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Starkindler (MechaVerse Series Book 1)

Page 8

by Jeremy Cunkle


  Kiryl had been the chief architect of Starkindler, designing the giant Mech Armor in such a way to be a self-proclaimed Valkyrie class, named after the mythical Norse figures responsible for choosing who died and lived in battle; such was their proclamation for the power of their creation. Starkindler was physically much larger than even the main-line battle Mech Armor employed by the Martian Planetary Defense Forces, or even those employed by the Rebels. For a first layer of defense, the most powerful energy shields ever created sparked with barely restrained power, with just enough holes in them for their own weaponry to fire. The outermost layer was covered in six inches of reddish black foam.

  In modern combat, lasers evolved to become the nearly ubiquitous weapon of choice, as they invisibly struck their target nearly instantaneously even over long distances, whereas the more powerful rail guns that replaced most conventional weaponry still required seconds to strike a target at extreme distances. Galaxy wide, Generals decided the accuracy of instant strikes without needing to take into consideration factors such as wind speed or the curvature of the planet ensured the rapidly evolving lasers ubiquity as the weapon of choice. With the added bonus of unlimited ammunition as long as the energy supply remained sufficient, the advancements heralded a new age.

  Another specialty created by their parents was the outer layer of military grade foam, specifically designed to protect against military grade laser strikes, coating the entire exterior shell of the Mech. By absorbing the heat generated by a direct laser strike, the foam burned up in exchange for massive heat exchange, protecting the armor underneath. Best of all, the foam could be quickly re-applied in the field, possessing the capability to gradually diffuse over small surface areas, which meant that individual strikes could self-regenerate over time by minimally reducing the overall protection of the surrounding area.

  While the shields and foam alone made for incredibly potent defensive abilities, they were simply the surface of a machine that was superior in every way to everything that came before. The outer shell consisted of super strong radar absorbing graphene layers, interspersed with layers of carbon composite and titanium carbide for insulation as well as extreme composite strength. Graphene, an element superior in strength to even diamond was also incredibly versatile with a multitude of chemically engineered variants all bolstered by the natural ability to conduct electricity. All of the different layers supplied the energy required for the external shield generators as well as the internal components. Housed in between the armored plates, the various layers worked symbiotically to help absorb damage from incoming enemy fire; thereby reducing each strikes overall power while simultaneously recharging portions of the energy shields. The system of using an enemy’s incoming fire to recharge their own shields provided some protection when facing off against superior numbers, a unique and game changing capability.

  Constructed on a frame of solid tungsten carbide, additional layers of advanced heat resistant ceramic, and graphene engineered for maximum strength rendered the outer most layers of armor almost impermeable to both direct laser strikes and conventional shellfire. In between the layers of carbon fiber were aerogels, advanced lab created materials that dissipated incredible amounts of heat without burning up.

  The aerogels could radiate any heat they absorbed from one point throughout their entire network, absorbing a truly massive amount of heat that would otherwise melt even the advanced heat resistant ceramic layers. They acted by containing the heat until it slowly dissipated from a set of opposing layers of aerogels that had been engineered to provide coolant cycling for the fusion reactor throughout the entire frame. The coolant then passed through a reserve tank where it was mixed with supplementary coolants all internally exposed to the brutally cold Martian air cycling through the engines, dramatically lowering the core temperature before cycling once again through the entire Mech. In a worst case scenario or after a fight, the coolant could be passed through a small tank back by the engines that could be air vented without worry of sublimation. The same level of redundancy was built into all of Starkindler’s abilities.

  Not only did this overall combination of highly advanced materials ensure Starkindler was omnipotent against enemy laser weapons, while greatly reducing the threat from missiles and shellfire, but ensured they would be invisible on enemy infrared systems as the giant Mech armor possessed no heat or radar signature.

  Graphene’s highly conductive nature meant that no wires needed to be used in order to transfer electricity throughout the unit, the entire machine was electrified, providing infinite redundancy short of complete amputation. They had one last trick up their sleeve, an active camouflage system based off meta-materials. The materials diffracted incoming light, mimicking their surrounding environment, serving as perfect camouflage. They would be able to stand in front of other Mech armor and be completely invisible to them visually as well as on their sensors.

  In order to overcome the challenge of traveling efficiently, most of the team had been involved when engineering Starkindler to be able to perform long glides while using minimal thruster output as the most efficient, dark and silent mode of travel. Aerogel heat sinks around the engines absorbed the excess waste heat, transferring the heat into a thermal induction system, recycling nearly half of the spent energy into electricity. By not wasting the heat, this rendered them much harder to detect by PDF infrared sensors actively searching for thruster exhaust. This also served to increase the self-sustainability of their system as infrared remained the most reliable type of sensor for close quarters combat in the brutally cold Martian environment, and the still thin developing atmosphere. Despite years of continuous terraforming efforts, estimates were that it would still take hundreds of years for the planet to warm to human comfort levels.

