Starkindler (MechaVerse Series Book 1)

by Jeremy Cunkle

  The SSgt. was not offended. The General often forced questions like this out into the open, ensuring that he thought a situation through before mindlessly reporting every strange event. He was certain the General had already made up his mind about their next course of action. The process served as a safeguard during situations that might eventually cost the lives of men and women under his command, ensuring that a matter was thought out from another person’s point of view when time permitted. By taking both sides of a problem, the simple debate helped prove the individual merits of taking action as well as anticipating the inherent consequences of such action as much as possible before issuing a command.

  SSgt. Anderson hardly paused to collect his thoughts; he had been ready for the question, as always. “Simply put, Sir, anyone putting that amount of effort into concealing all this, if it is all linked, makes that in itself a priority for us to investigate and find out why. Someone has gone to a great deal of trouble to arrive on Mars without us knowing.”

  The General confirmed that he had already come to the same conclusion. “So are you telling me that a Mech unit from Earth made its way through the gate system via some sort of shuttle and is now on its way to join the terrorists as we speak? I do not like the fact that this coincides with the meeting coming up that our possible traitor passed along. As you said, someone has put in an incredible amount of effort into making sure we know as little about what is occurring out there as possible, and that alone warrants investigation. Add an extra three squadrons of Mech Armor to the mission for additional security.”

  “Sir, the ninth is stretched pretty thin with as many operations as they have been performing lately and their repeated losses. Requesting permission to add the additional squadrons from the 14th instead?” SSgt Anderson asked.

  General Akari was already turning back to the report he laid down when he was interrupted. “Granted. After you have finished setting that up, bring me a detailed status report on the ninth; I need to re-examine their losses. Dismissed.”

  * * * * *

  Mikkhael navigated towards what they suspected to be the most populous, but also the most remote, area their data said the rebels occupied. Any one of the various factions they were trying to link up with as allies were considered candidates, some simply rated as more suitable then others based on external data collected by Kurtis back on Earth. They were making excellent progress, the miles falling away effortlessly behind them. To pass the time, and satisfy his need to do something, Mikkhael played with some of the monitors off to the side of the cockpit, tweaking the sensors scanning for radio traffic, I.F. signatures, or any other telltale signs that would help them link up with a rebel group.

  This was one of the riskiest parts of their mission, because the one factor they had the least control over would carry massive implications for overall success. Mikkhael could last seven, maybe eight days within Starkindler before he would need to refresh the oxygen levels or die from asphyxiation or Co2 poisoning; there had been some debate on the matter back on Earth about which would happen first. With no other choices available at that point, he would then be forced to enter a domed habitat that would almost certainly be controlled by Mars Industries, something to be avoided at all costs.

  For the time being, the planet was still too early in the infant terraforming stage for supporting human life. Scientists hoped that within as few as twenty years, moss and algae they bio-engineered to become oxygen factories would be able to spread outside of the isolated tanks they currently occupied within the domed cities and throughout the mines. As the polar caps melted, creating an atmosphere out of the massive quantities of Co2 held within the ice, the moss and algae converted the Co2 into oxygen, pumping roughly half the amount produced back outside of the domed cities, keeping the other half for human consumption. Until the time when the atmosphere contained more oxygen, humans as a rule never traveled farther than three-quarters of their total air supply in case an emergency developed.

  Two days of monotony slowly dragged by, passed by eating tasteless nutrient bars and experiencing the alien scenery, all the while the lone Mech armor continued to traipse a solitary path across absolute desolation. Even the newness of being on a strange planet in a war machine began to fade as he wrestled with a boredom that proved uninterruptible by even the sensors. The hills in the distance they were heading for gradually grew larger, and then turned into the outliers of a barren, wind eroded mountain range that satellite footage showed stretched for slightly less than hundred miles. For lack of a better plan, they had been basing their trajectory in a general direction when Aurora suddenly announced, "possible contact, over 120 miles distant, radio detection, bearing north by northwest header of 249, identity unknown."

  His solitary space in the cockpit had been quiet for so long that hearing another voice made him jump. Aurora fed him a small dosage of the alertness-boosting drugs through the IV and together they began to home in on the contact. Feeling suddenly exposed, he double-checked the IFR exhaust output and ran a system check on the active camouflage, armaments, and energy shields, ensuring that they were ready for anything.

  Caution reigned as he reduced thruster output by twenty percent, routing the extra power through the rest of the machine, charging the energy shields and preparing the weapon systems. Aurora stayed silent through it all, letting him work off some of his nervous energy. They had been traveling without those systems active to avoid the gradual heat buildup they passively generated, allowing them to keep their IF signature almost nonexistent, hopefully remaining undetected on their journey. In the meantime, Aurora was collecting more information about their new target, inputting the data into the targeting computer.

