《The long way Home》


 Chapter 1

    The star system designated 1145-G-H, known locally as Yadvek¡¯s system after its discoverer, was unremarkable by galactic standards. Yet, its third planet, a perfect haven for oxygen-breathing life, held a secret: ruins of an advanced civilization, estimated to be over forty million years old.


    The recent discovery of an underground bunker, undetected by scanners, had sparked a surge in the system¡¯s population. Inside the bunker, scientists found countless humanoid and non-humanoid beings preserved in cylindrical stasis chambers.


    ¡°How do you reckon they kept them so well preserved for this long?¡± one scientist mused.


    ¡°Unsure,¡± replied the head researcher, Dr Anton. ¡°This place still has power, but complete vacuum is the only way to preserve a body for this long. I¡¯m more interested in how this place still has power and why it doesn¡¯t show up on any scanners.¡±


    ¡°This is James. I¡¯ve got a door here. I¡¯ll open it when you¡¯re here,¡± a voice crackled over the radio, piquing the scientists¡¯ interest.


    ¡°Best get a move on, I can¡¯t wait for it to be another storage room,¡± grumbled one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be like that. We¡¯re deep in the facility now. We¡¯ll reach the control centre at some point,¡± another reassured him.


    As the scientists made their way towards James, unaware of the facility¡¯s imminent reactivation, a wager was struck.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯ve got a bottle of genuine Earth whiskey. Wanna make a bet?¡± Richard asked Anton.


    ¡°What do I get if it¡¯s a way to the control centre then?¡± Anton countered.


    ¡°My relaxation days this week, so you can really enjoy that whiskey,¡± Richard grinned.


    ¡°You¡¯re on. I¡¯m already looking forward to my first glass,¡± Anton chuckled.


    They hurried towards James, eager to settle the bet. Five minutes later, they arrived at his location.


    ¡°Richard, Anton, you took long enough. I was about to open the door and go through on my own,¡± James said, a hint of annoyance in his voice.


    ¡°We had an important bet to sort out,¡± Richard explained, slightly out of breath. ¡°Head researcher Anton here has a bottle of Earth whiskey in his office. I bet him it¡¯ll lead to another storage closet, but ever the optimist, he thinks it¡¯s going to lead to the control room.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with him. It will be the control room or at least an access corridor,¡± James mumbled, his mouth full of a screwdriver as he pried open the access panel. ¡°One moment... almost got it... And... Here... We... Go.¡±


    The door swung open, revealing a hallway and a single door, unlike any they had encountered before. It was thick, armoured, and imposing. This was it, the elusive control centre they had been searching for over a month, amidst endless storage closets and a solitary cafeteria.


    The facility was coming online, its ancient systems whirring back to life. The scientists, oblivious to the impending shift, the facility had finally come online, sending an emergency signal out into the vast expanse of unexplored space.


    ==--==


    The bridge of the U.H.C. London, a colossal vessel stretching a staggering one and a half kilometres long, thrummed with activity. Ensign Ramirez, fresh-faced full of enthusiasm, stammered, ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve just picked up a transmission from the surface. It was too fast for us to intercept. Last heading was out towards unexplored space. It came from the stasis facility those scientists are exploring¡±


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    Rear Admiral Matthew Cooker, a seasoned veteran of countless campaigns, remained unfazed. ¡°Calm yourself, Ensign,¡± he said coolly. ¡°There¡¯s not much we can do about it now. Send a message to the lab and tell them whatever they¡¯ve touched, they best leave it alone. I¡¯d rather not piss off the aliens with a forty million year head start.¡±


    The U.H.C. London, the newest heavy carrier in the U.H.C. Navy¡¯s arsenal, was a floating city, a testament to the U.H.C.¡¯s ambition and technological prowess. It housed a crew of ten thousand, not including the fighter and bomber wings or the U.H.C. Army personnel.


