by Will Crudge
“Melody, scan for active weapons systems… and also…” He stopped to squint at the odd hulls before finishing. “Try to identify what kind of ships those are?”
“Juggernauts.” Melody replied immediately. Segal was taken back at the AI’s rapid reply. “They first appeared in action at the Battle of Tangine, but had previously been covertly discovered in a hidden ship-yard in the Celeste system.”
“So, they’re Unum ships?” Taj chimed in, as he walked up next to Segal by the display. “I didn’t think the UDF even had any capital ships.”
“Apparently they do, and it’s a good thing too.” Melody said as a matter of fact. “The UAHC flagships are vastly more combat effective than our own, but the Juggernauts are big enough to fit an entire UAHC squadron inside a single hull. Plus, if the scan is accurate… they have about eleven hundred of them.”
“But now is the part that makes my bowels rumble!” Segal said with a nervous expression. “Are they here to help us, or are they here to wipe us out?”
“Why do you ask that, Sir?” Taj asked. “I thought the Chancellor requested the assistance of the UAHC?”
“That’s why I’m concerned.” Segal shook his head. “These are Unum ships. To my knowledge, no request has officially gone out to Unum.”
“But they’re close allies, aren’t they? It makes sense that they would act in unison.” Taj surmised.
“Do you see any UAHC ships out there, Mr. Taj?” Segal scolded. Taj just stepped back, and assumed a less ‘assertive’ posture.
“Like I said… The UAHC can fit an entire fleet… or two, inside those ships. They wouldn’t be broadcasting an IDENT if that were the case. We can’t afford to provoke them. Our base defenses are very formidable, but we have only a handful of Cruisers and Destroyers within two light minutes of us. Besides, nobody has seen a Juggernaut deploy a single weapon system. Beyond their size, we have no clue what they can do to us… or how quickly they can do it.” Melody explained.
“Suggested course of action?” Segal asked Melody, as he kept his eyes glued to the ever-growing flotilla of potential enemies.
“Hail them. Just Ask.” Melody said simply.
“Ask?” Segal cocked his head slightly. “Hey, massive unknown ships, are you here to kill us?”
“Perhaps you should have read the Chancellors CCIR’s list. “Melody scolded. He knew she was right. He had been briefed at his shift change, that the Commander’s Critical Information Reporting guidelines had been updated since his last rotation.
“I’ll do it, when I get the time… Just tell me what I can do now!” Segal’s voice betrayed a blend of nervousness and agitation.
“Relax, Commander.” She said calmly. “All you need to do, is put your game-face on, and wait for the Rear Admiral to get here.”
“What?” He looked stunned.
“The CCIR clearly states, that if ‘non-Crimson’ human military forces arrive in Alliance space, then the ranking flag officer on-station needs to be notified. I already handled that, but made sure you tell him that you asked me to it…. It’s not like I had any reason to cover your spineless ass, but right now I have more important things to worry about than your incompetence!” Melody scolded.
Segal’s face flushed with redness. He didn’t like an AI talking down to him, but at the same time, he owed her big time. He decided to nod, and take a deep soothing breath. No sooner did the color return to his face, then Rear Admiral Connery arrived in the CIC.
***
Darius made it a point to dress up in the meanest looking suit of heavy armor he could scrounge up. The robust Fire Support Team armor was the clear choice. He never had too many run-ins with FISTER’s since he spent his required infantry tours with marine units. FISTER’s were always embedded with ground-pounder battalions, and marine units used the less-elite equivalents… the ANGLCO’s.
But the FIST armor was menacing to look at, since was designed to be rapidly coated, and then recoated in an array of mission specific camouflage patterns. He had Sam select this particular pattern from an intimidation stand-point. She accessed centuries of cammo research, and physiological studies. She figured out the exact hues, patterns, and base colorings that would be more likely to insight sub-conscious fear into a human enemy… Then she adjusted it to for the maximum effect when seen on a standard screen.
The ultimate goal was to look like he was the biggest threat in the galaxy. He knew the Mwargoth’s wouldn’t care how he looked, but it wasn’t for them. Since they transitioned out of FTL, and were approaching the Crimson Military’s seat of power, the UAHC was already analyzing the relay data on every comms node within scanning range. The Crimson may not have been aware that Unum and UAHC forces could even do that, but since they’d captured so many ‘intact’ ships at the Battle of Tangine, it didn’t take long to reverse engineer Crimson comms architecture.
The reports the UAHC had intercepted of Mwargoth ships attacking stray Crimson vessels were disconcerting. The aliens had already established a pattern of ambush attacks, but seemed to avoid any human ships in large numbers. Had they not been facing an entirely alien threat, it would have seemed that they were corralling the Crimson forces into a centralized point to finish them off … At least, that’s what humans would do. However, alien motivations were an unknown quantity.
The intimidation factor that the Fleet Marshal was trying to project, was geared towards convincing the Crimson leadership that their human peers were here to crush the alien threat. It may have seemed counter-intuitive to most, but Darius was playing a game of mental chess, and every move had to be well calculated. He figured that a threatening human presence would be more likely to set the Crimson Alliance at ease. Having a bolstered human force that appeared ready to fight, may just well prevent more tension than it would otherwise create.
