| Full Name; |
Simulator-Object-4042 |
| Manufacturer(s); |
Generated by The Simulator Mk40/40.5 |
| Production Type; |
Visually mirrors the user''s input data |
| Production Window (For the Software); |
25/06/Ta424 - Present |
| Frame; |
Mirrors the user''s input data |
| Notable Pilots; |
n/a |
| Threat Ranking; |
E- up to C- |
Front 3.3; Progress (Originally Labelled Front 7)
3.3 - Progress
Five days does not sound like a long time. Indeed, at barely half a standard week in the UnderCurrent solar system, one does not imagine achieving much in such a short period; then again, the now twelve days Una had spent aboard the good ship Am-Fluchtig surely felt more like months. With each day, she found herself finally settling into Scarlet''s harsh training regime, a little anyway. The woman would find some new exercise to focus on daily, uses for the flak pods she had never imagined or practising seemingly basic movements that became more tricky when used in the zero-G of space.
The harsh criticisms and long anecdotes hardly let up either for that matter, but despite it all, Una felt happier that her days were now packed to the brim with training rather than the awkward solitude of her arrival.
Something she was rather proud to have improved at was her ability to pick up on the internal language of the vessel she called home. At first, all Una ever heard were those talking about the new ''Rookie'' and discussing the escort firgate''s demise and how ¡®foolish¡¯ its captain had been. In later days, some had attempted to label her ''Scarlet''s Prodigy'', but that had been mysteriously quietened just as abruptly as it had begun.
But underneath the rambling talk could be found the murmurs and whispered rumours that really reflected the general crew''s feelings. One topic, foremost of all, was a destination. A permanent fixture on the minds of all those aboard the ship, the various staff departments seemed restless at the continued lack of word on where precisely the Fluchtig was going. What was their new mission and their goal?
As Una understood it, up until a month ago, the Fluchtig had flown almost exclusively as an escort to its sister ship, the Tradech - That was until its retinue of remaining pilots and battered Vijaik mechs were transferred off, and in their place, the new current group brought in, along with extensive retrofitting of the main hanger to allow for the Neo-C customisation programme. This led the general census to the idea that the ship would now form the head of a new battle group. Combined with the somewhat less well-founded rumours that suggested the IAFS-Home-Defence-Fleet was drawing to completion, had all condoned to a palpable sense of expectations.
If the home fleet was finished and the Tradech, alongside the Fluchtig, were both leading independent gorilla groups, then logic dictated that an actual war - With no more hiding in shadows and with countries publicly declaring their support for IAFS - Was surely right around the corner.
All this had centred on a single integral point that had come to light in the last couple of days - They would be arriving at their destination in just five more sleeps.
For this reason, five days after the rumour began circulating, Una found herself, a full day of failed attempts behind her, making one last gambit to triumph against the custom simulation Scarlet had set up. All in the full awareness there might be no further attempts after today and that tomorrow could very well bring whole new circumstances:
The blocky grey head of a basic Vijaik cautiously moved its way around a winding corridor, peering outwards in search of its query - However, before it could even succeed in this endeavour, a blinding flash came before it, destroying its oval-shaped visage in an instant.
As the stricken mech stumbled backwards from the force, desperately trying to swap its vision to a different camera, a green patterned unit of similar humanoid portions sprinted rapidly down the corridor. No one actually sprints in zero-G; rather, it is more of a complicated dash making use of minor thrusters throughout a complex mechanism like a Vijaik.
Half a week ago, just five days prior, Una couldn''t have imagined moving so fast without the aid of boosters or launch ramps, but now she found herself rattling down the short alleyway, catching the grey enemy before it could so much as raise its own rifle. She positioned her weapon now,(not entirely against the surface of the unit to protect the end of her own weapon''s nozzle) but close enough to ensure a single-shot victory.
"One."
Una passed the faintest of looks to her tutor, only to find the woman''s poker face looking back at her. She pushed down an urge to be disappointed, instead readying herself for the next step.
''I will pass it this time. It has to be this time!''
Generally speaking, simulations were randomised as, in theory, a pilot could simply learn the layout of any given generated space if that wasn''t the case. However, Miss Scarlet, proving surprisingly tech-savvy, had programmed in her own details. The enemies were always the same, although two had the autonomy to move about at their own discretion.
In a sense, this gave Una an advantage; she had by now learned roughly where all her opponents would be, but accordingly, this seemed to matter little to Scarlet;
"We focus on your instincts. You beat this course without thinking by just feeling what you need to do, and then we can worry about translating that skill to regular combat."
As in all attempts prior, she turned the corner into the largest room of the testing ground, the one with the wall-spanning window outlooking the bleakness of open space.
Immediately, she raised her rifle and shot, deliberately this time, for the small passenger shuttle. Her goal differed now, as rather than using the explosion to destroy the second unit, she got a different result. It had been only the most minor of movements, but spooked by the exploding transport shuttle, the second enemy who had been hiding behind some discarded storage containers, had given away its hiding place.
Una wasted no time; kicking off from her position, she brought herself out into view of the unsuspecting enemy and fired another flurry of blinding orange lights.
"Two"
Again, Scarlet¡¯s face seemed to betray none of what she was thinking, but Una remained unperturbed. She had fired a slew of shots at that second enemy as well as used energy on her Vijaik''s boosters to get within range of the targets. With this in mind, Una now used the bare minimum to turn her mech towards the windowed wall, deciding not to waste time or resources getting herself back vertical. As such, when the next shot predictably came in from enemy number three, Una''s mech found itself in the air parallel to the ground, floating almost serenely with a steady spin.
Before this attack had even finished its course (landing with a heavy impact on her Vijaik''s left shoulder), Una had released a flak pod forward at the enemy from her left leg-mounted launcher.
Flak pods were something equipped to most mechs as a method of scattering particles of metal shrapnel to either disperse those brazen enough to attack a Vijaik from below, with rocket launchers and the like, as well as to put heat tracking missiles off course during space combat. Their appearance being that of a small grey cylinder. To use them against another Vijaik was pretty unheard of, and yet Scarlet had emphasised the lesson;
"Fire one of those with any accuracy at a computer opponent, and you''ll completely bugger their sensors. Buy''s ya a couple seconds if you pull it off right."
Una (at the time partially worried this was some elaborate test on Scarlet''s part) had questioned the validity of using such a tactic. After all, it would have little effect in an actual Vijaik dual against real pilots. But the older woman had refused to relent.
Una had yet to reach enough self-awareness to understand Scarlet intentions in showing her how to make use of any and all opportunities, no matter how underhanded a tactic may seem - Yet in spite of this gap in understanding, Una had persevered through the rigorous re-tutoring.
Because really, they had been through how to use the flak launchers back in the academy along with most of Scarlet¡¯s other tips; but months of little to no practise had dulled her skill, as was the case with much of her piloting techniques. It burned Una to know these were simple lessons that Hikari or Shasha would never of needed reminding - But alas, lamenting that wouldn¡¯t help her learn any faster.
With determination written across Una''s face, Scarlet, from her perch, observed as the Rookie''s flak pod hit home with excellent accuracy. Just as predicted, the enemy, who had been moments from loosing a second rifle volley - Seemed to stall, its aim wavering, and its head was glancing side to side as though blinded by some terrible flash - Despite the type of flak being little more than a fine misted spray compared to the size of the enemy.
Una didn''t complain; instead, she took aim and finished the third opponent with a small barrage from her rifle. A part of her wanted to celebrate, another to check her machine''s read-outs, but she knew to do either would be deadly. She had reached this point in the simulation a couple times before throughout her training, and while the test stated the course to be only three enemies long, a fourth secret enemy of Scarlet''s own devising always appeared, right in her blind spot no matter how she handled the third enemy.
"Three"
Right on cue and almost in sync with Scarlet''s short statement of fact, a siren shrilled behind Una''s head, indicating the incoming attack. There''d be no time to check the sensors to get a specific bearing on the assailant, nor time to visually confirm anything. Instead, her plan had to be instantons. ''I will pass this time!''
Leaning all her weight into her side, Una threw the Vijaik''s controls into what would have been a leftward dash. Owing to her current horizontality, it caused her Vijaik to spin rapidly in mid-air. Outside, she could hear the simulator unit doing its best to imitate the sensation of your whole machine spinning rapidly around. Una had learned that its apparent inability to have the cockpit spin was another of the practice machine''s shortcomings.
When she''d first learned this, she had been careless enough to give a devious smile; Scarlet, seeing this, had proceeded to march Una out onto the deck of the Fluchtig, still in her mech, and spin it in the complete lack of gravity just off the ship''s port bow. That spinning had made anything the simulator could do to you seem petty in comparison and made the current sensation little more than a nuisance.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Almost to her disbelief, the plan worked; unable to see her front face, ''Unit four'' let free two shots aimed squarely at Una''s back. Unbeknownst to it, she pulled forward the shield gauntlet on her right arm, grabbing it tightly as her short revolution ended.
The enemy blasts smacked against the still-moving Neo, smashing into the now front side shield that covered her vitals and drawing two blazing lines across the face of the shield. Just barely failing to penetrate the thick armour plating.
Una wasted no time escaping from a potential third shot. She quickly changed the thruster direction and set it all to an upward course. Ordinarily, that would have meant an untimely meeting with the ceiling, but on this occasion, it rocketed her machine across the large room and back to the safety of cover.
Firmly out of harm''s way, Una finally allowed herself a moment''s breath. This was the furthest she had made it, but a quick glance at her instrumentation revealed not all was well. The trick with reading instruments, as Scarlet taught it, was to discern the useful from the ''noise''.
Of all the lessons, this one still proved somewhat illusive to Una; the words seemed to dance from place to place if she didn''t take due care to heed them, and even after Scarlet moved around the placement of the various monitor screens to optimise the more image-based data from the worded, Una still found it difficult to wholly grasp the essential facts in a timely manner - That''s why she''d needed cover.
Finding said cover was only the first step, even if it gave her a moment to take everything in. The enemy, who she had at last caught a proper glimpse of, was visually as drab as its compatriots, bar a shining telescope-like lens over its visor face, in line with a long, sleek rifle. Said rifle had now been identified by her own machine''s computers:
A high precision weapon, not in any way as powerful as Miss Hoki''s experimental type, but still emitting that faint blue shine with each shot, as though signalling the destructive power within.
During her first encounter, she hadn''t even spotted this enemy, with it managing to destroy her machine in just a single shot. Still, powerful weapon or not, the enemy was camped on the far side of the room in a prone position, no more than fifty metres away. No another issue had arisen. Put simply, Vijaik combat came down to three primary factors: Pilot skill, machine quality and, of course, ''Power''.
Scarlet had deliberately set the energy level of Una''s virtual Vijaik to a minimum to prevent her from abusing the boosters to cover large areas or trying to fire broad barrages of regular fire. As it stood Una found herself now with enough left for one or two more rifle rounds at the most and a short hop of the thrusters.
Neither of which would give her the desired victory.
There was also her arc staff, but getting close enough to the enemy would become the issue, even if that had the highest chance of landing a decisive blow.
Una paused for another few moments, considering all her options while remaining tensely aware that the enemy could at any time, reposition and take her out while she stood simply contemplating.
Checking her equipment with one last cursory glance, Una readied herself for her resolution. Grabbing hold of the wall that had provided her with a short-lived sanctuary, she walked herself around into the open. Half floating, half sprinting, she began her charge forward.
The first step was to release her heavily battered shield. Taking it in one hand, she flung the much-abused object forward with as much accuracy as she could muster.
Finally, she could have sworn a half-smile crossed Scarlet''s lips.
The shield did as planned, colliding with an incoming line of cyan, the energy bursting through a burning hole and then out the other side to where Una''s Vijaik had stood just moments prior.
A second shot followed quickly, but again Una had prepped herself. The blue-bottle lightning bolt glided straight for the cabin bulkhead only to be intersected by Una''s rifle, and after that, her left hand held aloft in front of her torso area.
The bolt quickly dispatched the relatively thin rifle, which burst into a colourful cloud of pulsing light - In turn, the Vijaik soon pounced through the dust cloud with a flourish.
The left arm was next, the continued assault of energy blasts cutting through it like a knife through cardboard.
Finally, the arm relented and fell limp to the Neo-C''s side, a tangled mess of exposed cables and leaking hydraulic fluid visible for the world to see.
''Better no arm than dead, right teacher?!''
All that remanded now was her left hand, again crossed against her chest, arc staff still retracted for concealment purposes, held tightly in its large palm. If she lost the arm now, then even if she could cover the distance, the distance that now seemed so excruciatingly little, she''d have no means of attack left to hit with.
Una held her breath but not out of fear this time; instead, a wave of excitement seemed to wash over her, anticipation even. Every second felt long but in an exhilarating fashion, waiting each moment to see how many more steps she could take before the enemy could fire again.
And of course, it did fire again.
The arc made its way across at the usual blistering pace, but before it could burn through her remaining arm, Una made one more split-second decision; she lowered the arm.
A genuine grin now covered Scarlet''s face and while she couldn''t know it, so too did one cross Una''s own.
''This time, for sure!''
More than just sirens abounded through the cockpit. A large diagram appeared on the second biggest monitor - Displaying a 3D chicken-wire diagram of the cabin bulkhead, of the faint cyan line slowly burning its way through, of the single word written in the space behind the large bulkhead - ''Pilot''.
They had learned it all before, Una knew deep down most of this training was just to relearn what three months confined to a barracks and a lack of practical experience out in the field of battle had robbed from her. To refine what eight months of training, where she had never quite been able to reach her full potential, should have taught her - She knew really it was just a simulator, that real combat would be so much more brutal and far more dangerous - And yet the adrenaline flowed.
Stopping bare inches from the crew cabin (if the diagram was to be believed), the blue projectile came to a halt, its power spent.
The sniper, now only metres away, began to move, but it was far too late. The AI opponent must have calculated its chances of destroying Una to be better by firing until the very end in its current position rather than trying to move while she had been mid-charge.
That decision would cost it the battle.
Flooring whatever spare power still remained into the surviving arm''s hydraulics and the downwards thrusters, Una''s machine finally made it past the face-down enemy, skidding to a halt against the metal ground beneath as sparks flew - Her arc-staff unfurling elegantly and igniting into a colourful red glow of its own. She planted one foot firmly on the waist swivel of the enemy, who desperately tried to move out of reach.
Now effectively pinned to the floor, Una, with just one weapon and one arm left, rammed the blazing quarter-staff down with an almighty force straight through the back of the enemy cabin. The grey mecha writhed violently for a passing moment, its hands clawed for leverage, reaching out for the staff piercing it - The head jittering grossly, all as though trying to climb up the length of the energy conduit cleaving it in two - Before finally, the fourth enemy succumbed to its impaling and slid limply to the ground as the life left its mechanical body.
The battle was won.
| Simulation Over |
| Party A - (Rookie / 1st Crewman O'' Conchabhair) - Successful |
Una felt her whole body go light as she collapsed back into her chair, a feeling of relief and exhaustion lapping over her in tidal waves. She looked up with an air of hope at her ever-watchful observer. There she stood, a week or even fourteen days isn''t that long a time, not really, and yet there stood The Scarlet Scourge.
Not the overly menacing pirate or the brash and ill-mannered woman, but now, somehow, her ad-hoc tutor. There she was, a reassuring presence despite all the extensive out-of-hours training - All with a massive, wolfish grin plastered on her face - And for the first time, Una knew that grin was not for Scarlet herself but instead meant as unequivocal praise for Una''s first big achievement.
"Not bad girly, although I don''t remember teaching you to throw your weapons around like that. Still, not bad."
As she spoke, Scarlet nodded her grinning head at the monitor once more;
| Pilot Rank Statistics, Call-sign Displayed; |
| - ''Rookie'' +250, Rank Increase From ''D-'' to ''D'' |
Una could only smile in relief and just a tiny bit of pride - From ear to ear.
Volume 1 - Interlude
Interlude
A soft knocking echoes throughout the room - Hoki Bachika stands up from her desk, making her way quickly over - Unlocking the door and, with a somewhat surprised smile, welcomes Una O'' Conchabhair into her room, "Ah Una, good to see you."
Beckoning to a chair for Una to sit on, Hoki quickly grabs a flask and some cups. Carrying these back, she pours herself and Una a cup each, "Apologies if it''s not the warmest; I brewed it a short time ago."
Shaking her head, Una happily sipped. "No, it tastes good."
"Really? Well that''s good then. It seems we both had quite busy days today," Hoki replied with a tired sigh. Receiving a raised eyebrow from Una, she continued, "Oh, I''ve been asked to take over as acting second in command of the squad. The Fluchtig is meeting up with some other ships tomorrow, so our squad needed a second representative."
Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
"That''s great Miss Hoki! I''m sure you''ll make a great sub-leader," Una said back earnestly.
"Ah, you really think so, Una? I''m not so sure about that myself. I fear I lack the experience for such a role. Oh, but that''s enough of that, how about you? I hear you passed the simulation course today; very well done."
Una shied back a little, Hoki frowned, "Una, is something wrong?"
"Well... i-its ah, its nothing really just... I don''t know. I was so happy to pass the simulations, but then I thought about it some more and really, it''s not enough, is it? I can''t keep up with the rest of you when I struggle so much against something like that, can I..."
Hoki paused, then put on the smile she always had when talking to students; "Now that''s no way to think about it. You are making rapid progress; you''ll catch up to the rest of us in no time."
Una broke eye contact, staring down into her lukewarm tea, "Maybe..."
The two women sat quietly, trying their best to smile for one another, the pressures of an unclear tomorrow quickly mounting....
Front 4.1; Hoki’s Report (Originally Labelled as Front 8)
Front 4 - Reports
4.1 - Hoki''s Report
[Once Daily IAFS Regulation Personal-Audio-Log Of Ensign Hoki Bachika - Entry No.950;]
Crewmember Has Opted For Typed Log - No audio File Available;
Schedule of Events;
- Morning routine (breakfast & gym training) 0530 hours - ?
- Primary Vijaik combat practice & maintenance period 0700 hours - ?
- Duty standby & further training 0900 hours - ?
- Briefing with acting-squad leader Lt.Nilas 1030 hours - ?
- Regular lunch interval with crewmen O'' Conchabhair 1130 hours - ? *1
- Testing of ACR-Mk5-High-Power-Rifle alongside Ensign Vint 1300 hours - ?
- Afternoon rest period 1430 hours - ?
- Duty standby & further training 1500 hours - ?
- Evening fitness maintenance 1650 hours - ?
- Daily log 1750 hours -?
*1 - Warrant Office ''Scarlet'' requested Crewman Conchabhair dine with her today owing to the warrant officer predicting that the crewman would pass her current training regime today. There was no confrontation between Scarlet and me on this occasion, and the crewman did indeed pass from grade ''D-'' to ''D''.
Daily Report and Notes;
Several noteworthy events occurred today. During a briefing between 1st Lieutenant Nilas and myself, he requested I take the mantle of the squadron ''acting vice-commander'' in lieu of the still absent Lt.Commander Emilia.
I admit to some hesitation for this role; however, considering the lack of alternatives, I have accepted the temporary position. The reason this is of import owes to the events of tomorrow. At 0800 hours, the Am-Fluchtig will arrive at its destination, which, with any luck, will quieten the rampant rumour mill around the ship. We will be rendezvousing with two cruiser class vessels named the ''Valliere'' and the ''Rinie'', who shall become our new escort with their own retinues of five Vijaiks a piece. Initially, the frigate with us until a couple weeks ago would also have been in this group; however, owing to the short notice of its recent demise, it will not be replaced by any other ships of its class.
Aside from this, the rest is still only known by the captain of the ship [Commander Nate Novel]; however, tomorrow''s meeting of the heads of staff and pilot officers will be to finalise the details surrounding the Fluchtig''s new deployment - Hence the requirement for myself and Lieutenant Nilas to be in attendance in place of any other senior ranked pilots.
It is also worth noting that the ''ACR-Mk5-High-Power-Rifle'' testing conducted today has raised the co-efficient rate by ten per cent, cooldown increased to just thirty seconds and chances of self-destruction upon continued firing reduced to just 17.3476 per-percentile after six shots, which is a marked improvement on prior examination.
Finally, I happened to observe Warrant Officer Scarlet entering the break room today at 1458 hours with crewman Conchabhair in accompaniment.
The regular, unregulation length queues around the infernal food franchise machines that stretched from the small room out into the hallway were of some concern, and I considered moving along those in the queue myself. This proved unnecessary, however, as I observed Scarlet effortlessly re-organise the line herself into a more efficient system and demanding that crewmembers order for two or three at once rather than all standing in wait.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.? Furthermore, when one of the men in the queue accused the Scarlet of trying to skip the line - Going as far as to lay hands on her - She expertly dispatched the large man by impressively flipping him over her shoulder onto the ground before cautioning him against trying such an action again. I was rather impressed with her handling of the situation.
Personal Affairs;
As mentioned prior, today, Una increased her piloting rank and completed the current stage of her training course under the tutorship of Scarlet. Today also marks twelve days since Una''s arrival, and her progress has been superb.
I was concerned that she seemed to be struggling to adapt to life aboard the Fluchtig during her first few days, especially considering my own blunders in helping her settle in and the loss of the escort ship¡¯s pilots, which left her in a fragile state.
Her clear uneasiness, both mentally and her unrest regarding her piloting ability, meant she truly required a firm guiding hand - Which I was concerned I would be unable to provide considering my duties as a test pilot and acting second - Thankfully, if unexpectedly, Scarlet has stepped into this role and managed to do quite possibly a better job then I believe I myself could of. This, combined with my two encounters with her today, has reaffirmed in me why I initially suggested her as an ideal candidate for the ship''s Vijaik team, as well as reminding me of her deep experience as a veteran soldier.
With this in mind, I feel a degree of uneasiness at my inability to get along with the woman. Aside from curt dialogues concerning crewman Una, we have not had a full conversation since our last disagreement of opinions a week ago (that being the somewhat public disagreement we had on Una''s first full day aboard the ship).
I feel a great shame at holding such petty squabbles with her, and yet something about Scarlet feels off, simply seeming to rub me the wrong way whenever we converse. I shall have to put more thought into resolving this impasse.
Aside from Scarlet, there is also Una to be somewhat mindful of. At first, I was optimistic that pouring her time into training alongside a ''rigorous'' trainer like Scarlet would help to boost her self-confidence as well as alleviate her worries concerning recently learning of the deaths of her former comrades and classmates. However, while on the surface, she is very much so doing an admirable job of remaining calm, beneath, she seems more tense.
This most came to light today. After passing the current pilot grade, Una seemed highly elated, yet just a few minutes before I began writing this log, she came to my room to speak with me privately. She had apparently been given the evening off as something of a reward on Scarlet''s part after passing the test. Unfortunately, this seems to have had an adverse effect; with her goal reached, she appears to have reflected on herself in a rather negative fashion.
She confessed to me that just hours after her achievement of passing the simulation, she had gone from jubilant to disheartened. Una now believes what she did is simply the minimum required of a regular pilot and nowhere near enough for her to be able to keep pace with the rest of the squadron.
It is, in my view quite clear that Una is struggling intensely with a range of complicated issues. I may find it imperative to suggest to Acting Commander Nilas that Una be kept out of the first combat mission if needed, especially to avoid a repeat of last time. Although I fear how that might affect her confidence even more - Perhaps a psych evaluation from the ship''s doctor Naka is at least in order.
Events of Note for Day 951;
- Meet with 1st Lieutenant Nilas at his quarters for 0700 hours - ?
- Attend joint Heads of Staff meeting at 0800 hours in briefing room three - ?
- Weekly squad meeting and presumably debrief of prior meeting at 1030 hours - ?
[Recording ID; HB-PL-D950 End.]
Front 4.2; Old Hands (Originally Labelled as Front 9)
4.2 - Old Hands
0600 - Hoki awoke with near second-perfect accuracy before promptly beginning her morning routine. Today was likely to be an important occasion. She made her way to the washrooms before having a light breakfast and heading back to her quarters.
Her uniform today was a sight for sore eyes. IAFS, being a collation group, didn''t have an overly formal dress sense, with it being easier to allow x-soldiers from the likes of TSU and Remembrance to wear parts of their old attire instead of trying to regulate things too stringently. Considering her previous life as ''TSU Vijaik Cadet Hoki Bachika,'' her dress sense had little difference in this regard. Wearing for the most part an edited TSU uniform, with all its old insignias delicately removed; in their place instead was the IAFS logo.
One would be forgiven for thinking IAFS, an ad-hoc rebellion group, would be without a mass-produced logo - However, despite the organisation''s lack of some fundamental structures like an admiralty or country of origin, their largest financial backer had insisted on having a logo. A simple affair of a rectangle portraying the four letters that stood for ''Independent Alliance of Free States'' in embossed writing on the back of a plain metallic background.
These lapels were handed out ad nauseam, and while Hoki was undoubtedly glad to have something presentable for her gear in lieu of her old official markings, there was a very commercial air about the priority given to branding. This was especially prevalent now as Hoki finished straitening out her best dress uniform. It had until recently seen regular use when she had been an instructor and spokesperson for the organisation - Now an official pilot, it was the first time she''d had cause to don it in some time.
A slick get-up, from a high-rimmed collar all the way down to a lengthy dress skirt, buttoned with serene silver catches up the torso region to contrast the black of the material - With a similarly silver belt of sorts around its centre point. All finished off with a pair of smart jet-black boots and a military-issue cap.
Even with the somewhat odd IAFS logo dotted about it, the uniform conveyed a sense of poise and formality that, if anything, made Hoki a little uncomfortable as she looked over herself in her room''s large wardrobe mirror.
It wasn''t that it didn''t suit her; indeed, she was almost painfully aware that it suited her perfectly. Rather, she disliked the fact that it was such a stellar match.
Combined with her hair, now tied in an appropriately short, single brown ponytail, her narrow yet well-formed face, along with her tall stature - And Hoki looked the picture of a perfect up-and-coming military military-officer.
Sighing again, she straightened the edges and messed with the cap''s angle a little more before exiting her room.
****
0649 - Hoki''s room was held within the officer''s block of the warship, like all the pilots.
She had at first been displeased at being given a room easily large enough for three bunks, all to herself. But as had been pointed out to Hoki, if she was the only pilot to sleep in the barracks, that would likely make her stand out even more than getting the single room.
In fact, aside from Una (who herself only had a single roommate), all four of the ship''s other pilots resided in this one corridor, a narrow lane of blank metallic walls with periodic doors into rooms and a roof height little more than said doors. All along, every one of these pale surfaces was a symmetrical lining of visible rivets, ever present to remind everyone whom walked those halls that they were on a spaceship and not some nice hotel.
Hoki''s room was at the far end of this corridor. To its right lay Scarlet''s room. Separated by only a narrow wall, both Scarlet and Hoki had (subconsciously or otherwise) made a point of stacking furniture against them. Across the hallway from where she now stood was an identical door belonging to some Junior officer she had never been adequately acquainted with. One more beyond that, to its right, stood the door to Kolme Niles''s room, which she now made her way over to, standing at attention to one side of the door.
Although she had only been inside a half-dozen times to deliver reports and what-not, Kolme''s room tended to leave an impression on people. It had the regular officer''s bed with a large suspender field and a reasonably regular office desk and indented wall terminal. There was also a relatively normal storage unit for clothes. The rest, however, stood out a bit more.
Unlike most aboard the Fluchtig, who kept possessions to a minimum, Kolme seemed intent on leaving no space untouched. Inside a fairly small space, he had added in a large handmade bookcase, a tea trolley along with other kitchen utilises (like a toaster and microwave) - A wide armchair, an entirely useless hat-stand and even a ragged & slightly singed rug, bolted down to the floor to prevent its floating away. This was foremost of all highlighted by ¡®the hole¡¯: A window-shaped object like one might have between a living room and a kitchen in an old-fashioned building - Except this one gave a direct window into the neighbouring room of Sabban Vint. Sabban seemed impassive about the whole thing; when Hoki had asked if he felt his privacy had been infringed upon, the young man had simply shrugged, saying he was more used to shared accommodation to begin with and that he believed Kolme probably felt the same way.
It was this man that Hoki now waited for. She had arrived ten minutes early, so she stood quietly outside the door to the infamous room. People passed, sometimes giving her dress uniform an intrigued look, but no one in particular felt the need to strike up a conversation, all busy with their own duties.
At one point, Miss Cally passed, and the two shared a passing nod before the younger woman hurried along to her own destination.
''I really must thank her some time for treating Una so well,'' Hoki mused to herself as she continued waiting.
0710 - It had, in actuality, been Kolme''s idea to meet for seven.
An hour before the meeting properly began it would give them ample time to go over the agenda in more detail and arrive with plenty of time to spare. That had been what the lieutenant had suggested, at least¡
0718 - Still standing in that same hallway, Hoki suppressed an urge to shuffle about on her feet. Things were getting a little more awkward now that a couple individuals had passed by her more than once. That moment when you politely nod at someone for the second time in one day was not lost to her.
''Is this how my students used to feel when I asked them to wait after a lecture?''
0729 - Still waiting patiently in that same corridor, Hoki''s mind began to wonder. Thinking about the lieutenant and wearing her best uniform while standing at attention had reminded her of what life had been like up until just recently. She thought back to her time on Abhaile as both a special instructor to x-cadets like Sabban and Una, as well as her duties as a spokesperson for IAFS. The many endless dreadful conferences and bureaucratic functions.
Of course, such a role had never been her intention. Trained traditionally at Eastern Bhaile''s premiere piloting academy, the daughter of the Eastern Front''s most famous war hero, heir to a line of ancient warriors - Piloting had always been her goal. However, after IAFS was formed, it had gone awry. Her father and his people were arrested, with only her and a handful of TSU secrets and just two ''retainers'' managing to escape into space.
After such a dramatic turn of events, it was no wonder no one would take her on as a regular pilot. Everyone was too afraid; the rate of Vijaik-pilot casualties was morbid to say the least, and no ship''s Captain wanted to be the person who got ''Thee Hokuai Heir'' killed.
That was until a certain square-faced man had appeared.
A man built like a small bungalow, with a blond head of short hair that had already begun balding in places. A man who had looked more like a bodybuilding advertisement for middle-aged men rather than the captain of any warship:
''Commander Nate Novel'' - Captain of the good ship Am Fluchtig.
Apparently, the man had no qualms with having Hoki aboard, and before long, she found herself tasked with putting together a dossier of potential pilots to form a new experimental team to replace the Fluchtig''s, at the time depleted compliment.
First had been Scarlet, who Hoki had thought a great find... Until she was informed by the higher-ups that Scarlet was by no means to be given any authority following the end of her recent stint in a military prison - Something Scarlet herself seemed to be a supporter of.
So, with the Scourge out of the picture as a leader and having been made aware, the ship''s actual team leader, Miss Emilia, was loaned on secondment to the battleship Tradech more often than not - Hoki had set about finding a suitable recommendation for acting squad leader.
There had been many a candidate, but almost all those she interviewed or contacted ended up declining. After all, anyone with experience already had a posting and a squad of their own, with no good reason to throw that all away to join some potentially dangerous test group.
But then, the candidate had seemingly come to her just when her search was growing most desperate. A request from a man at the time known as ¡®Petty Officer Kolme Nilas.¡¯
To say ''a'' request was putting it lightly. According to the records Hoki could find, in the months since the war''s beginning, the man had requested a transfer off of the Tradech at least four times a month, every month. Even more interestingly, his most recent letter (and they were bizarrely physical letters) included an extra stipulation that a ¡®Crewman Sabban Vint¡¯ should also be allowed to transfer.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.? It was Sabban''s name that had initially caught Hoki''s eye. As one of her best former students, she had already planned to have him join the team, but now she had two volunteers.
Furthermore, this petty officer had all the qualifications she could have asked for. Around a decade of combat experience in Vijaiks, a veteran of The First War and the Remembrance Incident, as well as one of the very first people to be issued the current Neo-Type Vijaik - Supposedly the third none prototype unit to ever have been produced, labelled Unit 03.
That, in a roundabout fashion, was how Hoki had come to meet Kolme Nilas. It was in reality, a little more than a month ago, although it felt far longer. Her initial meetings with him had been, trepidatious. The man was scruffy, loud-spoken and brash. She had quickly grown concerned that while he would be fine as a squad member, she would need to continue her search for a suitable command figure.
Yet during the first interview between Kolme, herself, and the Captain, Nate took an immediate liking to Kolme, putting him forward for the promotion and officially assigning Sabban as his wingman. Hoki remembered how her hopes had sank. She''d been convinced at that point Nate Novel was a buffoon who had picked Kolme solely on his potential as a future drinking partner. To her surprise however, as time passed, Kolme proved to be somewhat more suitable than she had first thought. True he seldom dressed like an officer or talked like one, and his paperwork was haphazard at best...
And yet, despite it all, he was an attentive leader. Kolme made sure to keep everyone on their toes, always came for the more critical weapon tests, participated in practise sessions, knew just about everyone on the ship by first name (which was an achievement in itself considering the size of the vessel) and was generally aware of everything that went on.
''Sure, maybe not a conventional commander, but it could certainly be worse.''
0739 - ''Well, punctuality isn''t everything.....''
0742 - .............
0744 - .......
0745 - "Alright this is getting out of hand!" Hoki proclaimed aloud to no one in particular. She glanced at her wrist-mounted screen once more before finally deciding to make a move. Turning to the door, she had now nested patiently beside for so long, she raised one fisted hand and knocked with four perfectly symmetrical beats against the light metal roadblock.
THUD!
----
Falling out of a space bed is harder than one might imagine. For one, it requires you to be in the minority group that owns a suppressor field, the source of artificial gravity aboard spacecraft. Secondly, you need to make modifications to your bed, as all regulation cots have large side boards to give occupants a fighting chance of not being thrown out of bed if the ship unexpectedly comes under attack while crewmembers are sleeping.
Of course, Hoki had no way of knowing that Kolme had moved his bed so many times that the suppressor field now reached out over the edges, or that he had long since cut the safety borders off by his own hand¡
"Sir! Sir, are you ok? What was that noise? Sir!?" Hoki called with urgency.
Inside, a new set of sounds echoed. Those of someone cursing repeatedly, followed by a rush of draws being thrown open and such-like.
"Just ''ta minute Lass!" Came the reply to Hoki''s question. Relaxing, Hoki stepped back away from the door, doing her best to ignore any questions in her mind about whether she had just caught her superior officer sleeping in on the day of a vital meeting.
THUD!
This time Hoki moved on instinct; she reached for the door handle, which she found to be unlocked and threw it open. What greeted her was the view of a bombsite. Clothes presumably stacked atop what Kolme was looking for were strewn across the place. Cutlery had been knocked off a tray, some of it partially floating in the anti-gravity - While pieces of furniture lay carelessly moved out of position.
Half-fallen on the ground was the man himself, part-ways through donning a pair of socks, all while holding what might have been toast between his teeth - No trousers yet on, though thankfully a pair of boxers - Hoki rapidly turned on her heel, face flushed at her half dressed superior.
Following a few awkward apologies from both parties, Kolme finished dressing. The ''uniform'' Lt.Nilas had opted for made Hoki feel positively over-dressed. It was mostly an old TSU uniform. Black trousers and a pair of heavy boots, although with an apparent lack of the silver trimmings that Hoki''s uniform pertained.
Above these, a ruffled and un-ironed white shirt, only half-buttoned, and to finish the look was little more than his dress jacket, completely unbuttoned and with no sign of his lieutenant''s insignias, a cap or the IAFS logo.
Finally dressed, Kolme apologised for his tardiness before beckoning Hoki to take a chair. There was no question now in her mind as she watched her commander finish his haphazard dress regime by clumsily combing his hair and sideburns - That the man had most definitely been asleep the whole time she had waited in the corridor.
The finished results of the uniform weren''t much better, while at least the white shirt was now properly fastened, with boots and socks successful on without any further falls - The dress jacket was still unbuttoned, no tie was present, and the whole look was generally scruffy. It even appeared to Hoki that he had failed to shave the stubble from his face that morning, his sideburns bushier than ever, regardless of any fruitless combing.
Despite all this, with one last glance in the mirror, Kolme nodded to himself, seemingly happy with his appearance and indicating that Hoki should lead the way.
0756 - They were, of course, not early for the meeting anymore. They were barely even on time at this point. They rounded a final corridor before spotting the meeting room ahead of them. Outside the fairly non-descript doorway, another entourage of figures whom Hoki recognised as officers from a warship called the Rinie. In particular, was the leader of the group, a woman known throughout IAFS as the ''Battle-Axe'', Commander Batty.
A woman in her late fifties, whose face seemed to hold a permanent scowl, as tall as any man, yet with an air of consideration that bordered on aloof. Moreover, the woman''s dress sense actually made Hoki, in her own formal attire, feel positively naked. Batty wore the full ceremonial battledress of the former Abhailien Revolutionary Forces - Unlike most, she left on all the lapels of her old units, an almost unique mix of both TSU and Abhlien memorabilia, topped off with a peaked hat that boasted a gold embossed Abhailien logo of the Rinie, and finally a whole range of war medals lined above her left breast pocket.
This almost regal appearance did not disappoint the image of Commander Batty that Hoki had been previously acquainted with. Like Scarlet and Kolme, she was a survivor of The First War, however unlike them, Batty had mostly opted out of an event known as The Remembrance Incidence a few years ago - This along with the fact she had once worked alongside TSU forces before The First War called her back to her homeland - Had all put her in bad standings with her fellow Remembrance members and as such the veteran commander had taken the first opportunity she could to leave them and join up with IAFS,
Her somewhat legendary aggression and bad temper famously seemed to focus on Nate Novel, the Fluchtig''s captain. Possibly because of his posting to a large modern battleship, or if rumours were to be believed, because the two had a more personal history.
Speaking of, as Batty stepped into the meeting room, from behind her, Hoki caught sight of none other than Commander Nate Novel himself. To Hoki''s dismay, Kolme called out to the man, who in turn called back;
"Kolme, old chap! I thought you''d gone and skipped out on me!" The man said, his voice more that of a boisterous rugby player than a ship''s captain.
"Ha, like you¡¯ve been ''ere more than five minutes, sir," Kolme shot back, clapping a hand against the captain''s back.
"You''ve got me there, Ha-ha! Here listen, I had the strangest of dreams today, you know. It was like an, what do you call it? Out of mind? Out-of-body experience, that''s it!" Nate decreed with seeming pride;
"It was like I was looking down on the Fluchtig from outside, and then this single enemy, not a Casnel mind you, just a regular enemy, blows the whole thing up! Ho-ho, I''ll tell you that gave me a start this morning!"
For his part, Kolme''s expression changed a little at the abrupt story. His tone, a tad more serious, though still clearly playing along with the ''lads'' persona: "That so Sir? You''ve been checked for a magi ratin'', right?"
Nate''s face eclipsed into an even bigger grin than before, "No worries there old-bean, in terms of magi ability, the doc''s all say I''m as thick as a brick. No premonitions for me. Hahahaha!"
For her part Hoki awkwardly stood a couple paces back from the two as their conversation continued in much this same fashion, with all too much laughter, while the clock struck ever further past the time the meeting should have started at - From inside the meeting room she could feel the gazes of all the other officers glaring out at them.
''It''s going to be a long day...''
Front 5.1; Operation Deadlight – Part 1/3 (Originally Labelled Front 10)
Front 5 - The
Beginning
5.1 - Operation Deadlight
Once Nate and Kolme finally finished their thinly veiled gossiping, Hoki found herself following the two into the briefing room at last. A few things immediately caught her attention, the officers from the Rinie that she had seen entering the room foremost of all.
They sat in the front row, consisting of ten uncomfortable-looking, retractable chairs, matching the metallic floor and walls drearily in colour. Of the seats, two to the leftmost side of the room were left empty, obviously there for Kolme and Hoki.
A tall, well-built, impressive-looking man was in the third seat from the left. Next to him was a younger woman who stood out for her unusually bright white hair and facial features. Following the line of chairs was Batty''s first mate (in more meanings of the word than one) - First Lieutenant Wally. Unlike his captain, Wally was a small man in both posture and stature. He had what you might call a ''rat-faced complexation'' but not in that he was a weaselly looking individual but simply that he seemed meek, ready to run for cover at any given moment.
Probably at Batty''s insistence, he too was overdressed for the occasion, flourishing gold over-trims, medals and all - Although somehow they looked less impressive on the small man than on his superior.
As Hoki took her chair, she redirected her attention back to the other two members of the warship Rinie present in the row. As Kolme sat in the chair nearest the wall to the leftmost side of the room, that left Hoki next to the well-built man. She recognised him as someone she had interviewed not so long ago, as a potential candidate for the Fluchtig''s pilot team; he had politely turned her down at the time. First Lieutenant Tomo Chujits, a veteran of the Remembrance Incident a few years back and commander of the Rinie''s own Vijaik team. Their equivalent of Kolme Nilas in a manner of speaking. He was the essential image of a mech pilot - Tall and stocky but in a manner of pure muscle, yet not in any needless excess - His face a relatively gaunt picture that suggested approachability and consideration for every situation. Known as something of a model pilot who always played by the book. Hoki had found her previous conversations with him pleasant enough.
Next to him was the younger-looking woman with the startling white hair. Matching that hair were even more alarming features: Long pointed ears, alabaster skin and discoloured pupils: A pure-blooded elf. Second Lieutenant Erfu Shiri was her name, and again, Hoki knew her from the interview process. Less experienced than her team leader, Erfu had joined up a few years back and had stood out ever since. Pure-blooded elves were rare even back home on Bhaile. Sure some, like Hoki herself, could trace back ancestry of that nature - But only by delving deep into her family tree. You might have one of the elven features, the snow-white hair, albino skin or the pointed ears - But to have all the hallmarks meant you were from a line with no none-eleven blood, and those sorts seldom found cause to go into space.
The four from the Rinie certainly made for an eclectic bunch, but the other four in the front of the room were a little less conspicuous, although not by much. The Valliere''s captain was possibly the youngest person in attendance; Lt.Commander ''Louise'' was a woman of average height and lean build. Unlike Batty, Louise let her fair hair grow out past her shoulders, and rather than her best dress uniform, she seemed to be suited almost casually, with a red bandana around her neck in place of a collar or tie.
Hoki had only interacted with Louise at a few functions back in her instructor days and could describe the young woman with just one word - Smug. The daughter of IAFS''s highest ranking officer, Vice Admiral Louise, it was the opinion of many that the young twenty-something had been given her captain''s posting almost solely based on her family ties rather than her merit. In some ways, Hoki could emphasise, she and Lousie were both daughters of IAFS founders; however, Louise''s coy aloofness tended to rub the more prim and proper Hoki that wrong way¡
Compounding this view many had of the up-and-coming woman was her immediate second in command - First Lieutenant Tabitha. Tabitha was a person of similar height to Commander Louise and yet seemed more petite in the way she seemed to sink into her chair, not so much out of shyness but rather like it was her natural posture.
''Miss.Tabitha'' as most referred to her, kept long chestnut-brown hair that swept over her face in places, topped with a quant pair of glasses. It was a poorly kept secret that she did most of the day-to-day work that kept the good ship Valliere ''afloat'' - The power behind Louise''s smug front as it were.
Rounding out the row were two people Hoki had no recollection of whatsoever: A pair of muscle-bound, square-headed men. One about a foot shorter than the other, they had a quintessential bodybuilding look to them, and Hoki could only presume them to be the senior officers of the Valliere''s Vijaik team.
Similarly, Hoki failed to recognise many of the people who sat a few rows back from the front. A collection of engineering and mechanical staff by their overalls - That she could only presume were there to offer their respective expertise when or if necessary, rather than actually partake in the mission briefing. Of them, she could only really put a name to the Fluchtig''s chief mechanic, who nodded respectfully in Hoki''s direction when they briefly locked eyes.
All told it was quite the gathering of colourful people strewn about the chairs of the drab room. Hoki found herself already growing exhausted just from putting the names to faces and trying to recall relevant details of each person attending - A part of her wondered what it must be like not to have a reason to remember such details - Someone like Una only needed to be familiar with her squadmates - For Hoki details of everyone present were tantamount.
After a few more minutes of waiting (something Hoki was growing used to at this point), Commander Nate Novel finally took his place standing at the top of the room in front of everyone else bar two. These two sat by a small table in front of all the rows, attending to terminals that would presumably control the visual elements of the day''s proceedings.
The two Hoki remembered as bridge officers, in particular, the man who ever wore sunglasses even in the brightest of situations - First Lieutenant Aurin Kolasit (or in her mind simply ''Sunglasses'') - Kolme''s equal in rank and Nate''s second in command, in matters concerning the admin of the ship. All told that made for four of the senior-most officers from each of the three ships that had rendezvoused together that morning. Kolme and herself as Vijaik pilots, representative of the Fluchtig, along with Nate and Aurin (plus the nameless aide sitting next to him at the terminal) as management.
Tomo and the elf woman Erfu, along with their leader''s Commander Batty and Lt.Wally of the cruiser class ship Rinie.
And finally, the two blocky men accompanying Lt.Commander Louise and First Lt.Tabitha of the cruiser class ship Valli¨¨re.
A meeting of primarily twelve individuals that would go on to decide the course of a great many details in the upcoming days. While unnamed, a briefing which would surely be of the utmost importance. A meeting which, if truth be told, Hoki would really have rather not attended...
The meeting had kicked off in earnest, starting with Commander Nate giving some fairly rudimentary housekeeping notes. As he talked, a screen of easily three metres long by two wide emitted onto the wall behind him. What showed upon it was a series of pretty disorganised slides, the sort Hoki had seen a dozen times before, and that failed to grab much attention. This continued for a short while with little fanfare until a particular slide appeared - A faint stirring at it bringing some life back to the room; on it was a diagram of three warships - The Rinie, Valli¨¨re and, of course, the Am-Fluchtig itself.
Looking at the 2D image of her home filled Hoki with a somewhat odd feeling. It isn''t uncommon for a soldier to spend months at a time in space aboard a vessel, and even when one does disembark, you seldom get an opportunity to see your ''home away from home'' in any great detail from the outside. Were Hoki to describe the feeling, she mused it would be somewhat similar to living in an apartment block that, for some improbable reason, you couldn''t leave for a long period of time. Sure, you wouldn''t precisely forget what the exterior of the building looked like, but the nuance of it - The small alleyways or places where disrepair was present, the corners of faded paint peeling off the walls - Those places might start to fade from memory, just a little.
Of course, you would still remember your room, the place you spent those hyperbolic months locked inside, and maybe even know what your neighbour''s apartment pertained, but would you ever know what the room of someone a few floors below you looked like? Moreover, would you notice if a series of vehicles parked in your car park and then filed into your neighbour''s apartment?
That last point was the one that caught her as the most surreal. That very morning, three spaceships had come together, and yet she struggled to visualise the reality of that. Even though she now sat in a room with people who hadn''t been on the ship the day prior, there had been no sounds or vibrations to disturb her sleep when the other two vessels had arrived. In fact, it wasn''t like you could feel the Fluchtig moving through deep space. For all purposes it seemed nothing had changed despite the presence of new people.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
In a way that surprised her, Hoki felt oddly dis-associated as she looked at the images of the three space-fairing warships. She did her best to refocus on the waffle of the presentation while trying not to get any more philosophical. The Fluchtig itself could be described as iris-shaped, with the ends of said eye stretched out to the East and West.
A Large Oval section at the centre that to either side narrowed into a long shaft, along which were lined the vessel''s massive main-cannon emplacements and arrays of lesser anti-aircraft guns. These long outcroppings were also filled with storage, power generation facilities and thrusters to either end that propelled the ship on its long journeys. Atop the centre oval lay a large Hexagonal dome - Inside this dome was where the majority of the ship functioned.
The other two ships differed significantly from the Fluchtig. The Rinie was a decade-old cruiser class vessel from The First War, and although it had seen extensive retrofitting, its aged design philosophies certainly showed - It essentially looked triangular in shape, at about a sixty-degree angle, that levelled into straight flats near each corner.
This triangular shape was dotted with double barrel cannons, pinpoint AA guns and a series of small windows looking in on various parts of the ship. On its ''back'' slope were simply two massive thrusters controlling all movement. In this was what showed the vessel''s true age, effectively being a ship designed to fight in one direction despite the lack of ''up'' or ''down'' when in space.
A small tinge of guilt ran through Hoki as she considered the image. After all, this type of ship was the same as the one Scarlet had been aboard before the Skirmish of the 4th. The very category of vessel Hoki had so heartlessly mocked Scarlet over a couple of weeks ago.
''...I''m glad she''s not here...''
Oddly enough, the Valli¨¨re, while being five years younger than the Rinie, had a fairly similar design. There were some changes, with the angle of the triangle now being more around forty-five degrees, in turn making the length of the ship longer - Further, the mecha hangar, while still single file, was much more deliberate on the updated model - But all told, the two ships were clearly made by the same shipyard, as it were.
Considering her degree in Vijaik history, it was perhaps no surprise that while Hoki puzzled over the individual differences between the three ships, everyone else around her reacted to a different matter: On the screen were more than just pictures of the three vessels but additionally their new ''designations''. The Fluchtig was placed centre-top, with the word [''Flagship''] beneath it - While below to either side of it were the other two vessels labelled [''Escort''].
Finally, the words acting as a heading at the very top of the diagram;
| [Autonomous Flotilla Battle-group ''Tristain'' (Tristain Group)] |
| Flotilla Commander; |
Nate Novel. |
| Command Vessel; |
Battleship ''Am-Fluchtig'' (Celtic Class) |
To Hoki, these words seemed utterly natural - The Fluchtig was the largest ship and Nate the highest ranking officer, yet those around her seemed to disagree¡
"And who gave you such arrogance as to appoint yourself leader, Mr Novel!" Bellowed the voice of the Rinie''s captain, Commander Batty. ''Bellowed'' aptly described her tone; it had poise and indignation laced throughout.
"Indeed, where exactly did you get such an idea?" Chimed in Valliere captain, Lt.Commander.Louise. She contrasted Batty greatly - Speaking while barely moving a muscle and in a lackadaisical tone of disinterested mischief.
For his part, Nate reeled in on himself, trying to speak in between a continued line of insults and questions from the two other captains. His short, moppy hair swayed from side to side as he attempted to follow the complaints of those before him.
Hoki sighed internally, ''What sort of officers are this childish? I knew it would be a long day... I wonder what the others are up to?''
Of course, she and most people in the room knew what was occurring, without even having seen them, Hoki had no doubt the official orders from the board above would list Nate as fleet leader. No, this was little more than Batty and Louise trying to push Nate off balance.
For what purpose, Hoki could only imagine, but it seemed to be working.
Soon, the room was filled with the bickering of the trio; "Well, I have to be in charge, don''t I? I have rank!" Nate proclaimed as if staggering upon a revelation.
Batty visibly sneered at this comment, "Rank? You ignorant fool, we rank the same."
Nate winced again, realising the school boy error in his choice of come-back. To further compound his loss of control over the meeting, Louise piped up once more, "If you think about it, Ms Batty and you could actually swap ships if that''s all it''s a question of."
Hoki could have sworn she saw Batty bristle at the incorrect labelling, but deciding to keep on with this temporary alliance, she redoubled her efforts against Nate.
"Well then, One feels it''s settled. My staff and I shall transfer to the Fluchtig and take over command of this new-fangled Tristan Flotilla. After all, under your command, this battlegroup already lost its frigate escort and three mecha, with all crew, I might add. I shant have a repeat of that!"
Hoki''s jaw fell agape. She had seen meetings like this before, but this really was quite the bold assault, even referencing the loss of the ship Hikair and the rest of cadet Unit B had been on.
Similarly, poor Nate¡¯s mouth seemed to flap like a fish as he strove to understand what had become of his simple briefing session; "I-i wha-ha-,...... Eh??!"
----
A sudden but deliberately drawn-out cough from the left-most side of the room broke everyone present''s attention. Hoki turned, her face a picture of embarrassment at what she feared was Kolme having drifted off to sleep before awakening with a coughing fit, but instead she was greeted by something else entirely.
Sitting almost slouched into his chair, as though he had no interest in what ships were present, what orders were given or which officers were which, arms folded and eyes half shut - Kolme began to lecture the rest of the room without ever turning to make eye contact with those he addressed. His voice was sterner than Hoki had ever heard it in her short time with him;
"If the warm-up act wouldn''t mind exiting the stage about now that''d be just ''splendid. Some of us have actual work to get to before the day''s end. We all know the rules, don''t we?
Art''cle D42 of the IAFS charter, crap that it is, states ship classification dictates seniority. Ergo the commander here outranks everyone by a minimum of one. We ain''t a bloody democracy, so if you don''t mind getting on with it, Sirs?
Or should I call the day''care and tell ''em they''ve lost some kids? Oh, and one more thing, let¡¯s stay civil enough not to bring the recently deceased into this, shall we?"
Hoki couldn''t tell anymore what she was more shocked by, the senior officer''s petty squabbling or her team leader suddenly talking about being time conscientious (among other things). Lt.Commander Louise sighed but then followed it with a slight grin, clearly betraying her intentions to simply cause a ruckus in aid of livening up the meeting all along.
Batty, however glowed bright red. ''Well'' - Hoki mused - ''She''s always sort of red, just more so now.''
"I''d advise vice-squad commander- oh, what was it? Nils? Nile? Nelly? That you watch your manners, lest you wish to find yourself down for insubordination. And for that matter, where is Lt.Commander Emilia out of interest?"
Batty finished, bitterness dripping from every word, yet her answer had been more composed than Hoki had expected.
Again, Kolme didn''t even bother to sit up straight or face his superior officers as he spoke, "I''m sure the presentation will address all yere'' questions. That is if we ever get that far."
With that said he nodded respectfully (as one can while slouched) at Nate, who in turn almost seemed to glance around as if looking to see if Kolme was addressing some other lecture giver. Upon failing to find this phantom speaker, Nate''s shoulders slumped before finally taking a deep breath and attempting to get the meeting back on track.
Front 5.2; Operation Deadlight – Part 2/3 (Originally Labelled Front 10.5)
5.2 - Operation Deadlight Part 2
The rest of the briefing proceeded in much this fashion for some time. Nate would explain some small detail, like the Fluchtig''s mech team being in charge of all fifteen machines from between the three ships - Only for Batty or Louise to interject before, finally, Kolme would throw his own oar in to bring the conversation back to sanity - Usually with some simple comment about how each ship''s Vijaik-team leader would still hold relative authority.
It was through this that Hoki began to see a new side of Kolme. Clumsy and in-punctual? Definitely, but bizarrely enough, he was proving to be a vicious negotiator. She could only presume it was his uncouth nature that helped. Put bluntly, he was vulgar, his language rough, and his opinions unsuitable for such a discussion. It was this, Hoki believed, that kept taking the trio of captains in the room by surprise.
Thanks in large part to Kolme aiding Commander Nate in his pursuit of a sensible discussion, they did eventually reach the true meaning of the meeting. A new slide with black block capital words;
| OPERATION DEADLIGHT |
| #IAFS-OP-C-0030-TG |
The room, for the first time in a while, truly quietened down when those words appeared - A sense of anticipation spreading throughout everyone. The following slide was somewhat less imposing but no less intriguing. On it was a full-size map of all human-controlled space in the UnderCurrent solar system. It was by no means a unique sight for those present - It pertained to the familiar sight of two planets (Bhaile, a bright blue and green orb to the left - And the desolate dusk of Abhaile to the right) surrounded by rings of Satellite-Nations and moon-like objects orbiting either of the central bodies.
Being a full-screen display, the image was depicted in a high definition state, clearly showing the vivid watercolours of Bhaile''s lush climates - While equally portraying the drab dusty greys of Abhaile''s surfaces. As for the Nation-States or ¡®Nation-Satellites¡¯, they were depicted with simple gunmetal grey rectangles to represent their positions as literal cities and countries based on space bourn satellites.
Further marked were several capital cities and the like with simple red font.
"As you all know--" Nate began.
''Know what?''
"We have gathered here today to form the Tristan Group in that we, this fleet, may take the fight back to the enemy!" He finished in what was borderline broken grammar.
The rest of the room stared up at Nate as he made his strange statement. Most at this point, were growing used to the man''s elongated way of explaining details.
He nodded at his two aides, and the projected map was updated to include new details. Reaching into his puffed, sleeveless bomber-jacket''s pocket, he drew forth a folded telescopic stick and proceeded to swing it forward.
Nothing happened.
He shook in again. No response.
Internally, Hoki felt as though she''d die of embarrassment as the man, her commanding officer, her boss''s boss - Began to vigorously shake the small piece of metal around his person.
Finally, he managed to force about half the thing open;
"That will do I suppose, ahem. Now then, as I was saying, yes, what was I on again?"
It took all her willpower for Hoki not to clutch her face in dismay. Behind the man on the map was a series of markers. One in particular stood out as a unique image - A scaled-down diagram of a somewhat famous repair ship known as the ''Clover''.
The image was crudely layered to be in a position to the north-east of Abhaile. This might have struck Hoki as odd (were she not busy being ashamed) due to the fact it was uncommon to chart the positions of individual ships on a regular map for no reason. This was a fact not lost on Kolme sitting beside her, now more alert and, well, up-right than he had been earlier when talking down to the captains.
"Ah yes. As you are all aware, Operation-Deadlight will see us track down and destroy the submarine labelled, labelled...." As Nate again fumbled to remember the words of his script, a new fear crept into Hoki''s mind.
''All aware? He...he couldn''t have forgotten to send me the files before the meeting by accident?''
She had found it odd not receiving any details prior to the meeting, but now it seemed that fear was confirmed. Glancing around the collected group of people in the room, their expressions showed no signs of confusion. No only her and Kolme seemed to be hearing of this ''submarine'' for the first time.
''For the love of the Sun, he can''t be that forgetful, can he?''
Nate continued on to explain about the submarine ''An-Curadh'' - Submarine itself simple being a catch-all term used to designate any warship that attacked alone or in small groups - Usually lightly armoured, hitting supply lines or even civilian vessels before retreating without a trace.
"But this submarine is no ordinary affair. In the last couple of months, this ''Curadh'' has destroyed over eighteen supply vessels and three warship escorts. All while seemingly taking not a single casualty of its own as far as we can tell."
The tone in the room was far more settled now. It was one thing to argue petty politics, but Hoki was at least glad to see ample respect being shown towards the loss of civilian life. Batty may have used a destroyed escort as ammo against Nate, but seemingly, the actual loss of people was still a sacred topic demanding respect, even amongst this rowdy bunch. Still, she could only presume it came as more of a shock than it did the others.
As someone with an intimate knowledge of the history of modern warfare, Hoki could safely assert she had never heard of a lone vessel with such a high success rate in that short a period.
''Well, except maybe for it....''
The markers on the map made more sense now, too. The series of red Xs plotted out the path of carnage An-Curadh had marked out for itself.
"The submarine displays some strange tendencies that make it hard to so much as gather data on. Until recently, it was undecided whether it was the culprit behind all these deaths," even Nate seemed a little less boisterous as he traced a line through the X''s with his half-drawn pointer before turning back to the rest of the room, "It jams all communications before a battle begins and then seemingly appears from nowhere. It does not leave survivors.
We have confirmation of it destroying escape pods and continuing to engage against surrendered ships. No traces and no survivors. Further, unlike most submarines, it is not only carrying a Vijaik team but also what we believe to be a new model of Casnel."
This last point caused a new stirring of voices; "We were not informed of such a machine!" Exclaimed Commander Batty, standing halfway out of her chair.
"Certainly not. Command gave strict orders that you should only be informed in person by me," Nate replied with just a hint of satisfaction at ''winning'' one over Batty.
''Well, at least there are some things that Kolme and I are not the only ones in the dark about.''
Casnels - Machines made from the exceedingly rare metal Goibniu - Capable of almost supernatural feats, with near-infinite energy generation, hyper heat resistant armour and equally devastating weaponry. A single Casnel could easily sink an unsuspecting fleet, even one protected by its own friendly Vijaiks.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
"So, just to get this right, you expect us with fifteen regular Vijaiks and four¨C sorry, three ships to hunt down an invisible enemy guarded by a Casnel and who knows what else?" Louise stated with raised brows and a combination of venom and disbelief in her tone.
"I take it Lt.Commander Emilia will be joining us then, Sir?" This question came from Louise''s second in command, Lt.Tabitha. Her tone was far more respectful, and it was the first thing she had said all day. Hoki had almost forgotten the small woman was over sitting in Louise''s shadow.
Nate shuffled on his feet with evident discomfort, "Not exactly..."
An uproar rang throughout the room: "You can''t be serious!"
"Facing a Casnel with just Neos is suicide!!"
"Surely you speak in jest Commander Novel?"
"This ain''t what I signed up for. I ain''t nobodies cannon fodder!"
That temporary reprieve from earlier now seemed lost - But then Nate did something entirely unexpected (which, considering all that had already transpired, Hoki was genuinely surprised she could still be, well, surprised at this point).
He walked silently over to the terminal, all the while questions and curses from almost everyone present (even some of the engineers and pilots) were hurled towards him. He reached over, Lt.Sunglasses leaning back in his chair to allow the stocky captain access to the terminal. After a few miss-pressed buttons, the correct file blipped onto the large screen - Its volume cranked up just enough to be heard over the cacophony of complaints.
----
The recording that came up had a found-footage quality: a grainy camera feed and a slightly distorted voiceover. The image (where not corrupted by a static blur) seemed to be of the large windows of a warship''s bridge, with rolling metal columns in between each sheet of heavily armoured glass.
The view it afforded was bleak. On that blackest backdrop of space was the site of three or maybe four other civilian transport vessels - All shrouded in flames.
Shafts of metal protruding in and out of each hull - Bloated to look like butchered metallic animals. The ships were so severely disfigured that one couldn''t hope to identify what they had once been as flames and explosions splurged in and out of the carcass remains of the four stricken craft.
Hoki could have sworn she momentarily saw the bodies of people, dressed in plain clothes, floating lifelessly in the vacuum of space to one side of the camera''s sight. Their faces drained of all oxygen as they shrivelled and froze, as though they''d never held any life to begin with.
The man''s voice accompanying these images was ragged, on the verge of shouting in rage or perhaps just bursting into tears. Through gritted teeth, it commented over the continuing visuals;
"Th-They just appeared the bloody bastards. No sonar, radar, no look-out - Nothing saw them. The Puma just exploded; it was there, and then it wasn''t. We--"
The voice forcefully halts in time, with the camera suddenly shaking wildly around, the picture of destruction outside the windows shifting as the ground beneath the cameraman begins to warp and buckle.
A new noise of a ship groaning, a crunching screech of metal compressing against metal filling the air. A sound that made nails on a chalkboard seem pleasant by comparison.
"We haven''t long now. Escape pods are no good; they shot them all out of the air when the Pirelli tried to run. T-there were kids on that ship, kids for Sun''s sake--------- N-no God no----"
The commentary paused again. This time, something new came into the camera''s focus - Although partially blurred, one could make out the humanoid shape of a mech, jet black in places to the point of almost blending in with its surroundings - And yet, other surfaces, a gleaming silver glow. A faint green shimmered around it, a clunky-looking cannon fixed to its arm and an angular head on its shoulders.
''A Casnel...'' Hoki and perhaps everyone in that meeting room thought to themselves.
Said head turned as if to look straight at the camera before suddenly the whole machine swung rapidly to the right of the camera shot with blinding speed in an almost elegant, cartwheel motion - Before shooting up and out from the camera''s limited field of view. In its place raced a bolt of orange energy fire, cutting a horizontal line across the film for a brief moment, helplessly missing the target and careering off into the distance.
"That''s John. Remember him, you hear me? Ha, hell if anyone finds this."
The so-called ''John'' came into focus now; his machine was the green and cyan shades of a Neo-M-type Vijaik, a variant of the very same mechs used by the Fluchtig.
This lone Neo rose its thin rifle to the sky, feet spread out, almost touching the deck of the warship below, with the visor of its face looking towards the anonymous cameraman as it fired desperately into the space above again and again and again and again.
"He''s the only one of his team left; remember John Smith, you hear me, rememb--"
Even as the Neo-Vijaik desperately fired at the Casnel somewhere off the screen, a single return shot of bright, shimmering green smashed back down through its oval-shaped head in a mere second. Then the mighty blast bore into the mech''s main body, sizzling momentarily like sparks off a welder, before appearing straight through the underside of the mech with a violent flourish - Finally piercing straight into the ship''s deck beneath. In a single blast, the Neo was defeated.
The camera footage wholly cut out for a few moments at this point, but the voice-over persisted, now with interspersed panting and the sound of someone running on metal flooring.
"This is the cruiser class ''Red--"
The audio didn''t so much cut this time but instead was drowned out by the sounds of screeching alarms and more buckling metal not far in the distance;
"--The enemy has a Casnel, I rep-------- further multiple Vijai-------- tell m-my ------ lov--------"
The voice stopped.
A few moments of silence passed in the briefing room, and just as it looked like someone would have to break the moment - The screen suddenly flashed back to life, even more distorted than before as crack lines and static scored the film.
The voice''s owner was lying hunched in on himself, his back pressed against a non-descript grey wall. Aside from the distortion, there also now appeared to be another layer of glass in front of the lens.
The man was smeared in blood; whatever had hit him had come up through the floor just out of camera shot and, in doing so, had severed his left leg - Which lay a few feet away from the rest of his body, pooling vivid crimson blood across the floor - Seeping ever closer to where the camera seemed to lay.
The man was middle-aged but past that, was so battered as to be near indiscernible. His face was smattered with harsh burns, his black uniform singed or absent entirely in large patches, where bare, blackened skin showed from underneath.
He clutched one arm to his stomach, that same shade of red seeping through the gaps between where he held himself and the flesh beneath. While the leg that had been served just below the knee seemed at first the most grizzly, the culprit had been brute force rather than heat, leaving the former limb open to the air, tendons and all.
Finally, as his hands fell limply to his side, a massive gushing wound across his sternum was revealed, bleeding profusely into the lapping waves of blood that had already covered the floor.
In the tape''s final moments, the man seemed to find strength enough to lift his head up, stare straight at the camera and nod in what might have been a salute of sorts - Before finally going entirely lame.
All the while, the image seemed to shrink. The blood still spreading across the floor''s surfaces but now further away, which Hoki soon realised must mean the man had launched the recorder off of the ship in some manner. The camera was literally moving further away from its former owner.
The recording ended for good this time.
Front 5.3; Operation Deadlight – Part 3/3 (Originally Labelled Front 10.75)
5.3 - Operation Deadlight Part 3
"That footage is the largest amount of information we have been able to receive from any encounter with the Curadh thus far," Nate said in a sombre tone that seemed unfitting to his square heady, goofy visage. He beckoned to a series of photographs that now appeared in place of the video footage; "Aside from the video, we also have these, sent from another, smaller escort vessel."
The images were true stills, portraying, for the most part, empty space, almost. In the centre of the photos was an almost ''wave'' effect, a water ripple, where the black of space receded and in its place was a silver-white surface.
"The film footage was found wrapped in a reinforced container that was then ejected from the escort cruiser''s waste shoot, seemingly allowing it to escape unnoticed. These images came from a destroyer class ship that managed to calculate and fire a shot back at its attacker before it was sunk, revealing this strange phenomenon. It managed to transmit these photos out, potentially illustrating a fault in the enemy''s jamming technology."
Nate looked over the room sternly. Everyone sat at attention now. It was realising this that Hoki couldn''t help but admire the audacity of this whole display. It had been against every relevant regulation she could imagine, surely it had been classified information and further far too graphic for a briefing like this one, people might well need counselling after witnessing such scenes, soldiers or not - And yet it had turned a crap-show meeting, into an enthralled and quite possibly dedicated audience. It was one thing to tell an army to go fight some overwhelming threat, another entirely to show them one of their own. A nameless crewmember or captain of the ship, it didn''t matter.
''John Smith'' and the nameless cameraman''s death made the whole mission feel real, made it become important in everyone''s minds, personal even.
Hoki wasn''t sure what to think. Had Nate intentionally planned this, knowing Batty and Louise would try to undermine his authority? If so, it was a masterstroke, although ''...It could just as easily have been a spur-of-the-moment thing?''
"As you were pre-informed, we believe the enemy vessel to be a ''Troy'' class assault carrier using a version of the ''chameleon principal''. This, in large part was discovered thanks to our very own Ensign Bachika. If you wouldn''t mind?" Nate gestured at Hoki as he finished speaking.
Hoki blinked. She froze in her chair, all possible admiration she had briefly gained for Commander Novel fleetingly draining from her in a matter of seconds.
''He really did forget to send me a memo!''
Hoki liked to think she was good at giving a strong outwards appearance, that to the likes of Sabban and Una, she came across as ''level-headed'' and reliable - But right now, that couldn''t be further from how she felt. She was knowledgeable, sure, but not omnipresent. Her composure had been breed into her from birth, a whole family lineage of preparedness and leadership. Leaders of men, warriors and, more lately, soldiers - But she knew that came from prep and hard work.
Right now, as all eyes in that suddenly attentive room turned to look at her, she could feel herself shying away, wanting to run from the room or, better yet, slap Nate across the face and give him what-for.
A moment or two passed like this until she felt a gentle nudge to her side. Glancing across, she saw that silly, knowing face of Kolme Nilas, mounting the words, "Roll with it."
Hoki swallowed hard, took a deep breath and then stood. She had read them all of course, her father''s files. They had been stolen from TSU''s Eastern headquarters when ''The Hokuai'' had first tried to abandon Bhaile to join up with IAFS. In the end, only Hoki, a couple of retainers, and the files successfully made that trip.
So yes, she had read all of her father''s legacy over the last few years, but still...
"Ahem, yes the Chameleon Principal is the, process, that was in production about... two years ago."
Hoki had turned to face the rest of the room, taking another deep breath before continuing any further, reaching deep into the recesses of all her accumulated knowledge to find the correct answer to the prying eyes all around; "Chameleon ES4 was active around the time IAFS formed but had at the time remained incomplete. The principal stated that a suitable reflective material should be able to cloak a vessel by allowing it to blend and bend light. The vehicle would not actually turn invisible, but instead would be unseen - It would in effect reflect the empty space around it - This was to be coupled with the A10 jammer program, also incomplete at the time.
All told, if completed, it would have made for a near in-detectable ship, however, with the caveat that any damage to the outer coating would reveal its location; presumably as seen in that photograph we received. Moreover, the energy requirement for the A10 would require a large-capacity vessel, far larger than the average tonnage for a submarine-class warship.
In fact, a Troy class makes a lot of sense in this regard,¡± she finished by indicating at the image of the partially revealed ship before nodding at Nate, who seemed ready to clap in response. Her body language and deliverance had been as perfect as she could of hoped for (excluding her first sentence reluctance). She had done her best to keep it brief with only the necessary details. Now Hoki could only hope her short lecture had been on the correct information rather than wholly the wrong topic...
Hoki took her spot back on the chair, sparing only a brief look at the beaming Kolme. Ultimately, even she had been surprised, whether it was the pressure of the situation or the feeling of being back in her dress uniform - The information had seemingly flowed through her despite her earlier panic.
To Hoki''s utmost relief, the rest of the meeting progressed smoothly, with no more surprise lectures. Lt.Sunglasses was next up to speak, explaining a new system fitted to the vessels of the Tristan Group that would allow them to track the Curadh within a specific range, so long as they could first get a lock on it.
This was to be the true goal of Operation Deadlight.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
There were a few more spats of bickering between the three captains, along with plenty more technical details, but eventually, Nate retook the stage, and what was helpfully marked as ''Last'' appeared on the screen behind him.
This last slide was a return to the map from what felt like a short lifetime ago. With his still-only half-drawn pointer, Commander Nate Novel dove into the ending statement of the presentation;
"----In summary, the Tristan Group will head to the far side of Abhaile where the Bayley-Mechanic''s repair vessel ''Clover'' presently lies. Once there, we will send a number of our machines undercover to the ship as insurance while our main fleet hangs out of scanner range."
Dots appeared on the screen to indicate where the newly formed flotilla would position itself. The purpose of the ''undercover'' Vijaiks (rather than just sending a regular escort) was to prevent giving TSU an incriminating direct link between IAFS and Bayley-Mechanics (the organisation''s most prominent ''anonymous'' financial backer).
"And we are sure the enemy will go for the Clover next?" This question had come from the tall, well-built team leader from the Rinie, Lt.Tomo - Who had spoken little throughout the meeting and now asked the question in a respectful but probing tone of voice.
Nate nodded to the man, "Indeed, command believes the pattern fits. At first, the Curadh hit only supply lines, then escort vessels. The next move would be to publicly assault Bayley and the course the ship''s presumed to be moving on matches based on its continued path of supply line attacks."
Tomo nodded acceptingly, only for his second in command, Lt.Erfu, to pipe up with a question in Kolme''s direction. She, too had remained mostly silent during the course of events but more so out of having nothing to add, rather than etiquette.
Her voice was soft but playful; "Tomo and I can handle that job then, yes?"
The way she spoke made Hoki feel like it was less of a question and more of a statement, although not in a menacing way.
Kolme seemed to contemplate this a moment. Unlike when he had intervened between the captains prior, now he seemed more than happy to sit properly and face those he spoke to;
"I guess so lass. My mob stand out too much and, well, ah..." He beckoned loosely with one hand at the two block-headed pilots from the Valliere at the far side of the room.
As though his gesture had in itself been a question, Lt.Commander Louise sighed deeply before answering the unspoken statement in a lackadaisical tone, "I suppose my boys will sit this one out and wait in reserve then - The Fluchtig and Rinie squads are the more experienced, so I guess I have no choice."
The two gorilla men on her right showed some disappointment but remained silent at this dismissal.
Erfu turned her attention back to Kolme, who finished his earlier line of thinking, "Alright then. Tomo''s team take the break-in ''bit while we get to go shoot at a Casnel. Oh, joy..."
From his place at the top of the room, Nate turned his view now to the last authority in the room left to comment. Tentatively, as though poking a tiger, he petitioned Commander Batty, "I-is, ahem, that alright with you, Commander Batty, Sir?"
''Why''s he talking like she''s in charge all of a sudden?''
Batty''s imposing figure sat unstirring for a few moments, eyes shut and arms folded, before making her decision; "I think it best my team handles the Clover security detail and yo- The Fluchtig''s take care of the other job."
Several eyes rolled around the room at this superfluous statement, but for the most part, Nate simply seemed glad to have made some movement.
"...And besides, we can hardly allow this affront to ourselves - This supposed ''Casnel'' will get quite the shock when facing an opponent its own size, I should think. Ha!
We shant be so easily bested as cargo vessels and space buses! Nor will its wanton destruction of those go unpunished" Batty finished after a brief pause. Her statement was followed by something of a determined cheer from many in the room.
"Right then, yes, good - We can''t allow those TSU-s thugs to keep having their way with our people!" Nate added, an excitement spreading throughout the room quickly.