    ¡°Message from the lab, sir,¡± Ensign Ramirez announced. ¡°They say the head researcher believes he¡¯s finally found the control room for the stasis facility. They¡¯re also requesting help to breach the door.¡±


    A sly grin spread across Cooker¡¯s face. ¡°Send a message to the Major General. He should have a group on planet-side rotation. Tell him the scientists need his help to open a door.¡±


    ¡°Aye sir, message sent.¡±


    ¡°Good man, now get back to it. I want to know if any more transmissions come from that facility. I don¡¯t want to be surprised again.¡± Cooker leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the star-studded expanse beyond the view port. ¡°If all goes well, we should be home in thirteen months, and then I¡¯m stuck in an office for my last couple of years in service.¡±


    He sighed, a hint of weariness in his voice. ¡°It¡¯s a shame, really. I¡¯d rather be out here, facing the unknown, than shuffling paperwork in some stuffy headquarters.¡±


    ==--== 2 weeks later


    The sky ripped open. Two hundred ships, a malevolent tide, materialised from hyperspace, leaving behind a shimmering scar of disrupted energy. Each vessel was a jagged, angular behemoth, a testament to its singular purpose: annihilation.


    ¡°Two hundred new contacts, sir!¡± the sensor technician shouted. ¡°They dropped in just past the asteroid belt.¡±


    ¡°Confirmed, sir,¡± the second technician chimed in, his voice tight. ¡°One database hit, but it¡¯s behind a security clearances I¡¯ve never seen.¡±


    They were outnumbered, outgunned, but Rear Admiral Cooker wouldn¡¯t go down easy. ¡°BATTLE STATIONS!¡± he roared. ¡°Get those transports out of my landing bay and onto the planet. I want everyone off this rock. Open task force comms ¡ª tell them to assume defensive postures.¡±


    The ship shuddered as alarms blared, the automated intercom echoing the order: battle stations. Not a drill. The shields hummed to life, a hexagonal glow enveloping the vessel before fading into a subtle shimmer.


    ¡°Atlas reports ninety per cent of stations manned, sir,¡± the commander Lera said, his voice clipped. ¡°One hundred per cent within minutes.¡±


    Atlas, the U.H.C. Defence Ministry¡¯s first digital sentience would manage the carrier¡¯s point defence and counter electronic warfare.


    ¡°Comms, transmit our lexicons. We need them to understand us. Send a message demanding their reason for intrusion. Tell them to turn around or face our response.¡±


    ¡°Done, sir.¡±


    ¡°Good. Everyone into vac suits. We¡¯re purging the atmosphere.¡±


    The bridge fell silent as the air was evacuated, leaving only the hum of machinery and the hiss of oxygen masks. Communication now relied on hard-wired lines, their voices muffled by the suits.


    ¡°Response received, sir. marking the ship it came from¡±


    The response was a helmet cam video, showing two-metre tall reptillian humanoids striding through the streets of a human colony, slaughtering everyone in their path. Men, women, children ¨C none were spared from the horrific carnage they unleashed upon this world.


    The next video was directly addressed to the ships above Yadvek.


    ¡°You see what awaits you unworthy ones, we will scour you from the universe.¡± it spat. This one differed from the ones it saw on the video. It was short and fat and reminded the rear admiral of a monkfish from earth.


    ==--== On Yadvek


    The air was filled with the deafening blare of klaxons, their shrill cries echoing through the colony as robotic voices barked orders for everyone to make their way to the landing zone. ¡°Leave everything behind,¡± they commanded, ¡°except what¡¯s essential for survival.¡±


    Sergeant Alfaro, a veteran of the last colony wars , addressed his squad, his voice a steely calm amidst the chaos. ¡°Heads up, Word is we¡¯ve got a whole fleet of incoming ships and they¡¯re expecting ground landings. We¡¯re linking up with the army and planetary defence, forming a combined force. We stick together, show these ground pounders how the marines fight. Oorah!¡±


    ¡°Oorah, Sergeant!¡± his team responded in unison, their voices a chorus of defiance and determination.