Even Val took a little convincing to see Darius’ point of view, but in the end the monk relented. After all, if Val’s vast strategic genius was enough to save humanity alone, then his own Forge Theory of how the universe created its mechanisms out of need would be flawed. Darius had the elite genetics of Val, but his was a step further. What Darius lacked in training and life-experience, he made up for with his ability to have a neural interface. That meant he could put his gifts to bear along with modern military hardware.
His unique gift allowed him to dissect strategic patterns as if he were reading the mind of the universe itself. Being able to couple it with technological integration was his ace card. It was he, who must lead humanity’s men and women to victory… or it would be he, who would witness their destruction. Only the universe, or whatever guiding force beyond, truly knew what his fate meant.
But he wasn’t going to go out without a fight!
“Send a hail request, Sam.” Darius said casually. The CIC of the Juggernaut was quiet, despite being fully manned. Darius could sense that every single one of the UAHC and Unum personnel present, were feeling the tension. The words that were about to be spoken during this one transmission would either be the turning point for humanity’ survival, or be the point where humanity would fail to unite. Either way, he supposed, he was about seal their collective fate.
“Request sent. Allow for about a ten second delay for handshake.” Sam replied.
The next several seconds were tense. Val stood off in the corner, and he seemed to be the only one not giving off an anxious vibe. Jep and Growl weren’t there, but instead they had elected to prep the Death-Nail for combat. One LRF may not be enough. Darius thought to himself. Shadow seemed to be thinking the same thing, but it was getting increasingly difficult for Darius to delineate between his own thoughts, and the panther’s. Not that it bothered him. He felt oddly accepting of the unique dynamic, and was pleased to share the mind of a creature that had a higher IQ than most of humanity’s most famous thinkers.
“Hail accepted, on screen.” Sam chimed in to break Darius’ train of thought. Darius nodded, as he adjusted his posture to a more ‘commanding’ po
sture.
The screen lit up into view, and there was a man in a Crimson dress uniform standing like a statue. He had reddish hair, and an aged face. He seemed to have the same gruff expression that Kara’s old friend, Griff always had on display.
“This is Rear Admiral Connery of the Crimson Admiralty. Identify yourself!” The man said with a gruff voice that seemed to flow well with his leathery skin.
“This is Fleet Admiral Darius of the UAHC and Unum combined fleets. We’ve come in peace, and intend to join forces with your main fleet.” Darius replied with every bit of command authority he could muster.
“Tell me, Fleet Marshal… What makes you so sure we have a main fleet?” The Rear Admiral seemed to be feigning ignorance out of habit. Darius expected this. It wouldn’t be an easy transition to unite humanity’s two largest multi-system nations when they had generations of cultural tension and distrust between them, after all.
“You call it your 4th Fleet, and it’s the largest of them all.” Darius responded calmly. “There’s no point in playing coy, Admiral. The entire human race is depending on this conversation - not - ending in bloodshed!”
There was an awkward pause, and the Rear Admiral didn’t seem to be phased one bit. His leathery forehead began to wrinkle as his brows began to flex in frustration.
Then the pause ended abruptly, as the Crimson Officer finally replied. “Very well, Fleet Marshal. Forgive my apprehension, but I had to take measure of your intentions.”
“I understand, Admiral Connery.” Darius nodded curtly, but on the inside he was mentally sighing in relief. “If I had a Crimson force show up in Sol, I would be compelled to be just as prudent.”
Connery nodded. “All due diligence aside, I have orders from our Chancellor to allow safe passage to any human-based military force that posed no immediate threat to our territories. Be that as it may, I must respectfully ask that you transmit the details of your combat power. My superiors want full disclosure of any non-Crimson entities operating within our borders.”
Darius cringed in his own mind. He knew this would happen, but wasn’t happy about it either way. He would have demanded the same, if things were reversed, but he also had no faith in what the Crimson would do with that kind of INTEL.
“We intend to comply, Admiral.” Darius nodded. “I’ll order our Fleets to remain within Carrion space until we can broadcast the data to your satisfaction.” Darius chose his words carefully. If he said that he would comply with every shred of capability, then they may be held accountable when the truth came out in time. But by saying – to your satisfaction – it may offer him an out, while also reducing the immediate tension.
“Agreed, Fleet Marshal.” Connery seemed to say it reluctantly, but he also didn’t seem to be willing to go into a debate of semantics either. “We will standby for your transmission. Once I have the data analyzed, and I can confirm it meets our criteria, then I will transmit your next waypoint towards where our main forces are massing.”
Darius simply nodded, and cut the transmission. Satisfied the line was fully severed, he turned to Val. “Ok, Val… What kind of bullshit can we sling this guy?”
“No reason to sling bullshit, as you put it.” Val shrugged while he remained leaned up against a nearby bulkhead. “I can give them an entire narrative on what an ancient internal combustion engine is capable of. But at the same time, it doesn’t mean we have to tell them how actually does it, do we?” he said with a sly wink.
