《The Fata Morgana》


 Chapter 1 - Operation Deltia

    The gentle hum of the Ship¡¯s engines did little to help the tired eyed Jack who was leaning most of his weight against the holographic display table in the middle of the command deck of the GCS Fata Morgana. The blonde haired Jack looked up, he wearily scanned the room, filled the ship''s Senior and Junior officers, along side the officers of his Regiment.


    ¡°So¡­ we¡¯re in agreement then¡­ we¡¯ll use the Captain¡¯s idea here to cover our landing and establish a beachhead on Deltia?¡± Jack confirmed, his voice showing how little sleep he had gotten.


    Warren ¡°Bull¡± Smith, a Captain in charge of the 1st Company of the 7th Nikitia Regiment, nodded in silence before the bearded man thought of something to say, ¡°I¡¯m all for this plan, but¡­ what about the rest of the invasionary forces? Chances are they¡¯ll just launch as is in the shuttles.¡±


    Jack glanced over at him before looking back at the holographic display, ¡°Fuck¡¯em, they¡¯re regular army, chances are they¡¯ll just ignore our warnings and ideas anyways, best to focus on ourselves for the time being. Only people I care about are those of the 7th and the beings on this ship.¡±


    ¡°Not only that,¡±, Colonel Aesilla chimed in, cat-like yellow eyes twitching between each of the officers in turn, ¡°If we inform the command staff of this plan, they may well veto it. If we don¡¯t say shit, they can¡¯t tell us ¡®no.¡±


    Jack nodded in agreement, ¡°My thoughts as well. We all know those old fuckers tend to be too old school to accept such ideas. Hell¡­ half of those guys calling themselves Generals haven¡¯t even seen a battle in their entire lives, so best just keep this to ourselves for now.¡±


    His reply came with a wave of silence as the other officers from the 7th just nodded in nervous silence. Despite his young age, the Colonel of the 7th was someone who had already seen his fair share of combat since the rebellion started some two years ago, and each battle had left a lasting scar on the short haired blonde.


    Scratching the back of his head a bit, the Militia Colonel pushed himself upright, his free hand sliding into the pocket of his grey and black trimmed uniform. ¡°Captain, anything else you¡¯d like to add before we come out of warp?¡± He asked, turning towards the Cat-like alien woman.


    ¡°The shuttles should be flown in a bomber formation, instead of a standard approach.¡±, She reasoned, ¡°Fields of fire will be important when enemy fighters start moving in, and bomber formations maximize the area each individual weapon can cover. Do not, under any circumstances, break off on your own. Remember that you¡¯re towing your brothers in arms¡¯ lifeline behind you.¡±, Aesilla¡¯s last direction being for the senior pilots present. She left out the part where it was her lifeline too, knowing full well that if they left the slower freighter in the dust on the descent, it would likely be torn to shreds by hostile fighter craft.


    The officers nodded once in nervous silence as they tried their best to steel themselves for the battle about to come.


    ¡°Ladies, gentlemen, you have your orders. Major Knight, I¡¯ll need you and third Company to stay with the Captain and her ship to provide security when we land. The rest of the 7th will fan out and begin forming a beachhead once we¡¯re on the ground.¡± Jack ordered, calling the Army Captain a Major to avoid any confusion between the Naval rank and the Army rank.


    Elizabeth Knight, a raven haired woman of 23 who stood 5¡¯9¡±, sighed but agreed. ¡°Sir.¡±


    Jack then turned over to Captain Warran ¡°Bull¡± Smith and gave him a slight nod letting him know to dismiss everyone.


    ¡°Alright, time to armour up. No wasting time getting your shit on.¡± Bull barked, letting everyone know they were dismissed.


    Once all the officers began to shuffle out of the room, Jack turned to Aesilla, giving her a small smile, ¡°I hope your pilots are as good as my troopers Captain.¡± He joked lightly, knowing quite well that the Fata had the best pilots in the fleet.


    ¡°They¡¯ve towed the point defense guns before, Colonel¡±, Aesilla responded casually, ¡°Of course, the last time they did so the idea was to surprise a group of pirates after my cargo. This is a little bit different from ¡®mining¡¯ a location with point defenses, but nothing they can¡¯t handle.¡±


    Aesilla smirked, knowing full well that the ¡®pirates¡¯ had been custom vessels, but a simple smirk over the escapade would not betray such.


    ¡°Ha! True enough¡­ the ¡®pirates¡¯ tended to enjoy taking whatever they could from people. Hell, bastards tried to take our grains back on Nikita. Sure as hell gave them a good scare when they tried.¡± Jack replied with a grin, shaking his head lightly at the moment. ¡°Well¡­ good luck to you Captain. You¡¯ll have the hardest part in this fight, more so since you¡¯re having to fight an enemy fleet, and defend against possible air strikes once were grounded.¡± He continued before looking over towards the blade strapped to her belt. ¡°Won¡¯t be able to use that all too much unless you¡¯re with my men and women in the front¡­ gods know I¡¯ll have a fair bit of use with mine.¡± He added tapping the hilt of his own unique sabre, made from a new type of metal that made for an almost unbreakable blade, able to cleave through almost anything if the right amount of force was put into a swing.


    ¡°I doubt this vessel will be of much use a loft without its point defense available.¡±, Aesilla replied with a look of slight confusion, ¡°Better to stay planetside and provide heavy weapons support from beneath the batteries the shuttles will be landing. This ship is carrying all the supplies for the beachhead after all.¡±


    ¡°True, which is why I¡¯m leaving you with the third Company, they¡¯ll help you and your crew start the construction of the FOB once you¡¯re able. I¡¯ll do my best to keep the Reds from swarming you guys. The Seventh will hold¡­ we always do.¡± Jack replied warmly, trying to reassure his fellow Senior officer.


    ¡°It might be worth digging a few furrows into the ground with the gear before we touch down if they¡¯re going to swarm our position.¡±, Aesilla noted, ¡°Thoughts?¡±


    Aesilla looked to the Militia Colonel, gauging his response.


    ¡°Well, given how we¡¯re trained to make the slit trench when establishing defenses, I¡¯d have to agree. Would be rather suicidal if we didn¡¯t make some sort of defensive network¡­ more so with all the enemy artillery being fired at us.¡± He replied soundly, folding his arms over his chest.


    ¡°Looks like the new armor plating will be good for something.¡±, Aesilla commented to herself before continuing, ¡°The Fata Morgana will make a circle around the LZ with gear dug in before setting down then. The enemy will be shocked when they see the defenses we have so soon after landing.¡±


    Aesilla couldn¡¯t help but give a slight chuckle at the thought of the red jacketed troops¡¯ eyes going wide.


    ¡°Should prove to be a rather interesting sight for sure. But¡­ Ah, nevermind, I best head to the armoury and get myself ready then. Best of luck to you Captain.¡± Jack said warmly, before standing at attention and giving a crisp and well-practiced salute to the ship commander, before turning about and quickly vanishing behind the automatic sliding doors.


    Aesilla returns the salute, albeit much less practiced, before returning to the command chair of the vessel to await the moment when the GCS Fata Morgana would come down from warp speed and show the Ascendancy just how it got its name.


    Aesilla didn¡¯t have long to wait. Within the hour, the confederate fleet had arrived and was forming up for the assault on Deltia. The Ascendancy fleet was likewise assuming battle posture as the rebel forces approached, assuming a carrier battlegroup formation. The air was tense on the command deck of every ship in the rebel fleet, knowing full well what it meant to take on genuine warships specifically designed for their role.


    The tension was further heightened on the command deck of the Fata Morgana by the knowledge that the vessel was going into the engagement with no point defense weapons attached. The situation was further compounded by an early fighter launch by the Ascendancy forces, putting everyone on the edge of their seat. Rebel forces kept their fighters aboard as long as was advisable, using the hull structure of their carrier vessels to protect the fragile craft until their time to sortie.


    ¡°Looks like they want to be done with us as quickly as possible.¡±, Aesilla mused aloud before grinning the pointed, toothy grin of evil itself, ¡°Keep our ship to the center of our formation, and wait for the command staff to signal descent. In the meantime, direct the dorsal railgun at any light vessels that give us the chance. The fewer possible flanking units the better.¡±


    Aesilla then set about studying the battlefield both through the viewscreen, and the tactical hologram beside her.


    The ascendancy forces were employing a standard battle strategy, enclosing their carrier in a protective bubble of warships and allowing their fighter craft to do the bulk of the work.


    ¡°Pretty much what we expected, Captain.¡±, The XO observed, bringing the Captain out of her thoughts, then querying with a bit of alarm, ¡°Isn¡¯t that Destroyer lining up right in our descent path?¡±


    Aesilla simply nodded, seemingly unconcerned by the enemy vessel¡¯s position.


    The XO pressed the issue further, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be doing something about it, Captain? If we¡¯re to land, that ship will have to be cleared out of position.¡±


    ¡°Take a look at the enemy formation compared to our own, Commander.¡±, Aesilla replied, ¡°Tell me what you see.¡±


    Aesilla was already fairly certain of what she had observed, but sought to confirm her appraisal of the situation.


    ¡°They¡¯re using a standard formation, save for the one destroyer.¡±, the commander assessed, ¡°They protect their capital ships while allowing their aerospace wing to go to work.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re protecting their capital ships with most of a fleet, and only dispatching one destroyer to cover a possible landing route.¡±


    The XO¡¯s jaw dropped in a moment of pure recognition.


    ¡°Their priority isn¡¯t to stop the landing.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Launch the transports and their trailers. The Ascendancy is about to have a really bad day.¡±


    With that order, the alarms signalling imminent engagement began sounding throughout the vessel in advance of an early launch of the transport craft.


    Jack¡¯s footsteps echoed throughout the metal hallway as he made his way towards the armoury, his eyes drawn to the floor as he continued to walk, his mind lost in thought as he felt the butterflies begin to dance around in his gut, letting him know he was both scared and nervous as hell for what was coming. It wasn¡¯t until he heard a familiar voice call out to him from around the corner.


    ¡°Jack, you good?¡±


    The Colonel quickly snapped up to face the owner of the voice, quickly spotting the Regimental doctor, Michael ¡°Mother Fucking¡± Tylor. ¡°Mike? What¡¯re you doing here?¡± He asked, scanning his friend noting the combat heavy steel armour that looked like a sleek armoured suit that gave the wearer an extra foot in height. ¡°... and what are you doing in the armour?¡± He finished, raising a brow curious.


    ¡°Going down there with you guys, no way I¡¯m missing this party, given how you and I both know that I¡¯ll do more good being able to treat the wounded as they¡¯re hit. More so with the ship right there.¡± Mike replied with a sly grin, which an experienced soldier could tell, was hiding a faint hint of fear.


    Jack shook his head, ¡°Alright man, I can¡¯t stop you. You hold the same rank as me, all I can say is stick with the First Company when the fighting starts.¡±


    Mike raised his hands quickly, ¡°It¡¯s fine Jack, I still remember my training. Remember, we were in all the same engagements. My blade will be drawn and ready along with my pistol.


    Jack walked past, giving a reassuring smile as he patted Mike¡¯s shoulder as he walked past. ¡°See you down there Doc.¡±


    ¡°Yeah man. Good luck brother.¡±


    Smiling, Jack nodded, ¡°Thanks.¡± and with that he turned and vanished around the corner.


    Once he was around the corner, he spotted the sign indicating that he was close to the armoury. Taking in one more deep breath to steady his nerves. As he let the air out from his lungs, he raised his head, and began walking towards the armoury. As the massive metal doors slid open upon his arrival, the young Colonel was greeted with the sight of all his men, women, and alien soldiers doing their final armour checks, before each would begin to make their way towards the shuttles.


    ¡°Officer on deck!¡± Shouted a nearby Nikita Sergeant, and within moments the entire room shuffled about and everyone quickly went to attention, their armoured boots slamming against the metal floor as they did.


    ¡°As you were.¡± Jack replied quickly as he gave them all a quick salute in reply.


    It didn¡¯t take long for them all to quickly turn and resume their final checks, with some even walking past and out of the armoury as they had finished their final preparations just moments before his arrival.


    Looking around Jack found himself remembering his first battle, a mere inexperienced Captain, whose commission and rank were bought by his father upon the war coming to their doors. An old and ancient tradition that had long since been pushed aside by all modern military forces¡­ but with the lack of funds to fully pay the massive army it had, the Galactic Confederation had resorted to allowing those with money and a post-secondary education to purchase and fund their own militia¡¯s; so long as they still followed the orders of their superiors and disbanded upon the war¡¯s end.


    ¡°You¡¯re gears over there sir. Took the liberty to check the Mk. IV battle armour myself.¡± Came the voice of the same Sergeant that had alerted the soldiers to his arrival.


    ¡°Thanks Sergeant¡­ but I could¡¯ve done that myself, you really did-¡± Before he could even finish what he was about to say, he was cut off by the Sergeant¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Would¡¯ve taken you far too long sir.¡± He interjected.


    ¡°More so, seeing how long it took you to finish flirting with the ship¡¯s Captain.¡± Added Warran, who walked up, towering a whole foot over Jack after having finished arming himself in his battle gear.


    Jack frowned at the notion, given how unprofessional it would be to even consider doing such a thing given the situation they were heading in. ¡°Captain Smith, I don¡¯t think I need to remind you of your position¡­ do I?¡± He growled in annoyance, his emerald green eyes shooting daggers into his bearded friends.


    Bull quickly raised his hands in apology, ¡°Sorry, sir, just trying to lighten the mood is all.¡±


    Letting out a small sigh, waved it off, ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m sorry, I¡­ I¡¯d rather not worry about such things. But, changing the subject, you notice that Mike¡¯s joining us?¡±


    ¡°I did indeed. He was one of the first to get into his combats before the rest of us.¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Peering over towards his own locker, ¡°Mhm¡­ Well, I¡¯ve told him to stick with your company during the battle. He¡¯ll be safer with you and yours when the fighting starts.¡±


    Bull grunted his agreement, ¡°I¡¯d say, since we¡¯ll be the ones in the trenches.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°Sirs, I¡¯ll have to excuse myself here, I¡¯ll meet you at the shuttles.¡± Interjected the sergeant who coughed into his armoured hand to gain the two officers attention.


    ¡°Ah, yes, sorry Sergeant. I¡¯ll meet you down there once I¡¯m geared up. Captain.¡± Jack replied before turning to Bull and giving him a slight nod before walking to his gear.


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to get into his combat armour, rather it was fairly fast given how many times he had worn it, plus with all the checks having been done ahead of time thanks to his regimental sergeant, he was done and ready for battle. The last piece of gear to get attached to his Mark IV armour, was his Nikitian steel sabre, its spotted gold leaf metal guard slightly glinting in the artificial light. The sabre had been a gift from his mother upon him joining the war movement. Originally its hilt was covered in gold leaf, and the blade didn¡¯t look so rough, and the hilt itself was wrapped in red leather, with a silver metal wrapping around it to act as a grip. Though now, much of the luster had worn off, with most of the ¡®fancy¡¯ stuff having been through the constant battles it had seen¡­ and the blood that had been spilt on it.


    After some time walking through the halls towards the hangar bay, he noticed all 2000 of his soldiers each loading up in their landing shuttles. Still a surprising and impressive sight to see. Though, he didn¡¯t take another glance as he quickly shook off all thoughts and made his way to the 2nd Company¡¯s shuttle, loading in, he gave the Captain in charge of the company a small nod of acknowledgment, which was quickly returned the doffing in kind before he walked up to sit beside the Captain and his more junior officers; 3 Lieutenants.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen, how¡¯re you feeling today?¡± Jack asked to try and break the silence.


    The young lieutenants -around the same age as himself- all looked at the Colonel, giving him confused looks. ¡°Uh¡­ good¡­ good, nervous, but good.¡±


    ¡°Good, good, wonder if Bull¡¯s going to charge into the enemy line again like he did on Phatomia-One four months ago.¡± Jack reminisced.


    Though just as he was starting to remember the battle in question, the large steel bulk doors closed, sealing all the men, women, and aliens within the ¡®metal coffin¡¯. The invasion was about to commence.


    ¡°Shuttles are away captain.¡±, reported the XO, ¡°What are your orders?¡±


    ¡°Fire up the backup warp drive.¡±, Aesilla calmly replied, much to the confusion of the bridge crew, then followed the order with a statement that cleared it up, ¡°Set a course, short jump, directly adjacent the enemy carrier. All guns traverse to 270 and prepare to fire on my mark.¡±


    Nervously, the bridge crew began carrying out their orders. The captain had another crazy strategy that was sure to be flashy, attention getting, and above all, dangerous. As they prepared the GCS Fata Morgana for the jump, they strapped themselves into their seats and sealed their visors, preparing for the worst.


    ¡°Execute jump.¡±


    In an instant, the Fata Morgana had left its previous position with the fleet and, borne by its backup warp system, reappeared next to an intensely astounded, befuddled, and terrified Admiral¡¯s carrier.


    ¡°Target their engines, salvo one, ¡­.. FIRE!¡±


    Before the Ascendancy fleet had even the time to register the threat suddenly in their midst, the engines of their carrier vessel were torn to pieces by a quartet of railgun rounds from both dorsal and ventral turrets aboard the Fata Morgana.


    ¡°Turn to port, 315, descent, salvo two, FIRE!¡±


    This time, as the Fata Morgana placed itself in the rear arc of the opposing fleet¡¯s main force, the carrier¡¯s starboard engines came under fire, destroying another compartment, and damaging the remaining thrusters in the fourth.


    The Fata Morgana then shuddered as it came under fire, directed at it by the remaining enemy destroyer. New alarms began to sound aboard the converted freighter as several compartments along the starboard side were breached.


    ¡°Damage control to starboard passages B-7 through C-12.¡±, Aesilla ordered, cursing at the sudden incoming fire, ¡°Shore up the armored bulkheads. We¡¯ve got shrapnel penetration.¡±


    Aesilla noted the slow venting of the atmosphere from the vessel, knowing that the shells fired were projectiles rather than energy weapons.