    The marines, clad in their combat gear, stood ready, their faces grim but resolute. They knew the next days would be hell, but they were prepared to face whatever threat emerged from orbit.


    The colony, once a bustling hub of activity, was now a ghost town, its streets deserted except for the occasional figure hurrying towards the landing zone. The air hung heavy with tension, a palpable sense of dread that permeated every corner of the settlement.

 Chapter 2

    Ships in weapon range in less than ten minutes, sir,¡± said Technician Bradshaw, a hint of nervousness creeping into his voice. It was the first time in combat for a lot of the personnel on the ship, and they were facing a whole new breed of enemy. Pirates and smugglers, the occasional colony gone rogue, but nothing like this.


    ¡°Send them another message, telling them it¡¯s their last chance to leave,¡± said Cooker, a hint of steel in his voice. ¡°I want them locked up the instant the first ships come in range.¡± An unknown alien race hellbent on wiping them out? Not enough to faze him, at least not on the surface. He wouldn¡¯t leave those on the surface to suffer what he saw on the transmissions sent by the alien race.


    There was a tense feeling on the bridge as the engagement timer seemed to slow down to a crawl. The more inexperienced crew members were fidgeting in their seats, hoping for something to break the tension. ¡°Tactical, status report,¡± Cooker barked, his voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through his veins.


    ¡°Shields at 85%, sir. All weapons systems online and ready,¡± came the crisp reply.


    ¡°Enemy in range, sir. Some of the smaller ones are speeding up. Looks like those are the troopships. CIC is reporting we¡¯re being locked up by the bigger ones and reporting power fluctuations consistent with weapons coming up to full power.¡±


    This was it, the moment Cooker was waiting for his whole career, a fight he wasn¡¯t sure he could win, but he couldn¡¯t afford to let that show to his crew they rely on him to see them through the harshest of trials. This was what he lived for - the thrill of battle, the weight of command.


    ¡°Fire all weapons on the larger enemy ships first, the troop carriers are our secondary targets. We need to weaken them enough for our destroyers and ground-based defences to finish the job.¡± The tension was thick as the crew worked tirelessly to execute their commander¡¯s instructions, knowing that failure was not an option in this battle for their survival.


    In the vast emptiness of space, the railguns erupted in a deafening roar as kilogram chunks of iron were launched at over 450 kilometres per second. It only took about fifteen seconds for the projectiles to reach their targets and cause devastating damage. Meanwhile, particle beams were fired towards the larger ships, aimed at breaking through their shields and causing destruction.


    ¡°Sir, the particle beam successfully penetrated their shields with just one shot. However, the railgun was not as effective and only managed to partially penetrate the ship¡¯s armour. It is still on approach,¡± said the weapons officer, a slight edge to her voice at the less than stellar showing of the railgun.


    ¡°Redirect all non essential power to the weapons,¡± Cooker ordered. ¡°We need to take  down as many as we can before they get within range of the colony.¡±


    As the distance closed, pinpricks of light erupted from the alien armada - the opening salvo of their assault.


    ¡°Incoming fire!¡± the sensor officer shouted. ¡°Impact in 10 seconds


    ==¡ª==


    ¡°Another hit sir, shields are holding at 62%,¡± Lieutenant Drayton reported from his station. ¡°Minor hull breaches on decks 7 through 9. Damage control teams responding.¡±


    For the next hour, the space around Yadvek became a maelstrom of chaos and destruction. Sleek UHC warships danced and weaved through the void, their point-defence lasers creating glittering webs of light as they intercepted incoming missiles. The alien vessels pressed their attack relentlessly.


    The nerves of the bridge crew were all but suppressed by the adrenaline flowing through them as they watched the battle unfold on the massive holographic display before them. Streaks of searing plasma and crackling energy beams crisscrossed the void, punctuated by blossoming explosions as enemy transport ships were torn apart by the relentless barrage from the human fleet.