  A few moments passed in this manner until she announced, "Multiple contacts, two separate parties converging, energy shields active, no weapon signatures detected." As she continued to describe the situation, the targeting computer simultaneously displayed the data inputs on the HUD, superimposing them on top of the 3D map. The tactical overlay showed the new contact’s position relative to their own trajectory, laid out with IFF markers that were currently not activated by all parties, as well as identifying tags about each target that would grow as Aurora collected more information.

  They slowly closed the distance to the converging set of targets in front of them. It became obvious a meeting was taking place when the two disparate groups closed in on one another without attacking one another; and any uninvited guests that appeared would likely upset the established balance. For now, the best course of action was to wait and watch, allowing them to conclude their business before intervening with their own. Aurora continued her broken narrative, describing the events as best she could while simultaneously performing other more useful processes. She determined that each group was comprised of Mechanical Armed Robotic Suits, or what the rebels referred to as MARS units, confirming her theory that two separate groups of rebels were meeting clandestinely in the middle of nowhere.

  Aurora isolated the frequencies of each individual MARS pilot while attempting to decode their encryption. On top of that, she was struggling to decode each transmission separately; this method was incredibly intensive on her processing capabilities but offered multiple and faster routes to success.

  If she could decode the rebel transmissions, then Mikkhael could broadcast on a closed frequency with any of the units using line-of-sight communication lasers; allowing for untraceable communication with the unknown MARS units while also knowing what the responses of the entire group were. Failing that, if she broke their secure channels, that would allow him to communicate with one pilot or the entire group of pilots at the same time, taking advantage of whichever method better fit the developing situation.

  Aurora focused all of her immense processing capability on performing the extremely delicate hacking procedure, attempting to break the MARS unit’s frequencies security while avoiding detection by the already alert pilots. She remained able to brute force and quickly break the c
odes, but that would alert the pilots, almost certainly rendering them hostile. The problem with decoding was that computer algorithms condensed each message into packages of code milliseconds long, and then sent each message in a rapid, heavily encrypted, jumbled burst of information. This method of communication eliminated an easy way to break codes by masking the overall length of each message and the smaller components within them.

  Mikkhael forced himself to relax, waiting for events to play out before he intervened. His wisest move right now consisted of allowing the pilots to conclude their business before he interrupted with his own, and the extra time would allow Aurora a higher chance of success during her encryption efforts.

  While slowly inching their way closer, at times he found himself pausing to take in the strange new details of the MARS units they were stalking. Aurora confirmed one of the groups’ identities; each faction’s self-made MARS units tended to vary widely from one faction to another. The group closest to him used models with larger frames painted a dark blue color with a black crest on the top left breast bearing a laughing skull. Aurora tagged the entry into their database as a new entry, but that possibility had been expected as the norm and not the exception. Their physically larger MARS units meant a more powerful reactor, shields, and armor in combination with the capacity to carry higher wattage lasers weapons. That approach served the factions well in the past when fighting against the antiquated Mech armor of the PDF. The downside of less mobility rarely proved an issue as the PDF were no longer able to deploy their air Mech killing bombers, the threat of sub-orbital bombardment from the pair of battle cruisers orbiting above assured compliance.

  Mikkhael zoomed one of the external cameras in on the second group, his attention piquing quickly at some of the details he discovered. The most obvious thing he noticed was that their MARS units were more similar to the sizes of the ones used by the PDF. Judging from what he could tell however, a great deal of effort had been put into modernizing their technology. Starkindler’s sensors showed their reactors were likely even more powerful than their large cousins standing opposite of them. The same could be said of their maximum shield levels, while their armor did a better job of masking their IFR signature; painted in a nearly perfect replication of the dust red Martian soil. His heart began racing in eager anticipation when he saw their insignia; a yellow circle with a black bird in flight with wings spread wide, beak open, screaming as it burst into flight that was placed upon the left breast of each unit. Mikkhael had found members of the legendary StormCrow brigade.

  When breaking down the factions they knew about from Earth, Kurtis and Alyona had researched each one of the myriad militia’s, giving them a rating based on many factors. They took into consideration the estimated number of Mech armor a faction could field, the quality of their technology and builds of their units, also finding ways to account for ideology and whether or not they attacked civilians. Many different groups were little better than outlaws, and as such were to be avoided just as much as the PDF. The StormCrows excelled where many of the other groups failed to register much of a reaction, they had excellent leadership from a man named Commander Ultor, one of the earliest and most dedicated Rebels to form a faction, and were extremely aggressive in taking the fight to the PDF.

  Information from Aurora that scrolled across the HUD showed their area of operations in a remote region of the Tharsis Bulge, far from the domed cities. As a rule, the StormCrows targeted military forces, not resorting to terrorist acts such as attacking the civilian populations and garrisons that protected them in the way WinterSong faction did. During the Reckoning, the StormCrows went toe-to-toe with the PDF, acting as a fearsome and well-coordinated force. However, rumor had it that their reputation grew too much, forcing the PDF time and again to specifically prioritize targeting them, slowly reducing their numbers until much of their military might had been destroyed.

