by Aer-ki Jyr
Paul used it to wheel her over him, aided by a boost from her jump pack, with him throwing her through the air over the Scionate’s heads some 50 meters as he chewed up his pair of senzu beans, knowing he’d need the ambrosia overload soon.
Morgan landed in the midst of the Scionate, with 50+ around her falling to the ground as she emitted a Fornax field. She kept it up and reached a hand back towards Paul, throwing a concussion wave into the backs of the Scionate near to him and knocking them down enough for him to punch and kick his way through back to her, having to concentrate as he hopped over the downed Scionate while feeling the effects himself.
More plasma came in over the heads of the downed Scionate, with Morgan releasing the field so they could stand up and block the shots as Paul got to her. He put a bioshield around the both of them as their armor shields dropped low, literally feeling the ambrosia draining out of him as he fought to constantly replenish the shield. Linked as they were, Morgan could ‘see’ the shield aside from the impact points, with Paul forming small holes in it large enough for her to stick her hand through and release a concussion blast ahead, bowling down even more Scionate.
The pair ran together in sync, staying as close together as possible so Paul would have less surface area to protect, with Morgan blasting aside the yellow-armored cats, some of which they stepped on as they passed with her adding a Fornax blast to keep them down. The trailblazers held that formation all the way across the plaza and through the mass of soldiers…running right up against one of their tanks.
Both Morgan and Paul split up as a large plasma splash hit between them, each taking small plasma hits from anti-personnel turrets on the tank until Paul managed to freeze the minds inside, cutting off the return fire.
Morgan ran to the tank and slid underneath it, crawling through the gap between jeweled surface and tons of machine that could drop down on her at any moment, but Paul had the pilot’s mind firmly held, which Morgan could feel through the battlemeld, prompting her to take the unconventional route to the far side, eventually coming out next to Paul as the pair hopped up on top of the more or less rectangular vehicle and got to the top, then jumped from there via anti-grav to the nearest rooftop with Paul blocking for both of them with his bioshields as another two tanks targeted them with anti-personnel fire.
A moment later they were both out of the firing line, running across the building and hopping across to the next…which was when a Valerie swooped by overhead so low that it nearly hit their helmets. It didn’t fire on the first pass, wanting to intimidate them as well as watching where they went…which was nowhere in particular. Paul and Morgan had to put some distance between themselves and the den so Kara could pick them up more or less unnoticed.
That wasn’t here, for beyond that Valerie there were at least 5 more, each taking turns in buzzing them, with the third being the first to open fire.
Paul and Morgan didn’t try to evade, instead they both huddled down together making a small black dot on the roof underneath Paul’s shield as Morgan reached out to the mind of the pilot…not to freeze him, but to align herself for a Fornax blast that she let loose a moment later.
The scattering of shots that missed them both ended quickly, with the Valerie losing its line and dipping slightly before the pilot recovered and got more altitude, passing the two by as they got back on their feet and ran to the next gap between buildings…this time jumping down in between where the fighters would be hard pressed to find them.
More troops were there, apparently having been running at street level parallel to the Archons with the Valeries telling them where to go, for as soon as they hit the pavement they were in another battle against dozens of the Scionate. Yellow armor flew in all directions, with the trailblazers resuming their dual formation and pushing off to the right down the street before eventually hanging a left and getting further away from the den.
Trouble was, the Scionate troops were faster than them, with more and more closing up and choking off the streets. Before too long they were being cut off from ahead, forcing the Archon pair to head back up to the rooftops and deal with the fighters.
After the third pass and Paul’s shields getting hit again, this time badly, Morgan’s frustration won out and she summoned up a large Jumat blast and nailed the next fighter to come through on his lazy assault line. It hit on the top side, forcing the nose down as Morgan simultaneously reached out and froze it’s mind, resulting in it impaling the top of the building and sinking in a couple of meters.
Releasing contact she and Paul moved on, with more fighters circling around at a now greater height, unsure of what had just taken down the one.
“You guys ready for a lift?” Kara’s voice asked over the comm.
“Nah, I thought we’d stick around and play a while,” Paul said sarcastically. “Where are you?”
In response he got a waypoint on his HUD.
“On our way,” Paul said, ducking down and forming another shield as Morgan spotted a fighter on a quick attack line. The plasma hit him in two spots, the second one breaching and nailing his armor’s shield, sucking it down to 36% strength. On past them the fighter lost control and nearly rammed one of the buildings before pulling up and missing by 10 meters as it regained altitude, flying up over top the largest building in the area, with Paul and Morgan headed down to an even lower one, trying to get as much aerial cover as possible while staying off the streets.
Through their link Morgan knew Paul was going to take his helmet off before he even got his hand up to the neck, with her turning and becoming a psionic turret, throwing out Fornax blasts to every fighter nearby, even if she wasn’t sure she could affect them at that range. Quickly Paul slipped two more senzu beans into his mouth and got his helmet back on, then the two of them linked up an Ikrid attack on one of the fighters, giving them more range and control, and froze the pilot’s mind, making it continue in its straight course over top of them and unable to attack…leaving the pair an opening to sprint over to the next building on their right and hop across, with plasma coming up from below from the infantry still tracking them.