    Admiral Cooker gripped the arms of his command chair, his knuckles white with tension. ¡°Status report!¡± he barked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve destroyed approximately half of the enemy transports, sir,¡± the tactical officer responded, his fingers a blur across his console. ¡°But their fighter screen is proving more effective than anticipated. They¡¯re managing to draw our fire and create corridors for the remaining transports to slip through.¡±


    Amidst the chaos, a U.H.C fighter with severe battle damage and trailing vapor was being relentlessly pursued by a swarm of alien fighters, as if to highlight the intensity of the situation


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    ¡°Status report,¡± Cooker barked, his voice rough from hours of ordering his task force


    ¡°Sir, aliens are pressing hard. Our perimeter defences are holding for now, but they¡¯re throwing everything they¡¯ve got at us.


    ¡°Understood, Lieutenant. What¡¯s the status of our shield generators?¡±


    ¡°Operating at 87% capacity, sir. They¡¯ve taken a beating, but the adaptive algorithms are compensating well¡±


    ¡°And the repair crews?¡±


    ¡°Working overtime, sir. They¡¯re patching breaches and repairing circuitry as fast as they can But if this keeps up at this rate we won¡¯t last another day.¡±


    ¡°Understood lieutenant, the evacuation is going as smooth as it can look like they¡¯ll be off planet in the next 5 hours if they can hold the line against the ground troops.¡± A hint of tiredness creeping into his voice, his crew had been fighting nonstop for the last 8 hours.


    The losses on the U.H.C side were decreasing now as the shield¡¯s adaptive algorithms deflected or absorbed most of the incoming fire. Every so often a destroyer or frigate would be destroyed by concentrated attacks from multiple ships.


    Cooker allowed himself a grim smile. These aliens thought they could easily overpower our defences and slaughter everyone on the planet. They hadn¡¯t expected the Humans to fight so fiercely when backed against a wall.


    As the battle raged on, Cookers¡¯ eyes darted across multiple tactical displays. The aliens attacks were becoming more erratic and aggressive.


    Suddenly a blinding flash erupted on the starboard side of the ship causing the bridge¡¯s optical sensors to overload . When the view stabilised, a gaping chunk had been taken out of the London¡¯s side, emergency forcefields snapped into place but the damage had already been done.


    ¡°Status report, What the fuck was that? How did they get through our shields.¡± Cooker blared.


    ¡°Slow moving stealth torpedo sir, looks like maybe an antimatter warhead¡±


    As they spoke more of the bright white flashes sparked across the fleet turning a full third of the task force into nothing more than scrap metal.


    ==¡ª==


    The destruction above rained down, debris falling like fiery meteors. The soldiers watched in horror as pieces of their aerial defence rained down on them.


    Sgt Jose Alfaro crouched behind a broken wall, once part of a storage warehouse. His armour scorched and dented from the relentless alien assault. The surrounding air shimmered with heat, thick with smoke, and the acrid stench of plasma discharge. He turned to his squad, their faces grim and armour slick with the grime from hours of nonstop fighting.


    ¡°Listen up, Alpha!¡± he shouted over the deafening roar of artillery hitting near the building his team were in. ¡°We¡¯ve got less than an hour before the last civilians and PDF clear atmo. Then it¡¯s our turn off this rock!¡±


    A nearby explosion sent a massive thump through the ground, showering them with debris. Private Milford flinched, his grip tightening on his rifle. ¡°Sarge, there¡¯s too many of them! We can¡¯t hold out much longer. We haven¡¯t trained for this type of fighting. ¡°


    Sergeant Alfaro clenched his teeth as he surveyed the destroyed cityscape. ¡°Enough complaining, Milford. We¡¯re marines, we adapt and we eliminate our enemies.¡± He motioned towards a group of aliens taking cover behind a crumbling wall. ¡°Check your HUD, they¡¯ll pop up in the street again. When they do, unload on them and make them regret fucking with us.¡±


    Milford nodded as the rest of Alpha team got set up to unleash hate the next time they dared to move. As they waited and scanned, artillery was thudding all around them a niggle in the back of their heads telling them the next one was for them. After what seemed like an eternity the group made their move


    ¡°Now!¡± screamed Alfaro, voice amplified through his squad¡¯s comms.