''Easier said than done.'' Hoki bemoaned to herself. In essence, they would need to use the long-range energy rifle and the lower detection rate of a Vijaik in order to ambush the enemy submarine before it could reach the Clover. This would, unfortunately, leave the Vijaik that used the rifle with no warship support for some minutes until the rest of the fleet closed the distance. If the fleet waited too close, it would run the risk of being detected by the enemy, giving the whole rouse away.
Further, too many Vijaik lying in wait would be easier to detect accidentally. This was one thing, but it meant another to Hoki. She was, after all, the only one qualified to use the rifle. There was no question of her deployment on this mission; that much, at least, was certain.
But for now, she could breathe easy. With the tense meeting drawing to a close, all parties were left to consider individually what the future of this newly formed flotilla would hold.
Front 6.1; Politics (Originally Labelled Front 11)
Front 6 - The Am-Fluchtig Squadron
6.1 - Politics
Hoki once more found herself standing to attention in a hallway, resisting the urge to stretch away the strain in her body from such a long time spent in the uncomfortable briefing room chair. In the end, the session had ebbed out for the better part of two hours - Combining that with the shocking scenes of the enemy attack, as well as the sudden newfound pressure of a very close feeling mission - And Hoki found herself feeling claustrophobic more than anything else.
Batty''s group had, of course, made to leave the meeting first, only to be stepped in front of by the ever-smug-faced Louise and the almost ghostly Tabitha. Once most others had filed out, Hoki had quietly made her own way and now awaited Kolme, who had approached Nate and his aides. A part of her wanted to say something to the man, to reprimand him for putting her on the spot, but ultimately, she had decided to let it go. Not because she thought it would end badly for her, if anything, the opposite. Commander Nate wasn''t the worst for it, but he could still be expected to act ''skittish'' around her. Admittedly, he was that way around many people, but she just didn''t want to be seen as receiving any ''special treatment''. In some fashion, Hoki pondered if she might actually have been more upset over having her lineage highlighted in front of the whole procession - More so than not having been informed on what the meeting was going to be about.
This time Kolme actually arrived quite promptly and seeing as they still had some time until their next engagement, he suggested they go in search of ''a proper breakfast''.
Kolme, for the most part, seemed almost lost to thought in a way Hoki was unfamiliar with seeing on the older man''s worn face. They made their way through the somewhat broader but equally dull corridors of the ship''s amenities area in relative silence.
"Something the matter, sir?"
"Hmmm? No, not exactly Hoki-Lass."
''Lass'' - Whatever else Kolme did, that much always stayed constant. Whether he was acting clumsy and unpunctual or with surprising tact and poise - He never let his preference for addressing people informally fade. This was by no means unique to her; he addressed people he hadn''t even been acquainted with in much this manner - With Commander Nate being the only real exception - But maybe that was the point. She didn''t hold it against them, but a twinge of disappointment always passed by her when Una or Sabban would continue to address her as ''Miss'' and Scarlet made a point of using the word ''Princess''. But Kolme was different in that way. Even during the interview when she had first met him - Back when she still outranked him - He had never treated her as anything other than another colleague.
Maybe it was just how he had been raised or the fact he was older than almost anyone else aboard the ship, but whatever the case, it was something she couldn''t help but appreciate.
Kolme seemed to pick up on this quagmire of social contemplation as he spoke his next question;
"You thinkin'' about Nate or me?".
"Er, what, sir?" She replied earnestly but then reconsidered what benefit there was to playing dumb, "It was just... well, the Commander is he...?"
Kolme laughed lightly, "Ha, I can understand that al''right. ''Is he acting at being dumb?'' that kinda'' thing right?¡± He nodded as if to confirm his comment, "People are tricky like that. I can''t speak for ''da man obviously, but in my experience, he really is a grade-A toss-head."
''...oh....'' Hoki thought sullenly.
"But. And it''s a big one; Nate is also one of the bravest men I''ve ever met, good under real pressure and loyal to a fault. Back when I was with the Tradech Flag Fleet, we came under attack, lost the escort cruiser that was my home back then, and well, I was in shock, ya know? So the last thing I expect ta'' see is a group of lifeboats - Not from the destroyed ship but from the moon. We were fighting above the moon; guess I shoulda'' mentioned that first, eh? Well, anyway, the ship explodes, and the Tradech, ''she'' was busy with her own problems - So Nate just decides, unescorted, to launch some dinky boats into the middle of a battle-field to go rescue any survivors of the destroyed cruiser.
The first ''order'' I ever got from him was along the lines of--" At this point, Kolme''s tone changed to one of a Nate impression; "''You over there in the MBT, I don''t suppose you would mind giving us a quick hand would you chap?'' ¨C After that I thought he was insane! But the sort of insane I can respect, if ya get my drift. That''s Nate Novel for ya, lass."
Hoki thought on this for a few moments as they passed some other crew members heading in the opposite direction - Before presenting her answer with Nate''s almost ''character-breaking'' moments of intellect contrasted by downright idiocy, still fresh on her mind, "As um... Admirable as that is sir, isn''t he a little..."
Again, Kolme kindly helped her out of her awkward position with a knowing grin, "Aye that''s true to a degree, I suppose. Then again, it''s just the way of these things. When you have a man like Nate, someone who won''t hesitate to make a sound judgement call in battle and always looks out for those below ''im, what you also need is someone who''s the opposite.
You saw it today: That Wally fella didn''t say two words in that ''ole meeting while the Commander herself couldn''t stop yakkin''. You can be sure Lt.Wally took all the notes and listened the most careful of all ''us sure, but he ain''t got the backbone to command by himself, while Batty sure as heck can''t be all gun''s blazing without Wally to back her up ya get me?"
It was Hoki''s turn to nod in agreement. That did sound like a reasonable, if simple, assessment of how a captain and their first mate should function.
"Then you¡¯re saying Commander Nate needs someone more, ah, ''formal'' to back him up?"
"It might not be that simple. Lt.Aurin does his best, but before the Fluchtig, he was an admin officer - Really, ya¡¯ need Emelia about to keep Nate in check. She''s got that ''discipline'' that Nate lacks.
''Fraid there''s only so much I can do about that in her place. Discipline ain''t really my MO."
"It''s funny, really," Kolme continued, seemingly rolling into a tangent; "In stories and such, meetings always go one a'' two ways, right? Either everyone sits around respectfully like, while some big wig gives orders in a dramatic fashion as lights flicker and the excitin'' music plays - Or ya get all the generals around some large table, laughing and smokin'' evilly.
Really though, every meeting I''ve ever seen is more like that today. People bickering and bartering even when there''s important ''stuff ta'' be discussed.
Unless you have one person who can command the room, who everyone respects, I guess it''s ta'' be expected. I suppose it could be a coping thing - Ha! Or just bruised egos, but I guess really lass, a meeting of military types is no different to putin'' a load of people who don''t really like or know one another in a room for a few hours an'' seeing what happens.
Don''t matter if it''s people or groups, we''re none of us so simple as to fit one mould or another."
"I guess I''m no different--" Hoki stopped mid-sentence, realising she was speaking aloud.
Kolme only gave that same knowing look, "Hmmm, what was that?" He grinned once more; "I suppose we all do a bit of that, eh? Maybe, as a random example, say, a teacher - Puts on a good front for all her colleagues and students but underneath ends up feelin'' lonely in all that false solitude.
Ah, what am I saying? Ignore my random ramblings, lass."
Hoki didn''t know how to respond as they rounded into the entrance for the canteen and made it up to the familiar counter at the end of the long room.
''I suppose having an ''abnormal'' boss like Kolme could be worse.''
****
Having already eaten that morning, Hoki chose more of a snack than anything of much substance. In contrast, Kolme ordered the largest breakfast available - Full of fried goods and overly crisp savouries. The tea they drank created a similar disparity: Hoki had the usual blend from her homeland in the fine porcelain-looking teapot - Kolme, on the other hand, opted for the sort of pot that looked to be as old as he was. The kind with so many dents and scratches in its outer metal casing as to make it hard to identify the thing''s original shape - Whether it was actually an old kettle rather than a teapot was even unclear. The type only useful for brewing that special brand of over-brewed sludge that Kolme loyally labelled ''Proper Tea''.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He was the only other person Hoki knew for whom the canteen kept a personal teapot.
Kolme differed significantly from her father in that regard, where ''The Hero of The East'' had become a connoisseur in rare & expensive brews in the years following the war (perhaps in defiance of the ''crap'' they had been forced to live with during wartime), Kolme was seemingly still using the same brand as had been available to that very group of ''common soldiers'', in the bleakest moments of The First War.
''Old habits must die hard for him.''
There was quiet for a bit as they tucked into their respective meals, the canteen itself being characteristically abandoned as usual, with only a handful of other diners at that hour of the day. After a short time, it struck Hoki once again that Kolme appeared to be lost deep in thought. A new consideration crossed her mind; "Ah-hem, my apologies about the briefing sir. I guess I wasn''t much good of a vice-leader. First, my fighting with Scarlet last week, and then I might as well not have been present for all the good I was. If you want to try, have someone else be your second--"
Before Hoki could go any further, Kolme laid down his cutlery with a raised eyebrow and interjected, "What are you going on about lass? Ain''t nothin'' wrong with how you acted."
"But sir, I--"
"Not your fault Nate forgot to send us the files, yet ya'' handled it like a pro. You even woke up on time, which I can''t exactly say myself now, can I? No Hoki, you did just fine," Kolme concluded before sighing heavily in a somewhat unbecoming fashion; "It''s this mission; I don''t like da'' smell of it," he finished, not making eye contact.
"The ''smell'', sir? I''m not sure I follow..." Hoki added earnestly.
Kolme sighed again, though clearly more at the situation rather than at Hoki.
"This whole thing reeks of politics. It''d be one thing for the enemy to be attacking our supply lines; heck that''d be normal, but this is different. I mean, a Casnel, really? For submarine duty? And whatever about this Camilion system thingy'', using specifically a Troy class ship, well..." Kolme finished while half-heartedly stirring a teaspoon around his cup.
"You think this - ''submarine'' is TSU-s propaganda, sir?"
"Ya, maybe. ''Course not just that, but I think it''s a part of it. I needn''t tell you the similarities between this vessel and the Cheval-De-Troy do I? A single prototype Casnel, an experimental assault-vessel working autonomously. Ha, I bet there''s even a magi aboard to boot! All during a crucial tur''in point in the war when every country is trying to decide which side to pick goin'' forward."
Hoki simply nodded in response. A similar line of thinking had crossed her mind, but having a second person highlight it like this made it feel all the more plausible.
The ''Cheval De Troy'': The ship TSU had created in the final year of The First War around a decade ago. Backed into a corner as the Abhailen-Revolutionary-Forces continued to invade the continents of Bhaile, with their advanced Vijaiks (for the time), TSU had thrown all it had left at one final project. That project had been the Troy class vessels and their new line of mecha - Casnels - Both made using the newly refined metal ''Goibniu'' or ''Maglite'' colloquially speaking - And it had worked.
The first Casnel had been near invincible, a destructive force that ripped its way through the solar system like a comet through the stars, a young magi pilot at its helm. Magi - People born with innate powers, often minor to the point of inconsequence, but in the right circumstance, capable of becoming legendary warriors no matter the era or technology.
The Cheval De Troy had carried the magi and their Casnel throughout a long journey, quelling enemies almost single handily all while boosting the morale of all those who met them. Some called the combination heralds of God or the Sun or Divine Fate and ''Justice''. But even a decade later, Casnels were a rarity due to the expense involved in their creation; this applied even more so for the Troy class of vessels. It was said the Goibniu expended by just one of these ships could be spent on ten or more Casnels - This had led to the line eventually being discontinued, despite their remarkable efficiency - Leaving only those already constructed in active service.
"So you think the enemy is using this to boost their own morale and convince the Nation-States not to side with IAFS?" Hoki posited.
Kolme laid a hand to his chin, considering this, before reaching across the table to pick up the salt and pepper shakers. He laid the salt horizontally, placing the pepper on its side and pointing at the salt.
"I think it''s more like this to be honest. The ''Curadh'' with its Casnel are a TSU-special branch attempt at propaganda - However, I also think that''s what we are being used for, too. IAFS beats this ''Reincarnated Cheval-De-Troy'', and in doing so, we prove that this ''Fate'' element ain''t on TSU''s side. We say, ''Hey, our special Celtic-class ship is just as good. Why not rally around our custom Vijaiks. We''ll keep you safe from those mean bullies'', that kinda'' thing. Essentially both sides are gambling on the Curadh, with us simply in the middle."
"That''s certainly possible but is it all that important?" Hoki said.
"Good question lass. You could say it''s normal political manoeuvring, not even complicated at that, but then why not just send a fleet to guard the Clover? Up the security of the supply lines, launch some regular ambushes and so on.
No instead, they create a new ''autonomous flotilla'' to pursue these guys; in turn, this ''mission'' puts the Clover at risk if we feck it up - If the trackin'' fails and the Curadh gets away, we''ll also be putting more civilian lives at risk and who knows what else."
"Also--" Kolme''s face by this point had taken on a harder expression, almost a down-right scowl; "-- People who want something to ''look good'' tend to prioritise that over the people involved. I guess you could say I just don''t like being used as a piece on a board of someone else''s game. We''ve too little control over this. IAFS is already a mess; we all know that. A few dozen ships can''t face an empire. We''re all really just skirting around TSU''s coattails. No country wants to rally to our flag publicly, and Bayley Mechanics is more interested in branding than proper support.
This feels like a corporate measure, a calculated gamble of risking the Clover and us in order to improve our image. This is the plan of a board of directors, bureaucrats - Not tacticians," Kolme nearly spat out the last few words, his face an absent-minded grimace.
There was silence for a bit as Kolme''s long-winded rant ended. For not the first time that day, Hoki felt she was being exposed to yet another side of her comrade, this time one she might rather not have seen. Kolme''s whole body language had tensed; even his accent seemed to harden into something nearly sinister, all over what seemed to Hoki to be a fairly rudimentary circumstances. It only took a few moments for Kolme to clearly pick up on this newfound stillness in the air, and like the flip of a switch, his face and mannerisms returned to normal; "Ah, there I go again, Hoki-lass. Hahaha, I guess we can''t sit around here gossiping all day, eh? ''Bout time we got to the other ''meeting''. Scarlet''s face is gonna'' be a picture when she hears all these details. Heh...I just hope she doesn''t break too much furniture..."
And just like the meeting before it, their bizarre morning brunch ended and the two began the short trip over to the hangar.
They talked a little less on this trip, but even when they did, there were no more signs of this more cynical Kolme she had briefly glanced, and Hoki was left to simply contemplate the meaning behind his harsh words and speculation.
Front 6.2; Rock and Fire (Originally Labelled Front 12)
6.2 - Rock and Fire
"So you wanna'' be included in the meetings?" Asked the earnest voice of a young woman.
"No, no, I don''t have the time for that. No, I want ''them'' up top to understand that you can''t just put up a new foundry and not expect there to be a massive strain on the water network, understand?" Replied a gruff but kindly, almost jolly-toned man.
"So you think, maybe, that the captain should know about all the stuff below him? Wouldn''t that be a bit much?"
"Not all of it, just a little bit of everything, enough to ask when he has a question, ya see?"
"Oh! So you mean like Mr Nilas then?"
The man - Tall and well built if aged looking, 40 something, wearing a pair of old blue overalls - Seemed to give due consideration to this last question;
"I suppose he ain''t afraid to get his hands dirty, at least. I guess he''s an alright sort, ya."
The young woman opened her mouth again to ask her next question when a call from the far side of the room broke her attention: "Una, get your hind back here. ¡®The boss¡¯ wants us."
Una politely apologised to the burly chief fitter she had been conversing with and pushed herself off from the upper gangwalks of the under-hangar, floating back down to ground level.
Hoki watched this quietly, taking note of Una''s increased comfort in chatting to crew members outside of her immediate circle and her more natural movements in the low gravity area. She and Kolme had made their way from the canteen straight to one of the service elevators and down to where they now stood in the under-hanger''s doorway.
From this point, they had an interesting perspective of the room, with grey crates of machine parts and supplies directly in front of them (one of which Scarlet sat atop and another which Sabban leant on, arms folded). Behind the crates were the five mecha of the team, held in their cages, lining the three other walls of the room - Almost as though they too, were keeping a watchful eye on everyone who came in and out of the space.
Next to them, by the doorway, were the service corridors - Long, narrow passageways that ran around the outside of each wall of the under-hangar - Being dimly lit and seldom used, they reminded Hoki of the area one could find behind a stage in most old theatre''s back home. As expected, it had been easy to find the rest of the squad, who had been all three training that morning. Sabban had, on a whim, joined Una and Scarlet''s tutoring session for the day. More pressing was the scowl on Scarlet''s face as she tapped her prosthetic leg repeatedly against the metal surface of her makeshift chair, creating a grating ''clang'' over and over again that echoed throughout the broad room.
Once Una had made the short trip across and taken a position standing to attention between Sabban and Scarlet, Kolme began to talk - Of course not before first having to tell Una to stand at ease.
The quintet made for a somewhat eccentric group. Hoki knew she stood out most, still dressed in her full ironed-out uniform, cap atop her neatly tied auburn hair. Una was the closest to her in a mix of a similar black uniform with silver highlights, as well as the sensitive gloves and light hiker-style boots that pilots all had for their machines. Una was a naturally short woman compared to Hoki, with a youthful face, overly eager yet somewhat dim eyes and that slightly tinted, shortcut hairstyle - Popular among young cadets back on Abhaile. ''She looks a little happier today'' - Hoki mused to herself.
Scarlet''s fashion sense wasn''t far off Kolme''s, though for all his scruffiness, he had at least donned some of his dress uniform for the meeting that morning, his black jacket now slung over his shoulders like some delipidated cape - As he stood slightly slumped in front of the group of assembled miscreants. Scarlet hadn''t dressed any different to usual, with her standard light sleeveless jacket, non-descript blue jeans, knee-high boots, and fingerless, worn-looking gloves. Her long crimson hair was let to flow out far past the small of her back and over her forehead. Held only slightly in place by her somewhat basic eyepatch.
As for Sabban, he fell into an odd middle ground. Hoki winced as she recalled Una half-mumbling something to her about Sabban, ''Looking older than he should'', which Hoki couldn''t help but somewhat guiltily agree on. The boy had always been tall for as long as she''d known him, easily dwarfing the likes of Una. This impression was added to by his stern, unyielding expressions, long dark bags under his eyes and a general demeanour of disinterest. If one could try not to focus on these details, Sabban was a mostly healthy-looking young man, handsome even. Well built with broad shoulders and an impressively imposing posture. However, getting away from the face and unkept hair generally proved too uncomfortable for most who made the acquaintance with the uncaring young man.
True to form, the second meeting of the day went about as well as expected. Kolme was, to his credit, a little more focused than in some of the previous lectures Hoki had witnessed from the man, but the others reacted with their usual pattern: Sabban simply grunted in place of any coherent answers, Una went more and more pale at the mention of each detail and Scarlet¡ Scarlet protested.
"You''re saying you want to send two Vijaiks out there against a brand new Casnel? I thought you were thick Nilas, but this is a new high!"
"Now look, this ain''t up for debate; we''ve got our orders, and besides, the two will only be a distraction. The Clover will ''ave two of its own, and the rest of the Fluchtig''s team will be nearby," even as he spoke, Hoki could sense Kolme wasn''t entirely convinced of the idea himself.
Scarlet''s face scrunched in response, clearly picking up on Kolme''s own apprehension. He''d not given them all the details of the mission yet or his interpretation of the event, but he had conveyed the most relevant parts at this stage - Causing, in turn, a lull in the conversation for Scarlet to capitalise on with this current ''disagreement'' that had already lasted some minutes, "Ha, well then I guess I have to accept this farcical job don''t I?!" She proclaimed suddenly.
"Claim what?" Hoki found herself spluttering aloud with raised eyebrows and a sinking feeling in her stomach.
"Tch, the job ''princess'', can hardly let one of you kids be in charge of fighting a Casnel, can I? Be like lambs ta'' slaughter".
''On no...'' Hoki turned her head to Kolme, hoping he would divert this course of action, only to find a devious grin slowly enveloping his face from eye to eye. The older man quickly nodded to Sabban, "You al''igth with that Sab-lad?"
Sabban murmured his approval with a roll of his eyes, clearly catching on to what was occurring. He also offered Hoki a sympathetic glance & tilt of the head.
"Ah, er- Sir, maybe we should, ah--" Hoki began hurriedly.
"Ah, shut your trap, princess. No need to get in the way when the man is finally about to make the first good decision of his whole life!" Scarlet crowed from atop her vantage point of the packing crates.
"No, but I don''t think you--" Hoki tried again, only a hint of agitation creeping into her voice.
"Enough already; get on with it, old man," Scarlet interjected once more, sealing her fate once and for all.
Kolme, with that stupid grin plastered all over his face, was all too happy to oblige;
"Perfect, that''s settled then. Hoki and Scarlet will be the advanced team!"
"Yo-You what?!" Scarlet stammered, for once at a loss for words.
"But a ''course Scarlet. After-all, t''was the only thing the captains didn''t make a fuss over, that Hoki had to be the only one qualified enough to use the long-range rifle. And like ''ya said - Only you are experienced enough to adequately guard her during such a dangerous task, right?"
Hoki didn''t know how to feel. This certainly seemed more in line with the ''normal Kolme'' than the other things she had seen of him today - She only wished this wasn''t the time he''d chosen to be typical. Likewise, Scarlet seemed to grasp for a retort, caught between tackling Kolme to the ground for making a fool of her or trying to back-track her own statements.
"Ah, don''t make that face, woman," Kolme said, waving his hand around lazily, "T''would have always been this way; your volunteering just makes it all the more ''fitting''. The fact is we got a chance ''ere. I''ve said it before, but we don''t really matter, ya know? We''re invisible--"
''This speech again now of all times? What''s he thinking?''
"--It''s like this: Fate can''t see us, ya hear? She doesn''t want anything to do with us ordinary folk, so why should we do anything in return. Screw it, I say. We five can make it with this, Nate''s... steerable, and with that on our side, we ''ave a real chance. We can watch each other¡¯s backs, keep our heads down, and all make it through this alive, ya hear?
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.? No point in any of us dying for something stupid like destiny''s sake! Even a Casnel can be managed."
At first, Hoki had been more concerned with her newfound partnership with Scarlet than the speech''s words, but as it continued, her attention was redirected to the Scourge, who visibly shuddered at the words.
''I''ve seen this before too, haven''t I?''
And just like before, Scarlet shoved hard against the crates and strode across the short gap between herself and Kolme (elbowing past him poignantly as she went) before disappearing out the door behind them without another word. Kolme sighed ruefully, stretching the arm Scarlet had pushed. His speech cut short, Hoki could only presume that was the end of this more curt ''meeting''. Briefings involving both Scarlet and Kolme always seemed to end when he gave that speech, but instead, after a few moments, the man nodded to her with the words, "Better go sort that, eh lass? You lot are dismissed and ''an all that. Thanks again for your ''elp today, Hoki," with a pat to her shoulder, Kolme disappeared out round the doorway in the same direction as Scarlet had gone.
Una''s docile tone broke the silence of the young trio that remained, "I don''t understand. All officers say that sort of stuff before battles, don''t they? He speaks...um, differently, but it''s normal stuff about watching out for each other and coming back alive, right?" The question wasn''t directed at anyone in particular, and as Hoki herself was considering the same thing, Sabban provided the answer; "Sure, but the difference is, Kolme means it - Every word of it, and Scarlet knows that too," with that the tall man spun on his heel and began making for his machine in the opposite direction to the doorway Kolme and Scarlet had exited from.
Una glanced concernedly at Hoki. ''She still looks so young, no different to back in the classroom. No, maybe a little different, more wary perhaps?''
"You go on ahead with Sabban, Una. I''ll just go see if I can help; I am supposed to be second-in-command, after all," Hoki said, doing her best to put on the smile she always tried to keep when masking apprehension while addressing her students - ''Well, former students at least.''
Una nodded politely and quickly followed after Sabban.
Hoki took a deep breath and turned to follow after the two older pilots, ''Right, Vice-Commander, that''s definitely why I''m about to stick my hand in a lion''s mouth...''
****
Hoki stopped just short of turning the corner and hugged the wide doorway on instinct. Out of the corner of her eye, she had spotted her query - Scarlet had marched down one of the service passages, heading for a side doorway probably intended as a fire escape - Kolme had diligently followed after her, and now in the narrow echo chamber of the tall corridor, Hoki could hear the two going at it once more.
"Scarlet, Scarlet! Would ya'' wait just one damn minute!" Kolme jeered.
As Hoki carefully peered around the corner to get a better view, she watched as Scarlet stopped in her tracks, turned around and began striding back towards Kolme with one hand pointing insidiously towards him; "Where do you get off, old man eh? Do you think this is funny, or have you just gone completely senile? This ain''t some stupid game!"
Kolme held firm, standing up straight more so than usual, "Don''t ya think I know that for Sun''s sake? I mean it, we have a chance here, and whether you like it or not, I ain''t letting you throw that away."
Scarlet seemed to visibly bristle, as though her long flowing hair were a mane poised to attack. She slammed one hand hard against the silvered walls of the space, causing a loud metallic ''clang'' to reverberate out; "Excuse me? The heck do you think you are, man? You think I haven''t tried. I''ve done everything you can think of and more to keep my people alive and every, every time they die! It''s a damn war Nilas, we can''t stop that, we chose to be here.
People die, it''s normal. I''d expect this from some whelp on their first tour, not a damnable old fool like you!"
"This time is different."
Hoki held her breath. Kolme had said it in a completely level tone and in all sincerity, which, if anything, had only added to its impact as the words seemed to bounce around the walls. Scarlet raised her arm and strove forward - Punching in low gravity is more complex than one might imagine - But Scarlet made it look easy as her fist flew through the air, aimed squarely at Kolme''s face. In a single brisk movement, Kolme''s own hand swung upwards and grabbed Scarlet''s with a flourish, the force of the impact pushing him all the way back to a few inches from his face, centimetres from a broken nose. His eyes never flinched as his loosely held dress jacket slid from his shoulders, floating dramatically into the air behind him.
Scarlet''s face seemed to snarl as she glared at the balled fist now held firmly in place by Kolme''s hand, "This ship is good, the Vijaiks are ours ta'' modify, and Nate will do as we tell him. I''m telling you this is different; it¡¯s not a frigate with some jumped-up captain or a cruiser with some stubborn old fool. We have something real here."
Scarlet''s response was more ferocious this time. Her tone held its usual bite but with an almost sorrowful edge; "And I''m telling you, it won''t matter. I''ve seen it all, Nilas. I''ve had teams of twenty-five who got wiped out like dust from the corner of yere'' damn eyes. Heck, I''ve had Casnels of my own, and it made no difference. I still always end up by someone''s deathbed. Do you understand that?
That moment when you know you''ve failed them when you know that every corpse is on your hands, that you have to write yet another batch of letters to grieving parents, widowed spouses and orphaned children - ''Your son died heroically in service of what he believed, & for the good of his nation'', ha! Absolute bullshit; they died because I wasn''t good enough, Kolme Nilas! They weren''t brave in the face of death. They were screaming, begging for their mothers as they burnt alive in metal caskets, and not one, not a single one of them died for anything - We lost the war a decade ago and again half that since! And we''ll probably fail again this time for all I care.
I stood by the bedside of my own damn Nakima and watched him wilt away from years of fighting and dying, and ya know what - No glory, no parade, no nothing, no one gave a shite. What in God''s name makes you think this time will be any damn different!?"
Kolme paused for only a moment before answering Scarlet''s vitriol-filled rant, "Sabban comes back."
"You What?"
"I thought I''d given up too, seen too many die to keep trying, to have any more hope left in me - But, every time he comes back. It was just me for the longest time, ''Last Neo Standing Nilas'' he called me once - And yet he''s still here. Grumpy feck these days, but that''s understandable enough. The lad always comes back in one piece, and so do you and me. All of us have that bad luck, don''t we? Ain''t that enough proof for ya? Enough to make it worth trying one more time, one last go at keeping someone alive in these endlessly bloody wars?"
Kolme let go of Scarlet''s fist, which dropped gently to her side as she stared at the man. Gone now was the rampant anger and resentment of a moment ago, replaced with something nearer disbelief. After another moment, she turned and began, albeit less aggressively this time, to walk away from Kolme - Softly shaking her head all the while.
"Scarlet, what about Hoki? I get why you don''t wanna¡¯ be chummy with me, but why her, eh? She''s a strong pilot with a good head on her shoulders. I''d probably act the same in your position, but that ain''t no reason to take it out on her, is it?"
Scarlet stopped, though not turning to make eye contact this time, "I told you, I ain''t looking to drag around or teach children, especially know-it-all ease droppers."
Hoki''s heart fell; she pulled herself back from the corner she had been using, nearly tripping in the process. Despite this, Kolme kept talking as though oblivious to Scarlet''s last comment, "So what about Una then? I couldn''t make you tutor her. You chose that yourself."
Scarlet simply shook her head with more certainty, "Just killing time. That''s all this is," again she started walking, still not turning to face Kolme, "I''ll guard the princess - Hell, I''ll even try to be ''nicer'' but not for your sake or anyone else''s on this ship, I''ve got a reputation to keep that''s all. Yes, I''ll go on your stupid mission, but I will not play na?ve games. Their blood will not be on my hands again."
And like that, she was gone, exiting via the fire escape.
With a bit of reluctance, Hoki caught the breath she hadn''t realised she''d been holding and peered around the corner once again. Both the resolve and earlier slyness had drained from Kolme''s face. He stood silently with his back against the same wall Scarlet had earlier slammed. Hoki couldn''t help but think he suddenly looked both very small and very tired. His unnaturally tanned skin with its myriad of stress lines, the sparse greying hair and his relatively short stature. With one hand clutched to his face, he reached the other inside his trouser pocket in search of something before realising it wasn''t there - Removing his hand, he let his eyes stare up at nothing in particular, his ruffled jacket floating gracefully past his line of sight like some ridiculous slow motion blackbird.
Hoki decided it best not to interfere any further.
Front 6.3; Legacy – Part 1/2 (Originally Labelled Front 13)
6.3 - Legacy Part 1
The face of a young boy swelled in her vision, their bulbous eyes glowing a bright green shade. The bloodless face still held an expression of shocked disbelieve, as though eternally surprised - Surprised to be dead.
"No, no, I don''t-- Don''t make me..." Said the voice. It wasn''t that lonely head''s voice, that severed face that floated endlessly through the sky, never quite landing next to its stricken body. No, the voice came from that haziest of places we all know, a place inside, a part of us that burns and cries and dies with age, although we may never know it - A voice with no true tone or pitch, yet more familiar to us all than any other.
"Please don''t."
The face seemed to come closer, the girl raised her hands, desperate to scramble back, to move away from it. Her vision suddenly jeered back from the head, a wave of relief overcoming her - Until she saw it. The head wasn''t lonely anymore; a body now lay beneath it. An older body than befitted that young pale face slouched against the blackness that was so hard to fix your eyes on. The blackness that seemed to urge you back, to look at the body, a body missing one leg. The centre of the body made the head look almost whole. It dripped with dark, sticky fluid over the top of a sickly hand, desperately clutching to it. The girl tried to move further away, to tear her eyes away from what she knew was next. The head moved or maybe spasmed, with an awful creaking of bones and depleted, withered skin.
''No smell, there''s no smell, why can''t I smell that, th-that thing in the air...''
It looked her straight in the eyes. It controlled her gaze, refused to let her break from it. A hand rose slowly, tediously up from the body beside the overlapping layers of black pus pooling out of its midriff. The hand was an older man''s, more covered in singed flesh and bone than that of its blackened left-over skin. It pointed slowly, from her eyes down to its stomach, if it could still be called one.
She didn''t want to follow that gaze; she wanted nothing more than to do anything but follow that gaze - But follow it the little one did. Above the body, the miss-matched head''s jaw twitched into something between a smile and a scowl - Until finally, the mouth simply fell away - Dropping from what had maybe once been the face of a young man, to the ground with a quaint splash that seemed to echo endlessly.
''I know him¡ Of course, how could it not be him...''
The girl wanted to scream, but her voice was gone now, a new voice emitting, vomiting from the now jawless face. The black, bloodied hole left by the jaw screamed the words at her, "What''s my name?! Why, why won''t you tell me my name. What''s your name?¡±
It was a pleading voice in a way; once you got past the terrible screeching that seemed to come with it, the accent was non-existent, instead replaced by a TV-static sound, winding its way into her ears, into her being - But beneath it all was clearly a plea for answers.
"Are you the Houkai? Then what was I? Who am I?"
The hand holding its stomach fell away with a start, the head tilted forward before rolling straight off its perch atop those decrepit shoulders and down to the ground - Towards the helpless, frozen girl. A dark wave of black gore poured from what now revealed to be the slashed and sliced open remains of the body''s stomach, lapping and flowing around the once more severed head, pushing it closer and closer and closer and----
The eyes seemed to follow the girl as it neared ever further, pushed on by an arc of mucus blood, its jawless stare ever fixed on her, always asking those same questions, "Are you the Hokuai?"
Hoki opened her eyes.
She slowly, carefully pushed herself up from her bed, taking in her whole room;
"I''m one minute late," she scowled, glaring at the time.
****
It didn''t matter whether it had been at private schools, the insistence of personal tutors, her father, or any of his retainers - Hoki had always been implored to wake up daily at six in the morning. And indeed, she had done so, to the point that it had been so many years now since she had needed the aid of an alarm clock that she''d forgotten what they sounded like.
The device in question was her wrist handheld - The placid screen lying upon her bedside table flashed insistently with the sound of some bird she didn''t quite recognise, tweeting repeatedly. It occurred to her she had probably never heard this particular tone before, having only received the new handheld model recently - She had always been awake and dismissed the alarm before it had ever had the chance to ring - Now, the sound struck her as markedly irritating.
Getting up a minute late might not have been too problematic for most, but Hoki found herself solidly in a bad mood. She made her way around the room, following her usual morning routine with a slight cloud to her actions. She couldn''t help but feel groggy, sick even; "This is ridiculous. I slept just fine. A minute more than usual, in fact," she said to her reflection in the wardrobe mirror, as though it had suggested otherwise. With some reluctance, Hoki exited the room and began a course for the hangar.
It had been a few days since the ''big meeting''. In the intervening time, things had, by all rights, gone relatively smoothly. Despite her initial confrontation with Kolme, Scarlet refrained from attempting to cause any more trouble, even continuing to tutor Una on the daily. This wasn''t to suggest she had actually tried to smooth things over with Hoki herself; instead, the two had returned to simply ignoring one another.
''Then again, it''s not like I''ve tried to put amends to the situation either...''
There had been more meetings, detailed discussions about the mission, weapon tests and the like, but all told, time had flown by from Hoki''s perspective. It was hard to imagine Una had already been aboard the ship for nearly twenty days now (yet equally hard to imagine her not being around) or that the date of the ''big day'', as Kolme and Nate phrased it, was already upon them.
The Tristan-Flotilla had moved a fair distance, now just as planned, sitting outside the scanner range of the secretly aligned ''Commercial-Mobile-Repair-Vessel'', CMRV - 001 - Clover. Just last night, Lt.Tomo and 2nd Lt.Erfu had been dispatched in the forward party to go and hide aboard the Clover in their own non-custom Neos as a precaution for if the main plan failed - Sleeper bodyguards of a sort.
As Hoki entered the hangar bay, walking along one of the raised gang-ways overlooking the bustling area below, she noticed signs of change. The main hangar was a space that monstered any other aboard the ship; across from where she stood were the massive doors, stretching the length and height of the warship. Currently sealed shut, their metres-wide segments made for impressive scenery.
Even more noteworthy was the space directly below her; the on-board foundry took up a third of the hangar''s total area. The massive piece of floor plan was as ever lined with machines and engineers, welding, hammering and programming all sorts of ship and mecha-based equipment. The foundry was surprisingly alive for the time of day, and Hoki could not determine if those down there had been working some sort of all-nighter or simply started early to do final checks, considering the day in it. Of the most note to her was the two mechs which stood outside the foundry, facing the shuttered doorways nearer the centre of the hangar. While a few blue-clothed individuals still buzzed around these machines, the final checks were, for the most part, complete.
The first was a slightly discoloured Neo-Vijaik, with its regular armour and humanoid shape coloured in cyan greens and light blues, with a large muted backpack of sorts on its rear and a unique rectangular visor in place of the regular flat face: AF-NV-002.
The other was such a departure from a regular ''Neo'' that it might have been mistaken for a completely different model. Over the torso region was large, bulky black-armour plating, rounded shoulders of a similar make to either side matched this rotund core. To top it off, a large triangular-shaped head with a circular band to its lower section that wrapped around the hole head unit - Finishing this bizarre design was the dark red and emerald shades of its colour scheme - The AF-NV-003.
It was thinking about the duo of disparate machines that brought Hoki''s mind back to Scarlet. ''002'' and ''003'' - The first person she had recruited on Commander Nate''s behalf - A living legend, or so she had thought. Hoki sighed with her arms leaning against the railing in front of her; ''The Scarlet Scourge, huh? Pirate, pioneer pilot, veteran of two world-ending wars and absolute bi--''
"Lady Hoki, that you miss?" The calling of a familiar voice broke Hoki from her line of thought, and she found her face flushed at the juvenility of where she had left her mind drift towards. The voice could only belong to one person, that bouncy, slightly ''exotic'' voice of a younger woman than the one that owned it - Yet with the edge of someone who was hoarse from years of smoking (or from shouting orders at hapless subordinates).
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
Hoki did her best to recompose her expression & posture as she leaned fully over the railing to get a proper look at who she knew would be there. ''Chief Mechanic and Head of Fluchtig''s Development Project'' - Tsole Pele - Or as Hoki and most others simply knew her, ''Chief Pel''. She was the sort of woman who left an impression whether you liked it or not, heavy set with muscle almost exclusively from years of graft, a tanned complexion with shaggy black hair and plain rounded glasses atop her nose that had clearly seen some wear. A smile from eye to eye permeated her face, and she wore a pair of navy blue overalls with a peaked hat of much the same make as her compatriots.
Chief Pel had something of a storied history; it was one of those tales Hoki had been told at tedium when she had been younger. The woman was supposedly quite famous among academic circles back in her homeland. Apparently, the youngest person ever to be made a doctorate in physics and weapons technology back in some country on the continent of Western Bhaile. Despite this high standing and job offers of all kinds, Pele had insisted on joining the military like her younger brothers when The First War had broken out. Running away to Hoki''s homeland in the East, she had joined up under an alias and became a regular mechanic in the army.
As fate would have it, during the invasion of Bhaile by the Abhailen-Revolutionary-Forces, the chief would end up in the company of Hoki''s father, who was known at the time as ''Captain Bachika''. The famous hero of the Eastern Theatre, the man who''d commanded a tank battalion to succeed against the overwhelming power of the enemy Vijaiks and later would use the first ''Ground-Type Casnels'' to win back the lost territories of Eastern Bhaile. He was arguably only second in Bhaile-piloting-stature to the person who had been pilot of the legendary ''First Casnel'' in the war''s final months.
The Hokuai, who now sat under house arrest alongside most of those who had served with him in the war - All for their combined role in the formation of IAFS.
¡®Former Hokuai, that is sort of my title now, technically...''
It had taken some time to convince Chief Pel not to keep calling her by the word, she''d eventually settled for just ''Lady Hoki'' which still seemed excessive to Hoki but better than not. Pel''s unit in The First War had been obliterated, only for its handful of survivors to be rescued by Captain Bachika''s group. Her father and his friends had told the story many times of the arduous trip to return to friendly lines, of how frequently Pele had worked through the night under enemy fire to keep the armoured divisions moving.
Suffice to say that after this dramatic introduction, the chief had become Bachika''s head mechanic until the war''s end, and while after she had finally returned home to a university position - Pele had never been absent for long - Frequently rooming at Hoki''s home every few months and working on many of her father''s developmental projects during the ''peace-years''. And so she had volunteered to join IAFS. As luck would have it she was one of the only ones not to get arrested. So, for all Hoki wanted to avoid being around those who knew her ''history'', there had clearly been no better option for the Fluchtig''s customisation project-lead when Nate had asked, than for it to be Chief Pel.
That didn''t mean, however, that she appreciated the unwitting reminder of her ''title''.
"Hello there, Chief. How are you this morning?" Hoki shouted back as politely as one can shout.
"I''m quite alright miss, that I am. Big day today, of course. And I suppose you''ll be here for the rites you will? Well, don''t mind me, Lady Hoki, you work away and best of luck. No doubt you won''t need it," the woman seemed to bounce and almost jump around as she spoke, her bellowing, light-hearted voice carrying impressively, (if embarrassingly) throughout the entire room. Her slightly awkward use of the language still apparent even after the many years since the Great Homogenisation has phased out her homeland''s native dialect.
Before Hoki could reply, the chief was already turning on her heels and shouting a slew of instructions towards some unknowing engineer in the background, who, out of surprise, seemed to almost fall from his place atop some scaffold.
Hoki sighed and began to step away from the platform''s edge, Pel disappearing from view with a curt bow (that Hoki recognised as being from back home) as quickly as she had arrived.
''Lady Hoki.'' It sounded so unnatural from the woman she had first met when only a young teenager, from someone who had scolded her and even her father when the situation had called for it. From someone she saw as a gran-aunt rather than some ''royal retainer''.
And then there had been mention of the ominous ''Rites''. In reality, they were a fairly mundane affair. Traditionally speaking, senior ''warriors'' would go to inspect the blacksmiths and stables before the day of a battle. Hoki''s father had apparently kept up this tradition by always personally overseeing any final adjustments made to machines within his command on the morning of any known upcoming battles. Along with the bow and the use of the word ''lady'', it was another of the oddities Chief Pel had picked up during her tenure in the East and seeing these things mentioned and displayed now did nothing to improve Hoki''s mood.
She had most certainly not come down to inspect anything; rather she had simply been wondering about the ship; ''No, maybe that''s not quite right. Maybe I did want to be like ¡®him¡¯, just a little.''
There wasn''t much remaining for her to see. In the confines of the foundry was a ''Field Camp'', the generic name of the air-tight containers pilots used when waiting for an enemy outside of their mother-ship. After all, a Vijaik had only limited facilities, some food and basic amenities. Sure, one could sleep in them, but ultimately, it was preferable to have a field camp.
The thing in question was an ugly, bare-bones contraption. A lifeless blue-grey rectangle with a clasp mechanism to the top that allowed its safe and air-tight attachment to Vijaik cockpits, along with various pipes and tanks containing supplies.
In essence, it had the look of a tram car, with the rails on its topside. Currently, it was being moved from the foundry to be out alongside the two Vijaiks by the old MB-type that the foundry kept. The older Vijaik had an odd degree of personality about it with all its experimental modifications, making it both look like some oversized robot and causing it to be entirely useless for combat.
Seeing it clomp its way through the hangar, with the awkwardly shaped burden of the field camp repeatedly colliding against the jutted-out cockpit, made Hoki smile for a moment - However, as she rounded a new doorway back into another drab corridor, her face turned to a frown. Thinking about the quant MBT had only reminded her even more of the nostalgic memories of her father and his retainers.
She didn''t know what childhood was like for other children, only what it had been like for her, and she by no means felt resentful about that, but she knew on some level it hadn''t been ''normal''. As a girl, she had been tutored to a level that''d make most royalty blush, fluent in five separate languages, most of which weren''t even used anywhere anymore, deeply studied in history & politics and from a more practical standpoint trained in the family arts: Foremost of all was archery, the combat form her family had been bestowed its title for centuries ago - But additionally in hand-to-hand combat and even swordplay.
It had all seemed very inconsequential as a child. The Bachika clan had no actual noble blood so to speak, and there had been no true wars for them to ''prove themselves in'' for years. She had always known she would enlist as a soldier someday, but no one had seen the so-called ''First War'' coming, certainly not the then twelve-year-old Hoki. But like all things, the war had ended, and so began those heady days of peace.
As she continued through the ship, with a course set towards the familiar canteen for a light breakfast, she wondered even further into the hazy memories of the past. She had been fifteen when the war ended, old enough to think hanging out with a load of old soldiers was ''cool'' and still na?ve enough not to see the intense pain behind their eyes - To really understand why a whole room of laughing people could suddenly fall quiet when one mentioned the wrong, seemingly arbitrary day of the year - She had heard every story imaginable in her father''s club room; a space in the grand house''s basement, with its own bar, tables, monitors and the like. A place that had always been packed to the rafters with second-hand smoke. ''Mother always used to say, ''If you lot keep smoking so much, it''ll come out through the floorboards!''.¡¯
That was something else Hoki knew she always did - Much like getting up with clockwork accuracy or striving to be treated as a ''normal woman'' rather than her father''s daughter - She knew very well that whenever she was worried or concerned over something, her mind would near automatically try to change the topic to something lighter or more nostalgic.
''...For Sun''s sake, what am I thinking about at a time like this? I need to focus, it--''
"--Was just a dream!" Hoki finished aloud, slamming down a tray of food she had absentmindedly acquired, onto her familiar back corner table of the canteen.
A whelp of surprise from her left immediately caught Hoki''s attention. Looking over, she saw the pale-mousy face of Una O'' Conchabhair, the so-called Rookie - Her hands raised in alarm at Hoki''s sudden verbal outburst.
****
Front 6.4; Legacy – Part 2/2 (Originally Labelled Front 13.5)
6.4 - Legacy Part 2
Hoki''s face caught a bright red shade as she scrambled for words, "Ah, Miss Una, my apologies; I didn''t intend to startle you," she offered weakly.
Una visibly relaxed and laid a tray of her own down on the table, one stool up from Hoki.
"You, umm. Couldn''t sleep either Miss Hoki?" Una said with her usual wary half-smile.
"Oh? No, I usually get up this time of day, Una. I take it you don''t?" Hoki felt a tinge of guilt as the younger woman reeled at her innocent question. Una looked like she had just been caught out on a question at school; "Oh, ah, well, Miss Scarlet said to take the morning off but, so I, ah... that is to say--"
Hoki patted Una gently on the back while doing her best to put on a reassuring smile. "That''s quite alright, Una. There''s no need to explain yourself to me."
Again relief seemed to overcome the girl, and for a few moments, the two ate in silence until Una piped up again, "Ah, a-are you, umm, well, you know, err, nervous Miss Hoki? About today, I mean. I know I''m not on the front line like you, but um..."
Hoki''s hand faltered just a tiny amount between moving her teacup from its saucer to her mouth. She decided to lay the cup back down, still full. Wetting her lips, she looked down at the Rookie, who in turn was earnestly sitting, awaiting an answer to her garbled question.
''Yes, of course, nothing to be ashamed of. You''ll do just fine. Even pros get a little nervous before a big day.'' - Such responses coursed through her head as Hoki looked at her eager junior. The problem was it didn''t feel right, to answer her question when she was wondering herself what the correct answer was. ''Do I answer as if I were still her teacher, or more honestly as a colleague? Oh yes Hoki, saying, "I don''t know, Una. I''m scared witless myself as it happens", is really going to help the girl feel better....''
As a somewhat uncomfortable number of seconds rolled by Una began to shift uneasily, diverting her attention back to the table in front of her. Hoki had almost decided to go with a generic ''feel-good platitude'' to break the tension when suddenly a figurative sledgehammer did the job for her; "Scared girly?! What reason has she to be scared Rookie, she''s been trained since she was born. Heh, she was probably born with a katana in her pampere-- pudgy baby hands, well, that or a million dollar chec-- chew toy. Ahem, point bein'' she ain''t worried about a little job like this one and neither should you be, ya hear? The heck did I spend two weeks teachin'' ya for if you''re going to go and shit your pants so easy, eh?"
Both Hoki and Una were left speechless as Scarlet finished her ''pep talk'' before taking the seat on Una''s left, laying only a single cup of coffee down in front of herself.
Her taking the third stool across made for a somewhat awkward image, with the three women sitting in a line while no one sat directly across the table from them - Though this didn''t seem to bother Scarlet too much - She continued to preach as she took a small white-plastic tub from her jacket pocket, out of which poured a single tablet which she proceeded to gulp down between conversational beats - Before quickly stowing the tub back away in an inside jacket-pocket; "Anyhow, what''s there to worry about, princ-- she''s got me for a bodyguard! Ain''t my first rodeo against a Casnel ya know. Una, didn''t I tell you to take the morning off. Lack of sleep, now that might be something to worry about.
Before either of the younger women could respond they were once again interrupted by further voices; "Ha! Now this makes for ''eck of a sorry sight, who went an'' died to make you two friends?" Croaked the voice of the ever-merry Kolme Nilas. He quickly took a perch in the seat straight across from Hoki, with Sabban silently following behind and taking the one next to Kolme and across from Una.
Food-wise, Kolme had a less gruff selection than the last time Hoki had dined with him - Now mainly consisting of bread items and some form of porridge, with Sabban opting for what looked to be a smaller portion of much the same.
"Sun above, here comes history''s least popular double act. You want to be careful with that toast old man; it might be too much for them ancient teeth of yours," Scarlet shot before the two men were even fully seated.
For his part, Kolme replied without a moment''s hesitation, "That''s why you only have coffee then, Lass? Ain''t put your dentures in yet?" He cooed from across the table. In response to this exchange, Una let out a small giggle, a momentary thing of bare audibility, to which she quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.? Hoki watched Scarlet''s expression, fully expecting her to chew Una out for laughing, and while she did indeed see Scarlet briefly furrow her brow, it quickly turned to what Hoki could have sworn was something like satisfaction on her face - Looking over at Kolme seemed to reveal much the same; "Ho-ho, finally embracing your natural born role of being a geriatric comedian, well at least at being a joke, eh Nilas?"
Before he could reply in kind, Sabban''s until now absent voice cut in, "If he''s a joke, it''s not a very funny one," he said dryly. Hoki blinked at the comment, and so did the others for that matter with it being unclear whether Sabban had meant it as a follow-up joke to Scarlet''s initial comment, or some cynical comment against Kolme - All but Una, who once again let out a small embarrassed giggle.
Seeing this reaction from the group''s youngest member, Sabban simply turned up the edge of his lip in that partial smile he most often frequented before returning to eating.
While she couldn''t be certain, Hoki soon came to the conclusion that a deliberate effort was being made with this bizarre conversation. Scarlet was in her own strange way trying to make Una laugh, with Sabban periodically joining in and Kolme being apparently all too happy to be the butt of most jokes.
Before she knew it, Hoki''s own worries about family histories and the upcoming battle - Seemed to melt away as the quintet continued their strange little conversation, with frequent breaks for Scarlet to go get more coffee or Kolme to pour more of his horrible-looking tea for himself or Sabban.
"Was it really ten against one, Miss Scarlet? That''s amazing!" Una exclaimed as Scarlet puffed her chest out, happy with a freshly told anecdote. Kolme, almost jumping out of his chair, was quick to respond, "Ya so? Ten to one is nothin'' Rookie. At The Battle of Ghealach, we had to fight off the ''ole Abhailen navy by our lonesome, all or nothin'' ya hear? They had wizards and everything, magic explosions at every door and a rifleman on every corner!" Una turned her head to look in starry-eyed admiration of Kolme''s rival tale - And to Hoki''s surprise, so too did she.
"Pah, you were never even near Ghealach, ya old fart. You''d have run away at the first sight of the Abhailien pride and joy!" Scarlet said back with a noticeable degree of patriotic vigour for the mention of her homeland''s former military headquarters.
Kolme bristled in response, "I was too, one of the very first in the door I were."
"The first? Supposedly, the entire first wave was wiped out nearly instantly. You a secret survivor, Kolme?" Sabban chipped in with the same monotone delivery. However, by now, the conversation had begun to incorporate his strange insights into its flow, and Kolme was quick to respond, "Ah sure, well now. Maybe not one of the first, but I really was there. I mean it. You believe me, right Rookie, Hoki-lass?"
Hoki made an apologetic face at the probing question, "Er well, I wouldn''t wish to comment, sir."
"Comment away, historian-girl!" Scarlet jeered happily, "Old man''s just blowing hot air, right Rookie?" Scarlet gently slapped Una across the back as though to urge her on.
"Why doesn''t anyone believe me?" Kolme exclaimed gloomily, slumping his head down to the table. As though on instinct, Una reached across to pet his greying head; "There, there. We all believe you were very brave," she spoke softly before realising her own actions and drawing back her hand as though she''d just touched a hot stove - All with a flush of red on her face and a slew of bows and apologies, to which Kolme shook off, all while giving Scarlet great cause for laughter.
"Not to interrupt, but you know you''re late, Kolme," Sabban said flatly, breaking through Scarlet''s cackling and the less loud laughing of Hoki herself. Like a fire had sparked beneath him, Nilas leapt to his feet; "Ha, for the love of-- I better be goin''. Sab-lad, stow away me¡¯ things. Can''t stand bein'' on the dinner staff''s bad side." And like that, the older man was gone. With as little fanfare as when he had arrived, Sabban stood back up, placing his empty tray under Kolme¡¯s abandoned one, with the battered teapot and cups atop it and began to turn away. Seeing the collective looks of confusion on the faces that remained, Sabban shrugged and offered little answers before walking silently away, "Meeting with Nate for about ten minutes ago, I''d reckon."
Hoki didn''t realise it then; she wasn''t wholly sure any of them did, but as their impromptu group breakfast drew to its end - So too did the first time all five had ever sat down to break bread together. Even if Scarlet had only drank coffee.
To her surprise, Hoki couldn''t help but admit to feeling a bit lighter after the quarter hour spent listening to her comrades joking around - Indeed, for the first time maybe ever, she really felt like comrades was the right word to use. And above all else, as she made her way out of the canteen, reinvigorated for the day ahead, ''It was good to see Una smile again. I think that''s the first time this week she''s ''really'' smiled... And maybe it''s the first time I''ve really smiled this week too.''
Front 7.1; Deadlight Commences – Part 1/2 (Originally Front 14)
Front 7 - Under the Light of the Mechanical Moon
7.1 - Deadlight Commences Part 1
A thought struck Hoki as she sat in the quiet mundanity of her piloting chair. It was the sort of thing Kolme so often ranted about, usually unsolicited; ''Battles are a strange thing. In stories, they always seem so very spontaneous. An alarm rings, and all the soldiers and machines rush out to clash with one another - So, how come I''ve been sitting here for the better part of forty-eight hours with nothing to do?!''
Per the ''operation details,'' Scarlet and Hoki had launched along with their field cabin and set up on a small debris field, close enough to actually see the good ship Clover, with its crescent-moon form and numerous spindled arms - But not so close as to be detectable as anything more than debris themselves by enemy sensor equipment. Aside from the Clover off in the distance, there wasn''t much to look at. The cockpit of the regular Vijaik is no large affair. In front of Hoki was the primary monitor, surrounded by its myriad of smaller position-able screens - All displaying various readouts, while the largest gave her the aforementioned view of their query.
Around Hoki was even less comforting, the many railway-like clasp levers of the cabin that controlled ventilation, the two large handles to the sides of her chair for manoeuvring and many keyboard-like control panels, which she had pushed back to give herself a little breathing room. The chair at least was comfortable, not luxury by any measure, and it didn''t exactly feel soft, but broad enough for Hoki to sit cross-legged, or with her knees tucked under her chin, or any other such configuration. Put lightly, she had spent considerable time trying to find the comfiest way to sit in the chair.
It was something else she had never really put much thought into before now: The idea of comfort within a war machine like the Vijaiks. Thankfully, the small metal shell of the mech wasn''t her only refuge. She and Scarlet took shifts between being on watch inside the machines and making use of the field cabin''s facilities. Said facilities were little better but seemed downright lush by comparison to the stuffy recycled air and heating of the cockpit.
The grey rectangular block was affixed to the doorways of both Vijaiks, hanging in the space between them like a scruffy grey shirt on a washing line. Inside the cabin was something akin to a youth-hostile style of room - No gravity meant no beds; instead, simplistic sleeping bags were strapped to the walls in the old-fashioned way, chairs and tables of the flimsy sort that folded out from the walls - And all the kitchen equipment being an indent to one side. The ''Pioneer Toilet'' was embedded in another wall, with a small amount of storage on the side opposite, for clothes and piloting gear. All told the actual floor space of the room was small; however, Hoki still valued the space over solely having her cockpit.
Despite its lack of gravity, the space could store a reasonable amount of air, meaning there was no need for them to wear a space suit permanently, and it was better air-conditioned than the Vijaiks would normally be. By being physically connected to the two mechs, they could share these amenities with them to some extent. In turn, the Neo-Vijaik''s regularly small air supply could last comfortably for at least a week. A must-have for missions like their current one, but¡
Despite the relative comforts of her pilot''s chair and the field cabin, comforts she was well aware someone like her father would not have had during the invasion of Bhaile just a decade ago - Hoki couldn''t help but feel the early onset of that feeling.
The first few hours had been fine; heck, the entire first day had been, if anything, enjoyable. Her handheld had an extensive array of media she could watch or project onto the primary monitor, as well as books & publications she could read (many of which she had been meaning to get to for some time but had been unable to due to her duties). At first, it was almost like a short vacation, sure one with the ever-looming threat of an extensional danger, but still a period of rest and relative peaceful relaxation. And yet, in just the space of two days, she could already start to feel that niggling strain, a biting uneasiness to move around and do - ''Something, anything.''
They couldn''t exercise much without the proper gym equipment in a zero-gravity environment, and before long, Hoki found her eyes beginning to strain from all the time spent staring at screens. At best, the food was ''fit for purpose'', and communications with the ship were prohibited except under the strictest circumstances.
And so there she sat, staring at the main monitor that served as a window. Looking out on the vast expanse of nothing, on the blackness with no borders - Filled only by that distant, green moon looking shape of the Clover and the twinkling sparkles of probably dying, far-off stars.
And in all that blackness was her - Outside her machine bent on one leg against a large silver sheet of long discarded metal. In front of it was that all-important high-powered rifle, propped unmoving atop her shield as a makeshift stand.
On the back of her machine was its massive backpack with a maze of wires running between it and the rifle''s power conduits - As well as an additional smaller block attached beneath that, specifically to give the extra power needed for living out her extended stay away from the ship - If that was all it would have made for quite the strange image of a lonely sniper, forever sat prone ready for some unseen enemy to appear - Except for it.
One could almost ignore the rail protruding out from the sniper into the awkward grey box of the field camp - But most certainly not what was on the other end. Where Hoki''s cyan and green Neo-Vijaik was stationed as an ever-ready watcher, Scarlet''s crimson and emerald machine, with its single red-eyed headpiece and black, blocky plate-like torso armour - Stood to the far end of that same sheet of metal, looking outwards like some immortalised sentry. The two mechs were connected in that never-ending night sky by nothing more than the grey column between their two cockpits and the field cabin.
Joined together and yet so very alone.
Hoki shook her head in an attempt to take her mind off such things, but before long, she found herself dragged into that forlorn state once more while staring aimlessly out at space.
"Oi girl, how do I play cards on this blasted thing."
Hoki sighed, her line of thoughts fleeing her like the hazy daydream it was, as she turned to face one of the smaller monitors. Their mechs being physically connected meant they had an actual cable to allow for audio and visual communication. Further, even taking separate shifts, there were always some hours in the day when both she and Scarlet would be awake together for some time. It didn''t take a genius to figure out that Scarlet''s shift had begun and Hoki''s would soon end.
"What do you mean ''cards''? This is a state-of-the-art machine, capable of--"
"--of the use of weapons o'' mass destruction ya-da, ya-da. I know all that, but where''s the cards function?" Scarlet waved a hand across the small square screen of her face as if to dismiss any further lectures from Hoki about the Neo''s primary functions. She had deliberately used one of the smallest screens in the cockpit to display Scarlet''s camera feed, making her cropped head look almost like some miniaturised version of the truly red-haired, verbose woman.
Small or not, however, her voice was as loud and brash as ever, "Look Scarlet, why would this machine be equipped with ''cards''?" Hoki added with a tone that suggested a general disinterest in the question.
"Why? Because I''m bored, that''s why! Back in the war, my old--"
"--Your old Vijiak-Mk2 had every board game under the sun, a bedroom the size of a house and a swimming pool in the back for good measure," Hoki interjected dryly.
Scarlet''s face visibly shrivelled for a moment as if to retort before changing to something of a wry smile; "Oh well, just thought I''d ask. I heard, after all, that you were the test pilot for the Neo. Guess you can''t have been all that good if ya don''t know where to find the cards. Those who cannot do, teach, eh?"
It was Hoki''s turn to wince at this comment; she turned to face her own camera before, in a tone of indignation, replying, "Now look here, there were a dozen test pilots for this model. I was ever so slightly more focused on the combat side of things, or did you not prioritise that back in your day, Miss Scarlet? If you really want to play your damn cards, go to the monitor config 3B, assign packet 3O-s to auxiliary control board #002 and then press play. Although I doubt with your level of tech-literacy you''ll ever get that fa--"
"Done!" Scarlet chirped across the comms.
"Yo-you what? Ahem, I mean to say, ah- Already?" Hoki floundered desperately, trying to hold back her own embarrassment.
"Hmm-m, what''s that? Don''t be mumbling, girly. All I did was follow your instructions. Easy enough once you know how we are pilot after all; what are a few coding inputs? Mind you, I hadn''t thought of using the rifle input for playing a game. Seems you were holding out on me!" She said while laughing in response to Hoki''s surprise.
Hoki glared into her camera at the cackling form of Scarlet. In the background, she could now hear the generic sounds of the computer-generated card game, bing and bong.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
"Now then, load it up on your screen, too, and we''ll have a quick go before bed, eh?" Scarlet mused mostly to herself.
"I just don''t get you," Hoki shot back, "I thought you hated computers. You''re just pretending to be a tech-wiz all of a sudden to annoy me, is that it?"
Scarlet''s face turned to one of disappointment; "There ain''t nothing to get, woman - It''s you who thinks I hate computers. Computers ¡®is great - Just don''t like fighting against them is all, makes you complacent."
"Then what about Una? You train her with the simulations!" Hoki spat.
"That''s different. The Rookie needs all the experience she can get. Another few years, and it''ll be just as useless for her as it is for me. Don''t mean it ain''t of use right now. Adapting to the situation is soldiering 101," Scarlet said flatly.
Hoki simply threw up her hands in response, "You''re impossible. Do you know how unreaso--"
"You feeling alright, girl. Nerves getting you down?"
Hoki recoiled defensively at this interjection.
"You just want to rile me up, don''t you? Do you find this fun or something? Tch, I should disable this feed right now and be done with it."
For her part, Scarlet sat back into her chair, hands raised in foe-surrender, the entirety of her face now more appropriately filling Hoki''s monitor screen; "Calm yourself, would''ya, I meant it proper. Nothing wrong with being a little nervous".
"Oh ya? Well then, what about you, Miss Ace pilot?"
Scarlet rolled her eyes at this comment, "Is that really what I sound like to you, girl? Personally speaking I''ve never understood people who hate ''The calm before the storm''. To me, it''s always been when I feel most at ease, ya know? If anything, I struggle to be relaxed at any other time but ones like this," she finished in another fit of ruckus laughter that seemed to bounce along with the periodic static of the communication line.
Hoki found herself once again taken aback rather than making any sort of retort. The words came from her mouth before she knew it; "...That''s what father used to say--"
Scarlet frowned as Hoki stopped mid-sentence, "Go on, girl. Your father used ta'' what?"
Hoki mused on it a moment longer before giving in to Scarlet''s question; "There¡ there were a lot of my father''s men who couldn''t talk after, well, The War. The worst ones would seldom spoke at all, not cause they couldn''t exactly but¡ They would make Sabban look chatty to put it lightly. Still they would turn up once a week to go drinking with dad and the rest, ya know. But, what you said - About liking the calm before battle, I used to hear them say it sometimes - I mean, some of them could talk about the fighting with pride, but the one thing they all had in common was talk about the time before battle. You just reminded me of that, is all..." Hoki finished.
Scarlet grinned again but differently, in what Hoki realised might actually have been a sincere smile for once; "There are some things all soldiers have - The battlefield one of them. There''s a'' type of magic to it, if you get my meaning. Out here, we are all the same. Gender, race, rank, don''t matter - You can be the wealthiest Bhailien officer or the poorest Abhailen footman - Out here a single shot and you''re dead. Makes things more simple, animalistic even.
It shouldn''t be that much of a surprise me and your da'' share things in common. Then again, I''m not sure how much else there''d be," she finished with a slightly more rueful laugh.
Hoki frowned at the last part of this comment, "And why''s that? You think him less of a soldier than you just for being on the winning side, that it?"
Scarlet laughed again, more enthusiastically this time; "Like heck I do. Are you even listening to me, girl? Your old man had his fair share of crap, I know that much, and just being away from the battlefield doesn''t mean he and his men haven''t been fighting another type of battle," she pointed above her eyepatch to her temples as she said this remark, "different experiences is all I meant. You ever been to Remembrance girl, on a diplomatic mission with your ''pops'' or somethin''?"
Hoki shook her head, but hearing mention of Abhaile''s second continent, she could guess what Scarlet was getting at - She had seen the photos and videos of the place. Abhaile only had two ''habitable'' landmasses - The rest of the planet being near untenable for living and of those two, it had for the longest time been believed the ''Isles-of-Remembrance'' were also on the uninhabitable list. And yet in the war''s final days, after the King of Abhaile had perished and the fleets been scattered, their revolution against The States Union shattered - A beacon had gone out. A message claiming that the moment had been prepared for - A base rallying point for the retreating forces of the Abhailen Revolution, situated in the one place no one would expect - Remembrance.
"Your dad and his mates got to go home ya know? ¡®Houkai, The Great Hero of The East'' - But we didn''t get that. We ran away to Remembrance, and ran is the right word. Most of us never got to ''stop'' fighting. I''ve known men who''d have killed at the chance to really stop and grieve. Usually that pain killed them if they did try ever stopping.
The place is a wasteland; water is rationed lest it literally run out. The atmosphere is weak, and we get what? A half-dozen hours of sunlight at the best a'' times," Scarlet said while laying back further into her chair, "You should see the landscapes sometime; the port they built there in secret couldn''t hold but a handful of ships - Yet hundreds came. Warships, supply vessels - Even dinky little lifeboats. Well, most of ''em were forced to just crash-land once they ran out of resources or manpower. It''s this whole county of wrecks, one massive graveyard of warships wherever you look - Everywhere. Most of them gutted now, of course, to make new ones or fix the ones that did manage to land upright - But the shells are still there--"
Hoki felt a faraway look seemed to capture Scarlet''s eye now - Not of the space outside of them but of a place only she could see. A look of remorse or maybe excitement, Hoki wasn''t sure which, if either.
"--Who knows which of us was the better soldier. I rec''on I''d of given him a pretty good run when he only had his tanks, but later in the war, I doubt my old un-serviced Mk2''d done much against the legendary ''Ground-Type-Casnel'', even with its ''swimming pool in the back'' was it you said? Then again, a Casnels only as good as its pilot, Mh-hmm."
Hoki fell quiet momentarily, unsure how to take this more earnest turn in the conversation. As for Scarlet, she looked up with a start as though realising she had said more than intended, though not with a face of embarrassment. Hoki wasn''t sure Scarlet had ever been embarrassed by much of anything.
"Ah-ha, now you want to know the real differences between your dad and me, then there''s the tea for a start or the fact the average Abhaile soldier in the war got paid fifty per cent less than the TSU troops did, even for a skilled test pilot like me''self."
''Test pilot, I''d heard that was just a rumour,'' Hoki contemplated before absentmindedly asking the less inspired question, "The tea?"
"Hmm, ya, the tea. You know that crap old man-Nilas drinks? I''ll tell you this: that''d have been good enough for an Abhailen officer back in the war. We used to get so little that we were forced to water it down. First thing master taught me and my pals was that only idiots water down tea - Better to draw straws and have only one or two proper cups a week than to waste good leaves on flavoured water."
Hoki suddenly felt compelled to ask a whole manner of questions; this was the first time she had ever witnessed Scarlet open up. ''Test Pilot, Master, Pals'' - But again, a different question was the one to cross past her pursed lips; "Don''t you ever want to quit? You must have wanted other things when you were younger. You''re not that old, are you?"
Scarlet raised her eyebrow, then laughed, "Ha, who knows anymore?"
"You don''t know your own age?!"
Hoki asked in complete disbelief. The older woman simply shrugged at her camera feed.
"T''was a long time ago I became a soldier girl, back when I still had two working names, legs and eyes even, ha-ha-ha-ha! You fight for long enough, and you start not remembering the past."
"Bu-but you can''t always have been a soldier!" Hoki tried, exacerbated at the woman''s history.
"No, I suppose that much is true. Must have been your age or thereabout when they recruited me, ¡®bout three years before the war? I was a truck driver before that. That''s why they wanted me."
"What in Sun''s name did they want a truck driver for? No, wait. A lorry-cabby, you?¡±
Scarlet eyed the camera this time with a glare of disappointment; "Not a hulking great thing with six wheels you idiot, more like a shuttle. Abhaile ain''t got the gravity you''re used to. We also didn''t have a navy - So shuttle drivers, rocket engineers, and anyone with a shred of knowledge was hired. Shouldn''t you know all that, Miss history major?"
Hoki''s face reddened severely, realising the naivety of her own comment, in turn causing Scarlet to start off laughing once more; "Me quit eh? I guess it has never really been an option; there''s always been more to fight against. Anyways, where would you have me go? TSU-s have occupied most of Abhaile for a decade, not that you can much blame ''em after all we did - But you know as well as I that they still hunt down anyone related to the old King''s forces, dumb enough to leave the safety of Remembrance and IAFS. I could go be a pirate again, but raiding supply lines is only fun for so long," she finished with a mischievous wink that made Hoki frown in response, "Most of us have never really been home. We returned to Abhaile, sure but, well, I don''t even know if I still have a home, like a house or an address, I mean. And besides that..."
"Besides what?"
"Ah, sure, it''s nothing really, but I guess I do have that much in common with your father, too. It wouldn''t - And don''t you dare speak a word of this to anyone else you hear - It wouldn''t feel right to leave the world like it is. To let the next generation inherit a place so much worse than the one I woke up to, however, many years ago it was," Scarlet finished hastily, almost spitting the words out like they might harm her to do so, though again, there was no reddening of her checks to indicate embarrassment.
Hoki sat silently for a moment, thinking about what Scarlet said. She had expected another ridiculous argument, not this.
''Maybe there really is a magic to be found on the edge of a battlefield to-be?''
In the end, they didn''t play cards, and Hoki began to unseal the cockpit hatch in order to head to bed, one comment most prevalent of all on her mind; ''Her reason for fighting is almost exactly the same as father.''
As she pressed the last couple of dials and switches to set her machine to low power mode, Scarlet''s voice perked up once more, just as she reached to disable the small screen from earlier on, "Ah, well. Goodnight... Hoki" - The transmission cut immediately thereafter, leaving only a tiny unconscious smile and flush of the checks on Hoki''s face.
Bonus - Data Points 4 - The Clover
Data Point 04 - The Clover
The Clover is a repair-vessel constructed by Bailey-Mechanics a few years prior to the current IAFS conflict. Originally it was planned that the ''Frontier Class'' of repair vessel would have around a dozen vessels produced, each of which would hold orbit around Bhaile and Abhaile, acting as relay stations, ports in space between the two planets and the Nation-Satellites - This in mind the Clover is by far the largest spacecraft currently in service in the whole galaxy, it completely dwarfs all other repair-vessels and space stations in sheer size.
However, this plan to create waypoints throughout the solar system was put on indefinite hold when Bailey-Mechanics became the primary backers of IAFS, having to spend most of their capital on funding the militia organisations - Meaning the Clover is the only one of its kind ever completed.
With its original purpose lost, the Clover is now considered little more than a private civilian vessel owned by Bailey Mechanics and it is illegal to so much as fly in its airspace without permission from Bailey''s board of directors - This is something of a rouse.
In reality the Clover acts as a mobile base for IAFS, in particular the Tradech frequently docks with the Clover in order to undergo repairs and take on-board supplies - Making it an invaluable resource for IAFS
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Frontier-Class Silhouette
The sheer size of the Clover comes with a number of advantages, capable of effecting repairs on multiple vessels at once and with massive storage bays for supplies. The Clover carries enough food, water and fuel to remain in space for months at a time - However it cannot enter atmosphere so has to be resupplied by smaller ships while in space - Moreover, in order to keep up the appearance of being a civilian vessel, it almost completely undefended with no weapons or Vijaiks to guard it.
The fact the Clover can move is considered its biggest achievement, it is in effect a small town in space, perhaps some might say a potential prototype for colonisation ships, should the UnderCurrent''s people ever decide to invest in such things.
For now it remains one of a kind, a supposed civilian ship, secretly supporting IAFS''s ongoing war effort.
The Clover;
| Full Name; |
BM-Frontier-Class Repair-Vessel; Clover |
| Manufacturer(s); |
Bailey Mechanics |
| Production Type; |
Limited Run |
| Production Window; |
Discontinued |
| Crew Count: |
Varies wildly - Capacity for thousands |
| Mech Carrying Capacity; |
Carries none of its own but capable of servicing dozens at once. |
| Threat Ranking; |
n/a |
Front 7.2; Deadlight Commences – Part 2/2 (Originally Front 14.5)
7.2 - Deadlight Commences Part 2
If the first two days of waiting had been dull and uneventful, with little to no talk between Hoki and Scarlet, the following forty-eight hours had been the reverse. Multiple false starts had dragged one or the other from where they slept, only to find out it had been nothing more than a passing comet or such like. With the atrophy of no exercise now setting in, Scarlet''s games of cards had become ever more frequent to pass the monotony. Hoki had to admit it fascinated her how much their conversation on the second day had changed things. Just talking had made things feel ever so slightly different between the two.
For Hoki, the realisation of just how similar to her father, Scarlet really was, had seemingly re-contextualized much. It was hard not to think more fondly of the woman now that she reminded her so much of those heady days spent with her father''s unit after The First War had ended. A part of her wanted to feel embarrassed by it - For all the previous bickering to be so pointless seemed wrong - And yet she simply couldn''t help but wonder now why it was they had been at odds in the first place. It struck her that it was too easy. Surely they couldn''t just stop arguing because of one silly heart-to-heart. And yet, despite all these considerations, she honestly began to look forward to when the two''s schedules would match up. To asking her more questions and to have the opportunity to learn about the bizarre woman''s colourful ''past lives''.
Alternately, Scarlet just seemed happy to have someone to play cards with. Unlike Hoki, the strain of not moving about and the unnatural quiet that came once you got accustomed to the stirrings of the Vijaiks seemed normal for Scarlet. Unlike on the Fluchtig, she acted downright chirpy. While she did make sure to curse Kolme and Nate''s names at every opportunity she got, claiming it was their fault they''d been left waiting for so long.