    ¡°Reverse horizontal course by 50%¡±, The captain ordered just in time for the armor that had been installed on her vessel during its conversion to bounce the next enemy volley, ¡°That thing¡¯s a relic! Leave it in our dust!¡±


    The Fata Morgana¡¯s crew happily complied with the order, descending toward the planet as they did so. They were also surprised to find this lone destroyer their only pursuit, at least as far as the atmospheric envelope it was ill equipped for operating in, as the remainder of the Ascendancy fleet now had a carrier with almost no propulsion sitting within the upper limits of a planet¡¯s gravity well, while under attack by a rebel fleet. In Captain Aesilla¡¯s estimation, they no longer had the capacity to do anything about the Confederacy''s landing, and it would likely be all they could do to tow their carrier out of the system. If the Confederate fleet failed to capitalize on the situation Aesilla had just created.


    ¡°Damage control teams, prepare for firefighting actions.¡±


    Aesilla was keenly aware that as soon as the vessel entered the atmosphere, it would be probable to encounter fires in the breached compartments, given the sudden influx of an oxygen supply to the damaged sections of the ship.


    ¡°CIC, what¡¯s the status on our landing craft?¡±, queried the captain, ¡°We don¡¯t want to approach from an unexpected vector and draw our own point defense guns¡¯ fire.¡±


    As the shuttles launched from the ship, everyone shook as the ship hit the atmosphere, the metal coffin and its inhabitants were quickly greeted by the defensive fire from the planets forces based there. Many of the shuttles trying to make the landing were shot out of the sky as they made the descent, all except the shuttles of the 7th, which were guarded by their mother ship the Fata Morgana, whose defensive guns shot down any and all missiles that tried to take them down. With much luck as well, the shuttles carrying the 7th landed peacefully on Deltia, though the ground forces stationed there, were quick to begin firing on the shuttles, the ballistic rounds punching the protective shielding of the ¡®metal coffins¡¯. Within moments the large bulk metal doors opened up with the deadly payload charging out, Jack being among them, with sabre raised.


    ¡°Forward! Push them back, form a circle around the land site!¡± Jack barked loudly, ignoring the rounds that shot past his armoured head.


    Sure enough the 7th began to quickly fire upon the Ascendancy ground forces, each soldier doing their best to hit the weak points on the enemy armour, which was the same type of armour as the ones worn by the Confederates, however the grey metal was instead painted to be a metallic red on the upper torso, while the helmet was kept a dull grey, with the only red being spotted belonging to the protective HUD eye shaped monocle¡¯s.


    Already the two forces were quick to shorten the distance between each other. The Second Company quickly growing close to the point Jack raised the sabre high into the air and bellowed,


    ¡°Charge!¡±


    Jack quickly bolted ahead of his troops, his sabre gripped firmly in his right hand whilst his left held his pistol, adrenaline shooting through him as he charged forward. As his armoured boot stepped atop the mud mound, he leap into a group of Red¡¯s each quickly twisting about ready to lash out in defense, the first man coming quickly screaming out as he charged forward with bayonet affixed to the barrel of his rifle. Jack¡¯s HUD began to blink green to his right, quickly alerting him of the oncoming enemy, and in quick succession, Jack pulled his blade up, deflecting the bladed rifle, before he brought his pistol up and into the throat of his attacker, pulling the trigger firing two rounds into the man¡¯s throat and skull, killing him instantly, his body falling lifeless to the ground. But the young Colonel didn¡¯t have time to rest as two more came his way, from behind. Quickly utilizing the slick ground, he used his added weight of the armour to spin around on his right hee, his blade brought back before he swung it outward, cleaving the second attacker in two, a bloody mess spraying and falling into the muddy ground below, while the third was unlucky as the blade stopped halfway through his chest, causing a wave of pain to shoot through the man, a scream soon escaping from his lips, before it was abruptly ended as Jack slammed the rest of the blade through with the palm of his hand, killing the man. Standing there, covered in the blood of three men, the fourth stopped, fear shooting through him for a moment before he mustered his courage charging forward with a small warcry. Jack turned around barrel of his pistol up and at point blank range, before he squeezed the trigger, sending an AP round ripping through the face shield of the helmet and into the skull of the fourth. The Red¡¯s body falling limp before collapsing lifelessly in the bloody mud. The gruesome scene did little to affect the armoured officer, who just shrugged off the deed with a cold intolerance before walking to his next group of victims. A dark bloodlust having seemingly taken over the young officer.


    The second squad had witnessed the slaughter of their comrades, each quickly fired their weapons towards him. Jack, dived into the mud hole, just barely avoiding their barrage, before turning and gripping the hilt of his sabre, cut upward, cutting the first of his new targets into a crimson mess. Pulling the blade back, he lunged forward thrusting his sabre through the next Red¡¯s face, the blade protruding from the back. Letting his blade go, he shifted about grabbing hold of the other man as he tried to thrust towards him with his bayonet. Getting him around in a hold, Jack pulled out his bayonet, stabbing the tip through the back of the man¡¯s skull, twisting it, killing him instantly. The others began to run for their lives, only to be gunned down as Bull and his men came over the edge, firing a barrage of AP rounds into the retreating soldiers.


    ¡°Fuck man! You bug me for charging into the enemy and there you go doing just that, but WORSE! Hahaha! Gods, you really fucked those Reds right up.¡± Bull said, as he came walking up to his friend and commanding officer.


    Jack was quickly snapped back to reality, brought back by the voice of his closest friend and ally. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­ heh, I suppose so. But, that doesn¡¯t matter, what¡¯s the status of the our advance?¡± He asked, trying to shift the conversation to something else.


    Bull raised a brow before shaking any questions he might have had away to answer the one he was asked. ¡°Objective has been achieved, strawberries in a full rout. More than likely heading back to the safety of their fortress.¡± As he spoke, he pointed over towards the massive defensive structure in the distance, situated on a large hill that provided a 360 view around the region.


    Nodding slowly Jack rested his weight on the hilt of his blade still dug deep into the man¡¯s head. ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Quickly spotting the sight he pulled the blade free, before apologizing to the corpse. ¡°Best not to dishonour the dead¡­ they¡¯ve earned their peace.¡± He muttered to himself before turning up to see their home base come through the grey clouds.


    ¡°Well, here come the air defense batteries.¡±, Aesilla muttered to herself, recalling that the original plan had been to stay with the landing craft and their point defense batteries on the way down. Now, the Fata Morgana was descending through the atmosphere, without its point defense guns, and the opposing air defense systems had clearly not been overwhelmed enough by the multitude of landing craft coming in to ignore the bulk freighter rapidly descending toward the designated drop zone.


    As the ship¡¯s newly installed sensors were displaying across tactical displays in multiple locations on the bridge, the vessel had attracted several substantially sized weapons, and the distance was rapidly decreasing.


    ¡°Well, this is either going to work really well, or make us really dead.¡±, Aesilla cursed under her breath before proceeding with the next order, ¡°Jettison the starboard weapon hatches.¡±


    For a moment, the bridge crew froze, knowing full well the consequences of such an action at high speeds, would be dramatic. On the one hand, the fires now burning in the starboard section of the ship would be exposed to a massive surge of air as the plates covering the vacant point defense hardpoints flew off the vessel, but on the other hand the sudden alteration of the hull shape would cause substantial drag on that side of the vessel, which just might allow for a sudden enough change in direction to shake the missiles headed for the ship, while simultaneously placing hot metal directly in their path.


    Most of the bridge crew didn¡¯t catch on, and were about to protest, but the executive officer had seen his captain pull off too many supposedly impossible escapes to doubt her now, and silenced the crew with but one sentence.


    ¡°If it works, we live.¡±, he stated simply, ¡°If not, we¡¯re dead anyway.¡±


    The crew went silent, steeling themselves for the inevitable shock of a change in forces being put upon the structure, and deployed the miniature charges designed to remove the plates sealing the maintenance sections in the vicinity of the hardpoints in question.


    The Fata Morgana Jerked violently to one side, entering a spin, with a metallic groan, and its rate of descent skyrocketed. The vessel broke through the cloud deck just as the helmsman recovered the spin, her starboard side ablaze, trailing thick, acrid, black smoke behind her. The vessel leveled off just in time for the bridge crew to see the clouds above light up like a fireball, as multiple enemy warheads detonated on or near the hot metal they had thrown from the ship.


    ¡°Fires spreading into passages B-6 and C-13!¡±, reported the engineering station, ¡°The bulkhead isn¡¯t stopping the spread!¡±


    ¡°Out of the frying pan and into the fire, it seems.¡±, Aesilla noted, then issued the order all shipboard crews dread, ¡°General quarters! All hands to fire stations!¡±


    Outwardly, the Fata Morgana appeared to be descending tranquility into the protective envelope of its point defense guns, but within there was absolute chaos. Corridors choke with smoke so thick that the emergency lighting may as well have been offline, filled with crew members in respirators desperately trying to put foam to glowing spots of light in their visors.


    The hangar, vacant, flight operations suspended.


    Troop barracks empty, save for a myriad of personal effects that tell the life story of those who traveled aboard as if a ghost ship.


    In the halls, in stark contrast, the roar of flames, the screams of burning, dying men, women, and those otherwise undefined, some familiar, some bone chillingly alien to the sheltered ear.


    The Fata Morgana, though successful in its mission, would bear yet more ghosts from this day forward.


    Upon reaching the ground, the Fata Morgana promptly opened all external hatches, permitting a steady stream of the injured to be removed from what may yet become a stricken vessel, in the interest of erring on the side of caution. Likewise, the supplies carried within the cargo hold were in need of rapid extraction, perhaps even more so than more bodies were needed to smother the flames rapidly approaching an uncontrolled state.


    Aboard the bridge, a very agitated captain finally made contact with the ground troops.


    ¡°Fata Morgana to FOB Mudhole.¡±, Aesilla called over in a surly tone, ¡°Firefighting action required in the LZ.¡±


    Aesilla was unsure of what the location she was touching down in was to be called once it was established as a beachhead, but given the price she had just paid to arrive there she didn¡¯t much feel like calling it anything more glorified. Even so, it was unlikely that anyone would be confused by the impromptu ¡®designation¡¯ given the identity of the ship making the call, and that it was reporting that it had arrived at its expected location.


    The 7th Nikita all watched as the Fata Morgana came landing at a gentle halt, though the sudden sounds of screams that began to fill the air alerted those on the ground that something was amiss. Even when Aesilla¡¯s voice came over the the speakers announcing the request for aid, no one needed to be told as everyone who wasn¡¯t on watch rushed to the aid of the ship''s crew.


    ¡°Everyone to the ship! Put out the fires! Go, go, go!¡± Barked the Regimental Sergeant, whose order was soundly carried out by any and all soldiers free.


    Even Jack himself quickly rushed forward to lend his aid. The firefight took well over two hours to finally put out, but when it was completed¡­ that that could be seen was a burnt wreck, and the bodies of the dead, burnt or killed by shrapnel during the battle in space. As the bodies were slowly carried off, each going into a new makeshift military grave, setup just a bit outside their picket lines. The bodies of both the Ascendancy¡¯s and Confederates all being treated with military honours as they were all put into the muddy ground of Deltia.


    Jack, Bull, Knight, and Taylor all stood silently in the bridge of the ship, each of the officers standing in thought. ¡°A lot died today¡­¡± Jack mumbled softly, as he took a sip from the cup of water he held in his hands.


    Everyone raised their cups in agreement.


    Turning to Aesilla, ¡°How¡¯re you holding up Captain?¡± He asked, noting how she had suffered the most in the landing.


    ¡°Things will never be the same aboard this ship, Colonel.¡±, Aesilla replied, ¡°The crew members I lost on the descent were exceptional in their given field. They¡¯re not replaceable.¡±


    The captain¡¯s expression was rather standoffish, and her mood quite sour.


    ¡°No one is replaceable, no matter how much the Generals and politicians try to tell us otherwise¡­¡± Jack replied quickly with a frown as he thought back to the 12 men and women he lost in the recent battle.


    ¡°Nearly anyone can be trained to run a ship, or carry a rifle, or, hell, even lead soldiers,¡±, Aesilla continued, ¡°But nobody can replicate the ability of crack troops straight out of training, ¡­.. Or crew members who have been through countless tight spots as one cohesive entity. Even the best in another unit won¡¯t quite mesh as easily as their predecessors.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, agreed, but nothing you can do but move on sadly¡­ You know as well as I do, that people die in war. We all signed on knowing that. Hell, for all we know, I could be next to die when the orders come to take that fortress over there on that hill.¡± Jack replied, turning to look over at the imposing structure in the distance.


    Bull and the other militia officers just remained silent, none having much to say or add to the conversation. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m heading out for the night sir, ma¡¯am.¡± Bull saluted, before walking out of the room.


    ¡°Likewise, I¡¯ll see you all in the morning.¡± Knight stated, as she quickly downed the rest of her water and beat a hasty retreat to her bunk down in the lower levels of the ship.


    Eventually, it was just Jack and Aesilla.


    ¡°Any particular reason why we can¡¯t just level the thing with the ship¡¯s guns?¡±, Aesilla asked offhand, hoping against all the odds that there wouldn¡¯t be one.


    Jack turned back to Aesilla, before giving a sad shake to state a negative. ¡°Command wants that fortress for our use against the Ascendancy. They¡¯re hoping to save money and manpower by having us capture that hellhole, and use it against the ones who built it¡­ much like the armour and weapons we use.¡± He replied sourly. ¡°But hey, at least you don¡¯t have to assault those walls, right?¡± He added, trying to bring some sense of relief to the alien woman.


    ¡°After all that, they¡¯re just ordering you into a meat grinder.¡±


    The venom in the single sentence hung in the air like a cloud on a windless day. After all the damage the Fata Morgana had sustained, and all the horrific loss of life suffered, the Colonel had as much as told her it was for nought.


    ¡°Your command staff is beginning to remind me of the Ascendancy.¡±


    Jack smiled sourly as he thought how ironic it all was when she made the observation. ¡°Just part of the job. Thankfully for them, they have a man without a significant other to lead the 7th, so my death is just another notch in the war, but, it is what it is, I joined to bring some change, and even if the government doesn¡¯t change much in terms of style, so long as you and the others are free and treated as equals, my death will not have been in vain.¡± He replied with a smile as he turned once more to the fortress. ¡°Thankfully, the seventh is considered as being the luckier of the regiments from my homeworld.¡±


    ¡°Freedom isn¡¯t something one can be given.¡±, Aesilla countered, ¡°Freedom is realizing that you can do whatever the hell you want, whether others like it or not.¡±


    She took a moment to let that statement sink into the Colonel¡¯s mind before continuing,


    ¡°You¡¯re more a slave than I. Still, even slaves aren¡¯t suicidal.¡±


    Jack raised a brow, ¡°True, but freedom can also be earned. Why I fight¡­ pfft, who am I kidding, I¡¯m just doing this because my family¡¯s honour pushed me to join this conflict. Though I do believe in the cause of which we fight for¡­ So at least leave me with the one good notion that I¡¯m fighting for something good at least, rather than just another conflict that only sees to the name of the government changing.¡± He replied with a small grin before sighing lightly and patting the Captain on the shoulder. ¡°Besides, if something does happen to me, at least you don¡¯t have to worry about seeing this ugly mug trudging about your ship.¡± Though it was a dark joke, he hoped it might add some level of ease to the situation.


    ¡°There¡¯s more than one way to skin a feline, Colonel.¡±, Aesilla anticipated, ¡°What if they came to you instead?¡±


    Jack gave her a small grin, interest now welling up behind his eyes as he looked into her own cat like eyes. ¡°Oh? That would make it a fair bit more¡­ easier. Though, sadly, we¡¯ve thought of that before back on Travin, during the Hydra campaign a year ago. Bastards wouldn¡¯t come out no matter what we did¡­ But, that¡¯s not to say I¡¯m not willing to hear your idea, chances are you might come up with a better idea than our former commander did.¡± Jack replied, leaning back against the nearby wall.


    ¡°That fortress is made of material that doesn¡¯t burn, and my ship has a fuel tank rupture.¡±, Aesilla answered with a spitballed idea, ¡°What prevents us from just getting over their heads and pouring fuel on them?¡±


    ¡°Their guns? But¡­ if we can get our people in space to fire on them while we fly over¡­ chances are it might work. Smoke¡¯em out.¡±


    ¡°Direct fire air defense. I haven¡¯t run across that in a while.¡±, Aesilla reminisced, ¡°These days it¡¯s usually missiles or some other manner of guided munitions.¡±


    Jack shrugged, ¡°Nothing new, more or less how I became Colonel of the Seventh. Last Colonel died because of the Ascendancy¡¯s air defence guns.. Major died in that one too¡­ sad day that.¡±


    ¡°Direct fire weapons have one major weakness, Colonel.¡±, Aesilla answered confidently, ¡°They need to be able to elevate or depress to a sufficient angle to engage a target, as well as a clear traverse. Placing direct fire weapons on that position creates a giant blind spot near the ground. A blind spot no proper military craft can exploit, but a freighter won¡¯t have any problems with the approach. Sometimes, it pays to be smaller that a destroyer.¡±


    Jack grinned, ¡°I like how you think Captain. I¡¯m willing to try anything if it means preventing any more of my or your troops from dying.¡±


    ¡°I bet you can get them to surrender rather than be burned alive.¡±, Aesilla commented, ¡°The smell of fuel should be a better motivator than whatever your last commander tried.¡±


    ¡°True enough.¡± He replied with the same grin, before pushing himself off the wall as he walked towards the holo display. ¡°I¡¯ll deploy my Regiment along this way, and I¡¯ll also contact the other units in the area to begin surrounding the fortress. That way¡­ should there still be any fight in them after all that, they¡¯ll walk out of the pot and into the fire.¡± Pausing to look back at the Captain, ¡°If all goes well, we¡¯ll have the planet under our control by the end of tomorrow at the latest.¡±


    ¡°The sooner we have control, the sooner we can fortify for the inevitable counterattack.¡±, Aesilla concurred, ¡°And the sooner we can patch up this ship.¡±


    ¡°Agreed, but, for now I suggest we get some rest before we start giving everyone the news of the plan. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re just as tired as I am after the events of today.¡±


    ¡°Rest will not come easy for the immediate future.¡±, Aesilla replied in an irritated tone, ¡°But you have a point. If we¡¯re going to do this, the pre dawn hours would be best.¡±


    Jack patted Aesilla¡¯s shoulder, ¡°I understand, but you and I both know we have to force ourselves to sleep¡­ even if we need the Doc, to pump us full of some sleeping drugs.¡±


    Aesilla blinked twice at the Colonel¡¯s statement that he understood. It had not occurred to her that the scent of blood permeating the vessel could be as potent a contact high for human beings as for her people. Caught a bit off guard, Aesilla simply nodded, and proceeded to order the ship to lights out in preparation for the coming operation. With a little bit of luck, the smell wafting through the ship¡¯s ventilation systems would have less of an effect on her ability to find rest as would the stillness and silence that would soon follow as the soldiers and ship¡¯s crew all nodded off.


