The device he was using looked like a tablet, and was one of the Huron Military’s mobile command consoles. It gave Euphretes complete access to the UIS anywhere he went. Scrolling past much of the repetitive information, he stopped when things started to get interesting.

  Baikal Military Primary Offensive Capabilities:

  Estimated: Combat Teams Total: Nineteen

  Estimated: Fleets Total: Twenty-Six

  -Average Baikal Fleet Composition:

  -Capital Ships: Two

  -Flight Vessel: One Half

  Note: One Flight Vessel per Combat Team

  -Cruisers: Offensive: Three

  -Cruisers: Defensive: Four

  -Cruisers: Logistics: One

  -Frigates: Standard: Four

  -Frigates: Logistics/Health: One

  Estimated: Flagships Total: One

  -Primary: Dawn of Creation

  -Alternate: N/A

  Estimated: Super Capitals Total: Fourteen

  Estimated: Capital Ships Total: Sixty One

  Estimated: Flight Vessel Total: Sixty One

  Estimated: Cruisers: Three Hundred and Eight

  Estimated: Frigates: Four Hundred and Eleven

  Estimated: Specters: Nine Thousand One Hundred and Twelve

  Note: Model Name FI-6

  Enemy Analysis:

  Ground Forces: New numbers have Baikal Military personnel outnumbering Huron forces 4:1.

  Note: Baikal ground soldiers are ill equipped to fight off ground assaults from superior technological attacks, but their numbers level that balance and make a frontal attack unwise at this time.

  Fleet Forces: A force beginning to approach near peer capabilities awaits. Baikal Fleet Vessels maintain strong armor at nearly twice the thickness of the average Natron Fleet Vessel. New offensive platforms include upgrades to their tracking capabilities and a new set of missiles with a twenty percent increase to distance and accuracy. New Fleet Vessel Tracking systems are now fifteen percent quicker in the disposal of enemy fighters and projectiles.

  Note: Their only real disadvantage is the fact that all of their Fleet Vessels are built around offensive operations. They tend to be slow to accelerate and their turning radius can be hindered due to the lack of exhaust ports. If the fighting gets close, the advantage would turn to the aggressor.

  Enemy Weaknesses: The Baikal Military has a net negative influx of necessary supply and fuel. Instead of balancing the civilian market with his military’s spending demands, factories previously used for market goods are being ordered to produce weapons and equipment for Emperor Indus’s Fleets. Without marketable goods, trading is grinding to a halt. Evidence seen in raiding parties striking Natron fringe territories and taking civilians and as much fuel as they can find.

  Potential Ulterior Intent For Supporting Raiding Parties: Acquire civilians to force into labor camps or into military service.

  Potential Risks: Emperor Indus will dedicate a large number of Fleet Vessels to get around any advancing front to attack and steal from Huron or Natron supply trains.

  Note: Like any caged animal, a desperate military is undeniably dangerous.

  SSSSSHHHHHRRRRRR

  Euphretes closed out of the report just as the stairwell’s door slid open. He stepped through and entered the main structural passageway which stretched the entire length of Through the Abyss. It was an astonishing and impressive corridor that efficiently interacted with all of the other channels on the ship. Finding the entrance he was looking for, Euphretes waited for the door to open, and entered the Bridge.

  Two aviators maneuvered the stealth Fleet Vessel, one focusing on the upper hemisphere’s steering exhaust nozzles while the other controlled the lower’s. A newly designed Regulated Artificial Intelligence had the daunting task of interpreting the Ship’s multiverse and ensuring that it did not collapse in on the Delta Infiltrator. Without the RAI and other programs constantly watching, the Fleet Vessel could implode if given the opportunity.

  Unlike traditional Fleet Vessel Bridges however, the primary data display sat directly behind the aviators instead of the Captain’s command chair, which sat on the far end of the display facing the front of the control room. This allowed Euphretes to watch the real time images of the exterior of Through the Abyss while also watching the Ship’s tracking programs play out in the holographic representations. To the sides of the information display sat the Ship’s Executive Officer, Captain Astoria, and Euphretes’s close friend and Senior Noncommissioned Officer, Senior Leading Operative Crestone.

  Senior Leading Operative Crestone Isacks-Yare Huron was hand chosen by Euphretes specifically for his blunt approach to combat and leadership. More importantly, there was no one Euphretes trusted more with the welfare of his soldiers and the accomplishment of the mission than Crestone. He was currently a Huron citizen, but was not a citizen by birth. Crestone was a hardened warrior born on the lawless Yare Planet, Oxidus. Learning how to lead and fight from a young age, he rose quickly through the underground. However, a failed job forced him to enlist in the Huron Empire’s Marines to escape the bounty on his head.