The prediction had forecasted that the Curadh would arrive in two days at the most. It had now been more than four long spans floating aimlessly in the blackness of space. If things went on like this for much longer, new issues would inevitably arise: There was a limit to how long the crew cabin could supply them with food and oxygen - Or to how long the pilots could stave off the side effects of such cabin pressure even if Scarlet seemed so contented - Which in itself Hoki was sure would have come across as annoying just days ago.
Of course, none of this was to say things didn''t still get heated between the duo. While a serviceable way to kill time, the card game often proved an infuriating experience. Scarlet was clearly an old hand at the thing, and while Hoki could keep up, Scarlet often acted with a self-assured air as though the whole thing were rigged in her favour.
''That''s impossible to do, mind you. It''s a simulation; Scarlet wouldn''t have the tools to hack it, which means she''s just trying to freak me out...''
A small panel chirped to Hoki''s side, just as on-screen, yet another game ended in her defeat. As she looked over at the panel that had sought her attention, she did her best to ignore Scarlet''s whop of victory. 96 Hours.
Scarlet too, stopped cheering to read her own notification.
"Blasting heck, nearly a hundred hours, the heck are those damn men thinking!"
Hoki didn''t respond; instead, she slumped into her chair, a hand on her face.
"You alright? Guess I beat ya pretty great in that round. I suppose you must be wanting to head to bed right ''bout now," Scarlet suggested with only a hint of satisfaction at her latest victory.
Hoki shook her head; "No, it''s not that. I don''t think so, anyway. Scarlet, surely your head is tired of this place, too? Isn''t this a bit too much ''Calm before the Storm'' even for you?"
Rather than her usual response of laughter, a knowing smile crept across Scarlet''s face, one which Hoki recognised from her time spent around Lt.Kolme - The sort of smile she had always wished she could manage herself.
"How many actions have you seen, girly?"
"Huh? What has that got to with-- Oh, oh really, that how it is then? I really thought we''d started to move past all this silly bicker--" Before she could go any further, Scarlet cut back in, "Slow down for cryin'' out loud. I meant it honestly. Sheesh."
Hoki hesitated for a moment but relented nonetheless, "Fine if you really must know - two. Just two, and none of them in space. Laugh away."
There was no laugh; Scarlet simply nodded at her.
"More than a lot have. I take it the second was when your da'' tried to escape Bhaile?"
Still hesitant, Hoki nodded back, "...There was another. At the officer''s academy when I was still a student, some terrorist group managed to infiltrate the school with a teacher, Sun only knows how. He handed copies of keys out to his comrades over months of prep work, and then one day, suddenly, the whole school is being held hostage by a load of terrorists with half the school''s training Vijaiks."
"Let me guess, you lead your classmates to fight ''em off with the other half of those mecha?" Scarlet asked with a genuine tone of intrigue.
"...Well, I suppose we did yes, stopped them doing anything until the military could arrive. We even made the national news," Hoki reminisced, "But it was Vald who did the leading part..."
"Vald? Funny name, an old boyfriend?"
Hoki choked on her own words. ''How long. How long since you last said his name with such causal abandon. You damn disrespectful idiot!''
"Girly? Hoki?"
"Ah, sorry, umm. Vald was more of a brother, really. I don''t generally go for men, not that I''d have seen Val that way whatever the case may be."
Again Scarlet''s expression seemed unfazed, though it was clear she had picked up on the key word as she sat quietly giving Hoki the time to speak - Was.
"You know how I''m the ''Hokuai''?" - Scarlet nodded along in confirmation, "Well, the Hokuai has been a man for a long time now. Don''t get me wrong, father never - And I really mean that - Never acted like he would have had me be any other way, but with Vald¡ He could... I think Val meant he had a son and a daughter, if that makes sense."This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"And this Vald, he didn''t make it into space either, I take it?" Scarlet said in an uncharacteristically subtle tone.
Hoki nearly laughed as she shook her head; "Oh he made it alright. He skipped a whole year of school; he was just that good. TSU-s recruited him before he had even finished training and then on his first deployment, against¡ Well, that bit doesn''t matter. Anyway, he got injured, captured, and then summarily executed by the terrorists - In a video sent to TSU command, a beheading is what the ''rumours'' all say... It''s funny, really. I used to be jealous of him. It wasn''t based on anything. My father always doted on me and always told me the title would be mine someday but I was jealous. He got into TSU-s so young, graduated early, went to space, and was the model image of what the next Hokuai was meant to be..."
Hoki let her sentence trail away.
"Nasty piece of business, it sounds like," Scarlet muttered, a more rigid complexation coming over her face.
Hoki pawed at her eyes while trying to look away from the camera, "Ahem, anyway, nothing to be nervous about, we''ve trained for this right, ''since birth¡¯. Isn''t that what you told Una?"
"Pah! That''s just what the Rookie needed to hear; she''s the sort who feels better if she believes everyone else around her knows what''s going on. I didn''t mean it for you. Nothing wrong with being nervous, not after something like that," Scarlet concluded sternly.
"Nonsense, that whole thing was years ago, and it''s not like I was there or anything. I was safe at home..."
Scarlet frowned at this, "I didn''t always like the moments before a battle, ya know. When we first invaded Bhaile, I was absolutely bricking it. I can''t have been much older than you are now, but everyone looked at me as if I knew something they didn''t. Ha, maybe I did about mech-combat in space but on land? I''d never even felt gravity as strong as you have down there, never seen an ocean or natural forest before. I knew nothing, but everyone respected me, Miss Test-Pilot, to know it all."
It was Hoki''s turn to sit quietly, wondering if Scarlet was simply making things up to comfort her.
"But then I met Master, stupid old git that he was. Taught us how to live down there, pilot a twenty-metre-tall behemoth across open plains, and sleep well but stay aware enough to run when the night-time shelling would start. How to share the tea ration out properly."
A sincere smile and that far-away look now took hold of Scarlet''s visage.
"You said that before, ''Master¡¯. Was he your teacher?"
"Teacher, eh? No, that ain''t quite right. I was already your age then, older even. No more like... In the old Abhailen tongue, we say ''Naikima'', like a companion, I guess. A mentor but also a friend. Ha, like that makes any sense!"
"Naikima... That''s an old word from parts of Eastern Bhaile. I learned some when I was little," Hoki added.
"Huh? Well there ya go; makes sense to me. The very first settlers of Abhaile were from all over, the language was just a mesh of them all, before the ''Great Homogenisation'' at least," Scarlet put a particular sarcastic emphasis on the name of the law that had abolished most old languages, "Ya that''s what he was. Ha, could of sworn the old fool had died on me a dozen times over, but we''d always run into each other again. During the evacuation of Bhaile, when things started goin'' wrong for the revolution - I saw him holding the rear line. I thought for sure it was a final stand kind of deal - Yet months later, I ran into him again, only for us to get split up once more when the war ended.
Cutting a very long story short, he ended up being my subordinate during ''18. Never really felt right that, but there it was. ''Lt. Commander Scarlet'' - sounds bloody stupid, doesn''t it? And I suppose, if we''re really stuck here with nothing to do but gossip like old hags, you might as well know he died, not in battle as some hero but as an invalid. I commanded twenty-five in the ''none-war''; he was all that made it back alive. Left in a tiny room out the back of the Remembrance base. I used all my ''influence'' to stop them from trying to throw him out. They believed he was a drain on resources - Can you believe that? The man had fought with them for so many years, and that''s how it ends - Well, I could hardly stay with Remembrance after that or all the other crap I saw them do - Then I went and did it all again with the Mithril when I joined up with IAFS and well, you know the rest...."
There was a drawn-out silence as the two stewed on the delicate details they''d let each other in on.
''The magic of the battlefield really is something else....''
"Is¡ Is that why you hate me?" Hoki asked, more meekly than she had intended.
"I don''t hate you, princess. I''ve just seen too many like you die. I don''t wan--"
"Scarlet, scarlet, I... You were right. Nervous? They want us to fight a friggin Casnel! I''ve spent my whole life being raised on stories of their greatness, told how they''re the closest man can get to gods! I can''t do this just cause I happen to specialise in rifles. ¡®Hokuai¡¯ is just a name I stole. I''m no legendary warrior!" Hoki blurted the words out like a dam of emotions that the last four days of isolation had eroded away entirely.
"You heard me tell Nilas before, girly, I don''t want any more students or ''comrades''. The Rookie is just, I don''t know, it just happened, but you''re different girl. I''m not looking to train a successor," Scarlet said back calmly.
"Then don''t train me as one; don''t train me at all. I just want a naikima, Scarlet. We''ve been here four days, and we both know that the plan sucks. It''s vague and optimistic at best. Playing cards can only distract me so much from that fact. I know before I disregarded you, tried to pull rank--"
"Arbiter behind ''The Massacre of the 4th'' - wasn''t it'' you said?"
"And I''m sorry for that, I am. You just--"
"Seemed like an old fart who couldn''t accept that times had changed and my war had ended a decade ago?" Hoki nodded dejectedly; Scarlet continued, "Ya well, I suppose I might have seen you as a bit of an entitled daddy¡¯s girl. Guess I was wrong about that if nothing else--"
"Then?"
If you want to make this ridiculous mission work, I wouldn''t mute you if you happened to start going over the battle plan aloud - I might have a comment or two on it. But as a," Scarlet sighed deeply before going on, "--As a friend, alright? Not as a student or ally, just a chat between friends who happen to be standing on the precipice of death, nothing more. I guess I owe you that much, but you better get ahold of yourself - What would the ''kids'' think if they saw this outburst from their teacher, eh?"
Hoki smiled, not the usual fake mask she used to assure her former students - But a real, honest smile.
''Screw it if it''s stupid, I am afraid, very afraid, but with her - She''s stubborn, overbearing and arrogant - But there''s just something about her. I want to talk to her more. Friend? That sounds nice... That''s ok, right, father... Vald?
I promised that day to fight for everyone who can''t anymore, for everyone who''s still waiting for a resolution - To make sure their sacrifices are not in vain - Why shouldn''t I add Scarlet to that list? Even if she can be a bitch sometimes... I want to fight alongside her! I want--''
Front 7.3; Casnel – Part 1/3 (Originally Labelled Front 15)
7.3 - Casnel Part 1
THUD!
"Hoki, Hoki!"
THUD!
Hoki awoke with an arrested start, struggling to raise an arm out of her sleeping bag to wipe her tired eyes. She slowly moved her hand over to the wall-mounted monitor next to her and pressed the receiver on; "I-I''m up, what''s wrong?"
"What''s wrong?! They''re here, that''s what, the Casnel! Five bloody days of waiting, I''ll kill old man Nilas for all this waiting! Now wake yere''self up. Plan A is a-go!" Scarlet said back in a voice of alarmingly gleeful excitement.
After that, Hoki was quick to shake the sleep from herself. They had practised the drill of what would be done if the enemy arrived while asleep and now she put that into action.
Quickly changing back into her uniform and grabbing her handheld, Hoki headed for the door with only a minor, wistful look towards the toilet she knew she would not see again for some time. Making her way through the rounded tunnel that connected the Vijaiks to the field camp, she landed into her pilot''s chair - Carefully sealing the airlock of the cabin behind her.
"I''m in Scarlet, sitrep?" Before Hoki had even said it, she could hear the faint whir of the connecting tunnel being disconnected, Scarlet having obviously activated the removal process on her end. The tunnels were soon retracted, and the camp''s small set of thrusters activated, propelling it off back towards where the fleet lay in waiting - Leaving only the thin and easily snappable comms cable behind.
It had been another day since Hoki and Scarlet had opened up to one another and said day had been as uneventful as all the others, though with more easy-going conversations between the two. As promised, they had gone over the plan, and Scarlet soon dropped her aloof attitude to give all sorts of advice. At times, they had near bickering, but overall, Hoki was confident about the arrangement they''d decided on.
"Computer says T-Minus two minutes until the Casnel is within estimated firing range, Ma''am. Visuals should be coming over to you as we speak," Scarlet''s formal report took Hoki slightly aback, but she had little time to think about it. Her mech had been left on standby, and as she now flicked everything back on, she watched each screen spring to life and smelled the faint scent of hydraulics and machine oil beginning to move about - All to the sound of crunching and whirring throughout her mech.
While much of what she and Scarlet had discussed had, in reality, been strengths and weaknesses they had already known about each other - One thing of noteworthiness had been Scarlet''s high level of tech-savviness - Despite her continued disdain for using simulators to train, the woman actually had quite the grasp for noughts and ones. As planned, rather than immediately charging towards the enemy, Scarlet''s mech waited silently beside Hoki while she worked with the onboard AI to calculate the enemy''s trajectory and where the submarine should be hiding. Indeed, all evidence thus far indicated their invisible foe never strayed far from its prototype Casnel accomplice.
110
Hoki glanced at the primary monitor, now springing to life with the data from Scarlet. What appeared was like a landscape painting of black nothingness - But for the green crescent-moon shape of the Clover to the right side - And, of course, it. At their current distance, the Casnel was little more than an ill-defined blur, but Hoki could still make it out for the most part. Like the Neo-Vijaiks, it had two arms and two legs - Accompanied by a two-eyed, sloping headpiece. Unlike the Vijaiks, it was painted in an array of blacks and greys along with some silver highlights as though to blend in with space - Something it almost achieved but for the green glow behind it.
For all the sleek, slim black machine seemed to cut through the night like a knife, behind it, large thrusters threw out a bright green colour that left a faint wavy line - Almost like the contrails of regular planes in atmosphere, might leave behind them.
Said green drew a narrow line that almost divided Hoki''s screen in half, with the Casnel at its front creating an almost arrow-like effect, pointing towards the unsuspecting - semi-defenseless Clover.
100
Hoki didn''t have to try hard to imagine what it must look like in Scarlet''s cabin right now. No doubt her hands, much like Hoki''s own, were a blur moving from keyboard to keyboard - All carefully laid out in front of her in a semi-circle pattern, with the machine''s actual control handles pushed almost out of reach to make more space for the work that needed to be done - As Hoki had been taught it, there were three principles to using a ''Vijaik long-range rifle''; these three were what made them so very rare, to the point of Hoki being the only operator among the fifteen pilots of the Tristian Flotilla.
First was the separation. Imagine the feeling of holding something, not necessarily a weapon but simply a hot poker or a walking stick. Now, think of how much control you lose when wearing a pair of heavy gloves or marigolds. Imagine trying, for example, to precisely move something with a garbage picker - Its snappy two-pronged head awkwardly clamping open and shut, fumbling around the handle of the walking stick - Imagine that much, and you might start to get some idea of the First Principal. Although the AI of the machine could handle some things, ultimately, one had to trust in the machine''s accuracy and their own calculations to move the mecha''s two massive hands, hands larger than people, over the delicate surfaces of the sniper rifle.
Then there was the visuals. Unlike an actual rifle, with a Vijaik, you don''t look through the scope but rather through a viewfinder, or literally the head of the Vijaik - Which in turn automatically adjusts for the difference of metres between where it and the rifle beneath it line up. Almost like putting a periscope in front of a pair of binoculars - This disorientating process of looking at a screen that''s been artificially unfocused is the second hurdle of the job.
80
Thirdly, the numbers. To be a sniper requires one to have both the intuition, gusto, and natural talent of a frontline soldier and also the mathematical prowess to compute reams upon reams of figures. The distance between her and the enemies wasn''t just a thousand metres like might be the case for a regular rifleman, but rather more like ten thousand.
Being in space helped, with no atmospheric pressures or weather conditions to consider - But that could hardly account for the energy element. Where a conventional bullet could theoretically fly forever in space, an energy bolt would gradually dissipate, becoming less effective over range. Ordinarily, this meant nothing, for the distance this would take is far too great to be of concern to regular pilots - But for snipers, every little detail had to be neatly considered.
60
Hoki pressed down the final equation, a faint message box appearing on one of the many screens to confirm it was done. She heard a stirring from Scarlet across the comms as she too, received the message.
56 - 14
There was another principle that Hoki knew past the first three, one no one ever said outright - For it was almost a contradiction to all the cold logic required for the rest of the sniping process. The ¡®Auxiliary Control Stick'' lay at the centre of all her keyboards. It was surreal to think she and Scarlet had, until just yesterday, repurposed the gear-lever-like objects for the use of playing cards on the big monitor. On it was a small red trigger.
The fourth step was obviously firing. All the numbers now in, the weapon positioned to a millimetre accuracy and a second timer starting its descent. Hoki had never met a single marksman who trusted it enough, the automatic fire function, that is. Too many things could go wrong, too many sequencing errors or AI glitches in the system.
No, almost every sniper would pull the trigger themselves.
52 - 10
A faint crosshair outline was now overlaid on her monitor, a few paces away from it the Casnel still streaking its way forward. In the bottom right corner of the screen, the countdown clock.
48, 47, 46 - ''46 seconds until it is in range of the Clover, in range of a space-station filled with hundreds, maybe thousands of mostly defenceless civilians.''
45 - 3.
44 - 2
43 - 1
BANG
The thin line of brilliant blue ejected out of Hoki''s rifle in a blinding flash of colour. In a second, it began its short journey through the night sky, crossing kilometres in mere moments.
''
Huh, look at that. I think that''s my best shot ever. Beating a Casnel for my first ever proper space battle, whatever will father think'' - Hoki allowed herself a slight grin, more of relief than pride. Her aim had been perfect. Even if the Casnel saw it coming, there would be no dodging at the speed at which it was moving - 40.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. At worst, the incredibly powerful shot would go straight through one of the machine''s limbs, hampering its combat potential and killing its momentum. At best, as this shot seemed to be - It would hit the mid-riff of the machine and either destroy the cockpit or cause a chain reaction to blow up the enemy''s power cells - ''Totally victory just like that. All that waiting for just a single, clean shot.''
38.5
38
37.9
"Mother of--" Scarlet muttered aloud, taking the words from Hoki''s own agape mouth. The shot had been perfect as estimated, yet the Casnel didn''t even have a scratch.
Hoki lurched forward, forcing all her viewing equipment to a maximum zoom. The Casnel was entirely undamaged. Even so far away from it, she could tell that much. What had changed was the clock - It had stopped at ''38''. It dawned on Hoki that the Casnel had been pushed back at a ninety-degree angle to its original trajectory, all from the force of the blast.
Additionally, a square-green shimmer now held around the machine, like some form of shield that had absorbed the blast on the Casnel''s behalf, only causing it to be pushed back. Without a mark to even prove it.
Hoki fell back into her chair - ''Blocked? Blocked! For Sun''s sake, you can''t just block something like that with a shield; it''s impossible!''
"Hoki, Hoki! Ensign Bachika, Princess! For crying out loud, Hoki, they''re calling your bluff. Line up the next shot!" Scarlet yelled across the still connected comm-link.
Hoki shot back up to the controls, cursing herself for panicking; she began to reach around the cockpit. The enemy mech had begun to move again, and although it would take time to regroup its previous speed, it became clear it intended to continue towards the helpless Clover. As the last of its prior line of green faded, a new one took its place as Hoki began the process of firing all over again.
37.5
She clasped at the controls, her hands trying to work faster than before, her mind racing; ''What good is firing again if it can block you - Block you! What in Sun''s name can block something like that! Enough, that''s enough; you''re acting like a cadet. Control your breathing, woman.''
37
A faint orange flashing in the corner of her machine, accompanied by a quiet whirring, alerted Hoki to her mech''s need to ventilate the influx of energy. She reached hurriedly behind herself, spending a full couple of seconds trying to remember which of the heavy-set levers to pull to ventilate the right side parts of the machine.
36.25
As she finished pulling the lever, she turned back to the keyboards and computation reams, the faint smell of greasy oil filling her nose as she tried to desperately bring her breathing back under control. It wasn''t the same as panic, exactly - She didn''t feel scared per se - More like her mind had slowed to a crawl like the numbers strewn in front of her began to swim - To form mocking faces - As though the logic she relied on was taunted her itself; ''Best shot you''ve ever taken right? You''re meant to be a rationalist, aren''t you? So, the logical thing to do now is call it all off. Don''t waste the power on a second shot. If you won''t trust logic, what else have you got left?'' The imaginary voice cooed.
35
"San, sanju, Nana-niju--"
Hoki stared in disbelief at the small speaker emitting the numbers in Scarlet''s voice.
''Those are, they''re from my home¡¯s language. Why would Scarlet know those numbers?''
Though somewhat simplistic in nature, Scarlet continued to call out a series of numbers, coordinates in Hoki''s native tongue. Further to Hoki''s surprise was her own hands, which she realised had subconsciously begun to key in the string of numbers into her machine.
33
The numbers ceased swarming now, and her mind calmed down. With Scarlet helping to make up for the time she had lost, the duo quickly finished the rifle adjustments, far faster than it had taken to prepare her first shot.
''I didn''t know she even had spotter training. I guess I''ll have to ask about it when we get back... Ya, when we get back.''
30
BANG
Once more, the brilliant beam of blue soared across the skyline on a direct intersection with the green line of the Casnel. This time, Hoki knew it would see the shot coming and wondered whether it would use that strange translucent shield again. To her surprise and relief, the Casnel did not block this time. Instead, it seemed to reverse all its thrusters, narrowly stopping just metres away from slamming into the energy attack.
Scarlet whooped across the radio, exclaiming excitedly, "Ha-ha, told you it was just a bluff! Whatever that shield was, he ain''t willing to risk getting hit directly by you twice. As little as I want to admit it - I would do the same in his place - That''s some of the best damn shootin'' I''ve ever seen, Hoki-girl!!"
The Casnel didn''t try to start towards the Clover for a third time. Instead, it turned and, after a short moment, began to head towards Scarlet & Hoki''s position at long last.
"Well it''s about time. I''m sending you the data on the submarine with its most likely positions - Good Luck!" Scarlet uttered before leaning forward to turn off the live feed.
Before she could, Hoki interrupted her, "Wait, maybe I can get one more hit, I--"
"Oh heck no, the plan Ensign, remember? I get you the coordinates and then intercept the Casnel while you reveal the enemy ship," Scarlet finished sternly. Hoki reddened at being the one to question the plan she had insisted on making before replying back to Scarlet with a curt apology and ''good-luck'' of her own. Scarlet seemed satisfied with this, and as the camera cut for the last time, Hoki could have sworn she saw a glass & plastic looking cylinder float past one corner of the screen - Though she paid it little heed, more focused on the wolfish, almost sinister grin that spread across Scarlet''s face as the image faded.
The comms cable snapped, and Scarlet (careful, as Hoki had asked, not to disturb their metal platform too much) was gone, making her way across the endless dark towards the nearing figure of the Casnel. For Hoki''s part she quickly arranged Scarlet''s figures on one of the TV-sized monitors and started running calculations for the third time that day. Much like her unexpected use of a foreign language, Scarlet''s maths were equally impressive, with the row of coordinators being more professional than Hoki had seen from many other fellow marksmen in the past.
Before long, she had her third shot lined up; however, where before she''d had a target to aim at (however small), now she was faced with only blank space. Nonetheless, she braced herself and took the shot, all the while faintly aware of the bottom right of her screen as two more weapons fired. These were indicative of the Casnel, which fired a large arm-mounted cannon - And Scarlet, who carried with her an even bigger bazooka-type weapon that fired a massive shell of physical ammunition.
Hoki watched as her cyan-energy shot hit nothing, Coursing off into the deaths of space. Unperturbed, she rapidly began lining up the fourth shot based on the second most likely place for the enemy vessel to be hiding, according to Scarlet''s carefully crafted numbers. As for the other two, Hoki half-watched from the corner of her eye as Scarlet easily cartwheeled and dodged out of the path of each shot the Casnel fired. The luminous green blasts of bloated energy from its imposing cannon seemingly posed no threat against Scarlet''s speed - Her large red and emerald mech dancing around the enemy.
Similarly, the Casnel easily avoided the shells from Scarlet''s bazooka, simply striving from side to side with minimal movement.
Finally, the duo of machines reached each other face to face, both with glowing orange arc-staffs drawn. The speed at which they collided caused the two thin plasma weapons to flicker violently like candles in a breeze and for their light telescopic frames to bend and buckle under the strain of one another - But neither machine gave any ground.
Hoki was loath to say it, but if Scarlet could compliment her, then she, too, could compliment Scarlet; ''Her control of the machine''s movements is unreal!''
Even as the thought went through her mind, she watched Scarlet raise her bazooka in her off-hand while still locking blades with the Casnel. In sync with Hoki''s fourth shot, Scarlet''s shell flew free. The Casnel, rather than trying to shield, boosted to one side before being knocked back by the force of the shell explosion. Had she not been busy with her own part of the plan, Hoki might have considered the implications of this: Did the Casnel have limited power? Could the shield not stop solid projectiles? Or most likely of all, if the green shimmering square of light was really made of pure energy, would activating with an arc-staff drawn risk cutting through the Casnel''s own weapons?
However, Hoki was indeed busy. At long last, a shot had hit home, and the only thought she could spare for her ally''s small victory was of little substance: ''15 loaf to Scarlet.''
Entire kilometres away, Hoki''s endless line of cyan energy had stopped as if frozen in mid-air, the thin energy simply sizzling against nothing like a raindrop held in mid-air before suddenly pooling outwards in a rapid circle of lapping water. Like a stone thrown onto the surface of a murky lake, as it were.
When the beam at last faded, it left a pure white-metallic circle of about four metres in diameter - Simply floating in space - Like some bizarre 2D doorway among all the blackness of nothing.
The battle was now about to begin in earnest, ''Invisible submarine no more!!''
Front 7.4; Casnel – Part 2/3 (Originally Labelled Front 15.5)
7.4 - Casnel Part 2
Hoki only allowed herself a moment of glee at finally hitting something before returning to work. Her next few shots were predictably much easier. As had been explained to her at the various briefings aboard the Fluchtig, the priority was to open a large enough surface area on the submarine to the outside view. As she understood it, the Chameleon coating had three effects: One to reflect light. Two being heat resistance (which did help alleviate the slight feeling of disappointment that her shot hadn''t pierced the newfound white wall of armour). Thirdly to mask the ship''s heat signature.
If Hoki revealed enough of the vessel - That would allow the Tristan flotilla''s trio of ships to lock onto its heat signature, effectively rendering the submarine''s invisibility irrelevant. With this in mind, she lined up the next two shots much quicker, pulling the trigger a fifth, then a sixth time. The shots coursed through empty space before creating another duo of white circles formed in the air - Looking almost like three white moons across a night''s sky. The three revealed patches seeped into each other until the final effect was something akin to a lonely white triangle on the black canvas background.
Of course, that wasn''t all; still in the corner of her main monitor, Scarlet and the Casnel continued their duel. To Hoki''s surprise, as she refocused her attention on this battle, she watched as Scarlet was actually pushed back - Her arc-staff thrown free from her hand. Pressing this new advantage, the Casnel charged forward to strike at the now bladeless Scarlet, but as expected, her willy tactics were still too quick - In a flash, Scarlet had thrust out her bazooka while continuing to surge her machine backwards. The Casnel, in effect, sliced the poor weapon in two within a millisecond, charging straight through the cloud of smoke and flame that emitted from the newly destroyed weapon. This in turn, seemed to be exactly as Scarlet had hoped - The Casnel came through the cloud of self-made debris only to be greeted by Scarlet''s red mech, no longer running but instead with one of its heavy-set calabar blades drawn from its back.
The blade clattered into the enemy''s arc-staff with such an almighty force that the staff shattered in half, the broadsword style of the calabar blade making the Casnel''s staff look like paper. Despite all this, the Casnel managed to recover, raising its other hand to shoot its massive arm-mounted cannon at nearly point-blank range. Scarlet, ever spritely, thrust her whole machine to one side - But this time, it wasn''t nearly enough. The bulbous green energy blast blew her right arm off wholesale in a flash of sparks and light. For a few moments, the two machines were now apart from one another. Scarlet with her calabar blade in her left hand and a loose array of served wires & hydraulics to her right.
The Casnel, with its smoking barrel & unscratched surfaces, drawing a second arc-staff from the waist to replace the first, which floated as a pile of splinters nearby.
It struck Hoki that Scarlet losing her hand made for an apt symbol of the battle beginning to turn for both of them. She herself was busy disconnecting the auxiliary power banks they¡¯d been using over the last few days - Their energy long since drained with Hoki''s first six shots of the rifle. As the final battery dropped off - Leaving only her permanent backpack to the rear of her mech - The first return shot made itself known. That small revealed triangle of white in the sky, or, more acutely, the hidden warship behind it, had started to fire back at Hoki.
****
Things began to move faster now, with far less time for Hoki to take in exactly everything that occurred around her. The still, mostly hidden submarine had launched a full-blown barrage against her; massive beams of energy in pairs of twos, threes and fours flew around her, Hoki barely dodging each colourful blast of light that passed around her. She had an advantage of sorts. A Vijaik is comparatively tiny compared to a warship, and for all the power any of those many blasts might hold, it was little more than trying to shoot a fly on the wall with a machine gun. Still, caution was preferable as she ducked & weaved between the onslaught. All the while, Hoki prepared her rifle for its next mark.
The lengthy scrap of metal she and Scarlet had made their home atop had been completely eviscerated by the enemy ship''s cannon fire, leaving nothing in its wake but a fine spray of silvered particles.
With this in mind, Hoki began swapping her weapon to its lower power setting. One of the many experimental features of the rifle and the one most likely to cause a complete firearm malfunction. She was also painfully aware - As the large hands of her Vijaik grappled with the levers and coils of the weapon (in between avoiding the enemy volleys) - That she had already fired six times. That number might have seemed innocuous to most, but Hoki knew better. She had, after all, written the test flight reports herself: ''ACR-Mk5-High-Power-Rifle'' testing conducted today has raised the co-efficient rate by ten per cent, cooldown increased to just thirty seconds and chances of self-destruction upon continued firing reduced to just 17.3476 per-centile after six shots.''
Put lightly, she most certainly hadn''t been leaving a full thirty seconds between shots, far from it. She had to stop her mind from calculating how much that in itself would have raised the chances of self-destruction¡
Flash, Slash, Flash, Slash.
Hoki could only glance across to see Scarlet''s progress in between colourful bursts of fire from the enemy and making the delicate adjustments to her rifle. The woman, now one-handed, was still giving the Casnel a hard time (though it still seemed spotless of any actual damage). Rushing, ducking & diving while swinging her imposing calabar blade around with increased vigour and something not far off reckless abandon.
The Casnel had clearly now realised Scarlet''s close-range fighting potential and was actively trying to keep its distance from her - However, every time she would manage to push forward, closing the gap, before the Casnel in turn, would simply fire its impressive cannon - Forcing Scarlet once more to back off and the cycle to repeat.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Flash, Slash, Flash, Shoot, Duck, Flash, Slash, Shoot.
It was a cycle that never seemed to end as Hoki continued to get brief glances of the battle while doing her best not to get hit herself. Finally, her gun was swapped to its low-power setting. Further, the barrage from the ''White Space Triangle'' (as she had lovingly named the submarine¡¯s visible section) that was her foe seemed to have slowed somewhat.
Flash, Swing, Sh-Grab!
This time, the Casnel had finished with its game of lethal tag. As Scarlet swung at it once again, it grabbed the flaming, chainsaw-like blade of the greatsword in the palm of its hand. The blade lit up in a flame of a far deeper shade of red that almost seemed identical to Scarlet''s namesake hair colour. The blade ground, chewed and tore away at the Casnel''s hold on it. Sparks flew as the tiny teeth of the sword desperately fought roughly against the Casnel''s hand - Until finally, it clenched its palm.
The calabar blade, that intimidating archaic-looking greatsword, shattered instantly into a thousand glittering shards¡
The Casnel''s clear technological advantage couldn''t have been clearer at that moment. Before the dispersing shards had time to clear, it was raising its cannon to the rest of Scarlet''s machine to finish the fight. Even the ''Scourge of TSU'' - The Scarlet Scourge, could move only so fast. No one could dodge at that range, not even her.
Boom, Flash.
Hoki knew firing now would give her position away to the submarine - And she could smell the faint toast-like smell of overheating circuit boards and power cables as she fired for the seventh time - But she hardly cared. The shot of now more yellowed, almost sickly light glided through the empty space right between Scarlet and the Casnel. The grey silhouette of the enemy mech jerked back, choosing not to fire just long enough for Scarlet to make a hasty retreat, while the Casnel glanced its angular head around, searching for its unseen assailant.
''That''s that then, plan completed to the letter. The submarine revealed, and Casnel held off. Now just to retreat. Easier said than done...''
As if on queue to answer her own thoughts, two separate events occurred. First was a renewed barrage of fire from the submarine, which had now locked onto Hoki''s position after her intervening in the Casnel and Scarlet''s fight. The massive red, orange and blue lighting bolts shot across the sky in criss-cross patterns on their way toward Hoki.
Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash, Flash.
Hoki swayed to and fro as her machine desperately tried to avoid the chaotic series of blasts in every direction. Among the myriad of warning signals telling her that the power reserve was rapidly failing and warning of attacks in all directions - One small inconsequential light seemed to flash more brightly than all the rest; "--oki-Las--"
Flash, Flash, Crunch, Burn.
The former instructor jolted forward in her chair as a blast ran straight alongside her Neo-Vijaik''s left leg, severing the thing and causing her whole machine to be blown a strewn like an umbrella caught by a storm.
"Hoki, come in, Hoki!"
"K-Kolme?!" Hoki replied in disbelief.
"Ha-ha, that''s our girl! Still in one piece, well, mostly anyway. We''re right on yer tail. Can you patch us through to Scarlet and then start heading for the coordinates I''m sending ya? Those should keep you safe from friendly fire. Oh, and nice work on the space triangle yoke!" Came the welcome if static-affected voice of Kolme Nilas.
Hoki wanted to cheer with joy - ''We''ve really done it!'' - Instead, she quickly flipped the appropriate switches on the comms board before narrowly dodging another flurry of enemy fire. At first, there was no response from Scarlet, although it seemed clear Hoki had successfully connected to Scarlet''s already open radio line.
After a few moments, she began to hear a faint panting. Worried, Hoki called out to Scarlet more than once (while never breaking eye contact from her scanners as she watched out for more enemy flak aimed at herself). ''Don''t they ever run out of energy?! How big is this submarine?''
Finally, a response came through; however, while earlier Scarlet''s voice had been calm and composed, reassuring even when Hoki had been most nervous - Now the older woman came through in fits of what seemed like cackling; "...Hoki...Hoki¡ Get to shooting that ship girly; time''s a wasting," a pause followed in which Scarlet seemed to be giggling to herself.
On Hoki''s monitor, things seemed to have slowed down between Scarlet and the Casnel. The enemy machine looked to be on guard against Hoki, trying to shoot at it again, while Scarlet was simply drifting with nothing but the handle of her broken sword in hand.
"Scarlet, we already hit the ship; we''ve pulled the mission off, don''t you see it, the big triangle to your nine o''clock? Kolme is just behind us. It''s time to go - I''ll cover you, like we planned - Remember?" Hoki said carefully, concern lacing her voice.
Another series of almost deranged cackling cut through the receiver and echoed around Hoki''s cabin terrifyingly; "Ha-ha! It''s him, Hoki, one of the ones who was there. There on the 4th! Not that pilot, but still, one who was there! It might just be destiny, don''cha think, destiny. Ha!"
Hoki grasped to make a reply, panic filling her as she tried to understand the bizarrely crazed state that seemed to have come over Scarlet. She desperately sought the right words to calm the woman, just like Scarlet did for her earlier. However, before she could entirely compose a reply, she heard the faint pop of a plastic lid being pulled free of something like glass - Before the communication feed cut completely.
****
Front 7.5; Casnel – Part 3/3 (Originally Labelled Front 15.75)
7.5 - Casnel Part 3
Once more, Hoki felt the rhyme of the battle change. If at first, it had been the slow, calculated ambush, then the controlled but frantic time spent revealing the submarine and fighting off the Casnel - Now things deformed into an all-out feeding frenzy.
She watched in abject horror as Scarlet seemed to rugby tackle the Casnel with her battered red mech. Watched as she smashed her broken sword''s hilt into the enemy¡¯s visor viciously - Then grabbed its head and fired her flak pods at point-blank range - Doing nothing but creating a glimmering cloud of debris.
The Casnel pilot must have been as surprised by this turn of events as Hoki was, for the Casnel could only flounder around trying to remove Scarlet''s grip on it. But Scarlet was far from finished. Rather than draw one of her remaining weapons - She instead began to punch at the Casnel''s cockpit block with her mech''s bare hand - Every impact would push both their mechs away from each other, only for Scarlet to boost herself back in for another hit, as all the while shards of her mechs fists split off harmlessly. She moved with a speed that made even her earlier performance look tame, and the movements themselves were ruthless.
In all her studies, Hoki had never found visual evidence of such a way to fight. Sure, you heard rumours from The First War of combatants who flew into berserker rages and pushed their machines to do feats unthinkable for a human, but now it was right in front of her.
As the enemy''s rainfall of energy blasts continued to block her view of the battle - She could only catch brief glimpse after glimpse of Scarlet''s mech moving in disfigured ways - Joints seemed to burst from the strain, hydraulic fluids and oils flooding out into the vacuum of space from time to time. All as her machine continued to bend and curve and creek and contort and strike out at the clearly disoriented & bemused Casnel.
And even still, after such a furious onslaught of strike after strike, after painfully heavy strike - The Casnel looked utterly undamaged.
If asked to describe what she saw, to write it into a report once everything was over, Hoki was unsure what she could even say. While it felt like a lifetime ago, she knew it had been mere minutes since Scarlet had stood waiting beside her - Reassuring her when her rifle had at first failed, encouraging her not to panic in the face of the Casnel. Now she looked out, the flak pods from earlier painting her screen like raindrops, the ever-on-coming fire from the submarine was like thunder, and that singular red-eye of Scourge''s mech, darting from side to side as though drawing a crimson line across the night''s sky - Like some crippled predatory animal desperately lashing out at a hunter twice its size. The utter needless chaos of it all, the overwhelming colours raining all around and at its core, that swirling, pulsing red eye.
To Hoki, Her thrashing red mech looked so lonely at that moment.
''How did this happen? Just a minute ago, it was rough, but we were doing ok, weren''t we? What happened to fighting so the next generation doesn''t have to. To working as a team?! What sort of way is that to fight? Is she crazy? Does she want to get herself killed!?''
"Scarlet, you stubborn bitch, cut it out already!!" Hoki yelled into her microphone across every channel.
That outburst of fear and passion was the last thing Hoki remembered with any real clarity. In the following moments, she watched while readying another frenzied assault, the Casnel activated that shimmering, green-translucent shield again. The green light burned, scorched and sliced through the stocky legs of Scarlet''s mech before abruptly the green was gone - Leaving behind it the half-amputated remains of what had been the machine''s two lower appendages. Now little more than a writing mass of cables and sparks.
The next thing Hoki knew, fire was moving in a wholly new direction, not at her but towards the white triangle. A moment later, she could vaguely still picture it catching a blaze as the powerful assault ripped through the already damaged hull of the submarine.
More images would flash through her head in a matter of just a few seconds. A line of rifle fire stopped the Casnel from finishing Scarlet off once and for all. Sabban''s mud-brown mech clashed blades with their mighty foe. Kolme''s double barrel cannon provided support, his voice echoing over the radio, telling Hoki to retreat.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
The faint feelings of hope and relief when the signatures of three friendly ships, two cruiser class and the mighty battleship Am-Fluchtig, flashed upon her sensors - Along with the smaller lights of the rest of the fleet''s mechs.
The smell of a slow, smouldering flame. That, of course, had been her rifle. She wasn''t entirely sure how it had gone. Adrenaline had been gripping her for so long by then, certainly, since she had fired her first shot at the Casnel, what felt so long ago - And now she felt so tired, so worn down from waking in the middle of her sleep, all with an uneasy urge to use the bathroom. She didn''t remember taking aim at the Casnel or even how, as it retreated - It having clearly deciding not to try and engage with the entire Tristan fleet by itself - And yet, out of seemingly pure insanity, Scarlet had managed to pursue the retreating enemy in her now single-limbed machine.
Hoki could still picture the bolt leaving her rifle as the much-abused weapon exploded violently even before the beam of light was fully out of the barrel. The burning, glowing, roaring flames as her weapon finally gave up the ghost, filled her view screen for a few moments before the oxygenless environment quenched the scrap-metal remains. It would strike the first and only real hit any of them would land on the Casnel that day, slicing into its left arm with a visible dent left in its wake.
The moments after that, she did remember more clearly. The retreating Casnel, seemingly ready to blast its dogged red-pursuer one final time, turned to face what had finally managed to hit it. It raised its cannon in Hoki''s direction, never slowing its course back towards its mothership but quickly loosing one last shot of retaliation in her direction.
Almost all the cyan-neo¡¯s power had been depleted making that final shot to save Scarlet - Whose mech had now been restrained by Sabban''s to stop it from any further insane interventions - Hoki stared into her monitor, awaiting what would be. Her own machine unhelpfully informed her she had used the last of her stored power on the shot that had finally dented the enemy. The sickly, luminous green line of light from the Casnel closed the distance in seconds. Her cabin could never eject fast enough, and Hoki wasn''t even sure she still had the strength in her arms to pull the heavy mechanism that launched the thing.
''Besides, even if I did successfully eject, my poor old Neo exploding would no doubt certainly catch the pod in its explosion. Heh, I hope someone clouts Scarlet in the ear for whatever the hell just came over her. W-we were doing so well.''
Hoki braced herself. She had seen first-hand what the green cannon hellfire did to the arm of Scarlet''s mech - Tearing and gouging through metal with ease - There was no reason to believe it wouldn''t do the same to her. She didn''t even have a shield to raise in her defence.
Flash, CrunchhhhhHH.
It was over in seconds. Her screen blurred from the luminescent green filling every camera and sensor before clearing again. The Casnel now disappeared as if into thin air, as the blackened and still periodically sparking triangle of space Hoki had exposed began to move away - To retreat now that the Casnel was safely back on board - The Casnel''s final parting shot delivered with nothing but one scorch marks and a few scraps from Scarlet, to even prove the enemy had ever been in combat that day.
Hoki hadn''t even noticed her arrival; she didn''t even see the sensor blip of her Vijaik''s signature. Her eyes had been half-shut, expecting the end when it had happened when the translucent green of the Casnel''s final attack was replaced by the familiar emerald of her mech. That most basic of Vijaiks, no modifications whatsoever - Its shield raised in front of it and the machine''s body itself - A shield for Hoki.
The green energy blast had pulsed straight through the shield and into the torso of the body beneath - The resulting cloud of debris and smoke made it impossible to see just how deep the blast had dug into the Vijaik''s core - AF-NV-006.
"...U-Una, no, no. No, Una what have you done!"
Volume 1 - Epilogue
Epilogue
"Pilot Helt, return to the ship, do not further engage with the enemy, understood?"
"I mean, you say that, but the enemy won''t leave me alone! What the hell is this red one even? It just won''t stop attacking-- Crap!!"
"Pilot?! Pilot report!"
"Am good, am good - That friggin sniper clipped me is all - Permission to return fire?"
"...Granted."
"Captain, is that you ma''am?"
"Return fire, but continue moving. We have to vacate this combat zone now."
"Er, right, Captain Synapse, ma¡¯am. Roger that."
----
"Oh, come on! Some random Neo got in the way. Don''t think I fully destroyed it, even! One more shot, and I could have them both."
"Time''s up, Helty, get your ass back in here."
"Major, you''re on this line too? Jeez, fine, fine, returning to the flight deck now - Talk about an annoying bunch of enemies; they really scratched my paint job."
****
"Una, Una, please say something!" The woman asks desperately, clinging to the side of the medical cot.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
"......Miss Hoki? Where am I?" The girl says back, stirring from her dazed slumber.
"Oh, thank goodness you''re awake. Oh, Una, you silly girl."
"Ummm, what happened?"
The woman, eyes moist as she clutches the bed, stares surprised at her former student, "You don''t remember? You took a shot meant for me. It was just inches from your cockpit. You could have died! And Scarlet, that idiot had a stroke or a seizure or something. The doctor won''t even let me see her. Oh, Una, you could have both died!"
The girl simply smiles back at her, "But sounds like I didn''t, right? And Miss Scarlet got back too, ya? The boys as well? Then it seems like everything went ok in the end."
"Y-you ido-- I-- I suppose, you''re right, it got a bit close at times but, but yes, I suppose we did make it through in the end - All of us together."
Finally, Hoki smiled back as the two young women laughed.
The NTME, a device humanity discovered that shows the life of seemingly ordinary people within a solar system known as UnderCurrent. These people it shows, are not legendary heroes, nor are their lives peaceful or filled with happiness.
They are valued cheaply by those above them and expected to fall unremarkably in battle against foes of unimaginable strength. And yet, these simple people may yet prove to be harbingers of a new cycle if given the chance. Their story has begun, but it is far from over. The fate of the UnderCurrent may yet lie in their hands.
Volume 1 End - Thank you for Reading.
Volume 1 Appendix; Transcription from The UnderCurrent Experience 2022
''Foreword'' as Transcribed From Dr. Firen Shika''s Opening Presentation on the UnderCurrent;
"The kindest of welcomes to you, Sir/Madame and my utmost thanks to you for deciding to partake in our fully immersive, state-of-the-art NTME or ''Neutral TransMissive Experience''.
As I''m sure you are already well aware, we here at the institute have made a truly ground-breaking discovery by being the very first humans in history to unequivocally prove the existence of sentient foreign lifeforms other than ourselves.
These beings are still under intense study as to whether they are aliens in a distant part of our own galaxy or from some form of alternate reality. The recordings you shall observe today are a selection of specially chosen moments from our catalogued footage of this other existence.
As you will no doubt have been informed, the project labelled ''UnderCurrent'' was developed by my team, about whom you can read more by turning to page 38 of your complimentary booklet. Additional details are listed on the specifics of the system and our research in discovering it - However, I shall refrain from delaying your kind selves from the primary experience with too much technical jargon. In brief, it is my great honour and pleasure to state that UnderCurrent has allowed us to see into the lives of a small collection of humanoid individuals from a world entirely separate from our own.
This world differs so significantly that it had at one point been a land of what we of Earth would see as mythical creatures and wizards straight from folktales and legends. Furthermore, that era has long passed, to the point that this race of people has now far superseded even our level of technology. Now capable of traversing and even settling the space around the planet that which they call home. I need not tell you of the parliamentary debates going on right now as I record this as to whether UnderCurrent might be harnessed to acquire these such technologies for ourselves, but alas, I digress.
Before I let you loose on the full experience, it would be first prescient to include for you several smaller details, as strangely enough, those who inhabit this world are not in the habit of divulging its history at random, nor has the NTME device ever conveniently locked on to a helpful local historian (although we do believe such occupation indeed exist in their societies).
For the History of the world, how it came to go from the age of mirth to a thriving space-dwelling empire, before plunging once more into all-out interplanetary war straight out of a Hollywood movie - We have included something we here at the institute are most proud of: A complete transcript of the prologue to one of this other world''s books!
This fragment of a completely separate culture starts on page 42 of the booklet and was achieved thanks to one of NTME''s primary focal points, a man named ''Kolme Nilas'', who read the book during our time observing him.
Thanks to this, we have been able to transcribe it into English. It provides the most accurate yet brief account of this alternate people''s history to date, as backed up by the various statements of the people this experience and our research has centred on.
We believe the book was possibly written with a comical slant or to be philosophical, as it centres on explaining broad swaths of their history, often from what we believe to be the guise of the humble office worker''s role in affairs.
{Editors Note: It has come into some dispute as to whether the exact word used is indeed ''Office Worker'', which may actually refer more closely to ''Common Man'' or ''Every person'' - Pierre Havelock OBE}
Aside from this, it is essential to note the vantage point UnderCurrent affords is one centred around the crews of primarily two space-traveling warships. Most of all, it seems fixed on the good ship ''Am Fluchtig'', with its somewhat motley crew of pilots.
These pilots do not partake in combat via the conventional weaponry you might be imagining but instead with massive mechanical exo-suits or ''mechs'', which they use two unfamiliar terms to address;
Vijaiks, we believe to mean ''Warrior'' - And the far more powerful but comparatively rare, Casnels or ''Officer''. We hypostatise these machines to be comparable to weapons of mass destruction by our standards, with powerful energy weaponry and shockingly advanced armour, along with the ability to manoeuvre freely in the depths of space.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.? These impressive creations originate from a material we consider to be wholly unique to the other world, supposedly having arrived when a meteor struck their formative home millions, if not billions, of years ago. Two metals seem to exist here, one a more numerous substance that is easier to work with and is the main resource used in creating the relatively high quantity of ''Vijaiks'' and in constructing many warships and other weaponry. The other is far more uncommon and seems in fact, to be highly radioactive in some fashion, being attributed by that world¡¯s own intellectuals as the cause of the mystical creatures of the ages gone by and the strange ''magic'' like abilities of the ''Magi''.
This latter material is so impressive that it could be interpreted as what sparked the recent interplanetary conflicts of this galaxy in the first place!
A final point of note refers to the languages spoken in the footage you will soon see. It was at first and somewhat perplexingly believed that the people of the other world spoke our very own English and that when they referred to ''The Old Tounges'', they referenced something very akin to Celtic and East Asian Dialects. However, it has since come to light that this is not the case. After realising one of the team members, a man from Brazil who spoke his native language first and English secondarily had heard the footage you will see in his native tongue. After this discovery, I allowed my husband, a man of Indian origin, to use the NTME, and he, too, heard it in his native language.
We are currently researching the cause of this and are very proud to have been allocated a specialist team of linguists who''ve been gathered to try and find discrepancies between what we hear and the actual languages of our world, to discern exactly what sort of language the UnderCurrent in truth speaks.
With that said, an event called ''The Great Homogenisation'' also appears to have occurred, possibly in the living memory of the UnderCurrent''s people: This event was spurned on by the political movements of their leaders to create one giant united nation, as such many old religions where declassified, cultures with old traditions as simple as naming their children with four or more words, were made conform to a standardised two name system similar to some of our own - Even the likes of military ranks were streamlined.
So while it does seem true that nearly all this world''s inhabitants that we have encountered at least speak in what appears to be standard British English, it is, in fact, an entirely unknown form of speech that has been widely enforced within this world''s cultures and is not in-actuality ''Our English''.
Now then, I am here required to remind you once more of your agreement to both the blackout clause and your acceptance of the disturbing nature of some of the following scenes.
Mentions of Violence, Mass Genocide, Drug Abuse and a variety of other topics have, as requested by the Foreign Sectary, been left in. This includes any deaths of individuals the UnderCurrent happened to be viewing at the time.
The images you will see have been heavily cut down. You''ve already been informed that the UnderCurrent appears to give us a concurrent sense of time with these people, and what it shows is largely out of our control. As such, the following multi-visual experience is a coalition of the lives we have been studying. It should give your most venerated selves the much-requested look into the world of the alien existence.
Once more, if any of this is to your disliking or you wish not to be burdened with the Secrets Act, then please remove the headset now.
If not, please press the Red Button to enter the full immersion sequence.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Yours Most Sincerely - Dr.Firen Shika
Appendix #1 (Optional Reading) - "Prologue - In The Beginning" From Pages 42 - 47 of the pamphlet.
Appendix #2 (Completely Optional Reading) - Transcript of; "Prologue - In The Beginning" From the Book "A Long Story" And as was Originally Included on Pages 42 - 47 of the "UnderCurrent Experience"
The chances of life are small, infinitesimally tiny in fact - And yet seemingly life always makes its way to the surface. Millions or maybe billions of years before any life can spring however a miracle must first occur, a coincidence of incalculable magnitude that no mortal could even fathom to put a number to.
One such marvel, in a small galaxy with a young star gleaming blindingly over two great masses of rock that spun so endlessly around their small sun, would be the site for one such occurrence.
Their orbits so close to each other that they stayed synced to one another, too close in fact to Co-exist.
One of these we will, for now atleast, call ''A'' - the smaller of the two lumps of space detritus and therefore destined to merge one day with rock ''B'' the larger of the two. With each rotation of their sun that day grew ever nearer, that the two should smash into one another and form into one single mighty planet - But if the story ended there it would be of little note, two orbits becoming one, observed only by an un-waking sun and stars.
And so it was that by further chance a third rock came into their unsuspecting solitude, a whole shower in fact of meteoroids from a distant place - Created by some unknowable coincidence of their own they carried with them a great many boons:
Hydrogen created of the mightiest of all contrivance at the universe''s very inception. The breaths of dieing stars so much older than that of this tale''s - Water, life itself.
Those soaring stones did, as is their wont to do, collide with our friend A and in doing so infinitely changed the course of that whole young star system. The sheer mass of that heavenly hail-shower was enough to turn the tables, to make A the dominate mass and before long it begin to form, to round, to surge.
For plates to weave and move and collided until finally magma from its core boiled to the surface and splashed and lashed out at that virgin place, what of it there was, and soon it rounded and coiled and bubbled.
And then there were oceans and an atmosphere and what remains of that asteroid storm that had not stuck out against their new home, became moons which in turn spun their own course around the newly deemed planet A - To move its tides and light its night skies.
So of course now the conclusion was set, the choices all decided and the pathways formed true.
Soon life was rife as the oceans and the magma fought one another for control of the land and the sea.
As that great battle of newfound nature raged, the life began to crawl and scrape and cry.
Those creatures would slide from their watery homes and down from their tree top perches and without much ado out of their caves, then into villages on river-beds and towns on bay-sides.
And, with enough time granted, they found their way to cities and civilisations. It was in this way they were born, the workers, the builders, the leaders and bureaucrats - And most of all the pencil pushing, 9 to 5 working, officer workers of civility.
But life begets with it more than just paperwork as soon, far too soon life spreads and the meteor, that had so benevolently given birth to all, brought with it more gifts than just sentient existence.
Rare foreign elements and strange substances, rocks which now embedded in the soil''s crust would be built atop and those people who lived there would grow to be different.
Some boasted long ears and better sight, greater height and longer lives. Others grew thick skin and hard heads, burrowing deep into the mountains to be nearer the strange revered glow of that asteroid-shower''s remaining fragments.
More still developed powers of a sort, sometimes as minor as bending cutlery or sensing an oncoming storm - But every so often a great strength was born forth, dubbed by many as witches and wizards. Seen as Gods by some and more often than not, hunted as evil. Magi.
But when people differ in such great ways they tend not to stare to their reflections in wonderment and in appreciation of all they''ve been blessed with but rather their thoughts tend to go further astray.
The humans with their great order, forced ingenuity and numbers, begin to grow jealous of the Elfen kinds with their natural presents;
''"Why shouldn''t I own a little more of the forest to the East, for firewood in the harsh colder months? Or more pasture to the West for a larger crop to feed my family of many and tend my flock of hundreds? There are many more of us yet they hold such good land!"''
And those with the boons themselves grow complacent and conceited and begin to wonder if they were not given such accompaniments for a reason;
"''Why should we who live a 100 spans longer and who''re all the wiser for it, not guide those smaller people with their trivialities and fears. Those who must group together for warmth and to keep watch for the beasts of the night, while we can hear them many leagues away and see them long before they near us? Why shouldn''t we guide those small human creatures?"''
And so then there is war, as is always the case.
And while they fought their terrible and tragic wars, as the lines were created and banners imagined, one thing held firm, the planet next door. For not all of that fateful meteor had landed on ''A''.
By the benevolence of some kind deity or the cruelty of an impactful devil, debris and shards from that great day had made their way to ''B'' as well, and in doing so knocked it - Not far but just enough that as the years turned to millennia, the two great masses did not form into one, instead B began to change and form, just as A had before it.
It grew to boast a weak atmosphere of its own, thin but liveable air and even a small moon to call its companion, but the meteor had been smaller there and so it seemed, that the water and minerals and the life they brought had not arrived - Instead this planet lay bare and barren, layers of sand and dust matched only by the cold of its surfaces.
To the people of A however that mattered not, for to them that neighbouring planet hung in the sky, large enough that one could imagine reaching out and grabbing it. It went by many names to many cultures in those early times, some deeming those duo of moons demi-Gods to Planet B''s grand deity, others dubbed it the guardian that watched down on them from on high, unstirring from its perch above.
But that majesty did not seize the fighting and the bloodshed, for soon truces were held and alliances formed, borders drawn up onto maps of new parchment. Nations were born.
This was an age before ages, when records were scant and memories verbal. Where great mages would guide bands of warriors on their epic quests to slay mighty mythical beasts - When noble kingdoms with their tall castle walls held party to the first of democracy and equally the beginnings of true tyranny.
It was an age of discovery where whole countries that had risen across deep oceans were found and in due course allied with for trade, or subjected for profit - As suited the whims of the first Kings and Empress''.
It was an age of revolution and renascent.
But time passes and that land of fantasy, of Elves, Dwarfs and Trolls, or magic and brave warriors who could change the course of a whole battlefield with just their loyal sword and shield - In time it grew up.
The nations learned better of the value of words and commerce, of the weight of those who can write and speak buttered words. With time the Elfen kinds would merge and be homogenised into the populous, with only some desperately holding up in the underground cities or towns hidden away in the deepest of the jungles.
With time even those imbued with that magic began to fade, as the rocks of such unimaginable properties lost their lustre, as even radiation will fade if left unheeded long enough.
And so would begin the second great age of that land, some 1000''s of years after it''s first. Soon technology would race to out-advance what had been known before but all was not well.
With peace wrought new troubles, old diseases and plagues rose back up, once countered by the now lost old ways of the merfolk and the Magi - These swept across the land debilitating both folk and farms alike to devastating effect.
But the people banded together to fight these unspoken incursions.
Famine and disease would rise and fall as science gave birth to cure after cure and before long those great many years of adversity came to a close and something new occurred.
So much of that small planet had been devastated, so many species of animal, plant and even sentient forms of life had come to an end.
The Magi had all but faded and the last remnants of the Elves and their like remained silent in their hiding places, through some unlikely cause the world had been forced to join as one to drive off the many challenges sent fourth and as such there were no longer wars, for a time atleast.
But with disease triumphed and war, atleast temporarily, abated, peace once more brought problems.
The people began to expand as their numbers grew greater than ever before, forests burned, mountains carved out for precious minerals and the roads, houses and machines of progress began to pollute the land.
Overpopulation became the normal, famine no longer of crop disease but instead of simple demand became frequent and the smaller nations began to squabble once more amongst themselves for the right to an extra portion of bread.
But one thing had stayed the same throughout these billions of years of change, the second planet still hung silently in the sky.
****
Names had been wrought for planet A and B, the only names all people of any of the various creeds could agree on as appropriate; ''Bhaile'' for A, which in the old tounge loosely meant "Home" - And ''Abhaile'' for B, a "Home from home".
This name would indeed prove aptly important for now the people once more began to look up at B or ''Abhaile''. Some thought of its potential value, while others simply longed to set foot on its unsoiled surfaces.
With all-out war seemingly on the cusp of bursting once more in every land and upon every continent - The nations of Bhaile created a new goal for all to rally around, a goal to reach their nearest neighbour.
But for all she hung so close, the trip would prove an arduous one indeed.
A great many more years would past until finally the second age drew to a close when those first bravest of travels found their way to that most distant of shores. At first all effort seemed bleak and wasted, surely the land was uninhabitable, nothing grew across it and the time to fly to and from it back to home, in their primitive and rushed technology - It could take years of preparation and the risk of not even making it home ever present.
A desert is no place for one to live and only those of a hardy disposition could even survive those harsh lands - Moreover no one can last without water.
But not all was lost!
For with time they made their way South, to the pole of the barren land, here where star-light struck most, here buried deep underground they would find their next miracle.
Massive ocean-sized frozen lakes miles under the surface, the last remnants of that faithful meteor-shower from so long ago.
They even found a primitive form of life, buried in cave societies were the ''small ones'', beings with little sight but remarkable hearing, that seemed to subside off a purely plant based diet of mushrooms and root-like foliage.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.?All centred in small tribes in places where the frozen water had thawed just enough to spread life.
These peoples of barely a few feet in height were different to even the most ancient of the sentient life on Bhaile. They possessed intelligence above that of a cat or dog but were deemed far less advanced then humanity''s greatness, with seemingly no language amongst these creatures - Though communication proved not impossible for those crueller members of the expedition team.
So finally it arrived, the glorious third age, or so the politicians of the TSU who had made it all possible decreed. Entire country''s worth of people were ''benevolently given'' (whether they willed for it or not) a ticket to the new world - A mass exodus to the land in the sky, a solution to over population and famine.
Sent in craft made cheaply and hurriedly, many would not even survive the flight unscathed and when they arrived they were confronted with a new life they had not asked for.
And so they died.
Well not all, but surely more than not, it took a speical breed of person to adapt and survive for long in that cold and seemingly unfarmable land - With no trees for firewood and little air to breed into their lungs.
The old never stood a chance and the young were forced to know no better - And yet through one last cosmically unfathomable, infinitesimally, incalculably twist of faith, some survived.
They took the sparse supplies they were so kindly sent off with and the share of goods from the many who had fallen and they made it last.
Heading to the edges of the sub-terrain ice fields they built cities on the surface like those before them had on the shores of oceans, they persevered to create life, made great viaducts and channels to move the water above ground.
Hard forged were their farms and building would raise only a few stories, for to go to high was to reach even thinner air - Instead even the meanest of house would hold a basement or 4.
Soon undercities lowered and the people learned how to make the most of what could be grown. And as time passed, though smaller than those of their ancestral home Bhaile - Office blocks rose and so too of course came the newly indigenous, 9 to 5 pencil-pushing office worker.
And of the small people? Soon dubbed cruelly ''The Imps'' .
Many were brought up from their peaceful burrows, into the sunlight and forced to help, to help the people build their new homes and to teach them how to farm the land, or where the ice could be thawed easiest and safest. The Imp''s suffered yet they, unlike the humans did not bring war, that would once more come from ''Home''.
As the centuries passed once more the ambitions of man grew ever further, soon they created artificial moons of their own, great satellites for farming or living.
New ships were created capable of moving at will, though travel between Bhaile and Abhaile still remained rare. Bhaile''s governments grew ever closer, while those small nations of Abhaile kept quietly and unsupported to themselves - Like the planet they called home had always been, they stayed ever present yet unnoticed and abandoned in the sky far above the people of Bhaile.
Soon even the first moon became home to colonisation and the governments of Bhaile grew ever more greedy. More projects were drawn up, bigger satellites and maybe even ships that could travel far further out into the stars - But for that they would need new materials, new resources and they would find them once more by looking up above.
But the people who had settled Abhaile, who''s grandfathers and grandfather''s great-grandparents had arrived all those years ago would not bow so easily when those of Bhaile suddenly arrived with their drills and cranes and machines - Ready to disturb the fragile ecosystem that had been so hard won.
In the Third Age, in the year 412 a series of solar system altering events occurred:
The people of Bhaile and the new people of the moon and the great satellite-nations banded together to form a supposedly peaceful combined military force, for the purpose of further space development and exploration - This new force simply falling under the banner of the existing ''The States Union'' - TSU, in truth the greatest empire since that of St.Aardig''s in the First age all those millennia ago - TSU had existed as a unified goverment since the late 2nd age, the masterminds behind the original forced mass-exodus to Abhaile, but now they had grown larger than once thought imaginable, and their combined military was immense.
Later in that same year when the Abhaile Self-Defence-Forces continued to refuse their neighbours the so-called ''rights'' to steal the ''claim'' to their planet''s treasured resources and refused to become a member state of the so called ''Union'', The War broke out.
Of course there had been other wars in the 400 years of the third Age but those had been covered up or ignored, but that could last no longer - ''The First War'' of the third age began, the first interplanetary war to ever occur in their small corner of existence.
The war was brutal and long, The TSU forces had been sure in their perceived dominance, and yet Abhaile fought back tooth and nail. They had been readying themselves with much more fervour and desperation then there suppressors.
The first space warships collided and sunk but Abhaile had other plans. Outnumbered in both their quantity of vessels and the amount of people to man them, they conceived of a new idea.
A machine named the Vijaiks was born, its intention was to be an extension of a single soldier''s will, to allow the battlefield to return to the days when one great hero with sword and shield, could turn the tides of an unwinnable struggle - And so indeed it was.
The machines they created almost resembled gigantic metal humans but with little in the way of necks, domed smooth bald heads and a single monocular eye for vision.
Boasting two arms and two legs these machines changed the face of battle and soon the TSU fleets found themselves pushed further and further back - As warships sunk again and again to single enemy combatants who moved faster in space than fighter jets, and hit with power comparable to that of a dozen standard tank units.
However the Vijaiks were far from invincible, a single good strike to the torso section could pierce the armour and kill the pilot inside. A small number of brave fighter pilots in what were little more than jet-planes adapted hurriedly to space, fought desperate dogfights with the metal giants to protect their fleets but all seemed in vain.
The destruction was vivid, asteroids knocked deliberately into Bhaile''s orbit, space stations, often of civilian origin were dropped from the sky and before long Abhaile''s forces no longer just sought their own planet''s defence but began an active campaign to invade and conquer Bhaile itself - Claiming it was as much their homeland as anyone else''s.
Millions and later Billions died in the conflict until early in the year 414, when the Abhaile ground forces were mere days from the storming the headquarters of TSU, a new machine appeared - Created in one of the last satellite-colonies still left standing on the far side of Bhaile, the machine had been created from what little of the meteor''s remains could still be found and mined on Bhaile - Without having to tear up whole settlements and cities that is.
This new ''Mech'' was entitled a "Casnel" and was constructed of an ultra light but durable material, allowing it to move as fast as Abhaile''s Vijaiks but proving far more deadly.
Further enhancements were made to make it superior to its competition, including weapons which were said to be as strong as the main cannon of an average warship.
This impressive machine was accompanied by a lone vessel, a brand new warship, the first TSU designed for the single purpose of acting autonomously while housing the maintenance and launching facilities for mechs like the Casnel.
In a sheer matter of weeks the "Cheval De Troy" travelled from the far side of the planet down to surface with time enough to near single headedly repeal the advance of the enemy force.
Suddenly the remarkably achievements of the Vijaiks seemed to pale in comparison to this one lone machine and its warship escort. Although Abhaile continued to hold much of the planet they had failed to account for such a counter occurrence, placing too much of the strength into the attack on the enemies headquarters - ?They now found themselves spread out, dispersed in small pockets all across multiple continents, and of course on land the Vijaiks no longer seemed so small a target for a well placed tank battalion or bomber squadron.
Soon the war turned, with captured Vijaiks and the battle data of their own Casnel - TSU began construction of a new mass-production mecha-force of their own and before long a desperate retreat back to space was in order.
On the first day of the year 415, Abhaile surrendered to TSU''s main fleet at the site of their last fortress after the death of their king - And The First War drew to a close.
The world, in fact two worlds had been thrown into chaos for the space of 3 years. Entire nations lay decimated, the days of famine and new diseases returned as though it had never left and all peoples felt the true consequences of the pride and greed on either side that had lead to that terrible time.
And yet the worlds went on, the planets kept spinning and the sun kept glowing.
Victors or not, TSU had been crippled and their fleet, even the ''Cheval De Troy'' and ''First Casnel'' had fallen during the final battle upon Abhaile''s moon. In response they decided to re-organise bringing the bulk of their forces home to help with the rebuilding effort of both the planet at large and their military strength -
Meanwhile however they daren''t leave Abhaile to its own devices, especially considering the large quantities and reserves of the very metals that had helped them win the war - Still laying buried beneath the red planet''s surface and expansive lakes - Further tensions being added when remnants of the revolution launched guerrilla wars and terrorists attacks year after year.
A occupation and surveillance force therefore was formed with ultimate authority to monitor and keep down the people of not just Abhaile but even the satellites and moons which had for the most part allied with TSU during the war.
Of course this could only lead to one thing and once again, exhaustingly, war began again as it always does. ?Both moon''s in secret began training troops and building machines, under the pretence of helping with Bhaile''s remilitarisation effort. Soon TSU began to abuse their unmatched military power until an incident in the year 422 pushed these rising tensions to their final breaking points.
Humanity had learnt nothing from the war that had taken so many billions of their total populous.
A force comprised of X-Abhailen Self Defence Force Members, Recruits from what amounted to private armies on Bhaile''s disgruntled moon and even many a defector of the TSU forces who believed the navy had gone too far - formed up into IAFS - The Independent-Alliance-Of-Free-States.
On the very first of the Year 424, exactly 9 years to the day after the first war of the third age had ended - The second war has began, not even a mere decade passing in-between.
But what you may ask of the humble office worker in all this?
Of course admin is always needed, maybe more so during wartime and during the imminent collapse of society, however not all desk clerks wield a pen and paper.
It is, as it were, destiny that some take up the sword of violence. Not to be heroes, nor wizards or kings but bravely and courageously no less for what they, or atleast their countrymen believe.
What of them in all this, how did those who could hope for little more than to return home from the field of battle, to their families, those who had never even consider facing a mighty Casnel in battle, far less defeating one - What is their fate in that most definitive and ''grand'' of conflicts?
That answer is still yet to be seen...
(Recap Chapter - Skippable) Incident Report #TF-OD-0001
Incident Report A
Incident Number; #TF-OD-0001
Incident Type; Insubordination
Report Author; 2nd Lieutenant *******
The following report is in regards to the protocol surrounding the recent battle between the ''Tristain Autonomous Combat Flotilla'' and the enemy Troy Class Submarine, known as the ''Curadh'' and its experimental G-Type Casnel.
During the first engagement of Operation Deadlight, the following all committed varying degrees of insubordination;
- The woman known as ''Scarlet Grimizan''.
- Hoki Bachika.
- Una O'' Conchabhair.
These acts of unwarranted disobedience resulted in massive damages to three of the Vijaik-Neo-Cs that participated in the battle - As well as hospitalising two of the pilots and putting the lives of the entire force at risk.
As per regulation, the following shall be my assessment of each of the five individuals involved in the incident, briefly detailing their history, current service record and suitability for continued allegiance to the ''Independent Alliance of Free States'' (IAFS).
A second report will be coupled with this by the Acting-Field-Combat-Commander (1st Lt.Nilas) - Both for the consideration of Fleet-Leader Nate Novel and both written independent of one another.
[THE FOLLOWING IS FOR THE EYES OF FLEET-COMMANDER AND ABOVE RANKED;]
[OFFICERS:]
SUBJECT A;
Name - Kolme Nilas.
Alias/Titles - ''Last Nemo Standing Nilas'' (Derogatory Nickname).
Rank - 1st Lieutenant.
Position - Acting Vijaik Squad-Leader(Officially the Vice-leader), Acting Am-Fluchtig XO, Acting Field-Commander, Senior Vijaik Pilot.
Country of Origin - Ivernia (Central continent of Bhaile).
Next of Kin - N/A (Records indicate a possible partner in the past and a father - This however is unconfirmed information).
Age - Unlisted (Estimated to be in his late 40s, to mid 50s).
Gender - Male.
Sexuality - Straight.
Pilot Simulation Score - C
Estimated ''Real'' Ability - B-
Magi Ability - None.
Health Issues - Kolme was formerly a heavy smoker. He is also known to drink in excess.
Kolme Nilas is something of an oddity - At a first glance the man appears far older than he really is, with an attitude and manner of speaking completely unsuitably for an officer. In spite of this Kolme is undoubtedly a highly experienced operative.
During ''The First War'' he volunteered, joining the The States Union(TSU) terrestrial defence forces. His first year of service would see him in the engineer corps during the invasion of Bhaile by the ''Abhailen-Revolutionary-Forces''. During this time Kolme was promoted up to the rank of Staff-Sergeant (supposedly being quite good in this role). By the end of the war Kolme was transferred to being a pilot of TSU''s first mass-produced mechs.
He would continue in this role until the end of the war - With some accounts claiming he was present at the day of the final battle, possibly even witnessing the death of the so called, ''Last King of Abhaile''.
Following this, Kolme would remain a soldier in the peace years, being transferred from the army to the navy (for unlisted reasons, his rank did not carry over). He saw some action during the ''Remembrance Incident'' and spent most of this time serving aboard a ship called the ''Monte Blanc'' - Under the command of Vice-Admiral Louise.
When the Vice-Admiral defected from TSU to form IAFS, Kolme was simply one of many who got brought along with-in the Admiral''s fleet.
From here a large number of incident forms detail events tangentially relating to Nilas. The Monte-Blanc was sunk in the first weeks of the current war, with Nilas being transferred first to the flagship Tradech and later requesting a transfer to the Am Fluchtig.
Kolme''s time aboard the Tradech is maybe the most concerning - As further detailed in my investigation of Ensign Vint, Kolme would find himself the only survivor of multiple squads during his time there.
It would not therefore be unreasonable to question whether Kolme harbours disdain for IAFS and its leadership.
It is no secret the Neo-Vijaik squads of the Tradech ''were'' poorly organised and often used as little more then cannon-fodder for the ships more advanced mecha and pilots - With the vessel having an abhorrent rate of turnover & causalities.
However since his transfer to the Fluchtig, Kolme has proved to be a valuable asset. Through somewhat poor allocations of officers, Kolme has found himself the second highest ranking person aboard the ship. In this role he has proved a skilled delegator, allowing those under him a sensible level of autonomy in regards to paperwork, pilot training and the Fluchtig''s experimental custom mech program.
He seems to have a high level of respect and loyalty towards Commander Novel and though he speaks somewhat unrefinedly - It is undeniably Kolme is, beneath the fa?ade of a harmless old man, a very capable leader - With a drive to have the men under him survive this war.
During the most recent battle against the enemy submarine and Casnel, Kolme could be blamed for the incident - Indeed insubordination must lay in part with the residing officer - However all told Kolme took control of the battle, had the rampaging pilot restrained - And ordered a tactical retreat, with the priority of tracking the submarine, rather than fighting a prolonged battle against the Unknown Casnel.
All told I view Kolme Nilas as something of an old-school sergeant-major but one with the authority of a commander. At this time it is my advice that Lt.Nilas''es rank and positions should remain the same, both to maintain stability aboard the ship and because I believe he is much more likely to remain a loyal asset if allowed the freedom of leadership.
Threat Level and Assessment - Minor - No action is advisable, minor surveillance recommendable.
SUBJECT B;
Name - Hoki Bachika.
Alias/Titles - Thee Hokuai (Title of Family Nobility).
Rank - Ensign.
Position - Acting Vijaik Squad-XO, Experimental Mecha-Project Liaison, Combat Pilot.
Country of Origin - ''1st Principality of Eastern Bhaile''.
Next of Kin - A father & mother, no siblings.
Age - 27.
Gender - Female.
Sexuality - Lesbian.
Pilot Simulation Score - C
Estimated ''Real'' Ability - B+
Magi Ability - None(However her family has historically contained elven blood).
Health Issues - n/a.
Hoki Bachika is one of the three figures at fault for insubordination during the battle this incident pertains towards. Her role was leader of the forward marksmen group. In this capacity she successful deterred the Enemy Casnel''s assault against the repair vessel ''Clover'' and revealed the location of the enemy vessel ''Curadh''. However when her subordinate went seemingly rouge, Hoki was unable to reign back in warrant officer Scarlet.