    Before too long, the Fata Morgana was silent as the grave. For many, whose spirits¡¯ voices echoed through the corridors and compartments of the damaged vessel, it quite genuinely was one.

 Chapter 2 - The First and Final Push to Take Deltia Fortress

    The dawn of Deltia¡¯s star shined brightly, cutting its way through the light grey clouds that continued to vanish as the new day began to heat up. Although, most if not all those aboard the Fata Morgana were unaware of this sight given how deep the makeshift barracks was within the large freighter. One such person being the young Colonel Jack Kitsure who was still in a deep slumber as yesterday¡¯s fighting had drained him of all his energy. Upon entering his room after the strategy meeting with Aesilla, he had collapsed onto his bed, still fully dressed in his fatigues and boots. Though his slumber was soon brought to an end by the sound of banging at his quarters. Shooting up in a daze, a trail of drool linking him to his pillow Jack snapped around, his eyes scanning his room aboard the ship; One of the smaller cargo areas that was refurbished into a room upon the ship joining the Confederate Fleet. Though his eyes were quick to focus on the thick metal door protecting him from the rest of the world outside his little home. The loud knocking came again, forcing Jack to push himself up with his shaky arms -still affected by the deep sleep he was in- before finally swinging himself up and to his feet once more, though, not without a small wobble.


    Opening the door, Jack came face to face with Bull, who gave a rather surprised look upon seeing the disorganized appearance of his friend and commanding officer. ¡°Morning¡­ Jack¡­ did you just wake up?¡± He inquired a bit curious.


    Kitsure blinked a few times, his mind still in the gutter, ¡°Uh¡­ yeah¡­ sorry¡­ what did you want again?¡± He replied tiredly.


    Doing his best to keep upright, the Colonel tried his best to try and gather together his composure as his senior most Captain stood before him, brow raised. Unfortunately, he was failing, and badly, more so given his appearance. His short blonde hair a chaotic mess of bed head, whilst his face had some beard growth starting to appear due to the lack of grooming. All in all, he gave a rather unprofessional look for someone of his rank, but, thankfully he was before the one person he trusted the most aboard the Morgana.


    ¡°Just wanted to let you know I got your message from last night, and sent out a message to the other units.¡±


    Jack gave him a confused look for a second before shaking his head as he suddenly remembered what Warren had said, ¡°Ah! Right, yeah, good¡­ good. How long before they arrive at the briefing?¡± He inquired as the last vestige of sleep vanished from his eyes and voice.


    Warren looked over his shoulder as if looking for the time, before turning back eyes looking up in thought. ¡°Sometime around ten-hundred hours?¡±


    ¡°Good, good, and what time is it now?¡±


    ¡°Eight-thirty.¡±


    Blinking upon the realization of how late he had slept, Kitsure quickly shifted about uncomfortably. ¡°Right¡­ well, thank you Bull.¡± He replied quickly before giving a quick salute to his friend. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you on the bridge in an hour and a half.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem sir.¡± He grinned, returning the salute with his own before spinning around on the ball of his heel.


    Jack stood there for a moment, resting his left arm against the doorframe, for a moment, before he snapped his fingers upon remembering something. ¡°Oh! Right, before you go there Bull.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Turning around, the Colonel walked back into his room and towards his small little office space. ¡°Ah, here we go.¡± He declared before pulling out a small folder from one of the draws of the metal desk. ¡°Forgot to mention this, but I¡¯m promoting you to Major. Already got it cleared with Command. All the new benefits and responsibilities are outlined in the folder.¡± Handingto the now wide eyed Warren, Jack then folded his arms over his chest and smiled. ¡°Congrats.¡±


    Still, in shock at the sudden promotion, Warren just stood there in utter silence. ¡°W-what? Wait, what? Am I being promoted? How¡­ why?¡±


    Jack shrugged as if it was a fact known by all, ¡°Because, we don¡¯t have a Major or Lieutenant Colonel to act as the XO. Besides, you¡¯ve more or less been acting as the Seventh¡¯s Second in Command for awhile now, so, might as well make it official.¡±


    The news didn¡¯t really help to answer any of the bearded man¡¯s questions, but with a heavy sigh he dismissed them all. ¡°Thanks¡­ I guess, though, I¡¯m not sure-¡±


    ¡°Ah, none of that shit Bull. You¡¯ve earned the pay raise. So, just accept it and add the new rank pins to your uniform.¡± Jack interrupted, his hand raised up to stop his friend from saying anything more. ¡°Anyways, I gotta get ready so¡­ you¡¯re dismissed, Major Smith.¡± He said, giving a small smile before closing the door to get ready.


    Though as the metal door shut, Jack stood there knowing full well his friend was still standing with a dumbfounded look on his face, with a small laugh, he turned away and went about getting ready for the rest of the day ahead. His room had its own bathroom as well, which meant he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about leaving to go use the community one used by the others.


    Aesilla¡¯s rest was less than ideal. Resting in the command chair set into the center of the Fata Morgana¡¯s bridge, her dreams were filled with the cries and laments of tortured spirits, all blaming her for one thing or another. Swirling out of a mist against a pitch black, one would lament never seeing the place of their birth again. Another, screaming hatred over the death of a relative, having predeceased them. Yet more echoed the same chant over and over again.


    ¡°Deceiver,.......murderer,...........monster¡­¡­¡­¡±


    The chant slowly grew in volume, reaching a crescendo just as the first rays of sunlight cast through the bridge view port found an angle at which they could make contact with the captain¡¯s face, whereupon she jolted awake with a start.


    Aesilla slowly exhaled a low, reptilian hiss expressing her displeasure with the state of affairs, covering her eyes so as not to be blinded by the bright light. With a spring in her step uncharacteristic for the recently awakened, she made her way toward the galley to find something that might be better at offsetting the fogginess of an early morning than the sudden return to wakefulness she had experienced, and that might last longer.


    Unfortunately, the militia had not provided grounds or leaves of very high quality with which to make morning type beverages. The resulting concoction tasted quite awful. It did, however, succeed in its intended purpose. Aesilla was now fully awake. It was only at this point that she took her first less than disinterested look around her, seeking to observe how the crew members and militia personnel around her were comporting themselves.


    To the wily captain¡¯s eyes, the militia seemed to be in relatively good spirits after the success of their landing operation. The crew of the ship itself was another story, however. For a crew that had never before seen war, the losses suffered in battle exceeded anything they had ever experienced and had clearly left them shaken. For many, this day was likely one of introspection, asking themselves if this rebellion was really worth the sacrifice. If they were really prepared to die, as their shipmates had. Aesilla was instantly glad that the coming operation was not going to involve more heavy fighting, particularly if all went as planned.


    Upon finishing her cup of,.......whatever it actually was, she had no real idea, Aesilla began the trek aftward toward the engineering spaces, to assess the previous day¡¯s damage for herself. As she approached, the smell of blood and burned flesh became stronger and stronger, until at last, she reached the charred, sooted section of corridor that denoted the innermost penetration achieved by enemy weapons fire.


    The scent of burned bodies now mixed with that of fuel, resulting in a dizzying combination of olfactory stimulus, and despite the removal of the corpses they day before the pall of death still hung heavy in the air. Aesilla took a few moments to simply take in the environment surrounding her before striding purposefully through the starboard hatch nearest to her.


    Within, the deck plating was buckled toward the ventral side of the hull, with all other surfaces being likewise dented away from the center of the compartment. A sizeable hole could also be seen through, leading to the exterior and the sky beyond, while many smaller pinholes of light shone inward from the opposite side of the same compartment, lit by the corridor lighting that had since been cleaned. An enemy shell had detonated within this compartment, peppering the walls with shrapnel, and had apparently torn into the next one just forward of it, peeling the starboard side of the bulkhead away from the walls like one peels a banana.


    Most importantly, however, the hatch sealing the fuel tank below the deck was warped, and no longer firmly sealed access to the compartment below. Aesilla donned a rebreather, and with some effort wrenched the hatch wide open. Peering into the punctured tank, she could see that there was still quite a big chunk of fuel remaining within, with a layer of fire fighting foam floating atop it. She also saw something else which alarmed her. Within the fuel tank, there was a thin haze. This haze floated lazily about the compartment below her, like some manner of wispy cloud, driven by the change in air current generated by the newly opened hatch.


    Aesilla immediately recognized what had apparently gone unnoticed in the mad scramble to save the vessel from being consumed by flames, and quickly backed away, a look as unnerved as anyone would likely have ever seen on her by that point creeping across her features. The captain quickly made her way to the nearest intercom station and began to pester the chief engineer with inpatient incoming message noises until a groggy and irritated old cybernetic voice suddenly and profanely answered.


    Aesilla simply issued an order that she knew would undoubtedly give the man a heart attack,...... if he wasn¡¯t already mechanical, before striding quickly toward the bridge to attend the coming strategy meeting. The order in question?


    ¡°Cordon off and ventilate compartments adjacent starboard fuel storage, explosive vapor protocol is in effect until further notice.¡±


    It had taken Jack at least an hour to get cleaned up and dressed in a pair of new combat fatigues, that, like the others in the laundry were a light grey with a black trim, the unit patch on the right arm sleeve just slightly below the shoulder, and his rank a fixed to the center of the fatigues; the rank being the only other colour added to the uniform as it was a silver Moon with a set of gold blades crossed over top it.


    ¡°Well¡­ best not waste any more time than I already have¡­¡± He mumbled softly to himself, trying to motivate himself to get out the door.


    Though, as he turned about, and opened the thick metal doors, he was quickly greeted by the sight of a cyborg running past him towards the elevator at the end of the hall.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good¡­¡± Jack thought to himself as he watched with a hint of unease welling up in his stomach.


    It was one thing to see one of the ship¡¯s crew running about, but the chief engineer? That was NOT something anyone would want to see, as it meant something was wrong with the ship. But, the Colonel couldn¡¯t do anything save merely push the fear aside, for now, more so since he wasn¡¯t trained to handle or even offer any sort of ship based support save general first aid, firefighting, or command if necessary. So, pulling out his crimson red beret from his pants pocket, he fixed it neatly atop his head, before heading in the opposite direction towards the bridge. As he walked through the bridge doors as they slid open, he was greeted by the sunlight that blinded the blonde for a moment, forcing him to raise his bare hands up to shield his eyes until they could adjust.


    ¡°Officer on deck!¡± Announced a gruff voice, belonging to the ships XO, a Commander in rank, an O-5 in rank.


    Bringing down his hands, he noticed the crew and other junior officers quickly turn around and stand at attention. Waving them all at ease as he walked in, Jack scanned the bridge. ¡°Where¡¯s the Captain?¡±


    Elizabeth Knight was the first to speak up in response, ¡°Walked off some time ago drinking that shit command calls coffee.¡±


    With left Brow raised, he noted the faint aroma of the shitty substitute for real coffee. Giving a disgusted frown at the sight of the ¡®shit¡¯, he turned his head back towards the raven haired Captain. ¡°Ah¡­ that does explain a lot. That crap there will get anyone walking about to get that out of their system.¡± He noted, before walking over towards the holo-display in the middle of the bridge, just behind the Captain¡¯s chair. ¡°Now, as for my second question, has the rest of the Division responded yet?¡±


    ¡°Only the First, and fourth have,¡± Bull spoke up as he walked up, resting his weight against a nearby wall. ¡°Got Christian Macntyre, and Emily Clarke there, but no one else as of yet.¡±


    ¡°Good¡­ means I¡¯m not late.¡± Jack joked with a grin before straightening up, folding his arms over his chest.


    At that instant, the bridge doors slid open again to reveal the captain, once more shielding her eyes from the bright light, glancing about the room to each of those present.


    ¡°Captain on Deck!¡± Announced Warren this time, as everyone save Jack went at attention upon her arrival.


    Jack giving her a quick salute.


    ¡°As you were.¡±, Aesilla quickly responded, continuing, ¡°Looks like I¡¯m the last to arrive. Let¡¯s get right into it then.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Kitsure nodded in agreement as he looked over towards his newly promoted Major who looked back at him confused for a moment before snapping his fingers.


    ¡°Right! So, as I told Colonel Kitsure, the First and Fourth Regiments have reported in. We¡¯re just awaiting the rest of the Division to chime in, as well as General Gunther ma¡¯am.¡± Warren reported, before handing the Captain a file.


    Aesilla took hold of the file in question and inserted it into the holographic display. An image of the imposing fortress they were to capture, rendered in miniature, appeared before the assembled officers.


    ¡°As I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware, the prospect of a head on assault against this fortress would likely cost an inordinate number of lives on our side of the battle lines.¡±, Aesilla began, ¡°Fortunately, there¡¯s more than one way to use a fortress. They can indeed be exceptional defensive structures, but they¡¯re just as good at keeping people in as keeping them out. Simply put, this giant structure can become the perfect trap for our enemy.¡±


    Aesilla paused briefly to allow her words to sink in.


    ¡°¡±We have a vessel with punctured fuel tanks, and a significant volume of fuel that can be quickly dumped overboard, and the structure itself is not flammable.¡±, Aesilla explained, ¡°I understand that the ascendancy forces have been stubborn about surrendering or being lured out in the past, but if we threaten them with the same fate suffered by the members of my crew who did not survive our landing operation I believe that we can either force them to abandon the fortress intact, into a waiting ambush, or else surrender outright.¡±


    Aesilla then took a few moments to gaze at those assembled before asking, ¡°Does anyone present know of a reason why this strategy could not be implemented?¡±


    ¡°Possible breach in the fuel tanks would see to such a thing.¡± Answered Christian, whose voice came ringing out over the holographic form of himself taking shape, along with the other members of the 2nd Division.


    Jack rested his chin onto his right-hand thumb, while the rest of his fingers covered his mouth. ¡°Mhm, that or possible damages to the ship¡¯s stabilizers could also further hinder the plan.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s fuel levels that are your concern,¡±, Aesilla replied to the 2nd division officer, ¡°The ruptured tanks are isolated from the rest of the fuel system by cross-feed valves which prevent a puncture in one or more tanks from compromising the entire fuel load. As it stands, the tanks in question are no longer leaking fuel, having emptied during the fire to levels below the lower most penetration.¡±


    Aesilla then turned to the Colonel, ¡°As for the stabilizers, They¡¯re in working order. They¡¯re not in the vicinity of the damaged sections. Ship control will be no issue, as long as we anticipate the drag forces on the damaged hull.¡±


    ¡°Then what would hinder the plan then Captain?¡± Questioned the commander of the 2nd Division, and the man in charge of the fortress assault, General Alexander Gunther, whose holographic form came up beside Christian¡¯s.


    ¡°Unknown variables.¡±, replies Aesilla, ¡°I can get the vessel in low, beneath their guns, but during the moment we¡¯re dumping fuel we¡¯ll be vulnerable. If there¡¯s an element we¡¯re unaware of, an unaccounted for fighter presence, for example, one solid hit could ignite the fuel during discharge. Those within the fortress would set themselves alight if they did so, but an external strike on the vessel would face no such threat. I don¡¯t think I need to elucidate on the outcome of a fire trail burning back up into the fuel tanks.¡±


    Shaking his head the General sighed, ¡°Negative¡­ You are correct to calculate for such a potential risk. Given what our scouts of reported, it seems there are enemy fighters in the area, although I¡¯ve already put in a request for our space forces to conduct covering attacks for us.¡± Pausing for a moment, to get a data slab with more intel, he threw up the intel onto the screen at the far end of the bridge that served as a monitor. ¡°As you¡¯ll note, they¡¯ve complied with my request, so we should assume that the enemy air forces will not be present at the time of our attack. But, just to be double sure, I¡¯ve tasked your freighters own fighter squadron back to you to provide cover during the duration of the operation.¡± He continued before folding his hands behind his back. ¡°If we can get this job done with as little blood being shed on our side as possible, and as fast as possible, then Command is more than willing to give us any and all support we need.¡±


    As the Division commander finished speaking, Jack¡¯s eyes drifted over to Aesilla to see how she¡¯d respond.


    Aesilla¡¯s expression appeared to dispense with some of the accumulated tension upon hearing that the operation as planned had been approved.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that my pilots found a hangar to set down in after yesterday.¡±, Aesilla replied, ¡°The additional fighter support might well prove instrumental to success. In any case, I¡¯ll get out of your hair for the planning on the ground and get the ship ready to sortie.¡±


    With that, Aesilla steps into her ready room and broadcasts over the intercom to all stations aside from the bridge, the bridge crew already aware of their directive, instructing that the ship be made ready to cast off.


    ¡°Thank you, Captain Saeva.¡± Jack thanked with a smile as he walked by to take the floor, pulling up a map of the area surrounding the fortress. ¡°While the Fata Morgana is preparing for their part in the plan, we¡¯ll have the second division move to surround the fortress, seeking to ensure no escape routes are open for the Ascendancy to take advantage of.¡± Jack started, walking in the middle before circling the fortress as if to outline the units. ¡°However, the Seventh and Second Regiments will move to perform diversionary attacks to the gates here, and here.¡± Highlighting the north and south gates of the fortress, the Colonel then peered over towards the men and women in charge of the artillery units. ¡°While we attack the Artillery will start to pepper the fortress striking at the defensive installations¡­ ensuring the absolute security of the Morgana and her crew as they perform their part.¡± Pausing a moment to let everyone get their notes.