    The air erupted into a cacophony of the snaps and cracks from the squads weapons blazing to life. The aliens armour stood no chance against the modern armour piercing rounds of the U.H.C military. One by one, the invaders fell to the overwhelming firepower of the marines.


    ¡°prepare to move, We can¡¯t stay here or we risk artillery fire right on top of us¡± Said Alfaro


    With adrenaline pumping through their veins, the remaining Marines dashed across the bloodstained street, their heavy boots thudding against the pavement as they struggled to keep up with the onslaught of the aliens.


    Just as they thought they had found sanctuary in an alleyway next to a half demolished office building, one of Alpha team fell victim to a well-placed shot by a sniper. One second, Lance Corporal Hao Zhaoyao was running full-speed ahead, his heart racing and his breath coming in short gasps, the next, he was lying prone on the ground, his helmet split in two by a high-velocity bullet that had gone in through the front of his helmet shattering the face plate and exploding out the back of the helmet.


    As his lifeless body fell to the ground, the rest of alpha team, suddenly aware of their own mortality, dived behind any cover they could find


    ¡°Fuck! Zhao is down pop smokes and regroup on me. We¡¯ll find a different way back to the evacuation site.¡±


    As they made their way back to the evacuation site the mood was even more downcast as they had lost one of their own so close to being off this planet.


    ¡°Fucking damnit Zhao didn¡¯t have to die why didn¡¯t we smoke before we crossed the street¡± said private Okawa, as the newest member of Alpha she hadn¡¯t seen one of her own die with her own eyes yet like the veteran members of the team had. ¡°Save it for later Mai it¡¯s not the time for what ifs, first we get off this planet.¡± said Daniel Belley Alpha teams second in command


    ¡°roger corporal,¡± Mai said through gritted teeth.


    down a man and low on ammo they double timed it back to the evacuation zone. Sergeant Alfaro led the way his armours sensors sweeping for any hostiles trying to ambush them, the rest of the team followed in a staggered formation not providing an easy target. Lance corporal Abiola was limping along with some help from Belley. ¡°How much further corp?¡± Lance corporal Abiola gasped through gritted teeth after a close call with an explosion bringing a wall down crushing his ankle.


    A distant explosion lit up the grey smokey sky. They were getting closer every hour. This evacuation was cutting it close.


    ==¡ª==


    Alpha Team looked back at the planet the fires and smoke visible from orbit. After 11 hours of hell they were finally off the planet. They were being escorted by the heavy fighters of the U.H.C London keeping them safe.


    As they got closer to the London they could see the toll of the ongoing battle on the armour of the behemoth of a ship.


    As they passed through the forcefield of the landing bay they could see thousands of civilians and defence forces.


    ¡°I hope all the civilians got out of there in time the only things left on the surface should be autonomous, They¡¯ll give those bastards a fight to remember.¡± said Sargeant Alfaro.


    As they disembarked with the final defenders of the evacuation zone an announcement came over the ship intercom. ¡°Prepare for emergency combat jump repeat prepare for emergency combat jump.¡± less than a couple of seconds later blast doors covered the entrance to the landing bay and the forcefields shut down.


    ¡°Well shit looks like they were kind enough to wait for us at least¡± said the private Carlos Pereira sarcastically.


    As the ship jumped out of combat, reality itself seemed to shatter into glass


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem nor¡­¡± Lance corporal Chiranth Virani didn¡¯t manage to finish his point as he and everyone in the landing bay blacked out


    ¡°Status re¡­¡± Started Admiral Cooker before he blacked out in his crash couch with the rest of the bridge.