  Watching the two groups meet up, Mikkhael assumed that they were attempting to work together or share information, until Aurora broke their comm’s to confirm or deny his guess. The MARS units the StormCrows used were almost half the size of his Starkindler, a major factor that would probably cause them to shoot first and ask questions later if he appeared before communicating with them. He shifted nervously in his seat, the tension making him uncomfortable, watching in frustration as Aurora made minimal progress, unable to break enough of their signals to tell what language they were speaking; he could only assume it was the common English tongue, or some variation of pidgin. The soul of the rebellion blossomed into existence from the disenchanted miners, comprised mostly of Asian descendants and inmates from western countries. It was highly possible that the groups only spoke Mandarin or Cantonese and Aurora would have to translate.

  Twenty agonizing minutes passed as Mikkhael maneuvered Starkindler to within less than five miles of the rebel pilots, a test of his skill as much as his Mech armor’s camouflage and masking abilities. From this range, Aurora picked apart the rebel signatures with increasing speed, as well as accumulating identifying data about each of the individual MARS units. She stored the information in her offsite data bank in order for it to be used for future purposes if they once again came across these particular units. The meeting signaled a natural conclusion, the pilots actively scanning the nearby territory before leaving, nervous at being exposed out in the open without moving for so long when everything started to go wrong.

  Aurora’s noticed first. She suddenly re-organized all the HUD information to focus on the incoming threat analysis. "Atmospheric signal bounce detected, multiple fast-moving objects from the direction of PDF Outpost Godfrey, approximate distance 400 miles, attempting to reacquire targets, targets heading was likely towards present location."

  Mikkhael let loose a curse under his breath, "Aurora, I need you to start figuring out some contingency plans. How bad does it look?"

  She dropped the formal tone, never a good sign. "It looks like multiple Chimera transports, but I cannot confirm that yet. Each transport would hold between four to eight Mech Armor depending on if it was a scouting party, or if they are on the way to attack the meeting with assault forces."

  He cursed again, "Chances they found the meeting using a satellite or hack like us?"

  "Not worth mentioning; if they are headed this way specifically, they are on their way here to fight. One or more of those rebels is a traitor." Aurora said.

  New input on a sensor display caught his attention, he watched as the radio traffic from the rebel meeting began to pick up quickly.

  "The Rebels are aware of the transports," Aurora announced.

  Mikkhael stared at his display, mentally willing the outcome to change, his mind racing with ideas that would not work as the display still had not re-acquired the targets.

  "Eight targets, transports 300 miles away, closing fast, shields active," Aurora deadpanned. Her coding did not allow for her to sugar-coat negative information that could be deemed extremely critical, instead focusing on the opposite extreme. Ambiguity was a critical mistake they could not afford to make at any time, least of all now.

  It was the confirmation Mikkhael had not wanted. He felt his stomach churn, knowing that a fight was headed their way. He needed to find a faction to link up with before five more days passed or he would run out of oxygen. Not only had he found one, but they were the legendary StormCrows, and before he could attempt to link up the PDF were headed directly towards the meeting with help from an unknown turncoat Rebel, nearly the absolute worst outcome for his current situation. He could spend the remaining days scouring for another faction to link up with, or pick one of the two in front of him and hope the traitor was not in their midst.

  Not caring for any of his options, Mikkhael snarled into his mike "We will follow and try to help the group that figured out the PDF was on their way last, they will most likely be innocent. Have you broken their frequencies yet?"

  "I am getting close but am unsure when I will succeed," Aurora replied.


  He cycled power through the main cannons, making sure that their electromagnets were charged and that Starkindler was ready before the situation devolved. He almost offhandedly replied "Brute force the hacks. The time for subtlety is over."

  He sensed her approval ripple through the war machine. This was his chance to prove himself coward or a changed man, and the critical moment was approaching fast.

  Starkindler slowly ascended a small mountain made up of hundreds of rocky outcroppings shorn smooth by the fierce winds and blasting sands, approaching within two miles from the Rebel meeting. He set himself up for an over-watch position in order to have the best advantage in the probable firefight. The over-watch position allowed him to provide long range covering fire with a clear line of sight if the Rebels retreated, as well as an advantage from the terrain height that would make it more difficult for the PDF to counter fire. He slipped the giant Mech into a shallow recess in the mountain that would help hide them, as well as provide some additional protection from enemy weapons.

  “Mikkhael, the StormCrows are the second ones to realize the PDF are on their way, and I have successfully decrypted their squadron leaders frequency. He is unaware.” Aurora said.

  Mikkhael quickly dialed in the frequency codes, and then used the line of sight laser in order to encrypt their communication so that only the two of them could communicate. Use of the laser revealed his location to the squad leader, but ensured that as long as no one passed between them, their communications were 100% secure. He immediately began to take charge, years of practice momentarily overriding his fear. "I know you can hear me. I am sending you video, data, and coordinates. Make a decision, fast. Your lives depend on what you do next."