Two more buildings over and they came to their destination roof…which had multiple protrusions coming out of it. They ducked behind one as another Valerie passed by firing in their wake, then they ran around another blocky mount and dropped off an edge, falling through the door of the gunship as it floated on its side in the depression between two building segments.
Paul felt the gravity change as soon as he hit the threshold, with it slamming him down on his butt, only to have Morgan come crashing down on top of him as she followed through. Her legs pushed down on top of him, pinning his chest to the ground, then she was up and moving forward, leaving him to stand and get the door as the view outside spun around as Kara lifted them up out of the little artificial ravine and righted the gunship before accelerating away skimming the building tops enroute to the edge of the city and outpacing the Valeries with ease.
From there they disappeared out over the grasslands, getting out of Scionate sensor range and becoming ghosts once again…leaving the kitties furious.
10
July 17, 2534
Corvio System
Vaadsip
Chieftan Pra’nom looked up from the medical slab as one of his warriors came in, waving off the attendant who was taking an excessively long time wrapping his chest in a healing sleeve with a painful flick of his paw.
“Where are they?” he demanded.
The warrior held his head low, growling in disgust. “We do not know. They have disappeared.”
Pra’nom roared and stood up despite the broken ribs flaring in protest.
“The last we know,” the warrior continued, averting the leader’s gaze, “they were being pursued through the city. Eyewitness accounts state that they escaped via a small aerial craft they had hidden somewhere within the city, but we were unable to track it and our fighters could not pursue. What became of it is unknown. No orbital tracking
has detected it.”
“Nor did on entry,” one of the other Chieftans said, walking up behind the warrior and gesturing at his peer with his chin. “I have just finished reviewing the sensor logs. They have come and gone undetected. Star Force has been rumored to have impressive technology withheld from the knowledge of the ADZ, and I would wager we have just seen an example of it.”
“And what of this invisible hand of theirs…” Pra’nom sneered, “is that technology too?”
“I do not know, but it is none the less impressive.”
Pra’nom growled so low that the warrior next to Tem’lan retreated a step. “This is not funny.”
“I never said it was,” the Scionate responded evenly, walking past Pra’nom and looking at one of the other injured Chieftans. “But I do admire their boldness.”
“Boldness? Have you lost your pride! We have been assaulted and you lay praise on our enemy.”
“If they were our enemy they would have killed us,” Tem’lan said, his own voice growing harsh. “I’m more interested in the accusation they made.”
The Scionate walked up nose to nose with Pra’nom. “Have we violated the terms?”
“It does not matter one way or another.”
Tem’lan moved a hair closer, so much so that he could feel Pra’nom’s breath. “Do you know of what they speak?”
“Yes,” Car’sem said, breaking the visual deadlock between the two. “We are no longer honoring their colonization terms, nor should we. We outnumber them and these worlds are no longer theirs. They are ours and we will do what we like with them.”
Tem’lan turned away from Pra’nom and walked over to the other Chieftan, limping slightly from the injury he’d sustained to his right rear leg, but it had been far less than the others had suffered…or so they said, for he felt many of them were simply too unaccustomed to pain.
“Then we have violated our word,” he growled angrily.
“We honored their pact for many years, more than enough to satisfy the bounds of honor. We will not be bound by it for all of time.”
“Where are these farms?”
“Outside the ADZ,” another Chieftan said, walking up beside him and shooing the medics away. “It is a private meat supply. Some goes to us, the rest is sold to generate funds to expand the farms. All is accomplished by outsiders so as not to link back to us. In this way we honor the pact made, though I agree with Car’sem that we are not bound to the Humans’ will permanently.”
“Enough!” Pra’nom said, fuming. “They are in the wrong, not us! Are you blind?”
“There will be an accounting,” Car’sem agreed.
“Later,” Tem’lan said dismissively. “I have issue with this deception. If we are not going to honor the terms then let us state so plainly. Hiding the action is that of a coward…and hiding it from me is a mistake that you will regret in the coming days, I can promise you that.”
“Do not make threats you cannot back up, young one.”
Tem’lan swatted Pra’nom, his senior, so fast that the old Scionate didn’t even see it coming.
“Tem’lan!” another voice shouted from behind. Tem’lan took a step back and turned to face Ura’bor as he joined the group, staring all the others down.
“He had that coming,” another Chieftan said as an impromptu assembly meeting formed. “I wasn’t informed of these farms either.”
“They are a side project,” Ura’bor said dismissively. “Whether or not we implement them with our own people and resources is a subject we’ve not yet broached, thus you did not know. That is immaterial. The Humans have gone too far, and they must learn their place.”
“And what of their abilities?” another Chieftan asked. “I saw what they did to our troops. If you have not you need to take a look at the recordings. Two of them blew through hundreds of highly trained, heavily armored warriors. These are not the Humans we are used to dealing with. Something is seriously amiss here.”