    Seeing everyone once more focusing on him for further strategies, Jack coughed into his hand to clear his throat as he refocused on the briefing. ¡°While the Seventh and Second Regiments will be assaulting the two gates we will not be throwing in our full strength, rather we¡¯ll use AT and plasma based weapons to strike at the structure, to at least make it look as though we¡¯re trying to create a breach. Once we have their full and undivided attention focused squarely on us, the Artillery will use their drones and destroy all defenses, and as soon as the main guns are down, the Morgana will move in and¡­ we just wait for the flames and smoke to do their work.¡± Finishing with his briefing, Kitsure turned to face the officers, ¡°Any questions?¡±


    --


    After everyone had gotten into position the 7th, now fully battle ready moved slowly through the cratered land towards the northern gate. As the Regiment moved forward, Warran waved forward the heavy weapons teams, who were then quick to form up and as the seconds began to count down, an uneasy silence washed over the area, the sound of wind blowing through the remaining trees being the only sound heard. Then, once the clock hit 3, Jack swung his blade down, signaling for the diversionary assault to begin. And just as the blade came down, the sound of heavy weapons roared to life as each fired off its deadly payload, each missile, plasma, and AP rounds slamming into the massive metal gates. If the defenders were unaware of their presence before, they weren¡¯t now. Within moments of the two gates coming under attack, the 7th and 2nd were quickly fired upon by the defenders who began to focus their full attention onto the two regiments.


    Despite the heavy influx of enemy rounds being rained down upon him and his soldiers, Jack couldn¡¯t help but grin behind his helmet. ¡°Time for the artillery to do their thing.¡± He thought to himself as he and his soldiers hunkered down.


    As if on cue the roar of artillery could be heard in the distance before each round slammed hard into the defensive guns, effectively rendering the Ascendancy fortress defenseless against any sort of air assault.


    The roar of artillery heard at the landing zone served as the signal for the Fata Morgana to begin its approach. The freighter slowly lifted its charred but very much functional frame off the ground, and with a deep, bass rumble, the ship began to rapidly accelerate down a nearby valley, keeping low to the ground around the winding bends toward its destination. Alongside flew two fighter craft, flying immediate escort, while two more kept watch for opposition high overhead and another two streaked down the valley ahead of their charge, six in total. While the Fata Morgana¡¯s full complement was eight such craft, two had been lost in the previous space-bound engagement.


    As the ground blurred past below at now dizzying velocity, the terrain gradually ascended and soon the fortress itself came into view. Reducing velocity to position over the top of the fortress, the bridge crew of the Fata Morgana could see smoke rising from the remains of the destroyed defensive emplacements, allowing them to independently confirm that all was clear for the moment. With but a motion of her hand, Aesilla ordered the vessel to halt directly over the fortress, then followed up with a broadcast ship wide ordering all hands to prepare for a ninety-degree roll to starboard, and recommending that all who could strap themselves in.


    The Fata Morgana then entered the proscribed roll, as its sensor equipment picked up a rapidly closing bogie. No, two bogies. Finally, ¡°Ah, shit. Captain, it¡¯s a full flight of four.¡±


    No sooner than had the sentence been uttered, the pair of pilots flying top cover for the operation visually confirmed the approaching contacts as hostile and, with the assistance of the two that had been flying in the vanguard position, moved to engage them.


    Meanwhile, the Fata Morgana¡¯s punctured hull had begun to act much like a sieve to water, as the fuel remaining in its damaged tanks spilled out into the fortress below, coating the surfaces thereof with flammable liquid, and filling its open spaces with a toxic, foul vapor.


    All the while, a bridge crew perched sideways watched its monitors anxiously as the opposing fighter craft slowly fought their way closer and closer to the vulnerable vessel.


    Closer and closer they advanced until, to the elation of the Fata Morgana¡¯s crew, one of those four contacts appeared to break into many smaller ones and vanish.


    ¡°Splash one bandit!¡±, came the inevitable call over the combat frequency, followed by the accompanying, ¡°Good kill!¡±, confirming that a second pilot could see the downed enemy craft.


    The opposing fighter craft ceased to close the distance to the Fata Morgana, and instead was now being chased away from her by the fighters that she carried. When a second enemy fighter vanished from the scopes, the crew of the converted freighter began to breathe a sigh of relief. Shortly thereafter, the gauges indicating the fuel remaining in the damaged tanks read zero, and the Fata morgana leveled off issuing a broadcast.


    ¡°To those Ascendancy forces occupying the fortress below: Your position is now thoroughly saturated with highly flammable fuel which can be set alight at any point in time. Surrender is highly recommended.¡±


    The final two fighters which had been guarding the freighter then peeled off, streaking toward the dogfight that their squadron mates were currently engaged in to make the fight even more unfair for the ascendancy pilots than it already was.


    Jack, like the rest of the 2nd Division, watched with bated breath, waiting to see the results of their strategy. And as they waited for word from the Ascendancy to give their response, what they got instead was the sound of the massive gates cracking open slowly, until they were wide open, the light of the systems start quickly lighting up the darkness. To the surprise of the entire Division what they saw was the entire Ascendancy garrison come marching out with bayonets fixed. At the sight of this, the blood began of the militia force began to boil in annoyance, but they hoped there would still be a chance for a peaceful surrender, though, as if to add injury to insult, what happened next sent the entire Confederate invasionary forces into a rage. From the gates came out a number of alien beings each in chains and collars, as if made to look like slaves. The multiracial army of the Confederacy didn¡¯t know what was happening at first until suddenly the prisoners were gunned and stabbed down.


    ¡°THIS IS WHAT WE SAY TO YOUR COWARDLY TACTICS REBELS!¡± Shouted the fortress commander, whose own blade was slicked in the blue blood of a Ractian. ¡°CHARGE!!¡± Bellowed the same man who lead out the forces at the North gate, heading straight for the 7th.


    Watching the events on the ground unfold via a view screen on the bridge of the Fata Morgana, Captain Saeva¡¯s fury silently flared. She uttered a single command, broadcast to any Confederate forces that would listen.


    ¡°Burn them. Burn them now.¡±


    The pure contempt she held for the enemies that occupied this battlefield was evident.


    Kitsure, along with the rest of his unit watched in horror, shocked, confused, and angry at the event played out before them. ¡°W-what? There wasn¡¯t any intel about prisoners¡­¡± Stuttered Jack, whose own anger was starting to sneak up on him, his entire body starting to shake with rage. And just as the Ascendancy ordered a charge, Jack stood up turning to his soldiers, ¡°Fix bayonets and prepare to receive infantry! FUCKING MURDER THEM!¡± Bellowed Jack who ignored the sight of the fortress being lit up by the Morgana, killing all those unlucky to still remain in the fortress, burning them alive.


    No one in the 7th needed to be motivated to follow the order either as each and every human man and woman, and Alien being quickly pull their own blades free, affixing them to their barrels before each leveled their automatic rifles and began to open fire on the charging Red¡¯s, before the entire Division charged forward in a blind rage fueled charge. The two side slamming hard into one another as if it was a battle straight from the old earth days.


    Jack himself was in deep with his men, having charged headlong into the fray, wanting to take the head of the commander himself, his emerald green eyes locked on the other officer¡¯s armoured head. Rushing forward, sabre in his right hand, and a pistol in his left like before, he charged in deep, the first of the Reds to come close was screaming a sort of zealous prayer as he made a downward swing at his head. Quickly juking away, and spinning on the ball of his right heel, he brought his blade around, and in one fluid movement slipped it upside down before stabbing the blade deep into the Red¡¯s back, severing his spine, before the tip came protruding through the other end, killing him instantly. And just as a second came screaming forward, Kitsure brought his pistol up, squeezing the trigger, letting an AP round slam into the victim''s face and head destroying the head entirely, the headless body falling limp in a pool of blood. Pulling his blade free, and standing once more, to look for the enemy commander, he witnessed the grey and red of the two armies slash, cut, and fire upon one another in an uncontrollable slaughter. The rumbling of their tanks coming over the ridge firing into a group of helpless Ascendants, whose only remains after the HEAT round hit was a gory mess of limbs, guts, and blood.


    Shaking his head mentally, and turning back to the slaughter at hand, he brought his weapon to aim before unloading his entire clip into the body of a Red who had just killed one of his men. The bloody corpse falling upon the fallen 7th. Twisting about, Jack holstered his pistol away, now focusing entirely on utilizing his sword. And just in time as two more enemies came out of the mob of bodies, charging towards him. Jack dashed forward, before ducking low, avoiding a slash to his midsection, and quickly counter-attacked with a slash to the Red¡¯s exposed stomach, blood spraying onto Jack¡¯s armour before he quickly grabbed the now lifeless body using it as a shield against the second who tried to unload his clip into the Colonel, only to instead fill the body of his/her friend instead. Quickly throwing the body aside with his armour assisted strength, Jack stepped forward, thrusting his blade through the Red¡¯s chest and heart, killing the individual instantly. As the body fell limp, it collapsed causing Jack to lose his balance for a second, which allowed the enemy commander to sneak up behind him and slash his back. Thankfully, the armour had taken a great deal of the damage, yet he still received a large gash across the length of his right shoulder blade, causing Kitsure to yelp in pain, as he fell to his knees in pain. Biting his bottom lip in pain, he quickly shifted his weight, letting himself fall into a roll, his blade being pulled free as he did so, and just in time to avoid a fatal strike to his head.


    Digging his armoured boots deep into the dirt, Jack quickly launched himself forward, slamming his left shoulder into the enemy commander¡¯s gut sending them both to the ground. As the Ascendant quickly attempted to shuffle to his feet, Jack pulled him down and towards him before crawling atop him, drawing his own bayonet from his shoulder sheath, Pulling the man¡¯s head in close, he slammed the blade deep through the man¡¯s helmet, stabbing through, before it cut its way through the metal helm and into the man¡¯s forehead, and brain. As the blade dug in deep, Jack¡¯s eyes remained locked on the man¡¯s whom he was killing, before he gave the bayonet a good twist ensuring the man was dead. As if to add insult to injury, Kitsure quickly grabbed his sabre, and in one fluent motion cut the head clean from the lifeless corpse of the murderer.


    Pushing himself up to his feet, he raised the commander''s head high into the air and bellowed a cry of bloody victory, the sight being witnessed by the commander¡¯s soldiers who saw the brutality of the kill. Within minutes the Ascendancy¡¯s line began to falter and before long¡­ a massacre soon replaced the melee, as the entire 2nd Division along with its attached units began to systematically kill each and every Red they could find, until finally¡­ all were dead, all lay a bloody ruin upon one another, no mercy given¡­ no prisoners taken¡­ an inhuman scene being all that remained as the battle came to a gruesome close.


    Panting tiredly, Jack, wounded and drained of what remained of his rage fueled energy, sat on a nearby rock. His hands shaking from exhaustion, he did his best to remove his helm, exposing his nostrils to the horde stench of blood, steel, and gunpowder. Though the smell did little to affect him, having been in so many battles throughout the two years he¡¯d been fighting in the civil war, he had become accustomed to it, rather, what bothered him the most was the deed they had just committed. Looking now, with a calm head, he saw that they had killed all the Ascendant troops garrisoning the fortress.


    ¡°What¡­ the fuck?...¡± Muttered Bull who dragged himself beside his friend, before he let his weight forced him to sit.


    Jack didn¡¯t even look at the Major, no he was too far lost in the sight in front of him. It wasn¡¯t until Warren pushed his shoulder gently that he was brought back from his thoughts.


    ¡°Huh, what? Oh, Bull¡­ I¡­anything to report.¡± Jack asked, trying to regain his composer.


    Although his voice came out rough and low, his throat still raw and dry from having screamed bellowed, and barked orders throughout the slaughter after having killed the enemy commander. Warren shook his head as he closed his eyes. He didn¡¯t have anything to report.


    ¡°Nothing¡­ just came to see if you were still alive and well.¡±


    Jack gazed over at his friend then back at the soldiers collecting the bodies of all those killed in the melee. ¡°Ah¡­ yeah, I¡¯m still alive¡­ but bloodied.¡±


    ¡°I see that¡­¡± Bull replied noting the bloody cuts, and burns that decorated his armoured frame.


    Jack sighed, looking back at Warren, ¡°Not sure what to say here¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re going to be brought up on war crimes for this massacre¡­¡±


    Bull shrugged, and was about to open his mouth to speak before the commander of the entire 2nd Division came walking up towards them, forcing the two to quickly try and give a salute, only for their arms and bodies to fail them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry gentlemen¡­ this isn¡¯t the first time this has happened in the two years this war¡¯s been raging¡­ the Ascendancy¡¯s been ramping up the propaganda and brainwashing all across the worlds they have the strongest influence with, so¡­ it''s not surprising that they¡¯d resort to this.¡± Gunter stated solemnly. ¡°Truthfully, we were expecting this sort of thing when we planned this invasion¡­ we hoped it wouldn¡¯t actually happen, but¡­ as you can see, it did, and we did what we had to in order to take this world.¡±


    Though he tried to reassure the two officers who looked up at him with tired eyes, his words did little to actually help them, rather it just made Jack wonder if he had made the right decision in going with their plan if maybe there was a chance to save those civilians before they were executed. A number of questions were dancing around the young Colonel¡¯s head, many of which he doubted he¡¯d ever get the answer to. But knowing he had to push the thoughts and questions away to save his mind, he shifted his thoughts towards helping the cleanup. But, even as he finished his debriefing with his commanding officer, he still had the one lingering question as to what was going to happen after Command got wind of this battle...

 Chapter 3 - The Ruined Fortress

    Aesilla stood by stoically, observing the piling of bodies that followed the battle that had been waged. While the action had been very decisive in favor of the Confederate forces, there were still a great many dead that needed to be attended to, lest the bodies fester and spread disease. That aside, hardly anybody would be able to handle the smell of a citadel full of corpses, burned or otherwise.


    Given the time sensitive nature of the current mission, and the need to rapidly reinforce the newly captured territory against counter attack, the decision had been made to employ fire once again. As the pile of carcasses, human and alien, reached the highest measure it could, a member of the Fata Morgana¡¯s crew used what little fuel was scavenged from the now largely empty tanks that had been poured over the Citadel before its capture to soak the base of the mound in accelerant.


    With a toss of a lit match, the bodies erupted in flames. No trumpet sounded, and no 21 gun salutes ensued. This pile contained only the enemy and their collaborators. After the sheer depravity and zealotry that they had displayed, they had earned their silent, unrecognized, repose.


    Aesilla, still as disgusted as she had ever been by the Ascendancy, spat upon the piled remains before stalking off to begin directing the assembly of the next such pyre.


    ¡°Ten thousand lives, snuffed out in the span of two hours of brutal hand to hand combat. Thankfully, eight thousand of those are the people in that pyre.¡± Jack started, walking up beside the Captain. ¡°How¡¯re you and your crew holding up by the way?¡±


    ¡°The majority wanted to join your troops on the ground.¡±, Aesilla replied, ¡°I don¡¯t think there was even one on board that didn¡¯t want to eviscerate them personally.¡±


    Aesilla¡¯s posture and tone clearly convey pent up fury, likely to last quite some time into the future.


    ¡°Understandable¡­ A demonic rage filled us all after witnessing that scene.¡± Jack replied, his eyes watching as the bodies ignited into a raging fire, the smell of bodies burning his nose.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid our command structure is going about this war the wrong way, Colonel.¡±, Aesilla comments, ¡°This isn''t a war of liberation, or to capture territory. This is a war against an idea.¡±


    Jack nodded in agreement, ¡°I agree¡­ though it still bothers me that instead of getting chewed out for killing the ENTIRE garrison, we¡¯re being awarded medals and being called heroes back home... No matter what the cause, I don¡¯t believe we should be awarded for this slaughter.¡± He lamented.


    ¡°Does one normally get reprimanded for slaying every enemy, when they fight to the last soldier?¡±, Aesilla questions then continues, ¡°No, if the enemy fights to the last, and these enemies clearly intended to, then slaying every one is our job. Doing that job with the efficiency we displayed is commendable.¡±


    Raising a brow as he turned to face Aesilla, Jack couldn¡¯t quite form a response, instead, he just shook his head, shrugging in agreement. ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    ¡°I suspect your unease stems from the general¡¯s statement about having known to some degree this was coming¡­?¡±, Aesilla ventures tentatively.


    ¡°To a degree¡­ To be honest, I figured something like this would happen. More so when we found out about the civilians being held there.¡± The Colonel replied, folding his arms over his chest.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really like being surprised by this sort of massacre either.¡±, Aesilla concurred, adding, ¡°But I believe that the general¡¯s judgment was sound. In this scenario, we can clearly use this event as a propaganda point in our favor. We offeredthem the chance to surrender, then they executed civilians they hadn¡¯t even used as hostages, employing a sort of scorched earth policy, ironic, considering, then executed a suicidal charge straight into the teeth of our positions.¡±


    Aesilla paused before delivering the knockout punch of the propaganda.


    ¡°They clearly displayed no regard for life. Not even their own.¡±


    Jack agreed, the Reds had charged their line with suicidal zeal, driven by a man whose head was personally taken by him after a short melee, which sadly resulted in the Militia Colonel having a nasty wound that would more than likely leave a lasting scar. ¡°Mhm¡­ Well, at least we¡¯ll get the ¡®good¡¯ recruits to help refill our ranks and crews. Though I¡¯m not looking forward to having to write home to the families of the two-hundred men, women, and aliens I lost¡­ in that melee.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky in that regard though.¡±, Aesilla commented sympathetically, ¡°You can say honestly that they died fighting the good fight against an unreasonable, evil, foe. In most cases, a commander has trouble finding meaning in the loss of soldiers. It¡¯s plain as day after a charge like that. This enemy must be stopped. Their loved ones made it happen.¡±


    ¡°Indeed¡­ But!¡± Clapping his hands together, Jack turned to Aesilla, ¡°We best talk about a less¡­ depressing subject. I think there¡¯s been a little too much sadness for one day.¡± He suggested, looking over at the freshly dug graves of the civilians and Confederate soldiers killed in the battle.


