Eurus gets on his statbike and begins his ride towards the Martian Command HQ. It’s where the entire government of Mars is located. After a few hours’ ride, the building is in sight. By far the most impressive of the structures in Papülonis, the Martian government is in a white building, similar to the Capitol in current day Washington DC, only far greater in size, with fine details on every little unit of area. It’s well lit, heavily guarded and houses a large part of the brass of the Martian military force.
Behind it is a kilometer-high statue of the first Martian War Martial Traxler, the first woman to achieve the honor of being a War Martial. She holds a sword and in her other hand is an orb, with the intricate details of Terra carved into it. Her statue is slowly moving, always pointing herself and her sword towards Terra.
A War Martial is essentially the leader of a planet or at times, a star system part of the Solar Empire (meaning all the planets in human command). This honor is achieved not specifically through rank or votes, but by achievements. Traxler was a Terran general, who conquered Mars when it first became a Republic in 2133 and tried to upend Terran jurisdiction on Mars. Though massive in military strength even back then, Mars was subjugated by the accurate use of Cells, Ultra operatives and covert warfare. The full capacity of its military was never even realized because its ability to fight back was neutralized before anyone could figure out what was happening.
Next to it are several space docks used to launch spacecraft such as cargo vessels but also combat vessels and a fully formed military industrial complex. These are the only buildings not surrounded by skyscrapers but instead, are on flat ground, lower in height than other buildings on Mars but still enormous in size. In one of the space docks there is the MDAC (Martian Dreadnought Exterminator Class) ship called The Interceptor, a dreadnought capable of launching several hundred smaller spacecraft and with weapons for full-scale war. It could singlehandedly conquer the Earth from the 2020s with its advanced weaponry and technology and there are several of its kind already in deployment. It’s guns and other parts are enormous as well.
Another ship in space dock is the MDPC (Martian Dreadnought Navigator Class) called The Nova Atlas. These ships are used to use its energy source (which it’s basically built around, similar to how the A-10 Warthog is built around the GAU-8 Avenger) primarily to engage V-matter generators in other ships to help them navigate quickly between the stars. Other ships can go a few star systems themselves but are not capable of diminishing the travel time down to a few minutes like Navigator class ships, instead they might take months or even years to arrive at a distant destination themselves. Though Navigator ships carry some defensive weaponry, their main role is to aid the movement of fleets. As a last resort, its capable of detonating the V-Matter generators of any other ship within its fleet – a controversial feat when unveiled but proven necessary during several space battles – without a Navigator, a fleet is effectively stranded. Mars has around 20 of these ships in service at any one time – the biggest fleet in humanity’s command. In total, humanity has at most 50 in service.
Though these ships share their overall shape, their distinct difference is that on the Navigator Class ships, a large orb is fixed towards its bow. On the Exterminator Class ships, this orb is replaced by its main gun, capable of destroying small moons in a single blast. However a charge this strong usually renders the gun inoperable for up to an hour after discharging it. There are also smaller ships for several other roles but they’re not present in the space docks at this time.
The ships themselves are as big as the skyscrapers in the residential and commercial areas in Papülonis. Eurus drives to the highest part of Martian Command – it’s where War Martial Honors is located. He parks his stat bike right on Honors’ doorstep and is already greeted by guards who try to impede his approach. When he gets off the bike, he says:
“I am here on an official Cell matter. Article 11, section 6 of the Terran Code dictates that the violation of the ban on the production of Cells is to be taken to the highest possible planetary authority without hesitation. As a representative of the Cell Caste, I am within my authority to do just that.”[1]</a>
The guards let Eurus pass, and he enters the lobby of the command center. It’s a large room with several administrator desks and a marble floor with the Martian Command seal painted on it. The guards in the lobby and the administrators look uneasy, but have already been informed about the situation which is why they let him pass. The administrator desks are made out of oak – an expensive commodity in these times. The circular room is bordered by two large staircases which lead up to the War Martial. Eurus takes the one on the left and pays little attention to the busts of previous War Martials and generals on the walls. At the top of the stairs there lies a hallway with several doors on each side, some holding offices or passageways to other parts of the building. At the end, there are two heavy wooden doors, with reinforced steel inside it, which opens as Eurus approaches it. Therein lies the office of War Martial Honors. She is sat at her desk, looking straight at Eurus, clearly expecting him.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
She is a woman in her 40s. She would be classically pretty, if not for the deep cut she has across the right side of her face from defeating a clan of genetically mutated drug addicts as a young maiden of war. They had attempted to create a cult state which she dispatched when she was part of the Ultra Special Forces. She is ashamed of the scar, hiding it with makeup, though in Eurus’s mind because she’s earned it, she wears it well. Her face is also tarnished by signs of long term chronic stress and insomnia. Though her skin is still taut, her skin is pale and the cracks are starting to show. Despite this, she is still formidable in her presence. Would she sleep, she would turn her face half a decade younger. Would she have children, she’d have wrinkles of stress induced from happiness, but instead they’re from determination.