  Once again, success followed the Senior NCO, who joined the Huron Royal Special Forces early on in his military career in order to escape the monotony often found in main-line units. The lower enlisted non Special Forces crew members feared Crestone more than anyone. He was barrel chested and built like a machine. Scars covered his body from head to toe that he displayed like hard earned trophies. At 6’ 4,” the Senior NCO could intimidate even the strongest of fighters. In fact, some crew went so far as to say that his glare alone could freeze the soul.

  In reality, Senior Leading Operative Crestone would’ve given his life at a moment’s notice for any one of his soldiers, regardless of the title that came before their name. He believed he was destined to die in combat, and therefore had already refused three easy desk jobs before Euphretes called him up. Without any blood relatives left, Crestone preferred and considered his soldiers to be his new family.

  Conversely, Warden Captain Astoria Lucasmith Huron came from immense wealth. His family was one of the original families to go to the Huron Galaxy, long before the PMD’s exposure. They still owned two entire systems and countless small satellites. Joining the Huron Military out of spite t
o his parents and expecting to use his wealth to get out of his contract midway through training, Astoria found himself far outshining his peers and stuck it out. He graduated top of his basic training class and was immediately offered the chance to attend Officer Candidate School due to his previous extensive formal education.

  Seen at first as someone who simply bought his way in, the Captain worked twice as hard as those around him and almost immediately developed a genuine passion for the job. Shortly after hitting the four year mark after receiving his Commission, an Admiral in Astoria’s Chain of Command recommended him for the Special Operations School; which he gladly accepted the challenge. Despite all of the Warden Captain’s achievements, Euphretes did not choose him for his success. He chose the Senior Officer for his logistics experience before joining the military. Having effectively administered logistics for one of his parents’s solar systems before their fateful argument, Astoria came with an abundance of information about hitting the enemy where it counts.

  After weeks of roaming around the Baikal Empire looking for potential targets and gathering critical intelligence, Through the Abyss exited out of its jump sequence four light years away from the Baikal Capital Planet, Koram. Their objective was Zieyan, a small planet known for its two important Ship Yards. In order to fully ascertain the situation, the Delta Infiltrator arrived five hundred miles from the Ship Yard orbiting Zieyan and immediately began dissecting the planet’s security measures.

  What was wholly abandoned eight days ago during their initial scouting run was now protected by an Orbital Defense Platform. It was easily capable of taking out any long distance shots aimed at the Ship Yards from Through the Abyss. Additionally, a hefty mine emplacement, shielding the outer perimeter, prevented even a small Fleet Vessel like the Delta Infiltrator from slipping through. To everyone’s dismay, however, not a single Baikal Fleet Vessel or fighter was anchored outside the atmosphere. Except for two Capital Ships docked at the Ship Yard receiving the final touches to their completion, there was nothing to protect the Orbital Defense Platform from small fighters. Without any Fleet Vessels to keep the enemy at a distance or buffer the Orbital Defense Platform from close range fighting, the Ship Yards were still a vulnerable target.

  “Were we tipped off?” Euphretes asked Neuma, concerned about the recently updated defense measures.

  “Doubt it. This looks like a poor attempt to give a false sense of security to those Ship Yards.”

  “Good point,” He answered before speaking out loud to his Command Team. “Go ahead and push out the surveillance drones. If it still looks promising, then we’ll send a team out to disarm those mines before focusing on that Platform.”

  Warden Captain Astoria’s cultured voice immediately replied, “Roger that Sir. Let’s get to it boys!”

  Seventeen drones, each the size of a human hand, snuck out of the Delta Infiltrator made their way toward Zieyan. An agonizing three hours later, the drones completed their assessment.

  “Gentlemen, what did you find?” Euphretes asked the Command Team and a small group of personnel making their way toward him.

  “Sir, looks like we only need to disarm five of those mines to allow our fighters through,” Captain Astoria reported as the data display projected the mines they were referring to. “Our drones found no evidence of any Baikal fighters either. So once we can clear a path, our Hunters will have a straight shot for their Orbital Defenses. As for their surface defenses…”

  “Looks like Indus expects a heavier element to attack; the mines and Orbital Defense Platform are just stalling mechanisms.”

  Acknowledging Neuma’s analysis, “I agree. While it looks open now, larger Ships have to be hiding a short jump sequence away.”

  Outside his mind space, Astoria continued briefing. “They have six Planetary Surface to Space Defensive Platforms, eleven Portable Heavy Turrets, and one Portable Surface Cannon protecting the surface’s Ship Yard.”

  Euphretes cut in, “Can my Hunters get in without tripping missile fire from the surface?” he asked, worried about his small group of fighters getting overwhelmed.

  “Mostly Sir. Only one of the Planetary Surface to Space weapon systems has any form of actual missile defense capabilities geared for small fighters. On top of that, it’s as ancient as it is slow. I’m talking a turret with a firing rate of only two long range missiles per minute slow.” Astoria answered while the schematics for the surface platforms expanded in front of Euphretes on the display.