Further when ordered by Lt.Nilas to disengage and retreat, Hoki instead continued to provide long range support for her allies - Nearly resulting in her own death.
Historically speaking Hoki is well known within IAFS - Her father being one of its founders.
During the formative years of IAFS, Hoki''s Father - Lt.Colonel Bachika, intended to take a whole copy of all data available to him from the TSU databanks - Troop deployments, blueprints, personnel files etc - As well as having a number of loyal supporters.
These files, the troops and even some equipment were intended to launch into space and meet up with Vice-Admiral Louise''s fleet. The Admiral was designated IAFS''s fleet Leader, Lt.Commander Ceathair as Vijaik leader and Lt.Colonel Bachika in charge of the army wing (this would of included the military police, training facilities, marine deployment and espionage) - However Bachika and most of his followers were caught before escaping atmosphere and to this day remain under house arrest.
Hoki on the other hand, managed to escape with the files and two of her father''s retainers.
In the years following Hoki became something of a spokesperson for IAFS as well as a piloting instructor - Until eventually commander Novel accepted her request for a frontline deployment. In this regard I believe Hoki could not be much more loyal to the organisation, it is in a sense partially her father''s creation. However while Hoki is a very talented pilot, learned individual and well organised officer - She is severely lacking in experience, both on and off the battlefield.
During my investigation I recovered the damaged black-boxes from her and Scarlet''s Vijaiks. On these recordings it is clear the stress of leadership got to Hoki as she can be heard breaking down during her and Scarlet''s time waiting for the enemy to arrive.
There is certainly an argument to be made that were Hoki a more experienced soldier she might of been able to prevent Scarlet from going AWOL. And yet in this investigator''s opinion, the ensign still managed to complete her objectives and if anything held Scarlet in line for atleast a short time.
Further information on the black-box revealed details of a close friend of Hoki''s who was killed by terrorists - This may bear further investigation but aside from this I believe Ensign Bachika''s actions, although unordered, may very well of salvaged what might of become a failed operation.
With more time and experience I believe Ensign Bachika could become both a brilliant pilot and a great leader of either mech-teams or battlefields in general, much like her Father before her.
Threat Level and Assessment - Minor - No action is advisable, minor surveillance recommended.
SUBJECT C;
Name - Sabban Vint.
Alias/Titles - n/a.
Rank - Ensign.
Position - Test Pilot, Combat Pilot, Lt.Nilas''es Wingman.
Country of Origin - Bhaile''s Moon.
Next of Kin - A father (estranged).
Age - 20.
Gender - Male.
Sexuality - Straight.
Pilot Simulation Score - B-
Estimated ''Real'' Ability - B+
Magi Ability - Untested.
Health Issues - Heavy drinking issues verging on alcoholic, Diagnosed depression.
Sabban is the only member of the Neo-Vijaik squad with no issues being levelled at him. He followed all orders issued and operation details fully, further he was not in any position of leadership during the battle.
Sabban comes from a military family, his mother and uncle serving in the First War and the same uncle in the Remembrance-Incident (both now deceased) - With members of his family for generations prior serving in various standing armies. This in mind it seems Sabban joining the military was less of a choice and more of a foregone family tradition - Yet in spite of this it seems Sabban had no qualms with this preordained career path - On the contrary his academy records list him as enthusiastic, good-natured and generally a welcome presence.
That said the Current Sabban Vint is a far cry from this, he speaks only when necessary and shows clear signs of poor self-care (aside from his physical fitness which if anything has improved). This has been diagnosed by the ship''s doctor as a form of depression resulting from his time aboard the Tradech. During cadet core 117''s first field-deployment (as lead by Sabban''s childhood friend, petty officer ''Shasha Niju''), over two battles in under a week, the entire group bar Sabban were wiped out.
Somewhat bizarrely for pilots, Sabban actually knew three of his comrades from before training and supposedly treated the fourth member like a younger-brother. As one can imagine the loss of these four hit him incredibly hard - He was demoted in this time for a rage addled outbursts against a superior officer. (Note for more on this - Refer to Case No. #FF-GO-0030)
And yet despite this complete breakdown in his social skills and mental health, Sabban has remained a competent asset. During test piloting he has an innate skill for knowing how far he can push any given piece of equipment safely - And although he talks little, he acts well in combat - Following orders and capable of acting on initiative where necessary.
Some of this appears to be due to the influence of Lt.Nilas, who despite initially disliking - Sabban now seems to of grown a deep respect or perhaps kinship towards, in what seems to be either a close friendship or mentorship type connection.
In all I believe Sabban is a lesser threat aboard the Fluchtig. His varying mental state is problematic but with both Kolme and Hoki supporting him, it is this investigator''s hope he will not become unstable in a time of crises - And will instead continue to prove a large asset to the squadron.
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.?He should not however be given any more responsibility or leadership roles, than those he already has.
Threat Level and Assessment - Moderate - No action is advisable, moderate surveillance recommendable.
[Non-Commissioned-Officers:]
SUBJECT D;
Name - Unknown
Alias/Titles - Thee Scarlet Scourge(Officially recognised Ace''s Title), Bela Grimizan (Fake alias).
Rank - Warrant Officer.
Position - Senior Pilot.
Country of Origin - Abhaile (precise region & location unknown).
Next of Kin - Unknown.
Age - Unknown (estimated to be in her late 30s, to early 50s).
Gender - Female.
Sexuality - Unknown.
Pilot Simulation Score - C-
Estimated ''Real'' Ability - Hyper-Lethal, Scarlet''s abilities are considered near unmatched by all but a select few.
Magi Ability - Unclear.
Health Issues - Prosthetic Leg and single eye (both lost during various combat situations), Dependency on illegal steroids ''Enhancers'', Serious heart issues, A large collection of severe burns and scars that were not treated properly when inflicted, resulting in lasting brands across her entire body.
Let me start by being exceedingly clear, the incident that this reports documents is clearly the woman known as ''Thee Scarlet Scourge'' doing, more so than anyone else - But further, in Scarlet I believe almost every issue currently facing IAFS is made painfully clear.
To summarise the events of her actions - Scarlet followed Ensign Bachika orders up until she engaged with the enemy experimental G-type Casnel - Once engaged Scarlet cut communications and began to fight the enemy erratically.
As the battle progressed she become more and more dangerous, refusing to retreat.
When the Casnel itself began to fall back, Scarlet in a barely functional machine, continued to chase the enemy - This ultimately resulted in Hoki, Sabban and Una all having to risk their lives in order to halt Scarlet''s suicide assault.
Scarlet''s history and service record is long, incredibly so if every rumour is to be believed.
In this investigator''s opinion, I''m inclined to believe the following chain of events;
- Scarlet became one of the very first test pilots for the Abhailen mech programme, before The First War had even started.
- Like Lt.Nilas she was transferred around quite a bit. Starting in the ''Army Mechanised Warfare Core'' during the invasion of Bhaile.
- In the later years of the war she found herself back in the navy during the retreat from Bhaile after the incursion failed.
- Finally I believe she was one of the secretive speical force''s members.
[(The Abhailen Special Forces are an investigation in themselves. They travelled in small fireteams or aboard fast, light corvettes and frigates - All trained in both mech and speical-forces infantry style combat - During the war''s final months they took increasingly desperate measures to slow the advancing TSU forces, as lead by ''The First Casnel'';
These including many assassinations and ambushes - Resulting in hundreds or even thousands of civilian causalities. TSU has declared any surviving members of the division to be War-Criminals, however to this day not a single one of their members has even been found or brought to court. Some believe this means they were wiped out during the final days of the war - But more think their ability to work behind enemy lines, has made them near impossible to catch in civilian life.)]
- Post war Scarlet spent many of the peacetime years independently attacking TSU convoys as a ''pirate''.
- Finally Scarlet became a prominent commander during the Remembrance Incident, being given her own Casnel to pilot and leading a veteran force of over two dozen Vijaiks, she was considered second only to Remembrance''s top leaders.
- At some stage after the Incident, Scarlet defected like many others, joining IAFS.
- Post Incident #FF-OC-0002, Scarlet''s new posting aboard the IAFS ship ''Mithril'' ended in the deaths of that ship''s entire crew except for her.
Truly Scarlet has lived an incredibly ''colourful'' life, honestly one too long and detailed for the scope of this minor investigation to adequately cover. Most recently she was court-martialled for the destruction of the Mithril.
It is my opinion upon reviewing that case for this investigation, that she was wrongfully incarcerated and is entirely innocent of conspiring with the enemy - I suppose her eventual release and posting to the Am Fluchtig (if in a demoted role) proves that others agree with me - However as mentioned in my report on Ensign Hoki, IAFS''s lack of any real military police presence is a true disgrace and a miscarriage of justice like that of Scarlet''s is just one example of how IAFS''s internal-structures continue to be a major issue.
No indeed while I believe Scarlet was innocence of any fault at the ''Skirmish of the 4th'', if anything deserving of a commendation - I do not believe Scarlet is ''safe''.
In all likelihood Scarlet could be perceived as having been a revolutionist, a war criminal and a terrorist. Of course perspective plays a role here, Abhaile believed they were fighting for independence - Likewise the terrorist cobal, Remembrance, claim to be fighting for their sovereign rights.
In fact many among IAFS come from Remembrance but few have lead quite the life of the Scarlet Scourge. No name, no age, no family, no home. It is almost pitiable in a sense, though perhaps that is my former allegiance''s biased view speaking.
I''d be the first to admit my investigation into her is far from conclusive - There is so much we do not know about her - Foremost here is perhaps her dependency on the steroid called ''Enhancer''. It has come to light that Scarlet had been faking medical examinations in order to avoid this becoming public knowledge.
''Enhancers'' are a drug made illegal before they were even fully patented. Nonetheless in the final days of the First War and even during the Remembrance incident - Abhailen speical forces repeatedly used the drug.
It quite literally contains trace elements of the wonder-metal Goibniu (or Magite colloquially speaking) - The same radioactive substance believed to give some people Magi abilities, the same substance used to make a Casnel''s weapons and armour.
The drug is sometimes called ''The Magi Maker'' - Its effects are to greatly increase the mind''s processing speed, response time and what can only be called ''intuition'' - While in turn borderline shutting down the user''s senses of taste, touch, sound, smell and even to an extent ability to feel pain.
The drug''s effects only last for a brief period, during which a regular pilots abilities become almost supernatural - However prolonged use of the drug has many negative effects. For one there is no cure to the addiction it causes, users have to take small tablet doses multiple times a day or even hour. With time, senses or the mind itself can become permanently damaged, users seldom feel comfortable in their down time - And most of all heart conditions become incredible prevalent due to such prolonged flow of adrenaline putting massive strain on the body.
During the battle against the Casnel, Scarlet''s relentless assault only ended after she suffered a seizure - She is currently bound to the ship sickbay recovering from this - Had she not had this seizure she may well of continued to try pursuing the enemy Casnel.
Let me be blunt, Scarlet is thee most dangerous asset in IAFS but equally one of its greatest pilots. In her current state. piloting a mere custom Neo-Vijaik I believe there to be only two other pilots who could defeat her in combat - Those being the Magi''s of the Tradech, both of whom pilot our IAFS Casnels.
If I were still an operative for ***-* I would not just advise but demand the immediate dismissal of Scarlet - Either on a charge of insubordination or based on her medical conditions - She is literally a ticking timebomb, waiting to explode in our faces. And yet I believe we will need her in the coming days. If her addiction to the drug can be curbed then she will be invaluable.
It is my assessment that had anyone else been ensign Hoki''s escort that day, they would of been unable to hold off the Casnel for anywhere near as long as Scarlet did.
As the only security officer aboard the Fluchtig, I could not in good conscious recommend her dismissal for fear of where that would leave us. She is a weapon of the utmost detriment. I only wish I knew better her exact motives for joining and fighting with & alongside us.
Threat Level and Assessment - Extremely High - Action advisable - Maximum surveillance recommendable and further investigation is required immediately.
SUBJECT E;
Name - Una O'' Conchabhair.
Alias/Titles - ''The Rookie'' (unimaginative nickname).
Position - Junior Pilot.
Country of Origin - Formally Nation State 5, Now Western Bhaile.
Next of Kin - Her Gran-Aunt.
Age - 18.
Gender - Female.
Sexuality - Bisexual.
Pilot Simulation Score - D.
Estimated ''Real'' Ability - D.
Magi Ability - Untested (unlikely to have any aptitude based on combat observation).
Health Issues - Strong Dyslexia, Anxiety Disorder.
Finally we have the group''s youngest & newest member. Her accusation of insubordination is the least severe - She broke formation in order to shield ensign Hoki Bachika from an incoming energy blast. Said blast destroyed ''The Rookie''s'' shield, arm and 90% of her cockpit''s bulkhead along with causing a series of explosions to her machine. She is currently in sick-bay but expected to make a rapid recovery.
All told she should probably be praised if anything for her brave deed & courage in saving a superior officer and squamate, even if her survival could be called mere luck.
Her background is one of very personal stakes.
When TSU-s deployed toxic gas into Station 5''s air supply, killing all its population - Una''s parents and younger sister were killed. She herself was on one of her regular trips to her Gran-Aunt, a woman who lost most of her family during ''The First War'' - Una is only alive by coincidence.
Interestingly the genocide of Station 5 is one of IAFS''s founding reasons for existence.
Una is a somewhat mediocre pilot, however surprisingly reliable. Despite her mech indicating levels of stress in battle and simulations that for others would result in a breakdown - Una manages to continue performing to a fairly stable degree.
I think the biggest concern with Una is what motive a young girl like her has for joining the front line. It would seem likely she wishes some sort of revenge or resolution for all the family she has lost in this last decade - I only hope this drive does not result in her abandoning her duties for the sake of revenge at any point.
It also warrants mentioning that Una has had something of a troubled career. During her first deployment to IAFS 3rd branch, while an evacuation of that base occurred, Una prioritised the safety of a Prisoner-of-War - She succeed only for the prisoner to turn on her, steal her mech and escape. She was afterwards confided to barracks for some months with no opportunities to train her piloting skills and offered multiple times backhanded deals to quietly leave the military.
She is still not allowed to carry a sidearm because of this, something Lt.Nilas continues to file complaints about. (note for more on this - Refer to Case No. #3B-PI-0005)
Threat Level and Assessment - Low - Advisable Una see ship Psychologist to assess her mental state and general wellbeing.
Conclusion;
In all honesty I believe my report demonstrates a great deal about the current state of IAFS.
We are a rebel fleet lead by a capitalist board of director. We are short staffed with a crippling turn-over rate and much of our forces have dangerous backgrounds. In other circumstances I would advise the immediate disbandment of the Fluchtig''s mech squadron.
Kolme is a sargent, playing at being an officer - Sabban is a mentally broken youth, Una has dangerous motives to do something problematic - Hoki lacks necessary experience and Scarlet is quite possibly a bomb laying in our midst.
However, as I''m sure the readers of this report will be aware - There is no one else. These five are bizarrely some of the best pilots not just in IAFS but in general.
Hoki has the highest marksmen scores I''ve ever had access to, Kolme is a surprisingly level headed leader, Sabban is immaculately talented and Scarlet may just be unstoppable in the right conditions. In this investigator''s opinion they are both this ship''s best chance at making an impact on the war - And the most likely group to get us all killed.
I fear greatly for what the future weeks will hold for us all.
2nd Lieutenant ********
[Report Ends]
Front 8.1; Superstition (Originally Labelled Front 16)
Front 8 - The Fool''s Discovery
Front 8.1 - Superstition
[Incident Report B]
We Live Cally-Lass?
Yes Lieutenant Nilas Sir.
Good good, ''ight lets get this over with. This ''ere recording is the interview concerning... What was the code again?
TF-OD-0001 Lieutenant Sir.
Thank you Cally. I''ll be conducting the interview as ''acting squad commander, that one over there is Ensign Bachika - The problem child in the bed is Warrant Officer Scarlet, and the woman behind the camera is Warrant Officer Cally, who is our impartial witness.
Well I say impartial but she''s the Rookie''s bunkmate, ''ardly unrelated to us--
Is this relevant Lieutenant Sir?
Huh, err no, I guess not. Umm.... Interview commenci--
Oh get on with it old man! Before I have another seizure out of boredom!
Warrant Officer, I''m not sure that''s an appropriate tone to take with--
Don''t you go getting involved girly! You''re Una''s friend but that''ll only buy you so much goodwill with me!
Scarlet don''t you think that''s a little harsh?
Enough!! Sheesh I''m trying to do an investigation here, last thing we need is you three all talking over each other like old women.
Who you calling old Nilas?
........Let''s just get this over with can we?
Scarlet for the record how do you plead to charges of illegal substance abuse?
Shove it.
......And how do you plead to charges of falsifying medical exams?
Oh Nilas, I didn''t know you were so forward! You wanna'' oversee my next medical personally is it?
...And on the charges of insubordination? Anything to say on the fact you would be dead if you hadn''t had a seizure in your cockpit during a berserker rage against an enemy machine, brought on by your illegal substance talkin'' ?
I ain''t done nothin'' to nobody, Innocent ''till proven guilty!!
........
Cally turn the camera off, we ain''t gettin'' nowhere like this.
Oh sir, if you don''t mind I have a form request.
What right now? Hoki-lass this is an official inquiry, heck why are you here again?
Yes Sir, sorry Sir but I though it better to ask now then interrupt you later.
Go on?
I want to apply to be Scarlet''s wingwoman if that''s alright.
Eh!? You want to be her wingwoman, after she nearly got you killed? The heck ''appened to you two hating each other?
Ha-ha! Suck it Nilas, with Hoki and Una on my side I have the majority hold over the squad, hahahahaha!
Ummmm Luientant Sir, should I keep recording or?
What? Ah er...
The paperwork for making me her wingwoman, should I prepare it Sir?
Lieutenant-- Sir --Lieutenant -- Sir --Old man Nilas --Lieutenant --
Oh fine whatever!! Hoki bring me the paperwork and I''ll sign it all to hell, clear it with Nate too - Though why you two are best buds now baffles me.
Hear that Scarlet, isn''t it great!
Ha it''s brilliant, I think you''ve really broken his spirits!
That wasn''t exactly what I meant....
Ummm, Lieutenant Sir?
Cut the recording Cally, we''re a lost cause.....
1st Lieutenant Kolme Nilas.
[Recording Ends.]
Kolme sighed deeply while scratching the back of his head - Beside him the room''s small doorway slid closed as young Cally left to return to her regular duties on the bridge.
The ship''s sick-bays were a generic affair, a corridor of small, plain-whitewashed rooms connected by simple doors or curtains and lined from wall to wall with monitors, medical equipment and of course, a cot for the patient. Said patient being none other than the Am Fluchtig''s resident troublemaker, Scarlet.
It was somewhat strange for Kolme to see the woman bedridden - At present she lay with the white sheets tucked up to her shoulders, only her signature red hair and face free of the beds confines. Currently she was grinning wolfishly in Kolme''s direction, a look of satisfaction in her eye;
"Haha your face is priceless old man."
"I hope ya'' appreciate how much more work it''ll be to make a written report. Would''a been much easier if you''d just cooperate on camera woman." Kolme huffed.
"Music to my ears, enjoy your letter writing, Acting-Squad-Commander." Scarlet cooed back.Stolen novel; please report.
Hoki Bachika, Kolme''s second in command and apparent ''traitor'' to his cause, stood quietly at the opposite side of the bed - Smiling both awkwardly and apologetically in Kolme''s direction.
He sighed, "Whatever makes you want ta'' pair up with this nuisance?"
Hoki smiled in her usual polite way; "We came to... An understanding of one another when we were waiting for the enemy ship to arrive. And anyway someone has to make sure Scarlet doesn''t go ''lone-wolfing'' any more."
Scarlet cackled again - "Haha, hear that Nilas? Girl knows who the better pilot to be around is, eh?"
Kolme sighed again while stepping forward and picking up a clipboard from the end of Scarlet''s bed;
"In all seriousness Scarlet, Enhancers, really? I always guessed you''d be on somen'' but that''s some pretty extreme stuff right there."
Scarlet simply frowned and shrugged her shoulders, having already been lectured multiple times in the course of the three days since her battle with the Casnel and its submarine home.
"Says ''ere" Kolme continued;
"That you won''t be better for atleast another four days, minimum. Having a seizure from overdose at your age is no laughin'' matter ya know. And besides that, means you''ll miss the next operation."
Scarlet''s face suddenly lit up in response to this comment, "You what? Who the hell wrote that? I''ll get out of this bed right now, clock them over the head with me bear fists - That ''outta prove I''m just fine to start piloting again!"
"Oh will you now Miss.Grimizan? I have no doubt you could ''clock me'' in a fight but I''d rather you didn''t impede your recovery - Four more days rest is my conservative estimate."
This voice had been none other then the deep basso tones of the ship''s doctor, a tall tanned man permanently dressed in a heavy white coat, with a head of short fuzzy black hair.
"Ah doc, I ah. Ahem, they need me Doc!" Scarlet exclaimed taken a little off guard by the sudden intrusion, causing Kolme to smirk childishly.
"If it''s in the next 4 days they will just have to make do with the other 14 or so mechs in this fleet won''t they? Now then time for your bloods." The doctor replied flatly, wheeling a table of contraptions and syringes over. Hoki made some attempts to convince Scarlet they would be fine on their own but Kolme opted for a broad grin - "Shame really, they say we could arrive any time now, reckon enemy will stop inside of Station 9, you know the abandoned one - Should be fun."
Kolme jeered, enjoying his revenge for Scarlet''s earlier ruining of his interview.
At first Scarlet scowled at this, up until a specific phrase - At which her eyes widened;
"Station 9, thee station 9, as in 9.3? Kolme you listen to me right now, leave it alone. Anything you see there, leave it. Don''t bring anything back, don''t take pictures, recordings, nothing. I mean it Nilas!!"
Kolme and Hoki glanced at each other in confusion, "What do you --"
"Alright times ticking, I''m a busy man you understand Lieutenant.
You can come visit again later yes? Right now Scarlet needs her medication, Doctor''s orders if you want her out of here in 4 days - I know I certainly want her gone by then."
The large man said, waving his hands in a shooing motion.
Kolme frowned, signalling Hoki and making for the door.
"Wait you dolt. Oi! Get that syringe off me! Kolme, stay away from everything in there you hear me! Kolme Nilas, Station 9 is dangerous, you hear?!"
****
Kolme and Hoki walked down the metal-lined passageways leading out from the sick-bays.
Kolme glanced across at Hoki, she was a tall woman with a stride that easily matched his own. As usual she had her auburn hair tied in a neat ponytail and kept both hands held to a file of who knows what.
"Something the matter Sir? You''re not mad I want to be Scarlet''s wingwoman are you?"
''Pah, as if. My whole plan was sending you two off on that mission would make ya'' friends - Shame Scarlet is now putting all her efforts into arguing with me now though....''
"Not at all Hoki-Lass, just this whole business with Station 9.3"
"You mean Scarlet''s.... umm, warning?"
"Ya that, other things too. I hate ta'' admit it but I''d rather have her with us if we face off against the Casnel again.
Doesn''t help Una''s only just recovered from her own injuries, not even sure if I can deploy her right now."
Kolme mused.
Hoki glanced down at her feet, her expression becoming crestfallen at the mention of Una.
''Oh nice one Kolme, make the lass feel bad why don''cha?''
"Ah-h... ''Course the Scarlet thing is worrying itself. Never seen ''er so serious before. Wonder what she''s seen there?"
Hoki''s face perked up a little again at this question, forming into a small smile - "Maybe it was her base when she was pirating in the peace years? Who knows what she might of left behind?"
"Ha, like a diary! All pink and frilly I''ll bet!" Kolme laughed, "Still, we better ask her about it before the mission - Find out what she knows before we end up stumbling on any more headaches we don''t need."
Hoki nodded and opened her mouth to response but was swiftly cut off by the blaring of an alarm.
"The heck''s that racket for?" Kolme said over the noise.
"Battle-Alert Sir...You''re sort of meant to know that sort of thing..." Hoki mumbled.
''Already! It''s only been 3 days since the last fight, this is too damn soon!''
"Hoki go gather the others and put the Vijaiks ta'' standby. I''ll contact the bridge, get the full details."
"Aye Sir!" Hoki saluted brightly before beginning to make her way towards the hanger.
"Ah wait Hoki! Pass me your handheld first! I forgot mine....again."
Kolme called, chasing after his young compatriot.
''Too damn bloody soon for another battle, and all this Station 9 superstition.... First the enhancers and now this warning, what other secrets are you hiding Scarlet?''
Front 8.2; Station 9 (Originally Labelled Front 17)
Front 8.2 - Station 9
Kolme shuffled around awkwardly in the seat of his Vijaik.
The cockpit of the mecha was far from his favourite place in the world, packed full of screens, levers, clasps and a claustrophobia inducing numbers of buttons and switches - Like all things in his life he had attempted to make the place a little more comfortable. Adding in a cup holder and cushions when no one was looking, along with a space for his teapot and a portable kettle in the cupboard underneath his chair (he had little concern for the safety equipment that was meant to be stored there).
''Too soon for another battle damn it. I don''t like this - Why did the enemy captain suddenly decide to speed up? And why the hell are we going towards what''s obviously a trap?! I wish we had an hour, just an hour and I could find out for sure what Scarlet was so worried about - I shouldn''t of let that damn Doctor stop her from telling me - Why are you so stupid Nilas, what did she want to tell--''
"Squad leader sir, Are you reading me?" Came the voice of the ship''s comms operator.
Kolme scratched at his scalp before flipping the reply switch; "We read ya'' loud and clear - Go ahead lad."
"Good luck out there old-sport!" Said a far more excitable voice interrupting the first.
Kolme rose an eyebrow at this sudden change in tone - "That you cap''ain?"
"However did you guess? Ha-ha it is indeed! Well I best hand you back, Charlie-boy here is glaring at me something awful for taking his microphone thingy!"
Kolme sighed, "Aye sir, w''ill keep in touch."
There was a faint shuffling on the other end of the line before the calmer (if now a little agitated) voice of the comms operator returned; "My name isn''t Charlie-- Oh never-mind that! Ahem. Now then Vijaik-squadron we appreciate you being deployed on quite short notice so allow me to quickly run down the details again."
One of Kolme''s monitors flashed up with a diagram as the comms operator began to re-explain the mission - A simplified view of the Tristian fleet surrounding the rectangular shape of a Nation-State; "Approximately 1 hour and 3 minutes ago the enemy Submarine vessel, ''Curadh'' began accelerating dramatically all the way up to what we presume to be its top speed. 30 minutes ago it entered through Nation-State 9.3''s southern port. Since then we have managed to close the distance, at present the Valliere is positioned to the South-East of Station 9 and the Rinie to the South-West, with all of their 10 Vijaiks positioned in-between to form a full cordon around the Southern, Western and Eastern Entrances.
We have continued forward to the Northern entrance which we are currently positioned directly in-front of--"
''Damn-it, if I''d known he was gonna spout out all this gibberish, I could of made a quick trip to Scarlet''s room ''nd back - And still be in time for the launch!''
"--Since then the Enemy vessel has remained inside the Nation-Satellite and is now blocking all signals from it - Meaning we can neither communicate with the Station''s systems in order to find out its current state, nor can we detect their exact positioning.
As such the members of the Fluchtig''s Neo-team will now enter the station from the Northern entrance, establish a recon position, and if possible mark out the exact deployment of the enemy ship and any armour it has in place around the station''s interior."
The Operator paused his explanation for a few seconds as more images flashed on screen, showing the predicted layout of the Northern port Kolme''s team would be entering;
"Once you launch you will only have local communications with each other, any broader signals will give away your position to the enemy - As such refrain from using long range comms unless absolutely necessary.
Everything understood?"
There was a series of ''Ayes'' and ''Rogers'' from the members of the team (who being honest Kolme had forgotten were even on this call) and then finally the lights turned green. Kolme swapped all monitors to regular operating, the massive central screen displaying the space in-front of his mech. Outside the massive rollers doors of the hanger bay began to fold open.
Mechanics and engineers ran to & fro, clearing away miscellaneous crates, fuel lines and so on. Beneath him a heavy, metallic clasping sound alerted Kolme of his Vijaik''s feet combining with two long railways-like strips of the ship''s ramp.
The doors now fully open, Kolme looked out at the vast openness of space, with nothing but the sparse array of stars to light it - And there were few enough of those.
A memory trickled unwarranted into his mind, one of his earliest - Of a day in the air, staring up at the moon, and for the first time in his life - Really appreciating its cosmic beauty - Of wanting to fly higher, to touch rather than look... A set of lights in front of him all flashed green, he braced against the force.
It was a force he had never grown used to, of your machine being propelled along tracks at incredible speeds before being flung out into space with exceptional velocity like some flimsy paper plane. His teeth chattered, his bones ached and his mech flew through - Straight out the doors, off the rails and into that endless night sky.
There is a thrill to flying, no matter whether in a prop-plane or a 60 tonne robot - And to his shame, even after all these years, Kolme still couldn''t suppress that temporary feeling of absolute freedom - A cheeky maniac grin of excitement at the rush.
Alongside Kolme, the other three active machines of the group launched - Though there were more differences than simply Scarlet''s absence. Nation-State 9.3, had been abandoned sure, but only near the end of its construction - Meaning it was entirely possibly the place still had a partially functioning gravity & power generation network in place, if one that would of greatly fallen into disrepair.
This in mind Sabban and Kolme had been forced to remove most of their mech''s customisations - The heavy twin cannon usually fixed to Kolme''s machine, or the massive thrusters bolted to the back of Sabban''s - Were both considered to be untenable for competent in-atmosphere fighting, especially when trying to move fast as a forward scouting party. Essentially meaning the team currently consisted of three regular Neo-Vijaiks. Hoki on the other hand still had most of her modifications, which had originally been designed with ground combat in mind - Minus the high-powered experimental rifle, which was still in tatters after their previous battle against the Casnel.
Instead the team was carrying 4 standard issue, low-powered energy rifles plus one medium range sniper in Hoki''s keeping.
The four ''nerfed'' machines made their way out from the looming, almost Iris shape of the battleship Fluchtig and towards the Station - Kolme only sparing a brief glance to watch the ship''s thruster come alive as the vessels spun around to better bombarded the Curadh should it decide to make a break for it.
Kolme always found stations an odd sight to behold - A testament to both the indomitable spirit of humanity, and a monument to the utter lack of taste man pertains. Roughly 400 years ago at the start of the third age, when the decision to colonise more of space then just Abhaile and the moon had been made - Many a project had come up.
Ideas of large spheres like miniature planets, or long cylindrical tubes that could generate their own natural gravity by constantly spinning. And at heart gravity was what counted most - Sure you can create water from hydrogen and you can, with effort, terraform the barren - But without gravity, well, livestock don''t take well to floating around above their pastures, and rivers struggle to flow in free fall. So before any of the other (possibly more sensible) ideas could come to fruition - Another entirely more analogue one had been conceived:
The suppressor field, small panels capable of generating an isolated field of gravity at the cost of massive energy drains, was something used aboard ships like the Fluchtig in places like its canteen or for sleeping in traditional beds in a 0-G environment.
The early pioneers of space had thought the idea of making a gaint suppressor field to be a great one - And so was born the Nation-states;
Massive rectangles in the sky, one side covered entirely in the heaviest duty solar panels, on the back of each a massive upscaled suppressor field and on the opposite face of the rectangle? Whatever you wanted.
Cities, farmland, industry - It was as though one took a thin sliver of land from the surface of a planet, encased it in glass - Slapped some solar panels on top and then floated it off into space.
They could be small and privatised by the most wealthy companies & billionaires - Or the size of large cities, with their own governments and commerce.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
They were also, in Kolme''s opinion, incredibly ugly.
One moment you were floating through space, staring out at the infinite beauty of bleak nothingness - The next a massive shining grey rectangle, so large you can''t even see its ends - Fills your entire vision.
''Talk about polluting the skies....''
The four emerald and blue mecha soon made their way to the northern port - Every station had four, one in each of the cardinal directions lining the width of the object. The width of station 9 was easily as tall as 30 stories, implying the city inside had once been intended to be a large one - A place plenty big enough for the Curadh to hide inside.
Along the northern edge ran the many sealed circular doorways of the port, each a large metal and bolt plated surface. The team chose one of the relatively smaller gates, probably intended for minor transport frigates, and quickly activated the magnetic clamps of their Vijaik''s legs.
Sabban in particular rapidly got to work, unsheathing from his mech''s back a large buzz-saw looking object. With a quick switch depression, the tool sprang to life emitting a circular arc of plasma-hot energy in much the same way the arc-staffs or an actual plasma cutter might - But to a more industrial level. The burning hot light being to spark violently against the black metal of the doorway, sizzling through it like some space-age chainsaw through a tree - The other 3 mechs making sure to stand clear of Sabban''s beaver-ish efforts.
After a few minutes of cutting, Kolme broke the silence;
"How long you rec''on lad? I don''t like how exposed we are out here."
Sabban grunted half-heartedly - "Another while yet. It''d be faster if I made a human size gap, someone could go inside and find the manual override for the door."
"Negative, you keep cuttin'' away. No need to start takin'' risks before we''ve even gotten inside eh. "Kolme said back with little hesitation.
Sabban simply grunted again and returned to cutting open the large door. After a quarter hour or so, a sizable portion of thick airlock door was pulled free. The quartet made their way inside before Sabban replaced the cut portion, partially welding it back in place in four spots.
"That enough? We will lose alot of pressure like this Kolme." He said rather unenthusiastically.
"That''s fine Sab-lad, I''d rather we can quickly knock that thing back open if needed. Hoki you''re clear on the inner-door?"
"Roger that." Hoki responded, her mech crouched down and outstretched a hand - From its fingertip a smaller claw of human proportions extended, grabbing a large lever against one wall. The claw pulled down the lever and the inner-door of the airlock began to unseal. Air gushed as the pressure of the port began to rush out of the gaps in Sabban''s ad-hoc entrance.
Warning lights flashed across Kolme''s screens as his mech''s systems warned of the rapidly decreasing pressure inside the airlock. A few aged looking crates and even loose metal panels began to strip away from their resting places inside the port and fly aggressively towards the gaps in the airlock the squad was standing in.
Quickly the group made their way in through the door, avoiding any newly airborne obstacles and sealing the it again from the far side - Finally allowing things to settle.
With some brief orders on Kolme''s part, the team began to fan out and observe their surroundings.
Una, Sabban and Hoki checking all around the cavernous room for any traps or presence of the enemy - While Kolme''s machine quickly got to work accessing the station''s internal systems via his array of sensor gear, a collage of radar dishes and small satellites perched on one shoulder of his mech.
The place was if anything a little dull to look at - An incredibly long corridor.
Floors, walls and ceilings all lined with grey half-finished, metallic surfaces - Nothing more than sparse crates of long forgotten building materials, to fill a place easily large enough to house entire spaceships.
It was almost overwhelming to Kolme, after so long aboard the narrow corridors of warships, to be surrounded by a space tall enough to make the Vijaik''s 20-metre height feel short - And long enough to make the far end of the place barely visible from where he stood.
"I''m in everyone, portin'' data over to ya''ll now." Kolme said after his machine finally bypassed the blocking signal the Curadh was projecting from somewhere deeper inside the station.
Now with access Kolme began to glance over reams of data, aswell as turning on the lights which illuminated the cavernous room in a warm yellow glow - Not too dissimilar to that of the Fluchtig''s own smaller hangar bays.
"Well we''ve still got complete power, some gravity too." He mused flicking through status screens.
"Can you detect the Curadh with it?" Sabban asked, clearly uninterested with the details of the actual station itself.
"Not yet, I''ve got full control over the port and some of the general details bu-- Wait look at that!"
"No way, that shouldn''t be possible...." Hoki added in response to a reading Kolme had forwarded to the others.
"W-what''s wrong with that, should the station not have those things.... sirs."
Una, who had been almost silent until now, sheepishly said.
In a voice that struck Kolme as rather kind and matronly, Hoki began to explain Kolme''s findings;
"Sort of Una, yes. By rights an abandoned station like this one, could still have some gravity and some power but this station has been uninhabited for a decade. The solar panels would degrade with time, the suppressor fields even faster than that but--"
"But according ta'' this the station has 80% operational power generation and 72% of its gravity functions online. That little degradation, well, it implies someone must ta'' been looking after this place as recently as three or four years ago." Kolme finished.
"Two of the battery caches are still running optimally too, and only one of the five has actually stopped."
Sabban added flatly, still seeming mostly uninterested by all this.
"O-oh I see..." Una replied meekly, "I Guess that does sound kinda strange then."
"Lieutenant, what about area Hn3?" Hoki asked with a mix of curiosity and professional intrigue, her voice betraying her clear fascination with the place and the particularly strange energy signature appearing form this ''Area Hn3''.
"Hmmm, you''re right the system maps show strange reading over there."
"The enemy?" Sabban added, a touch too eagerly for Kolme''s liking.
"Maybe, maybe not. I''d rather ignore it but I guess we better check it out before we go running inside the station proper - Wouldn''t want to get hit from behind would we? Alright lads move out, Sabban you take point, Rookie you''ve got rear-guard."
With a series of confirmations the group of mechs began to stomp their way through the dock. Between the many cavernous rooms like the one they had entered into, were a series of smaller service tunnels - Just tall enough for the Vijaiks to pass through. Now in the system they easily accessed the doors to these and quickly made their way through empty massive room after room. Some were larger still then the first, while others had small signs of life - Abandoned construction vehicles like cranes and small lorries - The odd portions of unfinished wall, revealing exposed networks of sprawling cables and plumbing beneath.
After passing through a number of the ports and tunnels, they reached the door of their objective. Yet another wall of plain grey metal, in a labyrinth of plain grey metal - But this one with the smallest difference, the designation ''Hn3'' above it in faint white paint.
Hoki''s cyan machine stood to the right side of the door, Kolme''s more traditional green mech to the left - Sabban with rifle raised, faced the door directly and the rookie stood a ways back, covering the tunnel entrance and their potential escape if needed.
Before Kolme could give the order to breach the door, he received an isolated signal from Hoki;
"Sir, you don''t think this is what Scarlet meant? That someone has been using this station secretly, as a base or something?"
"Well if that is the case, let''s just hope we haven''t walked straight into a secret TSU-s shipyard eh? Be a ''real nice surprise'' to find a secret fleet waitin'' here for us wouldn''t it." Kolme said back mirthlessly before switching over to the general communications channel;
"Everyone ready? Door opening in three, two--"
The door slid open with a swoosh, cleanly splitting into two diagonal halves - The three mechs quickly rushing in covering the area, searching for any signs of an enemy.
"What, what is this?" Hoki said after a few moments.
Rather than a secret enemy warship, base or even Vijaik''s ambush spot - Instead what appeared before them was a village of sorts. Rows and streets of white metal and prefabricated fiberglass houses lined the port floor in a sprawling mass.
Interspersed were larger sheds, with even conventional civilian vehicles left parked on ''roadsides''.
Put simply it looked bizarre, a white-clad settlement of square, blocky structures, built atop the the generic grey floors of a port-hangar bay.
"Why would anyone want to --" Kolme didn''t get to finish his thinking, as the slightly static covered voice of Sabban broke across the radio;
"Break for cover, now! Tango spotted at 9:30, repeat Unidentified mech ahead!"
****
Front 8.3; A.M.I – Part 1/2 (Originally Labelled Front 18)
Front 8.3 - A.M.I Part 1
The Nemo squadron acted fast to heed Sabban''s warning, spreading out in three different directions while Una''s mech fell back into the safety of the tunnel covering their entry route.
With some swift instructions from Kolme, the exposed trio rapidly advanced - Sabban hugging the furthest wall of the port, while Kolme & Hoki made their way through the maze of small buildings that made up the bizarre ad-hoc village, their mechs towering over the low rise structures like giants.
Before long all three mechs broke from cover, each only feet away from the far back corner of the room where Sabban had spotted the unknown machine. All three Neo''s bravely rose their weapons and shone their frontal torches.
It had been no mistake, shrouded in the darkness of the massive room''s back corner was a Vijaik - A chunky, heavy-set machine. With spiked shoulders and a single monocular eyed helmet - The reality of the situation, of the strange village, the abandoned station''s seemingly high level of repair and the mech now before him - How it all related to Scarlet became troublingly clear to Kolme in that moment
"Stand down everyone, It sure ain''t live."
Kolme said after a little hesitation.
Sabban audibly scoffed at this, while Hoki seemed to breath a sigh of relief.
Upon closer inspection to their newly discovered Vijaik, its level of disrepair became increasingly clear - Where its single eye should of reflected back a red shade, instead it was an empty socket - Parts of armour plating had also been removed here and there, with even some cabling having been torn out - A ''donor mech'' of sorts it seemed, possibly used to repair other, newer models.
The squad risked no more surprises of this sort, quickly spreading out to check each corner of the room before reconvening back at the tunnel entrance - A short ways from what filled the centre of the room, the bizarre ghost town of prefabricated houses and sheds.
"What now Kolme?" Sabban half-growled.
Hoki was quick to answer, "We should check atleast a few of those building, it''s possibly there''s still people here."
"W-Wouldn''t they of heard us stomping around....maybe?" Una added.
Kolme placed a hand to his chin considerately while listening to his subordinates over their respective radios;
"Rookie''s probably right ''bout that, but still we can''t completely ignore this - There''s no mention of it on any of the data IAFS ''as on Station 9. Hoki you stay in ye''re mech, keep it patched to mine - Anything moves inside the station and you call us all back a''right?"
Hoki somewhat reluctantly agreed, clearly wanting to explore the town rather then stand on guard duty.
"Sab, Rookie, you''re with me - Put ye''re ''elments on and lets see what we''ve got here --"
''"Station 9, thee station 9.3? Kolme Nilas you listen to me right now, leave it alone. Anything you see there, leave it. Don''t bring anything back, don''t take pictures, nothing. I mean it Nilas!''"
A chill ran down Kolme''s spine as he remembered Scarlets warning - "-- Ah, and no one record any ''o this..."
"You what?" Sabban exclaimed in confusion at Kolme''s bizarre order, "What about protocol, you can''t just not tell the bridge about this."
"And we will tell ''em, in our after-reports - But if we do it now they''ll want to send in a research team or some other crap - You fancy baby-sittin'' today Sab-lad?" Kolme shot back.
Sabban didn''t bother replying and with no further complaints the trio disembarked the mechs, equipped with the light weight space suits of all pilots - Which would give them a few hours air in the eventually that the Station''s own supply wasn''t breathable or compromised in some fashion.
****
Kolme walked in his usual elongated shuffle, along the barren ''streets'' of the town. Now out of his mech it really did seem like he was walking around a real settlement.
There were plastic bins at the edges of ''houses'', presumably left out for a collection that would never come - Lampposts next to curbs, both clearly meant to mark the border between road and footpath.
Of course there was still the immersion breaking grey floors or the fact that all the buildings were - Artificial.
Obviously all homes are ''built'' but for Kolme it was strange the way, whomever had established all this, had opted for purely un-homely materials. Many houses were little more than metal cabins with small windows and raised off the ground on steel struts or wooden frames.
Other buildings were the generic green-glossy shine of moulded fibre glass structures and finally all the large warehouses, many as they were, had all clearly been pre-constructed somewhere and simply re-assembled like flatpack for the purposes of this ''town''.
''Almost like one of those factory town''s back West on Bhaile, were companies make their own villages around their car or chocolate or whatever making facilities, to make things more efficient...''
"Hoki how are things lookin'' on your end?" Kolme asked, cutting off his own musings.
"Fine Lieutenant, far as I can tell nothing has moved inside the station since we arrived - The submarine must just be sitting inside somewhere. Our ships are also still holding their positions outside. There is one strange thing..."
"Go on?"
"The outer wall of this room we''re in sir, it was broken. I don''t mean how we cut in, I mean a part of it was blown clean open, massive explosion at a guess - It was only filled in with temporary measures too, this entire port is actually pretty unstable." Hoki finished.
Once more Kolme felt a cold chill as more pieces clicked together in his mind;
"Alright lass, good work. Let me know if ya'' find anything else. Sab, Rookie, you read me?"
"Y-yes Sir!" Una replied, with an accompanying grunt of affirmation from Sabban.
"Found anything yet?" Kolme asked.
"Not really... Sir, err a few papers but they don''t really make any sense..."
"Same here, this is a bust Kolme." Sabban added drolly.
"Keeping checking you two, we''ll convene on that big structure in the centre of town - Compare notes and then get the feck outt''a here, I don''t like the ''feel'' a'' this place."
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.?As stated Kolme continued to make his way down side streets, poking his head into each house for a quick look - Little if any building seemed to care much for locking doors, making it easy to explore. The individual buildings all had personality and yet perplexingly little information could be gleaned.
In some Kolme would come across rooms of drawing boards, and desks that were clearly wired for computers or other technical equipment - But while alot of the furnishings remained, the actual machines were gone - With any scraps of paper being found, seemingly having nothing to really say.
Reams of arbitrary figures with no context, mundane-memos about work place etiquette and such like, but no straight forward clues as to the strange town''s purpose.
He rounded an alleyway corner on to the broadest of all the streets, easily wide enough for 4 or five lanes of traffic. Further the buildings along this one were a little more established, granted still with no bricks or mortar in sight but with the cabins stacked to create larger interlinking structures.
At the end of this longest street was the building Kolme had mentioned before, the largest of all - A massive 5 or so stories high warehouse of solid metal.
As he rounded the corner Kolme nearly screamed aloud when he spotted the ghostly white shape of another human being.
"What''s wrong old man, just me, no ghouls here." Sabban grinned, walking up to the older pilot.
"Heh, ya." Kolme grumbled.
Sabban glanced around himself, taking in the view of this strange, large main-street - "Guess it is a bit of a ghost town though."
"You can say that again lad. We should get a move on, you want to take the left side of da'' street while I go right?" ?Kolme added, trying to get things back on track.
As he began walking away, not waiting for a response - Kolme found himself grabbed by the shoulder, he turned to face Sabban; "You alright lad?"
Even through the visor of his space suit, Sabban''s face was clearly as emotionless as always, his tone as dry;
"I wonder Kolme, if Scarlet were here she''d be arguing with you over every little decision ya?"
"I guess so? She usually tends to." Kolme said back.
"Maybe that''s a good thing. She''s reckless but I wonder if you''re too cautious. I can appreciate that about you. But maybe too much caution is just as dangerous as being too reckless? Is your caution going to get me killed Nilas?"
Kolme brushed Sabban''s hand away from his shoulder and properly turned to face his young friend;
"If you''ve got something to say lad, then go ahead and say it why don''t ya--"
Kolme''s tounge caught in his mouth, his throat felt dry. The stale air around them seems to freeze icy cold - ''Those Eyes....''
They were Sabban''s eyes, those blood-shot sleepless eyes - But in that moment they stared with a dangerous intent, an intent he had seen in others before - The sort that gets people killed.
"Tch, don''t fuck this up Kolme, alright? I ain''t looking to get myself killed for the sake of your ''caution''"
Sabban finished when it became clear Kolme had lost his train of thought, before turning slowly and making his way to a building on the left side of the street, just as Kolme had instructed.
Nilas simply stood staring after the boy. He''d had longer arguments, if you could call it that - Heck longer chats with misbehaving pets - And yet in that moment Sabban''s eyes more then anything, held him firmly in place as though rooted to the ground.
''This place, these weird bloody building, that abandoned mech... More and more headaches we really don''t need... This was only meant to be a quick scouting trip, not a damn treasure hunt....''
****
After a few more minutes of exploration, the trio rendezvoused in-front of the central building. Up close it was clear the behemoth shed was made from a collection of metal pillars, corrugated iron and any other easily come by but still sturdy materials - There was a rather ominous lack of any windows lining the place.
Sabban entered first, making quick professional sweeps of each room with weapon in hand - While Kolme and Una made slower progress behind him.
Kolme glanced down at the quiet young woman by his side. In her full ski-tight space suit it was hard to read her body language but even so, Kolme could still tell her hand, rested on the hilt of her firearm - Was trembling.
He of course had been the one who had told Una and Sabban to bring with them the lightweight SMG''s kept in most Vijaik cockpits for emergencies. Una''s palms seemed to tremble restlessly against the sleek black body of the small weapon.
"You alright lass? That thing got ya worried?" Kolme asked, nodding in the guns direction.
Una glanced from it, back to Kolme with a wary, crooked smile; "What? Oh no, it''s ok sir. I''m fine..."
Kolme frowned, reaching his hand out to pat her reassuringly on the shoulder - However as he made contact with her he realised it wasn''t only her hands that were shaking, no her whole body appeared to be trembling.
Seeing this Kolme stopped in his tracks - Himself and Una were now in some sort of entrance lobby, while Sabban had advanced further into the building.
The room was fairly small, with a countertop and a few chairs - Giving it a look more of being for speical rare guests, rather then regular visitors.
"Una you can talk ta'' me, I won''t be mad ya'' know." Kolme said softly.
The Rookie simply smiled again while shaking her head - "I-I''m fine really. Ummm what about you, that gun looks different..."
Temporarily distracted, Kolme glanced down at the object Una had called out - Rather then an automatic weapon, Kolme wore at his hip an old pistol of some kind. A heavy looking object, that seemed likely to have more stopping power but less accuracy then the average service sidearm.
He laughed awkwardly, "Ah this? No it isn''t IAFS issue, tis my own."
"O-oh like from the last war?"
Kolme averted his eyes from Una''s, her face having taken on the eager attentiveness of youth;
"No, not really - Been around a long time I guess. Don''t know why but I trust it more than more modern stuff, silly really - Just superstition."
Una smiled a little more confidently as she responded - "I think... i think that makes sense..."
Kolme did his best to return the smile and lay his hand on her shoulder again, griping it soothingly;
"So what up eh? If not the gun, maybe you''re still a bit ''shook from the last fight? No shame in it."
Una shuffled around as she worked up to an answer, "It''s just... I haven''t been to one since then... A Nation-State I mean, not since my home was gassed...."
Kolme nearly had to bite his tounge not to curse aloud:
''You stupid, stupid old man! Of course that''d affect her, the hell was I thinking dragging her in here without even talking to her about it first? Heck maybe that''s why Sabban''s so edgy to boot. You stupid, stupid, stupid, Stupid idiot Nilas! Damn it all!''
Before Kolme could actually reply to Una, Sabban''s voice called out to them from a doorway behind the countertop - "Oi Kolme, you should see this... It''s weird..."
Una made the first move, striding towards Sabban''s voice;
"We better get going... um sir. Don''t worry I''m fine, really - I won''t let you down for sure!" She said in a barely audible tone of false confidence.
Kolme had no choice but to follow the two troublesome youths into what lay before them.
****
Front 8.4; A.M.I – Part 2/2 (Originally Labelled 18.5)
Front 8.4 - A.M.I Part 2
Inside the room was indeed ''weird'' - It was a cavernous space with a massive gantry crane affixed to the roof, and upper balconies overlooking the ground floor where the trio entered into. Like most of the town the space had plenty furniture, grey clinical-looking desks, chairs and cubicle office sections but likewise there was no real left-over equipment or papers.
What had caught Sabban''s eye however, was the 9 oval shaped pods lining the backwall of the strange place, each with hooks for being lifted by the crane and each with a series of wires, pipes and now emptied computer banks.
The oval''s each had a frosted glass front, one of which Sabban had wiped clear ahead of calling for Kolme & Una - The space inside was also filled with tubes and connections with a gap in the middle for, ''something''.
Finally above the 9 pods was an anagram that had appeared on a couple of the scant pieces of paper Sabban, Una and Kolme had come across periodically while exploring.
The letters ''A.M.I'' followed by a lowercase ''a'' through ''i''.
"The hell are they for?" Sabban uttered, bemused by the sombre line-up.
"Alright time to be goin'', we''ve checked it all now - Sabban, Una leave all the papers an'' stuff on that table over there and lets get a move on." Kolme said, trying his best to keep the unease he was feeling out of his voice.
"That again? We''re not really going to leave with nothing are we?" Sabban shot back with a hint of irritation, "I mean what about that word on some of the documents and those pod things, A.M.I?"
"Not our department lad, I hardly need to remind you of the enemy warship on the other side a'' this port do I? We''ve scouted this place more then enough eh?"
"Artificial-Magi-Institution!" Una suddenly exclaimed excitedly.
"What?"
"Oh ummm, my folks always said I was good at anagrams - Funny really, with the dyslexia and all--" Una muttered embarrassed, being cut-off by Sabban part ways; "Not that you idiot, the thing you said before?"
Una looked dejected at the harsh words but responded no less, "Yes s-Sir, sorry. I said ''Artificial Magi Institution'', A-M-I see?..."
"Then these pods and this being hidden in the middle of nowhere - It could be human experimentation?" Sabban said, his usual flat voice becoming more colourful with morbid realisation, "Kolme we can''t ignore something like that, we have to report it properly!"
Kolme sighed as he looked between the two young faces waiting in front of him, "That''s just one idea that came to the Rookie''s head, we got no proof of it. TSU have been publicly studying cry-o-genic freezing for years, a way to put people to sleep for a potentially long space-journeys for if we could colonise more of space - Nothing illegal with that now is there?"
Sabban scowled at this, "Oh ya, TSU and there classic hiding in their own failed construction projects to study completely legal processes? That''s what you think Nilas?"
Kolme rose a hand up reflexively, Sabban''s earlier comments still fresh on his mind - "Now look here I thought this war had drilled out that childish naivety bullcrap out of you lad?
What business of ours is it if TSU or Remembrance or anyone else is studying the effects of Magi enhancement or simple cryogenic freezing on children - That''s not our job to investigate regardless of--"
"Children!?" Sabban said with a start, "Who the hell mentioned children?"
"Huh, what, a, I mean children are people too, what of it."
Kolme reeled back but again Una was the one to see it before Sabban;
"Those pods are all too small..." She gulped uncomfortably, while Sabban shot daggers into Kolme''s eyes before turning to look at Una, nodding for her to continue, "Th-they''re too small for people to fit in, I might if I tucked my legs under my chin but I''m pretty small for my age - Most adults wouldn''t fit in there... A child would..."
"Sabban don''t." Kolme called but the lad was already striding forward, he walked wordless alongside all 9 pods - Scrubbing away a little of the condensation on each, before coming back to face Kolme;
"They''re all the same Nilas, all of them are ''child sized''. You trying to tell me this place was specifically built in secret to conduct experiments on solely children for a good cause?"
"It''s possible--"
Sabban reared forward grabbing Kolme by his suit - "The hecks gotten into you today!? I know you''re not the kind of guy to be OK with something like this. Children Kolme!"
The older man turned his face away to avert his gaze from Sabban''s harsh eyes, "Reporting it won''t help lad... Say we do and say IAFS sends a team to investigate, whatever they find works its way up to the board of directors - What do you think they would do with the possibility of making their own Magi?
You can see the cash signs in their eyes right now can''t ya Sab-lad?
And this base, so meticulously cleared of anything to explain what happened here and yet they left behind these pods and a few scraps of paper - Enough not to be evidence but still for people to draw conclusions of their own - Don''t you find that strange too?
This could all just be some red-herring."
Sabban shook his head ruefully, letting go of Kolme - "That''s not our call to make, we don''t get to choose and you said it yourself - Whoever was here left on purpose, they didn''t run away. They could still be out there experimenting on children Kolme, we can''t ignore that chance!"
"Yes we can take that chance, think about it logi''cal like - This was probably Remembrance right?
The old mech, the secrecy, Scarlet''s words and so on. They''re a small group with limited funding, so we ignore this and a handful of kids might, just maybe be getting hurt out there somewhere, but we tell IAFS - A group with some proper money, well could you sleep with that?
If the news came a few months after reporting this, that IAFS had started its own Magi programme?"
"You can''t know they''d do something like that, IAFS ain''t perfect but we''re surely above that Kolme!"
Sabban said back in a surprising moment of loyalty.
"Pah! We''re borderline mercenaries. Its just money lad what the heck do you think they''ll care about ethics in the middle of a war we''re losing, badly. No we make the call now, we leave sleeping dogs lie and keep our own heads under the parapet."
Sabban continued to shake his head at this, "It Isn''t Our Call, and wait, what do you mean Scarlet? You''re saying she''s involved in this somehow? Don''t you think that''s a problem?!"
At this Kolme threw his hands in the air stepping away from the lad;
"Well excuse me, who went an'' died to make you leader? Hell where''s the lad who doesn''t give a shit about anything gone?
You listen here boy, this isn''t an argument you hear me? There''s no resolution or compromise at the end, I am the officer, you are my subordinate - We''re only having this conversation because I like you, if I had any sense I''d caution you for insubordination ya got it?
All this ridiculous talk, Scarlet? She''s a flaming war-criminal-terrorist, who gives a crap if this adds one more thing to the list a'' crimes - She''s still our best pilot ain''t she?
We aren''t payed for this kind of thing, you hear me Ensign? We''ve already wasted too much time here"
Una (who had been nervously observing this whole altercation), and Sabban both looked taken aback by Kolme''s sudden shot of venom, Sabban for once struggling for words with a tinge of upset to his usual flat tone; "....And what if I went straight to the captain with this or Miss.Hoki?"
Kolme simple scoffed dismissively, "Why are ya'' making this complicated all of a sudden kid, let me make the call here and just do what you''re told, that''s your job ''ight?
We''re just ants here Sabban, ants that have stumbled across a human house - Inside the house is pretty bleak, a father beating his kids, or a wife abusing her spouse - But you''re just an ant, you couldn''t get in if you tried and even if you did, well you''d just get squashed under a boot wouldn''t ya?
You know that as well as I do, you''ve seen it before, I was there to watch you see it. So let''s forget we ever had this little chat and get on with our actual job, be real embarrassing if we leave here only to find out the submarine left its position while we we''re chattering eh?"
Before Sabban could say anything else a static voice cut across the comm-lines;
"Lieutenant sir, everything alright?"
"We''re just fine Ensign Bachika, anything new up there?" Kolme said back, glancing at Sabban''s face as he spoke.
"The station''s systems detect movements inside the residential areas sir, something very similar to a Hindenburg Generator."
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
"The Casnel?"
"No sir, it doesn''t match any signature on record for the Casnel or any known-standard TSU or TSU-s models - I think it''s something new."
"Oh well that''s just brilliant, more headaches!" Kolme moaned.
"Sir?"
"It''s nothing Hoki, we''re on our way back now - Right you two?"
Sabban glared angrily at this but finally giving up, he tossed his gathered papers onto the floor before him and began to prowl his way out of the room at a brisk pace like some enraged wild animal.
Una laid her findings on a tables as instructed and followed behind Sabban more slowly, glancing back at Kolme frequently with a look of apprehension towards seemingly everything, on her face.
"Damn it all" Kolme muttered aloud, waiting a few moments before following the other two out.
****
Back in their respective machines the squad marched past the outskirts of the discerning town and over to the nearest circular-doorway into the interior of the Nation-State - Sabban taking the lead once more, stepping his machine forward to active the door controls.
"Hold up lad." Kolme instructed over the radio, "Hoki, you getting that odd signature?"
"Err, I don''t think so Sir? You mean coming off of the door?"
Hoki answered back apprehensively.
"Ya, ''tis faint but I don''t like it - Back in the day Abhaile used ''ta set up these seals, something to do with the cult a'' Magi - You''d be busy cutting through a door and the whole thing would explode like a bomb.
Let''s try one of the other port doors." Kolme finished.
"Like hell, if there was something like that we would detect it!" Sabban cut in.
Kolme audibly sighed, "Look better safe then--" He didn''t get chance to finish as Sabban cut off the radio, turning around his Neo and beginning to march back towards the tunnels leading to the other ports.
"That strange energy reading inside the city is still moving too..."
Kolme muttered unhappily.
It didn''t take much longer for the quartet to get back to one of the empty rooms of barren-grey metal panelling and find another doorway into their original query.
"This good enough or you sensing more voodoo magic?" Sabban half growled, once again taking the lead standing nearest this new door.
"This one will do fine lad."
Sabban didn''t bother replying, he rose his rifle and waited for Kolme to raise the gate and for the scouting mission to finally begin in earnest with no more bizarre delays.
And then, just as the metal door of the gate began to open, a green light suddenly coursed through the door, 4 pinpoint accurate beams of lime burning at temperatures of 60,000 degrees or perhaps more for all Kolme knew - Streaming, whistling through the air towards the 4 members of the squad.
Kolme stared at the screen as though the world had slowed to a crawl - It struck him as strange, they had been talking just moments ago and now a bullet of energy too fast to track had sizzled straight through the thick metal plating and was seconds away from him and all his comrades.
The world seemed to be moving slowly, as his entire viewing monitor, seemingly all his monitors in fact, filled with the blinding light of the closing attack - It would clearly hit home for a bullseye - The old man didn''t even consider a dodge.
''So this is how it ends eh? Literal bolt out of the blue.
Got''ta be a Magi or a Casnel''s doing to be this accurate - Always knew it''d be one of them got us in the end, ah well we gave it a good run.
Right way to go too, not flashy or showy - No grand last stand, just an instant ending.
Shame about the boy, didn''t mean ta'' end things on an argument but I guess that ''ardly matters now.''
Kolme felt a sudden and heavy thud to the side as none other then Sabban''s mech collided with his own, it having clearly started to dive towards him before any of them had seen the attack come through the door;
"Get down you damn stupid old fool!"
The young man roared in the seconds before the enemy beams landed home.
****
Four beams of light course through the reinforced metal bulkhead, striking down three of the unsuspecting grey-silhouetted Vijaiks, leaving only one still standing, its chubby monocular eyed head glancing around in confusion as the AI struggles to commutate what''s occurred, Two more of the stricken machine glance around helplessly from their place on the ground.
[Simulation Ends]
Combat Evaluation By; MAJOR MONCHA, CURADH COMBAT COMMANDER.
AS I''M SURE EVERYONE CAN SEE, WHILE IMPRESSIVE THAT ''SUBJECT A'' CAPABLY DEFEATS 3 ENEMY MACHINES WHO ARE BEHIND COVER, SHE FAILS TO DESTROY THE 4th MACHINE AND ONLY FULLY DISABLES 1 OF THE THREE.
IN THE LIKELYHOOD THAT ONE OF THE FOUR WERE A FELLOW MAGI, THEN IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE SHE WOULD OF FAILED TO DISABLE ANY OF THE FOUR AND WOULD NOW FIND HERSLEF IN A PROLONGED FIREFIGHT - MOREOVER CLEARLY THE AI OUR NOT UP TO THE STANDARD OF ACTUAL IAFS & REMEMBERENCE PILOTS.
AS SUCH IT IS ONCE AGAIN MY RECOMMENDATION AS COMBAT COMMANDER, THAT PETTY OFFICER FALC IS NOT YET READY TO ENTER COMBAT WITHOUT A SOLID ESCORT, AS--
"Major you in?" Came a youthful voice at the so-called ''Major''s door, breaking his concentration. He sighed leaning back into his chair;
"Come in Helty, it ain''t locked."
There was a faint wheezing sound and the metallic door to the room slid open with a quant flourish.
In came a young man with a stylised head of almost ''spikey'' brown hair, a clean shaven, smart-face and a well kept TSU uniform.
As the youth stepped in he glanced around himself, taking in the small room of his superior - There was a narrow, simple bed against the same wall as the door and across from said entrance sat the Major at a small desk with a single screen computer terminal.
Aside from that a few pieces of weight lifting equipment and a ceiling held sandbag for boxing purposes, all round the room feel very claustrophobic for that of a senior officer.
"Err, Major Sir, why are you typing with cap-lock on?" The youth asked as politely as possible while indicating his head towards the monitor-screen.
The Major pressed the off switch causing the screen to disappear before turning to his young compatriot;
"All reports are done like that aren''t they?"
"Ummm, if you say so sir..."
The Major sighed, jumping up out of his small swivel-chair to face the young man. Standing the major was easily 2 foot taller then his subordinate, his whole body in general was far more ''filled out'' than that of his young colleagues.
"Was there something you wanted Helty? I''ve been trying to write that report all day you know."
The lean man said with a sigh.
"Oh well, ah. Well look sir, I just wanted to ask if you''ve had any progress with, you know what."
''Helt'' said with a tone of quiet, but still hesitant confidence.
"What have I told you, it isn''t my choice - Captain and the higher-ups make the call on our little ''Esper'', not me." The older man said back for what clearly wasn''t the first time.
"But Sir--"
"No Buts Petty Officer Helt! Haven''t I said it before kid? Falc is a big-girl, she don''t need you playing white-knight for her, she can fight her own battles."
"Oh, so you''re ok with her being sent out there all alone when we get to this ''Station 9'' place? What if that crazy red mech turns up again? We''re only a few hours away from the Station now and those IAFS ships are still following us somehow!"
Helt said a tiny bit too impetuously for the Major''s liking.
"You fought that lunatic off on your own didn''t you? And your syncopation rate with the Casnel is only 27%, Falc has 78% with her Fortress - Won''t even be a battle, just another training exercise for her. Now quit your belly aching that''s an order eh."
The major replied back, putting aside his own worries on the matter.
Helt scrunched his face childishly, "You''re not my boss major, I answer straight to the captain."
He said crossing his arms.
The Major burst out laughing, "Ha-ha, true enough, but then why are you asking me not her? And anyway as long as you''re flying mechs from this ship, then your my minion got it?"
He said continuing to chuckle as Helt''s face grew pale at the idea of asking the ship''s indomitable Captain to reconsider her own orders.
"Now come on, I''ll finish that paperwork crap later, the next simulation should be just about wrapping up." ?Major Moncha added, striding out past Helt and into the clean silver surfaces of the corridor beyond his room. Helt quickly realising his meaning and followed closely behind.
Front 9.1; The States Union-Special Branch - Part 1/2 (Originally Labelled Front 19)
Front 9 - The Knight''s Plight
Front 9.1 - The States Union-Special Branch Part 1
Major Moncha and Helt made their way down the narrow hallways of the Curadh''s interconnected decks, passing by many fellow crewmembers all dressed in well kept black uniforms, with gleaming silver buttons and proudly displayed insignias of their ranks and positions aboard the vessel - All stopping to smartly salute at the major before promptly moving on with their duties.
Although the walls did indeed sparkle, Moncha couldn''t help but remember how much brighter they had seemed just a few years prior - ''This poor girl''s getting old I guess.''
As they neared the curving corner of the corridor the Major spotted a maintenance man in a set of grey overalls and a neat peaked cap. Despite having a panel of the wall taken down and his head submerged in the cabling and pipes beneath, the maintenance man remained well-kempt, his clothes free of oil stains and posture well held.
"Heh, Helty look at him - Even the repair guy''s better dressed then you." Moncha jeered looking over at his young subordinates attire. Although Helt had the same black on black uniform as everyone else, he wore it only partially buttoned up and with clear crease lines from having been thrown off at the end of a day''s work. Combined with his relatively scruffy brown hair (atleast compared to most others aboard the ship), Helt was one of the least pristine people on the vessel.
"What? That''s bull coming from you major!" The young man shot back as his face grew red with embarrassment. Moncha reflexively looked down at his own attire, to which Helt grinned;
"I mean look at your jacket, who turns their uniform into a sleeveless, buttonless waistcoat with only that garish white T-shirt beneath."
He said pointing his index finger towards Moncha''s chest.
"Th-That''s different!" Moncha exclaimed back.
"Different how?"
"Well, ah, I''m an officer you know."
"Oh so officers get to ignore uniform regulations do they?"
Moncha glared unhappily down at Helt; "You''ve gotten very bolshy as of late, for someone who''s only been here a couple of weeks kid."
Helt stuck out his chest proudly, "A few weeks on a ship in our line of work is a lifetime, you--"
"Pah! Like heck, I''ve been on this ship for nearly 10 years, now that really is a lifetime." Moncha shot back.
Helt receded a little in what might of been a childish pout.
They had excited the ever-winding silver corridors onto the upper balcony of the ship''s hanger bay. Below them spanned a large but relatively boring room. Just about tall enough for the ship''s mecha to stand (though not by much) and easily the width of a sports field, the droll space was filled with orderly lines marking areas for certain works and places for Vijaiks to be stood when undergoing repairs and so on. Rather then a lower level hanger, the Curadh opted for just the one wide room with two launch-ways against the far wall to the left and right, forming the whole place into a ''U'' shaped affair.
In the bend of the ''U'' directly beneath Helt and Moncha laid a large black diamond shaped machine, with a crystal-blue oval on its roof and an array of wires and coolant pipes running into said oval. Along the black diamond could be seen an assortment of score lines and indents for where the machine could fold out and sperate during battle.
Moncha had to admit that no matter how many times he saw it, the ''Fortress'' came across as exceptionally imposing. Himself and Helt stood by the railing, looking down at two figures beside the machine - Both were of the same bodybuilder look as Moncha, if a few years younger then him - Each with the familiar platinum insignia pinned on their shoulder''s of two small ''pilots'' wings. The one with a deeply tanned skin-tone he recognised as lieutenant Gemon, the other with heavily gelled blond hair as lieutenant Yazan.
"What are those two doing down here?" Helt asked between glaring eyes.
Moncha averted his gaze; "Indeed, I wonder....Ahem, anyway like I was saying - A few weeks here is nothing compared to my time eh."
"Look it''s not my fault I had to leave my ship, it was that red-devils fault..."
Helt grumbled unhappily.
Moncha laughed aloud, slapping the younger man kindly on the back;
"Right, right I''d almost forgotten how you got ''lost''"
"I did not! My Vijaik was damaged, it just kept floating further away from the fleet! They left me behind if anything..."
"Sure, sure kid. You make it sound like your mothership was destroyed but last time I checked the skirmish of the 4th ended in, oh what was it? Total victory for our side." Moncha said back.
Helt continued to frown as he spoke, "Ya but it was hardly a good win was it sir? We had two ships, they only had one yet we lost more mechs then them! Had the numbers been even we might of lost and that was despite us having the Casnels.
I still remember how fast it all went wrong - War had only started a few days ago, yet we come across this lone IAFS ship. We try capturing it when this crazy red Vijaik-heavy comes out of nowhere. I''m telling you major, that thing didn''t move natural at all, it was insane!"
Moncha took on a more considerate look as he listened to the young man recite the story from a few months ago - A thought came to Moncha in that moment;
"Hey, those customs Neos you fought with 2 days ago, they had a crazy red mech too right?"
Helt''s face lit up as if an epiphany had came over him, "Hey you''re right! That mad one that kept attacking my Casnel even after the Captain told me to retreat - It said something too over the contact radio, about ''knowing'' someone. I thought it was just mad but perhaps it was the same mech?!
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.?Is that even possible sir?"
The major laid a hand to his chin, "I guess anything''s possible in this line o'' work Helty. Still the reports say IAFS was complete wiped out back on the 4th, be a bit strange for that same pilot to of survived and end up fighting against us again."
"Well I''ll tell ya sir, if anyone from that day could of survived it would of been them - Have you ever heard of a regular lone Vijaik beating a brand new Casnel? I bet even you couldn''t take someone like that on!"
"Ha! You''re not part of the regular old navy anymore Helty-kid, this is TSU-s we''re a whole different calibre of pilot to what you are used to. I''ll have you know I have the most confirme--"
"--kills amongst the five of us here sir? That isn''t really a very big pool majo--, I mean ''Sir-Knight''." Helt interrupted playfully.
Moncha scowled, moving his waistcoat so to properly cover up his own pilot''s insignia as alluded to by Helt''s comment. Unlike everyone else''s the Major insignia differed in a few ways, the platinum wings having a gold trim around the edges and a symbolic silver sword being laid atop the wings.
"Oh look at the time, Aren''t you on duty right about now petty officer Helt? Actually about 3 minutes ago if I''m correct."
Helt turned pale, looking to his handheld rapidly; "Oh crap the captain''ll kill me if she finds out! Why didn''t you say sooner, ain''t it your job to keep track of a subordinate''s time?"
"Hmmm-M? I thought you answered directly to the captain herself young man, not me?" Moncha cooed back.
Before either of them could go any further they heard a faint hiss and then the sound of two grown men cheering & clapping like schoolboys;
"Woo, atta girl - Great show!"
"Absolutely nailed it Falcy!"
"Those idiots." Helt said from behind a palm to his face, Moncha did his best to suppress a grin as the two lieutenants below continued to cheer and whoop.
A few seconds later and the crystal coloured oval that sat atop the Fortress had raised to a 90 degree angle and out jumped a sight to behold. With long flowing light-blond hair down to her waist, an almost ghostly white skin complexation and a borderline hourglass figure - Out emerged the Curadh''s newest pilot and resident, honest to goodness Magi, Petty Officer Falc.
She looked down from her perch at the two cheering men and gave the duo a little playful bow before hoping off the opposite side of the machine, landing daintily on the metal floor beneath. Wearing a skin-tight, white piloting get-up, minus the helmet Falc made her way to the rear of the machine from which emerged a taller and older woman.
Like most she wore a regular black TSU-s uniform but with a civilian insignia rather than a rank badge.
This second person nodded to Falc in the major''s direction, causing her to turn around.
Helt froze for a second before waving hesitantly and calling, "Yo Falc, sorry I''ve got duty but er, good work out there!" And with that the young pilot half sprinted away.
Moncha chuckled, watching as Falc simply smiled and waved back in the young''s man direction. He jumped down himself now and floated over towards his two subordinates, offering only a small nod in Falc and the other woman''s direction, who by now had began talking by themselves.
Landing on the far side of the Fortress, Moncha walked up to Gemon and Yazan and in a voice loud enough for the whole hanger to hear said;
"Well lads, what are you two boozes doing here? Didn''t know I''d started paying you to stand around lollygagging."
Both men grinned before standing proudly to a snappy attention & salute, "Right you are Sir."
Gemon said in a equally loud and boisterous tone, before more quietly adding;
"Nothing much to report Sir, all seems fine, above-board like."
Yazan nodded solemnly to back up the claim, leaving Moncha to sigh; "Nothing at all, really?"
He said back quietly.
Gemon shrugged and glanced to Yazan, who said in his usual southern twang; "They had her take alot of medicine before the simulation but that''s all Sir, she didn''t seem to be in pain or anythin''."
Moncha sighed a second time before speaking loudly once more, "Alright then, glad we have an understanding! Back to work with the both of you, on the double!"
The dynamic duo both nodded before bellowing a joint ''Sir, Yes Sir'', and making off towards one of the hanger bays exits.
"Major, a moment please?" Called the voice of the civilian woman from the other side of the Fortress.
Moncha rose an apprehensive eyebrow at the sudden summons but quickly heeded it, hopping over the intimidating black machine and landing next to Falc who smiled at him pleasantly.
The other woman was someone Moncha was well acquainted with - Doctor Simmins. She had something of a permanent scowl on a face of about 40, with a pair of thin rounded spectates atop her nose and short jet-black hair.