The ancient monk’s thousands of years of wisdom shown through once more. Darius smiled. “Ok then! I suppose if we make it seem like we’re paying our bills, then they have no reason to evict us!”
When Things Get Sideways
Location: Docking Bay, Orbital Habitat, Titan Moon
Date Time: Post Interstellar 10/25/4201 1408HRS Local
System: Sol, Mid Region
Jimma charged with reckless abandon, as she sensed Grinder was picking up the pace behind her. Before she could get within a few meters of the Peterson number two, who wore the black commando armor, Grinder had already passed her by, and was tackling a streak of red out to her right. She had no time to be grateful for the assist, since she too busy unleashing a flurry of slashes with her sword.
The man was fast… even so for a man in powered armor.
‘Armored Peterson’ swayed left and right, and easily avoided the first two slashes. He then snapped an arm-mounted energy shield into array, and blocked the third downward strike which was on-course to strike his collar. Jimma rebounded with more grace than she expected to have had, as the repulsive energy made her downward force bounce backward.
With an elegant series of short shuffles, her feet found their grip, and she quickly shifted her weight back into an offensive stance. ‘Armored Peterson’ raised his forearm up, and his shield collapsed in an instant. She figured he was lining up a shot with his wrist-mounted pulse blaster, so she brought her own shield in response.
And not a moment too soon.
A blast fired from his forearm with a concussive whine. The blast was deflected harmlessly by her shield, so then she pressed into a hap-hazard run. She decided to use the shield as a repulsive-energy battering ram of sorts, from which, her enemy had no time to evade.
The mass of black armor and flesh collided with the landing strut of the frigate. ‘Armored Peterson bore the brunt of the impact back-first. The jarring force made him lose his footing, and he became a metallic heap on the deck plate below.
You’re mine now! She thought, as she pressed her attack before he could pick himself up into a defensible posture. Dropping her shield out of array, she gripped her sword with two hands as she ran, and prepared for an overhead downward slash… But the impact of red-painted metal on flesh ended her final assault.
She realized she’d been tackled by a commando that seemed to come out of nowhere, as she impacted the deck with hundreds of kilos of mass on top of her. But no sooner did she find a place to grip the attacker in order to throw him off, he was pulled back into a spray of blood with a horrid scream. Grinder had come to her aid once more. Good job, buddy!
But before either of them could do anything else, a pulse blast struck her in the face, and she knew no more.
***
Grinder felt the life disappear from his victim, and unclenched his massive jaw. But before he could assess his next move, his snout and skull felt like it had been hit by a bolt of searing heat and energy. He howled in pain. But before he could come to his senses, he felt at least two sets of cold metal arms wrap around his chest and abdomen. Even the powered armor limbs could do little to threaten his tank-like physique, but it was enough to pull him up and off of his center of gravity.
Two men slammed him to his side, and began to beat him with closed fists. Not this time, you fucks! He retracted his hind legs and managed to press his back paws against the chest plate of the attacker around his abdomen, as he pressed his full might against it.
He could hear the man scream in pain, as he noticed the enemy’s other arm was pinned beneath his massive K-9 body. The man was pushed completely off… but his arm stayed where it was.
The other man froze for a second to take stock in what had just happened, but Grinder wasted no time. He lurched his hind quarters outward, and it gave his shoulders enough momentum to reach the enemy’s head with his dagger-like fangs. A single crunch confirmed the kill.
Then Grinder leaped up on all fours, and scanned for Jimma. All he saw was the man in black armor standing over her motionless body while laughing. He spun around to check the area for any additional enemy threats. Satisfied it was all clear, he lunged for the man in black. But as he got within a
meter of his victim he was struck by a stinging pink-ish wall of energy, and knocked back down to the deck. Grinder realized that the man’s energy shield had broad-sided him. He felt pain surge throughout his entire body.
Grinder forced himself to move, but his body was slow to respond. The lingering sting of the shield’s energy still pulsed through his body, and he watched helplessly as the man in black tried to pick up where Zeff left off. He was unfastening his waistband, as he looked down at Jimma with a sneer of contempt.
He did everything he could in order to muster his strength, but without the conscious connection with Jimma, there would be no reserve energy to pull from. He was now at the mercy of his own physiological limits.
Just then the ‘un-armored’ twin began to stir. It caught Grinder’s attention, and he was shocked at what he saw. The ‘black armored’ Peterson’s face was bent into a scowl. Grinder thought that it was just a shared hatred for Jimma, at first… but an eerie sensation began to creep up from within his awareness that seemed to imply otherwise.
The ‘unarmored’ Peterson holstered his pistol, and reached down to grab the blanket… The same blanket, Grinder suspected, that covered up the corpse of Shade. But when the sheets were pulled back, it wasn’t a panther at all… It was a human.
The human had a UAHC torso armor of some specialized design, but had the red-painted limb coverings of a Crimson commando. Peterson hit a switch behind the human’s head, and the person stood straight up. It was a woman with short matted hair, and she looked to Grinder as if she’d been through hell.
The oddly armored woman sprinted off somewhere out of Grinder’s line of sight before another image materialized. It bounded out of the shadows like a wraith, and it moved like lightning.