    Aesilla¡¯s eyes are now elsewhere, however, searching inside the gates of the now captured citadel.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but wonder what sort of artillery they were using¡­¡±, Aesilla thought aloud, ¡°If it was an enclosed vehicle type, we may be able to repurpose it.¡±


    The captain then began looking about for a supply officer to question about the captured equipment, and what may be among the milieu.


    Shrugging his shoulders in reply, Jack turned about to look over at the citadel as well. ¡°Don¡¯t know. I hadn¡¯t yet looked into the reports on the captured weapons and gear. But, given the level of gear the Red¡¯s were using, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if they did¡­ ah, okay, I guess I¡¯ll see you later then?¡± Jack asked, a little hurt as the Captain walked away.


    Aesilla hears Jack¡¯s tone of voice from a short distance, noting that he seemed to think she was just walking away from him. Motioning to him to follow, she answers, ¡°You wanted a different topic,¡±, Aesilla explained, ¡°So we may as well figure out what goodies we got our hands on and have something to feel good about.¡±


    Going red in embarrassment, the militia Colonel, nodded before quickly regrouping with Aesilla. ¡°Right¡­ I totally knew that. Not really¡­¡±


    Aesilla notices the red shade that the colonel¡¯s face just turned, and for the briefest of moments, gives him a look equal parts inquisitive, surprised, and amused, before turning to the enemy motor pool. As expected, the enemy had a myriad of different logistics and command vehicles present, most likely assembled here from different parts of the planet¡¯s original defensive installation network. Most had burned, having not been enclosed, but there was a few state of the art infantry fighting vehicles present, most likely for patrol use.


    As Aesilla approached the interior exit of the courtyard, the opposing artillery came into view. As the colonel had suspected, there were a significant number of fully enclosed, self-propelled, artillery units. There were a mix of those employing gun type armaments, as well as missile type.


    ¡°Well, we know why they were using mostly the shell type artillery.¡±, Aesilla commented, ¡°Colonel, this is one hell of a find. We could create a unit around this equipment.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I suppose we could? Though I doubt we¡¯ll be able to fully take advantage of it given how General Gunther will more than likely do that stuff for us. Chances are, he¡¯ll just create a new Artillery unit within our Division. Command won¡¯t refuse either I bet, more so given the success of our mission.¡± Jack agreed, his face now flushed as he walked up beside the Naval Captain.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much what I was intimating,¡±, Aesilla replied, ¡°If we can get this up and running before the enemy returns, we can make much better use of it than they did.¡±


    Aesilla made a point of answering Jack but was still searching around the area, including inside the vehicles themselves, seemingly searching for something specific. Not immediately finding it elicited a short burst of profanity.


    ¡°Fuckin¡¯ zealot ass-goblins can line up captives like it¡¯s nothing, but they can¡¯t keep their damned manuals straight¡­..¡±


    ¡°Yup¡­ that¡¯s the Ascendancy for you¡­ no brain for anything outside of their brainwashing and religious fanaticism.¡± Jack added with a grin. ¡°Why do you think we¡¯ve pushed them this far back in two years?¡±


    Aesilla smirked knowingly at that comment, then proceeded back toward the motor pool, specifically the maintenance area. She had been inside enough such areas aboard ships or on the ground to know that there was likely documentation for every maintained vehicle stored somewhere within. Pulling on the door, Aesilla finds it stuck.


    Emitting an irritated, raspy, hiss, she plants a boot firmly in the vicinity of the locking mechanism. The door, in its infinite obstinance, refuses to budge.


    Slowly stepping back from the obstacle, the low hiss becomes a sharp, easily audible series of staccato clicks before Aesilla lurches forward and once more plants a booted heel into the vicinity of the locking mechanism. With a loud metallic DOOOOOoooooonnnnnggg, the door vibrates but continues to stubbornly hold fast.


    Aesilla, on the other hand, had bounced off and was now looking at a charred ceiling above her.


    The clicking resumed nearly immediately, conveying the message; This one¡­¡­. Is Not Amused.


    The militia man just stood there with the look of amusement as he watched the Naval Captain fight it out with the door. It seemed like doors weren¡¯t her thing given how much trouble this one was giving her, no matter how hard she tried opening it. Though he had to admit, it looked like a cat trying to open a door by how she fumbled, kicked, and punched the damn thing. Chuckling softly, Jack walked up and with a few quick clicks and bypasses, the door slid open.


    ¡°Looks like doors don¡¯t like you¡­ or at least this one doesn¡¯t.¡± Joking lightly, the blonde haired officer walked up to Aesilla and offered his hand for her to get up.


    What the Colonel would find her doing instead was to quickly yank him to the ground by that hand, as behind him a loud sucking sound could be heard, and a thick black smoke, black as night, could be seen pouring from the doorway that had just opened.


    Aesilla rolled sideways, headed for one of the service pits in the motor pool, hoping that Jack would go along with the movement. The captain had forgotten something crucial in going looking for all the service manuals to the enemy equipment. In a fire as hot as the one that had burned within the citadel, and a room as full of fuel as this one would have been, conditions would be as perfect as they could possibly have been for a backdraft.


    Jack had quickly recovered as he was pulled to the ground, catching himself with the palm of his free hand, before he fell face first into the metal flooring of the building. Pushing himself up just as the Captain had, he looked with a bit of relief as he had just missed getting a rather nasty burn; which would have added to his small tally of wounds from this one campaign. Brushing himself off, he quickly caught up to Aesilla, his boots falling in line with her own, as they walked to their next destination.


    ¡°You know, it''s funny, right now I feel more like I¡¯m just following you about than anything haha.¡± Jack joked lightly, trying to ignore what had happened earlier.


    ¡°This citadel¡­¡­.. They can fucking keep it for all I care.¡±, Aesilla fumed, ¡°Let them all pile in and drop it on their fucking heads. This piece of shit has fucked with us one too many times. Fucking hell!¡±


    Clearly, the captain was rapidly becoming tired of dealing with the Ascendancy''s former headquarters. Not only was it dangerous in their hands, it was still dangerous, even in the hands of the Confederacy, and not in a good way! Jack¡¯s words hadn¡¯t quite reached her in her current state of frustration. Pacing back and forth, Aesilla was becoming more and more restless before finally declaring,


    ¡°I need to fucking shoot something.¡±, in the most disgruntled tone, she had taken in quite a while.


    The blonde haired officer just laughed, finding Aesilla¡¯s ranting to be rather humorous given the current state of things more so upon her announcing her desire to shoot something. But, her frustration was valid given how the Confederate Forces had only just finished securing the entire Ascendancy fortress and had yet to fully go through and end the raging fire, or repair damaged areas. Instead, the 2nd Division merely set up shop for a moment to rest and regroup after the battle. Despite it all though, the 7th suffered the fewest casualties in the melee, thanks in part due to the tank squadron that had come in just in the nick of time to render many of the charging Reds to paste.


    ¡°Well, if you want to shoot something, I¡¯m sure we can set up some targets at a makeshift range?¡± He suggested warmly as he wiped a tear of laughter away.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Aesilla glared daggers back at the Colonel as he laughed before producing a small but powerful handgun from a shoulder holster. The weapon was not a simple firearm, but a miniature railgun firing steel penetrator slugs,.......... Or alternate ammunition types. Aesilla proceeded to release its current magazine, and replace it with another, bearing rounds with a bright orange coloration to their individual points. Jack would no doubt recognize these rounds as an explosive ammunition, banned for civilian use by the Ascendancy.


    ¡°Let''s try targets that these will be fun to use on.¡±, Aesilla replied with venom.


    His eyes went wide upon seeing the special rounds being pulled out, ¡°Well shit. Haven¡¯t seen anyone other than the SF guys using those rounds. How¡¯d you get your hands on them?¡±


    ¡°I know the right people.¡±, Aesilla responded casually, ¡°When certain people owe you favors, you can get your hands on anything.¡±


    Jack eyed her with a bit of apprehension, before making a mental note not to get on Aesilla¡¯s bad side. Given the fact that the rounds she was carrying were things only the Special Forces got, it wasn¡¯t hard to figure out just WHO she had as ¡®connections¡¯ back home.


    ¡°Right~ So, that¡¯s a little scary, but none the less, I agree. Might as well fire off a few of those beasts.¡± He agreed with a small grin as the mere thought of how much damage they would do popped into his head.


    Aesilla raised an eyebrow for a moment at being referred to as scary, but was otherwise nonplussed, and returned the weapon to its holster while on the search for appropriately satisfying targets to discharge the weapon at. Hopefully, they would find something meaty enough to be worthwhile¡­.


    ¡°You¡¯re the expert on targets, Colonel.¡±, she prompted, ¡°Lead the way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an expert? Damn, I wish I was an expert on targets, honestly, I just shoot at the targets that seem the biggest and easiest to hit. If that doesn¡¯t work, why do you think I have a sword?¡± Jack replied, standing silently for a moment before cracking a smile and chuckling, ¡°sorry, sorry, had to say something. No, but yeah, follow me. I know a few targets we can use.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long for the two officers to reach the makeshift range that had been set up by some soldiers looking to vent their anger at when the battle had ended. At the end of the 200-yard range were a number of wooden dummies with the uniforms of the Ascendancy overtop them, and at the 250 range, waved the Ascendancy flag, that already had a number of bullet holes ripped through it. It went to show just how much every human and alien on the planet hated the enemy they were fighting¡­ more so after the events that lead to the Citadel''s capture.


    Aesilla looks down the range at the targets and briefly frowns, but still draws her weapon and begins discharging it at one of the dummies. The first few rounds miss the target, given the distance of the range which had clearly been set up for rifles, but it wasn¡¯t long before a round connected. The impact wasn¡¯t a source of overwhelming damage, though it was certainly potent, a half second after impact the target¡¯s torso was blown wide open in the front by the explosive charge carried in the round, tearing away the Ascendancy uniform below the shoulders.


    Aesilla then moved her aim to the next target, her rate of fire gradually increasing.


    The Army officer just watched as the rounds whizzed past their intended target, each of the missed rounds smacking into an already ruined tree, scattering further debris around the dried mud pit that was once a forest. When the rounds did hit one of the targets, it was an impressive sight to see the dummy blow up in a mess of wood, cloth, and metal.


    ¡°Damn.. those things are powerful as hell.¡± Jack whistled, clearly impressed by the sheer power of one round.


    ¡°Hopefully someone back at R&D starts throwing those rounds into a rifle... Can you imagine how fast one would rip apart a squad of Red¡¯s with those things?¡± He added, his hands resting on his hips as he watched impressed by the stopping power of each round until finally, the clip was empty.


    ¡°These rounds don¡¯t do shit against armor.¡±, Aesilla reminded the colonel, ¡°Modern armor technology is more than capable of stopping anything short of a purpose built penetrator round. These are better used in a situation where you can overmatch the target based on caliber alone, or when armor isn¡¯t present.¡±


    The captain then loaded another magazine into the weapon and resumed discharging the weapon at whatever was left in front of her.


    ¡°You forget though, I¡¯m usually in the front line, and no amount of armour is able to stop such a powerful round from point blank range¡­ Though, admittedly, it would be bloody. Maybe a bit too bloody.¡± Jack replied.


    ¡°That coming from the man who cut the enemy commander¡¯s head off and started displaying it up for all to see in the battle?¡± Cut in Warren Smith, who came walking up to join the two senior officers.


    ¡°True¡­ but that was just a ¡®heat of the moment¡¯ type of thing.¡± He explained, making quotations with his fingers around heat of the moment. ¡°But, what¡¯s up Major? Something happening?¡±


    Warren just shook his head as he pulled around his CAAR-1304, the standard issue rifle of the Galactic Confederacy. The rifle in question being a newer model made by the Rebel government during the first year of the war. After having managed to secure a factory world from the Ascendancy during the start of the war, the Galactic Confederation was able to supply their troops with the weapons, ammo, and gear they needed to wage a proper war. Though sadly, their space development is the one piece they have yet to fully get into, as the shipyards used for the production of war vessels were mainly found in the Ascendancy¡¯s core worlds.


    ¡°Nope, just target practice with you two.¡±


    Aesilla sighed heavily at the colonel¡¯s reply. She then grabbed a tattered ascendancy vest from the ground, apparently having been cut from its owner during battle, and tossed it downrange. She then directed Jack¡¯s attention toward it and discharged a pair of rounds into the vital protection. Rather than blow the vest to pieces, the rounds bounced off and detonated mid air further down the range with small puffs of smoke.


    ¡°They pack a punch, sure, but in order to be effective, they must penetrate their target. Without a penetrator type round, this weapon hasn¡¯t got a chance.¡±


    The militia commander shrugged before he drew his sabre and stabbed the same places she had shot, the blade going through like butter. ¡°Well, if worse comes to worse, I have this,¡± Jack added as he sheathed his blade once more.


    Aesilla watched, stunned, as the colonel approached the piece of armor she had just tossed down range and poked holes in it with his sabre.


    ¡°WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!¡±, a shout came from further down the firing line, ¡°HAVE YOU BEEN HIT IN THE HEAD OR ARE YOU JUST FUCKING STUPID?!¡±


    Rapidly stalking toward the colonel was a none too pleased gunnery sergeant, eyes seemingly bulging out of their sockets, and face red with typical fury.


    ¡°DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH CROSSING THAT FIRING LINE?!¡±


    Aesilla had seen this coming a mile away. Even though she was part of the navy, she knew better than to do what the colonel had just done, for precisely the reasons the gunnery sergeant was no doubt about to explain to the colonel in no uncertain terms.


    Jack just stood there stone faced as the gunny bitched him out for stepping into the makeshift firing range before he eventually scratched the back of his neck. ¡°Right, My mistake. Though, I¡¯m sure I saw the range down sign go up. Thank you for the warning Gunny. I¡¯ll make sure to watch myself¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s BS, you charge headlong into a horde of enemies with only a sword and pistol¡­ I doubt you¡¯ll remember the good Gunny¡¯s wise words of caution there sir.¡± Bull pointed out, a small grin forming on his bearded face.


    Jack couldn¡¯t say anything, even if he wanted to. There was no retort for that one¡­ somewhere down the lin, he had lost all sense of danger, his mind just turning off whenever it was near. ¡°Well¡­ fuck.¡±


    After two years of constant fighting, no R&R save those small moments on the world¡¯s they liberated, had more or less destroyed the young senior officer, who¡­ shouldn¡¯t have the rank he held, rather, he should¡¯ve still been a Captain, an O-3 at his age. But, his service record in the war had seen to him getting the post he now held, though he really doubted he¡¯d survive long enough to go any further, more so how his mind just seemed to shut off when near danger.


    The gunnery sergeant had heard the correct response, if possibly insincere, belay that almost certainly insincere, given the current state of affairs. The gunnery sergeant crossed his arms as if waiting for something, while simultaneously intensely starring the colonel down. Aesilla, wanting the situation to quickly resolve, helpfully pointed down at the ground, hoping that Jack would realize where he was still standing.


    Jack¡¯s green eyes looked back into the Gunny for a second wondering what he wanted, and why he was still there, until it finally dawned on him, quickly he pulled out his pen, and wrote a quick note, before handing it to the Gunny.


    ¡°As is customary for such a fuck up, I¡¯m putting a notch down on the record to atone and help remind myself not to make the same mistakes in the future. When all is done, the General will add this to my record.¡± Jack stated, knowing full well this was the only way for someone like him so damaged by PTSD to really remind himself never to make the same mistake again.


    Though, he understood if the Gunnery Sergeant was still upset with him, given how he seemed too detached to the whole thing as if he had no real care for his own life. Which wasn¡¯t too far off, though if there was one thing he cared for, it was those under him, and or around him.


    The gunnery sergeant almost didn¡¯t even take the note, but given the rank of the individual he was dealing with, he humored the man, if only briefly. The gunnery sergeant thereafter immediately discarded the note, grabbed the Colonel by the shoulder strap on his uniform and physically brought his face downward and toward Aesilla¡¯s weapon.


    ¡°See this, numbnuts? Tell me what the fuck this is!¡±


    The Gunny''s tone of voice had dropped to a low, somewhat softly threatening and sarcastic.


    Eyes wide as he was suddenly grabbed by the scruff of his fatigues, Jack could only give a rather shocked and confused look. While Warren just stood there chuckling beside Aesilla. It would be a lie to say that he wasn¡¯t enjoying the sight of his friend being humiliated in such a manner, but given how dead he knew his friend was, it was a bit sad to think how he forgot the basics.


    ¡°Hmm¡­ a custom Mark Ten Ezra pistol, loaded with explosive rounds, also called ¡®Dragon fire¡¯ by the Spec Ops guys.¡± Jack replied matter factly.


    Warren stood there dumbfounded for a moment. ¡°Fuck¡­sometimes I really do think he¡¯s dead inside that head of his...¡±


    ¡°Very good!¡±, the gunny replied, voice dripping with sarcasm, ¡°Now tell me where the fuck it¡¯s pointed!¡±


    Aesilla, now very close in proximity to the exchange, simply facepalms with her free hand.


    Jack, paused, looking at him for a moment, really starting to get annoyed as well, before sighing in defeat. ¡°Alright, Gunny, it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    The Major raised a brow for a moment before looking over to see the General of the 2nd Division come walking up. ¡°Oh bigger fuck! At attention!¡± Snapped Warren who quickly stood at attention as the commander of their force came walking up, a small smile on his face.


    ¡°Gentlemen, Ma¡¯am, how goes it?¡± Gunther questioned as he walked up to join the three officers and the one SNCO.


    Jack quickly snapped to along with the Gunny. ¡°Made a mistake sir! Gunny here was telling me the error of my ways!¡± He reported quickly.


    Gunther just stood there for a moment, ¡°Huh? Did you walk out into the range again Colonel?... fuckin¡¯ hell¡­¡±


    Aesilla quickly switched the safety of her weapon on and placed it upon the nearest surface and snapped to attention as well, expression showing the sort of ¡®you¡¯ve got to be kidding me¡¯ thought process going through her head at the moment, as to what the colonel had just done, and the fact that the general was aware that he had done so before. Aesilla found the situation incomprehensible.