"Ah, sorry about those two Doc - They''re harmless really--" Moncha began.
"Hmm? Oh not them, I wanted to talk about Subj--" Simmins began then stopped.
''Still not used to calling her by anything but ''Subject A'' hey doc?'' Moncha thought internally.
Upon first arriving the good doctor had called Falc always by derogatory titles such as ''subject'', until Moncha had lost his temper and grabbed her by the collar.
After that the Captain had intervened, apologising on his behalf and insisting the doctor use a comprise when addressing her subject.
"--About the petty-officer here."
"Go on?" Moncha replied softly.
"I understand you have filed reports insisting your displeasure at the petty officer being deployed by herself once we arrive at Station 9 yes? I would like you to forward those recommendations to me, so I might add my own."
The Major blinked stupidly, "Eh? But Miss.Simmins it''s your people who want to send her out there alone in the first place!"
The Doctor rolled her eyes, wincing a little at the incorrect title usage;
"Indeed, my people may but I have no interest in seeing Our girl frivolously deployed out there. Just like you answer to this ship''s captain, I answer to my superiors back home - That does not mean I share their opinions Major."
''Our Girl?! Who is this woman, she can''t be Doc Simmins. An imposter! IAFS have infiltrated us with a perfect copy of the doctor, that must be!'' Moncha thought to himself, genuinely surprised by the doctor''s request.
"Err, right, I''ll ah, I''ll send those on to you I guess..."
"Very good, see that you do. Now then, Sub--. Ahem, petty officer, you are free for lunch, eat light then report back to me for your after-tests, Major I take it you''ll supervise her until then? Oh and good job today petty officer." Simmins rattled off before pivoting on her heel, pushing her glasses into place and striding off with a folder of files under one arm, without another word.
Moncha stared slack-jawed watching the sleek middle-aged woman waltz off, completely at a loss.
After a moment he felt a light tugging of his waistcoat, turning he looked down at the sweet smiling face of Falc;
"She''s not so bad really Mr.Moncha, she just has a different way of showing she cares." The young woman said in her delicate docile voice,
"Shall we go get something to eat? I''m quite famished."
****
Front 9.2; The States Union-Special Branch - Part 2/2 (Originally Labelled Front 19.5)
Front 9.2 - The States Union-Special Branch Part 2
Moncha found himself once more walking down the narrow silver corridors of the Curadh, although now accompanied by Falc rather then Helt. The young woman always drew a large number of glances from passing crew mates, especially when in her piloting gear - The skin tight, white-suit on the woman''s very shapely body certainly caused her to stand out from the sea of black uniforms.
Usually a pilot would immediately change once training or combat finished, after-all the use of a Vijaik is a fairly physical experience involving a selection of heavy clasps, levers and the large control grips, this reasonably leading to the perspiration one would expect. This was not the case for Falc.
While her experimental-fortress had some regular controls, in general it operated by tapping into the occupants thoughts directly - Meaning Falc simple had to lie into the machine and concentrate. By proxy there was no need for her to immediately change uniforms after training.
Combining this with her long platinum-blond hair plus pale skin, and you had a situation where most who passed Falc believed an angel of mercy had suddenly come aboard the ship - That amongst the blank number of fit men and women in neatly regulated suits, now walked a Valkyrie of war, a picture of feminine beauty.
Moncha had felt much the same way when he had first crossed eyes with the young woman but now things were different. In his position of authority aboard the ship, he had begun to learn more and more about young Falc, about her disturbing past and current circumstances.
These thoughts all factored across his mind as the duo continued silently towards lunch - Unlike Helt, Falc was well disciplined and would never think to start a casual conversation with a superior officer in a public area - As such Moncha decided to break the ice himself;
"Hey Miss.Falc listen, about the upcomi--"
"We''re here sir, should I order for us both?" Falc interrupted. Indeed Moncha had spent so long deciding how to broach the topic with the woman that they now stood in the doorway to the canteen.
He sighed dejectedly agreeing to Falc''s suggestion and going in search of any open tables.
After little more than a minute or two, Falc made her way over to the seat opposite where Moncha had picked, carrying two circular trays with the same grace a professional waitress might of. Moncha accepted the tray, containing on it a generic looking burger of sorts and a plain glass of cola - Falc''s tray having a more dainty but similarly plain looking set of sandwiches and a glass of sparkling water. Moncha held the burger in one hand, while slumping his head against the balled up fist of the other - "I sure do miss the old days, just isn''t the same here without the old canteen."
Falc gave him a quizzically look, "I''m not sure I follow major, sir - What was so different?"
Moncha''s brows shrivelled a little before he swung his hand in an encompassing gesture of the room. It was a relatively small space with the same drab silver walls and grey floors, filled with a dozen or so rows of tables and stools, all bolted down to prevent their floating away in the lessened gravity.
At the top of the room was the only thing truly differentiating the canteen from a regular break room - The 8 pristine ''Franchise-Machines''.
Each had a vending machine-esk aesthetic displaying a large pop-art advertisement across its top section - 5 of the machines produced one form of food each; One for burgers, another for sandwiches & breads, a soup plus porridge type, a version that created more savoury foodstuffs and the fifth giving even more plain energy bars and the like.
The three others dispensed variants of water, a selection of carbonated drinks and finally one that, with the code of a senior officer, could on a rare speical occasions give out alcohol (a code that Moncha had conspicuously been refused by the captain).
"This place used to be double the size! And you didn''t get a burger from a machine like this, you got a real one made fresh by hand."
Moncha explained enthusiastically waving his food around.
Falc frowned with a look of confusion;
"But the burger you are holding can be produced with a number of different nutritional values and tastes, it is a highly nutritious & tasty product no? Further is this canteen not plenty large enough, I believe the ship''s work rotas are scheduled to prevent this place from ever being over 75% capacity."
Moncha slumped his shoulders dejectedly - "Yes, yes but that''s not the same - The old canteen was full of life, everyone crowding in, chatting with one another. And a burger prepared by the dinner-staff with real meat and bread, its just different to this artificial stuff.
I mean smell the air in here, well? There ain''t a smell, no swirl of freshly brewing batches of coffee or the salty glory of fried goods!
It''s like the rest of this over-sanitised boat!"
Falc tilted her head slightly to one side in clear confusion, "Major what are dinner-staff?"Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
"You what? You know what I mean. Where the machines are now, there used to be a big counter and behind it this huge kitchen where the dinner-staff would prepare real food - Surely you''ve seen something like that before you joined the navy?"
Falc simply shook her head in response.
Moncha frowned, split between whether he was just getting old or if Falc had really been that sheltered all her life;
"Well I suppose I''ll just have to bring you to one, next time we''re on leave. Yes that''s what I''ll do."
The young woman''s face lit up, "Really you''d do that for me?! But what will Dr.Simmens think?"
"Simmens be damned! I''m sure I can sneak you away for a few hours, it''s only to get lunch next time we get to port." Moncha laughed.
Falc''s smile grew even further at this suggestion, as her amber eyes with their red-rims seemingly sparkled with glee, "Could we umm, bring Mr.Helt too sir? And maybe the lieutenant-sirs aswell?"
"Sure why not! We''ll make it a team outing, all five of us eh?!"
Moncha beamed back with pride.
"Oh yes Major? And here I was sure you would insist on it being just the two of you, alone." Interjected a new voice to the Major''s side.
The voice was authoritative to the extreme, a tone that suggested a person of deep-consideration - The tone of a true senior-officer.
"C-captain Ma''am, I didn''t see you there!"
Moncha spluttered, jumping out of his seat to salute.
"Sit down Major, you will spoil your food moving so fast - Oh no wait, you said something about not liking my canteen was it?" The Captain uttered without bothering to make eye-contact.
''Just how much of the conversation did she hear?!''
Captain Marie Synapse was an intimidating person to be around, although shorter then Moncha, her posture and demeanour always gave her the appearance of the ''biggest presence'' in any situation.
Her rapidly greying, light black hair being short cut and braided, to all sit under a very well kept military-cap with a small representation of the Curadh depicted upon it. Her uniform always neatly pressed and ironed without a single seam or crease in sight, her hands held firmly behind her back.
"Ah-h, I ah, just meant that the old, ah..."
Moncha mumbled uncomfortably, still surprized by the Captain''s sudden appearance.
"Oh do try and act your rank major, stuttering is so very unbecoming of authority - What sort of impression do you seek to set for the young petty officer here?" Synapse said with a sigh before turning her attentions to Falc.
For her part the younger woman had remained seated, though as Moncha now realised, Falc like everyone around them in the canteen had also saluted - Nonetheless maintaining her smile as she watched Moncha and the Captain converse.
"I suppose you do have some merit however, were it not for the budget cuts I would personally of preferred to keep the previous canteen facilities - That said I would of had to sacrifice another cost aboard the ship, perhaps you would like to volunteer Major? How about ''we trade you'', in return for the old canteen? Your salary would easily pay for an entire new dinner-staff."
Synapse said as her thin lips twisted into an amused grin.
Moncha stared back stupidly before bursting into laughter; "Ah-ha, yes, very funny ma''am."
Captain Synapse sighed again, "Indeed, well then, you''re dismissed."
With that the woman began to stride proudly back out of the room, nodding to one or two of the other diners who still held salutes in her direction.
Moncha rapidly turned to Falc, "Sorry Miss.Falc, I''ll be back in just a moment."
And before she could reply, quickly made his way out after the Captain.
"Ah ma''am, a moment?"
He called out to Synapse.
The Captain stopped just outside the doorway, "Yes major?"
Moncha halted alongside her, glancing briefly to check if anyone else was in earshot before his face took on a more serious expression then before;
"About the reports I''ve been filing--"
"I''ve made our position very clear major, there is no debate to be had, petty officer Falc will partake in a field test of her machine when we reach Station 9."
"Even if doctor.Simmens also voices concerns about the test?"
Moncha shot back, a little too triumphantly.
The Captain''s expression broke for just a second before she shook her head and stared back defiantly into the Major''s eyes - "Indeed, these orders are final - Even if everyone on this ship were to refute them it would be irrelevant - Falc will fly alone, that is final. Command want to know the viability of a Fortress combined with an artificial Magi in a combat situation, we will get them those results, those are our orders - Is that understood?"
Rather then drop it, Moncha continued to hold his glare with the captain''s ice blue pupils;
"Even if I suggested to take command, Captain?"
"Is that a threat Major?"
"On no, of course not Ma''am, however the marine-core on this vessel is under my direct command, as are its pilots - It behoves me as their leader to act in their best interests, that includes what I feel is safest for the petty officer, whether she''s a ''Magi'' or not..."
A silent pause feel between the two old soldiers.
Captain Marie Synapse was the first to break it; "I have faith in that girl Moncha, just like my father always had faith in you did he not?
I trust she will come back just fine, she is going to fight a squadron of Nemos, nothing more.
So I will also place my faith in you, old friend, not to do anything stupid that we will both regret. Good-day, Major Moncha."
And with that the Captain turned and left the conversation, walking with her usual dignity, hands crossed behind her back, down the endless silver corridors of the TSU-s submarine.
Front 9.3 - Appendix On the Curadh – By Pierre Havelock (Skippable Bonus Chapter)
Front 9.3; Appendix - On the Curadh - By Pierre Havelock
The Curadh, as also frequently referred to as ''The Submarine'' is a nearly decade old Assault-Carrier class warship. It sails under the flag of ''The States Union-special branch'' or TSU-s and is the primary target of Operation Deadlight, the mission which the NTME has shown us when we look in at the UnderCurrent through the eyes of the Am-Fluchtig''s crew.
As a vessel we know that the Curadh has quite the storied history being one of the only two or three(the exact number is unclear) so called ''Troy Class'' vessels.
As you may remember certain figures talking about, Troy class ships are a rare category made during the last year of the so-called ''First War'' (TA414) - Despite massive success only 2-3 have ever been constructed owing to the extravagant costs involved and the need for large quantities of the rare wonder-metal Goibniu/Magite. Of these the lead ship of the line, the ''Cheval de Troy'' is the most well know and the only one that was actually completed in time to partake in the First War.
The Curadh was finished a few months after and owing to the destruction of the Cheval de Troy during the last battle of the war - The Curadh would spend much of its early life effectively pretending to be its sister ship for moral purposes.
Although it would quickly rebuild, TSU was in tatters at the war''s close and many of its remaining vessels were so damaged it was easier to scrap them than repair - Meaning for a time the Curadh may well of been the most powerful ship in existence (of course this was after the war so there is no actual evidence of this in combat per-se).
Its first crew was made up of veterans from across the military whom had all survived the war and needed a new posting, chief among these were two men in particular:
Head-Captain Synapse was a man in his early 70''s at the war''s close and was already well past retirement - However there were so few senior field officers left that he reluctantly agreed to stay on in a reduced role as the captain of just the Curadh (as averse to his earlier career as a fleet leader during the years immediately prior). He brought with him a squad of pilots whom had originally operated fighter jets before transferring to Vijaiks during the war - Among these he would appoint a man by the name of ''Moncha'' to the position of combat commander aboard the ship, in charge of all pilots and the on-board company of marines - This is a role major Moncha still holds today nearly a decade later.
As mentioned in the early peace years, TSU was doing all it could to rebuild and couldn''t afford resources for extravagant parades & recruitment drives, as such the Curadh with small escorts was sent far and wide - Its similar appearance to the ''Cheval de Troy'' acting as both an intimidating presence to some and a morale boost to others. None-the-less, with time new flagships were thrown up and the Curadh gradually entered a more reserved role being more a ceremonial vessel than anything else.
Around 4 years after the war the Curadh was scheduled for a large scale retrofit and the appointment of a new captain, as Synapse was finally ready to retire, literal months before this hand-off could occur, in the year TA418, the ''Remembrance Incident'' began.
It is more than worthy of an entry in its own right but in simple terms, this time period is what we on Earth would call a most brutal war.
The Remembrance Incident is hard to find concreate facts on owing to TSU still refusing to call it a ''war'', they claim it was ''just'' a collection of large scale terrorists attacks, ''Incidents''. In reality the ''Incident'' took place over months and involved outright fleet battles, alongside smaller gorilla warfare attacks - And in all took millions of lives, it is truly a remarkable testament to TSU''s corruption and propaganda facilities that this has been kept under wraps from much of the unaffected general public.
And while TSU had been rebuilding at a frightening pace in the 4 years of peace, its new fleets were spread thin keeping watch over the various Nation-States and the occupied parts of Abhaile, leaving a massive opening for Remembrance''s assault.
Using almost solely veteran soldiers and extremist youths along with self-made Casnels, Remembrance rapidly sunk multiple fleets and claimed credit for a freak meteor shower that took an entire country and its populous off the face of Western Bhaile - TSU deny this, saying the meteor storm was unfortunate & unforeseeable, but also a completely natural occurrence.
This massive hole in TSU''s front line leadership lead to Remembrance winning dozens of raids despite their relatively small numbers - Fact being that Remembrance may of been the greatest concentration of proven warrior talent all under one banner to of ever flown in mecha combat.
Captain Synapse, nearing retirement chose to fill this gap in front-line leadership rather then keeping his head down. When the base he was stationed at suffered a small Remembrance raid, Synapse apparently grew frustrated with the base-commander''s response, raising the Curadh''s main cannons to face the base''s command centre and demanding fleet leadership be transferred to him.
The youth in command ''complied'' and Synapse took control of the local TSU forces, fighting back the Remembrance raid with great success - Then seemingly with no permission to do so, the old man commanded this little group of ships to follow him, and with the Curadh at the lead took this ad-hoc fleet into the thick of it.
From here the Curadh with an ever growing unofficial ''TSU-Fleet'' of sorts, would find itself involved in every major battle against Remembrance that took place over the course of the following months. Reports at the time suggest Synapse acted as an admiral rather then a mere head-captain and that his tactics and mind were as sharp as ever in spite of his now old age.
Ultimately this would lead the Curadh to being at the centre, the culmination of Remembrance''s operations - Supposedly the terrorist''s faction planed to use a second, larger meteor shower to destroy the TSU home-fleet and strike at Central Bhaile all in one - Effectively this would of destroyed the Union''s biggest fleet and headquarters simultaneously. They did this by simply luring the home-fleet into their predicted path of where the meteorites would hit - The lure was none other then themselves as the largest Remembrance fleet to this day gathered.
TSU command eagerly jumped at this opportunity for a more straight forward fleet battle and merrily sent the home-fleet along to engage.
The Remembrance force was clearly outmatched, made up of previous war vessels and a handful of new original Casnels mixed amongst the dozens of last war Vijaiks. The fleet bravely faced off against TSU, outnumbered by upwards of 10 to 1, famous aces like the ''Bane of Konpei'' and the ''Scarlet Scourge'' leading the defence - But ultimately it mattered little as the meteor strike never came, and gradually Remembrance was overwhelmed by TSU''s incredible numerical advantages.
Some say that Remembrance really did have a cult of Magi who could direct the path of asteroids - And indeed a meteor shower did pass through the solar system - But it was nowhere near Bhaile or Abhaile.
Most believe that between the first shower hitting Western Bhaile and the second''s planned date, TSU found and assassinated the Magi(s) responsible.
Interestingly it''s possible our topic today, the Curadh, may actually of been involved in this - It uncharacteristically arrived late and damaged to the final battle and although it quickly made up for lost time, it is still redacted information as to what it was doing just prior to this last fight.
Whatever the case, Remembrance were summarily routed with only a sliver of their forces retreating under the command of the injured ace pilot, Scarlet - While the Bane of Konpei (Remembrance''s ''Field Commander Supreme'') lead a desperate final kamikaze-charge of all still functional mechs in the fleet.
This charge alone bought the stranglers time to not be entirely wiped out and did considerable damage to the TSU home fleet by itself, but obviously took the life of Remembrance''s fiercest leader and most loyal subordinates.
The Curadh successfully survived once more, heralded by many as the biggest hero of this ''Incident'' in much the same way the Cheval de Troy had been in the previous conflict - And so it came as quite the shock to all sides when, rather than retiring a heavily decorated war hero of two separate world threatening conflicts, the Curadh''s Captain was put on trial by States Union high-command.
It''s pretty clear to see that high-command used Synapse as a scapegoat for their own incompetence during the events of the incident.
Charging him on petty counts of insubordination and accusing him of purposefully leaving the half-dozen remaining ships escape the final battle - Synapse was sentenced to public execution broadcast via national media.
It is true Synapse broke rank in order to better fight back against Remembrance, it is also arguably true that he did in fact leave Scarlet''s group retreat from the battlefield - As some have claimed he was either trying to conserve what was left of the home-fleet or that he truly respected the Bane of Konpei''s final sacrifice of beliefs and had no interest in shooting the backs of the ragged remains of the retreating Remembrance force.
Whatever the case, to the public Synapse was blamed for it taking so long to put a stop to the so called ''terrorists'', while those in the know would take it as a huge injustice. So large in fact that among the many reasons listed by ''Vice-Admiral Louise'' during his declaration for the formation of the ''Independent Alliance of Free States'' (IAFS), a declaration that included the likes of the wanton murder of all Station 5.5''s population at TSU''s hands - Louise also listed Synapse''s miss-carriage of justice as another of the reasons behind IAFS''s formation.
And yet to me dear reader, even that isn''t the most surprizing part of the Curadh''s colourful history.
With Synapse gone the damaged ship required repairs and a new leader - And so the second (and current) commanding officer was appointed, a woman by the name of ''Captain Synapse''.
Now astute readers may of noticed the discrepancies there - Synapse senior was not a woman and held a rank one above Captain.
Indeed this new Synapse was none other then the first''s daughter.
''Marie Synapse'' had like her Father fought in both the First War and the Remembrance-Incident and was well-known in her own right.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. An indomitable leader, effective, level-headed and well respected by her crew - When the need for a new captain of the Curadh arose Marie volunteered, transferring from her previous post aboard a destroyer-class ship, over to the Curadh. She brought with her a small number of previous staff but other than that it was almost as though the Curadh hadn''t changed. The bulk of its crew remained the same and it was still helmed by a Synapse.
Marie has achieved some impressive things during her time as Captain - Convincing higher ups to continually update the ship and provide further training for all its crew members - But most of all would be her getting the Curadh transferred from regular TSU over to TSU-s.
It is worth noting that the speical forces branch of TSU had existed for as long as the main navy, almost every military has some form of military intelligence & subterfuge division, however the current iteration of TSU-s is different.
Established immediately after the end of the Remembrance-Incident, TSU-s has the explicit goal to suppress further uprisings among Abhaile and the Nation-States using as little resources as possible - This leading to the group of little more than a hundred ships, using tyrannical supressing tactics to control human space.
However when it was created it would be fair to say that TSU-s were an elite force, consisting of only the best TSU could offer in crews and pilots. When Marie managed to get her ageing ship (a ship that in reality is so unique it has no explict purpose within a normal fleet) into the ranks of TSU-s it was a great achievement. And for much of the peace years the Curadh''s involvement was mostly benign, used as an experimental weapon''s testing platform and simple patrol vessel.
Of course as you dear reader are by now well aware - Then came IAFS.
Nearing six years after the Remembrance Incident, an IAFS strike team launched from the flagship ''Tradech'' and lead by Lt.Commander Ceathair infiltrated a TSU-s base and successfully stole 3 brand new Casnel-Mark G2''s - And in doing so began the current war between TSU-s and the renegade faction IAFS.
The Union wasted no time putting the Curadh to work, deploying it with the most advanced in anti-detection equipment, the Troy class Vessel became a most-deadly submarine. In this role the Curadh has spent 6 months or around 210 Earth days remaining almost completely undetected as it expertly slew IAFS supply lines and minor patrol vessels. This is no doubt a mark of the Curadh''s experienced and skilled crew, to remain undetected for so long and have such a high success rate is surely impressive, that said we can presume it has also taken a massive toll on the moral and mental health of its staff.
In its mission the Curadh has been obliged to leave no survivors, leading to them frequently defeating already surrendered or even civilian ''enemies''.
As of the 6th month of TA424 IAFS has finally managed to launch a counter-offensive lead by the ''Am Fluchtig'', the second ship of the Celtic-Class battleship line (a somewhat unfortunately ironic similarity to the Curadh being the second ship of the ''Troy'' class line), leading up to the current events we see the NTME showing us and as documented in this novel.
Paired with this are some further points worth noting;
First it should be said that the Curadh has a rather curious combat set-up, despite being a carrier class vessel designed for more then 10 Vijaiks at any time - Being that it was only finished shortly after the First War and originally used for morale purposes, the Curadh was assigned a minimum mech escort of just three. That''s under 30 percent of its capacity and less then the average cruiser.
This number has of course risen & fallen over the years, during the now much aforementioned Remembrance Incident the ship had 5 native machines (including a Casnel of its own) and acted frequently to house mecha who''d lost their home-ships in battle or simply needed somewhere quick and easy to resupply from & then relaunch off during the longer battles of the Incident, as is the idea of the Troy Class ships.
Nonetheless by the time of TA424 the Curadh had returned to just three mechs, those belonging to the long-standing Combat-Commander major Moncha and his two wingmen Lt.Yazan & Lt.Gemon who had joined the ship during the Incident.
Further their trio of mechs are actually the same ones they have been using ever since the Incident - The MBT-Mk2-Special - The Special part referring to it being a highly modified version, specially equipped for rapid movement, high manoeuvrability and close combat.
These Speical-Main-Battle-Types would of been the very peak of Vijaik technology 5 years ago, a large squadron of which might even be able to match a real Casnel. However five years is a long time when there is an on-going arms-race at play in the galaxy.
Arguably these Gen-2 frame Specials are now no better then IAFS''s Gen-3 general purpose Neo''s, as piloted by Lt.Kolme and his squadron.
It should be added that this is not too say Kolme Nilas could face off evenly against major Moncha - Moncha is an ace pilot with a lot of experience, having been awarded the ''Knight''s Commendation'' - A medal TSU awards only to its very finest pilots for extreme bravery and long service, and is exceedingly rare.
The award also acts a speical rank of sorts - If there were two majors in a room, Moncha''s ''Knight'' ranking would give him automatic seniority and arguable puts him on level footing with the Curadh''s Captain.
All this said, had the Tristian group with its 15 Neo-Vijaiks gone up against the Curadh''s 3 MBT-Specials, IAFS would of most likely won with ease. So its unfortunate for them that just a month before the open of Operation Deadlight, the Curadh was given a new machine to test, and just two weeks after a further one.
The first is the titular Experimental-G-Type Casnel. We have yet to hear mention of an official title but what we have seen shows this Casnel as far superior to the regular MkG2, it fields some form of energy shield - Capable of blocking high powered rifle rounds as seen at the battle of the Clover. Further its own rifle and close combat abilities seem state-of-the-art and it easily repelled the combined strength of the Fluchtig''s five mechs, with even the infamous Casnel-Killer, Scarlet failing to inflict any real damage to it.
Secondly is the Diamond-Type experimental Fortress. A Casnel in its own right we will soon see its powers at play.
The Diamond is Magi controlled, meaning it substitutes the dozens of interconnected AI programmes it would otherwise need to function - For instead having a highly specialised human-esper act as one massive central processor with no lag between various programmes talking, but instead the will of the Magi at the helm being instantaneously carried out by the machine - We can presume it is as dangerous, if not more so then the experimental Casnel.
With these two machines alongside its camouflage abilities and pre-existing veteran captain and staff-pilots, the Curadh is now an undeniably powerful force to be reckoned with once more.
With the conflict between TSU-s and IAFS now in full swing and the Tristan group dragging the Curadh back to the frontline for the first time in five years, will this aged vessel once more rise to be a hero of this ''Incident'' too?
Or is this one war too many?
All this technical jargon and history aside, I as a writer documenting this, was left with a few more interpersonal questions at the end of my time studying this long-standing vessel. One obvious question to ask is why the Curadh hasn''t changed sides?
Considering the treatment of its previous captain, a direct relation to its current and the fact that one of IAFS''s core tenants retains to holding TSU-s accountable for its past crimes - One would think the Curadh a perfect candidate to join IAFS rather then fight against it.
If it did, it would no doubt be treated as a new capital ship and the current captain Marie Synapse would surely be made a leader of the group, giving her the opportunity to avenge her late Father - And yet the Curadh by all accounts remains very loyal to TSU-s.
Is this out of a desire to fix the military from the inside?
Is it simply because they''ve always been on TSU''s side - Do they believe the propaganda, that TSU have somehow not committed any atrocities? Perhaps the Captain has run the numbers and believes IAFS are doomed to lose this conflict, she is after all known to be a deft tactician like her Father before her.
After-all when the NTME suddenly swapped from Kolme''s perspective, to that of major Moncha I believe I speak for the whole research team when I say it was a most unexpected shock to see the supposedly deplorable TSU-s, are just a bunch of regular soldier.
Oh sure they are clearly more organised and disciplined than IAFS, and despite their ship being 10 years older then the Fluchtig, its far ''shinier'' - But in truth the crew of the Curadh don''t particularly seem like the tyrannical evil that TSU-s is made out to be.
Of course it is not my place as the mere author to pass judgement on their morality or motives. Perhaps it is IAFS who is lying and actually TSU isn''t so bad after all?
Then again tell that to destroyed families like Una''s...
Maybe TSU itself is not ''evil'' but rather a small sect at the top are the ones pulling the strings, that people like the Curadh''s inhabitants are simply following orders.
It strikes me writing this, that perhaps no one in TSU-s seems ''evil'' on the surface, maybe all members seem as amiable, courageous and kind as those we''ve briefly seen aboard the Curadh - And if that''s the case then I''m afraid to acknowledge just how deep a darkness and capacity for wrongdoing hides within each and everyone one of us all - Something I suppose I already knew...
After all I''m compelled back to the Operation-Deadlight briefing, to a video Commander Nate Novel played in amongst the squabbling of that briefing - I''m referring to the one taken by some nameless IAFS officer, whom dies desperately trying to get the first ever footage of the experimental Casnel off of his ship.
And so for all the Curadh has a history of exemplary bravery, cunning and heroics - Despite the fact its crew seem so admirable and Just, I shall end with that unnamed soldier''s own words - After all this entry is about the history of the Curadh, that includes its darker more recent chapters:
"Th-They just appeared the bloody bastards. No sonar, radar, no look-out - friggin nothing saw them. The Puma just exploded, it was there and then it weren''t. We--"
"We haven''t long now. Escape pods are no good, they shot them all out of the air when the Pirelli tried to run. T-There were kids on that ship, kids for Sun''s sake--------- N-no God no----"
"That''s John. Remember him you hear me? Ha, hell if anyone finds this."
"He''s the only one of his team left, remember John Smith you hear me, rememb--"
"This is the Cruiser Class ''Red--"
"--The enemy has a Casnel, I rep-------- further multiple Vijia-------- tell m-my ------ lov--------"
| [Transcript of the Recording Shown During Operation Deadlight Meeting One.] |
| As Recorded in ''Front 5''. |
Appendix Ends.
Front 9.4; ‘That’ Girl (Originally Labelled Front 20)
Front 9.4; ''That'' Girl
Moncha ''stormed'' down the silver corridors of the Curadh - It struck him that he had spent a considerable portion of his life in these endless, characterless, humming walkways and usually that didn''t much bother him.
He liked to think he was an approachable sort of officer, usually he would walk in the company of one of his subordinates, although currently all of those were under a ''voluntary'' confinement to barracks, except of course Miss.Falc...
Then there would be the passer-bys, people he barely knew who he could stop and have a pleasant conversation with, complaining about budget cuts in the canteen or talking about family back home - But not today, no indeed Moncha knew he needed no mirror to see why no one was stopping him for a chat today. He was well aware why people were hugging the corridor walls or steeping into random rooms just to clear his path - Moncha was very pissed.
He knew it wasn''t entirely justified, but it had taken all his will power not to take up arms, to forcefully refuse the Captain''s orders. In truth he was well aware that really he was pissed at the people back home, at whatever armchair-bound admiral had issued their current hairbrained orders.
Everything should of been simple, they had been ordered to destroy a repair vessel called The Clover owned by the private company Bayley Mechanics. Everyone knew Bayley was one of IAFS''s largest financial sponsors, yet TSU refused to act against the company for a few reasons - The biggest being Bayley''s massive monopoly on machine parts and processors used not only in IAFS''s machines but also in TSU''s - Then there were stock-markets and economies to consider....
Instead the Curadh would secretly, with no witnesses, destroy this ''Clover'' vessel sending one hell of a message to Bayley to back off - ''It should of been that simple...''
But then IAFS had turned up, protected the Clover and forced Helt''s Casnel to retreat - Following this the enemy group had somehow managed to track the Curadh, no matter how many times they changed course, the IAFS flotilla always followed, just barely outside of combat range.
That hadn''t been too big a problem, they would just head home - Moncha was also well aware the crew were all well overdue a vacation, so they''d simply head towards the TSU-s headquarters near Abhaile, let the main fleet deal with their pursuers, easy. And yet to everyone''s dismay the Admiralty had a different idea - They had suggested the Curadh make use of the pursing fleet for further tests.
Apparently Falc''s ''Diamond'' was made for in-atmosphere combat, Apparently the abandoned Station 9.3 would make for the perfect testing grounds and Apparently the experiment would require Falc be deployed alone for the best and most acute results.
It made Moncha sick, it was stupid - Falc had never flown a single real combat mission - Sure he was confident he and his squad could easily defeat a legion of IAFS Neo''s, customised or not but he had to acknowledged the raw tenacity of the squad that had fought against Helt in the last battle. He was sure He could beat them, but Falc? On her first ever mission?
''Insanity, just stupidity''.
He knew full-well all these thoughts were painting his expression as he crossed through the threshold and past the automatic door leading onto the ship''s bridge.
It was a space that showed its age maybe the most of anywhere on the vessel - Before the First-War many ships had prescribed to some rather old fashioned construction methods, after all no one but TSU had ever had the capital or power to make space-fairing warships, there had never been a war in space. This had lead to most pre-war ships looking almost like they had been designed for use in water, in fact some even had been, with a bridge proudly positioned in the best vantage point - This had lead to dozens, if not hundreds of First-War ship''s getting obliterated by lone Vijaiks simply getting close enough to blast a hole in the oversized windows of these control rooms.
If the blast itself didn''t kill the bridge crew, then the sudden depressurisation would.
The Curadh was constructed during the war so wasn''t quite this vulnerable - The bridge was much smaller than those old TSU designs and with rolling armour shutters to cover the already ''bullet-proof'' windows during combat - Nonetheless the carry over was obvious. If the Curadh had a Sphinx like shape, then the bridge was located right in the head of that creature, with no ability to be retracted.
Inside from Moncha''s perspective it was a large semi circle with tall ceilings and windows along the curved section that stretched from floor to roof. Against the flat back of the circle on a large raised chair sat the Captain, her elevated height making her even more imposing then normal.
Around her in even intervals, sat the terminals of the bridge''s various officers. An older man with a buzzcut and his arms folded neatly behind his back, turned at the faint hiss of the door sliding open. Moncha quickly raised the palm of one hand before the man could announce his presence.
The XO shrugged dismissively, turning his attention back to overseeing the various monitors, while Moncha quietly made his way to stand next to the Captain''s raised chair, his head about level with her neck.
"Ma''am." He muttered.
"Major, so good of you to join us." She said back, with no hint of her own emotions showing.
Moncha hated knowing that all his complaints and reports were no different to young Helt coming to ask him about the mission. Like he had done with Helt, the Captain would fob him off - After all like Moncha, she had to be seen in command in front of her subordinates.
In reality he knew that the simmering disappointment he currently felt towards the Captain really was unwarranted, that she too was just following orders she also probably disliked - But that didn''t make him feel any better about the situation.
"Why order me to the bridge Ma''am? Why not ''volunteer'' me to the barracks with the others? Want to keep a personal eye on me is it?"
Moncha borderline growled.
Captain Marie Synapse didn''t so much as flinch, her hands resting on the arms of her chair, her cold blue eyes focused narrowly on the world outside the bridge''s windows;
"You would of come here regardless of what I said Major, I would rather ask for your professional opinions as issues arise, rather than have you storming into here without my permission part way through the engagement."
Moncha scowled, turning to observe the sight the Captain was so fixed on - A few hundred metres in front of the ship''s windows held in the air what they were all so worked up about - The Diamond-Class Fortress - The crystal blue dome that had lay atop it for training was now gone and in its place was the torso of a more regular looking mech. Beneath this torso had remained the same as in the hangar, the large black metal squares that rotated and shifted in preparation for battle.
The shape of the core body was in Moncha''s opinion hard to look at - It was constantly shifting, sleek angular lines rolled and sliding square surfaces split into narrow triangles - Both with a reflective crystalline texture but also clear rugged armour plating.
''Diamond'' was simply its name, no one shape could adequately describe the massive dark mass - So large was it that the mech torso sitting atop it looked down right small.
Moncha turned and directed his voice towards the XO standing a few paces in front of him, "Progress Lieutenant-Commander?"
The XO nodded in Moncha''s direction and began to read from his wrist-handheld screen;
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.?"Sync rate is nominal, power fluctuation remaining at a minimum - The IAFS fleet has followed our predicted course and surrounded the exterior of the Nation-State. We detected a small group entering the Northern dock a few hours ago before losing radar in there - We can presume they''ve taken the bait and this recon group will soon be making its way inside the city, Sir"
The man rattled off with a machine-like focus on detail.
Moncha nodded back to let the man know that would be all, before turning his attentions back to the Captain, finally ready to try one last strategy with his old comrade - "Any last minute change of heart?"
Synapse shock her head lightly, "Your complaints have been logged, no change to the plan - Orders are final Major."
"You know, I bet your father wouldn''t of gone through with this - He knew when to ignore a foolish mistake on the part of the higher ups."
"Oh did he now? And what did that get him but the chopping block?" Synapse said back, her voice a little higher then she had intended.
An awkward chill spread throughout the room, all talk stopped and the dead air was filled with solely the noise of keyboard tapping.
----
In a whisper Moncha replied;
"He died for what he believed in - We should all be so lucky."
The Captain did not respond to the comment.
Moncha was about to press the attack when an interruption seized his attempts - "Ma''am Unit 5''s neural activity is increasing, the petty officer is getting ready to attack Captain!" Said an excited but still composed officer''s voice from the bank of communications computers to the right of the room.
Synapse and Moncha both looked in that direction, the Captain spoke fast and with clear precision;
"Very well, raise the ship alert, battle will be commencing imminently - Coxen have us set down within the cover of the city''s buildings - I want all recording equipment up and running now, we do not miss a single scrap of that data, Understood?!"
There was a series of affirmations and the XO began to repeat the orders as per protocol.
The Captain nodded, straightened her cap minorly before turned back to the communication''s-Operator - "Put me through to the petty officer, make it quick."
Moncha slinked back away from the Captain''s chair a few paces, leaning his back against the rear wall of the room resignedly - ''We''re really doing this, deploying a lone girl with experimental powers we don''t fully understand, in an prototype machine that hasn''t been properly tested, against a full squadron of enemy pros - Whatever happens now, happens - May God forgive us...''
"Petty Officer Falk reporting in Captain ma''am, all systems functioning, I can sense them coming - Alignment in progress.... She''s coming."
The soft voice of Falc said as calmly as she could into her microphone.
She wasn''t nervous per-se, thus far nothing had felt any different to regular training. She was laid back, partially strapped down, screens hung no more then 50 centimeters or so from her face, around her the machinery coolly hummed. The cabin space didn''t mean alot to her, she knew it was smaller then even a regular Vijaik''s but what did that matter?
All that would be different today, was the image on the monitor screen would be of real enemies rather than simulations, that was all.
''She'', that was wrong of her to say - She knew that but had said it anyway. The doctors constantly reminded her that there was no other person in her consciousness, she did not suffer from any form of multiple-personality disorder, rather something more akin to ''Associative Dissonances''.
When the machine found its target, no when ''she'' found a target, her mind would being working with the machine in sync - She understood the theory, right now it was happening, parts of her brain being put to a sort of gentle sleep. Her smell usually went first, than taste and touch - In longer uses of the power her hearing would fade as well - Unnecessary, she was told, her powers could be amplified by allowing the brain more room to process, they said.
But it felt like a long slow death, a fog rolling across her mind and obscuring everything - Falc often wondered if she was a Magi at all or if it was all ''the other girl'' - She had faint memories, so very faint now, of her time before the navy - Memories of being able to sense small things but nothing like what the girl could do. Even now as Falc held on by a thread to her own thoughts, she could feel the girl''s power overcoming her - Her vision felt blurred and buried but her sense, that sense, came alive - She could see the enemy where they were not - See the shutter door raising in front of her before it ever did, see what her machine''s radars and sensors all couldn''t, detect everything and so much more.
See every paving stone of the city all at once, sense the number of windows, feel the movement of electricity from solar panel to generator - Trace that back to UV rays flying past planetary bodies through an endless night sky, see the sun--
"Good luck out there Falc!!"
The words had been suddenly shouted over the radio, she recognised major Moncha''s voice - Her face turned to a faint smile, her thoughts were always simpler at times like this, she could feel more complicated ideas slipping away, her memory of just moments ago dissipating, leaving only truths - She liked Moncha, he seemed honest and kind to her.
She was pretty sure he liked her back as a sort of daughter perhaps.
She wondered what that meant, or whether she was meant to have a word for that feeling - Whether feelings were still vital.
She wondered...
"4 Enemies, type V-MBT-NEO-Cs, estimate time to fire, 60 seconds."
Said a cold, distant, dry voice.
"Roger Unit 5, take the shot when ready." Replied what seemed to be a far off radio.
Of course she would of done that regardless, she had little care for what the disembodied voices said.
She could detect something off, her surroundings appeared slightly different to normal.
----
"Love?"
The empty voice said to no one in particular.
It wondered who had said it, or perhaps thought it - For her there was little difference.
She closed her eyes, she never could understand why they sometimes opened - She had no use for them, as she had no hands or legs to act on. No smell or touch or taste - She existed and that was all - All was distinct, all she must do was think and the enemy would disappear.
That was all there was to it.
"30 Seconds."
She couldn''t remember why she spoke aloud sometimes and not others, she simply did.
"10 seconds"
She fired - A roller-shutter door miles away collapsed in on itself, four massive holes bulging and forming - The machines inside dodged.
That girl opened her eyes - All logic indicted her shot should of destroyed atleast 3 of the targets, the mathematics were definitive.
"--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
"Unit 5, unit 5 come in?!"
"Report."
"Unit 5?!"
"--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
"Enemy is on the move ma''am, they''ve entered the city!"
"Ma''am, unit five''s vitals are droping, brain scan suggest sh- she, it doesn''t make sense?!"
"Speak man, What?"
"Brain dead ma''am, everything says her brain just stopped the second after her attack missed, like a coma or something?"
"-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"
"Is that possible?"
"Let me go to her!"
"Silence Major, Comms what''s Simmens saying?"
"She says it''ll be fine, it''s good data to see how long it takes to break out of it or something? Apologies ma''am, she seems very...excited."
"That blasted woman. Have we a trace on the enemy units yet?"
Movement. Shoot.
"No Ma''am, the North dock is still blocking com-- Fire, Repeat Fire! Unit 5 just fired a single shot!"
"Unit 5?! Can you hear us, are you operational?!"
"I''m going, this is ridiculous, I''ll stop this before it gets anymore weird!"
"Stay right where you are Moncha!"
''Moncha?''
"What the?"
"You seeing this too, Willis?"
"Captain?"
"Why is that Neo just standing there out in the open like that?"
"Unit 5, shoot now God-damn it, shoot!!"
''Enemy, Shoot.''
Front 10.1; A Magi’s Assault – Part 1/2 (Originally Labelled Front 21)
Front 10 - Magi''s and Knights
Front 10.1 - A Magi¡¯s Assault Part 1
"Magnetic Clamps Now!!" Someone called.
The pressure was almighty, dust bins and lampposts flew past the monitor screen, the other mechs we''re all clearly burned and damaged, the roller-shutter door was fully open - Inside lay the city, being torn apart by the hurling, churning storm of air behind them.
Sabban had acted just barely fast enough, using his own machine to push Kolme''s to the ground - This in turn had spooked Una who''s mech had literally stumbled backwards to safety. Hoki had been the least lucky, the fourth of the deadly green blasts destroying her mech''s right arm.
"Move it, use the buildings for cover, quickly!!" The voice shouted again - Kolme realised the words were his own.
Thanks to Sabban''s fast acting, the enemy attack had mostly missed, all four members of the squad had survived what had seemed like certain death - In the seconds that followed however new problems arose.
The roller door, now pierced in four locations had finished opening, exposing the city - And as three of the enemy''s energy blasts had only grazed the Neo''s they had continued on forward, colliding with the exterior door of the Nation-State, tearing open parts of the outer airlock - Now the entire city was being sucked out, slowly for now but as projectile after projectile struck against the damaged outer wall, Kolme knew it''d only be a short time until the battered wall shattered and the Neo squadron would find themselves and the entire city being sucked out into space.
He glanced desperately between his monitors, to his right was Sabban who''s left arm although intact was clearly worse for wear and his shield no where to be seen. To his right Una and Hoki, their mechs supporting each other as all four painedly hunched forward made one painful step after another into the city, the magnetic clamps of the Neo''s feet having to work overtime to overcome the pull of the rapidly depressurising port behind them.
It took what felt like a lifetime, periodically having to step aside some heavier piece of airborne debris or needing to re-right the mech''s course when it stumbled - But eventually all four made it, with backs pressed against two separate rows of buildings, a long main street in between them.
Kolme ran everything through his mind, trying to understand what was happening.
One moment they were waiting for the door to open, the next the four neon-green beams had come straight at them.
Once inside the city he had only caught the briefest glance of the enemy, miles deeper into the settlement and up above the tallest buildings was an odd, black-rhombus looking shape - Kolme could only presume that was what had attacked them.
Moving further into the city had been a snap decision, his thinking being that had the squad retreated back into space or further into the dock they would be sitting ducks for this powerfully foe - Heading into the cover of buildings had seemed logical but in truth Kolme now realised that they had been just as open to attack during their crawl inwards as at any other time - So why hadn''t the enemy let loose a second volley?
Had he messed up, did the enemy weapon have a cooldown? Had they just missed their one opportunity to retreat back out to space and the safety of the Fluchtig?
On his monitors Kolme watched as a pavement flagstone loosened by the Neo''s clamping down, began to lift up into the air before flying out the airlock and slamming against the partially pierced exterior-door, adding yet another dent.
''It won''t last much longer''.
Vocalising his thoughts Sabban cut in, "Old-man, why the hell isn''t the station repairing itself?!"
He shouted over the din of the wind surrounding their machines.
"We''ve been hacked or something lad, my access to the dock is gone - It refuses to seal!" Kolme shouted back, before another idea came to mind - He rapidly started inputting into one of his keyboards before opening the radio link again with excitement;
"Wait-up maybe not all the doors! Sabban be ready with sealant, on my count!"
A few seconds later, while the airlock door continued to leak pressure, the roller shutter door began to descend - Taking his queue, Sabban''s mech released a rubber-black substance from one hand which quickly glided through the air and filled in the four holes of the roller-door. The battered, bruised and blackened surface of the metal gate finally landed back home and with it the city began to return to normal.
Even from with-in their mechs the squad listened as dozens of heavy thuds and clunks echoed around the city as vehicles, bins and other detritus that had begun to get dragged out, set back down onto the ground.
Kolme slumped into his chair with relief at overcoming one crises, though he knew that would be short lived. Turning to his machine''s radar array, he quickly attempted to tap back into the station''s systems - Something was indeed blocking him from full control but he could atleast still get up a map, looking at it almost filled him with a sense of nostalgia in amongst the deadly tension of the last few minutes.
The layout of the city was near identical to one''s he had entered before - He always found being in a Nation-State to be a weird experience;
''Well less weird then this one is turning out to be, but still odd...''
One almost expected them to be drab settlements, being under the direct commission of TSU (with the exception of a few private ones) you couldn''t help but have an image of them as full of lifeless tower blocks, corporate skyscrapers and social inequality - But that was far from the truth.
For all their many faults, TSU had been the dominant power for around 500 years - So regardless of their tyrannical policies, even IAFS members had to admit they knew how to build an efficient and comfortable city.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.?With Nation States being constructed from scratch, they were the ideal places for highly designed settlements. Everyone of them worked in circular layers - To the very centre was a larger park green, not so large you got lost but big enough for festivals and the like. Around this square you would find government buildings and public services - In the next layers were various types of housing and commerce.
To the edges of the city were the most discrepancies - Some States would have large production facilities on their outskirts, others recreational areas, or the mansions of the most wealthy.
Station 9.3 had clearly been of the most common variety, with an assortment of warehouses along its rims, the very type of building the squad was now crouched behind.
The cities were designed with wellbeing in mind, the roads laid out to be around the edges of the whole place, with two main roads going through the settlement in the middle - In-between were more narrow streets, mostly for pedestrians. The main mode of commuting being cycleways and the extensive tram network rather then individual vehicles.
The architecture was also surprisingly pleasing. Houses generally didn''t go much above five stories and the buildings were allowed a fair degree of flair. Every street had to conform to certain widths and lengths to maintain the symmetrical pattern of the place, however on any one row all the houses would have different flourishes - An ornate set of windows here, some little balcony outcrops there.
All round, the cities Kolme had seen, always seemed reminiscent of Heartland states, just more organised.
[modern_footnote][Author''s Note; It is believed Kolme here is refereeing to the ''Heartland States of Central Bhaile'' (where TSU has its main headquarters). He being supposedly from Ivernia would explain his familiarity with this style of architecture - By Earth standards this would be most comparable to old European type cities.][/modern_footnote]
Of course cynicism soon found its way back to Kolme - After all, though they had very much so learned today that Station 9.3 had been near compilation when it was ''abandoned'', no one had ever officially lived here.
And yet it was all done.
The streets already had plants, the buildings had different colour schemes, there was even instances of the homely characterisation a building only gets after being lived in for a while - Like plants growing down off a balcony, or areas of exposed brickwork.
Yes indeed, Station 9 was an ideal looking city to live in, without ever having seen residents;
''TSU are definitely good at making cities, down to them being lived in before anyone even moves in...''
Kolme allowed all this knowledge of the Nation-States to flow through him as he attempted to decide the group''s next move - A part of him really didn''t like the plan he was currently coming up with, it involved, alot of assumptions.
"Kolme what now?" Sabban said, his voice clearly still angry over their earlier fight, "Why doesn''t it fire at us again?"
Kolme sighed, they''d been holding still a few minutes now since sealing the breech, it was time to act - Hunches or not.
He grabbed his Neo''s control levers and picked up a piece of lose paving stone.
"Lieutenant?" Hoki asked cautiously across the radio.
In an instant Kolme''s machine threw the flagstone into the air, up above the roof of the warehouses - A second later a familiar green line of lighting crossed the sky in front of them and a shower of stone dust rained down.
"That settles it then..." Kolme mumbled.
"I... i don''t follow sir?"
Una stuttered, her voice was the shakiest of them all Kolme noted.
"It''s broken... I hope. I reckon that thing in the sky shootin'' at us fecked up, no idea why but I think it intended to take us all out in one shot. Since it failed it''s now confused at a guess. It''ll shoot at us if we reveal ourselves, but it''s, I dunno, conflicted? Conflicted about trusting its power, ya know?"
There was silence over the radio as Sabban, Una and Hoki tried to piece together Kolme''s gibberish.
"Power? You are not saying that''s a Magi shooting at us?!" Sabban spat with distain after a few moments.
"It would explain how it hit us before seeing us."
Hoki mused.
"Wait now hold on, you ain''t really expecting me to believe they''ve got some sort of wizard who can predict the future?!"
"No, otherwise we would be dead already Sab-lad, I guess it can sense ''stuff'' a radar can''t is all."
"Then why doesn''t it shoot us right now?!"
"It missed, that or it''s got a cooldown but tell that to the rock I just threw up."
Kolme said back flatly.
There was the audible sound of Sabban slamming a fist against his chair;
"You''re saying because this, hypothetical ''Magi'' missed, it won''t trust its ''power'' anymore and will only shoot when it is sure it can see us?"
"Maybe?" Kolme said back earnestly.
Sabban did not reply.
"But that means we''re stuck here right sir?" Hoki added.
"Oh God no, it will probably get over it pretty soon and blast us to pieces while we sit here - I''ve seen stuff like this before, it''s like a confused AI, working out a problem...maybe.." Kolme said back bitterly.
"Oh fucking brilliant!" Sabban interjected.
"--That''s why I have a plan. Have a look at those coordinates I sent ya''."
Kolme intrusted accompanied by the sound of keyboard tapping - "If we make it to those points, And make sure Not to shoot, than perhaps we can freak it out even more."
"And then what, lieutenant-sir?"
"Good question Hoki-lass, I''ll think of something on the way.
But before that there''s one more part to the plan, when we split up I want you to dive across the road and take a shot at that thing before going back to cover - We need to know if our weapons are even strong enough to touch its armour, a test shot ya know."
"Ummm, lieutenant--"
"Don''t worry, I''m sure you can pull that off easy!"
"No but sir--"
"Hmm?"
"My arm sir, I only have one left - The medium range rifle needs two to operate, I could use the regular rifle but we''re pretty far from the target..."
Hoki finally finished.
"L-let me go!" Una suddenly spoke up before Kolme could voice a reply, "Sabban''s arm is beat up bad too, and you have to co-ordinate us.. right. I''m undamaged so I should do it..."
"I guess you''re right, very well Una will take the shot, rest of us get running - Follow the map, got it?" Kolme said uncomfortably.
''This is way too many risks, the hell have we gotten into now....''
Front 10.2; A Magi’s Assault - Part 2/2 (Originally Labelled Front 21.5)
Front 10.2 - A Magi¡¯s Assault Part 2
''This is way too many risks, the hell have we gotten into now....'' Kolme lamented as he threw the Neo''s controls into a forward run.
Per the ''plan'' all four machines had begun to move, Sabban, Kolme and Hoki making their way along the backs of the warehouse district, with Una prone and ready to take her shot.
As he reached the turn-off point that would set Kolme off down the twisting streets of the city, he took a momentary glance at all his monitors - It was the rear camera that caught his eye. Unlike the cameras in the Neo''s head, the rear camera was of a lower quality with a grainy feel to it - Still it was enough to scare Kolme witless.
He glanced at it, his Neo already mid turn, only to see Una''s unit - Per the plan it had stepped out of cover, but then stopped, no shot, just standing still in the middle of the open boulevard, a sitting duck.
"Hoki!" Kolme roared - It had been another snap decision, she was still the closest to Una, himself and Sabban having both split off into different streets.
Hoki didn''t have time to verbally respond, though Kolme could no longer see their machines, he heard the sound of levers being thrown and a round being fired. A mere second later he saw a neon-green lighting bolt arc across the city skyline above him, heading in Una''s direction. Another moment and a return shot of orange light headed back towards the enemy source.
----
Kolme''s held his breath for what felt like a lifetime;
"....Rookie? Hoki-lass?"
There was a second''s silence before finally two voices joined him over the radio link - "We''re fine Lt.sir, I shot at Una before the enemy did, got her moving again. Not a second too soon though, good call sir."
Hoki said, clearly catching her breath after having made her own split second decision.
"Good, good - Rookie can you still move?"
Kolme asked in relief.
"I-it''s, it''s, it''s all the same! It''s all the same...." Una wailed across the line.
Kolme glanced down at his map, a crude 2d layout of the city with red dots indicating the Neo''s and blue circles showing their target goals.
"What is?" He replied back, concern building seeing now that although her dot was back in cover, Una was still clearly stationary and falling behind the others.
There was an alarming amount of heavy breading and possibly even tears from Una in-between sentences; "The c-city, it''s the same, everything looks the same! ...Like home did, like home... It looks like home before... before the poison before...."
Kolme cursed to himself, remembering Una''s nervousness back in the port and his own thoughts about how similar each Nation-State looked - ''Don''t they test cadets for triggers before certifying them for the field?! No, who am I kidding, I should of seen this coming - Girl is just a kid, I brought her with me without thinking about how this place would affect her, that''s on me and only me...''
"Ya, so!?" Interjected the gruff voice of Sabban Vint, "The feck does it matter if it reminds you of home Rookie? You gonna'' sit there and cry about old memories now is it?"
Hoki was the one to cut back, "Sabban, I don''t think that''s approp--"
"What?! We are on a fucking battlefield! We don''t have time for her to breakdown, at any second that ''thing'' up there Will start shooting at us again ya hear?! So what''s it gonna be Una O'' Conchabhair? You gonna sit there and die or get off ye''re ass and run like the rest of us lunatics?!
I don''t remember any of my classmates giving up this easily Una!!"
The young man roared across all their radios.
There was an eerie silence for a few moments until to everyone''s relief the little red dot on the map for Una''s Neo, began to move once more.
Kolme took a deep breath, staying calm was getting tough for more than just Una, things seemed to be happening one after the other.
"Hoki, Una fired back in amongst all that right? Any idea what damage it did?"
"Roger." Una said.
Kolme frowned in confusion but Hoki''s answer quickly took his attention;
"Yes sir, the medium rifle didn''t pierce the armour but if these calculations are right then prolonged fire from multiple machines would do it - If we get to your co-ordinates the plan might just work!"
"All ''ight then, just a little more pushing then--" Even as he said the words, yet another issue came colliding & barrelling towards Kolme.
The street he was on was narrow, just large enough for the Neo to pass through - On one side was a head-height wall, on the opposite a row of would-be residential housing. Through the grey wall, a few metres ahead of Kolme, erupted a bulging, sickly green light, before the bricks exploded outwards and a green-snake of energy burst across the road in-front of the Neo.
Cursing he pulled up on the controls to stop but was too clumsy - The tired, rusted, seared green and blue machine toppled backwards, landing on its back with a heavy thud that dented the road beneath.
Kolme rubbed at the back of his head, glad to have been properly buckled into his machine, happily ignoring the digging pain of the tightened safety belts.
He reached up to his controls and began the tricky movement of getting the Neo back up - Realising how his fall had, if awkwardly, allowed him to dodge the enemy attack.
"You guys get that too?" He asked.
"Roger." Una said blankly, Sabban just grunted his answer.
"Erm..." Hoki added, clearly as perplexed as Kolme by these responses - "Same here sir, seems like that thing fires four shots at once. Atleast for now its dividing them between all of us rather than focusing."
''Lunatics Sabban called us, Ha! What an understatement. The hell are we doing? Any one of these attacks could kill us, what if we do get underneath it only for it to take no notice? What if we can''t break its armour even up close?!
Lunacy ain''t the half of it Sabban...''
Back upright Kolme continued to move forward, the streets to either side varied but were generally just tall enough to conceal the Neos - Nonetheless a few seconds later another four blasts were loosed upon each member of the squad, each burning through bricks and mortar with ease.
This time Kolme didn''t trip, bringing his machine to a halt just in time, the green line cutting into the outer layer of his mech''s bulkhead, singeing off the already faded frontal paint before it dissipated away once more.
''No lunacy ain''t enough! These kids are following me here, based on a blasted hunch - This was supposed ta'' be recon not this!
If we''re lucky that thing is a malfunctioning Magi, Lucky! The heck would not lucky be in this situation?''
Kolme immediately regretted this line of thinking.
''Unlucky'' would be for the Curadh, which was presumably hiding somewhere else in the city, to stop hiding and blast them all to dust with its larger main cannons - Unlucky would be the Casnel deciding to join in, unlucky could be alot worse.
''Insane! Fucking insane!''
Kolme thought as he dodged yet another horizontal beam cutting the road in half before his eyes.
''This isn''t normal, when I was a kid I though flying was amazing, in like an aeroplane - Now look at me, casually evading death beams on a city in deep space!!"
At this point Kolme was no longer sure if his thoughts were of a manic excitement or indignation - He rounded another street corner into what was a larger space, filled with shops and wider public pavements... And tram tracks.
Not seeing them in time the right-leg of his Neo slid down the slick tram line. Desperate to right himself Kolme over-corrected and a second later his machine found itself face down on the concrete, a large crack forming in his main camera where his helmet had hit the ground - Said crack causing a line to form two thirds of the ways across his main monitor.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Before he could even fix his chair posture, the winded older man watched another bolt of green-death criss-cross in-front of where he would of been had he not again fallen over - ''Lucky ha...''
"Sir you alright? Your marker has stopped moving?" Hoki''s voice came in with clear concern.
"Am'' fine Lass, nothing we can''t ''andle, just a little further."
Kolme was grateful neither of his now two falls had caused any major damage to the Neo. Once more he stood the mech back up and continued down the tram lined shopping district.
The map indicated they were all close now - The enemy had seemingly positioned itself above the centre of the city, above the park and buildings of local-government - High in the air with a vantage point of the entire place.
It had taken time to cross such a distance but now it was nearly in sight, a few more streets and Kolme would arrive, Hoki and Sabban seemed a little further behind having taken longer routes and of course Una had started late, but overall it was near enough for them all.
Kolme had begun sub-consciously counting the time between enemy fire, grumpily noting each shot came a little quicker then the last, like timing an approaching thunderstorm - But this time no intrusion came, "Strange... Hoki you rec''on it ran outta'' juice?"
Before she could answer, the sound of Sabban cursing and Una being thrown in her chair were heard across the cabin.
Kolme didn''t need to ask, Sabban growled the answer - "Bastard thing is getting smarter, firing two shots at two of us, rather then splitting its weapons four ways!"
''Ah, so there goes our luck eh?''
As if on queue once more, two lines of green coursed vertically before Kolme, chipping away at the foundations of the buildings on either side of the street - A final third line appearing before his old eyes, there was nowhere to run to - All Kolme could do was bring his machine to a halt, a few moments later the buildings on either side began to crumble, blocks began to feel gravities pull and the brick facades on either side gave way - A few moments later Kolme Nilas''es Neo-C was buried whole.
****
Kolme felt tired, he often did, but especially right now.
It had been a long day, Scarlet''s ominous warning, the weirdness of the ''A.M.I'' compound, his argument with Sabban and this sudden ambush by the enemy - All took a toll on him both mentally and physically.
His arms felt weak, a strain just to keep them held to all the various controls of his machine - His joints all stung stiffly, his skin itched irritably - Even the taste of the air in the Neo was becoming stale.
The rubble hadn''t been enough to destroy his machine, he knew that much - The Neo was far from the best at resisting physical impacts but falling bricks would bounce off to a degree. No it had been the larger chunks that had caused him to be buried, that had hit so hard that he was pretty sure he''d been unconscious for a few moments.
He knew he was perhaps getting too old for all this, as clich¨¦ as he knew that was - It was one thing to reside over the bridge of a ship or even work as an engineer - But to keep pushing the Neo forward, the physical effort of the controls, the jolts every-time it fell, dodged, or got hit - It was alot.
He knew he needed to get back up again, push off the rumble and move forward - They were nearly there after all.
He thought back to the start of this battle, when the first four beams of light had come through the door, to the moment when he had lain back in his chair, let go of the controls and given up - And why not?
He was normal, just a guy who joined a war a decade ago, not a Magi, no not even someone of vision or talent, not someone of ambition - Just plain old Kolme Nilas.
He wasn''t destined to fight Casnels and Fortresses, or to change the course of wars - He was just a foot-soldier, a frontline grunt, nothing more.
''I''ve said that before, Sabban saved me from that back then too...
I gave up on helping my comrades, watched people die over ''an over - But Sab always came back the damn idiot.''
Sabban had saved him today too, Kolme wasn''t sure how the kid had known the blast was coming seemingly before it had appeared, but he''d saved them all in that moment.
''And him and Hoki saved Una too didn''t they, snapped her out of it a bit anyway - And Una! Despite my idiocy, despite suddenly forcing her to face her past like this, she''s still running, still trusting in my stupid plan - These young folk really are something.''
The space around Kolme was like something out of an old submarine-movie, the cameras all blocked by debris, the cockpit was lit only by flashing red warning lights and faint button glows - But he was well used to warning lights.
He coughed as he sat back up in his chair and took in the damage reports one of the smaller monitors issued. Smelling the faint iron smell before seeing it, Kolme glanced down at his hands - He was coughing up blood.
Sighing he took off the blood stained glove and reached for the radio board - "You guys al''ight? How long was I out?"
"Sir?! Sir you''re alright! We thought..." Hoki said back before quickly composing her usual more stoic voice; "Ahem - Only about 60 seconds sir, we''re all still ok just about, nearing the co-ordinates now."
"Right then, off we go agai--" Kolme began.
"Don''t You Dare Old Man." Sabban barked, "That thing above us definitely has a gun trained on you, the second it sees you move, from wherever you are, then it''ll shot."
"I didn''t know you cared so much lad." Kolme cooed back, more peppy than he had intended.
Sabban simply ''growled'' in protest.
"Heh, I appreciate it lad, I do." He added more sombrely before taking up his controls once more, feeling the cold iron grip on his now exposed hand; "But I can''t let you kids do everything can I? It is my plan after all, so I''ll see it through - I want you three to count me down to when you rec''on it''ll next fire, I''ll make my move then."
"It''s your funeral Nilas."
Sabban replied.
"Roger."
"Understood sir, I''ll try call it as close as I can." Hoki finished, once more sounding like the only soldier of the group.
''Ya exactly, this is my plan ain''t it? And I promised didn''t I Sabban, that I''d stop giving up so easily.
So what if I ain''t speical, I won''t change this war no, but I can stand up for these idiot kids, for the people in my life - If they''re willing to follow me into battle, then the least I can do is keep running, keep running until my legs won''t go no further!''
"Approx-Forty seconds until we are in place Lieutenant, 10 until the estimated next enemy barrage." Hoki issued over the comms.
Kolme readied himself, listening as Hoki slowly counted down the numbers and then, at 1 exactly, he threw forward the Neo at full throttle.
The mound of rubble erupted violently, bricks smashing through what little windows and the like remained on the dishelved street - The Neo audibly roared as its generators pushed to their absolute maximum, as its joint''s seized under the strain and tremendous pressure, oil leaking & bursting free, showering the machine in black - The battered Vijaik emerging victoriously out of the pile of detritus.
The attack was seconds behind, the green bolt coming head on for the newly freed Neo - Kolme ducked the machine, braced its legs and held both arms and his shield forward - The green beam collided, the shield began to burn, flames erupted, paint pealed and the metal frayed.
The sheer force of the impact caused the Neo to grind backwards, its feet digging mightily into the roadway, pavement splitting and flying up into the air around him. The Shield finally gave way, its two halves crumbling to the floor - The green beam persisted, digging into the Neo''s left arm.
Kolme readied himself for the worst.
And then finally the beam ran its full course and stopped. The Neo''s left hand fell limply to its side, and so, Kolme Nilas began to run forwards with all his might, ''one more time''.
Front 10.3; The Knights Defence - Part 1/2 (Originally Labelled Front 22)
Front 10.3 - The Knight''s Defence Part 1
The noise around him was deafening as Kolme pushed the Neo to go further and further, every cog seemed to be grinding sourly and every piston straining, but onwards the Neo strode, free from its rubble prison.
"You three, how ''bout a sit-rep eh?"
"Roger."
"Ah, Rookie, I know this is rough an'' all, but we need to know if you can still shoot lass?"
"Rog-- ah-h right, ummm. My left arm is busted I think... and my leg has some warning lights. Oh I lost the medium rifle too but I still have the regular one..."
Kolme swore silently, "That''s alot of damage to keep quiet girl, you gonn''a make it to the goal?"
"Roger... Sir!"
"Alright then, I think - Sabban, Hoki how bout'' ye?"
"That arm injury I got saving your sorry ass has got worse, I''m down to just one hand now too."
Sabban added.
"Sorry Lieutenant, same here - I should be able to make it and attack with my other hand but I doubt any of us can take much more than that." Hoki finished.
''Ha barely an arm each between us, this had better work.''
Rounding a final corner their goal at last came into sight - They had travelled half a city and were clearly the worse for wear but there it was, the blue markers and the reds on his map all synced up. In-front of Kolme was the city-centre, the large and somewhat overgrown park green filled with aged benches, evergreen trees, quaint fountains and gravel pathways that had clearly been swept about by the earlier pressure loss with-in the station.
Around the park was the traditionally ornate buildings of government and the likes of police & fire stations - And above it all, perfectly at the centre of the Nation-State and high in the artificial sky - The ominous sliding black shape of the enemy Fortress.
Up close Kolme could see it in more detail, it was huge for a start - Easily 3 or 4 times the mass of the Neo-Vijaiks. On two large cables ejected out from it was ''free-floating'' squares with nozzles - Two more of these nozzles were also connected to the ''thing''s'' main body
All four were silent, not a green glow to be seen - The barrage had at last ended.
A part of Kolme could barely process that the plan had worked, that the onslaught of an attack had finally come to a close. Looking to the right side of the massive crack still running through his camera lens he could see Sabban''s murky brown Neo, to the left side out another alleyway he could see Hoki''s and based on his map he presumed Una was also left of him in a position obscured to his vision - They had all four made it.
****
"So, what now old man?" Sabban said after a few moments of them all simply catching their collective breaths.
"Ya... about that lad..."
"Don''t you dare say you have no plan?"
"It''s not that! Not exactly... Look its stopped firing, that''s good ain''t it?"
Kolme shot back.
Sabban snorted, "Then why don''t we shoot now? While its confused!?"
"Absolutely Not!! Look lad it''s like, think of it like a computer, it''s running an equation which we''ve broken by getting into its weak spot - Now it has stalled ''cause it didn''t predict this feck up right?"
"But if we open fire, that would count as a new problem superseding the current error? That about right Sir?" Hoki said, having caught on to Kolme''s line of thought.
"So what, we just stand here waiting for our fuel to run out?! They still have a ship hiding here somewhere if you''d forgotten."
Before Kolme could respond there was a terrible earth-shattering gust of pressure, the blistering sound of incredible engines flaring to life - The sounds of the Submarine taking flight.
"Kolme?! Orders, do we shoot now or not?"
Sabban shouted over the sudden din.
"Hold your fire!! We can''t take any more damage, let them retreat!" Kolme shouted back - His words were prompted by the fortress, which to his relief had began to move higher into the sky and away from the Neos, all while its weapons remained inactive.
"You''re joking!? It''s running away, this is the best chance we''ll get, we have to--"
"Hold fire lad!"
Without anymore debate Kolme watched an orange line of flame arc through the sky and collide with the flat underside of the Fortress - Sabban had fired.
"God-Damn it!" Kolme roared; "All units fire, fire now before it shoots back!!"
And so amongst the blistering sounds of the invisible warship lifting off, the other three Neos joined Sabban and a flurry of orange beams began to light up the blue sky. Some shots went wide but those that did hit mostly seemed to bounce off, or be absorbed and dissipated - Until, finally one seemingly pierced the powerful armour and the Fortress caught ablaze in a startling ball of flame, causing the whole thing to rock violently in the sky.
"Hell ya! Keep it up, we''re busting through that armour!" Sabban jeered, far too gleefully for Kolme''s liking.
But before they could land another shot, a sudden flurry of yellow lines erupted back in Sabban''s direction, their source being somewhere in the sky, behind the stricken fortress.
"Take cover, new contacts!" Kolme instructed but he hardly needed to as all four Neos ducked back into the cover of the streets.
"No!!" Sabban spat from his hiding spot.
Kolme too peaked out, it took him a moment to spot their newest issue - About a quarter of the still partially flaming fortress was gone, not destroyed but gone - It was slowly but surely reseeding into thin air, it was retreating inside the invisible submarine.
Sabban wasn''t about to let that happen, he pushed back out into the open area and rose his rifle to fire once more, but again was interrupted by a thin flurry of yellow beams - "Another enemy!?"
As if on que a shape emerged from the same nothingness that the Fortress was retreating into, it let loose one more volley and then appeared to ''step-off'' something, in the way a swimmer might of jumped from a diving board.
Vijaiks seldom did ''acrobatics'', such things were too complex for the bulky shape of these modern day tanks and yet Kolme watched as the object, now clearly a black & grey Vijaik, spiralled and twirled through the air before landing on the park green with flourish.
Sabban didn''t hesitate, his eyes still set on the prize he rose his rifle a third time to try and desperately hit the now two-thirds vanished Fortress - And for a third time this new Vijaik fired at him, causing Sabban to dodge and miss his shot one final time.
Kolme, Una and Hoki all attempted to fire on this new threat only for it to turn its rifle on them too - With a blinding accuracy the angular, sleek looking mech fired shots that forced each of the Neos back into cover before finally a faint clicking noise indicted the weapon had run dry - It mattered little, as the Fortress was now completely gone from sight, escaped...
Kolme watched their replacement opponent toss its now empty gun away and draw a blade with either hand, then hunch over and hold the blades out in front of itself.
Were he not so tense Kolme might have appreciated the machine''s poise - Like acrobatics, Vijaiks were not particularly well made for sword-play and yet in-front of Kolme was a Vijaik that looked like an expert in the craft.
He held what were mostly likely calabar blades, however unlike Scarlet''s signature great-swords, these were far more dainty objects, one shorter than the other with an almost katana like look to them.
The mech itself was nothing like a Neo, its blacks & greys ran along its angular light-weight frame - Its head looked like some massive ''V'' shape, its visor glowed a bright green.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"An MBT-Special, heavily customised?" Hoki said quietly over the comms - However Kolme hadn''t needed Hoki''s encyclopaedic mech knowledge to know that much, he had seen pros use this model many times before.
Having tossed aside its rifle and with the Fortress having disappeared, the ''Special'' simply stood between the four Neos with its impressive blades drawn.
A bead of sweat ran down Kolme''s forehead - The enemy was alone sure, and the Special he knew hadn''t been in production for some years now, making their enemy out-dated - On the other hand he and the others barely had a fully functional mech between them, they were all running alarmingly low on energy and this guy, knowing they had just fended off a Fortress, had still had the balls to simply jump down in front of them - ''Can we beat something, or someone like that?''
The air around them still swirled from the Submarine''s engines, the artificial sky above indicated it was about noon - The now five mechs squared off at one another. A brick, loosened in all the earlier attacks, fell with a thud out of one of the many damaged buildings - The Special Vijaik sprang like a panther.
Its movements matched well with its sword form, it sprinted forward at a remarkable speed and a low profile, aiming straight for Kolme.
In moments the new enemy would be atop him, Kolme went to raise his rifle but then thought better of it, letting the thing drop and drawing from his side an arc-staff. The telescopic weapon slide forward and ignited into its pillar of orange just in time to block the first slash from the enemy''s katana looking blade.
Kolme''s machine was nearly sent flying by the sheer impact - Not letting up the Special twirled, throwing aside Kolme''s poorly griped arc-staff with one blade and aiming the second squarely at the old Neo''s already damaged bulkhead. Before it could hit, Kolme rapidly threw up his left arm - Although the hand had been rendered to a pulp earlier, the arm still moved - Effectively blocking the Special''s incoming blade.
A second later the much abused arm was nothing but a stump from the elbow down.
The Special seemed to hesitate for a moment following this, as though surprized that Kolme had managed to block the assault, before raising its blades once more to finish the old pilot. Before it could a series of orange lighting coursed around it, causing the enemy to literally jump backwards out of harms way.
As Kolme let out a sigh of relief, the Special took a few more paces back before regaining its X-pattern sword form.
"Sir--" Una suddenly said across the radio.
Kolme caught his breath before answering, "Ya lass? Good to hear ya talking again but now might not be the time."
"No but sir, on the open channels..."
"Hmmm-m?"
Kolme fiddled with his comms board for a moment and then to his surprize a voice with a southern twang came across;
"--I repeat: This is the dashing MBT-Special unit standing before ya - The name is Moncha and I have got to admit, didn''t expect ya to block that, Mr.Neo unit - So listen, out of respect, lower your weapons and I''ll let you all be prisoners of war, eh?"
Kolme stared mouth agape at the radio, ''Is he trying to buy time, or is he just that arrogant in his abilities?''
Before any of the squad could send back a message, this ''Moncha'' spoke up once more;
"Ah wait, sorry gang, new orders from the boss - Brace yourselves!" The man said cheerily and with that his mech soared forward like some sort of wild hunting animal.
It moved even faster than before, this time charging at Hoki - She in turn fired her rifle at it but it simple twirled and stepped to the side before skidding to a halt right in-front of the cyan-Neo.
In a single slice it removed Hoki''s hand, rifle and all from its socket.
Una had managed to get close in this time, striding forward with her own arc-staff drawn - Even this proved futile as ''Moncha'' moved from the one movement of taking Hoki''s arm, straight onto a second slice, capturing Una''s own remaining Neo arm with-out a moments hesitation.
"Look out!" Kolme shouted helplessly, too far away to be of any use - The Special wound back its arm and then launched forward sword first - Before it could hit, Una''s machine was pushed aside as Sabban''s just as damaged Neo took the limelight, blocking the incoming katana with his arc-staff, the ragged Neo''s orange visor glowing a bright red for all to see.