Her office is decorated with her medals, paintings, memorabilia, etc. The left side of the room is furnished with several couches and coffee tables. On the right there is a model of the Solar Empire. It’s made from tiny grey particles which make up a metallomorphic alloy which allow it to mold itself into the Solar System, a single planet such as Earth, or a view of the nearby star cluster which holds the Solar Empire, with levels of shading to provide inscriptions or details.
Eurus walks straight to her desk and says:
“War Martial Honors.”
“Eurus, Caste of Erebus,” she says, “I hear there’s been a Terran Code violation?”
“Yes, War Martial, I have reason to believe that agents within Ultra are conspiring to create new Cells. I also know that humanity has contacted new lifeforms beyond the Solar empire which might be reason for this.”
“I see,” says War Martial Honors. She continues: “Yes, there has been a development. However, I haven’t sanctioned the creation of Cells because – as you correctly pointed out, this would violate the Terran Code. I looked through the information available to me which should be all there is but I assume you have more?”
“Yes,” says Eurus, as activates a device on his wrist which displays the analysis done by the onboard computer, “as you can see, there are clearly traces of Cell genome spliced into several other creatures DNA makeup, probably as an attempt to arrive at the result.”
“I see, what was the result?” War Martial Honors asked.
“In essence, monsters, with some similarities to some Cell Castes in terms of abilities and tactics.”
“And Ultra?”
Eurus shows his discoveries he found on the Ultra terminal. He refrains from revealing that he himself has been singled out in a message but shows her information about Kalopsia and how she is a creation of Dr. Gobb Vakkar.
“Hmm… Interesting. So, what we can assume from this is that the parties involved have access to at least a part of the work done by Dr. Gobb Vakkar and perhaps other Cell Engineering. Have you considered that perhaps they’ve been stockpiling other Cell materials as well?”
“I have. This is why I need an imperial warrant to raid the Ultra compound.”
“Raid? Perhaps a simple conversation would suffice?”
“This is what I’ll do first but considering what we’ve found here a round trip would cost us too much time and we’d risk losing all hope of recovering any evidence of their wrongdoings and they’d just relocate what we’d hope to find if things go south.”
“You’re right. This can’t wait, I’ll sign the warrant right now.”
She goes to the terminal at her desk and signs the warrant digitally. It then shows up on Eurus’ suit computer. She says:
“I’ve sent it, Eurus. Report back if you can.”
“Affirmative.”
Eurus gives a stern nod to the War Martial and storms off. He has no time to waste and he’s already plotting his course to the Ultra HQ in his mind as he moves. The automatic doors open quickly, and the guards stand aside as if sensing his electrifying purpose.
The landscape of the Martian Planetary HQ is once again before him as he exits the building, a massive plane, dotted with warships and the statue of Traxler. He jumps on his stat-bike and it lifts him, carrying him off towards Ultra. It’s now or never – it’s as if a timer has been set and a bomb is just waiting to go off. He twists the throttle to its limit, increasing his speed.
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[1]</a> There are several Codices that govern humanity and several of its planets. These are sets of laws and guidelines. The Cell Codex governs Cell Circuits only, and applies to all the Cell Circuits across the Solar Empire. The Imperial Codex (also called the Imperial Code or just the Code) is similar to Federal law in federations such as the U.S., which supersedes every other Codex, including the Cell Codex, which has been included in it for that exact reason. Ultra has been known to ignore these laws at times however but the recent developments are unprecedented in terms of scale and illegality.