    ¡°I would recommend a second sweep of the structure for any remaining fire, sir.¡±, Aesilla responded, recalling the earlier close call, ¡°One door concealed a rather explosive fire behind it earlier in the motor pool.¡±


    Jack stood there, his face a little red from embarrassment, as the General just eyed him, before sighing and shaking his head. ¡°Only seems to happen after a battle... Gunny, you¡¯re dismissed. After the slaughter¡­ he¡¯s a little out of it, it¡¯s going to take the shrink to fix this problem. For now¡­ we worry about the others.¡± Gunther then turned to Aesilla, noting her warnings and report, ¡°Noted. I¡¯ve received numerous reports saying the same. I¡¯ve already asked the Engineers and emergency personnel to begin securing all danger spots¡­ Will likely take a day to do, but they¡¯ve assured me it¡¯s being done, just forward the report to the Engineer corps and they¡¯ll take care of it.¡± Once Gunther had finished, he looked back at Jack, giving a rather pained look.


    Gunther had served with Jack since the war first broke out two years ago¡­ though, even after all he¡¯d seen and done, he wasn¡¯t as messed up as Jack was. The young Colonel had barely received even two months training before he was sent to his first battle. He wanted to help the young man, but he couldn¡¯t, not right now. He needed officers, and Jack was one of the most successful and the most decorated officer he had under his command, even if he was just a militia man. So, for now, it would be just another note to vanish under the paperwork, but he¡¯d make sure to alert the Warrant Officer to keep tabs on his officer whenever he was near a danger zone after a fierce battle, as it seemed that it was only after a battle that the Colonel seemed to just turn off his brain; as if letting it heal from what he had just seen and done.


    Aesilla took the opportunity to break the awkward silence,


    ¡°General, just curious, but do you know what became of the enemy¡¯s carrier?¡±


    Jack, and Gunther both turned to Aesilla upon hearing her voice, with the General looking up in thought, trying to remember, ¡°Destroyed¡­ if I remember correctly. Was badly damaged and began to fall through the atmo. Blew up as it started the descent. Why?¡±


    ¡°The enemy response to the scenario is telling, sir.¡±, Aesilla replied. The captain had predicted one of several outcomes to the scenario her actions had presented the enemy. The carrier being allowed to break up in the planet¡¯s atmosphere was the one she had least expected, but learning is more often done when one receives an answer they didn¡¯t expect. She wondered if the general took away the same lesson from the enemy¡¯s decision.


    The General nodded in response, looking at the Captain for a moment longer while she was lost in thought before he remembered why he had actually come. ¡°Oh! That reminds me, talking of strategy. Command has issued new orders. The Fata Morgana and the Seventh are to report to the Athens Nebula. Command is planning another offensive, but they don¡¯t want to leave the Deltia undefended. So, for the time being, the division will be split in half, with one-half remaining here until the fresh forces come, while the second moves to the new operational area. Once there, you¡¯ll receive further orders.¡±


    As the General finished Jack spoke up, ¡°Sir, what of replacements for those lost?¡±


    Gunther turned to look at Jack now, his aging face showing how hard the war has been on him, before his sea blue eyes blinked, ¡°You¡¯ll receive fresh recruits along the way. Each Confederate checkpoint and space station will provide you with the fresh troops. Overall, expect a long trip there¡­ more so while you work on repairs for the Morgana.¡± After he finished answering the question he then turned to look at the Captain, ¡°Captain, Colonel, Major.¡± And with that, the Divisional commander calmly walked off towards his own Headquarters.


    ¡°Sir!¡± Saluted both Jack and Warren.


    Aesilla salutes as well, but thereafter expresses an uncertainty to the other two present.


    ¡°Does command know that the Athens Nebula is dark to long range communications?¡±


    The Colonel looked over at her, ¡°Chances are¡­ no. But, they¡¯ll more than likely try to get us to fix that issue¡­¡± He answered first.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯ll be a request for clarification once we¡¯re back in orbit.¡±, Aesilla noted aloud, ¡°That nebula can hide just about anything that doesn¡¯t want to be found. In any case, we better get our outfits squared away and cast off in short order.¡±


    Aesilla then retrieves her weapon, removes the partially spent magazine, and replaces it with the original load of penetrator rounds before holstering the little railgun.


    The two militia officers nodded in agreement before they too walked back to their respective units to send word of their new orders and transfer to a new front. Though Jack couldn¡¯t help but feel a little curious as to why Aesilla seemed more cautious about the Athens nebula, however, it wasn''t a pressing matter for him, so he just shook his head of it, dismissing it mentally for another time when they weren¡¯t at such a busy time.

 Chapter 4 - Aesillas Past

    ¡°GCS Fata Morgana, for Brihm Harbor Station, inbound for repairs bearing crew, cargo, and passengers.¡±, reports Aesilla to the approach controller, ¡°Refueling will not be required until repairs have been completed. We¡¯re down a few tanks at the moment.¡±


    Aboard the bridge of the battered and charred bulk freighter turned warship, Aesilla leaned back in the command chair as the helmsman slowly brought the vessel in toward port, following the standard pattern toward a docking arm. For the first time in several weeks, the captain of the worn vessel felt like she could relax a bit.


    Calmly leaning against the nearby wall of the bridge, the militia Colonel kept his green eyes focused on the lights that suddenly came to life marking a trail for the makeshift war vessel to follow¡­ in case it¡¯s autopilot had any issues. His arms crossed over his chest, he wondered how long they were going to be at the Brihm Harbor Station.


    ¡°How long do these things take?¡± Jack asked, finally speaking for the first time in over an hour.


    Swiveling the command chair back to face the colonel, Aesilla took a moment to reply, considering the answer before she spoke.


    ¡°That depends more on how long the line up is for the repair facilities.¡±, she replied matter of factly, ¡°But based on the condition of the ships docked here, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll be waiting for more than 24 hours. The repair process itself will only take maybe two hours for this amount of damage.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± He replied softly, turning his attention once more to the view screen. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m wanting to get back planetside I hate being in ships for more than a month.¡± As he spoke he pushed himself off the wall and made his way towards the nearby navigational charts, his sword lightly tapping the leg of his dress uniforms pants.


    Tapping the large holographic display, the Milky Way galaxy came up, before it zoomed right in to show their current location. As the young senior officer began to examine the map, he fiddled around with the gold cord of his uniform, which was slung over his right shoulder. The grey and black uniform of the Confederate Army seemed to work for the blonde, although he hated the thing, finding it a pain to wear at any time due to how it heated up. But, regulation had it set so that he had to wear his dress uniform when aboard a ship not currently set to combat status. A stupid regulation, but one he still followed. His left breast just above the pocket already having quite the collection of ribbons, while his right had four four metal bar ribbons showing the Campaigns and Major engagements he had been involved in with the 2nd Nikitin Militia Army of the Galactic Confederation.


    Aesilla then keyed up the ship¡¯s intercom and announced the following, which would no doubt somewhat alleviate the colonel¡¯s dislike of being stuck on a ship, though only to a degree.


    ¡°All hands, this is the captain.¡±, Aesilla began casually, ¡°We will be docking shortly with Brihm Harbor Station for repair, refuelling, and rearming. For the next 24 hours, any personnel not on duty are permitted leave aboard the station at their discretion. All personnel are expected back aboard at least one hour prior to departure. That is all.¡±


    Having completed the announcement, Aesilla looked back toward Jack.


    ¡°What are you looking at on the display?¡±, Aesilla asks, curiosity driving her interest.


    ¡°Hmm? Nothing important, just tracking our route.¡± He replied with a small smile, before turning to face her for a moment before throwing the map on the view screen in front of the Captain. ¡°But, I do have one thing that bothers me, and that¡¯s where our route has us going through. See here, this is neutral territory, and for good reason too might I add.¡± Jack added as he walked up beside the Captain¡¯s chair, pointing to the system he described. ¡°Entire sector there is home to slavers and criminal organizations¡­ we do have permission to go through their systems but¡­ there have been reports of entire slaver fleets hitting military transports, be them Ascendancy or Confederate. Apparently, two-hundred Confederate soldiers were enslaved for over three months until we managed to secure their freedom¡± Pausing a moment, he took a deep breath in before letting it out once more to steady himself, ¡°But, those three months destroyed them mentally and physically. Which is why all vessels were eventually required to house a squadron of fighter craft, and a company or more of Marines, even if they are carrying a combat unit.¡± As he finished he couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit of unease about their route.


    Jack hated slavery and was one of the personal reasons that helped keep him motivated in fighting the war since their Xeno friends and allies were basically treated as slaves by the Ascendancy. Shaking his head of the depressing subject, however, he turned to get a small smile to the Captain.


    ¡°Anyways, we should be safe enough travelling through.¡± He added, trying to reassure the Captain in case there was any sort of issue.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to pass through without incident, colonel.¡±, Aesilla informed Jack, thereafter querying his memory, ¡°Tell me, what class of vessel was this ship originally? Do you remember?¡±


    Raising a brow for a moment, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uneasy given her reply, ¡°A trading vessel if I recall?¡± He replied, a little unsure.


    ¡°Correct.¡±, Aesilla responded coldly, ¡°And what did the vessel bear as trade goods in its original configuration?¡±


    He was now a little nervous given the tone of the Captain¡¯s voice but pushed aside any further worry away as he opened his mouth to speak. ¡°From what I was told, just grains and the occasional weapon shipment for Confederate use.¡±


    Aesilla¡¯s expression suddenly took on a confused, irritated, and most of all, exasperated expression.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who has been feeding you that load of Krandis manure, colonel.¡±, Aesilla explained, frustration evident in her voice, ¡°But this vessel came equipped with more berths than cargo space. It¡¯s not a grain hauler or some supply transport.¡±


    Aesilla took control of the holographic display, bringing up an image of the Fata Morgana prior to its conversion, only it wasn¡¯t actually Aesilla¡¯s ship. Below the hologram was a label. It read simply: Craven Class Slave Transport, Miraluka.


    ¡°This vessel will be instantly recognized by any ship in the system.¡±, Aesilla stated forcefully, ¡°Because I got it there.¡±


    The Colonel couldn¡¯t believe what he was seeing, the Fata Morgana was a slaver vessel. ¡°But¡­ wait¡­ so, who or what were you before you came into the ownership of the Miraluka?¡± He asked out of reflex, his curiosity getting the best of him for a moment. ¡°And, if we¡¯re bound to get into trouble, I think it¡¯d be best to assign the ship to combat ready status throughout the duration of our trip through neutral space.¡± Jack quickly added before the Captain could reply.


    When a ship went into combat readiness, the entire combat garrison aboard the ship would change out of their dress uniforms and instead wear the combat fatigues, ready to armour up for any sort of boarding action should it come to it. Given the history of the ship, it was a safe to bet that whoever spotted the ship would seek to board her rather than blow her up outright¡­ more so if it was a slaver fleet. It was far more valuable to enslave the crew than it was to kill them, as dregs that crewed the slaver ships were easy to replace than valuable and healthy potential slaves.


    Aesilla elected, while glaring daggers at the Colonel for his poor choice of words in asking her about her past, to ignore the question not directly related to their current circumstances, and instead explain her plan.


    ¡°We can¡¯t very well go into neutral space in a combat-ready posture, colonel.¡±, Aesilla answers almost immediately, ¡°Such a posture could easily cost us that neutral standing.¡±


    ¡°Externally, yes. But what I¡¯m suggesting is have the Marines at the ready. There¡¯s no way they¡¯d know of them. I¡¯ll remain in my dress uniform though for the time being to give the idea that we¡¯re not at combat-ready status should we be hailed.¡± Jack replied quickly, doing his best to ignore the daggers being shot at him.


    ¡°This is a former slave ship.¡±, Aesilla retorts, ¡°Our foes know the vessel practically inside and out, save for our modifications, and unless the Confederate forces were well supplied enough to install shielding against sensor intrusion they¡¯ll be able to scan the interior just like any other slave hauler. These ships have several different features designed to prevent a slave revolt that works both for and against us in this scenario.¡±


    Aesilla brings up detailed schematics of the standard configuration on the hologram now, to aid in her explanation.


    ¡°First and foremost, the hull is sensor permeable. If a slave revolt does happen, nearby vessels will know nearly instantly and move to put it down.¡±, Aesilla began explaining, going into significant detail, ¡°Second, the interior of each vessel is subdivided by bulkheads which include built-in fighting positions. They¡¯re designed to stop escaped slaves from reaching the bridge, but for us, they can work as defences against a boarding action if needed. Third, and finally, each vessel is equipped with a slave circuit system enabling external master control should the vessel actually be taken over. Even if a ship were taken by escaped slaves, the master circuit in the fleet could override any control input aboard and remotely sail the ship back to port or other more advantageous circumstances for recapture.¡±


    Aesilla paused to allow the colonel to take in the information dump before continuing, ¡°The third feature is the one I¡¯m banking on. While most vessels of this particular class have a circuit aboard that is subordinate to a master circuit, this vessel possesses a master circuit. Further, I have removed the receiver from the ship. Simply put, if the slavers try to employ their standard operating procedure and slave the vessel to a master circuit, they won¡¯t be able to do it. Conversely, we¡¯ll know what frequency they operate on and have a master circuit to lock them down with.¡±


    Aesilla, now appearing a bit short of breath after the long-winded explanation, looks up from the hologram to meet the colonel¡¯s eyes, ¡°Is this making more sense now?¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s a good thing that everyone carries a small arm with them of some sort then. A fact any and all would know if they see the GCS in front of the name, along with the flag on our hull. Either way, we should be prepared to fend off and perform the basic defend and assault strategies in this case.¡± Jack replied soundly as he tapped his sabre with his gloved hand.


    Though it was still rather odd to know that there had been so many systems made to prevent even the slightest sort of escape attempt. Looking over and down at Aesilla now though, he had to wonder just what role she held before she became the Captain of the Morgana. Was she a slaver? Or was she herself a slave? Two questions he¡¯d want to learn sometime down the line, but for now, he thought it best to save such questions for when they were closer or if she herself felt it necessary to tell him. He just hoped she wasn¡¯t the slaver¡­


    Turning now back towards the ship layout, he quickly took note of all the bulkheads that would provide his soldiers with the advantage. Thankfully, the Captain had made it easy with her mini briefing. Reaching out he tapped the ship before a small button came up, tapping it twice, the entire command structure of the 7th would have all the intel they would need to form a proper defence should they come under attack.


    ¡°Well, I suppose that means we¡¯re more or less ready for whatever¡¯s going to hit us when we¡¯re in neutral space then?¡± He observed, his left hand resting against the hilt of his blade.


    ¡°We¡¯re more than ready, Colonel¡±, replied the helmsman for his captain, making clear that the situation was personal not just for the captain herself, ¡°We¡¯ve been there before.¡±


    Aesilla quietly swivelled the command chair back to the front, her mood now brooding and vengeful.


    ¡°Thank you, PO.¡± Jack replied quickly to the Petty Officer at the helm as he watched the command chair spin around to the front once more.


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to know he was no longer wanted or needed on the bridge at the moment, more so given the shift in the Captain¡¯s mood.


    ¡°Well, while the crew, Marines, and my own soldiers enjoy their mini shore leave, I¡¯ll be in my bunk doing paperwork. If you need me, feel free to call me.¡± And with that, Jack tapped the chair and took his leave, his sword jingling lightly against his hip the only other sound to follow before the thick steel door slid shut behind him.


    Several hours following the discussion that had taken place on the bridge of the Fata Morgana, Aesilla was now watching another hologram, this time of the Fata Morgana itself, and the repair facility that was doing its work putting the damaged section of the ship back together. Multiple arms reached out from the gantry that had been pulled alongside the vessel, each of them now precisely inserted into the uncovered compartments of the Fata Morgana.


    One arm was pumping out a rubberized compound into a series of layers that would form a new self-sealing fuel tank. A second arm was slowly pouring white-hot liquid metal into position for the construction of a new bulkhead, fed partly by the remains of the old that were being chewed up and melted into raw materials for use. A third arm, the most complex of them, was now laying fresh wiring in place where the previous iteration had burned up and melted in the fire the ship had suffered.


    Meanwhile, numerous little robotic scrubbers scampered across the deck plating and walls of the compartments that had burned, rapidly removing the built-up soot and other contaminants from the affected plates. All of this fanfare, Aesilla watched quietly from the bridge via hologram, likening the assembly effecting repairs to a small multitude of insects scurrying about a hive in her mind.


    Her thoughts drifted back to the earlier discussion that had taken place over the space through which the ship was slated to pass. While her irritation at the colonel¡¯s poor choice of words had passed, she still found herself frustrated with the man. While his recommendation to stand the vessel at battle ready status for the duration of their transit would normally have been prudent and sound, the Fata Morgana was her ship. The colonel had questioned the wisdom of her planned course of action on her own bridge before her crew. While he was well within his rights to want to discuss the scenario, objections ought to have been voiced in private. Aesilla sighed, resigning herself to the fact that she was dealing with an infantryman instead of a sailor.


    While the ship underwent its repairs, Jack sat behind his desk in his room. His green eyes scanning every word on the dataslate in front of him. If there was one thing he hated about being an officer the most, it was paperwork; too damn much of it. Even if it came with the job, it was still nothing he wanted to deal with, but it did help him drone out and focus his thoughts elsewhere during long quiet moments like these. The less he had to time to think about his own issues, the more healthy his mind was. Yet, like the Captain, his mind was still drawn back to their previous conversation, and now he was unsure if Aesilla was a woman of honour as he had first come to know her as, or someone of ill-nature. He hoped and prayed to the universe that his fears were just that, fears and not reality. More so for the sake of the Galactic Confederation¡­ if it turned out that she was a former slaver, it would make the government seem just as bad as the Ascendancy, given how it would look to anyone seeking to turn the tables and use that little piece of info to fuel people¡¯s support for the Ascendancy. Naturally, people would think the Confederation was just a hypocritical bunch of human and Xeno''s looking to exploit them for their own benefit rather than helping people like they really were.


    ¡°Ugh! Fuck!¡± He cursed, whipping his metal coffee cup across the room, only for it to slam into the wall and clank against the rug laid out overtop the steel floor. ¡°Why does this bother me so damn much?¡± Asking himself the question didn¡¯t really help any, but it was all he could do given how little he knew, and how his entire command staff were on the station.