  They spent the next few hours in relative silence. Mikkhael guided them through a hypnotic series of jumps and glides, eating up forty and sometimes fifty miles at a time as he became more practiced operating in the lower gravity environment. For her part, Aurora devoted the majority of her capabilities to brute forcing combinations as she hacked her way into the PDF network back at the weather station, while also altering codes at the quantum level to mask her presence. The portion of her abilities dedicated to scanning their surroundings was small but more than sufficient.

  The team’s parents worked with scientists on Titan, designing incredibly powerful sensor arrays before their passing. A decade after their deaths, their parent’s work was still years ahead of competing military grade technology. Like most Mech armor, the sensors were housed primarily in the head; being at the highest point on the unit made them more effective, able to see more of their surrounding area. Aurora used a combination of the powerful sensors arrays in conjunction with satellite feeds she was in the process of compromising to maintain a constant omniscient situational awareness, feeding the results live into the HUD.

  Center focus sat the HUD, taking up the full center third of the cockpit in front of Mikkhael. He watched the HUD intently while piloting, scanning the surrounding environments Aurora rendered so realistically in realtime on the viewing screen; actively showing their current position as well as any enemies or other points of interest. The power of that capability was not to be underestimated.

  Although their destination was a continent-sized area of hills, mountains, and other rough terrain, it was not their primary target. Hidden beneath the vast brokenness of the Valles Marineris lurked the mines that had compensated for the exhaustion of Earths dwindling resources for years now. The mines burrowed through the soil, twisting, intricate and vast; containing smelters, housing, factories, and even underground farms. They eventually developed into entire cities that lay hidden underneath the surface away from the meddling of the oppressive government. Deep underground, safe from the storms that wracked the dome dwellers above them, the miners began growing their own food with the help of GMO crops and small herds of livestock they hid from the tax collectors who refused to pursue them far r
emoved from their sheltered cities. Air technicians, algae based oxygen factories, toxin scrubbers and air locks were a way of life underneath the surface, as second nature to the miners as life itself.

  Initially, the rebellion mainly consisted of millions of disgruntled Chinese and other ex-South East Asian miners bridling under the choking oppression and enslavement of the puppet government. The remoteness of the mines allowed the rebels to form factions away from the massive security apparatuses operating with impunity within the domed cities, away from the fear of infiltration by the PDF or pre-emptive attacks, allowing them to strike randomly along the surface and then melt away back to their homes underground safe from the government’s ability to retaliate. The inept corrupt bureaucrats who had weaseled their way into managing the top PDF ranks were entirely inept. Military forces were repeatedly sent to crush the rebellion, but for all their might, they were powerless underground. To make matters worse, they often attacked factions that had not yet risen up. Mismanagement of the crisis only served to alienate millions more to the Rebel cause.

  In reprisal, the miners attacked the domed cities, and then melted away. When the PDF counterattacked, the miners would simply collapse their mines around any invading armies that dared to enter their underground domain. They buried alive all hostile forces, killing them without a shot fired time and again until the threat of mutiny within the PDF ranks finally convinced their High Command to stop pursuing the Rebels underground.

  The next phase in the PDF strategy consisted of denial of the surface world to the miners en masse, alienating those few who had not decided yet to rebel. Meanwhile, the general population watched the miners’ defiance in awe as they inflicted colossal casualties on the PDF with near impunity. Their support for the Rebels grew quickly, and the primarily Chinese immigrant WinterSong faction was born, a group so powerful they regular did battle with the PDF toe-to-toe. Soon, the miners with the help of sympathetic outsiders were self-sufficient, growing food underground, building medical facilities and schools, reproducing all the faucets of a normal life deep underground free from the interference of the corrupt government bent on enslaving and exploiting them.

  A mostly peaceful stalemate ensued for several years, most of the Rebel groups with the exception of WinterSong having used up most of their military power. A few other more militant factions gradually rose into existence while the peace held, biding their time as they prepared new armies. That was until one day that later came to be referred to as the Reckoning. The miners and their supporters returned to the surface, sweeping across the world with a righteous vengeance, catching the PDF entirely by surprise. The Rebels had not been idle in their downtime, carving out entire mountains as defensive super structures to serve as homes for the new armies. With near unlimited resources at their command, the Rebels built for themselves a Mech army that rivaled the extensive but now antiquated PDF forces.

  A brutal no-holds-barred campaign for control of Mar’s future ensued, neither side willing to compromise as atrocities committed by both sides continued to mount. The PDF held a few key factors in their favor that made all the difference in the long term. They were able to trade land and barren territory for time while they replenished their decimated armies, always receiving fresh troops from Earth in endless waves. The civilian slave population they controlled within the domed cities was almost never directly affected by the war, continuously swelling with new immigrants, uncaring about what happened outside of the domes. In addition, once exposed on the surface, the Mech Armor of the miners proved vulnerable to high altitude bombers and drones. The most important factor that affected the rebellion though was their fragmentation.