Una and Hoki quickly took the chance to move back away both their machines having been rendered useless in mere moments - While Moncha and Sabban squared up to one another - Ordinarily Kolme might of been hopeful, Sabban was a pro at close-quarters combat, but today?
The two mechs circled one another, the Special without so much as a scratch despite having now disabled three of the Neos - Sabban on the other hand was battered, one arm still limp, his shield long since lost and one of his machine''s legs visibly leaking a black liquid.
They kept circling, as though the mechs themselves were sizing each other up, the red edged katanas against the sleek pole of the Neo''s staff.
Moncha once more made the first move, his swords were a flurry - With each blow Sabban was forced further and further back, desperately blocking clash after clash with his lone blade.
At last Moncha hit hard enough to loosen the Neo''s grip on its staff, the beam of orange being sent flying, the Speical rounded its arm back once more, ready to cut straight through the Neo''s cockpit, but even with one arm Sabban was fast.
He reached for his shotgun and brought it up to where Moncha was about the step - This was the shotguns designed purpose, to bust open the cockpits of other Vijaiks up close.
The gun fired, Moncha ducked - Abandoning his move against the cockpit, the wiry body of the Special instead aimed low and swept through Sabban''s left leg in one swipe. The shotgun spray rattling harmlessly against the rounded shoulder pads of the Special.
Even Sabban''s talents could go no further, as his now one-legged machine toppled backwards, the severed part exploding violently and through that smoke charged the Special, finally ready to finish things once and for all.....
----
And then, in a moment Kolme''s old eyes couldn''t believe - The Special began to float, to fly upwards - It was accompanied by new sounds and vibrations.
If the submarine starting its engines had been intense, then this felt down right apocalyptic.
As the Special had been fighting the Neos, a massive barrage of pink, red and orange light had appeared from nowhere and assaulted the very sky itself. In a moment somehow more bizarre than everything already happening, the blue noon sky had been riddled with fissures and score lines, before it had shattered like glass, massive shards of metal had begun to tumble - The sky above had started falling in on the city.
Buildings not already damaged by the Fortress were crushed by shards of skyline - A hole miles in diameter was formed.
Everything was lifting and moving, all the air in the Nation-State rushing to escape through this monumental gash - And the Vijaik Speical simply allowed itself to get carried up by this, it began to float gracefully into the sky and towards space, as though this had always been its escape plan.
"C-clamps, ah, magnetic clamps now..." Kolme said as best he could.
Glancing around himself he could see Una and Hoki, like him in barely functioning machines, still reeling from the Special''s assault - Their Neo''s feet firmly clamping to the ground beneath. Around them hurricanes of glass and debris began to spin as every window shattered and every door was busted off its hinges - Entire buildings looked like they might start to take flight at any moment and in amongst it the MBT-Special flew like some metallic super hero.
"Sabban!" Una and Hoki both exclaimed in borderline sync.
Kolme turned to look too, "The hell are you doing!!"
****
Front 10.4; The Knights Defence - Part 2/2 (Originally Labelled Front 22.5)
Front 10.4 - The Knight''s Defence Part 2
****
Sabban''s mech looked like some deformed kite, like at any moment it would take flight - "Sorry everyone, heh... Only one leg left, so only one clamp...Guess I''m off then..."
The young man said resignedly - And a second later his mech too took flight, the single clamp not powerful enough against the strain of pressure being dragged out of the Nation-State.
"Sabban!!!" The head of Kolme''s Neo reared up, staring after Sabban''s progress, up at the black nights sky, the jagged edged circle still surrounded on all sides by the original artificial blue-sky, as though space were breaking through reality.
He watched as Sabban''s machine tumbled and turned around like paper in the wind - He clearly had no control left of it with all the damage taken, no amount of effort would help now.
He looked ahead of Sabban at the Speical, it did have control and it was turning around, raising its sword.
Sabban was heading straight for it, the pressure would force him into the Speical, he''d be pierced, run-through by the sleek shining weapon and there was nothing Kolme could do about it.
He watched the young man he called comrade, wingman, friend ''fall'' helplessly upwards towards his death - The boy who always came back alive, who gave Kolme the hope he needed to lead the squadron, endlessly plummeting to oblivion.
"Sabban..." He croaked, his throat was dry and rough, his whole being ached and he wanted nothing but to somehow help, just like Sabban had saved him so many times, but now he couldn''t return the favour.
Kolme reached his hand out to the monitor screen, as though willing to change it somehow - Hadn''t they fought hard enough to win one fight?
Was facing a Magi piloted Fortress down like they had done, not enough to earn them just one victory?
Just some small respite?
He reached for the ever smaller image of the two mechs, Sabban seconds away from the Special''s gleaming blade now...
----
".....Oi....astard!!!!"
The words had been roared, bellowed across the open channel radio in a broken static tone, but still unmistakably words of excitement.
"It can''t be?...." Kolme mumbled in disbelief.
On his screen a red line suddenly cut across, a line opposite that of the crack running through his camera - A brilliant beam of pure speed faster than any fighter jet could ever hope to match and it wasn''t slowing. It arced across the night''s sky and at incredible speeds, collided straight into the Special, totalling the machine in an instant and leaving only empty space where Sabban now passed.
The red line continued to course across the sky as what became clear as a red mech, rammed its shoulder against the floundering and unprepared Special - Being flawed across the sky in a most dramatic of vehicle collisions, for a few more moments before finally slowing - Kolme did everything he could to zoom in the Neo''s camera''s.
Emerging from a plum of dust was the Special, arms raised in the air. A massive, truly flaming red, calabar-blade held up to its cockpit hatch and a gaint of a red mecha holding said blade - For the Special''s part it was severely dented from the force of impact and with its mothership now speeding away, to everyone''s disbelief it seemed content to be taken as Scarlet''s captive - Though of course the massive calabar blade''s position atop the cockpit block was probably a strong incentive.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
Kolme was nearly in tears at the sight;
"I Could Kiss You Scarlet!!!"
"Pah, always knew you were a pervert Nilas!" Scarlet laughed back over the radio.
"Miss.Scarlet? But she''s still in sick-bay." Una added, by the sounds of it she was in tears.
"Ha, I owed Sabban one for last time, and Hoki only just become my wing-woman so she can''t go getting killed yet - And Rookie, your training would be ruined if ya died!" Scarlet replied gleefully.
The three Neo''s gradually released their magnetic clamps and allowed themselves to float up and out of the Nation-State, the pressure now levelling out a bit after the initial exiting of all the city''s air. Sabban''s machine now safely out of the pressure''s pull, floated serenely not far from where Scarlet held Moncha at a blades edge.
"Ain''t that my backpack?" He asked, his usual grumpy tone breaking for one of jovial relief.
"Ha-ha, good ain''t it - Old man Nate got nervous when you lot stopped showing on scanners, came down to sick-bay and had a stand-up shouting match with the doc'', And get this our Nate actually won an argument!" Scarlet cackled;
"Next thing I know he has me on stand-by, seeing as you couldn''t use your booster-thingy inside the station, they hooked it up to my machine. As soon as the Fluchtig detected movement from the submarine Nate had me launch to back you guys up, I''m still full of IV lines and all, Ha! - The Fluchtig says the submarine ain''t slowing, it''s making a real run for it, but Nate was still worried you guys might be fighting a strangler or something - I might just keep this backpack kid, I''d of never made it without the extra boosters!"
Sabban''s laugh in reply was truly heartfelt, around him the other damaged Neos had now made it, all five floating around in black space, looking back in at the massive flat surface of the Nation-State that now had such a large new ''window''.
Kolme was pretty sure they were all five feeling that same relief right now - Not wanting to spoil the euphoric moment, he privately connected to Hoki''s machine, asking her to radio for pick up and to let the Fluchtig know the Submarine had very much so escaped as suspected.
"Ya, will do Sir, I''m just glad we made it."
Hoki said back quietly to him, it sounded like Una wasn''t the only one who had been on the verge of tears, her voice filled with relief.
A familiar Southern twang cut across the merriment, with the Speical and all five Neos alongside each other now, the static lifted and they could hear the voice more clearly - "Can''t believe Helt, then Falc got beat by a bunch of charlies like y''all, ye''re all talking on an open channel ya know - And Helt was right about you ''Red-Neo'' pilot, you must be friggin'' insane!
That impact would''ve of crushed most machines in an instant, heck I reckon my cockpit is a hell of a lot smaller then it was five minutes ago!"
Scarlet was first to reply, Kolme could almost hear her broad grin over the radio; "Eh, add yourself to that list of defeated Mr.Special pilot! Hey old man Nilas - What do you want done with him?"
"Oh that''s easy, we''re talking him prisoner - That''s if he''ll be so good as to come quietly." Kolme smiled back, remembering Moncha''s earlier taunt towards him.
He laid back in his chair, struggling just to keep his eyes open out of exhaustion.
A part of him expected another surprise at any moment, it had been one after the other today - To think it was over in an instant and that they had all made it was almost inconceivable.
He saw two new tags come up on his radar equipment, recognising them as Neo''s from the Rinie, Lt.Tomo and Erfu, come to help escort them and their prisoner home.
He knew they wouldn''t have long, the submarine had clearly chosen to abandon this ''Moncha'' person and make a break for it - The Tristain flotilla would have to follow fast in order not to lose the trail, but at that moment Kolme hardly cared, he was too busy being bemused and delighted beyond anything he had felt in years.
He closed his eyes and gave one last command for the day;
"Hoki-lass, you and Lt.Tomo take charge, I think that''s more than enough for one recon mission. Oh and someone give what''s left a'' my mech a tow, I need a serious nap."
End of Arc 3
Thanks for reading.
Appendix 3 Part 1/2 - Weapons of the UnderCurrent- By Pierre Havelock (Skippable Bonus Content)
UnderCurrent Appendix 4 - Weapons - By Pierre Havelock
Although much the NTME shows us of the UnderCurrent appears similar in nature to Earth, one thing that is clearly different is the apparent level of technological advancement.
Of course at present time there is a limit to what the research teams have been able to gather about these marvels of the future, however for our purposes it may be worthwhile to collate some of what has been learned about the weapons of this world.
Some inquisitive readers may be wondering whether any space-capable fighter air-craft are used in this world or about the clear power discrepancies between the likes of the humble Neo and the mighty Casnels - The following appendix will detail some of what we have learned about these machines, their development and origin - Appropriately starting where it began;
3.1 - Weapons of ''The First War'' - Year One;
It is worth remembering that little more than a decade before the current events of ''Operation Deadlight'' that this book recounts, the UnderCurrent had never witnessed a true war in space.
Owing to the extreme costs involved in developing a simple spacecraft, The States Union in the year TA400 owed approximately 95% of all armoured space-fairing vessels - The remaining 5% begin the personal transports of the most wealthy and well connected. In fact almost everything to do with living in space came back to TSU.
It was them who launched and constructed all the Nation-States, as well as colonising the moon and of course Abhaile itself 400 years prior.
Aside from TSU only the Abhailen government had succeeded in doing anything similar, with one colony of its own, being the massive orbital asteroid ''Ghealach'' which became famous for being the site of the ''First-Wars'' final battle.
It is perhaps then no wonder that TSU did not take threats in space all that seriously but instead opted for a multipurpose approach to their naval power.
The general fighting force in space as of TA410 was made up of divisions containing a single TSU Battleship, a number of TSU Cruisers and half that again in an Aircraft-Carrier class vessel, plus a number of less relevant support craft.
These fleets where all fairly similar and all saw little action in space - However they did on sea.
This is because almost all TSU Warships were designed to work both in the water and in space with the ability to move in and out of atmosphere with only a little take-off assistance.
As such the ships of this time probably looked much like what you may have seen here on Earth - Large grey surfaces with all the turrets on one face and a smooth curving underside - Topped off with a raised bridge proudly looking out upon space.
TSU''s fighters also acquiesce to this design philosophy - The ''Tsukaima Mk3'' is to this day one of the most produced vehicles in all the UnderCurrent''s history, with variants of it being used for literally decades.
A true all rounder the Tsukaima looked like a fairly conventional 21st century fighter jet - It was equipped with a wide array of weaponry including bombs, torpedoes and machine guns, which could be used in atmosphere or in space.
This was no small feat. The Tsukaima Mk1 had been a reliable but fairly regular aircraft used by TSU much earlier in the Third-Age, relatively cheap and decently effective.
When TSU came to the contractor to ask for a new version that could operate in space, they jumped at what would become the contract of a lifetime. However it took time with many tragedies occurring around the Tsukaima Mk2, nearly leading to TSU pulling their funding of the project.
Many experts seem to suggest the Mk2 was actually the greatest fighter-jet the UnderCurrent has ever seen, however its inability to reliably work in two drastically different environments lead to it being discontinued.
TSU almost accepted a rival offer from an Abhailen designer who put forth a humanoid shaped fighter that could theoretically work on land and in ship to ship space combat - However TSU allegedly turned the young man down, based on little more then the not uncommon racial discrimination of the time.
The Tsukaima after years upon years of development, eventually triumphed and the Mk3 would go on to be the backbone of all TSU operations for decades to come.
Many saw action alongside the ground forces, including ''peacekeeping'' during the ''Ivernia Incident'' and others like it, while far more still were sent on carriers up into space.
A conflict in this time period would often play out as follow;
Some so-called ''terrorists'' would stir up revolutionary ideas and a Union fleet would be deployed - The fleet would lower itself into orbit, let loose its Tsukaima battalions, carpet bomb the ill equipped natives - And then simply return back to orbit or any nearby friendly ports.
It was I''m sure you can tell, a very cruel strategy - And very effective.
The treat of hellfire raining down from the literal heavens above, was enough to deter many counties that might attempt independence and there are even cases of Tsukaima''s being deployed through Nation-State airlocks to tactically bombard targets there too.
And yet the TSU fleets of this time had a problem - Sure, they were indeed exceptionally effective at harming ground based targets from above, but they were woefully underprepared for true space combat.
You might think that strange but really there''s a characteristically ''TSU logic'' to the whole affair:
Busy with the massive task of continuing to expand humanities reach with more & more Nation-Satellites and probes being sent out into deeper space - TSU had its hands full.
A massive fleet that could be moved anywhere amongst their colonialised parts of space, in and out of orbit - Was very cost effective and with no one having the populous or financial economy to even vaguely match up to TSU''s empire - Well, why bother planning for the ''impossibility'' or a space-conflict?
What TSU didn''t account for was the wraith of a certain Abhailen monarch and his people - Or for the difference a few decades of technology might bring even with inferior numbers.
What TSU didn''t plan for was the birth of the very first Vijaik.
3.2 - The Vijaik Mk1;
The story of the original Vijaik is one of personal stakes for a young king and an even younger creative.
A man by the name of ''Archie'' once worked for a tractor and construction vehicles firm on the planet Abhaile - ?The firm built non-humanoid mechs in various forms used for construction and the like, capable of getting into awkward spaces and clamping their ''feet'' to any surface with-in the weak gravity of Abhaile.
According to his actually autobiography, a digital book Hoki was reading during the NTME''s time focused on her - Young Archie was sent on a company trip to inspect some malfunctioning equipment at a Lanthanides mine.
It should be noted that Abhaile has few native resources, agriculture struggles simply to provide enough for the local populous, trees are rare and all imported and even water has to be strickly controlled - However the exceedingly valuable metal of Lanthanides is abundant on the planet''s surface, being the largest export in no small part thanks to the likes of TSU themselves.
Archie tells the story of ending up drinking with the mine''s foreman after the inspection - A man who had some wild ideas about the value of the metal he had spent his life extracting. Most of these were the delusions of a half-drunk middle-manager but one off-handed comment apparently inspired Archie and by proxy the next few decades of the UnderCurrent.
Lanthanides has a remarkably high heat resistance while also being light weight enough to be used as armour plating, something which TSU had long ago discovered and incorporated into their fleets & fighters.
However the old foremen in his conked out stupor apparently muttered;
"Stuff ''an get so ''ooot I bet even the Hindenburg princip''ill would work!"
It is not for this humble author to try and explain the intricate details of another worlds advanced astrophysics, nor do I understand it enough to try and do so (Though a part of Dr.Firen Shika''s team is entrusted with studying this very topic) - However as we understand it the Hindenburg generator was a thought-experiment given to first-year engineering students and the like, to show how an idea might at first seem revolutionary but in reality be impossible - In effective it was some sort of hypothetical power source, perhaps like a miniaturised nuclear reactor, well perhaps.
Archie believed with Lanthanides he could make the idea work and by proxy open a whole new world of technology. His colleagues did not - Laughing him out of his job and any chance at funding, it was after all a pointless thought experiment, not to be taken so seriously.
But Archie was determined (And out of a job) and so began petitioning college campuses and rival industries including one particular States Union - All of which summarily turned him down.
Upon returning from these ''interviews'' Archie found himself surrounded by secret-servicemen, this he found strange in itself being that Abhaile supposedly didn''t have such an organisation.
He details being afraid they would accost him for speaking to foreign developers, but instead they gave him an envelope and then faded back into the night - The letter was from none other then the Abhailen King himself.
The man now commonly referred to as ''The Last King of Abhaile'' was known to be cantankerous, ill-tempered and above all ''patriotic''. It is a story for another time but in exceedingly short summary, while TSU had all but forgotten Abhaile for anything past trade, Abhaile had not forgotten them - 400 years of stories passed through the generations, of the brutal, genocidal founding that was the forced mass-migration to Abhaile in TA001 - More than anyone else the Abhailen royal family held the flame of retribution ablaze.
In secret much of the planet''s mining was used to mask the construction and development of many a warship - Unlike TSU''s these ships where to be single-purpose, to fight in space alone, with small crews and forward thinking technology.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
The King''s mother, the queen before him, had greatly spear-headed this secret project in her youth with Abhailen developers making great strides in energy based projectiles - However in her later years the Queen had grown despondent with the project, realising perhaps that no matter how advanced Abhaile might secretly become, their numbers would always seemingly fail them.
Even if they could produce an adequate number of ships to face the might of TSU on even footing, they quite literally wouldn''t of had enough people to crew them all - An open war of attrition seemed hopeless.
The King had inherited all this upon his appointment and for a time his youthful nature had driven him forward, but ten years into his reign and he found himself beginning to fall into his Mother''s way of hopeless thinking.
In something of a last ditch effort the King began incentivising the research of new and often times extravagant technologies - He came to the belief that in this modern age, surely ship to ship warfare had to consist of more then just warships & fighter jets duking it out - He came to strongly believe there was a missing piece to space-warfare that everyone had either missed or wilfully ignored due to cost.
Although not his original intention, Archie jumped at the King''s very generous order of financing and so the young man was able to walk proudly back to his old place of work, with a letter of recommendation from royalty and a budget he had never dreamed of - So was born the Vijaik.
The Mk1 spent more then a decade in development alongside the Hindenburg Generator and both would ultimately prove crucial to the war.
The generator not only allowed for a humanoid mech to move at fighter jet speeds but also for warships to be made smaller without losing any power.
When the war (for still somewhat unclear reasons) finally broke out between TSU and the Abhailen Revolutionary Army, the Mk1-Vijiak would lead the way. Though far from perfected, TSU soon found their multipurpose, ''jack-of-all-trade'' ships to be completely outmatched.
It may help to give an example of what made the Vijaik so much more effective than the Tsukaima - For one there is its specs, the Vijaik required only one pilot against the Tsukaima''s three - The Tsukaima had petty 30mm machine guns while the Mk1 could carry a 150mm assault rifle.
If for example a Tsukaima wanted to blow up a ship''s bridge, it would have to fly towards the ship, past its defences and then get one shot before having to circle back around and do it all over again - The Vijaik Mk1 could, and often did, literally land atop a ship, crushing a cannon or two in the process and then proceed to simply stand and punch a bridge over & over or fire massive rounds at point blank range.
The essentially in-atmosphere fighter jet like the Tsukaima has a turning circle, the Vijaik-Mk1 could change direction as fast as you or I can - there was little comparison to be made.
While the Abhailen ships were made with guns on all sides, the old fashioned TSU vessels were defenceless underneath, and while some brave Tsukaima''s did succeed in sinking Vijaik Mk1''s here and there, generally TSU was helpless to stop these tiny, fast and highly manoeuvrable machines of war.
All that said the Mk1 was by no means a perfect mech, in-fact most would say it was downright bad in many regards.
It used what''s called a ''generation 1'' frame - A large, heavy, angular skeleton - Necessary to support the finicky and sometimes even unstable nature of the early Hindenburg generators, but wholly impractical for combat designs.
The frame was positioned with the pilot''s cockpit underneath, the generator making them unbelievably warm to sit in, further the Hindenburg had a large exploitable weakness;
If rather then trying to pierce the Vijaik''s armour (as many Tsukaima pilots attempted in the early months of the war) - You instead used High-Explosive (HE) rounds targeted at the joints of the machine, you could cause an explosion or even internal fire that would chain react and cause the Mk1 to essentially self-destruct.
Further the Gen 1 frame made the shape of the armour suboptimal to put it lightly.
Odd curves and sudden angles with little cohesion meant the Mk1 had no real philosophy behind its defences and if TSU owned a mech of their own at the wars onset, they would probably of been able to thrash the Mk1 in equal combat.
Though none of this is to downplay the mech - Despite its many flaws and obvious weaknesses, the Mk1 changed the field of battle forever and during the first year of the war was used to sink entire TSU fleets, often with only a small warship accompaniment - By the second year of the war the production of Mk1''s was halted in favour of the vastly superior Mk2 but despite this Mk1-units would still be in service all the way until the end of the war - There during the counter-invasion of Bhaile, there during the great retreat, and there for the Last King of Abhaile''s final stand.
It may look comically angular compared to even other Gen-1 machines but make no mistake, the Vijaik Mk1 is still the first combat-mecha to ever be mass-produced and one of the most successful - Perhaps only truly bested in its own time period by its little sibling, the ''Sherman tank'' of Vijaiks - The Mk2.
3.3 - The Vijaik Mk2 and Vijaik ''Heavy'';
?If One were to ask the average citizen almost anywhere in the UnderCurrent what the most iconic and well known mech was, they would probably point you in the Mk2''s direction.
An immediate upgrade to cover some of the Mk1''s flaws and technical shortcomings, the Vijaik Mk2 was put into production around the end of the first year of the war and unlike the Mk1, the 2 would remain in production for the remaining duration of the conflict as the primary weapon of the Abhailen Revolutionary Army.
Additionally more of them were produced then any other mech in the war and further they remained a viable piece of kit even after the war.
If the Mk1 had been the birth of an idea, the 2 was that ideas maturity.
With iconic rounded shoulder (sometimes with added spikes for good measure) among other pieces of rounded armour to cover the Mk1''s self-destruction flaw, larger bulky legs containing massive thruster units and a whole array of new weapons that had been produced in the preceding months - The Mk2 was an improvement in almost every way, despite still being on a Gen-1 frame with the same generator as the 1.
This was in large part because the Mk1 provided more field data then Director Archie''s team could ever of desired for making improvements.
The 2 first saw mainstream use during the invasion of Bhaile.
TSU having discovered the crippling weakness of the Mk1 were starting to hold their own for the first time in months - As such a Mk2 would lead every group of 1''s, piloted by an officer or ace - Cutting a hole in battle-lines and then allowing the Mk1''s to flood in behind it.
Its upgraded armour making it, for a time, next to invincible until TSU came up with new measures.
This armour actually meant the Mk2''s, even being at the front of the line, were more likely to survive then the year old 1''s - Nonetheless Abhailen command sold it to the troops that their commanding officers were fearlessly leading the charge, a great morale boost that also condoned to the Mk2''s celebrity.
Halfway through the second year and the Mk2 was quickly becoming numerous, the face of Abhaile''s brutal invasion of Bhaile. Although Abhaile would continue to innovate and try new designs, including some of the first Fortress types, the Mk2''s relative cheap cost and somewhat easy to learn control scheme would lead to it never being superseded as the main machine of the Abhlien army.
Some Ace pilots even refused newer models in favour of keeping custom Mk2''s, one such ace was IAFS''s current Vijaik Commander, Lt.Commander Ceathre of the Tradech who was famous for a bronze coloured prototype Mk2, which he piloted long before the mass-production type was made - And saw service for around two and a half years.
This isn''t to say there weren''t other less populous mass production types - Namely the fifth most produced machine of the war, The Vijaik Heavy.
The heavy was as the name would suggest, a heavily armoured mech - Unlike the Mk 2 with its interlaced curving armour, the heavy had large moulded pieces that looked almost like medieval plate armour.
Its head was more triangular than the Mk2''s dome and its legs & arms even larger.
These moulded plates would come in especially helpfully against the heat of the energy weapons the First-Casnel would soon bring, but we will get to that in due course...
The heavy was unfortunately quite slow on land, in space it was much faster however the shear size of its limbs and armour did somewhat limit its manoeuvrability making it unpopular amongst veteran aces.
And yet the brilliant simplicity of a massive heavy duty tank that could shrug off a tactical strike from almost anything, has a certain appeal to it.
The heavy saw alot of use and while as mentioned not as iconic as the Mk2, it was on paper atleast the superior mech.
Unlike Ceathre, Thee Scarlet Scourge changed mechs many times. Starting as a civilian test pilot years before the war, she taught others how to use the Mk1 for a time before joining the fight when war broke out - By the time of Bhaile''s invasion her Mk1 became heavily damaged in the landings and she ended up with a second hand Mk2 - After being one of the few to return to space in the Great Retreat she was given her first Ace''s title and a Vijaik-Heavy which would end up accompanying her all the way through the peace years.
It seems Scarlet was still in possession of this near decade old machine at the start of the current IAFS conflict, it is believed she is currently using one of its shoulder-pads on her Neo-C type.
Scarlet here brings up a poignant difference between the Mk2 and the Heavy - Though a small number of Mk2''s and even Mk1''s were heavily retrofitted to partake in the Remembrance Incident, in reality the Mk2 was a product of its time - Its Gen-1 frame and generator being rapidly out paced by post-war machines and its armour never being adequate enough to defend against the birth of miniaturised energy weaponry.
The Heavy on the other hand remained surprisingly relevant - TSU would keep actively using captured ones to bolster their greatly depleted post-war numbers for years after the First-War, Remembrance also used them to much better success then the retrofitted Mk1/2s.
This is probably down to the fact that thick heavy plated armour remained useful even with energy weapons and the sheer size of the Heavy meant that despite having the Gen1 frame and generator, it could still carry much larger physical ammunition weapons and Calibre blades then the Mk2 could.
TSU-s did attempt to imitate the Mk2 with their mass-production unit, ''The Ogre'' - The Ogre is the first Gen-3 mech TSU has mass-produced and is made in the image of the Vijaik-Mk2 as something one can only presume, of an insult towards remaining Abhailen dissidents.
Internally however the Ogre is very different to the Mk2 and so far has been fairly unsuccessful of a mech, being on average bested in specs and on the battlefield by IAFS''s Neo type - The Ogre most resembles the Mk2 in that it is far too outdated for the current conflict.
The Heavy however has been reborn in many ways by TSU, Remembrance and most recently IAFS.
The MBT-Heavy is an IAFS mech currently in production alongside the Neo, it has very high technical specifications for a production type model and an a decent Goibniu concentration - This however makes it quite costly and so they are made in much smaller numbers then the ''Nemo'' and Neo-C''s.
A squadron of these new generation heavies are a permanent fixture aboard the Tradech, IAFS''s flagship - There was also a couple onboard the IAFS ship Mithril, under the command of one ''Bela Grimizan'' - However this ship was lost with all hands on the 4th day of the war, partially desensitizing IAFS to hand out heavies too often considering the high production cost & risk for loss.
In a way I feel the Sherman comparison really is quite an apt match for the history of these two mechs - Although the most well remembered, the Sherman was not actually a particularly ''good'' tank - Its cannon was too small to pierce most German armour of the time and it was prone to breakdown.
However it was relatively cheap to produce, easy enough to train people on, repairable in the field and the machine the American''s ultimately needed for the Second World War in a strange fashion - The comparisons to the Mk2 should be clear.
Meanwhile the Heavy brings to mind the much less beloved British and even French tanks of the era - Many of which were heavy hulking beasts with large cannons and inches thick armour.
Like the Churchill tanks of Britain still being used into the 50s, 60s and in some odd cases 70''s - The heavy may be less flashy to look at or marketable to the public, but had far more staying power.
And yet for all that we have spoken of just 3 of Abhaile''s numerous mechs, fortresses and variants there-in from the First-War - They all pale in comparison to the accidental Demi-God TSU was about to unleash upon the Universe in the final year of the war - The First Casnel.
Appendix 3.5 Part 2/2 - Weapons of the UnderCurrent- By Pierre Havelock (Skippable Bonus Content)
3.4 - The First Casnel;
It bears mentioning before diving into the details of the so called ''First'' Casnel that the NTME, the device we use to see the UnderCurrent through, is far from the most stable of machines - It is well known to periodically swap the perspective of who it is viewing, seemingly at random.
Many have began to wonder if the visions we see of UnderCurrent are actually being transmitted from people on those worlds, and we on Earth are simply picking up these messages.
Alternately the theory of an alternate reality is still held by many, an alternate Earth perhaps considering some of the similarities Bhaile and our Planet share.
This needs mentioning now in a pursuit to acknowledge the sometimes awkward naming scheme of the UnderCurrent - With the NTME interpreting objects and language into what we ''Earth-Humans'' can understand, it is possible words get miss-translated or their meanings changed to fit our cultural norms.
As such be aware when we discuss mechs of a few rather confusing things for the uninitiated;
We have so far talked primarily of the Abhailen mech line of the ''Vijaiks'', however this is separate to the term seen in present day of ''Vijaik''.
The Abhaile machine came first and only after the war was it decided that all mechs with a less than 33% Goibniu concentration (That being 33% of parts that could potentially be made of Goibniu), would be dubbed ''Vijaiks'' in honour of the first Vijaik models as seen in the war.
The First Casnel takes this another confusing step forward - For one, it probably wasn''t ''The First''.
With the outbreak of the war TSU invested in many projects to update their fleets and fighters - Including many mech projects.
One such project was the ''Casnel Initiative'' involving multiple teams researching new types of warships and mechs. Most of these Alpha and Beta Casnels were destroyed in battles we have little record of or never even made it off the testing grounds - However one team did succeed.
Nearing the end of the Wars second year a team hiding out in a civilian Nation-Satellite, completed both an operational modern-day warship and an extremely advanced Casnel.
The ship you may of guessed was the much talked of ''Cheval De Troy'', the first Troy class ship and older sister of the Curadh.
The Casnel was unplanned in a manner of speaking, originally intended as another alpha test mech for the Union - The team''s director grew frustrated with the news reinforcements would not be available to escort his creations back to Bhaile, the Tory would have to make it home through enemy space alone.
Enraged it is said the creator used the entire budget for a fourth troy class ship, on one mech - Because of this the ''First Casnel'' had a higher percentage of Goibniu then anything ever before, or since.
Some even say the man was obsessed with creating a ''perfect being'' and indeed he made something of a god.
The First Casnel''s armour was so dense, so heat resistance, that almost nothing Abhaile had could pierce it - ?Its generator was so far ahead of its time that it could use laser based weapons comparable to that of a full warship, while Vijaiks were still relying on regular shelled-ammunition.
Crewed by cadets trained from the local populous of the Nation-State, the Cheval De Troy set off for Bhaile, Casnel in tow.
Though this young crew took time to adapt, before long the real value of Goibniu became apparent - Its defensive properties combined with its power generation capability was deadly.
Wherever the Troy went, victory followed and morale skyrocketed.
The First Casnel garnered its name from being quite probably the first TSU mech the average soldier had seen and its legend was inevitable.
The First Casnel had one other integral advantage, its pilot was a first rate Magi.
We actually know surprisingly little about this young man or woman other then rumour, and quite the rumours they are. Said to have inhuman reflexes, intuition bordering on fact and of course the ability to see a few moments into the future. There are many reasons for why the Casnel has never been mass produced in large numbers - The cost, the very literal lack of enough Goibniu to do so and maybe most of all the absence of pilots who could match this first Magi operator.
Despite having a bulky gen 1 frame like the Vijaiks, the Casnel was nigh on invincible, feared by all who would stand in its way and all despite being piloted by someone who was barely more then a child - That was simply the power of 78%+ Goibniu and a true Magi pilot - Many seem to believe that even now in the present, the original Casnel might still be a match for more modern versions, had it not been destroyed of course.
Stories of the time say the pilot and machine began to almost merge into one - This may seem like folktale but there is perhaps some precedent for this - It is believed some ancient Bhailien cultures created something akin to artificial life in the form of Goibniu infused ''Golems'' - It is not therefore unreasonable to think the Casnel may well of been learning and growing in power the longer it synced with its Magi pilot - ?Truly a one of a kind machine.
None of this is to say TSU didn''t attempt replication - On the contrary by the wars end TSU would be mass-producing their answer to the Vijaik Mk2, to great effect and with it beginning the legacy that would lead to none other then the familiar Nemo itself.
3.5 -The Casnel MBT and The Casnel GT - The Beginning of Modern Day Mechs;
?This is unfortunately where my aforementioned note on the naming schemes within the UnderCurrent comes back into play. Like ''Vijaik'', Casnel originally just referred to TSU-mechs designed and produced by certain development teams, however after the war all mechs with over 33% Goibniu were given the moniker - ''Casnels''.
Where this gets confusing is the Casnel-MBT a mass-production, ''Main Battle Type'' version of the First Casnel with a similar appearance and colour scheme - That isn''t technically ''a Casnel''.....
The C-MBT, is actually a Vijaik having a high but none-qualifying amount of Goibniu at around 22% - This number still makes it a very expensive mass-production type (Perhaps the most expensive to date), but a Vijaik no less, despite having ''Casnel'' in its name.
For comparison the Nemo only has around 14%, the Ogre around 11% and the MBT-Mk2 around 8%.
The C-MBT was deployed in mass as the fourth most produced machine of the war and many served alongside the ''First Casnel'' itself. They were a highly successful machine, easily besting the Vijaik mk2, though often times being outpowered by the likes of the Heavy.
As far as we know, it was a C-MBT that Kolme Nilas piloted during the last year of the war. It is fitting then that he would also go on to pilot the post war evolution dubbed the ''MBT-Mk2'' and later the still the mighty ''Neo'' - Both tracing their design origins back to the C-MBT.
The final and tangentially related machine to address from this three year period is the ''Casnel Ground-Type'' or ''CGT''.
This machine represents alot of the design philosophy the world would adopt in the years following the war.
To set the stage, with the Casnel and the C-MBTs taking Abhaile by storm and pushing back the invasion force more and more by the day - Certain TSU member-states began demanding to have true Casnel''s of their own to help with the liberation process.
Of course as mentioned the ''First Casnel'' was infinitely impractical to recreate in even modest numbers and further was designed more so for space combat then ground based engagements.
As such TSU created the Ground-Type, A Casnel of 42% Goibniu specially intended for land use only.
These were the first production type Casnels and somewhere between 40 and a 100 were created (Sources are muddy on this topic) - Although alot cheaper then the real thing, these mechs were still top of the line and more than capable of obliterating Abhaile Vijaiks.
However many were actually destroyed in their first few months of deployment as former fighter and tank pilots scrambled to learn the complicated control schemes, while fighting the now very experienced Abhailen army - Proving perhaps that you can not simply hand the power of God to just anyone.
In fact the ground type and mass-production Casnels in general were nearly scrapped until one man turned the GTC into the icon it is now seen as - The at the time, ''Captain Hokuai Bachika''.
Bachika and his tank battalion were already considered heroes of the East long before the Casnel''s inception and were top of the list to receive 3 GTCs, unfortunately through admin errors and the ever moving nature of the battlefield at the time, it would be months until Bachika and his men received their mechs.
Nonetheless upon finally gaining them they learned fast, incorporating them in with their existing tank force and before long Bachika became even more famous as he now went from just holding back the Abhailen threat, to instead actively pushing through it and reclaiming lost territories - And so massively boosting the GTC''s hero status and the viability of production-type Casnel''s in the eyes of TSU
It is indeed complicated to look back at all the machines of the ''First War''.
From the humble Vijaiks made by a tractor company, to the god-like Casnel wrought out of the desperation of a crumbling empire - We have in truth only touched on some of the many creations, as with any war alot was tried, alot failed and alot was only made in small numbers.
Ultimately the mecha had proven itself to both TSU and Abhaile but not without caveat - The unstable nature of the Hindenburg generator, the awkward and ineffective shape of the Gen 1 frame and the sheer cost of Casnel''s - Indeed in the years to come much would have to be revised, with TSU aiming for a standardised approach across its machines, while Remembrance and groups like them would continue to try new ideas to bridge the gap between the Wonder-Metal''s Lanthanides and Goibniu.
The first step on this road to what would eventually end in the familiar Nemo, was TSU''s next attempt during the peace years at a more reasonably priced version of the Casnel-MBT - The more generically named, ''Main-Battle-Type-Mk2''.
3.Extra - Mechs Since ''The First War'';
With these last few appendix entries it is hoped we now have a clearer image of how the UnderCurrent came to be a civilisation reliant on humanoid fighting machines - From the God-like ''First Casnel'', to the more humble but just as historically impactful Vijaiks of Abhaile.
Unfortunately details grow ever more vague once one looks past the First War''s machines - The myriad of Fortress''s, experimental designs and peace year mechs have yet to be shown in much detail to those of us looking into this world via the NTME.
We know that Remembrance used a great number of older mechs simply retrofitted for their Rebellion a few years prior to the current IAFS conflict - However we are in the dark on what their original Casnel''s looked like.
Similarly TSU have tried many war machines in the decade since the First Casnel''s creation - Including dozens of prototypes - But foremost among them all was their replacement for the Casnel-Main Battle Type;
The MBT-Mk2, named as such to be a direct successor but droping the ''Casnel'' moniker for the confusion that caused, was to be TSU''s main weapon for the next decade. With a new ''Generation-2'' frame that allowed for greater weapon diversity, pilot safety and cheaper production costs - The MBT-2 became the pinnacle of mass-production types.
It would serve as the primary ''grunt'' machine during the Remembrance incident and many are still in active service today.
Notably there is an MBT-Mk2 aboard the Am-Fluchtig - It has been heavily experimented on, including the removable of almost all safety features and is not used by any of the Neo-Squadron but is instead kept for testing new weapons and moving cargo around the Fluchtig''s massive hanger-bay.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Performance wise the mech varies from unit to unit - Many having been customised to great affect and with plenty of updates to the design over its decade long service - That said this machine is essentially just an older iteration of the modern day ''Neo'', performing to a similar standard.
In the present day The States Union now contains two major factions, with TSU-s having now completely phased out their MBT-2''s in favour of the ''Ogre'', which while being on a ''Gen-3'' frame, is generally considered an inferior machine - While regular TSU forces, still keep a majority of the MBT-2''s around.
It should maybe be no surprise then that pilot aces like the eponymous Major Moncha of the Curadh still use an MBT variant simply called the ''MBT-Special'';
The Special was first deployed during the Remembrance Incident and many pilots refer to it as the MBT-2.5 for how different it is to its older sibling despite the name. Created in limited numbers, the speical internally has the same Gen-2 framework and cockpit layout - However everything else is almost entirely different.
As we were afforded a view of when Kolme Nilas''es Neo-squadron fought at Station-9, the Special is a sleek angular machine with jagged edges and thin armour - Further the machine is actually a little shorter than most other mechs.
All this in order to allow the speical to move faster than almost all other mechs with light armour and a smaller generator. That said care was placed in having the Special have reinforced joins as to still allow it to clash blades with larger mechs. All this combined made the Special the ideal close-quarters combat machine, capable of remarkable speeds on land or space and much more manoeuvrability than the average, more cumbersome mecha.
Although ineffective for long range battle and not coming with a standard issue shield or much defensively - The speical is a clear example of creative thinking in mech design, despite being very much so a last generation mech with very low levels of Goibniu concentration - It is a machine the still competes for the best close-range Vijaik - Designed for, and successful at being a flurry of dagger-like blows in combat.
As such it is perhaps curious that neither regular TSU or the tyrannical speical forces branch that IAFS have sworn to put a stop to - Have tried to iterate on the Special.
In fact for highly skilled pilots like Moncha and his wingmen, there is still no better alternative to the now half-decade old Special - In fact it is believed Moncha''s squad were offered a batch of Ogre-Units, but turned them down in favour of having a 4th, spare Special kept in reserve aboard the Curadh.
In contrast we have the machines used by the Independent Alliance of Free States, IAFS.
From their inception as a group of former Remembrance and TSU defectors the organisation started life with a handful of MBT-Mk2''s of their own, as well as some Remembrance mechs - Neither of which seemed suitable for the Mass-Scale gruella warfare the group intended to act upon.
As such IAFS''s main financial backer, Bayley Mechanic, began work on two flagship machines to be used. The first of these would be a modernisation of the Vijaik-Heavy, an almost nostalgic favourite among the Abhaile residences of IAFS and a solid candidate for their purposes - The second would become known as the Nemo.
Production of these two machines went smoothly for a time, until an impulse decision sent the entire solar-system into disarray. 6 beta units of the new ''MBT-Heavy'' had just been distributed between two ships, one the brand new Celtic-Class Command type vessel, ''Tradech'' - The other being an older but heavyily retrofitted Cruiser type ship, the ''Mithril''.
Originally it had been intended that the final product of the MBT-Heavy would be a limited-production-type that could go toe-to-toe with an enemy Casnel - However that idea would soon be scraped. During a test flight of both the Tradech and the Heavies, Lt-Commander Ceathair and his wingmen would stumble across a hidden TSU-s production facility in the process of creating brand new Casnel''s - Ceathair saw an opportunity and quite literally picked up the dormant Casnels and flew away back to his ship.
This truly audacious act of spontaneity would score IAFS three Casnel''s of their own which they have continued to use and improve upon in various ways during the conflict - While for TSU-s it was an act they couldn''t possibly ignore and began the conflict as we know it.
The IAFS board of directors now saw no need to keep improving the heavy seeing that they had these three state of the art machines at their disposal - And further with the destruction of the other three Beta types during the ''Skirmish of the Fourth'', it was decided the Beta model would be put into production as the final product and only given out in very small numbers.
With most of this limited run being given to further bolster the Tradech, the rest of IAFS still needed a replacement for the MBT-Mk2, especially now that war had broken out.
Developed in tandem to the heavy, the ''Neo-M'' (M for ''Main-Use'' or ''Main-Battle-Type''), was first deployed about a month into the conflict (Ahead of schedule) with pilots like Kolme receiving their own shortly there-after.
Apparently the ''Nemo'' as it is ''loving'' known, was developed from the ground up to be the cheapest, yet most effective a ''grunt-machine'' as Bayley Mechanics could muster and its designers supposedly took great pride in this fact.
Built on the new Genration-3 frame, with a highly efficient generator and easy control-scheme. The Nemo could be pumped out in massive numbers as a superior mech to TSU''s Ogre-model, while costing less then anything else on the market.
This came with issues.
For one the Nemo is under-utilised, coming with just one low-medium range rifle, a sliding shield and a single arc-staff (Two if you happen to acquire one from a fallen ally), when in fact the machine could easily support shoulder mounted cannons, rocket launchers, extra appendages and more adequate sensor & safety features - But all those equate to extra cost.
Its important to understand that IAFS is run by a board of directors, many of whom are businessmen and women first and foremost. The exceedingly high turnover rate of Nemo pilots is often seen as acceptable compared to the cost of the Nemo itself - The loss of one MBT-Heavy costs more than the pilot inside it is worth in their eyes - The cost of one Nemo, is about the same as the pilot - To that sort of businessmen atleast...
It is probably no wonder then, that the business people of the board were the ones who encouraged the training time of pilots be reduced from the nearly 2 years a pilot like Sabban Vint got, down to just 6-8 months, like Una O'' Conchobar had.
You may be asking what exactly is wrong with the Nemo, and in some ways nothing - It is indeed superior to the Ogre in a one on one, but IAFS aren''t fighting even battles.
Nemo''s are almost always either outnumbered, or outgunned - Whether it be the awesome firepower of the Casnel we see aboard the Curadh, or facing off against new types of Fortress - The Nemo simply can''t keep up.
Visually the Nemo looks almost identical to the decade old MBT-Mk2, except that has a military green and navy blue colour scheme - Where as the MBT was cream coloured or grey as appropriate.
Their cockpit layouts are also identical (technically a feature intended to make transition from the MBT to the Neo easier). To many veteran pilots, despite internally being a much better machine, the Nemo is to them a decade old design, simply given a new coat of paint...
This leads us to the last mainline machine IAFS has deployed as of the start of Operation Deadlight - ''The Neo-C''
The Neo-C is known by many pilots in the know as ''The Nemo-Compromise'', in that it certainly is an improvement, but not a mind-blowing one.
The ''C'' actually standing for ''Custom'', this version comes with a number of enhancements based on the combat data of the Nemo''s in the first few months of the war;
Enhanced sensors, optimisation to the generator, fixes to technical malfunctions in the Air-Con unit (which periodically used to lead to accidently ''fires''), addition of a second arc-staff as standard aswell as anti-missile + anti-personnel flak pods, new bulkhead/torso armour improvements - And framework modifications to make customisation easier out in the field.
All these changes have lead to the Neo-C actually being a pretty good frontline Vijaik - The new rounded blockhead alone is probably all that saved Una''s life during the ''Battle of the Clover'' and generally it is agreed by the military wing of IAFS that the ''C'' is a massive improvement.
However, it does cost a little more to manufacture...
Another part of the ''Nemo-Comprise'' nickname, stems from so few of this model actually being produced.
Despite being designated as a ''Mass-Production Type'', only about two dozen have been issued, mostly to bases and more quiet patrol sectors - Almost as though Bayley Mechanics deliberately want to claim to be improving their design - While in reality keeping it away from the frontline, while mostly still pumping out the cheaper version.
That said, to give credit where due, the original Nemo has been retroactively updated to have the aforementioned fix to its Air-con implemented across all units, so that''s something...
Ironically only 4 Neo-C''s have actually been customised - Those being piloted by Hoki
Bachika, Sabban Vint, Scarlet Grimizan and Kolme Nilas of the Am Fluchtig.
A fifth Neo-C is also on the Fluchtig piloted by Una O'' Conabhair, however this one has yet to be customised considering her inexperienced abilities. Nonetheless, even an un-customised Neo-C is a marked improvement on the alternative.
Speaking of these customisations, this author would once again be inclined to believe they are once more a PR stunt - True the Fluchtig was specially fitted to have a large workshop but said workshop takes up valuable hanger space which is one of the reasons the ship only carries 5 active mechs - Compared to the Tradech''s 14.
Further the custom weapons are all made from ''spares''. Scarlet''s red Neo-C has armour and Calibre blades taken straight from an old First-War heavy, along with a rocket launcher from an MBT-Heavy.
Sabban and Kolme both have salvaged back-units made from old battleship generator cells and thrusters - ?Kolme''s shoulder mounted cannons being literally off the wreckage of an old ship the Fluchtig happened to pass by, and both of which had to be striped away when the Neo-Squadron fought inside Station-9''s gravity.
Maybe most ''awkward'' about Sabban and Kolme machines is that they were originally regular Nemo''s - Units ''3'' and ''27'' (being the 3rd and 27th units to serve aboard the Tradech - Not necessarily being the 3rd and 27th ever made) - When the two transferred over to the Fluchtig their machines were sent too and retrofitted to the new standard - Proving the regular Nemo actually can be upgraded to the better specs with relative ease.
Even Hoki''s gear and high-power rifle, are made up of old Casnel-Ground-Type parts left-over from the First War, parts that were sent with her when she joined IAFS on her father behalf - Nothing is truly original on the Neo-squad''s mechs, most of it doesn''t work in atmosphere and surely it can hardly compensate for the possiblity of having a second squadron aboard the Fluchtig.
All this is to say that the Neo-C is a great mech, but hardly seen on the battlefield and under-funded in the ''customisation'' department - While the regular Nemo is ill-suited to the current conflict and really should be replaced with the better IAFS models.
And so on that note we come to the end of this somewhat depressing look at the most recent mechs of the UnderCurrent - While TSU-s continue to try new ideas and Fortresses in their many fights against the flagship Tradech, Operation Deadlight most often focuses on the Neo-C''s and MBT-Specials - Ironically both machines who''s ancestry goes back to the original Casnel-MBT.
Perhaps this is simply a period in the UnderCurrent''s history that has stalled, stuck in a cycle.
The Vijaiks and Casnel''s we looked at in the earlier segments of this appendix changed the field of battle and made the fighter jet irrelevant - More than 10 years on and the mechs have actually changed little, except for the odd coat of paint - Perhaps TSU-s have the right idea in investing in a new weapons of the future, one to invalidate the mechs of this last era...
Whatever the case, we can but wait to see what exactly the next monster of war shall be in this seemingly endless series of conflicts...
Appendixes End,
Pierre Havelock.
UnderCurrent Volume 2 - Interlude
Interlude
Running, always running.
The man kept running as hard as his body would take him, clutching his rifle tightly to his chest, his domed helmet wobbling as the strap came loose.
The ground beneath was wet and claggy, torn up by shrapnel then pelted back down again.
Running, he had to keep runn--
A stumble, falling.
Face in the dirt the man smashed his fist against the ground.
Pushing himself back up to his knees he catches sight of a logo on his sleeve.
Their logo, the reason he was running, would keep on running, the Abhailen royal arms - The revolution couldn''t fail, Abhaile had worked too hard, deserved its freedom too much.
The Logo was everything they stood for, embraced by the badge, his, their reason for fighting, all of them!
He stood back up, rifle in hands and began running once more.
Radio Static - White Noise - A Woman.
"Emelia? Emelia!"
There she was, the stern faced woman with her well kept brown hair, her perfect soldier''s posture.
Then she became obscured, replaced as though by a camera zooming out, by her mech, the Casnel Mk2 - The pride and joy of IAFS, one of 3 stolen mechs taken straight from TSU - Sure it might spend its time on secondment to the Tradech but when it returned home to the Fluchtig they would be unstoppable, Nate just knew it!
------
A line coursed across his vision, cutting into the Casnel''s cockpit, causing the whole machine to catch alight and burn and die and Emilia inside it.
"No!!" The man roared, trying to reach out but finding no arms.
His lungs began to feel empty, he felt cold, very very cold, colder than any other time in his life - He couldn''t breath, it was as if the air was simply gone, like the oxygen had run away, as if he was about to di--
KNOCK KNOCK
Commander Nate Novel, Captain of the good ship Am Fluchtig, sat up with a start from his bed.
He glanced over at the direction the knocking had come from, while grabbing a towel to wipe down his face.
"Sir? You in?" Came the familiar voice of the ship''s acting second-in-command, Kolme Nilas.
"I''m here old sport'', let yourself in lieutenant." Nate said back, making his way down from the raised platform his bed lay on and towards the door. As Captain his room by far outmatched the rest aboard the ship - A large seating area was directly in-front of the door Kolme''s shaggy form now entered through. Behind that on the raised steps was his sleeping quarters, to one side a large office space to the other a well equipped kitchenette.
The whole room lit with low fluorescent blue lights, giving it a sombre-nightclub aesthetic of sorts.
Nate headed for the kitchenette in an effort to buy himself time to straighten out his bed-hair. Kolme shot him a quick glance before sitting down;
"Everythin'' alright sir? Not like you to call me ''lieutenant'' casually like that."
Nate cringed at the acute accusation - He turned from the kitchen counter carrying a tray and plastering his best smile on his face.
That was to say his only smile, with an almost square shaped head like Nate''s, every smile came across as a bit of a goofy grin, which accompanied by his close cut blond hair, communicated the image of a children''s puppet more than a warship commander.
Comments like: ''A face only a Mother could love'' had been all too common throughout his life.
"Oh I''m just fine, had a bad dream is all." The so called commander said back with something of a yawn. Kolme frowned at this as Nate laid down the tray and passed Kolme a cup of preboiled tap water and a teabag;
"I see, another of ''those dreams'' Sir?"
Nate sighed, "Well sort of, it started that way - I was an Abhailien Soldier, back in the First War I think, but then...."
"Then?"
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
"Well it''s the strangest thing but lately my dreams seem to get, interrupted with these terrible nightmares. I dare say I''m being haunted you know!!"
Rather then laughing as Nate had hoped for, Kolme instead frowned deeply at this.
"What sort of nightmares Sir?"
"Oh nothing to worry about old chap, people I know dieing or the ship being blown up - The usual poppycock of command-anxiety."
Nate said back with a wave of his hand.
"And these dreams ya'' havin'' - You are sure they''ve never been prophetic before?" Kolme pushed, his tone more stern than usual.
"Come, come my good man, None of my dreams have ever been of the future, only ever the past - You know you''re still the only one who takes me seriously about them."
Kolme shrugged, seemingly placated by the answer he stirred his teabag before fishing it out and adding milk from a small jug brought on the tray;
"What''s there not to believe, you''ve told me things about myself I ain''t ever told anyone - Stuff I''ve never even said aloud. That''s pretty convincing to me."
Nate followed suit, taking a place on the leather-sofa opposite Kolme and adding sweetener to his coffee - "Yes well, most people aren''t as accepting as you old-boy, usually when I tell someone I have dreams that show me memories from other people in my vicinity - Well at first they just think I''m mad, and when I tell them something private from their past I''ve seen in the dreams, they accuse me of stalking! It really wounds a man''s pride you know..."
"Ya well Magi powers come in lots of different ways, maybe ya'' should try get tested again?"
Nate sighed, "Why bother, if it isn''t neatly confinable to an existing category for combat purposes, those eggheads ain''t interested - Maybe I am just mad."
Kolme laughed kindly, "We''re all mad sir, just ta'' different degrees."
Nate smiled, he liked Kolme Nilas - He wasn''t entirely sure when they had first met - As like Kolme, Nate had been a soldier, or in his case, officer in Vice-Admiral Louise''s fleet when IAFS was formed, simply being brought along for the ride. Therefore it was possible they had actually bumped into each other as much as ten years ago - More recently though, the man had rather suddenly requested to join the Fluchtig''s crew and although he hadn''t known it at the time, accepting Kolme''s transfer request had brought him an indispensable confidant.
"And what about you, how''s ''the team''? You''re not just here to hide from them again are you?"
Kolme smirked; "I would never use you like that Sir!"
He proclaimed jokingly before laying back into his seat - "They''re doin'' just fine - A few weeks rest after that whole business at Station 9 was just the ticket. With Scarlet ''officially'' back on active duty she''s formed somen'' of a click with Una and Hoki, they ''ave become inseparable this last couple weeks.
Sabban, well, he''s cooled down a bit atleast."
"You mean cooled down from whatever the thing at Station 9 was, the thing you''re still not telling me about old bean?" Nate asked coyly, not for the first time.
"Dunno'' wat''cha mean Sir, t''was all in my reports."
Kolme replied innocently without hesitation.
"Yes well, besides that are you ready to do your interrogation yet? The Higher ups want the full reports by next week, that includes one from the combat division Kolme."
Kolme groaned, "Ah come-on Sir ya'' gott''a help me out on that. Let me bring Miss.Cally with me if I can''t ''ave Hoki!"
"Look Kolme I told you already, this ''Moncha'' fellow you lot caught is a Vijaik Knight, Hoki''s father also held that award, meaning she can''t hold the integration with you - Conflict of interest. As for Cally, well she''s bridge staff, not combat and besides..."
"But I''m X-TSU as well, ain''t that itself a conflict of intere-- Wait a minute, You traitor! You had Cally do the interrogation on behalf of the bridge staff didn''t ya?!" Kolme suddenly said joining the dots.
"Maybe..."
"Well then let me do it on me'' own, damn the procedure and its two people for interviews rule. I mean what am I meant ta'' do without Hoki? Una ain''t the right type for that sort of thing and Scarlet...Well Scarlet in an interview would be...."
Kolme and Nate both shook their heads in sync at the devilish idea of Scarlet ''interrogating'' a prisoner of war and the image that conjured in their heads.
"Ahem, well whomever you choose, try get it done by the week''s-end old-sport, I need that report."
Nate said, the guilt of having sent Cally instead of himself for the interview clear in his voice.
"Ya, ya, I''ll sort somethin'' out, see if Sabban is up for it I guess. Anyway best be getting back at it, gotta'' prep for this mock tournament thing - We can''t all get caught sleeping on the job." Kolme jeered as he laid down the now empty tea cup and rose from his chair.
At the door of the room he turned around once more; "Definitely just a dream right sir? You''ve never been prophetic before, for definite?"
Nate smiled that same old puppet''s grin, "Like I said, never. You worry too much Kolme, keep that up and people will really start to think you''re taking this ''officer'' business seriously, acting squad commander!
Instead you should start thinking about that leave we''re getting next week when we arrive in Bannerman, a woman would do you some good!"
Kolme laughed and quietly left the room, sliding the door shut behind him.
Nate stood up and returned the tray back to the kitchen counter, leaving his coffee untouched and lukewarm. He wasn''t lying, he''d really never had any prophetic dreams, if he had he would easily of been declared a Magi by the military. His ''power'' as Kolme called it, was simply to see other people''s memories in his dream, never the future - ''Still it felt so real...''
Front 11.1; Ensign Vint (Originally Labelled Front 23)
Front 11 - Vent
11.1 - Ensign Vint
There was something of a buzz passing throughout the ships of the Tristian Flotilla - Following both the battle at the Clover and later at Station 9.3, the news that the enemy submarine had not only a Casnel but also a powerful Fortress - It would be fair to say all, from pilots to the lowest ranked crewmen, were on edge. Further it had become clear that their query, the submarine Curadh was indeed heading rapidly towards TSU-s headquarters, raising the question of if the whole mission was a bust.
In response, the Tristan flotilla''s trio of captain had concocted a small distraction, a friendly tournament between the pilots of the three ships, to be broadcast locally to all crew members - A way for the pilots to let off some competitive spirt and to give the crew something light-hearted to be invested in - The captains had even turned a blind eye to the many gambling on which pilots would come out on top.
Over the handful of days since the tournaments announcement, the betting had perhaps become more intense than anyone was expecting, somewhat to the chagrin of Commander Batty, who despite allowing it, certainly didn''t approve.
The question of who would come out on top ended up being a dead-end, after news spread of Scarlet jumping out of her sick bed to immediately go and capture the enemy warship''s ace pilot - It was fair to say no one was questioning her place as a living-legend.
The bigger categories ended up being the somewhat cynical question of who would score lowest, as well as guessing at who would take second place. Some even trying to guess where all 15 would end up ranking.
Soon the day was upon them, all the pilots, the trio of captains and a number of other off duty crew members - Flocked to the Fluchtig''s underhanger for the event. Of course the entire thing would simply take place via the simulators, there was no way a practical duel could take place when the enemy was still under pursuit.
"I don''t believe..."
"He really lost?"
These were the reactions of Una and Hoki upon seeing the results of the first semi-finals match - So far things had gone the way most expected. Pilots like Una had been knocked out in their first match, others like Hoki had gotten through 2 before losing. Similarly Sabban and Scarlet had swept the competition.
Some minor upsets had been the likes of the Valliere''s squad getting completely thrashed, with both its commander and vice commander getting knocked out in the first round by Scarlet and the Rinie''s vice-commander Erfu, respectively.
In the end only one pilot from the Valliere had made it to the second round, a young man by the name of Ahern and even he hadn''t gone any further than that. Ultimately the semi-finals came down to 2 pilots each from the Rinie and the Fluchtig - Leaving a smug faced Commanders Batty and Nate standing next to a slumped and thoroughly dejected looked lt.commander Louise, all three of which stood watching from a raised gang-walk above everyone else.
It seemed the ending to this little affair was as most predicted - Scarlet would defeat lt.Tomo of the Rinie and Sabban would defeat 2nd lt.Erfu, also of the Rinie - A nice final would take place, where Sabban would no doubt put on a good show before inevitably Scarlet would take the win. Atleast that''s what everyone expected.
Though it had been a close match, in fact many would go away calling it the best duel of the day by far - In the end Sabban lost to Lt.Erfu. The elven woman, a relative unknown, had proven a formidable opponent - Expertly wielding a duo of swords she had beaten Sabban in a fair bout of close quarters combat.
The match over, both pilots stepped out, Erfu giving a little bow to the cheering crowd below - Sabban however just scowled, when offered a hand to shake he rejected it, storming off in the direction of the nearest door. Luckily there were few paying attention to his departure as all eyes were already turning to the other semi-final match between Scarlet and Tomo.
"Should we follow him?" Una asked meekly, her and Hoki having been some of the few to see the clearly upset Sabban storm out.
"Nah lass leave him cool off." Kolme added, making his way over to the two, "Sabban might have that whole ''stoic'' thing going on, but he''s still a young man at heart, losing twice like this must bite at his pride."
Hoki frowned, "Twice? Oh you mean at Station 9 as well?"
Kolme nodded. A cheer rose up from the crowd as the countdown for the next match began - Up on the gangwalk commander Batty was lavishing in her squads excellent performance - Across the three ships of the fleet, many cheered, others lamented their loss of funds and more still sat excited for the final couple matches, all the more enthused after seeing the surprising skill of lt.Erfu.
"Actually, maybe I''ll go give him a cup of tea or something, I still need him for that interview later..." Kolme mused, waving goodbye to his other two subordinates.
"Don''t you want to watch the match?" Una said.
Kolme offered her a knowing grin, "The Rinie''s pilots are good, that much is true - But ain''t no one beating our Scarlet."
In the end Kolme was quite right, Scarlet handily beat both Tomo and Erfu in successive matches, taking the top spot for the day. The crowd was pleased and the Captain''s plan to alleviate some of the tension across the flotilla was all considered, a resounding success - Except perhaps for one young man, who now found his pride twice wounded...
TRANSCRIPT OF POW-A INTERVIEW 3, TAKEN FROM THE AUDIO RECORDER PRESENT DURING INTERVIEW.
POW-A; "Ho-ho, hello boys and to who do I owe the pleasure?"
NILAS; "1st Lieutenant Nilas, this ''ere is Ensign Vint--"
POW-A; "Hey I remember that voice, you''re pilots from back then ain''t ya?!"
''Have you ever been abused?''
''How about being in an abusive relationship?''
''With parents or a lover or just a toxic friend group?''
''Ever had to put on a happy face to mask it? Even years after it happened?''
VINT; "Keep Quiet, Prisoners are only required to talk when addressed."
POW-A; "Oh, sorry, pardon me, Ensign."This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
NILAS; "Eh, lighten-up a bit lad."
A SCRAPING NOISE FILLS THE ROOM AS LT.NILAS AND ENSIGN.VINT PULL BACK AND SIT INTO THEIR RESPECTIVE CHAIRS OPPOSITE POW-A.
''Maybe I''m just young or na?ve, that''s probably what Kolme Nilas would say.''
''But I think what''s worse than just an abuser, is one who''s innocent.''
''Someone so blind to the world they don''t realise the evil they commit.''
''Because atleast a victim can blame a malicious abuser, someone they know manipulated them.''
''But how can you blame someone too unaware to even see the pain they cause?''
NILAS; "Al''ight lets keep this quick. Prisoner of war Major ''Moncha'', as per IAFS regulations each member division of this ship has a right to interview you, including my combat gang. If you could be so good as to answer the questions nice an'' quick we''ll be on our way."
POW-A; "Ah so that''s how it is? Nice of you to explain, the last two groups were much less accommodating - Shoot away lads, what''cha wanna know?"
VINT; "Name, rank and position."
POW-A; "Starting easy eh? I like it. Names Moncha, I''m a major for The-States-Union Air force and Combat-Commander aboard that ship y''all been chasing these last few weeks? Or is it months now?"
VINT; "We''re asking the questions. You must have more of a name than just ''Moncha'', and the name of your ship, please."
POW-A; "Ah sorry fella''s, think I must of bumped me head after your red mech rammed into me, don''t really remember much in the way of names anymore."
VINT; "I want the names--"
NILAS; "Hey don''t get so stressed Sab-lad, if the intelligence guy couldn''t get his name, then we sure can''t and anyway we already know the ship''s name."
VINT; "He doesn''t know what we know you senile old man!"
POW-A BEGINS LAUGHING AT THIS COMMENT.
''I used to have a friend, she was transgender.''
''Her mother wasn''t openly transphobic or anything-
In fact she truly believed everything she did to be for the Child''s sake''
''She believed going to all the child''s friends and telling them to stay away was for the best''
''She believed going through the child''s possession regularly to find any sign of femininity,
and then throwing such things out - Was for the best''
''It might be hard to believe, but she truly believed she was in the right-
In the right when the child got so desperate they ran away from home''
''In the right when she tried to have the child intimidated at their new home,
To laugh in the child''s face and throw slurs... And hit ''sense'' into the child''
''She really truly kept saying it was all for the child - She never apologised, never talked about it''
''But the child couldn''t hate the mother, she was after all oblivious.''
''The Mother really believed she was the victim, that her children were simply ungrateful.''
''And years later when the child met with the mother again, the conversation closed with the Mother''s words;
"I''m still waiting for your apology child."
VINT; "What''s so funny?!"
POW-A; "Sorry, sorry, I just though it was funny - All these years piloting and I got beat by you two? Eh, so let me try work it out, I''ve a good eye for these things. You, Mr.Nilas we''re the first guy I attacked right?
And let''s see, that makes your noisy friend here the one with the shotguns?"
VINT; "What of it?"
POW-A; "Oh nothing, just not what I expected - Back there I had a fair bit of respect for you, ya'' managed to block my attacks for way longer then most enemies I''ve faced and you defended your allies too - I presumed you were the courageous backbone of the team."
THE SOUND OF SCRAPING FILLS THE ROOM AGAIN, FOLLOWIED BY THE RUFFLING OF CLOTHES - ENSIGN VINT''S VOICE MOVES NEARER POW-A''s
VINT; "I''d of beaten you too in a fair fight!"
''That girl is dead now.''
''Her Mother never did apologies and they never did make any true amends.''
''And yet I feel sorry for the Mother, still out there somewhere believing she was right in her rejection.''
''Probably saying the child would never of died had they stayed with Mother.''
''Totally unaware of the suffering and abuse caused that drove the child away in the first place.''
''An abuser who shows no remorse is ''evil'', what about one who doesn''t know they''re doing wrong?''
''Someone who is incapable of any sort of fault or awareness?''
''Have you ever had a relationship like that?''
NILAS; "Sabban stand down!"
VINT; "He''s laughing at us Kolme, he thinks he''s better then us, then me!!"
POW-A; "Think? Kid I know my own strength, do you know yours? I see now, you ain''t all that brave - Nah you''re just an impetuous brat, reckless - All that skill is what has kept you alive, but it don''t make you a good comrade or soldier, eh boy?
NILAS; Sabban don''t you do it! He''s just goading ya''!
''My parents were like the girl''s too.''
''Different circumstances but same effect.''
''I think Kolme might of been in something like that before too - His eyes at times have the same vacant stare as my Dad''s.''
''I''d almost forgotten how pathetic a man he is, simply looking for a quiet life while living on a bloody battlefield.''
SHUFFLING OF BOOTS AS LT.NILAS AND ENSIGN VINT MAKE THEIR WAY BACK TO THE DOOR.
POW-A; "Ah-come on fellas, not leaving already are ya?! We''ve barely gotten started! Well come back soon, love having the company.
''I never want to be like them - Broken and pathetic like Kolme or Blind like the mother''
''Never''
DELETE TRANSCRIPT?;
----------------
YES
----------------
TRANSCRIPT DELTED FOR WHAT PURPOSE(S); File was corrupted beyond use.
SOLUTION(S); Re-commencement of interview #3.1 from the start at a later date.
SINGITURE AND AUTHORITY; Ensign Sabban Vint, Vijaik Staff & Test Pilot.
Front 11.2; A Night Out In Bannerman – Part 1/2 (Originally Labelled Front 24)
11.2 - A Night Out In Bannerman Part 1
Sabban walked down the usual bland, grey corridors of the Fluchtig, at his side long time companion (atleast by a pilot''s standards) Kolme Nilas - The two talked little, they had in general spoken alot less recently.
It had been a couple weeks since Station 9 and a few days on from their first botched interview with Moncha as well as the friendly mecha tournament - Their second interrogation had gone much better, in that Kolme did all the talking while Sabban sat silently glaring for the whole thing. They had atleast remained cordial with one another, no more stand up rows like the one about project A.M.I - This was in large part Scarlet''s doing:
To Sabban''s surprise, after the battle at station 9, she had taken him and Una aside and rather than threaten them to keep quiet as Sabban had been expecting - She instead asked them to leave sleeping dogs lie as a favour to her personally, that everything was under control.
That level of ''politeness'' from Scarlet had caught the young man off guard and left him even more conflicted on how to act around the older pilots of the squad now.
With him and Kolme walking in silence, the young man quickly picked up on the sound of familiar voices up ahead;
"You''ll really bring me along to Miss.Scarlet?" Spoke the ever enthusiastic and yet cripplingly meek voice of Una O'' Conchabhair.
"A ''Course girl, us pretty young women have to stick together, ha-ha!"
The far more raucous voice of the Scarlet Scourge said back. A third, almost regal voice cut in next - "We should take it steady though, we are still technically on call..."
"Ah lighten-up Hoki, being my wing-woman means more then just watching each others backs on the field of battle - Got to watch my back out on the town too if ya'' get my meaning, Ha! Oh hey, speaking of men, here come some poor examples."
Scarlet finished with a glance in Sabban and Kolme''s direction.
Sabban scoffed at catching Kolme redden ever so-slightly. Even no one else seemed to, he had long since realised the man had a thing for Scarlet and in his opinion it was pathetic.
Scarlet was clearly out of Kolme''s league by country miles, moreover the old man was the sort Sabban was sure would never have the balls to actually ask the woman out for drinks - ''So Pathetic.''
"You all ready to hit the town lads? Not often we get two ''ole days of leave - Don''t worry I know all the best drinking holes, right Sab-lad?"
Sabban grunted with a sigh before Una edged in with a tone of curiosity;
"You two have been drinking in Bannerman before, err, Sirs?"
"''Sure Lass! Back when we first transferred off the Tradech, the Fluchtig was still in port here, so we had a few days with nothing better ta'' do than scout out the locals."
"Pah, wouldn''t listen to this old fart rookie, I''m Abhailen through and through, got radar for the best drinking clubs ya hear?! And sorry Nilas, but us ladies got better places to be hanging out, than with you."
Scarlet said with crossed arms.
Sabban watched Kolme''s face fall, it was painfully obvious the man had been looking forward to the opportunity for some squad bonding in a more casual setting than their warship home;
"That so, shame that - Ah well, just you and me so Sabban."
"Sorry lt.Sir, next time maybe." Hoki added sympathetically before glancing up in surprise and saluting to something behind Sabban.
He and Kolme turned to see what it was - Sabban''s response was to groan so loudly that Hoki shot him an apologetic glance.
"Ho-ho, not just the two of you Nilas, you old dog - I''ll be coming too!"
Announced the booming voice of Commander Nate Novel, Captain of the good ship Am-Fluchtig - His short moppy blond hair and regular, stupid puppet''s grin as ''vibrant'' as usual.
"Eh, Commander-Nate Sir, always a pleasure but what about the bridge?" Kolme asked, walking up to the man with a light nudge to his ribs.
At first Sabban had presumed Kolme sucked up to Nate Novel simply for the leverage being friends with the Captain might bring - But as more time passed it seemed ever more apparent that Kolme actually did somewhat like the man, a fact Sabban struggled to wrap his head around as he looked up at the ridiculous face of the so-called ''Captain''.
"Heh-heh-heh, it seems commanders Batty and Louise have ''volunteered'' to be in charge of the Tristain flotilla for today and tomorrow - I''ll take watch after that!"
Nate decreed as though explaining the results of some master plan.
"That''s if we''re still in port in two days time, eh sir?" Kolme jerreed back.
"Now now Nilas, I can''t believe you would suggest such foul play old-boy." Nate deviously laughed in return.
Sabban sighed internally, it was going to be a long day.
"U-umm Captain sir, does that mean Miss.Cally is off duty too?" Una asked quietly.
Nate tensed a little as though Una had hit an uncomfortable nerve; "Oh umm, yes but she and some of the other bridge crew already have plans, sort of..."
''If that''s the case why don''t you go with them instead of us?!''
Sabban thought to himself bitterly.
"Oh I see, ummm thank you, Sir." Una said back awkwardly, Hoki laying a gentle hand on the shorter girl''s shoulder.
Before what Sabban considered to be a truly monotonous conversation, could go any painfully further - The loud sound of a massive roller door lifting caught everyone''s attention.
On the far side of the massive hanger bay the group was standing in, one of the doors tall enough for Vijaiks to launch from - Slowly shuffled up just enough to allow regular people to pass through.
And with it a buzz began to spread throughout the expansive room and presumably the whole ship - They had arrived.
Sabban wasn''t wholly sure how to feel about the sudden news of a few days break - Operation Deadlight, the mission to track and defeat the TSU-s submarine, Curadh - Was still ongoing and yet once the flotilla had come within range of the planet Abhaile, word had come from higher up that the force was to stop the pursuit and dock into the north''s capital city of Bannerman.
Clearly the higher ups knew more than the likes of Sabban were being let in on - As true to their predictions the Curadh itself had docked into TSU-s headquarters on Abhaile''s asteroid colony, Ghealach, meaning that it too had simply stopped - Why exactly TSU hadn''t tried to ambush the Tristan fleet before it could reach friendly soil or why IAFS command had chosen to put the mission temporarily on-hold - Was currently yet to be seen.
Personally, as dozens of the Fluchtig''s crew now filed out of the massive door and across an extended gang-walk on the other side - Groups of mechanics, grenadiers, operators and so on, all in plain clothes and their own social clicks, all excited to have some time off after months confined to the warship - Personally speaking Sabban would of much rathered they had continued their pursuit and not stopped.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
He caught sight of Hoki having a quick word with the Fluchtig''s chief Mechanic, just as they exited through the large door;
''Chief Pel, heh, now I bet there is a woman who can put a few back.''
As the first direct sunlight in months touched across his face, Sabban glanced down to the drystone key the Fluchtig was adjacent to and over to the city in the distance. He didn''t care much for politics or geography but knew the basic common knowledge that anyone would about the planet. All considered Abhaile had once been seen as uninhabitable - In the 400 years or so since its colonisation that opinion hadn''t changed all that much.
The populous being spread across the single slightly less dreadful main continent - The entire thing had once been one massive country or rather ''kingdom'' ruled by the Abhailen monarchy and nobility. After the First-War most of the nobles were dead or promptly hunted down with Abhaile''s many regions turned into small (and by proxy weaker) countries ruled by TSU installed puppet governments under constant occupation by the army & navy. All but for one very important exception, ''The Ducal City'', capital of Northern Abhaile and ''secret'' home of the Independent-Alliance-of-Free-States - Bannerman.