    Leaning back in his comfy office chair, he found his eyes drifting up and then down once more until they landed on the picture of his friends and brother. He, his younger brother Paul, and his four childhood friends had all joined together; and all under the pressure of family. Each was an officer in a different unit and regiment, though two had since died, one of them being his close friend and ex, Emily Wulferam. A year back, she and her company had tried assaulting an Ascendancy position, only to be wiped out entirely¡­ everyone killed in action. An event, he himself had witnessed. Picking up the picture he couldn¡¯t help but smile fondly at it. Though as he looked once more at Emily, he frowned. Resting the picture frame back on the desk he pulled out his medal box and placed the medal he had won taking the position that had killed his former friend and lover. It was a stupid thing he did, and one he wasn¡¯t expecting to come back alive from either when he did it. In a blind rage, he charged the enemy hill, killed the defenders with only his sword and pistol¡­ Suicide was what he tried to commit to doing the action, but instead, he succeeded in taking the position and capturing well over a hundred POW¡¯s, earning him the Galactic Confederacy¡¯s highest honour.


    ¡°A piece of jewelry¡­¡± He sighed.


    Jack hated medals, and he hated getting them as they always seem to land him with things he didn¡¯t want or was even prepared for. Sure, it was nice to get recognized for doing something worth mentioning, but most of what he was awarded for was for doing stupid shit that may have saved lives¡­ but were really just him trying to either get revenge, save his friends, or in the case of Emily- kill himself. Sighing once more, he closed his eyes, letting himself drift into slumber as the stress finally left him.


    Aesilla¡¯s hologram shifted once again, displaying a typical group of ships in a slaver convoy. The hologram then gained another ship, as if appearing from a jump. This ship was the Fata Morgana itself. Aesilla then began moving the vessels within the slaver convoy about, predicting their responses based on her knowledge of that faction and the vessels¡¯ capabilities.


    Four vessels, similar to the Morgana, broke away seemingly fleeing the new arrival, with a more heavily armed escort following along. The other two ships in the formation advanced on the Fata Morgana¡¯s position from a distance. At that point, rings indicating some form of transmission began to emanate from these vessels, having closed with the likewise advancing hologram of the Fata Morgana.


    Aesilla then keyed a few buttons on the holographic display module and the Fata Morgana replied to the two slaver ship holograms in kind, but when they were reached by the rings from their adversary, the coloured placeholder beneath the vessels changed colour to match the Fata Morgana.


    With several more keystrokes, Aesilla turned the two vessels that had advanced on hers around, and in concert with the Fata Morgana, advanced on the remaining armed vessel and the unarmed transports. Aesilla then sighed heavily, knowing the outcome. Keying up a few new commands, the remaining armed vessel disappeared to warp, while the four transports simultaneously exploded in a shower of blue particles before vanishing themselves.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a starting point.¡±, Aesilla declared to herself before a member of the bridge crew chimed in with,


    ¡°Why not play dead?¡±


    Aesilla cocked her head sideways slightly before resetting the simulation.


    ¡°Why not indeed¡­¡­.¡±


    Like before, the two armed slaver vessels approached and emitted their rings.


    This time, however, the hangar doors opened, disgorging the vessel¡¯s fighter complement as the Fata Morgana remained in its position as if affected by their transmission. As the fighters swarmed around the two closest vessels, an idea suddenly struck Aesilla and she reset the simulation once again.


    As before, the two enemy vessels approached and transmitted, and the Fata Morgana remained motionless. This time, however, the fighters made a beeline straight for the escort near the transports.


    Aesilla paused for several moments, considering a likely response from the slavers.


    Having reached the conclusion of her strategic analysis, she could see no reason for the slavers to believe that they were in a position of disadvantage. The slavers¡¯ nearest two vessels moved to engage in a boarding action, while the third interposed itself between the oncoming fighters and the transports, missiles streaking from it toward them.


    Suddenly, the holographic Fata Morgana emitted a series of rings much like the two slaver vessels had, but this time a line reached from the Fata Morgana to its fighters, which also emitted smaller versions of those same rings, in close proximity to each of the vessels in their vicinity.


    All of the slavers¡¯ vessels simultaneously had their coloured bases change to match the Fata Morgana, and a phrase appeared across the holographic battlefield as if a victory message.


    The message read: Protocol Omega


    ¡°Well, that¡¯ll do.¡±, Aesilla said to herself before speaking louder for others to hear, ¡°XO has the conn. If I¡¯m needed I¡¯ll be in my quarters.¡±


    Aesilla then casually walks through the sliding doors off the bridge, a lack of rest evident in her eyes. By morning they would be underway, and Aesilla intended to be ready.


    --


    A loud beeping noise could be heard ringing in Jack¡¯s ears. Blinking awake, Jack found himself in his chair still, his arms draped over the armrests. Turning to look around for the source of the annoying beeping, he found it was his alarm, letting him know that the ship was about to cast off soon. Quickly pushing himself up and to his feet, the young officer quickly grabbed his sabre and attached it to his belt, before he went to his mirror and adjusted his uniform so that it was presentable. Once that was all done, he was quick to march out of his room and back towards the bridge.


    As the doors slid open ahead of the colonel, the command chair rotated slightly, allowing Aesilla to observe Jack¡¯s entry. As she noted the colonel¡¯s somewhat stiff gait, her gaze was drawn upward.


    ¡°Bad hair day under that cap?¡±, she asked casually, turning to the holographic display and activating it,


    ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a number of simulations based on likely hostile responses to this vessel in the sector we¡¯ll be entering. I hope we can avoid having to actually fight, but given the history of this ship I wouldn¡¯t bet on that outcome.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jack uttered confused for a moment as he stepped into the bridge. ¡°No, my hair¡¯s fine, hard to get bed head when you didn¡¯t sleep in your bed.¡± Following up, he took his cap off showing his usual short cut hair, styled to be a bit like an undercut in some aspects.


    As he walked over to his usual place in the bridge -the coffee table- he just nodded in response to her simulator based outcome. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Captain. I¡¯m not well versed in the art of naval combat, nor am I going to even assume or suggest anything that might hinder this ship. All I can do is make insights in how to defend the ship from boarding parties, and how best to counter-attack.¡± He replied cooly, the sleep still slightly affecting him before he pulled began to make some coffee; even though he knew it¡¯d taste like shit.


    ¡°There are several simulations that include boarding actions, and likely points of entry based on the action outside.¡±, Aesilla explained, ¡°The details of such actions are absent; That would be your area of expertise. The data is available for your use if you want to plan ahead some.¡±


    Aesilla then noticed what Jack was up to and decided that he had a good idea.


    ¡°Mind making a mug for me too, colonel?¡±, She called out despite not looking at all like she needed to wake up further.


    While listening to her give him the rundown on how the simulation would more than likely involve a boarding action, he took a swig of his freshly brewed coffee, only for him to feel like spitting it out. Turning to face Aesilla, he tried to give a calm look, but the bitter taste of the coffee really made it hard to make anything other than a look of disgust.


    ¡°Have to remember to buy some real coffee grinds the next time we¡¯re out.¡± He noted to himself before saying anything more. ¡°As for any strategies related to boarding actions, I well imagine you already know what I have in mind. Given what you had told me yesterday, we¡¯ll use the defensive positions you highlighted in your briefing when it comes to defending. In regards to a counter attack¡­ That would require the Marines to be geared up. I know slaver gear is essentially weak as hell, but a ballistic round still kills no matter what it¡¯s fired from.¡± As he made his reply he filled another cup with the same thick black coffee that was in his own, before walking over and handing her the cup.


    ¡°Thanks.¡±, Aesilla replies gratefully, before continuing the colonel¡¯s train of thought, ¡°I¡¯m more concerned with what ideas you might have to mitigate their best defence; The fighting positions built into the bulkheads. Anything come to mind?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Welcome.¡± He replied warmly before taking a seat in a nearby empty seat. ¡°One¡­ one strategy comes to mind.¡± Jack continued. ¡°Same strategy that I used that got me promoted to Major and this piece of metal here.¡± Pointing to the medal valour medal for a moment, before resting his left hand back on the hilt of his sabre, his right holding his own cup of coffee. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you the strategy in full detail, but I can assure you it will succeed, and that won''t put anyone¡¯s life at risk¡­ *cough*save my own*cough*.¡± Coughing the last bit, the militiaman cleared his throat quickly before continuing. ¡°All I¡¯ll need is your assurance that the enemy won¡¯t be able to retaliate with their exterior weapons.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re planning to break in somewhere on the hull?¡±, Aesilla inquired, taking a long swig from her mug, ¡°Are you perhaps hoping to follow in the hole made by one of the Fata Morgana¡¯s shells?¡±


    ¡°Something of the sort, yes. Though, in that case, I¡¯ll be going in with a platoon of Marines at my back. The entry will require such, but my plan to take the ship will require just a few things and luck.¡± The Colonel replied before taking a sip of his coffee.


    ¡°That sounds like the sort of shenanigans I¡¯m familiar with.¡±, Aesilla notes of the colonel¡¯s plan, ¡°Only you and your soldiers tend to be better equipped, well, armoured anyway.¡±


    Aesilla takes another gulp from the mug, seemingly savouring the flavour with a barely audible satisfied exhalation.


    ¡°Yes, well, that¡¯s to be expected given how we¡¯re usually in the front lines while the Marines often sit with the crew during planetary assaults¡­ just how it is. Not like the Marines of old.¡± Jack added.


    ¡°The Marines of Old?¡±, Aesilla inquired, now interested in what the origins of the Confederates¡¯ unit was, ¡°They weren¡¯t always the final goalkeepers in a boarding action?¡±


    ¡°Not really, during the start of the war, the Marines were often at the front with the rest of the Army. It wasn¡¯t until more planets and people started joining that such a thing stopped. Eventually, the Marines were needed for ship to ship combat rather than planetary. Essentially, militia units like mine took up their role on the ground and we got the armour they were supposed to get.¡± The Colonel answered softly, looking into the mug of his cup as if remembering something.


    ¡°You make it sound like the marines on board aren¡¯t as well equipped, or as hardened anymore.¡±, Aesilla noted, wondering to herself why the colonel¡¯s tone had changed, ¡°I suppose they have specialized training regular units lack then?¡±


    As the two officers converse, a dull clunk could be heard, followed by the engineering station¡¯s crew member reporting that the vessel was now taking fuel prior to its departure.


    Aesilla¡¯s eyes dart toward the hull in the direction of the noise before quickly settling back on her conversational partner as she swallows yet another mouthful of the coffee in her mug.


    Shrugging, Jack took another sip of his coffee. ¡°I¡¯m not saying there aren¡¯t many veteran Marines, but most of the combat-ready troops were relocated to the regular army to help shore up Infantry and armoured units. In truth, you¡¯d more than likely spot more than a few former Marines in Reg Forces, with a few former Senior NCO¡¯s taking commisions in the Marines like my Regiment¡¯s Major, Warren there. He¡¯s a former Marine Gunny who was relocated to the Regular¡¯s but when offered a commision with the militia forces he took that instead.¡± Pausing a moment he grinned, ¡°Better pay.¡±


    Aesilla couldn¡¯t help but respond with a small smile at the thought of switching to a militia unit being a source of better pay but was simultaneously confused by just why the colonel would bring marines with him instead of his own troops if the veteran soldiers had mostly been replaced by those less experienced.


    ¡°So,....... if all the baddest marines are in other units now, why marines instead of more battle-hardened troops?¡±, Aesilla pressed, ¡°It almost feels like you¡¯re trying to bring along cannon fodder.¡±


    ¡°Not cannon fodder, training. Think about it? When a ship gets into combat they¡¯re often quick to start boarding actions, you and me both know this to be true given how the Ascendancy thinks. But, given the basic training every Marine receives back at their homeworld before deployment, they know how to fight aboard a ship than any Ascendancy soldier or sailor ever can. And once they gain valuable fighting experience with the Marines, they¡¯re seen as having completed their training and are then promoted and offered other duties, positions, and commisions based on their former experience and or trade. Most times, you¡¯ll have them take up officer commissions within the Militia units since you get more money, and a higher chance to see a new world and explore it rather than just sit in a ship that waits up in space¡± He replied soundly, downing the rest of his coffee, forcing him to stick his tongue out in disgust. ¡°Ugh.. this shit¡¯s terrible¡­¡±


    ¡°That seems like an awfully short pathway to command authority.¡±, Aesilla noted with a look of slight consternation, then one of bewilderment as the colonel makes a face she had never seen before, and looks down at the remaining liquid in her mug before commenting, ¡°Maybe you just got a bad mugful? Mine seems perfectly fine.¡±


    Aesilla then finishes the rest of her own coffee, again seeming to thoroughly enjoy the flavour, as the engineering station reports that fueling is now complete and that the ship is ready for launch.


    ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s our cue to cast off.¡±, Aesilla states matter of factly, thereafter ordering the vessel out of port.


    ¡°I suppose, but it seems to work out for the best. Having combat veteran¡¯s leading hardened men and women into battle is better than an inexperienced college kid. Best to start them off at the Second lieutenant and have them work their way up while the combat veterans have a higher chance for promotion.¡± Jack replied before the report on the fuel came up, forcing him to relax a little more in his seat.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready whenever you are¡­ though, all I do here is sit until something comes up for me to do.¡± Jack noted.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking for something to break the boredom, I¡¯m sure any number of department heads on the ship would be happy to have you pitch in.¡±, Aesilla playfully cracks as the vessel makes the jump to warp.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got paperwork that more or less cures that issue.¡±


    --------


    The Fata Morgana dropped back out of warp at the extreme limits of a new system. This system consisted of three planets, one standard terrestrial, one mostly terraformed, and a third which was only in the beginning stages of terraforming. Two gas giants also orbit the central star, with an asteroid belt ringing the system between the solid celestial bodies and those of gas.


    From a distance, the inhabited planets appeared little more than spots of light in the black void of space. The system¡¯s gas giants, on the other hand, loomed much larger. From the Fata Morgana¡¯s position, they appeared of identical size, an illusion, one being much larger than the other. Around the larger of the two, a thick metallic ring encircled the ball of gas as if a belt.


    All throughout the system, a steady stream of traffic to and from each point in space orbiting the central sun flowed like the lifeblood of a living creature. Vessels of all varieties, going about their business, shining in the bright light of the system¡¯s star like the scales of a gargantuan snake.


    Among the myriad vessels before the Fata Morgana, several similar ships transited into the system. Though they lacked the armour or armament, they were instantly recognizable for what they were. Alongside them travelled a pair of escort ships, armed with turrets similar to the Fata Morgana¡¯s own, though one greater in number. Further, into the system, a regular patrol could be observed; A surplus ascendancy destroyer, no doubt purchased by the slavers with ill-gotten funds, and a trio of lesser picket ships.


    ¡°Huh¡­ they actually came.¡± Jack whistled in mock surprise, as he came walking into the bridge along with Warren and the newly promoted Captain of the 1st Company, Yuki Kobayashi.


    ¡°Relax, Colonel,¡±, Aesilla reassured the new arrivals, ¡°We¡¯re not close enough, or doing anything suspicious enough to have been noticed yet.¡±


    Aesilla turns to the helmsman and issues a simple order: ¡°Match speed to the majority of traffic and keep something between us and the system¡¯s authorities at all times until further notice.¡±


    She then turned back to Jack before speaking again.


    ¡°We¡¯re scheduled to pick up a supply of parts for our fighter craft at the industrial complex in this system.¡±, Aesilla explains, ¡°Unfortunately, neither I nor this ship, can arrive in port here without causing a stir. I¡¯m hoping we can use the troop transports to pick up what we need and return with the cargo to the ship. Of course, that will require somebody to go aboard the station to collect the order and I would very much prefer it be someone, or a group, who can fight their way back out if something goes wrong.¡±


    Looking at the Captain now, Jack had to question why it was a bad thing if anyone of her own crew went to pick up the order they had made. Shaking the unease away, however, he turned to look at Bull who gave a worried expression.


    ¡°Why¡¯re you looking at me?¡±


    With a grin, Jack replied, ¡°Learning experience.¡±


    With a frown, Warren gave him the middle finger when everyone¡¯s attention was turned away. ¡°Fuck you too buddy.¡±


    ¡°Heh. Think of it as payback Major.¡± Jack replied with a sly grin before turning Yuki, ¡°As for you Captain, you¡¯ll be going with him. I want you and a platoon of your best soldiers to accompany him to the pickup location. Chances are it¡¯ll be another Triara like engagement.¡±


    The young Asian descent captain gave a small nod before saluting. ¡°Sir.¡± She followed up quickly before about facing and heading out of the bridge.


    ¡°Huh¡­ she¡¯s quite the professional one, isn¡¯t she?¡± Jack observed aloud.


    Warren shrugged. ¡°She¡¯s always been that way.¡±


    ¡°Right, well, I suppose you and your escort should arm up. Take your standard gear, and make sure to keep your blade handy¡­ I don¡¯t trust anyone in this system to hold up their deal of things or let us pass without trouble.¡± Turning to look at Aesilla, ¡°More so if they have some outstanding issues with certain individuals serving with us.¡±


    As he finished, Bull snapped a salute before smiling. ¡°Do your best not to get attacked while I¡¯m away.¡±


    Frowning Jack waved his friend and 2iC away. ¡°Yeah, yeah, just get out of here.¡±


    Turning back to the Captain, he gave her a small nod of acknowledgement. ¡°So, what¡¯re we expecting while we¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°As you¡¯ve surmised, nobody is to be trusted.¡±, Aesilla confirmed, ¡°In this system, anyone could as quickly become merchandise as customer. Show weakness and you¡¯ll run into trouble. Show strength, and you¡¯ll generally get across the message that you¡¯re not to be fucked with. Finally...... always have an escape plan. Don¡¯t get caught in a corner. No matter how much firepower you have, a cornered target won¡¯t scare off anyone.¡±


    Aesilla paused for a moment before remembering something.


    ¡°You should probably leave off any identifying markings you can.¡±, Aesilla cautioned, ¡°If something pops off, plausible deniability is our collective friend.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t do that last part sadly. We¡¯re a uniformed army¡­ the only thing that ensures our safety as per our agreement with the ones who run this system. So long as there¡¯s a GCW flag or marking on our uniforms we should be safe¡­ unless we¡¯re with someone who has bad blood with them.¡± He replied looking at Aesilla.