  Out in the unforgiving wilderness of the Martian landscape, the miners found themselves isolated from other Rebel factions by culture, race, vast distances, as well as different ideals. Tens of millions of immigrants had been sent underground in search of vast mineral wealth over the years, many of them choosing to remain in cloisters based on their previous nationality. While many of the more developed nations saw droves of citizen’s move to Mars, the poorer overpopulated countries of South East Asia and Africa made up the bulk of the mining and other enslaved populations as they were the most easily exploited by their governments.

  With no clear universal language to unite them, most of the underground cities spoke pidgin languages. Variants of English mixed with their native languages, turning into what eventually became known as the common tongue. Mine locations were chosen for their bounties of mineral wealth, spread geographically far apart from one another. Too further complicate matters, many of the rebel factions consisted of small local guerrilla bands of fighters that fought with no clear strategy or unity, unable to agree on a future or work together for their greater good.

  Eight years passed since the rebellion started, but Titan had only been involved in the conflict for the last two. The off-and-on again conflict was currently at one of its lowest points since open rebellion had begun. This was the status quo that Mikkhael thrust himself into, which was ripe for intervention from an outside force.

  * * * * *

  General Akari was sitting at his desk, idly wondering how paperwork still existed when there was a knock at the door. His aide entered.

  “Sir. One of the mobile Ascender passive radar stations we deployed out in the fourth sector seems to have caught a glimpse of something they cannot explain at about the time of the explosion. The crew passed their report up the chain in hopes that someone else could explain happened, and it caught my eye. They’re not sure what exactly they found, the event occurred briefly enough that it registered as a malfunction of the equipment; however, as you can see by the notes attached along with the report, they believe that what they saw was real. With everything that's happened in the last few days I thought I should pass this along.” SSgt Anderson held out the data slate.

  The situation piqued the General’s sixth sense. He turned from the after action report of a failed mission he had been reading, forcing himself to push it to the back of his mind. It was just one of several field reports recently turned in from the battered ninth division whose forces were quickly wilting underneath sustained attacks from the Lazarus Faction; one of the newest terrorist groups to spring forth like so many weeds in the galaxies biggest garden. Ready for some good news, he read the slate, giving the SSgt. his full attention once done. “Okay SSgt. What do you have?”

  Anderson pointed to a nearby wall that mimicked the data slate’s screen, changing to depict a 3D topographical map with terrain elevations marked for the hills and crags that dotted most of the Martian surface. “The fourth sector where this particular relay was located is pretty much empty of terrorist activity, and has been for a little over two years now. To see this kind of signature, or any other, well, it’s like somebody made an attempt to do something where absolutely no one official would be looking. If we didn’t have that snoop post watching for smugglers, we would've never known about this. The thing of it is, all this action is right adjacent to the ninth sector where we had all that activity about six months ago. Just a gut feeling, Sir, but I think this is worth looking into.”

  “You mean you don’t think this is all we’ll see of this type of strange events?” General Akari asked his aide, who nodded his head yes.

  “When exactly was this signature detected, SSgt?” The General asked.

  “Less than 12 hours after that unexplained explosion on the side of that mountain was reported, Sir. The distances are stretched pretty far for any kind of land based unit to travel that far in the time frame allotted, but do-able for a small scout class Mech armor traveling fast.” SSgt Anderson clasped his hands behind his back in a parade rest stance.

  General Akari turned to look out the tinted window, hidden from outside view, looking out at the bird’s eye view of his command. He thought through everything that happened over the last few days, reflecting on all the different pieces and attempting to put the puzzle they presented together.


  In their eighth year since the rebellion began, the terrorists found themselves on their last legs, desperate and unable to continue fighting when they received support from an unlikely source, the people of Saturn, more specifically the colonies on its moon Titan. The only other planet within reach of standard space travel with Earth, and possessing a mass drive gate of its own, the government of Saturn began clandestinely supporting the terrorists. Their more advanced technologies as well as the threat of orbital bombardment from the only space navy humanity possessed forced the PDF to stop using their air power against the Rebels; the ongoing civil war once again returning into a stalemate between the two sides.

  In order to up the ante, the government of Titan notified the Mars Industries government that as long as they continued using bombers against their own civilians, Titan would arm the Rebels. They then positioned a pair of the galaxies only space based battle cruisers in the Martian upper atmosphere to not only shoot down the bomber, but also respond in kind against other PDF armies. The result was the grounding of the PDF's most effective anti Mech Armor forces. However, they still used a type of drone purpose built for fighting Mechanized armor that violated the treaty, but were difficult to detect in even ideal circumstances. These Reaper drones had become the most feared weapon in the PDF arsenal. The terrorists had yet to develop an effective counter measure against them.

  He was missing some key element that so far eluded them both, his stomach knotting in fear as alarm grew within him from recognizing the danger of the missing information, pondering if the terrorists might have received some new weapon from Titan. The report he had been reading a moment before was now all but forgotten; replaced by the fear of nearly realized truth. “The Ascender crew and yourself both believe that this signature is solo in nature, and that it identifies a light armored Mech operating in a remote region. So tell me, why should I divert resources to investigate this?”

 

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