As the northern-most major city, it had been the furthest from the Southern homeland where the king had once resided, and (for reasons Sabban didn''t much care to learn about) - The Duke, a direct blood relative of the former King, was bizarrely left alive and in charge of the now largest region of Abhaile.
The young man had heard rumours it was to do with Bayley Mechanics - IAFS''s biggest financial supporter and the largest company conglomerate in the solar system, well known for the fact that they continued to clearly provide machine parts and even weapons to any factions who asked with enough cash - Including at present both IAFS and TSU-s.
All this made Bannerman the ideal and possibly only populated area IAFS could operate out of - Ships like the Fluchtig could land under the official guise of being Bayley-Mechanic''s vessels - And the Duke refused to have any TSU presence in ''his city''.
Least that''s how Sabban understood it - Not that he cared much for the finer details.
He trailed a little ways behind the other five of their ad-hoc group. Expectantly it soon became apparent Scarlet had as little respect for Nate as she did Kolme, teasing the man and using nicknames rather than his Captain''s title, while Hoki desperately tried to rein in her wingwoman and Una stood in-between it all in her usual awkward manner.
Sabban sighed before catching sight of some more familiar faces standing on the ''pier'' below them - Pier being the word used for where space-craft landed, despite the lack of water considering Abhaile''s complete absence of above ground sources.
The two made an odd couple, a woman as short as Una with stark white hair and more peculiarly, pointed ears - And a stocky, tall man with rather more mundane features;
"I really don''t know about this Erfu."
The man said.
"Come now Tomo-dear, we all drew straws, we get first dibs on leave while the Valliere''s squad takes watch - Don''t you trust commander Batty to watch over things? Or perhaps that''s not it at all, do you maybe want to spend the day with just me?
Oh Tomo you''re always so sweet, but we''re too old for nightclubs and I for one don''t know my way around this city - They on the other hand--"
The woman Erfu said while turning to make direct eye contact with Sabban.
''Could she tell I heard a bit of their conversation?''
Before he could dwell on it, the group of six had made it off the gang-walk and now stood before the two pilots from the Rinie.
"Eh Lt.Tomo, Miss.Erfu, what brings you two out ''ere?" Kolme said taking the lead.
"Good-Afternoon Acting Field-Commander Nilas, and to you too of course Fleet Commander Novel."
Tomo replied stiffly, though his slack shoulders indicated his disappointment.
Nate and Kolme exchanged perplexed glances;
"Oh ya, I guess those are our proper titles, heh..."
"Yes, yes that''s lovely dears - Now if we could get back on topic, myself and Tomo here were wondering if your group might show us around the town? We are all fellow pilots after all, excluding yourself Mr.Novel."
Erfu added with her usual sly smile.
Sabban had only met the Rinie''s pilots on a couple passing occasions, most recently during the mock tournament and before that when they had helped with securing the enemy pilot ''Moncha'' after Scarlet had rammed the man back at station 9 - He had also passed them in a corridor during all the initial meetings for Operation Deadlight, around the time when Una had first joined the ship, now a couple months ago.
Tomo was simple to Sabban, just a straight-laced soldier''s soldier - Erfu was a bit more unique:
Elves were uncommon in space, especially ones who looked to be in their twenties but used words like ''dear'' on a regular basis - She was also most likely the Tristian fleets second best pilot, a fact Sabban had found out somewhat bitterly in their ''friendly'' duel.
Scarlet pushed forward to interrupt before Kolme could answer - For a moment it crossed Sabban''s mind that he didn''t actually know Scarlet''s views on other races, she was after all the only hardcore Abhailen member of their squad - It wasn''t uncommon for such types to be, distrustful of elves.
She stood chest to, well, head considering the height difference, with Erfu as though sizing the woman up - Sabban watched Tomo tense a little, perhaps preparing to step in if things got ugly.
----
Then Scarlet laughed, clapped a hand around Erfu''s shoulder and announced;
"Ya no problem girly, but ''tis a ladies night for us, you''ll have to leave your boyfriend here behind."
Erfu turned to Tomo, squeezed his hand, reached up on tip-toe to pat his head and said - "Oh what a shame, well you be good with the other boys dear, have fun!"
Tomo stood dumbfounded at this easy betrayal.
"Well, ah we don''t mind, you ok with that Cap''in?" Kolme added to try comfort the depressed looking Tomo.
Nate nodded along helpfully and Sabban accepted the fact that he, Una and Hoki wouldn''t get much say in the matter - Not that he really minded who came drinking with them, he wasn''t looking for friends, rather liquid courage was all that Sabban''s focus had in mind.
And so after the copious amount of small talk and faffing about, it came as a relief for Sabban when finally the two groups of now 4, split up off into their own directions - To see what the nightlife of Bannerman might bring.
****
Front 11.3; A Night Out In Bannerman – Part 2/2 (Originally Labelled Front 24.5)
11.3 - A Night Out In Bannerman Part 2
Like Sabban and probably all present, the worry that Scarlet might be a little ''problematic'' had also crossed Hoki Bachika''s mind but to her (and probably everyone else''s) relief - So far things were going smoothly.
Having split into two groups, the four girls were now making their way deeper & deeper into the city of Bannerman, Scarlet marching ahead of the younger trio, on her quest to bring them to the city''s ''best value bar'', or so she said.
Hoki looked down at her two shorter companions walking beside her on the somewhat narrow pathway - They had entered one of Bannerman''s less wealthy districts - Low rise houses, with heavy shutters for repelling the frequent rough weather - The walls plain and without paint, although that part wasn''t overly unique to the poorer classes, colourful paint and ornaments were rather wasteful anywhere in the city when dust showers insisted on desaturating everything on a regular basis.
All that said, almost every building was lit up with lines and collections of colourful (if hardy looking) lights in all shapes and themes - And out of even the cheapest, most rundown looking pubs and hotels, could be heard live music performances.
Honestly Hoki had pretty much forgotten it was nearly the end of the year and that St.Aardig''s day would be coming soon - The one annual event where Abhaile really went all in on celebrations.
"...So Miss.Erfu, ummm, when did you and Tomo meet?"
Una asked sheepishly.
Erfu grinned in an oddly cunning fashion; "Hmmm, well let''s see - A few years ago now, I was testing weapons for Bayley-Mechanics. When I got sent on a delivery run to the ship Tomo was stationed aboard. I decided it looked like fun and stuck around."
"You just decided to become a soldier there and then?" Hoki added apprehensively.
Erfu nodded, "Pretty much ya. When people see us elves it can be easy enough to convince them to let you do anything - I said I wanted to stop testing, start full time piloting and well, with IAFS being as informal as it is, Madam Batty let me join her crew with almost no questions asked!"
"Y-you''re a Magi Miss.Erfu?"
"Ah-well dear, not exactly how your people mean it - Us elves are all born a bit magic, white hair, skin, red eyes, these ears--" Erfu said illustrating the points of her body she spoke of,
"-- But we don''t all have pre-cognisant visions or super reaction speeds. By elf standards my power is pretty mundane, I''m good at reading people''s emotions or hearts you could say."
There was a scoff from Scarlet who continued to stomp a few steps ahead;
"Ya-right, load of hocus-pocus crap - Bet''cha can''t ''read'' me."
Erfu glances over to Hoki who just shrugged - Persimmon by lack of omission granted, Erfu turned back in Scarlet''s direction - "You Miss.Scarlet are being a little too hard to get - Where I often risk spoiling my Tomo, you hide your feelings so well that you fear no one will ever really know you - You are worried, that there may not be much time left, to reconcile with the man and especially with the young girl - Yes?"
Una and Hoki both looked in wonder at the elven woman, Scarlet on the other hand stopped her route march; "What flaming business of yours is it, ya long, pointy eared freak!"
Silence fell amongst the group.
After a few more moments Hoki readied herself to say something but didn''t get the chance, as suddenly something new caught Scarlet''s attention - Standing on the street opposite the quartet, a duo of decently dressed preachers of a sort - Carrying a large black and white placard reading the letters ''E.N.D''
Scarlet''s scowl grew far deeper, she turned and began to march once more, faster then before.
"Scarlet wait, Erfu is a superior officer, and besides you can''t just say something like that!"
Hoki called out to little avail.
Erfu reached a hand to Hoki - "It is of no consequence, most react like that when I speak using my ability - It is my fault for so rudely stepping where I do not belong."
"Yes of course, but still..."
"So umm, what''s an E.N.D?"
Una pitched in, staring across the street at the strange pair that had seemingly annoyed Scarlet so much.
"An old human cult I believe, dating back as far as the early second age I''ve heard." Erfu responded.
Hoki rose a hand to her chin - "Indeed, they were the last religion that maintained the planet Abhaile to be some sort of God - When the great homogenisation happened, they were an obvious choice for TSU to downgrade from official religion status - Strange though, I''d heard they still held sway here, bizarre that they would be on such, ah, well budget, as to be preaching on the streets"
"I see. What do they preach now that people live on Abhaile?" Una added.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere."Ho-ho my young comrade, religion is seldom so simple - They indeed still teach that Abhaile is alive, now they say all humanity should move here, that Bhaile will be destroyed by God to make up for its sins and only those here will survive - Apparently they think the two planets will one day clash into each other, a very doomsday aesthetic they have."
Erfu added with a degree of knowledge Hoki found admirable.
"Oh, that''s kinda bleak... I wonder why they bothered Miss.Scarlet so much?"
The three continued chatting for another minute until a loud yelling from up the street interrupted them;
"Oi asshats, no one wants you peddling your crappy knock-off cult-shite round here on St.Aardig''s week ya hear!"
All three of course immediately recognised the voice of thee Scarlet Scourge.
Before the young preachers could process the loud insult, Scarlet drop kicked an empty tin-can against her prosthetic metal leg - The can rocketed across the air like a missile, impacting loudly just above the heads of the two youths before repeatedly ''clinking'' as it rolled across the ground.
The young men appeared to now get the message and quickly began to flee in the opposite direction with hands and placards held over their heads in anticipation of further projectiles.
All around the street, windows and doorways opened as curious residence and other''s walking the road began to watch, the two now gone, the on-lookers began clapping, whistling and praising Scarlet''s actions.
The middle aged woman smiled wolfishly before turning towards her three slack-jawed companions;
"And you three, are you coming or are ya'' not? I ain''t standing ''round gossiping like old ladies all night ya hear - There''s drinking to be done!"
Sabban and three of his technical ''superiors'' wondered along a wealthier part of Bannerman - Low rise buildings with hardy hatches over every window and little paint or architectural flare.
''Wealthier'' or not, nowhere on Abhaile had the sorts of exuberant well designed cities of Bhaile or the Nation-States.
With gravity being just slightly weaker on Abhaile and the atmosphere a tad thinner - Building up was a bad idea, the air got scarce quick and considering the bare handful of hours the sun was out for at the best of times, you wanted to be low to the ground when all the heat escaped at night out through said thin atmosphere.
Add to that the fact all water comes from deep underground lakes and the planet''s propensity for dust storm and other inclement weather - And well, building down was considered normal. Even the smallest farmhouse outside the towns would have a basement area, subways were the primary form of public transport alongside underground rail-lines stretching the length and breath of the continent.
Honestly for Sabban the only clue that they were in a wealthier part of town was that the buildings went as high as 3 or 4 stories, and the odd one would had a proper shop window with fancy item displays.
That said with the end of the year fast approaching, everything was appropriately lit up in colourful lights and ribbons for the festivities and music played out from most if not all establishments.
He tried to think back to this time last year, his memory had been - Odd as of late.
After a moment he remembered and immediately wished he hadn''t: The colourful lights suddenly seemed to swell and he felt a familiar crushing, lurching in his stomach.
Just one year ago he had been in this very city - Attending a going-away party for an old childhood friend - Shasha Niju. The rest of his squad would be staying for the festivities, Zori with her younger sister who had recently moved to Bannerman, and of course where Zori went, Mili followed - Ennya was a Bannerman local and had volunteered to let Sabban crash at his parent''s place for the couple of weeks they had off from the cadet academy.
But Shasha had to go home, her Mother would be alone for the end of the year otherwise.
So they had held a big party and invited the whole cadet year - He could picture it now in his mind, the familiar faces of his squamates and of others from his year too. Una had been there, with her teammates, the ones who would later abandoned her - Inadvertently leading to her survival when they had all died...
Hikari too and her friends...
And, and....
Sabban wanted alcohol and he wanted it now.
He looked ahead at the three foolish older men walking in-front of him.
For all their initial banter, it seemed Kolme and Nate weren''t actually all that good at keeping up a prolonged conversation - And Tomo just looked awkward.
Sabban had also come to the conclusion they were lost. Sure he''d gone drinking with Kolme before but that had been to the cheapest bars available - This time however they had gone the wrong way, it had been natural - Scarlet''s group went left, so they went right - Right in the opposite direction, into the wealthier parts of Bannerman - Far out of a skint-miser like Kolme''s comfort zone.
Sighing, mind still spinning uncomfortably, Sabban grumbled out to the others;
"Hey, this pub will do - We can always try another if it gets too pricey alright?"
And without waiting for an answer, Sabban turned and walked into the first place with an open door - Leaving behind the three bemused older men who could openly gawped at the prices the pub''s d¨¦cor alluded to.
Front 11.4; The Full Abhailen Experience! (Originally Labelled Front 25)
11.4 - The Full Abhailen Experience!
Sabban felt mildly annoyed. Not very annoyed, the foggy haze over his alcohol addled mind saw to that, just mildly.
After finally getting to a suitable establishment he had expected to settle down for the evening in a nice quiet corner - His companions unfortunately had other ideas. They had ended up pub-crawling, moving from place to place while disturbing locals in-between.
Currently they had stopped in front of a jewellery shop, a very high end one based on its street facing display window and myriad of shiny rocks.
There were pros mind you - Sure the trio were loud, overbearing, childish and nigh-on impossible to keep sitting still - But there were indeed positives.
Sabban had at a rough count, and indeed he knew it to be only a rough count in his current state - Bought exactly 1 drink all night. Much to his pleasure the older men seemed to of convinced themselves they all had some sort of responsibility to buy the most rounds - Commander Nate Novel, Captain of the Am-Fluchtig, leader of the Tristain Flotilla, insisted it was his job to buy for his subordinates.
Tomo ''something-or-other'' (Sabban was long past the point of such details), squadron leader of the Rinie''s Vijaik squad and second highest ranking pilot in the fleet after Kolme - Insisted that Nate as leader shouldn''t have to pay for anything.
Kolme Nilas, ''technical'' field commander of the group or something - Appeared to Sabban to be a little more sober than the rest, opting to buy plenty of rounds - Usually when Nate & Tomo''s bickering was taking too long.
The only time Sabban had begrudgingly had to purchase his own refreshments had been when Kolme went for a smoke - Sabban had seen him do so before, although not often. Rumour had it he had once been like a chimney at all hours of the day - Now he apparently only had the odd one when stressed. Had he been more sober, Sabban might of wondered what had the older man worried.
Nate and Tomo had both decided they too would try smoking and followed Kolme to the designated area like over-excited school boys - To his chagrin, Sabban had at-last been forced to buy his own drink as he watched the two react badly to Kolme''s somewhat top-end brand cigarettes - Luckily this bad response had prevented any more smoke-breaks, much to Sabban''s delight.
Now for reasons he didn''t entirely care to understand, they stood in-front of the fancy jewellery shop.
"Hey-hey, do you think she''d a'' like that one?" Commander Novel said pointing to a particularly expensive looking piece.
Tomo at his side was quick to respond between fits of hiccups;
"Ha... Sheen''s... Way out of..... Your League!"
Nate frowned indignantly, then looked as though he might cry - "I know.....But I can still try!"
"Heh, what ''bout you ''Colm?" Tomo half-giggled, his usual perfect soldier''s stance completely shattered in Sabban''s mind.
Kolme scratched at his scalp loosely, "Ah, well, I guess something nice and crimson, earrings or a hair-clip maybe..."
From his place a few paces back from the bumbling fools, Sabban scowled at this last comment;
"Stupid, senile, dense old man, her hair is red so why would you buy something that would just blend in with it?!"
All three of the window-shopping men looked at Sabban in surprise - They had individually all come to the same conclusion that Sabban was either a silent drunk, or (more likely) that he hated the lot of them - His sudden outburst left them in silent bemusement.
Sabban tutted at this frivolous response and turned to walk up the street, past the jewellery shop''s concerned looking, underpaid security guard - It was nearing a quarter of an hour since they left the last pub and he was starting to feel the bite.
Kolme quickly spoke up - "Sorry lads, you two buy ye''re shinnies, I''ll keep the lad company, catch up with us at the next pub a''ight?"
And with that he strode off to catch up with his young friend.
****
It wouldn''t be for some hours that the group finally ran out of steam and settled into one final public-house. Sitting in a small booth the quartet had drunk themselves into Sabban''s favourite state of being - A drunken stupor.
And for all the mild annoyance along the way, the pub crawl had eventually proven its worth - This last place was cheaper, smaller and had an old fashioned fire burning to fill the room with warmth and pleasant smells (even if the fuel for it was artificial) - For Sabban it was paradise.
And it didn''t stop there either, the barkeep was a good old fashioned stoic, never saying more than absolutely necessary or trying to start any pointless conversations, the live Aardig''s week music here was little more than a middle aged man loosely strumming at a guitar - ''Nirvana'' the young man mused to himself.
Glancing up from staring lovingly into his pint, Sabban gazed disdainfully at 1st. . . At Mr.Tomo, asleep in a pool of his own drool on the table, beside him - Clearly a hopeless light-weight, for they must surely have hours left in this fine evening to go.
Nate the puppet was at the bar, earning Sabban''s respect by keeping the drink flowing.
Across from him was his direct boss, his wingman, his apparently super human companion - Kolme Nilas, who somehow, beyond belief if you asked Sabban - Appeared to still be mostly sober, not completely of course, his words were slurred and his posture even more lax than usual - But clearly he was still aware of the world around him.
"What d''ya mean they''re all rejected!" Half-burped the voice of Nate.
Sabban focused a little more on the counter top hearing this and noticed a dozen or so cards on it - It might at other times have been of interest to see so many in the hands of a high ranking military office, right now it was simply an obstacle to the next round of drinks.
The bald headed, muscular barkeep simply shook his head. Kolme agilely got up and made his way over to Nate, taking him by the shoulder before steering him gently towards one of the booth''s benches.
The intoxicated man immediately slumped over onto the bench, tears in his eyes;
"My money, all my money, is this why they hate me?"
Kolme raised an eyebrow - "Who hates you Sir?" - He said gently.
"The bridge crew, they all went on a big party but I wasn''t invited - ''No Captains allowed'' they said, it''d make things awkward to have their boss there, they said - Aren''t I a cool boss fella''s?!"
Nate wailed, tears streaming ridiculously from his eyes.
Kolme patted him lightly on the shoulder, "There, there sir, you''re a very ''cool'' boss - Right Sab-lad?"
"Drink."
The older man sighed despairingly, walking back over to the counter to collect Nate''s discarded wallet contents and acquire just two glasses more of the ''good stuff''.
By the time he waddled back over, Nate had seized crying and fallen to sleep himself, splayed out on the padded bench - Sabban however eagerly accepted the beverage.
"And then there we''re two eh?" Kolme mused.
----
"You''ve done alright for yourself tonight lad." Kolme remarked as Sabban nursed his newest glass, trying to break the ice between the two remaining conscious soldiers;
"Between drinks and his present for Emilia, Nate has spent his ''hole life savings! Ha, but you''ve bought what, two or three drinks at most, all for yere''self?"
Sabban wearily glanced up at the man - "That a problem?"
"No lad, you''re alright - Rest of us officers earn more than you anyway, least we ''an do."
Stolen novel; please report.
"I''m an officer too asshat! EN-sin don''t ya know..."
"Ah, right you are - But ya'' only got that recently, plus let''s be honest, you''re more like my corporal than an officer."
"Funn-y coming from you - You''re just a crap sergeant pretending to be a luu-eee-ten--- a boss-man - An'' yo''ju only got promoted recently too, what''s with all your dosh?"
"Heh, no family, no ''obbys, no woman, no mortgage - I end up with a lot for spending on fancy smokes and booze I can admit ta'' that."
Sabban frowned, a little taken aback by the honesty of the statement and growingly more peeved at how sober Kolme clearly still was, despite drinking as much as him;
"No family?! Pah, like heck, I bet you got an ex-wiffy and a bastard child hiden'' somewhere - Your type always do."
Kolme cracked a smile, but his heart clearly wasn''t in it - "Sorry to disappoint lad, nothing like that. And why a ''bastard'' child in particular?"
"Liar, I bet she left ya cause you''re crappy with kids - Like that whole A-M-eye thing, you prob''s hit the kiddy or something!"
----
Silence fell between the two, as even in his ruined state Sabban released that might of been a little much, not that he felt inclined to apologies or any such.
Kolme gently laid down his own glass;
"Nope, never had any little ones to hit, and I''d like to think I would be a little better than that if I did have any."
"What''ll you do Kolme, when the wars over..."
"Ah, well, that''s quite the question lad, guess you really ''ave drunk alot."
Sabban reared up groggily at the mention of alcohol, "Got nothing to do with it! I just hate you is all - I''d almost forgotten how much I hate you, you know, but then station 9 reminded me all over again.
You and your stupid ''fight against fate'', pah! For you just dodging a bullet to save your own life is a battle with the friggin universe - You wouldn''t know fate if it hit ya in the stupid face."
Kolme shrugged - "You''re probably right, but ya know lad - Sometimes just getting out of bed in the morning, well sometimes that''s all what it means to fight fate for some folks, you should know that more than anyone."
"I been thinking ya know. We should look for enhancers..."
"You what?! Sabban the heck yo--"
"They work for Scarlet don''t they? She''s the only reason we are still alive ain''t she - She held off the Casnel, she captured that Moncha-asshole - She''s got more skill than any of us ''cause of those speical drugs - We''re on Abhaile right? Someone must know a way to get some, maybe we''d stand more of a chance."
"Sab-lad, the average life expectancy for people who use that shite she''s on is only a year or two - She''s an exception, some abnormal gene pool or just dumb luck, whatever the case you''d be throwing your life away and even I wouldn''t let you do that--"
"You let us pilot! Isn''t that the same, isn''t that as lethal as any drug?!"
"..... We''re soldiers, no one forced us to fight, we signed up kid - You could still quit, Bayley Mechanics give jobs to those who want out, keeps them safe from TSU-s agents and away from the battlefield - You''re already a qualified test pilot, you could probably leave easier than most."
"Heh, ''no family, no ''obbys, no woman, no morgage'' wasn''t that what you said?
Where would I go Kolme, they''re all dead and my fathers never wanted anything but for me to be a soldier - I''ve got no home, nowhere to go, no savings."
"If all this is about money, I''d--"
"No, no its not that old man - I send all my money away anyway..."
"To where?"
"......... Shasha''s mom, she hasn''t got anyone else left now - There ain''t no-one else to pay the hospital bills.."
----
"Will you still come with me again Kolme?" The young man said after a few silent moments.
" ''Course I will lad."
"Even though I call you names and say I hate you?"
"Ha, we''re proper men aren''t we, too stupid to hold a grudge long."
He grinned back.
Sabban slumped forward onto the faded cheap-wood of the table, the sounds of the lone guitarist in the opposite end of the room returning to his senses as his muddled rage subsided to nausea;
"You''re wrong ya know - All people could die at any time, every-time you cross the road you might get unlucky, you can always catch some deadly disease - We became soldiers to protect people - Not to be used as cannon-fodder, I never signed up to be just some stupid number and neither did my friends ...Nemo 27..."
"Maybe lad - Look I think it''s time we got going eh? I don''t think this talks doin'' either of us much good."
"No!" Sabban suddenly shouted rearing back up, "I can still go for more, more, I can hold ma'' liquor just as good as you old man - Here look ''ere."
Reaching into his tattered jacket Sabban fumbled for a little bit before retrieving a wallet - Emptying most of its contents onto the table awkwardly he rifled through small change and crumpled bills before stopping upon a couple shinier pieces tucked into the seams of the wallet.
"Lad?"
Sabban''s eyes, his heavily bagged, bloodshot eyes, become surrounded in pools of tears - He tenderly picked out two pieces of folded photo paper, a rarity these days - And shakily handed them over to Kolme;
"They''re all gone Kolme, all gone..."
Kolme tenderly accepted the photos, unfolding them carefully, two pictures from around a year prior. One illustrated a raised angle view of a house-party, presumable taken by someone precariously up on a step ladder or some such - A wide number of youths in their late teens, drinking, dancing, one couple even kissing in the back corner.
A banner strung across one wall simply stating ''Farewell Party''.
He recognised some faces, others he hadn''t had the chance to meet before it was too late.
He was pretty confident there were only two left that were still alive in the photo - One was the short frame of Una O'' Conchabhair - The other was a young lad, broad shoulders, tall, probably handsome and bright eyed - Unrecognisable as the man currently sitting across from him crying into his drink - Sabban Vint.
The lad began to trace his finger across the faces on the second photo - This one was more focused, in the background were the blurry shapes of a celebratory crowd of some sort, carrying rainbow coloured flags and banners with a backdrop of the familiar shapes of a Bannerman street - To the fore was five smiling figures, for once dressed in causal clothes.
"Tall one is Milly, Ennya is the other boy next to me--"
"I remember their names lad."
"Really? Even when you''ve seen so many die, you still remember them all Kolme?"
"No lad, not them all - But I have you to remind me of these names."
"Who will remember our names? How much longer can we keep running Kolme, the Casnel, the fortress, the submarine - The heck are we meant to keep fighting those?"
"Thanks to you lad, that Fortress-thingy must be out for repairs, for a-bit atleast, we captured that Moncha man too - None of that would of happened without you being there, you shot when I was too afraid to."
Sabban shook his head wearily, "Not enough, never enough - We''ll all still die. They''re all dead Kolme, all of ''em. How long until Scarlet overdoses? And Una, she has a friggin panic attack at the site of a Nation-state - How long can we last hey?"
----
Kolme looked around the table, at the awkward sleeping positions of Nate and Tomo and across at the tear stained, desperate face of Sabban - He reached into his pocket to find his communicator and call the ship to send out a ride;
"Listen lad, try not to think about stuff like that so much - We''ll make it somehow, we have so far right? Leave all this abstract thinking to old men like me, that''s what we''re for ok? We can handle tomorrow as it comes, one step at a time."
Extra - Patricks Evening
Extra
Warrant Officer Patrick, or ''Pat'' to his friends, was having a long day - While most of the Am Fluchtig''s crew had departed the ship for shore-leave, Patrick had drawn the short straw and been put on watch duty, awaiting his own time off in a few days time.
After hours of gruelling shift coverage and unpaid overtime - The young man curled up in his sleeping cubicle, ready to at-last call in a night, or morning - It was after all quite late. He drank a cup of his favourite hot coco, watched an episode of his beloved soap-opera and tucked up tight for sleep, counting fluffy clouds.
Then his communicator rang...
Half an hour later, having had a stand-up row with the dock guards over why a military jeep was leaving the compound so late at night - Patrick arrived at a pub in the city.
To his surprise Patrick was faced with not one or two, but three of the Tristian Flotilla''s highest ranking officers, all plastered drunk - Oh and some very grumpy pilot called ''Sabban'' too.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.?The ride back had been a mess, crying, snoring and worst of all - Vomiting.
After finally helping the officers into the ship''s break room, Patrick had needed to return to the jeep just to clean up the mess.
But finally, at well gone 4 o''clock, Patrick groggily slunk his way back to his bunk - Even if it was St.Aardig''s week, surely there would be no more officers still out on the town this late?
No public house would still be open at this hour, even with the festivities?
Patrick lay back, sound in the knowledge he would be drifting to dream land in mere seconds, happy to be done a good day''s work-- "Pat? Bridge here, You''ll never believe this - You know that elf magi lady ya?
And better yet Thee Scarlet Scourge or how about the daughter of the ''Hero of the East''?
Well ah, err, you''re never gonna guess this, they all went drinking together and err - They need a lift back to the ship - You don''t think you could maybe make one more trip... Pretty please?"
Front 11.5; Aftershock (Originally Labelled Front 26)
11.5 - Aftershock
It was, Sabban would have to admit, ''a nice morning''.
Abhaile didn''t exactly get alot of sunlight, part of what made it so uninhabitable was this fact - Although he cared little about the details even children knew the basics, that Abhaile and Bhaile despite remarkable odds, did not rotate around each other but rather both around the sun in almost perfect sync - The chances of which were exceedingly unlikely anywhere in space, or atleast so Sabban had heard.
The downside of this being that Bhaile all year round ''eclipsed'' Abhaile, leaving more than 60% of the planet with almost no direct sunlight, all but the two continents of the northern hemisphere - And even here, daylight was short.
So the current beating down of a sweltering sun on a crisp morning, was what you could call ''nice'' - That is if you weren''t severely hung-over, when every distant sound of the city might aswell of been a thunderclap, sitting in the blazing sun for hours on end was not Sabban''s idea of ideal hangover recovery.
"She''s late again." Murmured the old voice next to him - Groggily Sabban turned his own head to look over at Kolme Nilas, who himself was clearly suffering much the same symptoms - Eyes shut and arms crossed as his old boot-leather tanned skin battled against the harsh sunlight.
''Again he says, its only the second time. Though I suppose he is right - Both times she''s insisted we meet here, early - Both times I''ve insisted on drinking the night before - Both times she''s been hours late...''
"Any word from the others?" Sabban said back quietly - Usually he would avoid entertaining Kolme''s ramblings too much, but today he felt he owed the man atleast a little small talk.
"Oh ya, had a little chat with Hoki, she woke up at her normal time it seems - Regrets it too by the sound of it. Heh, seems like the lass''s had a better night than us lad.
''Parently that Erfu elf-woman and Scarlet ended up having a bet - By the time Erfu finally surrendered to our Scarlet, poor Hoki and Una had been drunk under the table twice over. Last Hoki-lass knew Scarlet was raging over this photo Erfu sent this morning, showing ''proof'' that her and Tomo have ''That kind of relationship'', ''ave a gander."
Kolme laughed.
Sabban winced a little at how loud Kolme''s laughing seemed in his current condition and frowned at the somewhat collage mentality photo Kolme showed him courtesy of his handheld, before asking his next question; "I see.. So what would Scarlet of had to do if Erfu had won?"
"Aye, I wondered that too. Couldn''t be sure seein'' as it was only a phone call but felt like Hoki was too embarrassed ta'' say - She claimed she ''couldn''t'' remember all the details."
"I see. Hey, who''s bed are they in? They came back to the Fluchtig last night right..."
"I...I don''t know." Kolme added, his face taking on a thoughtful expression - Their short conversation had atleast lightened the mood a little, but silence soon returned.
----
The bench they were sat on was a ''nice'' touch - Made of real wood.
You didn''t need to be a native to know why that was speical - Abhaile''s climate leant itself to few types of tree and almost all furniture was made of plastic, metal, synthetic substitutes for wood, or in public places like this, the same stone & natural clay that made up most buildings.
A true, handcrafted hard-wood bench like this was an imported luxury, placed here out of a kind-hearted respect - After all, Abhailiens held a great respect for their dead. Having grown up on the moon, Sabban had never really heard of ''burying your dead'', satellites and moon cities had limited room for such customs and even on Bhaile the practise had been mostly phased out in the Third-Age.
But Abhaile was littered with graveyards - So that the souls of the deceased could look over and bless the barren lands, in hopes of prosperity for those left behind.
Of course he knew well that there were very few actually buried here in particular.
The endless dusty field of white and grey rounded stones stretching before him and Kolme were mostly symbolic - The graveyard had been established during The First War, initially for the dead of the Abhailen Revolutionary Army, then later for those of the Remembrance-Movement - And now for those who died as members of IAFS.
There were few corpses to actually bury, even when something of the dead made it back to a mothership, the remains would be left ''at sea'' - The stones here being almost all ceremonial in nature.
In-fact if no one came forward to name the dead, then like many of those before Sabban, your plot would go unmarked - In some cases, like the sinking of an entire warship, a single grave would be erected - ''In memory to the crew of the Monte Blanc.'' - Was the example Kolme had shown him of this on their first ''visit''.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
So while he appreciated the gesture of the wooden bench, he was also painfully aware that in the short time since their last visit - Said bench showed new spots of wear, torn varnish and rot.
"Looks like we''re on lad." Kolme quietly announced to break Sabban from his musings.
Making her way through the lines of graves was a young woman, her hair long and black, her frame small and slender yet taller then her older sister''s had been - Dressed in a black blouse with matching plaid skirt, clothes akin to mourning-attire in tone.
Sabban and Kolme slowly made their own way across as the woman knelt down to four graves one after the other, and laid down small bunches of flowers at each one - Before turning to face the two men;
"Well, what do you want?"
Sabban stood silent, staring down at his feet as though bowing.
The woman tutted, "Speak up man, or did you just wish to waste my time again?"
"Ah now, no need--" Kolme interjected, still standing a little ways back.
"Huh? And who are you supposed to be? Oh no wait I remember now, you came last time too, expect you just sat on the bench watching that time - Finally grown enough of a spine to come talk to me have you?"
"Kolme was jus--" Sabban half mumbled.
"Kolme? As in ''Nilas'', as in the guy who stood back and did nothing as all our friends died Sabban? You''re kidding me right? You''ll speak up for him but not yourself?!"
"Well, I..."
The woman scowled disdainfully, folding her arms and tapping her foot impatiently;
"Well, have you anything to say for yourself?"
"How, umm, ho..."
"Huh? Speak up man!"
"Ah, did the money make it to Shasha''s mom this month?"
Sabban meekly said after a few moments.
"Of course it did, what do you take me for - Think I spent it all on a handbag or something eh?"
"No, no, course not... Umm, and how have you been?"
A silence fell as the woman''s eyes grew puffy and her fists clenched - Until finally a loud hard sound filled the air as the back of her hand smacked against the boy''s grizzled face.
"H-how dare you ask me that you piece of shit!" She bellowed, tears in her eyes as she clutched her hand to her chest, as though slapping Sabban had hurt her more than him.
"Hey now, no need for that you two--" Kolme began, before another hollow echo filled the quiet field.
****
"How much of this ''ave you been doing lad?"
".....I''ve sent letters to the families of the others, she''s the only one who''ll still talk to me in person though, the rest..."
"Sabban lad, I get you feel responsible for their deaths - And heck I think paying hospital bills and stuff is noble and all, but lad we weren''t officers when your friends died - We didn''t give the orders, you can''t take all this responsibility onto yourself kid."
A cold breeze flowed around them as the two sat quietly back on the wooden bench - Kolme with a hand held to his swollen face, Sabban still staring at the ground;
"Then who will Kolme? It''s her right to want to hate me."
"It might be her ''right'' but that doesn''t make it the ''right'' thing to do lad. You don''t deserve all that anger, surely that girl must understand you''re suffering as much as she is - Even more maybe."
Sabban shook his head softly, "No, some people can''t see things like that - And her grief won''t let her see me as anything more than their killer. Her coming here to meet me is more than enough..."
"Like heck! If I wanted a backhanded slap I''d of asked Scarlet - That girl was your partner once weren''t she lad? You should be able to support each other in grief - Not whatever that was!"
Sabban smiled crookedly;
"I want to take responsibility, if I don''t I''d be no better than her - Lashing out at others, helping no one..."
"That so lad? Seems too sad for my liking."
"Hey Kolme, how do I stop myself becoming like you?"
The man in question winced a little but did his best not to take the comment too personally;
"That''s ah, an interesting questions lad.."
"My father was like you, is like you I suppose. Always trying to be helpful but never actually getting anything done, nice but cruel inadvertently - Never strong enough to save those around you, always a step away from snapping and just breaking down, but never brave enough to actually do so.
I''ve never been able to decide what I hate more, people like you who see the faults of the world and just put up with them silently - Or people like her, who refuse to see and push the burden on everyone else."
Kolme laid back into the bench, arms behind his greying head and eyes towards the sky;
"Aye, you''re probably right ''bout most a'' that - Sometimes all we can do is our best--"
"Pah, ''best'' - That''s what people who''ve already given up always say, that ''atleast I tried my best'', just a crap excuse." Sabban borderline spat back.
"Maybe so, maybe so..." Kolme murmured, still staring up at the endless sky.
"Excuse me, Lt.Nilas, Ensign Vint?"
Sabban and Kolme both turned to look over their shoulders, Sabban reaching towards his holster.
Behind them, down a short slope was a single lain roadway - Most people parked near-by and walked to the graveyard, but now gradually pulling up was a sleek jet-black limousine - And standing a little ways down the hill the source of the sudden vocal intrusion.
"Who wants to know?" Kolme said back to the man in the formal suit.
"Gentlemen, The Duke of Bannerman requests your immediate attendance, if you so please."
Front 12.1; The ‘Duke’ of Bannerman – Part 1/2 (Originally Labelled Front 27)
Front 12 - Answers
12.1 - The Duke of Bannerman Part 1
For all it stood as a sprawling low rise mass of dust laden monotony - The Ducal city of Bannerman, capital of the Fal-Dara region of Abhaile - Had two stand out attractions along its skyline.
One being the place Sabban and Kolme had initially set out from, the current mooring for the Am-Fluchtig, Bayley Mechanics; A series of mechanical towers and industrial chimneys, miles in size and one of the largest production facilities of anything, anywhere - As well as the secret headquarters of the Independent-Alliance-of-Free-States.
While certainly impressive in its own right, on the opposite side of the city stood a building wholly more remarkable.
Built a couple centuries ago when Bannerman had been little more than a minor fiefdom under the rule of an up & coming Abhailen noble - The palace of the 7th ruler of Fal-Dara was truly a sight to behold. On an incline overlooking the rest of the city - The palace broke the form of the purely practical streets below to instead be packed with architectural flourishes, domed towers, large sweeping curved walls and ornate indented carvings. Nonetheless it also wasn''t garish - Massive and imposing, yes - But also fitting.
The main building wasn''t itself much taller than the regular Abhaile abode, the large windows had the usual sight of dust shutters, and the construction materials - Although embossed, were still the same grey and red hued bricks of the rest of the city.
In all, even Sabban would have to admit the palace was lavish, but tasteful.
Having spent a year and a half at IAFS''s private academy here in the city, Sabban had grown used to seeing the palace from time to time, it was the sort of building you would catch a glimpse of in the distance - No different to seeing a tall office block.
However in all that time he had never imagined he''d have much cause to actually enter the place, a quick glance at Kolme in the limousine seat beside him quickly told the lad that his older colleague was feeling much the same way - And the view outside the window left no question, they were curving uphill, past dust laden housing, and towards the palace.Soon the ornate car finished winding its way up the long sloping driveway and the two men were ushered politely through a side-door and into a long foyer of sorts, littered in pristine furniture and a number of glass display cases, the suited man who''d first spoken with them making himself scarce.
The two comrades now left alone began to take in their surroundings - Kolme doing so with clear intrigue, while Sabban began to run some questions through his head;
''Why exactly does the Duke of Bannerman, one of the solar system''s most important people want to see us? Has he released IAFS are secretly operating out of his city? Is he arresting all the members he can find - Should I of resisted, drawn my gun and had us make a run for it?''
''Although I guess escape is still possible, they didn''t take my weapon from me, which is weird by itself...
Maybe the Duke is just rounding up senior officers from the Tristan group and I simple got brought along for being with Kolme at the time?''
An odd series of whistling noises from said wingman, broke Sabban from his musing - He turned his head to see the old man admiring a glass display case containing a model of some form of fighter jet.
"Have a gander at this lad, the craftsmanship is superb!"
"Heh, what''s it of?" Sabban smirked.
"Ehhh?! Didn''t Hoki and your other instructors teach you anything Sab-lad?! This is a perfect, 1/60 replica of ''The Dagger'' - An Abhailen prototype fighter--"
"--Jet. Didn''t get made though, because of the Vijaik being developed around the same time right?"
Kolme frowned;
"So you do know! It''s not nice to tease your elders like that - But ya that''s right, real shame it would of been the fastest ever made, with manoeuvrability and a turning circle even better than most Vijaiks, and made just for space-use for maximum optimisation. Problem was it got designed before the Hindenburg-Generator - So it''d never ''ave the fire power to match a Vijaiks."
Sabban rose an eyebrow as he looked in at the model, an appropriately cone shaped machine with a series of detachable barrels, each containing a cannon to the front and sizable thrusters behind - All finished by the modellers clear attention to detailing and weathering of the topaz shaded jet;
"You sure seem to know alot, didn''t realise you were into that sort of thing?"
Kolme fidgeted a little, "Ah well, not really - You know me, I like to read about a bit of everything, and I guess as a young''in I used to have an interest in planes and models, that''s all. Still though it''s a real shame it never got past prototypes, I''d of loved to fly one."
"That''s not true! There were 10 made as a limited production run!"
For the second time today Sabban spun on his heal in surprised shock. It had been one thing getting caught off guard at the graveyard but this time was worse. He had heard nothing, no clack of shoes, no creak of a door - Not even a change in air flow and yet someone had gotten right behind him and Kolme.
Upon meeting their eyes however, he did have a momentary feeling of nostalgia?
A flicker of familiarity for someone he knew he had never met before - It passed in a flash, as too did his need to draw a weapon - After all the intruder was none other than a little girl.
At barely half his own stature, the girl had a bob cut head of brown hair, a pouty expression, hands on both hips as though offended by Sabban and Kolme''s conversation - And most strikingly, a pair of amber eyes, almost a perfect match for the colour of the Dagger model he had just been looking at.
Attire wise she wore an odd suit like dress, one that ''suited'' her but still gave a off a ''mini-me'' impression at a bring your kid to work office party.
To his further surprise Kolme immediately bent down on one knee and patted the girl on the head before speaking to her in a kind, yet not patronising tone;
"Is that so miss? I never knew, ten whole units eh? I''d of loved to see one."
In response the little girl relaxed her offended expression into one of smug contentment, as though she was personally proud that of Abhaile''s thousands of war-machines, 10 in particular had been of that model.
"Perhaps you shall some day Mr.Nilas, if I should feel so inclined - Indeed I have on this very property one of the limited production types and the final prototype unit."
This last voice Sabban had seen coming, they had walked casually up to a door with audible footsteps before opening it and speaking - Sabban was glad to finally hear someone coming.
Kolme''s response on the other hand was to shoot upright, going as far as to straighten his back posture a little for once, before offering the sharpest salute Sabban had ever seen the man give;
"Your grace Sir!"
Hesitantly Sabban followed suit.
"Yes, very good. Right this way gentlemen, I will see you now."
****
Sabban and Kolme sat, or rather tenderly perched on the edge of what must of been the finest ''couch'' Sabban had ever witnessed - With its fine velvet shades, plush leather surfaces and gold inlays, Sabban honestly couldn''t help but try to think of a more accurate word, a posher word than just ''couch''.
The Duke''s entire ''study'' was much like this, the large room was packed to the gills with ''stuff'', the sort that any given single item was probably worth more than Sabban''s entire lifetime salary; Portraits and paintings, a grandfather clock of the highest calibre and maybe most peculiar of all - A large, easily 7 foot tall statue made seemingly of rounded stone with an odd domed ''head''.
The layout of the room had the far wall lined in old hardwood bookcases, in front of that a fine desk and chair before a lounge of sorts - The couch they currently sat on, a coffee table and at the end of the small space a large armchair where the Duke now sat.
Making her way agilely around the room was the young girl from before - Merrily she lay down a tray containing exquisite porcelain cups of the finest tea. The Duke nodded his gratitude and began to sip daintily from the beverage, Sabban politely left the cup unattended on the coffee table - Leaving only Kolme.
It was clear to Sabban that the old man wanted to ignore the cup and not risk breaking something so precious looking - No matter his love for bad-tasting tea, Kolme was no fool when it came to avoiding financial loss. The issue however was the little girl currently boring holes into him, as though tears would well up in her eyes at any moment should Kolme reject her hard work in preparing the drink
With a resigned crooked smile, the scruffy man tenderly reached out and drank delicately from the cup. The girl was quick to return the smile with a look of pride, the Duke too showed the faintest curve of his thin lips in response to the sight.
"That will be all Hiki, you may wait outside."
The girl nodded and quickly departed the room, leaving just the three adults behind.
Kolme gently laid the cup back onto the table with a quiet clink.
"Gentlemen are you perhaps nervous?" The Duke cooed with a wry tone of voice.
The more Sabban looked at the man, the more uncertain he felt. The Duke was tall enough and round enough, least that''s what he had thought at first. What seemed to be, lets say ''an exaggerated diet'' in reality appeared to be a series of plump jackets and overcoats, giving the man a false impression of weight - His hands aswell seemed small, his face angular and sharp - His cold eyes piercing.
"Your ah, your daughter seems a nice girl...." Kolme mumbled after a few moments of silence.
The Duke rose an eyebrow, as in fact did Sabban - The Duke of Bannerman was well known as having no heirs or spouse.
"Is that a guess Mr.Nilas, or are you simply mis-informed?"
Kolme turned pale, "Wha-- Ah, oh of course, sorry - Suppose I just presumed..."
"And correctly too."
----
"She''s your daughter?" Sabban blurted, now completely confused.
The Duke offered him an almost disappointed look;
"Do try and keep up Vint, as your superior just pointed out - Young Hiki is indeed my adopted child, a fact not publicly known - Truth being I officially still have no heirs, I intend for it to be a surprise on the day of my death - After all, there has never been a ''Duchess'' of Bannerman."
Sabban swallowed hard, either the Duke was messing with them - Or they had just been let in on some massive state secret - Neither being possibilities Sabban was keen on the idea of.
"An interesting girl you know--" The Duke continued in a more nostalgic tone of voice, "--Tragic story you could say, perhaps a candidate for one of this generations Three-Keys at some point, or atleast she had the potential to become a ''substitute key''."
"K-key sir? That girl?"
Sabban offered Kolme a perplexed look, having no idea what the significance of the wording was.
The Duke curved his lips to a minor smile once more, "You are familiar with the phrase then Mr.Nilas? Only logical considering your nationality I suppose. Yes my Hiki could have acted as Key if time had been kinder. Her parents were both brilliant engineers and designers - Her father came from this very city, I was fond of the man and funded some of his research in fact - The Dagger."
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
''As in that model fighter jet from earlier?'' Sabban thought to himself.
"There are two reasons the Dagger was discontinued, one public, the other very much so private.
You know the first, the new-found existence of the Vijaik but that alone wouldn''t of been enough to throw away years of development time and the empirical fact that the Dagger''s designer was the superior mind to that of the Vijaik - As proven by the fact Archie never did surpass his original Vijaik designs, where-as there is no doubt the Dagger would of continued to evolve for years to come.
No the second more important reason was her mother - Hiki''s father fell deeply ''in love'' with a woman he had known in collage, a Bhailien woman, a researcher in the employ of The States Union military.
Now you might say one small child, born of parents of differing creeds could hardly do much damage to the at the time upcoming war - But the King of Abhaile and his council of hacks & frauds, had no interest in talking chances. If there was as little a point 5 possibility that Hiki could be used to show people that Bhailiens and Abhailiens can live in peace together - Than the King wanted it removed."
The Duke paused for a moment, remembering their own disappointment in such a policy before going on;
"But like I said before, Hiki''s father had a brilliant mind - He saw it coming just in time and had Hiki sent home, here to Bannerman. He and his wife were discreetly taken care of shortly before the war began, but their infant child, symbol of a peaceful, loving co-existence - Was never found.
She ended up with her Father''s old teacher, who cared for until his own death - And than at the tender age of 6, found herself to be a street urchin until years later my people found her and I realised who and perhaps what, she is."
"So she''s a key in the sense she could of been used to promote an anti-war message?"
Sabban asked. The Duke nodded, "More or less - The ''Three Keys'' is an ancient folktale from the old countries on Bhaile - I take it your parents didn''t read much to you as a child Mr.Vint?"
Sabban held back a scowl, the Duke chuckled lightly;
"Apologies, that was unneeded. As of right now Hiki is openly just one of my staff, those years on the streets gave her a most intimate knowledge of my city and as such she is an invaluable member of my security detail."
"You hire a child for security?" Kolme said, probably a little too loudly.
The Duke shoot him a look, "She has been quiet insistent on wanting to help and I feel getting to be Duchess some day plus a home among my household, to be ample compensation for her current role."
"Ya, but like, she''s just a little kid though - Can''t be much more then 12 or 13, if that right?"
Sabban stared blankly at Kolme, wondering if the man had lost his mind - ''If the Duke of Bannerman wants to hire children than this is surely not the time to question it, that''s hardly our business right now you senile old fool!''
The illustrious man himself however seemed almost pleased with the line of questioning;
"Interesting, I suppose you are suggesting that she is not yet old enough to know what she wants and consent adequately to such a job? And yet Mr.Nilas do you not bring children into war?"
Sabban could of sworn he saw Kolme visibly shudder at the words before replying - "My people are all adults ain''t they?"
"Oh yes, in your country atleast - But in many countries 18 is the age of independence no?
Yet you have Miss.Conchabhair, a 17 year old with you - Furthermore in quite a few countries you can''t even drink alcohol or drive until 21, but sitting beside you is your hung-over 19 year old wingman - Or perhaps Mr.Nilas, you are saying the age of consent is mute, compared with the development of the brain - In which case, considering the brain does not usual fully finish developing until the age of 25 - Well, I think you see my point."
Kolme fell silent, sinking into the couch.
Sabban on the other hand wetted his lips nervously, if Kolme was going to get away with such questions, he might aswell try some of his own too; "Ummm, with respect your grace, I''m not sure what you mean by ''wingman''--"
"Oh don''t be so droll Mr.Vint, my people asked for you by your ranks did they not - Or perhaps you are suggesting, believing that I, 7th Duke of Fal-Dara, am unaware that in my city - IAFS ''secretly'' have their headquarters?"
"So you know everything?"
The Duke chuckled again, this time however with a little less mirth - "Fool-boy, I don''t just know, I''m on the IAFS board of directors, second only to the chairperson - I am in effect your ''boss'', more-so than commander Novel or vice-Admiral Louise. You can see me as major-general if that helps get the idea across."
Sabban and Kolme simply sat in stunned silence, unsure what to do with all this information, "Then why did you call us here?"
"Ah, that we still have some time for - For now let us talk some more, so that I might better understand the common-soldiers who my funding partly pays for.
Gentlemen as I hope has now become apparent, I Know Everything and Anything you could possible want to ask - From A.M.I, to E.N.D and all in-between - I offer you this, ask me anything and I will answer if it so pleases me to do so - Treat me as your once in a lifetime ''warlock''."
Kolme shot Sabban a cautionary glance but it was too late, "You know about A.M.I?" The younger man half spat.
This time the Duke frowned more deeply - "Is that the best you could come up with? I offer you the answers to life, the universe and everything - And you land on a question that mundane?
Disappointing but very well. Nation-State 9.3, recently destroyed by two idiot factions, was my property yes."
Sabban sub-consciously clenched his fists, "Then, were you involved with the, the... The experiments going on there?"
To Kolme''s absolute relief the Duke shook his head softly - "Apologies but no, I was approached some years ago by a Remembrance splinter-group asking for Hiki.
They desired to ''examine'' her in order to mimic her Magi abilities unto other children - I politely turned them down, however after that I kept tabs on the strange project and when it suddenly shut down a couple years back, I bought up the scraps left behind."
"I see, ok then. But shouldn''t you want to side with Remembrance instead of IAFS? I mean they''re remnants of the old Abhailen forces right?"
"Ah-ha! Now that''s a much better question boy! To cut a long story short Mr.Vint, I have survived even when my entire extended family did not - Do you know why that is?"
"Not really I guess..."
"Honesty my friend, no shame in that. I have survived gentleman, by having a touch of what my cousin the King lacked, a gambler''s poker face. When I was called upon to help the war effort, I indeed sent forces and funds but never so much as to leave Bannerman crippled - When the King demanded all forces head for the final stand against TSU, I discretely withdrew my forces. In-doing so, following the war Bannerman and by proxy this ''Provence'' of Fal-Dara had just enough strength left to be too much of a hassle for the remaining TSU forces to try and occupy.
When the Remembrance incident occurred, I did not stop them from recruiting out of my territory but equally I did not openly support their actions - When the incident ended I took in their wounded and bloodied, out of charity, not aggression against TSU - And in doing so gained more veteran soldiers as loyal followers going forward.
My whole life I have succeeded and dragged Bannerman with me into becoming the most successfully an Abhailen city has ever been in all of history - All by simply reading the tide of what''s to come."
"But that means..." Kolme half mumbled, "That you think IAFS actually stands a chance, of beating TSU?" Between Kolme''s serious tone followed by the Duke suddenly bursting out in open laughter, Sabban was growing tired of how hard this conversation was for him to follow.
"Ha-ha man don''t be so ridiculous, IAFS defeat TSU? Almost 15 years ago the Abhlien-Revolutionary-Army had better technology for the time, more people, more funding and more drive than IAFS could ever muster and yet they still lost - No Mr.Nilas, IAFS will never ''defeat'' TSU, or even just the TSU-s branch in open warfare.
But that isn''t what IAFS actually stands for now is it - ''Independent Alliance of Free States'', what I am backing is not a violent revolution but an economic union - I believe the Nation-States could soon begin to openly side with IAFS and when they do, the more it grows, before long--"
"Before long IAFS would become the biggest trading economic-block in history - We could rival TSU with customs and tariffs rather than mechs and warships?" Kolme finished.
"Exactly, your war, against submarines and overzealous speical forces with their experimental weapons, is a mere distraction from the real battle happening in boardrooms even as we speak."
----
Sabban and Kolme sat awkwardly in silence, unsure what to say anymore at this point.
The Duke watched on attentively, catching Kolme staring towards the large rounded stone statue in the corner of the room, perhaps simply trying to avoid looking at the Duke''s piercing gaze;
"Does that entity interest you Mr.Nilas?"
"Huh what? Errr, ya I guess - Is it an Abhailen statue style or something?"
"Oh no, in fact it isn''t a statue at all, gentlemen it is a Golem."
The two pilots glanced at each other with a shrug - "Like a model of the mythical creatures sir?"
"Not mythical Mr.Nilas, just long gone. The dwarfs created the Golems from shards of their ''Rock God'' - They saw the Golems as warrior-angels and advisors. In truth it is now believed they were powered by a shards of Magite - Or as soldiers like you know it, Goibniu."
"I thought that was just fai''ytail stuff?"
Kolme said back.
"Not surprising, they mostly died out thousands of years ago - It is possible this one is the last of its kind, you know they say St.Aardig had one accompany her throughout her entire rein as Empress - Could this one still talk I''m sure it would have the most interesting of tales to tell."
Sabban subconsciously rolled his eyes, this was clearly a distraction from the previous conversation topics - The Duke catching this, turned and directed his voice towards the statue; "Golem Awaken."
To the young man''s absolute bemusement, the inanimate object began to audibly creek - A few seconds more and the deep indents in its face started to gradually glow a smouldering flame.
Next one of its large rounded legs rose, followed by an arm.
Then it outstretched the other arm before swinging its elbow back - With a deafening thud a massive dent formed in the study wall.
The Duke rubbed at his forehead painedly, "That will do Golem, sleep once more."
The words said, the strange being slowly returned to its statue-like configuration - The glow in its eyes reduced to just a faint twinkle you wouldn''t even notice without looking... Nothing left behind to show it had moved baring the large hole in the wall.
Sabban simple sat mouth agape.
He wanted to think this was all a prank, that the ''Golem'' was only made to look like stone or clay, and in reality was a puppet on strings, an eccentricity the Duke used to disarm his guests - Yet he could feel it, deep down that what he had just witnessed was a very real creature out of myth and legend, thumping a massive hole in the wall of one of the world''s most powerful people.
Slack-jawed Kolme broke the silence, "Your Grace, why did you call us here?"
"Oh please Mr.Nilas, did I not already say there is plenty time left for all that?"
"With respect Sir, I''d like to know the price - For you telling and showing us all these... things."
Kolme finished, Sabban nodding his agreement to one side.
The Duke looked across thoughtfully at the two before raising from his chair, walking across to his desk and pressing one side of it - There was no indent or hidden button but nonetheless doing so caused a faint hiss to occur.
It was a quiet noise, as was the sound of one of the bookcases against the back wall slowly rolling back to reveal a secret passage behind the Duke''s office. The man himself stood by the entrance, beckoning the two to follow.
Sabban swallowed hard, things seemed to be insisting on getting weirder still.
Front 12.2; The ‘Duke’ of Bannerman – Part 2/2 (Originally Labelled Front 27.5)
12.2 - The Duke of Bannerman Part 2
Were Sabban to imagine what a long standing monarch of a partially sub-terrain culture like Abhaile''s, secret passages would look like - He might of thought to interlaced brick-work and dingy low lighting in tightknit corridors - The 7th Duke of Fal-Dara, ruler of Bannerman, had a very different idea of hidden passageways.
The space had walls nicely constructed in the same lavish fashion as the rest of the mansion - Indented light scones came on as they approached and diminished as they strayed further from the entrance, the space comfortably wide enough for two or three to walk abreast.
Ahead lay a doorway to what looked to be an elevator, beside it a long flight of well kept stairs.
"I had a small number of reasons for asking the presence of IAFS personnel today - One was to sample the results of my donations - You Mr.Vint were trained in the IAFS academy here in this very city, a building I personally funded and financed. And you Lt.Nilas, are a veteran of multiple wars who has now chosen to fight the good fight for this organisation - You two are an interesting sample study to put it succinctly."
"I see." Kolme mumbled as they began to descend the long line of stairs.
"The reason I require extra staff today is threefold connected to next week, to St.Aardig''s day.
Currently an emergence meeting of IAFS command is being held here in the city - I can not attend it owing to a city planning meeting retaining to Aardig''s day."
"They''re doing what right now?!" Kolme exclaimed but Sabban got in before the Duke could reply; "You ''fobbed off an emergence meeting for the sake of a council session?"
The Duke stopped their decline and turned to shoot Sabban an icy glare;
"The emergency meeting was in part prompted by me in fact Mr.Vint, however and let me make this clear: IAFS is a gamble on the future, but my city, its preparations for the biggest and only real feast day of the year? That will always come first."
The words said, the Duke once more started down the stairs. Reaching the bottom Kolme again attempted to break the silence, "You said ''extra staff'', anything in particular for?"
The Duke sighed, "How droll your minds seem to be - I show you all this, I tell you secrets you may never come across in ordinary life - I offer you answers to anything you desire - And all you care for, is the job? You are quite the soldiers aren''t you?"
"I like to know the price, before I pay Sir." Kolme grumbled back prompting the Duke to raise a pleased eyebrow.
They had reached the end of the stairs and now stood at a wide landing, surrounded by 3 sturdy looking metal doors each with a coded keypad mounted on the walls beside them;
"These doors to the left lead to my and Hiki''s personal quarters, it''s not quite a bunker but deep enough to protect us against any stray shell, especially considering what the walls are made up of."
The Duke grinned, "The real Bunker is ''a bit'' deeper."
There was almost a menace to the way he said the words, Sabban reckoned that they were three or four levels deep, about street level anywhere else in Bannerman - Begging the question of just how deep the so called ''Bunker'' might be.
The Duke turned to the third door, on his right and input a code - Like previous, the door slid with an almost elegant motion and hiss. The three passed through it into a cavernous space.
Once more Sabban felt awestruck, the room was massive, easily 25-30 metres tall alone, all lined in metal and filled with machines of war - Vijaiks, fighter jets, tanks, small arms - A menagerie of vehicles and weapons surrounded them.
"Mother of..." Kolme mumbled to his side.
Sabban too was at a loss for words - Glancing around he noted a few things, firstly they had exited onto a raised gantry 3/4ths or so of the room''s height giving them a good view of below.
Of said selection he spotted a handful of familiar machines; A Full size version of the model ''Dagger'' fighter jet they had seen earlier, as well as a Vijaik-Heavy Mk1 and Mk2, an MBT of some kind in IAFS colours and none other than a Neo-M - In fact with his limited experience as a test pilot, Sabban was pretty confident the Vijaiks were all prototypes or atleast test units - With strange paint choices, or extra pieces that never made it to Mass-Production.
All except for one other mech he recognised, one far too familiar...
"Welcome gentlemen, to my larger items, collection - I keep the more delicate pieces, painting and suchlike, upstairs but this side of my collection needs the space you understand?
Bayley Mechanics are kind enough to gift me some prototypes of their machines and firearms - I like to keep them as an emblem of Abhailen production prowess. Ah but I suppose you''re far more interested in that one yes?"
"Is it real?" Sabban asked a little icily. Standing next to the other mechs used mostly by IAFS or the old Abhailen armed forces - Stood a lone States Union mech, The Ogre.
TSU-S''s answer to the Nemo - A massive hulking green and brown machines, with spiked shoulders, a domed head and singular eye - A massive calibre axe on its back, energy pipes visibly running between joints.
It was the first machine Sabban had ever faced on the battlefield, the first he had ever destroyed too. On ''bad days'', that sentence often reformed itself in his mind, ''The first enemy pilot I ever murdered'' - Today was one of those days, most days were in fact.
"Ah-yes the Ogre, quite real. I bet you two don''t even know its actually designation and name - But I suppose you don''t need to, all you care about it is that you are required to ''shoot at it''.
Except recently you haven''t been have you? The Curadh, the ship you''re chasing, sister vessel of the oh-so legendary Cheval-De-Troy, perhaps the most important ship in our shared history - Doesn''t carry any operational Ogres, making it one of only three capital ships in the entire TSU-s fleet not to carry a squadron."
"That so." Sabban half-scoffed back.
"Indeed, it is Mr.Vint - Now ask yourself this gentlemen, why exactly do over 94% of TSU-s warships carry Ogres? Is it not almost universally agreed on all sides, that the Ogre is a terrible war machine? It has a lower power output then the last generation MBT line, meaning it can only use one energy based weapon at a time. Its armour is thick but said armour''s Goibniu and even Lanthanides concentration is laughably low, meaning a standard energy rifle like that of the Neo''s can easily burn through it regardless of the bulk.
It is a useless machine on the modern battlefield, so what pray tell is it for?"
Kolme shrugged, laying a hand on Sabban''s shoulder as though to try calm the younger man down; "Just TSU being TSU ain''t it your grace?"
"Interesting, so you believe that TSU are ''stupid'' 1st Lieutenant Nilas?"
"Well, I mean, kinda I suppose?"
"Indeed, just like how big corporations are always fools who should pay their CEOs less or how every man on the street thinks he could better run the local government or more efficiently police the youths? How every lower class grafter could be a billionaire if they just got that one lucky break that all the ''rich'' get? And yet somehow these people always remain in power. Corruption, the system, society you would say I suppose?
Or perhaps there is more to TSU then mere ''stupidity'' - More to the organisation that has effectively been an all consuming Empire who''s rein has held for hundreds of years?
Their sort, the rich, the powerful, they want us to laugh gentlemen, to think them all fools and halfwits, for what better shield for the corruption and cruelty than beneath a bumbling visage?!
Tell me gentlemen, why I ask you, is the Ogre so clearly not intended for mech on mech combat?!"
Kolme''s face lit up at the emphasized question, "You mean, the Ogre wasn''t made for mech combat?"
The Duke''s expressions relaxed again;
"Exactly, well done. We all presume TSU would make a modern machine to combat others like it - But that isn''t their true goal, the Ogre was designed for ground based combat, created to fight human opponents armed with the odd armoured car or rocket launcher at best - It was made to fight low-level terrorists and rebels."
"But then why mass-produced it as their main machine? ''Tween IAFS and Remembrance there''s plenty of armed forces opposing TSU right? Terrorists should be the least of their worries."
"Come gentlemen, I have your answer over here."
The Duke said, walking further along the walkway towards a railing mounted computer - Sabban and Kolme following hesitantly but close behind, exchanging worried looks.
Getting in range of the screen Sabban released it was split in half vertically - One side simply showing a magnified view of an object on the ground beneath the walkway, the other displaying information and photographs of where the part had originated from.
A new shiver ran down the young man''s back;
"How the hell is that here?"
The machine part was a metallic square object, with a long winding hose connected firmly to one side - Unassuming unless you had faced one before.
"I ask myself much the same sometimes, acquiring just that single appendage of it proved far too costly to my people."
The Duke said with a surprisingly earnest tone of sorrow; "At Station 9 your squadron faced the ''Diamond Fortress Beta'', this one and the images shown here are from the ''Alpha'' variant, which was deployed here on Abhaile a few months ago - It massacred an entire town..."
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. The Duke paused a moment before brightening to his usual tone - "But than again I suppose TSU-s destroying entire civilian populations is normal these days - I believe your youngest pilot''s entire family died in one such incident yes?"
"Don''t make it right even if it ''as become normal."
Kolme said back solemnly.
The Duke smiled softly;
"No indeed, quite right. However I did not show you this to depress anyone - Rather to highlight my point. There is a sizable amount of other evidence but I feel the Ogre and the Diamond the best to illustrate to men such as yourselves. You fought this machine, did you find it strange that you all survived?"
"What are you implying?"
"Oh don''t misunderstand Vint, I think what you people did was exceptional for an average Vijaik squadron, you in particular I''m told were exceedingly brave in the battle - But no matter how good, a squad of just 4 Neo pilots don''t beat a Casnel-Fortress without significant planning. No the truth is, the Diamond hit and damaged all of your machines yet failed to land killing blows, why?"
"Just ''cause it split its energy attack in four?"
"Exactly, still enough output to damage you severely and combining those 4 back to one would be more than lethal - But the individual divided beams could not pierce a cockpit in a single blow. The reason?
Because they aren''t intended to, in fact the Diamond has nothing to do with mech combat, almost all its armour is on its underside and even then you 4 were eventually able to breech it.
The rest of its Goibniu is used purely for power generation and Magi amplification - Had you been able to get up higher, you could of shot its sides and it would of crumpled like paper."
"That''s ridiculous, you can''t know that!" Sabban shot back.
"Oh but I can, look here." The Duke pressed at the monitor and a video began playing.
The ''Alpha'' type appeared almost ''floating'' in the air over some dusty Abhailen settlement, unleashing 4 green lighting bolts a second, striking human after human - Man, woman and child alike - Melting the flesh from their bones in real time.
The video soon skipped ahead to show burgundy & orange mechs desperately engaging and losing to the machine.
"Those are Neos right? Just in funny colours."
"Well spotted Lt.Nilas - The attack took place within TSU occupied territory, however Fal-Dara and Remembrance forces both launched to help - We may not control central or southern Abhaile anymore, but we will not allow children to die on out doorstep!
...Then again I am little more than talk on this occasion, as you can see my troops could do little and by the time Remembrance forces arrived, 96% of the civilians were already burned to death, children included..."
On cue the video showed new mechs arriving, ones Sabban couldn''t recognise - They flew in like fighter jets, unleashing a barrage of missiles striking the Diamond in its sides.
Where the Duke''s Neos couldn''t even scratch its underside, the missiles shredded through the Fortress''s other sections with easy.
''Remembrance still have this sort of firepower? I thought they were mostly wiped out years ago? Maybe I should ask Scarlet about them sometime.''
"I take it you understand everything now soldiers of IAFS?
Like the Ogre, this ''Diamond'' was made to suppress people, not mechs. The States Union''s ambition is to wipe out and squash all resistance down to a street level - The Diamond is designed to sit in low atmosphere, out of reach of any rifle or tank - And shoot down beams of hell for as long as it takes to wipe out every-last poor blasted fool who dares to so much as think of dissent towards TSU.
My intelligence network speaks of a TSU operation among the higher brass, ''TA900'' they call it, a plan to maintain TSU''s absolute power for the next 500 years!
Something is coming gentlemen, a weapon to replace Vijaiks, a weapon to wipe out IAFS, Remembrance and anyone else - And once they have, they intend to never let another group like us rise up, ever again.
Right now the commanders of IAFS like your own hungover commander Novel and the other Tristian officers like commander Batty and lt.commander Louise - Along with vice-Admiral Louise, captain Legro, lt.commander Ceathair whom all three had to come here in regular transports in quite a hurry - Aswell as a dozen boardroom directors from our sponsors, are discussing both this upcoming emergency and of all things, a truce proposition that TSU have sent us!"
Sabban and Kolme stood blinking dumbly at the Duke''s speech, "A truce Sir?"
"Yes, why did you think your flotilla was ordered to suddenly stop pursing The Curadh? Just as we were getting ready to discuss an all out offensive to stop TSU-s completing this new weapon - We get a truce offer for the period of the holiday season. Can you believe the gall of that gentlemen?"
The Duke sighed upon seeing the two men''s blank, pale, exhausted faces - As though the sigh had quelled his impassioned speech, the Duke once more relaxed their posture to a more composed expression - "Come, I think you''ve seen more than enough."
There was silence once more as they exited the cavernous hidden room, back out to the secret passage until the Duke himself broke that silence;
"You disappoint me gentlemen, you are exactly as the files on you stated - Just two rank and file warriors, nothing more nothing less."
"Sir?" Kolme opted.
"No, no, it is hardly your fault that you are what you are - A shame however, you Mr.Vint I believe could of been a hero in another life, as is I simply hope you get to fulfil your current potential as an ace in the making.
You Kolme, might yet become something truly terrifying, yet for now you seem happy to simply be these pilot''s Nakima - And to perhaps settle things with Miss.Scarlet."
"Hero? What''s that supposed to mean?"
"Oh please, you know I''m right don''t you? Even without training you can already sense that much can''t you Vint?"
"A-are you calling me a Magi?!"
"Alas no more so then I, your chance to be one has unfortunately passed - Although you retain a strong sense of intuition, that path has mostly closed for you."
Sabban didn''t know how to possibly respond to such a claim, it sounded ridiculous and yet a part of him somehow knew the Duke spoke the truth - As though he had been, will be and never was all at once - It was a feeling he greatly disliked having so casually thrust upon him.
"I have met both Scarlet and Miss.Bachika before, albeit in briefer fashion than this - The girl who will never overcome her ghosts and the woman who is little more than one.
I had hoped you two might be different, instead it seems all our hopes still rely on the pilots of the Tradech - There is truly no substitute for the Magi blessed with carrying fate as it were."
"What about Una-- Eh, no wait, the heck you saying about my squad eh?"
Kolme said back in bewilderment at the conversation''s direction.
"That child is irrelevant and Your squad Nilas? You mean Miss.Emilia''s do you not, as you are only acting commander in place of a woman who''s never even onboard?!
Nevermind all that, I apologies I have no reason to antagonise you so carelessly. You see In About 59 Minutes I Will Die."
-----------------------------------
"My Apologies again, just a little fun there. What I mean to say is that out there somewhere, someone has written in their diary or planner, that I shall be dead in about 58 minute''s time.
Nothing much to worry about, it is quite a regular occurrence, two days ago I was scheduled to be deceased at 3 in the morning - However I am unfortunately somewhat short staffed on this occasion, especially with some of my people helping with the IAFS meeting."
"Huh, that''s it!? That''s what all this was for?" Sabban blurted.
They were back in the Duke''s office now, the bookcase sliding back into place, leaving no trace - The Duke taking the chair behind the large old desk, while the two pilots remained standing this time.
"Tch, it''s so he don''t have to risk a rumour - Sure police or the local defence forces would help but they might leak it to the press or somen'' right, your Grace?" Kolme replied, even his voice now staring to show signs of annoyance.
"Right again, the chance of it happening is low of course - But rather then risk a leak, I shall simply use two soldiers whom also happen to be on my payroll and who won''t even be here in a week''s time. I think everything I''ve let you in on today should be more than ample compensation, yes?"
There was a long, hard minute of Kolme holding the Duke''s gaze - "Fine whatever, I take it we just step out that door and everything will be ready for us?"
"Indeed, Hiki will meet you there and a driver will be ready to brief you on the way - Hiki will guide you through the city, she knows it well from her time homeless, but understand I do not want her to get blood on her hands - Kill the assassin or incapacity him, I care little how, but keep Hiki out of the firing line - I''m trusting you two to get this right, after-all the life of the Duke and of the future Duchess will be in your hands."
The man smiled, and as though the conversation was suddenly over he began to shuffle through an in-tray of papers on his desk.
Kolme and Sabban both glared for a few moments, before Kolme slouched his shoulders and began making for the doorway. Just as he and Sabban were about to leave, Sabban turned to face the Duke once more - Alot was bugging him right now, alot of possibly important details he knew had gone straight over his head, it was clear he and Kolme were simply the person playthings today - But one odd question lingered, something he had noticed in the way the Duke''s clothes looked or the pitch of their voice when they had gotten more excited earlier.
"Oi, your Grace Sir. You said before that Bannerman has never had a Duchess - Is that really true?"
The Duke slowly looked up from their desk with a sharp but dainty smile,
"Good Afternoon Mister Vint, Best of luck to both of you, I doubt we will ever have cause to meet again."
Front 12.3; Killer (Originally Labelled Front 28)
Front 12.3 - Killer
As quickly as they had entered the Duke''s estate, the two men soon found themselves in a similar yet different limousine - With a familiar driver, although this time no man in a suit to escort them.
The stylish vehicle soon wound them back down the long path of the mansion and into the greater city, and with the time of day & year being what it was, there was a fair few people on the dust laden, plain streets.
The driver gradually explained the ''job'' to them, as well as offering them both a small printed file on the matter. Supposedly the ''enemy'' had many teams rather then just one person to make an attempt on the Duke''s life. This afternoon, one assassin in particular was without an assigned counter - That said their intelligence believed the man to be hiding in Bannerman''s slums based on a passenger manifest from the local ports. Kolme and Sabban were really just to act as Hiki''s bodyguards.
So the limousine continued, past the regular city streets and out towards the poorest quarters of the city. It was a common joke Sabban knew, to say that Abhailen cities had no poor or rich districts from the outside - Almost every building was made of the same materials, had some form of underground portion, dust shutters and a height of no more than 3 or 4 stories - Making it hard for outsiders to differentiate between a poor household, and an affluent one.
But now Sabban was beginning to wonder if that statement held true;
The ''slums'' were dilapidated to put it lightly. The ''roads'' were simply the dust layered, empty spaces between buildings, the houses tiny cuboid shapes - Their windows usually just cheap metal or unwieldy plastic sheets to prevent dust, some just open gaps with rag-like curtains for protection.
There were hobbled rows of these small ''homes'', then in other spots the buildings became disparate - The biggest abodes being two or three of the cube structures stacked in gaint ''stair'' like pattern. Heavy tents could be seen periodically alongside public water-sources - Bins were rare, lights too, with trash lining many a corner.
The driver seemed to catch Sabban''s eye in the car mirror; "Bet you think this is pretty bad eh? You should go to some other cities, down south some time - All outsiders should..."
"Why''s that?" Sabban said back a little coldly.
"Heh, because this is what they look like, all the Union occupied cities are like this now - I hear most of the old capital is even this way now, ''cept the bits the TSU officials live in of-course."
The driver replied with a bitter joviality.
"But Bannerman''s free of all that right, so why have a part of your city look like... this?"