“That may be,” Ura’bor granted, “but we do not have time to investigate prior to a response. We must act before the deed grows cold.”
“Agreed,” Pra’nom huffed, as did several others.
“Agreed,” Tem’lan echoed, his voice turning icy. “Then we will discuss this farming matter.”
Ura’bor looked back and caught the eye of the warrior who was standing on the other side of the room. “Marshal the troops.”
The Scionate bowed respectfully, then loped off out of the chamber to carry out the order.
Paul, wake up.
The trailblazer blinked his eyes and sat up in bed, wondering if he’d really heard someone’s voice or not. He’d been asleep for a good…two hours after a long run with Kara, and he’d nodded off deeper than he’d expected. Maybe the aftereffects of so much ambrosia coursing through his body earlier.
Hey, sleepy, her telepathic voice clarified. You up?
I am now.
Planetary sensors are showing a Scionate convoy arriving in orbit, all warships and they don’t look too happy.
Paul frowned as he threw the covers off and slid out of bed. Why didn’t I get an alert?
You probably will in a minute or two. I’m tied into the live feeds.
Where are you at? Paul asked, getting changed out of his sleeping clothes and into a fresh uniform as fast as he could reliably manage.
In the shower. You’ll beat me there. Figure I have a few minutes at least to finish up so long as you’re in the nexus.
What…oh, Paul said, remembering her Vorch’nas as the sleep cleared from his mind. Didn’t know your toy could do that.
It can do a lot. I can’t find Morgan, so she must not be in her quarters.
Finish your shower, I’m on it, he said, pulling his shoes on and heading out the door. Kara was only three rooms down, but he wasn’t going to wait on her, knowing that he had to get to the command center as quickly as possible.
“Report,” he demanded, turning on his earpiece…with it taking a moment before anyone responded.
“How did…I was just about to call you,” the on duty Archon said, with his ID flashing up as Samli-8388. “We’ve got Scionate warships entering orbit, a lot of them.”
“Get the Sentinel powered up, the drones free of their berths, and all civilian traffic out of the way. Have they hit any ships?”
“No, they’re literally just getting here now. Staggered arrival coming in from Vaadsip.”
“Raise surface shields and prepare for ground assault.”
“They don’t have any transports.”
“Yet,” Paul said, jumping up and over a knot of people in the hallway when they didn’t move in time, capping it off with a full flip that nearly lost his earpiece. “Find Morgan and tell her to get her ass in gear. Kara already knows. I’ll be there inside of 5 minutes.”
“Copy that.”
Paul ended the conversation and made his way over to the city’s command center, it being the primary for the entire planet…which was why he had his quarters next to it. He always did, wherever he went, or at least some place with a command nexus nearby to access if need be.
He knew that it would take time for ships to assemble in orbit, but he wanted to get on station as quickly as possible and start tweaking their defenses. He hadn’t thought the Scionate would just tuck their tails and admit they were wrong, so he’d been expecting some type of reaction…though the speed of this one suggested they were really pissed.
When he got to the command center he didn’t bother asking any questions, going straight to the command nexus and linking in with Morgan arriving a few seconds behind him. Instead of going to one of the monitors or work stations out on the main floor she stepped up onto the pedestal with him, wrapping an arm around his waist for balance and reaching out to him mentally.
Paul felt and accepted the battlemeld prompt, allowing her to think as he did as well as accessing the same telepathic controls, essentially doubling up their mental processing power. It wasn’t something
that he’d practiced with anyone before, but as soon as they both got to work on remotely controlling the planetary defenses he realized that had been a mistake, for together they could do a lot more, as well as troubleshoot each other as they went along.
Morgan smiled as Paul’s mind brought up an old term to coin the new skill…Fusion, which was apt enough even without the DBZ reference.
They both could ‘see’ all their assets in orbit and on the ground, even without the holographic displays. Mentally linked in as they were, Morgan could access information from any of them with a thought, though ‘reading’ it mentally was more difficult than pulling up a status hologram. She pulled up one on her left for the lone Sentinel in orbit, seeing that it was nearly ready for combat. Some operations within it were push to fire…while others needed a bit of prep time to cycle up, and given that this was ‘safe’ space the Sentinel had been in partial power conservation mode.
The Scionate fleet wasn’t anywhere near it, on purpose she assumed, because they knew what it could do. That meant the shipyards in orbit were also out of the fire, given that they were located relatively close to the defense station, as were several other installations placed at a distance so they didn’t crowd the firing lines and minimize the Sentinel’s coverage zone.
As Morgan checked on it and a few other smaller defense platforms, Paul was reorganizing their defense fleets, breaking them up into smaller groups and moving them around like chess pieces as the incoming Scionate fleet started showing transports mixed in with the warships.
“They’re going to ground,” Morgan said even though she knew Paul knew that she knew, but she felt like announcing it anyway. “Guess that means we hit the button we wanted,” she added as Kara walked in behind them.