    ¡°You are.¡±


    Aesilla¡¯s answer was simple and to the point. No benefit in hiding it, only risk.


    ¡°Then we seek diplomatic intervention. Even if you and they have bad blood we will still bring to light the trade and treaties we have with these organizations that allow them to fuel this system¡­ other than slavery that is. Though¡­ I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll more than likely go to war with this system in the near future given how the GSW government feels about slavery.¡± His reply was quick and professional, he was still a little out of it, having had to go through so much paperwork, his tone had started to sound like someone of his rank should; something he disliked somewhat.


    ¡°Any diplomatic solution would involve turning me over to them.¡±, Aesilla answered coldly.


    The Colonel shook his head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t happen. We¡¯d more than likely offer them some sort of trade deal or give them some sort of space. Depends on how it all goes. Though¡­ If you¡¯re wanted due to war crimes¡­ well¡­ then we¡¯d have to given how that¡¯s law for both sides, but we don¡¯t know your side of the story to really use you for any sort of diplomatic solution. Hell, not even the GSW has anything on your past save you being a merchant slash smuggler before they recruited you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for war crimes to be involved without being a soldier.¡±, Aesilla answered, ¡°No, they want me in their custody because I took control of the ship they tried to confine me aboard, and subsequently used its slave circuits to self-destruct their largest combat vessel, coincidentally bearing the head honcho running the slavers¡¯ guild itself.¡±


    Raising a brow in surprise, Jack found himself a little surprised and at the same time relieved that Aesilla was not a slaver¡­ but rather an escaped slave showed true strength in his eyes given what she more than likely went through during her enslavement. But upon her giving him the rundown of her and her crew¡¯s history, he now felt a little bit unsure about things. The Confederacy wouldn¡¯t give ANY of its personnel to the guilds and gangs that ran this system, and nor would they want to start any sort of conflict given how most of the active fleets and armies were busy fighting the Ascendancy. Sighing lightly the militia Colonel sat in his usual chair, resting his head in the palm of his hand while the elbow rested on the desk.


    ¡°Well¡­ that will make things a fair bit more complicated, but I can assure you that our government wouldn¡¯t give any of its officers, soldiers, pilots, or sailors to these thugs. If we¡¯re able we¡¯ll seek to provide some sort of reimbursement to make up for their losses.¡± He said calmly, trying to reassure the Captain.


    ¡°They¡¯re not interested, colonel.¡±, Aesilla countered with mild irritation, ¡°In the entire history of their organization, they had never lost a shipment of slaves before. When I took control of their ship and blew up the pursuit, they lost multiple vessels at once and simultaneously lost a myriad number of contracts that would have required a consolidated, charismatic leader and negotiator to recover. Taking control of the ship I did, and destroying the pursuers I did, caused the damage that will last decades. Next, to that, there¡¯s no offer that the GCW can make that will interest them because getting their hands on me will do more for their prosperity by far.¡±


    ¡°Oh? How would getting you be far more valuable than having the GCW as a trade partner in all things not associated to their slave trade?¡± Asking, he began to rub the stubble on his face.


    ¡°The slaves are how they make most of their money, Colonel.¡±, Aesilla answered promptly, ¡°Eliminating me and recovering my crew will restore a measure of faith in their ability to keep slaves confined and bring back lost business.¡±


    ¡°And yet, you noted before that they wouldn¡¯t kill any potential slaves, more so ones with talent. So¡­ hmm¡­ well, all I can do in this case is promise you what little protection I can give. I won¡¯t let them have you OR your crew. You have my word on that¡­ and believe me, they¡¯ll not want to make an enemy out of the Confederacy.¡± He promised, knowing full well it would more than likely do little to reassure Aesilla, much less her crew.


    It was the only thing he could do, however, and a promise he would seek to keep no matter what it might cost him; be it a limb or another scar¡­ or even his life for that matter. All that mattered were those he was charged to protect and command. So long as he was around, he would protect Aesilla. Though he knew she would need little of that given her ability scores during the Basic Military and Officer training the Confederacy provided her. Either way, he would do what he could to ensure the freedom and rights of the Fata Morgana¡¯s crew, more so since they were officially recognized as citizens of the GCW, and as such afforded the same assurances as anyone else within the new nation.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t let them take this ship without a fight.¡±, Aesilla responded with a slightly patronizing look, ¡°But going the diplomatic route pretty much precludes this vessel being able to do anything in this system. If they know we¡¯re here, they¡¯ll actively search for us with everything they have, and if they know where we¡¯ll be, they¡¯ll send everything they have to greet us.¡±


    Jack was getting a little annoyed now at how little faith the Captain had, but did his best to dismiss his annoyance. ¡°Well, if worse comes to worse, the Confederacy will declare war on this system. Despite its strong defences, I doubt this system would last a week against a Battle Group. Hell, I bet even my Regiment would be able to take a few planets with just the support of the Morgana given the level of gear and standards of this system¡¯s thugs.¡±


    Aesilla stood motionless and silent as the grave for several moments before speaking, her tone both shocked and inspired,


    ¡°Wait,..............the fuck did you just say?¡±


    ¡°What? Just said we¡¯d more than likely be able to take a few planets before we¡¯d need support from a battle group?¡± Jack replied with a raised brow


    ¡°Colonel, there are only two relevant military targets in this system.¡±, Aesilla elucidated, ¡°The industrial complex, which produces armed vessels, and the third planet, which houses the fighting strength of the slavers¡¯ guild. Further, the whole system is being controlled tightly by the slavers¡¯ guild through either fear or technology. If we take their military facilities and their production centre, we simultaneously break both means of control.¡±


    ¡°Well, I suppose it¡¯s possible to do¡­ hmm¡­ well¡­ this might get me in trouble just suggesting this plan, but we could capture it right now under the guise of ¡®self-defense¡¯. Use the pick up as a means of conducting a discrete invasion. Would take a mere two hours at most to take the harbour and another ten to take the factory itself. Took us two whole days to take the Ascendancy¡¯s industry world in the outer rim during the first year, and they had a proper military.¡± He explained softly, leaning back in his chair.


    ¡°Given the fact that they¡¯ll recognize the vessel on sight, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll need a guise to claim self-defence.¡±, Aesilla reminded the colonel, ¡°They will start shit with us. All we need to do is come up with a plan that controls where and when they engage us so that we¡¯re in a position to deliver your troops to the required drop points.¡±


    Aesilla turns briefly to the helmsman, directing him to alter course to a point deeper into the asteroid field so as to conceal the vessel while they prepare their plan.


    ¡°Further, if we release the slaves in this system from the guild¡¯s control it will limit their ability to maneuver and respond to us, not to mention the hell they¡¯ll be facing trying to combat the riots that will ensue.¡±, Aesilla stopped for a bit to ponder, ¡°The trick will be timing the release of the slaves so as to minimize casualties among them. Ideally, we want the enemy focused on us when they suddenly find themselves overrun by hordes of newly freed and angry beings.¡±


    Scanning the Captain for a moment with his emerald green eyes, the militia commander could see the sheer joy in plotting such an ambitious plan. ¡°Well, for starters, we can use the pick up as a means to quickly take control of the factory, and turn that harbour into our FOB to launch further attacks from. Once that¡¯s all set up we¡¯ll be able to launch a number of assaults on the guild¡¯s main buildings, removing any and all defences on the first planet. Once that¡¯s secure, we¡¯ll send out a request for support, which should be received by the Confederate Battle Group patrolling the demilitarized zone. So long as we control their ability to produce or repair anything, we¡¯ll have the upper hand.¡± Pausing a moment to stand now, he walked over towards the massive viewport. ¡°First and foremost though, we¡¯ll need to gather the support of the slaves on the other worlds¡­ having them take up arms should prove to make things a fair bit easier. Plus, if we offer them citizenship within the GCW, chances are they¡¯ll be more motivated to fight¡­ I hope.¡±


    ¡°These people have murderous intent toward their captors, colonel.¡±, Aesilla assured Jack with a deadly cold tone, ¡°All it will take is handing them a weapon, and showing them that they¡¯ve got a fighting chance.¡±


    Aesilla looks around the bridge, meeting the gazes of all the crew members who were now mostly staring in her general direction.


    ¡°I think¡­¡­¡­. We should land on the second planet.¡±, Aesilla ventured, ¡°Do a low, slow pass over several of the communities trapped on the surface, then set down somewhere concealed but accessible to those with local knowledge.¡±


    The communications officer then steps over to the holographic display, bringing up a specific location.


    ¡°The Arch should be big enough to hide a ship this size, and the high mineral content in the rock there will disrupt any attempts to scan through it.¡±, She explained concisely, ¡°On the other hand, it can be accessed on foot if somebody knows the path along the cliff faces. Who knows, there might even be a few people camped there to get away from supervision.¡±


    ¡°This could work.¡±, Aesilla commented, ¡°Once we¡¯re landed, we can make contact with the locals and spread the word of our presence. The only slavers¡¯ guild ship to ever be captured is something of a legend, as I understand it.¡±


    Nodding in agreement, the militia Colonel pushed himself up and off of his chair, before making his way towards the exit. ¡°Sounds good. Once we¡¯re down, I¡¯ll start getting the Seventh to secure the area around the Morgana. When everything''s been readied I¡¯ll task an escort for whoever you¡¯re going to send to meet with the local population.¡± He started, turning to face the Captain, before the metal doors slid open, a pocket of cool recycled air hitting his skin. ¡°Just because they¡¯re oppressed doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯ll help us, or keep quiet. Best to be ready for anything.¡± Jack finished before stepping out into the corridor.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t get it.¡±, commented the communications officer, shaking her head.


    Aesilla simply nodded in agreement, making a mental note to explain to the colonel later that there was nothing more dangerous for a slave than being known as a rat, and proceeded to direct the helmsman to bring the vessel in for the planned low pass before landing. The LZ would be tricky given the surrounding terrain, and anyone camped nearby would only complicate things, but her crew had done far wilder things than maneuver around stationary terrain.


    While the ship was making its approach to land, Jack had quickly found his way to the mess where most of his soldiers were lazing about -enjoying what little free time they had- as well as where his two senior commanders were also located. Stopping at the entryway, he scanned the room, quickly spotting Warren, and Knight who were stuck in a heated argument over which ship was the strongest in the Confederate Navy.


    Shaking his head, he walked in, giving nods of acknowledgement to anyone who saluted before pulling a seat out and joining the two officers. ¡°I think our Captain believes everything will be all roses and sunshine upon our arrival.¡±


    Warren looked over towards his friend and commander before giving a grin, ¡°Afternoon to you too bro.¡±


    Jack mentally facepalmed at the lack of his own edict before shaking his head and laughing. ¡°Heh, yeah, sorry¡­ just mind caught up in the clouds again I suppose.¡±


    Bull waved his hand, ¡°It¡¯s fine, but why the critical viewpoint there?¡±


    Shrugging the young commander scanned the room to make sure there were none of her crew around. ¡°Just how she¡¯s treating this whole thing. We¡¯re about to liberate a system that was formally neutral in this war, and somehow¡­ I feel as though our Naval opposite is in the belief that no one would report our position be them, slave or citizen.¡±


    ¡°Navy issues sir¡­ But¡­ I do have to side with her to some extent.¡± Knight interjected.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I mean, given what we know about her and her crew, they seem to know this system like the back of their hands.¡± Pausing, Knight took a sip from her paper cup. ¡°I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt.¡±


    Nodding, Jack smiled. ¡°Noted Captain, though¡­ I still believe it¡¯s best to stay on guard. Remember what happened during the first year of the war. We too thought many citizens would accept and hide our positions¡­ more so since we were basically giving them everything, yet they still betrayed us.¡±


    The two other officers nodded in agreement.


    ¡°But! I will say this¡­ we¡¯ll let her and the Fata Morgana¡¯s crew take the lead for this one. What they say, we do. They know this place better than we do, and most more than likely know some of the people living in this hellhole.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Both agreed in unison


    ¡°Now¡­ is there any real coffee left? Shit on the bridge is basically sludge.¡±


    Several hours later, the crew of the Fata Morgana had finally managed to identify a window of opportunity in the slavers¡¯ patrols of the system to slip out of traffic and down to the planet¡¯s surface. Aesilla now entered the ship¡¯s conference room, beginning process of discussing the planned away mission.


    Jack sat silently looking over the dataslate of the mission, before looking up at the Captain, ¡°Captain.¡± He greeted with a small smile and nod.


    Warren, Knight, and the rest of the 7th¡¯s officers and Senior NCO¡¯s all greeted the Captain, standing at attention upon her entry.


    ¡°As you were.¡±, Aesilla answered casually, taking her seat, ¡°This is going to be a fairly simple mission, as far as stealth operations go,¡± she explained, ¡°Your objective is to get a small contingent of this ship¡¯s crew in contact with the local population¡¯s de-facto leadership undetected. Hostile presence is likely to be relatively poorly trained, and initially light, but will increase exponentially with time. The longer this takes, the harrier it gets. That said, the three crew members you¡¯ll be escorting are no strangers to skulking about or getting violent as the need arises. The three you¡¯ll be escorting are Communications Officer Cira Firetongue, Tuura, our loadmaster, and Victor Virn, our chief engineer. Cira is a polyglot, capable of translating the various languages we will no doubt encounter, as well as a previous resident here. Tuuraa, on the other hand, is an expert negotiator with a bent for record keeping, mathematics, and as you would expect for one so, I believe the colonel would describe her as elephantine, making big, heavy, things move, and finally our chief engineer Victor Virn, who, aside from his obvious technical expertise, is able to directly interface with computerized systems by dint of his cybernetics, and use those same cybernetics to cause serious damage should such be necessary. Return to the ship is to occur only in the event of successful contact, unsuccessful contact, or SNAFU. Any questions before we continue?¡±


    Aesilla¡¯s long-winded introduction of her three crew members to what was probably the largest number of the seventh¡¯s officers that they had direct contact with to date ended with a push of the holographic displays buttons, bringing up a map of the surrounding area.


    Jack nodded his approval of the experienced crew being sent by the Morgana, so, in turn, he knew he¡¯d have to send his best to ensure that everything would go well. Scanning the room, he began to mentally make note of everyone¡¯s strengths and weaknesses.


    ¡°Sergeant Major Andre Richardson and his second platoon of first company will act as escorts for your crew. They¡¯re highly skilled and well trained¡­ Richardson and his soldiers have fought with the Seventh since the start of the war.¡± Jack announced, before motioning towards the bald-headed dark-skinned man who paused in shock, looking at everyone now looking at him.


    ¡°Aw fuck¡­¡± Andre cursed silently to himself before he walked up. ¡°Sir, Ma¡¯am.¡± He quickly greeted as he stood at attention.


    Walking to the table as Jack waved him at ease, he reached for the table¡¯s holo control¡¯s before he brought up his wrist and downloaded all the files provided by the ship¡¯s logs, which would more or less answer any of the questions that might be had, such as town and city names, population numbers, though the only question that wouldn¡¯t be answered or wasn¡¯t known was¡­. Who controlled the world?


    ¡°If I might¡­ I¡¯m curious, which of the five main groups controls this world Ma¡¯am? From what the files say, or rather don¡¯t say is who controls what here. All I¡¯m seeing is who¡¯s better armed and more wealthy, yet nothing on who controls what.¡± Andre asked as he scrolled through the files provided by the ship.


    ¡°That¡¯s because leadership in this system changes nearly constantly.¡±, Aesilla answered, ¡°One faction trades a new space lane for this, another trades coordinates to an undiscovered planet for that, it¡¯s honestly a real mess. Previously the guild had a clear leader, but nobody has since stepped in to fill that role. There might not be anybody with enough widespread support to take that position. Whatever the case, there are two points of note. First, we can¡¯t simply cut off the head of the snake to sow confusion and chaos. Second, the lack of leadership causes confusion and chaos. A given outpost could be working for one faction on one day, and be transferred into the hands of another the next. It can sometimes be difficult for the slavers here to figure out who they answer to in a given situation or location.¡±


    Andre nodded, rubbing his bald head in thought. ¡°Rog¡­ so, we should be able to get our people in and out before they even know we¡¯re there.¡±


    The young blonde Colonel nodded, ¡°Good, the confusion should give you guys enough time to set up a real meeting.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Warren added, ¡°But, I¡¯m still a little nervous about the enemy outpost here.¡± Pointing to the map now on the table, ¡°I¡¯d like permission to take this point while our people are in the villages and towns. If we have this, that should effectively cut off any form of communication with the rest of the group¡¯s garrison on the world.¡±


    Knight leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest, ¡°I¡¯m not so sure Major. I think it¡¯d be best if we just set up overwatch to keep an eye on the outpost. If communication is cut¡­ chances are they might panic and think something¡¯s up. For now, I think it''s best to have teams of snipers and Pathfinders spread out and serve as cover for Andre and his platoon.¡±


    The Colonel remained silent, letting all his officers make their suggestions, his mind already beginning to think how each plan would play out.


    ¡°I can lead the teams in that case Captain.¡± Came Yuki Kobayashi whose brown eyes were still locked on the map.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I think I can make good use of the terrain, and I want to see what these groups have to offer in terms of resistance.¡± Turning now to the Colonel, ¡°Plus, if the worst should happen, it¡¯d be nice to have some more intel on these people.¡±


    ¡°Agreed¡­ you¡¯ve got command Captain. Choose your best, and head out when you¡¯re ready.¡± Jack agreed.


    ¡°Thank you Sir.¡±


    Turning back to Aesilla, the blonde nodded for her to continue if she had anything further to add, a small smile across his face.


    ¡°Bear in mind that they¡¯re in the process of reporting our presence on the planet as we speak.¡±, Aesilla cautioned, ¡°By the time you near your objective, they¡¯ll know you¡¯re out there somewhere. Unless there are any further questions, this briefing is dismissed.¡±


    And with that, everyone stood up, everyone waiting until the main commanders left, before they too all shuffled out, leaving an empty room and a nervous feeling...