  “Yeah, they aren’t even thinking about the possibility of a covert attack. All their attention is focused on stalling a Natron Fleet sized element or above long enough for backup to arrive.”

  Euphretes studied the holographic images for a few moments before addressing his team. “Alright everyone, good work. Let’s get the Explosives Handling team working on those five mines as soon as possible. Once they are able to clear a lane for us to slip through, I’ll head the assault on the Orbital Defense Platform to clear a path for Through the Abyss’s cannon.”

  The team dispersed immediately to oversee the different phases of the mission, leaving only Steward Operative Caruso standing next to Euphretes. Satisfied that every contingency was planned for later, Euphretes turned to Caruso. “Ever been a gunner for a Series One Alpha Hunter?” he asked, referring to the brand new version of the Huron Military’s Hunter sitting in the Delta Infiltrator’s bay.

  “Some things are best left unsaid Sir,” Steward Operative Caruso replied with a devious tone while following Euphretes out of the Bridge.

  Sitting in his Hunter’s cockpit with the access door open, Euphretes sealed his helmet’s visor and was immediately whisked away to Leading Operative Goemez’s surroundings. Through the NCO’s vantage point, Euphretes watched ten of his soldiers, who were given additional training for handling more advanced explosives, drift out of the Transport. As his Operations Section’s Senior Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, Euphretes sent Goemez to oversee the sensitive phase of the mission.

  Euphretes tested his connection. “Ops Two Sierra, this is Sierra Whisky Six, are you receiving my transmission? Over.”

  Goemez immediately replied. “This is Ops Two Sierra, I have you loud and clear Sir. Over.”

  “Good Copy. You are clear to disperse your team. Over and out.”

  Not wanting to micromanage his leaders and because he could see his orders being carried out on his visor, Euphretes ended the transmission. Within seconds, he could see the barely visible silhouettes drift away in teams of two. Working off of a portable command console that could expand to twenty times its original size, Goemez remained where he was in order to track all five teams at once.

  The navy blue spherical mines were the size of dump trucks and had the ability to take down a Natron Capital Ship if it came within range. Each metallic globe had minuscule sensors all over its surface, looking to pick up any heavy objects with radiation nearby. While they had other ways to detect the enemy, unavoidable radiation from traditional Fleet Vessel’s was always the easiest to find.

  Each mine disposal team used “T” shaped fiber glass vehicles to get them to their objectives. Once there, expelled compressed gasses from their Explosives Disposal Armored Kits enabled them to navigate around the mines. Looking like floating hippos in all of their their equipment, Euphretes watched them crawl all over the spheres looking for the proper access panel. Once found, the teams then carefully sliced into the interior’s arming mechanisms. Using a Suicidal Regulated Artificial Intelligence to disarm the explosives, the teams began inserting the programs into the mines’s arming and computing systems. Designed to enter another network and then rip themselves apart, the Suicidal Regulated Artificial Intelligences’s attack rendered the mines utterly useless. More importantly, when the RAI’s “suicide” occurred, it was so severe and quick that the mine’s computing systems were too slow to send out an alert.

  In fifty minutes, all five teams had returned to the rally point where Goemez was positione
d. Like clockwork, their Transport swung by and picked them up. The second the Transport’s door shut, Goemez informed Euphretes, “Sierra Whisky Six, this is Ops Two Sierra. Explosives Team is clear of the objective. Over and Out.”

  “Here we go.”

  Euphretes closed the armored door to seal off the cockpit. Surrounded by thick armor, the Hunter had a command pod on which the cockpit sat. Capable of surviving massive explosions, the pod was designed to be able to break apart from the Hunter’s frame and sustain human life inside for up to seventy-two hours.

  “It’s been a while,” Euphretes jokingly answered Neuma as he gripped the joy stick with his right hand.

  The cockpit momentarily went completely dark before the exterior sensors kicked on, giving the windowless chamber a three hundred and sixty degree view of the exterior of the fighter. Euphretes’s helmet also clicked on as it synced with the Hunter’s diagnostics systems and relayed the information to his heads up display on his visor. With his helmet’s heads up display and the one on the aviator’s chair, Euphretes could monitor all aspects of the flight data while maintaining maximum visibility of the Hunter’s surroundings. The dual displays also allowed for the non-flying aviator to solely focus on the Hunter’s weapon systems and deal with external threats; a difficult enough task as it was. Due to the fact that Hunter’s did not always use a non-flying aviator, Caruso’s heads up display had to be clipped on to his helmet. Because the Hunter’s engineers did not want the wrong helmet syncing to the Hunter by accident, they created the detachable heads up display to prevent confusion in a rushed environment.