The driver didn''t seem to have an answer to that, so Kolme jumped in after a few awkward moments;
"That''s easy Sab-lad, there''s always a need for a place like this - No truly big cities like Bannerman can avoid it for long. There''ll always be people who fall down, end up homeless for a bit - Some even desire to be homeless, in a manner of speaking."
"And this is the answer?"
"Yup. Atleast these are buildings, crap or not - Atleast there''s water. You don''t last long on Abhaile out in the open with nothing lad, this place is probably a paradise for a group ''o people who otherwise wouldn''t last a week - And besides makes a good trap for criminals, the perfect place for ''em to hide--"
"And for mooks like us to be sent on errands to find ''em huh?" Sabban sighed back.
The drivers grumbled a little as the limo came to a perfectly silent stop, he turned back to them - "Not that often to be honest, most underworld types know this place is a trap already. But we do sometimes get lucky like today."
Their odd conversation over, Sabban and Kolme departed the vehicle which quickly left.
They had been dropped off in a wide open area, surrounded on all sides by the strange little cuboid buildings and lack of infrastructure - Sabban just covering his eyes in time when a sudden gust blew a heavy swirl of dust around them both, Kolme began coughing having taken in a mouthful.
"A storm now? Just great, what are the chances!"
"Very high mister, assassins need the cover." Chirped a voice at Sabban''s side.
Standing silently beside them was a small figure in a camouflaged mud-coloured poncho and hood, her light red-brown hair and amber eyes peeking out from under said hood.
"Damn you''re quiet."
Sabban murmered, causing the young girl to grin mischievously.
"Hello again Miss, Hiki was it?"
"Yup, yup!" The girl beamed, turning her attentions to the half crouched Kolme.
He offered his hand out to the girl, "Nice to meet ya'' properly - We''re in your care today it seems." Kolme added politely as the two shook hands like businessmen - Sabban just scoffed.
Fifteen minutes later and Sabban was beginning to question the validity of this job - They had so far seemingly wandered at random around the streets of the slums - Hiki explaining the incoming dust storm had been predicted before now and that the assassins probably intended to use it as cover for a quick escape - Sabban would admit that the girl knew her stuff, but how exactly she would lead them to the enemy in the massive place, that he was at a loss for.
They had briefly stopped at an ad-hoc street vender to buy two cheap ponchos of their own and now walked through a slightly denser part of the slums, with tighter gaps between buildings backing onto the ''regular'' portions of town.
Also strange was Kolme''s responses to the girl, he was being ''nice''. This wasn''t to say Sabban saw Kolme as cold-hearted or anything but he hadn''t expected the older man to be good with children - And yet it seemed he was. He was good at listening, giving praise and not patronising - In just 15 minutes he''d almost started to look like a kindly old grandfather or uncle might.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.?Sabban was left to simply accept he had never really seen Kolme with a kid before so the new side of him probably shouldn''t have been that surprising - ''He''s always nice to Una as well, she''s kinda a kid too I guess''.
Another few minutes of walking passed, the gales of wind growing stronger & atmosphere heavier as they came upon a split of two alleyways;
"Mr.Scowly face should go left, Gramps and me go right - The paths meet on the other side." Hiki said confidently.
Sabban, well, scowled, before nodding to Kolme and beginning to trek left, still darkly musing on how this search could possibly succeed - The other two heading straight on.
"Hey Hiki, sorry if this is personal kid but I w''ere wondering - Did some folks ever try and take you away? From his Grace I mean?" Kolme asked casually.
Even from under her cloak it was clear Hiki tensed up a little, "...... Maybe, but the Duke made them go away...."
"That so? Good, I''m gla--"
"But...."
"But?"
"Long ago, people came to my old house.... They made me do tests and scans and stuff. The professor tried to stop them when he found me, but they got him..."
Kolme did his best to keep a level expression;
"The professor being the man who you grew up with right? I heard he died naturally?"
Hiki shook her head gently, "They made it look that way.... Only I got away... He was kinda like you mister, kind but really old looking."
"And the Duke, they don''t know this?"
The young girl shook her head once more.
"Listen kiddo, maybe you should tell ''em, could--"
"Kolme!!" Interjected a yell from the end of the alley, "I found the bastard!"
Sabban was panting hard, despite having no idea how their random search could reveal anything - As he had rounded the left side corner, a man in used looking business attire had exited one of the small buildings carrying a briefcase. The two had locked eyes for just a moment before the man took off running down the street at full tilt.
Stopping only momentarily to call out to Kolme, Sabban gave rapid chase.
Keeping a firm hold on the suitcase, the man in black scurried along the roads and alleys - Tipping over the copious rubbish bags, stomping through tents for shortcuts and anything else to try increase the gap between himself and his pursuer.
Ignoring a plea from Kolme to slow down, Sabban vaulted, sprinted and clambered his way after the man - He knew a single second would make all the difference as around them the storm was beginning to pick up - The wind had begun to beat against him, red dust filled the dry air gradually making his target grow fainter and fainter.
Bursting around a corner into an open plaza of sorts, the suited man froze for a moment seeing no more obstacles to throw or narrow gaps to bottle down - Not waiting long he quickly chose to climb an exposed ladder onto the flat top of one of the small building rows.
Hot on his heels Sabban, pistol in hand, took the ladder rungs two at a time.
While his body moved flat out, his mind however wouldn''t stop screaming for a halt.
Who was he chasing? What had they done? Could he be sure they were the target?
Could he Pull the Trigger?
After all, why should he? This man was an enemy of the Duke, a board member of IAFS maybe, if their words were to be believed - But not a direct enemy.
The man before him had done nothing to Sabban or his allies personally - Heck he hadn''t yet made an attempt on the Duke''s life.
He''d been trained for anti-personnel combat, a fact he was sure the Duke would gleefully site proudly as a part of the training academy here in Bannerman - But he had never actually shot a pistol at a human face.
He knew he had killed before, other pilots - But never face to face like this.
What would happen if he missed?
Having chased the enemy up another ladder to the roof of a second story property - On the far side was another ladder back down but Sabban had been quicker, drawing his weapon and calling out before the suited man could reach his way back down.
Slowly the man turned to face Sabban.
The air was curling angrily around them now, the rough dust spattering their exposed faces.
The man was unremarkable, middle aged, black hair, generic sunglasses - Not the sort of face to haunt your dreams, or so Sabban hoped quietly.
As he finished turning the man lunged and in a moment it felt like the world ground to a halt - Through the blistering storm the man let loose his briefcase that clattered to the floor, opening to reveal the disassembled components of a sniper rifle - And dagger in hand rammed forward for Sabban''s jugular.
Sabban knew his options the second he saw the shinning metal glint bursting through the sandy-red storm. He could shoot and if he missed he would no doubt die - Or he could sacrifice a hand, raise it up, let the knife pierce it, pierce through his scared, burned palm - While non-lethally shooting the foe at point-blank range in the following second.
He knew all this instantly, as though he always had and always would - He also knew he might never pilot again if he blocked with his hand, and lost the vital nerve connections.
He pondered for a fraction of a second if that would be so bad.
He was sure he should raise the pistol and take the shot. He was a good shot after-all and this was less than a metre''s range, he wouldn''t miss - He would gun down this man who was yet to actually commit any crimes.
His body felt heavy but his mind was burning vibrantly alive - He readied himself for the knife to land.
Front 12.4; Wingman (Originally Labelled Front 29)
Front 12.4 - Wingman
He was sure he should raise the pistol and take the shot. He was a good shot after-all and this was less than a metre''s range, he wouldn''t miss - He would gun down this man who was yet to actually commit any crimes.
His body felt heavy but his mind was burning vibrantly alive - He readied himself for the knife to land.
----
THUD - The sound of a heavy-metal pole clattering against the back of the assailants head. The dust storm thick all around them, neither Sabban or the assassin had released Kolme Nilas had caught up to them, makeshift weapon in hand.
"Ey-up lad, this was the right guy ya?"
****
It had been, Sabban would admit, a strange day - Mission ''complete'' they had been dropped back to the same old graveside-bench, by yet another black limousine and found themselves once more staring up at the sky.
The dust storm had passed as quickly as it arrived, now the distant view was filled with it making its progress across the continent.
"What was it all for Kolme?" Sabban murmured after a while of silence.
"How''d ya mean lad, we got the guy didn''t we?"
"We got ''a'' guy you mean?" Sabban scowled back.
Kolme flinched a little, "Ah now come on, how were we to know that Hiki girl would get separated from us in the storm and end up finding a secret second assassin."
"But that''s exactly it! She never needed us for an escort, she took out that second guy with a friggin taser - All anyone will ever remember is how the Duke''s progeny single handily beat a dangerous criminal."
"Well ya, I guess. Do you want to be remembered for something like that Sab-lad? I mean if we weren''t there that second assassin might not ''ave been found--"
"So what?! The Duke was only short-staffed because all those guards were with him right?
Someone else would of found him, or taken the bullet on the Duke''s smug behalf - We were only their to amuse the Duke that''s all, our little 20 minute ''mission'' was just an excuse to screw with us!"
"Probably true, I won''t deny its been a weird day..."
Kolme added with a sigh.
----
"But that''s just it, what''s the point of it Kolme? I mean like the Tristain flotilla getting told to back-off chasing the Curadh, simply because IAFS''s higher ups want to have a big meeting or something - While we rank and file get left in the dark!
What''s the point of it all?"
Kolme rubbed lightly at the back of his scalp, musing the question;
"Ya know you''ve said alot since we arrived on Bannerman, more in one go than you ''ave in months to be honest - I guess that Station 9 fiasco really got under your skin. I been trying to think of the answers for ya too, or my answers atleast."
The older man stared up at the reddened sky as he went on - "You said you hate people like me, who see the pain of the world and do nothing - And that you don''t want to be oblivious neither, hurting people without even knowing it.
Honestly it sounds like there is alot you don''t want to be - I wonder what you do want to be lad?"
"What I want to be? I mean..." Sabban fumbled with his word, ''What do I want to be?''
Kolme grinned kindly, "You remind me of my own life Sabban, though I was already past your age when I had thoughts like these - Not that I want to offend ya'' by being over presumptuous or nothin'', but the way you always talk ''bout these things, and your family too - It''s familiar.
My Ma'' died, it was called a terrorist attack but really it was done by a foreign power, a few years later that country invaded ours - It was a long war, or should I say ''Incident'' - Usual TSU cover up of course, but that''s not really the point.
Me and my Da'', well we were men both when it happened and we just never really talked on it ya know?
He withdrew from the world, became oblivious to it and started to hurt people without even knowing it - While I, I did nothing just tried to keep myself to myself, tried to ignore everything ''bigger'' happening around us.
Dad fought in the incident though, became an officer by field promotion - Lost almost every man in his platoon before the confli''cks end - Didn''t much talk about that either."
"So you joined the military to protect your homeland?" Sabban asked, he had never cared much before but suddenly found himself compelled to know more about Kolme Nilas.
Kolme in turn laughed lightly, "Ha! No lad, joined just to get away.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.?See even after the conflict ended my Da'' still hurt those around him while I ignored that hurt. Eventually it caught up to us both, he lost the woman he considered the daughter he never had and I....Anyway, I only joined TSU to get away from home - I''m only in IAFS because I was onboard a ship that defected - Nothing deeper than that.
Thing is, trying not to be like someone, that can be deadly lad - I think really you either becoming the thing you hated or ya get to be defined by ye''re hatred.
Now I''m not saying you should start being an intolerant bastard, nor am I saying you should go out of your way to take a bullet on behalf of your squad-mates - I definitely ain''t saying you should be like that ex-girl''friend of yours, hurting people who need help not condemnation.
Honestly I don''t really know what I''m saying."
"Well that''s nothing new." Sabban jeered.
Kolme laughed,
"Ya true that Sab-lad. Thing is I don''t think you should ignore it either - And knowing me, I''m probably wrong ''bout all a'' this but I want to look out for you guys, for our squad and our ship - But without becoming all gung-ho.
I don''t want us to be hero''s who die in honour, just normal folk who do their bit and come back in one piece. So I''ll play the games of Dukes and get shuffled around by generals - But resist being my Dad in my own way ya know?"
It was Sabban''s turn to nod, feeling an odd sense of relief - "Ya, that don''t sound so bad, I guess."
"And ah, I''m sorry about Station 9, I went too far..." Kolme said turning to face the young man.
"No, you were just worried about Scarlet right? You knew there was nothing we could do about that crazy A.M.I crap, but you can try and shield her?"
Kolme borderline blushed, "Ya something like that."
"Thanks Kolme, for coming with me today and saving me - In the end we didn''t even have to kill anyone, baring giving that guy a concussion."
"One less ghost right lad?" The older man added with a smile.
"Ya. And don''t worry about me, I''ll stick with it, I am your wingman after all right?"
Kolme nodded, while Sabban sprung up from the bench, stretching stiffly.
"I can''t stop ya being haunted lad, and I don''t know if there is any med''cine in the world for your mind - But ya can be my wingman for sure, not that I can even keep up with ya."
"Ya know what Kolme, fuck this shitty city, fuck ex''s and Duke''s and secret IAFS''s planning!"
"Careful lad, lotta people loyal to this city round here."
Kolme winked with a broad grin.
Sabban looked out over the endless gravestones, over towards the retreating dust-storm, and found his body begging for release, to yell out in frustration at it all;
"Ya so what, whoever listens let ''em come, Fuck this shitty city and this fecking red ball of dirt and shite!! Fuck it all!!!"
"You Should Listen to your elders brat! What are you saying ''bout this planet" Bellowed an only half-serious voice.
Kolme turned to look over the bench and Sabban craned his neck around, both looked to the narrow lane at the bottom of the slope, there lay a rough military-jeep with three familiar faces.
"Hey Scarlet, finally get over your hangover?" Kolme jeered back ginning.
Also in the vehicle was Hoki with a tired looking face riding shotgun, and Una sitting on the backrow, wincing slightly whenever Scarlet rose her voice.
"Ha, ain''t never been a hangover bested me Nilas - We''ve been searching half the blasted town looking for you two - Heck we were only here an hour ago."
"Paying our respects." Una added more meekly, Hoki flashing her a kind smile.
"What''s the big hurry?" Sabban called back.
"We''ve all been recalled, there''s been some sort of meeting over a truce offer - Vacations off." Hoki replied, glancing at her handheld.
"Have you ever heard the like Nilas, a fecking truce now, they''re even talking about a joint Aardig''s day party!" Scarlet bellowed, again causing the other two girls to wince.
Kolme grinned, standing up and clamping Sabban''s shoulder as he did, "A truce really, we''d of never guessed."
Scarlet glared suspiciously at the two men; "That so? Where you two been all day anyway?"
For once Sabban allowed himself to put on a wolfish grin of his own, "Just this once, I actually don''t think you''ll believe us."
He laughed as they began to walk down the slope.
Hoki frowned, "Scarlet seldom believes anything Lt.Nilas says."
"Oi what''s with the dig wing-woman, who''s side you on." Scarlet quipped back, although clearly in jest causing even Una to smile - "Now you guys going to get in or do you wann''a walk back?"
"Aye, aye we''re coming."
And so the Neo Squadron made their way back towards the mooring of the Am-Fluchtig, bickering childishly all the way, even Sabban - Heading towards whatever tomorrow might bring.
Volume 2 Epilogue
Epilogue
After their brief stint in the city of Bannerman, the Fluchtig squad returned to their warship home - All around there was a buzz of anticipation, it had been officially announced that there was to be a truce between TSU-s and IAFS - Moreover that the Fluchtig would be hosting a St.Aardig''s day party of all things.
Sabban floated down from his Neo''s cockpit - The squad had been asked to move their machines into a quiet corner of the main hangar as the under-hangar would be used for the party. As he neared the floor Sabban spotted the other squad members and the young bridge officer Cally;
"Thank you ensign, that''s all of them out of the way."
Cally said politely, adding a tick to a digital clipboard in her hands.
"Guess that''s that then, you can all take the rest of the day off, our holiday was cut short after all." Kolme added addressing the now assembled squad.
Una and Hoki both nodded and Sabban himself grumbled a half-hearted response - Everyone had found themselves feeling somewhat glum after the return to the ship - Visiting the graveyard in Bannerman had left a particular effect on the three youngest members of the squad and while Sabban did feel a little lighter after his talk with Kolme, alot was still playing on his mind.
Clearly picking up on this, Scarlet jumped to her feet with a loud proclamation; "We should take a photo!"
"Ha?" Sabban replied drolly, rolling his eyes.
"Tch, don''t give me that attitude boy! I haven''t seen a smile out of any of you 3 for days damn it! Its like in battle, if you can''t get a win with tactics, than ram your way through to a victory - A picture ought to force you three to smile."
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"Well, I guess we have been a little out of it lately." Hoki admitted, while to her side Una didn''t look quite so sure of the idea.
"I''m not sure I like that approach to battle though..." Kolme mumbled.
"Heh, I kinda do, makes sense to me."
Sabban nodded, suddenly feeling a bit more inclined towards the idea.
"Its settled then! Cally you take the photo, you lot on me, follow my lead!" Scarlet boasted, clearly pleased by this easy victory.
If a little reluctantly, the quintet took their positions, Cally putting aside her clipboard and raising her handheld to take the photo:
"Una please don''t look so shy."
"Errr. right Miss.Hoki, sorry..."
"Sab-lad you could do with being a bit more shy, you look down right rigid."
"Pah, says you old man, what''s with straightening your posture like that?"
"He''s not wrong Nilas! Show the camera ya'' real side!"
"AH!! Scarlet don''t slap me like that!"
"Haha, suck it Nilas - Hey Una, Hoki do this, VVVVV!"
"Ummmm what?"
"Oh look the camera flashed."
"Wha already!"
"Let me see!"
"Oh god we are hopeless...."
"Heh, only work that out now, wingman?" Sabban laughed as they all gathered around the group photo.
End of Volume 2
Thank you for reading.
Christmas Special! (No Context Required) - UnderCurrent At Christmas - Appendix #0
On ''The UnderCurrent'' At Christmas - Appendix Entry #0
It may come as surprising to you dear reader that UnderCurrent - A civilisation of two planets probably millions of years away from our own, or possible in a completely alternate dimension - Has a very concept of Christmas at all.
Well the fact is it doesn''t, however, in spite of my own and Dr.Shika''s insistence to the contrary - The publisher and the spokesman for the Minister have made it very clear that we are to include one.
I shant pretend to be happy about this and I can only be glad we were able to argue it back to just one appendix entry and not have it spiral into some ''St*r-W*rs Holiday Special'' atrocity!
And thusly I have been presented with a begrudgingly put together set of files on all known public-holidays within the UnderCurrent''s cultures from Dr.Shika''s most gullible intern - As well as being assigned an assistant - The ''great'', oh so wonderful Sir Dichter-Digter, whom has graced us with a ''poem'' - Because I''m obviously not ''Merry'' enough by myself, Pah!
I''d call it a rhyme but that would be quite the insult to the work of Dr.Seuss and every kinder-garden teacher on minimu----
[Editor''s Note #1/3 - Mr.Havelock(OBE) Began to Digress a Little Here but Never Fear, we Will Cut Straight to the Mirth-Filled Christmas Section!]
----therefore it should suffice to say, that owing to the UnderCurrent having no equivalent to Christianity or most of Earth''s religious organisations, there is thankfully no version of Easter to speak of, nor is there Halloween in any fashion.
And yet, though I loath to say it there is an event of some most small of comparisons to ''our'' Christmas.
This event varies greatly across the many societies of the UnderCurrent but is practised by almost all of them except for the sparse handful of true-elven societies that remain tucked away on Bhaile.
The technical name of this event is ''St.Sword-Slayers Day'', though few call it by this, partially owing to the UnderCurrent''s somewhat fraught religious system - And the fact that it hardly roils off the tounge. With most opting instead to use the name ''St.Aardig''s'' day instead.
In what''s believed to be living memory an event called ''The Great Homogenisation'' occurred, which declassified many customs and religions into cults of a sort.
Interestingly the pilots of the Fluchtig come across one such group in the fourth arc of this so called ''historical novel'', you know - The one that''s currently being used to promote Christmas of all things...
The ''cult'' in question are the ominously named ''E.N.D'' and though our pilots only meet with them briefly (quite literally walking past their recruiters on the street-walk) they are a very interesting organisation.
Before Abhaile was settled, many saw the planet as a God. Imagine for a moment that when you looked into the sky, what stared back at you was a startlingly close planet, something multitudes bigger than our Earth''s moon for example - Ever looming above you.
It is little wonder then that it was decreed a ''God''.
In the years since there declassification and the settling of Abhaile as - A planet, not some benevolent God, - E.N.D have grown suitably more ''cultish''.
Despite having their headquarters on the very planet they believe to be their deity, they now preach that Abhaile (The ''God'') is angry for the ''sins of it''s subjects daring to touch it''s sacred surface'' - They believe the, well, ''End'' is nigh and that Abhaile will of its own volition collide into Bhaile to destroy both planets wholesale as punishment.
Ha, now I bet that makes for an superb nativity play!
I must say they make for an interesting group, believing only those who repent and live on Abhaile will be spared. As contradicting as that may sound, it actually shares some intriguing parallels with our earth''s----
[Editors Note #2/3 - Apologies Again, The Rest of This Section about E.N.D and a Number of Other Cults Mr.Havelock Chose to Speak on Here - Will be Moved to its Appropriate Place Among Later Appendices.]
The Sword-Dancers themself was a legendary figure even in their own time. Dating back from the 1st age, thousands of years ago - It is believed they fought dragons, ogres, evil mages, Dark-Lords and any other cliched fantasy troop One can think of.
Due to this they have different titles in a great many cultures, some view them as an aforementioned Saint, others as some sort of Demi-God but almost without question we can say they are the most powerful Magi the NTME has ever allowed us to see or hear of.
When I say Magi, I don''t refer to the basic telekinetic and atmospheric abilities the Fluchtig''s crew speak rumours of - A bent spoon or propensity for sensing danger - No it''s stated that St.Aardig made a 100 or more blades fly through the air at will.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.?That they cut a path of scornful conquest through entire armies, paving every battlefield in a river of bright blood-red (how''s that for ''Christmassy'').
Their gender is somewhat unclear and while I will refer to them as ''She'' henceforth, as that is the pronoun the UnderCurrent''s people most frequently use - There is no definitive evidence to suggest what her gender actually was.
[Editor''s Note #3/3 - Mr.Havelock has insisted very strongly we leave this section in however it is pertinent to make clear that by all accounts the Sword-Dancer was a woman - We have checked the records and spoken to the research team, to find no ambiguity around this. Yet Mr.Havelock swears he saw somewhere a question of the woman''s gender and as such this has been left in. As Author''s speculation, not fact.]
You may be wondering why this King Arthur-ien sounding figure has been remembered so wildly as anything more then a myth or children''s tale.
This is owing to her uniting of the entire world, a campaign that occurred during the first age, whereby Aardig fought against, and conquered all of the known world in what today might be seen as sometimes genocidal acts against Elven-kind. She dragged humanity together, from petty kingdoms to tribe dwellers - Into her mighty empire, in turn affecting history so greatly that it is inarguable she was a real person, not a creation of fiction or mythology.
This led to the first Human-Empire which would last for centuries, long after her death.
Advancing technology, medicine and the arts tremendously in a form of combined Industrial revolution and Renaissance Era all in one.
She also happened to have the signature image of a green battle-kilt and red painted light-plate armour..... But She Was Not Santa Claus!
Sure some accounts ''suggest'' she also had white hair and probably could of used her Magi powers to circumnavigate the globe by infusing Goibniu into a slay like vehicle - But that is all coincidence!
It is also meer-chance that on her feast-day it is customary for people to give gifts to direct-family members and for colourful lights to be strewn from buildings, while festive music is played.
Simply Coincidence I say!!!
For example gift giving is completely different. Rather than a St. Nicholas figure, every parent is expected to give half their children a present. This means an only-child gets 2 presents, or that a Mother will give two of her four children presents, while the father will give presents to the other two.
Likewise once a child crosses the line of adulthood they are expected to also give a present back to one of their parents - In some cultures this occurs when the parent''s mother or father dies and can be seen as a small rite of maturity and first adult step, for the still young child to give a guardian their first present.
Clearly all this is far from the Capitalist driven form we on Earth pertain.
As for the ''Christmas Lights'', it hardly seems implausible that any culture no matter where or when would have a festival in mid-winter to ward away the cold, depression and illness.
Indeed I find it quite amusing how we of Earth are veering ever nearer to minimalist white and blue Christmas-lighting, despite the objective of such lights being to warm and welcome us during the worst of the winter months.
The peoples of the UnderCurrent have not forgotten this tradition, using almost solely warm reds, glistening greens and pleasant yellows. Further it is customary that everyone however poor or rich have such lights up, with it even being government funded or assisted in some countries.
The holiday has actually seen something of a resurgence of popularity in the third age, after all during it''s Winter months Abhaile has a bare few hours of sunlight in the day and incredibly cold nights.
The streets of the average Abhaile city and town will be adorned with this colourful glow above and below ground. Every public house will pay to have live music and a 7 day holiday, spanning 3 days either side of St.Sword-Dancer''s day is held.
Seasonal dusts storms from the plains consistently cause the land to be coated in a fine layer of white and grey mist. Every rooftop and chimney-pot covered in a soft flush of winter, the windows of every-house and dome fogged as small children look out into the black sky, so filled with stars, imagining excitedly what gifts await them on the big day - All as the folk-songs played, echo throughout every street and those warm, colourful-lights glitter and twinkle throughout the night.
And when the hot hearths in every-home have died down and the children finished their prayers and wishes to old St.Aardig, before being whisked off to bed on dreams of mirth and glee - When all creatures great and small have lain their heads down and bade the faint smell of baked goods and evergreen trees a good night - When all that has occurred on the 3rd-of-celebration, only then does Sword-Dancer''s day begin in earnest.
But it isn''t the damn same as Christmas!
What, not merry enough for you?
Except me to grovel to corporate and add a flimsy ''Merry Christmas to one and all'' to end this? Ha, Bah-Humbug I say - Take your poem, if you can call it that and go, ya damn slaves to the machine!!
Abhailien Christmas - By Sir Dichter-Digter;
~Abhaile most desolate of lands,
Two thirds of dust & sand.
And yet I see the bands.
The bands that play on every corner,
To welcome every foreigner,
As the merry tune reaches every dormer.
From every tenant-farmer to close bed-fellow,
All line streets with rows of warmth,
Of welcoming reds and wonderful yellows.
Where we put forth our cold icy blue,
As though to welcome in Winter Anew.
The people of Abhaile make do.
Where war is rife and people cower,
Yet life they shower more
with bare comfort and open door.
So let us wish these man-of-war
to guide them back to a welcome shore,
A most merry of Yuletide ~
(Recap Chapter) - Further Reading, Pahhh.....
Further Reading - Curated by Pierre Havelock (OBE)
I have been, to my utmost dismay, instructed to here include ''further reading resources'' for the public''s convivence.
Personally I find this to be outrageous, this is a book, based on the lives of the people the NTME has been kind enough to show us, written by me, a best seller - An OBE I''ll have you know! ''Order of the British Empire'' I have been recognised by none other than the Royal Family themselves, more so than most think in fact!
And yet here we are - Even I can not easily reject a request from the minister of communications - So here I present the ''links'' I''ve been told to include. I can only sympathise with those reading this physically, indeed this must come off nearly as preposterous for you as it does me!
Anyway;
The Public Service Website for Information on Discoveries made by the NTME into the UnderCurrent;
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.?https://www.worldanvil.com/w/undercurrent-momentiealoud
Recounting of the Events thus far;
https://www.worldanvil.com/w/undercurrent-momentiealoud/t/undercurrent-recap-timeline---the-series-so-far-timeline
A Timeline of all the History the Team has been able to Collate on the UnderCurrent;
https://www.worldanvil.com/w/undercurrent-momentiealoud/t/history-of-undercurrent-timeline
Begrudgingly Yours, as always hoping to get back to the actual writing!
- Pierre Havelock
Front 30 - St.Aardigs Day - Part 1/3
Recording Start; 6:15, TA424 25/10
Alright so, been putting this off but feels like I can''t wait much longer - See I wanted to do one of these logs, its not an actual Will exactly, but it only feels fair ya know?
Hoki and Una shouldn''t get left in the lurch if the worst happens, they''re good girls. Sabban, well I don''t talk to him all that often but I respect the lads skills as pilot for his age! And Kolme Nilas, ah well - I give him a pretty hard time I know, maybe too hard of a time - I just see too many people in him I guess? Reminds me of times in my live, of people long gone - It''s really friggin annoying ya hear?!
Anyway, see back in the war, when we started to lose, drafting of new recruits shot out of control - Many of them were too unprepared or just didn''t realise the value of a Will right? So lots of officers with a bit more experience, started telling the kids to record something, for their families kind of deal - Then to upload that straight to their machine''s black-box, that way it''d be like a Will - Not officially binding but it was hardly like these kids had anything to leave behind, t''was just a nice thing to do for the families, I think.
Now IAFS aren''t the best group but they''ve got lawyers and business types in spades so getting a proper last Will & Testament done up is borderline compulsory - But ya know me, I like to bend the rules a little here and there.
And besides how would my Will work? No one knows my name, my age, I''ve no home address, certainly no ID - Nah, I think just recording a little something for the others and putting it on my black-box is the best I can do in that area.
See normally I don''t think much about the future or any a'' that crap - But when we were in Bannerman, I managed to get some messages from my contacts, just small hints of things but enough - By the way Kolme and Sabban have been acting since we got back to the ship, I reckon they got info from somewhere too. And when I talked it over with Hoki, she seemed to agree with alot of my guesses.
And then there was that stupid elf-woman - Not that I''m saying she got under my skin at all with her vodo-bullcrap - But, ehhh, ya, levelling with ya, it''s not looking great.
Rumour on the vine is that HQ ain''t happy with the Tristian groups ''progress'' - They''ve gotten this idea that we should be sinking and hunting multiple submarines all the time, not just chasing the Curadh - It''s Bullshit of course, most of the military staff apparently sided with us, but the financial supporters apparently ganged up on Cap''ain Nate - Usually the Duke arbiters between the military and Financial sides, but that old fuck was busy with Aardig''s day prep, or so I hear.
But that''s not what''s got everyone stirred, people always demand unreasonable results - ''Go invade the neighbouring planet, do it faster, hurry up'' - Nothing new - No it''s what''s coming next.
There is talk of a new TSU-s weapon, something stupidly big, an impractical and deadly dangerous toy, spending through the roof, massive resources being moved that even the Union can''t completely cover up - The IAFS reserve fleet is being gathered.
Then there''s the party - We''ve agreed to a truce for the holiday season with TSU-s, and as part of that, as a show of goodwill - We, the idiots we are, are going to trade POWs and have a little party. The Fluchtig is going to host the people of the Curadh.
Yup, world''s gone to shit.
If I were to guess, come the new year IAFS is gonna order us to ram into the Curadh all guns blazing, maybe take them by surprise a day before the Truce ends or something - TSU-s are probably planning the exact same thing - And if we survive that we''ll all be redeployed to fight whatever this new weapon is in my view.
And so here I am, talking to myself in an empty room, heh...
Not that I''m planning on getting killed or anything, but it''s gonna'' be messy - Thing''s will start moving way faster and well, I dunno'', maybe you guys will need some words-a-wisdom from ol'' Scarlet at some point soon.
Ah, but first some house keeping - There''s this gir--
Ummm, Miss.Scarlet, the door was open?
Oh hey Una, didn''t hear ya coming. You need something?
Sorry, did I interrupt your daily log?
Ha! Do you really think I''d be keeping one of those Rookie? Heh, you should smile like that more often, its pretty on you.
Wha, ah, I-i am sorry! I didn''t mean to be rude.
Pah, I got''ta teach you a bit of attitude some time. Anyway, what can I do for ya?
Ah umm, lieutenant Nilas asked me, to ask you, if you could come see him.
What for?
Strategy meeting about the party he said.
Strategy? It''s a party, I''m going to get drunk, then drink some more, then make sure I drink every last person from TSU under the table twice over! Tell Nilas I''ll be there shortly. Ah actually never mind, I''ll walk back with you, lemme just flick this off--
Recording EndsThe tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
7:15, TA424 25/10
The large space of the Fluchtig''s under-hangar was swamped to bursting, a gathering of a few hundred people selected as the least inflammatory from across the four gathered ships. The Neo-Cs normally housed down here had all been moved upstairs out of the way - In their place were folding tables filled with paper cups, party food and kegs of cheap alcohol.
Across the usually boring metal panel walls of the space, were spread colourful fairy-lights, bunting and anything else of a ''party-nature'' Commander Nate''s staff could get together on such short notice.
And the mix of people were a sight for sore eyes - A loud arrays of the somewhat informal uniforms of IAFS, side by side with the pitch black attire of the visiting States-Union soldiers.
Scarlet of course knew well she was right at the top of any list of ''most-likely-people-to-start-a-fight'' but after Kolme had failed to politely ask her to be nice - No one else had the nerve to try and dissuade her from attending and so the Scourge stepped out from the doorway and into the cavernous room filled with party-goers.
Glancing around she let out a small grin at the site of the hangar all dressed up for the occasion - Her brief ''meeting'' with Kolme had waylaid her by about half an hour but she felt that was a fair handicap for everyone else attending -
Locating the nearest drinks table, Scarlet began her campaign.
Seeing her approach, a couple of low ranked IAFS engineers quickly vacated the table, giving Scarlet free reign - She picked an empty cup and filled it heartily from the keg. Happy with her first haul of the night, she perched herself against said table and looked out among the crowd to start getting a feel for the atmosphere.
The music playing over some distant speakers was nothing remarkable, some cheap selection of festive tunes - A karaoke bar seemed to of been promptly set up in a far corner of the room - Honestly that''s what Scarlet took note of most, the sheer size of it. With the mecha and all the repair equipment removed, the under-hanger really was a very large space, it could well of been the largest Aardig''s day party in Scarlet''s memory.
Feast days were something of a non-sequitur to the veteran Ace - Having been in active service for so many years now, most had gone by the wayside, their wasn''t time to stop and have much more than a drink or some good food on such days - But St.Aardig''s Day was speical.
Even in the First War, they had always consciously celebrated it, when pirating she had made time to atleast drink a glass of something ''nice'' and sing a tune - She''d attended parties in the freezing cold that was the Remembrance HQ - For whatever reason, Aardig''s day had been one of the few constants of her adult life and by comparison to alot of those experiences, today''s shindig actually seemed pretty lavish.
As she moved to fill the cup again, a familiar figure approached from the side with a smile;
"Heya Scarlet."
"Yo Hoki, you got a drink?" Scarlet grinned back.
The two clinked their plastic cups together playfully before Hoki took a place standing next to Scarlet, staring out at the crowd - "You doing ok?"
"What makes ya ask that?"
Hoki paused a moment, allowing a wave of laughter to spread across the room from some event the two couldn''t see;
"Well, you just seemed a little harsh to Kolme today is all."
Scarlet flinched, "Ya I guess - But come on, this is a party! We should just enjoy ourselves, what''s his deal, trying to ''gather intelligence''."
"Well it is his job to keep the peace tonight, the Tristian group doesn''t exactly have military police or anything like that - And a party like this is... delicate - No harm in us keeping an eye out for anything useful is there?"
"Ya, ya, maybe. Well and how are the guests of honour?" Scarlet sighed.
The Guests she spoke of were 11 individuals attending the party tonight - They were part of the Truce deal, the party was simply a show of good faith, but the real manoeuvre as Scarlet saw it, was the trades.
Others were being done elsewhere - But 11 were taking place right now.
In exchange for the prisoner Scarlet and the others had captured back at Station 9, Major Moncha - TSU-s were returning 10 men & women in their keeping.
10 people for one, that was how valuable TSU saw Moncha - There had been upheaval across the ship, including from Scarlet herself - In the weeks since Moncha was captured, rumours of who he was had spread - They would be giving back an Ace among Ace''s, not to mention the Curadh''s combat commander, a man donned ''Vijaik knight'' - He had a very real, downright numerical combat value.
And who were they gaining in return? 10 nobodies.
Scarlet knew that was a harsh way of putting it but it felt like the truth.
The 10 were a selection of randoms, a couple only arrested for tangential involvement with IAFS - Maybe one or two would stay on the Fluchtig as engineers or mechanics, but most would be sent on a shuttle back to Bannerman.
The entire flotilla had almost gone into full blown riots yesterday, when someone had realised the value of the deal - Of the 10 nobodies, one was the cousin of a somebody - The cousin of one of IAFS''s board directors - TSU seemingly not having drawn this connection were in effect giving back this potential hostage ''cheap''.
This did nothing to satisfy the soldiers of IAFS, but orders were orders - By morning the 10 would mostly be gone back home, while Moncha would be returned to the Curadh, making the submarine even more of threat come the end of the truce...
"Fine so far." Hoki said back politely, "The VIP was quietly moved to the Rinie when no one was looking, the other 10, that Moncha person included, are still milling around here."
"I see."
A silence fell between the two, though filled with the corny music and sounds of a few hundred rapidly growing more intoxicated. Scarlet didn''t like being at odds with Hoki - She knew they in reality agreed, Hoki too knew they were making a tactical mistake with this trade - But as the squad''s vice-commander Hoki had to go along with it - Scarlet knew she was the one being selfish by causing a stink over the whole thing, taking advantage of her lack of responsibility to be a pain - She honestly felt quite guilty about it;
"Any fights breaking out?" Scarlet added to try move off the sour subject.
Hoki let slip a slightly devious smile, "A few here and there, they''ve been handled fine you''ll be happy to know."
"Ha! And here I was hoping you''d leave me some arse to kick." Scarlet grinned.
The mood settled again between them and they continued chatting for a few more minutes, while enjoying some people watching from their secluded spot. That was until a scream, or perhaps yell of anguish cut through the room. It wasn''t loud enough to reach all corners, the far end of the hanger was still filled with mirth and song - But in a small circle nearby to Scarlet and Hoki, a sudden silence had formed;
"I know that voice." Scarlet murmured unhappily.
Hoki too stood up to go investigate but Scarlet was quick to call her back;
"Let me go, you''ve got stuff Kolme asked you to see to right? I''m freelance tonight so I''ll sort it."
Hoki frowned, "If its her then shouldn''t we both go?"
"Heh, imagine how embarrassed she must already feel after drawing this much attention, she ain''t exactly a diva normally is she? How''s she going to feel if we all come rushing and crowding her?" Scarlet smiled.
Hoki face lit up in understanding and she nodded her agreement.
"Let Sabban know the same if ya bump into him." Scarlet added before wading into the crowd.
A radius had already formed around the source of the scream and people were quick to open a path once they spotted Scarlet marching fourth on the warpath.
Before long Scarlet found her charge. She could hardly believe it. Standing with her hand raised as though to slap, if not punch the young man in front of her, was none other than habitually timid, Una O'' Conchabhair - And looking like he was actually having to strain himself, was Kolme Nilas, desperately holding the small woman back.
****
Front 30.5 - St.Aardigs Day- Part 2/3
To call it a surprising scene would of been an understatement to Scarlet - Not just because it seemed totally out of line for Una but also because of the optics of the whole thing. Una was a small woman, someone who could plausibly pass for still being a teen - Which of course, she still was at just 17 going on 18, she had a naturally narrow frame, a short height and thin shoulders.
Sure like all who travelled in space for an extended time, physical fitness was a must and Una was definitely in good shape but she was far from the picture of a perfect soldier.
Kolme Nilas was, in Scarlet''s opinion, even less fitting of his job description - About as tall as herself but also walking slightly hunched - A poorly kempt man with lanky arms and greying hair let grow out too far.
In stark contrast were the two they ''faced off'' with. Foremost being the young man Una had clearly aimed to hit, currently with a downcast face, the boy was far more athletic looking than Una - Although not much taller then her, he had a swimmers build to him, lean rather than slim.
His hair & uniform messy, which stood out a little to Scarlet amongst the usual TSU-s strictness, but she couldn''t be sure that wasn''t just a result of the party.
And standing behind the boy, was Major Moncha, the guest of honour. Having never actually spoken face to face with the man before, Scarlet would have to admit he lived up to the rumours: A towering figure, well over 6 foot, broad shoulder, neat buzzcut hair, a moustache well maintain despite weeks as an IAFS prisoner and a muscle mass to give most body builders envy.
Honestly, after spotting the younger lean-man also had a pilot''s insignia - It struck Scarlet with some degree of dismay to see such an active difference between the pilots of IAFS and TSU.
Of course visuals meant nothing to Scarlet if either of these two had done something to Una - Unable to learn any more through observation alone, she took one step closer and made herself known to the four and the ring of two-dozen eyes all careful listening in the surrounding area;
"Oi Una, what''s up."
All eye''s turned to Scarlet - Una, looking like she could well up in tears at any moment, was quick to appeal to her unofficial mentor;
"Scarlet it''s him, the guy who took my mech!"
Kolme was quick to interject - "Eh come on Una-lass, there''s no way you''d bump into that one guy twice in a year, must just be a similar looking bloke."
Major Moncha stood with a stern face, but jovial smile as though amused by the interaction, "I think Mr.Nilas is quite right, just an unfortunate coincidence miss."
"No, but it is him." Una borderline shrieked. Scarlet frowned, she had seldom seen Una get this emotional-- no angry?
Before Kolme or Moncha could speak up again, the young man at the centre finally opened his mouth;
"Ah Major, you remember before I came to the Curadh I was held as a prisoner of war for a bit, good few months ago now?"
The Major mused on this a moment, before clasping his hands together triumphantly - "Oh now that you mention it I do, heh guess you and me have that in common now Helty!"
"Ya well, you remember how I escaped when the base was under attack, stole a mech?"
"Yes, one of those Nemos wasn''t it." Moncha said back.
"....She was its pilot."
Kolme, Moncha and Scarlet all suddenly felt the urge to go ''Ah'', though only Kolme actually did aloud.
The pin had dropped and Scarlet let some of the building tension leave her - If this was all it was than there was no real reason to worry - Of course she understood Una''s pain, losing her mech that day had lead to her being suspected of being a criminal, something that had only changed when she was allowed to join the Fluchtig.
It had damaged her career and maybe more so her self-confidence - It was rotten-luck she should meet that same enemy again, but it was manageable, it wouldn''t lead to a fight if they handled it properly.
At least those were the thoughts coursing through her mind until Una spoke up once more;
"Th-That''s not all you liar! You called my parents terrorists, you said the people of Station 5 deserved to die!!"
A new, larger wave of silence spread across the surrounding crowds. Kolme was quick to try intercede;
"Wow, ah well, people say things they don''t really mean in high-tension environment Una - Not that he had any right to say any of that, of course not - But he was a prisoner at the time right? Probably just wanted to look ''hard in front of his prison guards ya know?"
Major Moncha was quick to back this up, laying a firm hand on this ''Helty'' person''s shoulder, as though silently ordering the boy to apologise and bring this situation under smooth control;
"That''s right ain''t it Helt? Just a misunderstanding."
It was the boy''s turn to speak, now a few dozen eyes and ears zooned in on him;
"Right, right - I didn''t mean to offend anyone or nothing." There was a collective sigh of relief.
In the next breath, Helt went on;
"But I mean it is true though - We''ve all seen the footage right, station 5 is just fine, that story is all made up - The speical forces just arrested a few protestors is all..."
Bam.
Few times in Scarlet''s life had the jolly Aardig''s day tunes blaring overhead, seemed more inappropriate.
An ''Atrocities Denier'' - It was a term that seemed ridiculous and yet among academic circles in had become common, an indication of just how much civilian blood had been spilt in the last decade.
The name was exactly what it implied - In a time where the Union controlled all public perception, the number within the general populous who genuinely believed that TSU-s committed no crimes, was shockingly high.
Station 5 had been a particularly successful cover up - After all Stations 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.6 and so on, were all fine and all very similar in design and population density.
So it had not been overly difficult for TSU''s media team to put together footage of the inside of Station 5.5''s sisters cities, to show people with the right accent, living happily - Interspliced with old footage of the real station 5.5.
It hadn''t even cost much to have a few actors play the residents of a perfectly fine station 5.5 - And they could even use current footage of the station''s exterior - At the end of the day, the outside was fine, it looked like any other Nation-Satellite, a gaint grey slab of humanity floating in space.
Unless you actually went and entered 5.5, looked at the corpses lining every street failing to properly decompose - And somehow made it back out alive, without being killed by the still present poisonous gas being automatically circulated to this very day - Unless you knew, then who was to say anything had happened.
Una stared, mouth literally agape at the young man''s words - At a man who had not only humiliated her as an enemy, but now denied her trauma as a fellow human being - The crowd all around them was beginning to seethe, a fight was brewing.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.?Resisting with every fibre of her being the urge to strangle the brat ''Helt'' to death there and then, Scarlet instead reached out and grabbed Una''s wrist, pulling her towards her, leaning down slightly and looking her straight in the eyes;
"Una, listen to me - See over there in the crowd where Hoki is lurking ya? Go to her and head back to your room ok? Take a keg with ya for all I care, got me?"
Una blinked, then her face turned to one of genuine indignation - "But Scarlet, you heard him!"
"Ya, and will hitting him bring back your family and friends?"
Una fell silent.
"Will hitting him change his arse-backwards mind?"
Slowly the younger girl shook her head. Scarlet did her best to smile through her scowl.
"Good Girl, now go on, go on."
Pushing her lightly on the back, Una slightly stumbled before making her way to Hoki within the surrounding crowd and being carefully lead away, glancing back in Scarlet''s direction frequently as they left.
Cautiously Scarlet straightened back up to her full height, chest puffed out, eye ablaze.
The young man despite the myriad glares now in his direction, still managed to squeak out some more ''clarification'';
"I don''t see what all the fuss is about, you''d all swear I was picking on some little school girl."
Moncha was curt in his response, "Shut up Helt."
A layer of silence stretched out from where Helt stood, out in rings around the room - While far off the party continued and music played on - The tension in the under-hanger''s centre was hitting a fever pitch.
Scarlet was breathing deeply just to stay in control, she felt an urge to pull out the Enhancer dose she always kept on her person.
Helt had made a fatal mistake, he had reminded them all.
Reminded them of the fundamental differences between TSU and IAFS - It was one thing to bring the two together for a party - Neither side had had the proper time for vacation, and it was St.Aardig''s day, even the coldest of soldiers was feeling a pang of homesickness. With a little booze to help things along, you could just about create an illusionary world, where the people next to you were just fellow humans, who happened to be in a line of work akin to murder.
After all, your comrades are all soldiers too, your best friend is a soldier, for one night, you can all just be people, who happen to also be soldiers.
But Helt had laid it all out flat - It was entirely possible Una was the only person in the entire IAFS organisation who was a survivor of Station 5.5, there were very few after-all - But everyone had a story.
The many members of IAFS who had come from Abhaile or fought with Remembrance before this, would probably tell you they and their ancestors had been mistreated and oppressed by TSU for 400 years - Or the people who defected from TSU, stating atrocities like Station 5 as the very reason they could no longer serve under that banner.
Meanwhile the people of Curadh fell into that tribal mental that comes of riots - If nothing else Helt was one of theirs, he wouldn''t be made a fool of - But moreover many of them believed it too, that IAFS was exaggerating, spreading a sort of ''Fake News'' in an effort to undermine the sanctity of their great Union.
But Scarlet didn''t care about any of that.
Scarlet was ''mad'', fuming, raging - Because this punk, arrogant, child - Had dared to belittle her young friend.
The whispers were spreading now, the circle of silence was growing, the tension becoming all consuming.
Scarlet couldn''t see any way back now, no way for either side to forget their hatred of the other - And then she realised two things, one being that right now she, Kolme and Moncha were the most important people in the world.
It sounded ridiculous but it was quite possibly true - Those from the Curadh would follow Major Moncha''s lead, the fact that the Curadh had a Marine-corp, very capable in hand to hand combat, was not lost on Scarlet.
Meanwhile the large part of IAFS who had come from Abhaile or Remembrance would no doubt follow her - Even if she hated it, they saw her as a war hero and would take her lead anywhere.
That just left the stragglers, who would probably come to Kolme''s aid.
Whichever of the three made the first move, that would be it - The party was still young, most had only had a couple drinks, enough to get your fists up, but not enough to fall over - The perfect conditions for an all out brawl, it would last hours, there''d be no way to stop it once it started - The ship''s Captains would be forced to let it fizzle out, people would no doubt die.
Both sides would see it as an act of aggression and an appalling breach of the short-lived truce - Right now, in a fist Scarlet hadn''t even realised she was clenching, was the power to end a Truce - To start a political incident.
The second thing, was that she had just sent Hoki and Una out of the room - That meant there was no one left she felt the need to look out for - No more reason to hesitate.
A wolfish grin had formed across her face. Kolme and Moncha both looked concerned, the crowd hung on every moment.
''I wouldn''t even have to hit Moncha, I could hit Kolme and that''d be enough to start things - Sides won''t matter, the bar-fight of a lifetime is upon us! Ah but I think I''ll go for this Helt-kid, claim a few of his milk-teeth.''
Scarlet mused to herself - This was it, she would end a Truce agreement the same day it started, get back to the fighting, the fun part, all the faster.
And then he said it;
"Right, well that''s that then." Kolme Nilas remarked with an awkward smile.
The festive tunes came flooding back in, a few people in the crowd even laughed.
''No friggin way is he that dumb? He- Even he can''t of read the room this badly!! The hell is he talking like that for!''
But even as such thoughts crossed Scarlet''s mind unwelcomed, the sound of cheers and merriment began to rise up near-by - She couldn''t believe it, how could they forget, let this go so fast?
And then servers appeared, with trays packed full of glasses of a higher quality alcohol.
There hadn''t been any servers, this was a self-service event - And yet one server apiece presented a tray to each of the trio at the centre, while others moved around making sure anyone who even looked a tad grumpy got a drink.
The person smiling before Scarlet was familiar, after a moment she realised it was Una''s roommate - ''Cally or something right?''
She was a little older than Una, more mature, if a little unremarkable to look at - With the practised smile of an overworked office clerk.
Slowly, hesitantly Scarlet accepted the drink - She didn''t want to, she didn''t want to let the tension fall, for the event to end so anticlimactically - But it was gone.
The crowd was back to partying, they were left at the centre, no longer anyone''s focus.
She glared daggers across at Kolme, ''This couldn''t of been a plan, he never gave any orders - Was this just dumb luck, a timed event happening at the perfect moment to break up the tension? No way!!''
For his part Kolme had a dumb grin on his face that annoyed Scarlet greatly - Then she spotted it, a handheld on his wrist.
Most everyone wore one, except Kolme Nilas, who always seemed to rely on someone else having one - Or at best stuffing the thing in his pocket. But today, just visible under his jacket sleeve, was a handheld with the words;
''Audio Transmitting''
Scarlet was at a loss. It was a stupidly simple idea, sloppily done considering she''d managed to spot the open screen - But it had worked. Her epic bar-brawl had faded away that easily.
"I think I may have underestimated you as a leader, lieutenant Nilas." Moncha said, breaking the silence between them, his jovial smile back in full force.
Kolme smiled gloatingly like a child, "Always good to ''ave a contingency plan - Drink up, this stuff is in short supply!"
Scarlet scowled deeply, the very last of her anger dissipating - The party had truly begun at last.
Front 30.75 - St.Aardigs Day - Part 3/3
The rest of the night would proceed far smoother - Soon the party goers became collectively drunk enough that any further tension was put down with ease, or at worst the odd bloody nose.
And so it had went on, into the small hours all the way until the sun rose - Or atleast rose somewhere.
Scarlet had enjoyed herself all told - Aside from a brief conversation with Sabban whom she also discovered was running errands for Kolme, "This once I owe him one." - He had mumbled, she had mostly avoided her squads-mates for the rest of the evening, instead mingling with strangers and drinking far too much - By the end of proceedings finding herself leading a traditional Abhailien sing-along or two.
When she thought about it, it only made sense things would go on for so long - The Tristain Flotilla had ultimately spent less than three full days in Bannerman, meaning more than half the crews of the three ships hadn''t had any time off at all - Add in the free booze and people had alot of steam to let off.
At one point she had even passed someone called ''Patrick'' (Who looked vaguely familiar) drinking straight from a small beer keg as his colleagues cheered him on.
But now at last, people were being ushered out - Those from the Curadh to be begrudgingly dropped into a shuffle back to their home - While most of the IAFS attendees piled into the canteen and break rooms, collapsing to sleep or finding kebabs.
Only a few dozen stragglers remained now and already staff had entered the room to begin the arduous task of clean up - While two large men from the Curadh stood tall as the last bastion of the party, holding a raucous karaoke session to fill the room''s airwaves.
For her part Scarlet scaled a large mountain of metal crates that were stacked against one wall of the large space. They had originally been filled with alcohol and all the other party supplies - Now almost entirely empty.
After some careful scaling, she reached the tallest of the stack and sat herself down facing the wall.
It was a fairly boring metal wall but she could peak over her shoulder to get a view of the whole room below if she choose and it made a good place to soak in the sounds of the dieing party.
It was also where her mech would normally be stood, even now she could easily picture its single mechanical red eye staring back at her - That eye had also been a companion for many years now and she spared the old thing a thought.
After a few minutes, her quite space was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of an old man groaning as he pathetically climbed the opposite side of the containers, before coming to a stop one row below Scarlet, on the other side of her place.
With a sigh, she look looked behind her shoulder, past her long crimson hair, to see Kolme Nilas sitting below.
Slightly more surprising was the sounds of another person scaling the boxes and taking a place a couple metres across from Kolme. A few moments later, this person''s voice would answer the question of ''who'';
"Hey there." Major Moncha hummed politely.
Kolme was next to break Scarlet''s peace & quiet - "Ah Moncha glad I could catch ya before you went home - I was wondering, This Falc person I heard people chatting about, saying they wish she''d been allowed to come - She wouldn''t happen to be your Fortress''s pilot would she?"
There was a long pause, "It seems I may have underestimated--"
"You said that once before!" Scarlet sniggered.
Stopped in his tracks, Moncha could only shrug in Kolme''s direction, the two men suddenly developing an instant feeling of comradery in the face of Scarlet''s usual sharpness.
For her part Scarlet closed her eye and crossed her arms behind her head - She was slightly impressed with Kolme''s deduction, in fact she had been planning to tell Hoki something similar the next time she saw her.
Like, she presumed Kolme, Scarlet had given a quick look over IAFS''s data on the Curadh before tonight - Of course it was all a few years out of date but it listed the Curadh as having three pilots; Major Moncha of course, but also two wingmen, 1st Lieutenants Yazan & Gemon - None other than the two currently singing bad karaoke down below.
Having seen the two in person, it became a simply case of joining some dots. The boy Helt had also pertained pilot''s wings, and finally there had been the odd mention throughout the night of a girl called ''Falc'', who hadn''t been allowed to come to the party - Her name frequently coming up in conversations about Moncha''s release or Helt''s earlier stunt - All lead one to be able to atleast guess the girl might be the fifth pilot of the Curadh.
Add in a couple strange mentions of the girl being a ''fortune-teller'' and it wasn''t a strange to guess that this 5th pilot was the Magi they had faced off against back at station 9.
It wasn''t rocket science, but even Scarlet had to admit she was a little impressed Kolme had also picked up on all this.
The silence between them dragged on for a bit until the sound of Kolme shuffling through his pockets filled Scarlet''s ears - Next was the small-tink of a lighter and a moment later the first wafts of smoke from a decent brand of cigarettes floated by. It was soon followed by Moncha wordlessly accepting one too.
Scarlet waiting patiently for all of 30 seconds before speaking up; "Well?"
Without another word a cigarette floated into her periphery vision followed by the lighter.
''Graciously'' she accepted it and took her first puff of the thing - She didn''t generally smoke much as a rule and the taste didn''t mix great with the abundance of alcohol in her system - But it was simply what she felt like doing right now.
"Ya know, we actually fought together once." Moncha mused allowed.
"Who me and you?" Kolme said back.
"What? Oh no, sorry pal - I meant Red."
Scarlet rose an eyebrow, that didn''t sound likely - She could count the number of active-TSU members she''d been so much as polite to on one hand.
"It was, well half a decade ago now I suppose." Moncha continued, "Against-- Ah actually that''s still classified, but against a rouge machine, gaint golden mech - You and me fought it side by side. That said we''ve also fought each other too.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.?It was only recently I checked, see my Helty kept talking about some crazy red mech attacking him back when we had our little skirmish at the repair ship, Clover I think it''s called right?
So anyway I did some reading and seems I fought against what was probably ''Thee Scarlet Scourge'' all the way back during the Remembrance incident - Funny how that works eh?"
Scarlet didn''t respond at first, there wasn''t much reason to do so - She did vaguely remember something along the lines of that story but who knew if that was the whole truth of it or not. Something else however did cross her mind;
"Oi, is the boy of yours, ''Helt'' or whatever, did he come with your Casnel?"
"I''m not sure I follow..."
"Its simple. On the fourth there was a battle - There were two Casnels, I nailed one but the other got away - I''m guessing your Casnel is made from the one that escaped me, along with the leftover parts of the one I destroyed - So in that case, is Helt the same pilot who got away from me? He sounds and looks too young, but that ain''t no proof."
Moncha sighed in her general direction - "Is there anything you two haven''t worked out about my squad tonight?"
Kolme chuckled, "More than the interrogations managed."
The Major let go a second sigh, blowing a puff of smoke before giving his answer;
"Sorry to disappoint but no - Well yes, but no. Our current Casnel did come with a test pilot, big angry bald-guy - But believe it or not, he died of a heart attack a day after arriving."
"No kidding?" Kolme added.
"Yup, so sorry if you were looking for some sort of revenge rematch or anything but the dudes gone, apparently lived a life of drugs, alcohol and cheap food - Anticlimactic for you I guess."
Scarlet didn''t voice any response, simply scowling instead - It did atleast answer her question.
"You know, before tonight I thought it would be a toss between me and Red here - But now I''m thinking more a three way tie." Moncha stated, stubbing out his half-spent cigarette on the metal crate beneath.
"Tie for what?"
"Oh nothing real, just my belief - Superstition - But you know how it is in stories right? The mentor character always gets done in around the end of the second act. Well at first I thought me and your Scarlet were those mentors, but now - I think you might be more important to this ship then I''d given you credit for Lieutenant Nilas--"
"Just Kolme''s fine."
"Sure, Kolme then. Tonight I spotted you subdue atleast a half-dozen fights, I don''t just mean the thing with Helty, rolling out the good booze at an opportune time is easy - I mean all the more subtle ways you carefully unpicked other fights in the making throughout the night.
Sure I might be something of a mentor or father figure to our Helty and Falc - And Red behind me seems to be one to those two girls in your squad - But I think you''re a, what''s that old Abhailen words?"
"Naikima" Scarlet grumbled.
"Ya that. A Naikima to this whole ship." Moncha finished.
Kolme looked unconvinced - "I don''t know about all that. I''ve never been much of a'' pilot, or much of a man - I just go with da'' flow of things."
Moncha shrugged, "If you say so, but as I see it I don''t think all three of us will make it for much longer."
Not opening her eye, nor bothering to remove her cigarette, Scarlet lost her temper - She got enough fatalistic crap from Kolme on a regular basis;
"That''s all bullcrap. Ain''t no ''faith'' to it, we go out there an'' we fight, no more no less. Our roles, be it as officers or mentors means nothing - It''s all a mix of skill and luck out there, unless you''re a Magi but none of us has that in our favour.
Like that test pilot you said died of a heart attack, who knows maybe Kolme will do us all a favour and fall off these crates to his death at any minute."
Silence fell again - The duo singing karaoke were finally done and being firmly escorted out of the room by some tired looking crewmen. There were now more people with brooms than cups of beer - The party was truly at its end - The silent unofficial vigil Scarlet, Moncha and Kolme were currently holding was no longer necessary.
"I''d rather hoped you''d be less nice." Moncha sighed.
Scarlet''s scowl grew deeper, she pressed the tiny stub of remaining cigarette against the crate beneath her, then flicked said stub with remarkable accuracy into a paper waste bag at the foot of the crates;
"Don''t think it''s going to be any harder for me to shoot you down out there just cause we shared drinks for one night ya hear!? You hesitate out there and that''s your problem." She snarled.
Kolme gave Moncha a sympathetic look, "Errr, look - I didn''t wanna bring anything like this up, I''m not gonna'' be all crass and try any ''It''s not too late to change sides'' stuff - But honestly, most of the people here tonight and you especially, none of you seem like raging authoritarian fascists - So why are you with TSU-s?"
Moncha laughed earnestly, "I think Kolme, that it''s me who''s been overestimated. I mean I''m a damn good pilot, I know that for a fact being as humble as I am - But, what was it you said? I''m a good pilot, but as a man? I''m a pretty crap man, I just go with the flow of things you know?
Maybe at first we thought by being in TSU-s we could make it better, set a good example from inside of it kind of thing..."
"Na?ve."
Scarlet scoffed.
"Seems like it." Moncha agreed without much hesitation - "But like I said, I''m not much of a man - I''ll follow my Captain''s lead as best I can, if she still thinks TSU-s is the place we need to be, than here I''ll stay - She''s usually right about these things, runs in her blood."
"I see..." Kolme murmured back.
They all three sat a little longer, watching and listening to the clean up crews at work.
Moncha stood up, took a step towards Kolme and offered his hand with a smile;
"Ya know the Curadh, she''s an odd ship - Doesn''t really play well with other kids if you get my meaning - I don''t really get to speak with other vets all that often, thanks."
Kolme took the hand a shook it firmly, "T''was our pleasure hosting you these last few weeks - I''ll see you get the room-service bill in da'' post." He grinned.
Moncha laughed and turned to reach his hand over the crate in Scarlet''s direction - She waved him off with a simple ''Mh-hmm'' and tilt of the head in his direction.
The former IAFS-POW nodded acceptingly and straightened up; "We will probably never meet like this again - So well, best of luck, may the best team win and all that eh."
Kolme frowned but spoke nonetheless, "Ya ah, good luck to you too."
St.Aardig''s day drew to a close.
Front 31 - Ambush - Part 1/2
The corridor jolted violently in front of Scarlet, alarms blared in all directions, people rushing everywhere to get to their stations.
It had been 5 days and 5 hours almost exactly since the Aardig''s day party - Many had betted on the truce breaking faster than that, some even lost money on it - Scarlet had not partaken in this gambling, not that she had anything against a little punting, nor did she believe in any superstitious - Still there was no point in jinxing things and it didn''t hurt to have a little respect for the cost of life the truce ending would bring as battles broke out across the solar system.
But....
Had she hypothetically been forced to give her guess, she would of gone with exactly 5 days and 5 hours - It brought a grin to her face now as she made haste across the warship - Perhaps it was purely because of all that Station 5 talk during the party, but whatever the reason Scarlet liked winning.
She was unfortunately on the wrong side of the Fluchtig when the first shots were fired, meaning it was taking her a bit to get to the hanger-bay, though she didn''t mind too much, it would give the other pilots a much needed handicap.
It was the best sort of battle - A surprise!
There were in Scarlet''s opinion just two, or at a push three, types of battle. One was when two enemy forces were close enough to one another, that one simply opened fire and all hell broke losses - Mechs would be rapidly deployed, evasive actions taken, cover sought out - That was what had happened about ten minutes ago, the Curadh had opened fire.
Rumour was Commander Nate had been ordered to open fire himself about three hours ago by a detailed communication from HQ, but refused to violate the truce so soon, his (in Scarlet''s mind) na?ve actions had now cost them the first volleys.
The second type was how battles in space were ''meant to go''. With space being so large and relatively empty, it should be possible to predict when two sizable space fleets come into each other''s range - By rights you should know days in advance before any two fleets begin to take pot-shots at one another.
Scarlet disliked that form of battle, it could take days and often mechs wouldn''t be deployed until hours into the fighting when the fleets had closed the gap enough for mechs or fighter craft in general to become efficient.
The technical third was when a battle was planned out but then failed to happen - That was maybe the worst type of all - Like when Scarlet and Hoki had been left waiting in the Clover''s orbit - Seeing as IAFS had messed up its timings, rather than a predictable, well planned battle, it had instead transformed into a sudden, violent affair when the Casnel did finally turn up.
That said this third type tended to benefit no one due to the sheer unpredictability of it.
All these were the type of thoughts coursing through Scarlet''s mind at present. Of course she no longer had a reason to worry about such things, but old habits died hard and as little as a year ago her old role as a field commander would of demanded she understand the flow and forms of battles, in the usually vain, hope of guiding your allies to success.
It was out of that habit that she had listened carefully as she made her way across the ship, getting a feel for the scope of the burgeoning battle as she went - The fact the yellow tinted corridors before her creaked, and a distant impact echoed around the vessel, told her by itself the enemy was firing at the Fluchtig.
From what she could gather, the battle had started with the Curadh trying to disable the Rinie, Tomo & Erfu''s home ship.
It was an obvious but logical decision, the Rinie was by far the oldest ship in the Tristain flotilla, taking it out first would both throw the group into a panic and greatly reduce their firepower.
According to the orders from IAFS HQ, the Rinie and the Valliere were to take position in front of the Fluchtig, to create a sort of V shape that would then advance forward and ''ensnare'' the enemy Submarine - This was of course a non-sensical plan, the Curadh would either run away in the opposite direction, or in the worst case scenario - Disable the Rinie and use it as a living shield to hide behind, while slowly chipping away at the rest of the group, add in a Casnel that could probably take down one of the three ships all by itself and you had a serious tactical problem.
It was therefore something of a relief to Scarlet that Commander Nate Novel had decided to ditch the pre-laid out plan, instead telling the Rinie to fall back almost immediately and moving the Fluchtig, the newest and by far fastest of the three ships, to the front - This was a move the enemy captain probably wouldn''t anticipate and all going well meant the Fluchtig could take the brunt of the enemy fire, while the Rinie and Valliere fired from behind it - Nate would turn this battle into a one on one ship conflict between the Curadh and the Fluchtig, with the Tristain group''s two cruisers acting as support artillery.
Of course this had one rather obvious downside--
The corridor disappeared, one moment she stood in it, the next it was gone.
While their ships messed around changing formation, the Curadh had gained ten minutes of effectively free target-practise against the Fluchtig and it was starting to show.
Scarlet had acted fast, yanking herself to one side of the hallway and slamming down the emergency bulkhead control - A massive metal door clamped down with killer pneumatic force, cutting off the section of corridor that had just been obliterated by the continued enemy barrage.
She grinned like a beast, reaching into her pocket to play with the spare enhancer syringe with-in - This was a real battle, no more waiting, scouting, drinking, truces, politics - No today they would simply blast each other to pieces!
She didn''t even need to consult a map, she rapidly navigated around the recently damaged part of the ship, through a service corridor and finally into the main hanger-bay.
Her machine had already been brought up and set to stand-by in her absence - Its single glowing red eye staring towards the launch deck as though as eager as she was. There was only two other mechs left in the hanger, one the old MBT-Mk2 that was hard at work moving supplies for repairing the ship, the other a customised Neo-C like her own - A quick glance, Kolme Nilas''es machine, and the man himself standing by it while talking into two or three communicators at once.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
She offered him a minor nod of minimum respect, as she passed by making way to her machine.
To her absolute dismay, seeing her Kolme called out and began walking in her direction.
Normally she really would of just kept walking, there was sport to be had today after all!! But the fact that Kolme was now in her old position, trying to guide this sudden battle in a beneficial direction, allowed her to feel just enough comradery for the man that she stopped her march with a sigh;
"Yo Nilas."
"Scarlet-lass, you alright? The others already launched." He said back.
She nodded, "Ya ya, all fine just on the wrong side of the ship is all - Oh and corridor 33 was... busy to put it lightly."
"I see?"
Kolme said back, probably just relieved her absence wasn''t anything more serious.
"That all?"
"Ah no, one sec, ah... Listen Scarlet, theoretically, just in theory - What would you do if asked to take command right now? Just ya know, I haven''t actually ever commanded a straight up battle like this, not as the guy with the commander title anyway and you, like, have experience and stuff - Heck you''ve beaten Casnels before and--"
Scarlet stepped forward and laid a hand on both his slumped shoulders, staring him dead in the eyes, his cheeks turning a little red at their closeness;
"Shad-up old man, you got this."
And with that ''pep-talk'' delivered, she grinned wolfishly, turned on her heel and floated up to her machine - ''Now we play for keeps!!''
****
Her main monitor, ever tinted in a faint red, was filled wall to wall with rocks, or asteroids to be more specific - Hundreds of massive slabs, filled with thousands of dents and pock marks, all appearing for only an instant before new ones took their place.
Their individual colours, shapes and oddities never even momentarily factored as they passed by the viewing screens far too fast.
The crimson and green shades of Scarlet''s Neo-C cut a line in and out and in and out of this endless tight field of detritus - She zig-zagged at ridiculous speeds between the endless shifting layers of the asteroid field as though it was second nature, never so much as scratching her machine''s paint-job.
Every so often the ridiculous blur would halt for a few sparse moments, its single red eye and a few dozen smaller pin-prick lights would all dance around its domed helmet in search of anything more interesting than rocks - If it didn''t find anything, off the red-lightning bolt would start again, threating the landscape as though it were merely a hunting dog prancing through a dark meadow.
Here and there she would pull up last minute, to avoided massive beams of energy that crossed their own path thought the battlefield, the barrage of the 4 warship''s currently duking it out, anyone of their stray blasts could end her petty machine in an instant should she accidentally cross their paths, though that hardly bothered her - In Scarlet''s experience, when faced with a deadly laser, Just dodge the Laser.
The S shape figure of her mech moving across battlefield, nothing on her mind but the hunt. Stopping again her menagerie of helmet cameras scrabbled to peak through a small gap between two particularly large asteroids - Through the space little more than 2 metres squared, her glowing red eye pulsed as it set sight on something very much so not a rock.
A clump of silver-grey and black angular metal lay on the far side of the small gap, probably taking cover from something or other.
Another pilot would of gone around the boulders, but Scarlet''s mind had no interest in such wasted opportunities - With-in a second of spotting the enemy machine, her mech rammed a sleek arc-staff blade through the gap in the rocks - She had no idea what she would hit but cared little as the plasma blade cut into the metallic flesh of the.....
''Vijaik Special, 1 of 3'' - Those were the only words she could feel for it, loose on the edge of her hazy consciousness.
With-in four seconds of seeing it, she had already let her blade free and yanked at one of her shoulder mounted rocket launcher''s, jamming the barrel into the gap and letting fourth a flurry of good old fashion, physical cannon fire.
The Vijaik Special on the other side, clearly in shock, did its best to make some distance, but few if any could dodge a point-blank surprise attack - The rockets impacted, tearing off the enemies left arm.
Scarlet licked her lips happily - Within 10 seconds of first contact she was now making her way around the large asteroid, ready to fire the next shot, ready to cut open her wounded prey.
As she rounded into open space, it came. Blasting out of open space, disintegrating the smaller debris it pasted, the hyper-charged sickly green of energy fire. Scarlet pulled back on her pure instinct, thoughts were few and far between at this point - The Enhancer flowed through her veins, alighting her synapses.
She fell back behind the rocks, her moment of attack faded - This attack hadn''t been stray warship fire, rather it was no doubt the Casnel, out there somewhere providing cover with its ridiculous fire power to its Vijaik-Special allies.
But that didn''t bother her much, she had dodged just fin--
''Oh.'' She thought.
She had indeed evaded fine, but her rocket launcher had not been so lucky, the long pipe shape had been cleaved straight off, she let it drift out of her hand, useless to her now.
It took effort but she did her best to consciously focus during this break in combat, to check for any other damages - None.
Then to check what weapons she had left - Also none.
She tutted, though another rocket launcher was perched on her other shoulder, its ammo was long spent - She had left one of her arc-staffs sticking out of the enemy mech, the other long lost. All that remained was the large Calabar blade greatsword on her back.
It was tempting, her first dose of enhancer was starting to wear off a little - To go on a rampage with nothing but a big sword, make a break for the blasted Casnel and cut it down to size. It was tantalising, her mouth watered quite literally at the thought. But no, it was disappointing, but the moment had passed - The Casnel firing on her had brought enough of her senses back to prevent her doing that.
She sighed deeply, forcing herself not to take her second syringeful just yet and set course back towards home - The hunt was young and she needed some more tools for it.
Front 31.5 - Ambush - Part 2/2
As she darted her way back through the asteroid field to where supplies could be found, her mind began to lift a little from the enhancer''s loving embrace - Her thoughts began to come more freely, her senses more clear.
The battle she now remembered, was at something of a stalemate - The Curadh had lead the Tristian flotilla to an asteroid filed, now with every blast any of the ships fired, the effect was dampened or blocked entirely by the field of massive boulders.
Moreover the Curadh''s 3 Vijaik Specials were spread out amongst the asteroids, firing borderline at random to confuse the firing equipment of the Fluchtig, after all the battleship was firing based of sensor data, shooting at the invisible submarine that glided through the waves of space - In this manner the Curadh was taking on three enemy vessels all by itself.
The mech side of things wasn''t much better - Sure there were 15 Neos out here, 5 Neo C''s like Scarlets and 10 of the regular ''M'' model - But of those 11 were accounted for.
It was the downside of having three ships, it meant you had three massive targets to protect. A minimum three of the fairly mediocre mechs like the Nemo were required just to cover the weak points of each warship, with a tenth machine to command the battlefield and an eleventh to guard the supply caravan.
The ''supply caravan'' was where she was headed now, that wasn''t its proper name but she couldn''t think of anything better to call it at present - Effectively it was just an unmanned cargo vessel, rudimentarily controlled remotely from the Fluchtig''s bridge and packed to the gills with spare weapons and ammo - It saved time for resupplying in a drawn out battle like this, rather than having to go back to the warship''s hanger bays every time, and since it was small and mobile, it only really needed the one Neo to protect it.
That said, 1 protecting it, 10 protecting the fleet - That only left 4 machines at large. Scarlet, Sabban and she could only presume ''that blasted elf woman'', all three were fighting with-in the asteroid field, creating disturbances to confuse the enemy ship''s guns and so on.
Last time Scarlet had been conscious enough to check, Hoki was set up somewhere behind the fleet, using her high power long range rifle to try and provide support - Chances she would hit anything moving so fast, were slim to none but if they got lucky she could probably buckle one of the enemy in a single blast.
Finally there was the Casnel, out there perched atop the Submarine. Anything got even a little close to the Curadh and the Casnel would open fire with its arm mounted super-cannon - In effect it was by itself doing the work of the 12 or so Nemos guarding the Tristain flotilla.
Stalemate.
Atleast that''s how it had been when she launched, but as she now slowed down her machine''s rapid approach and took in the site of the defence line, something looked off. Two Nemo''s were retreating, floating back to the Fluchtig''s open hanger-bay, both looked damaged - It hurt to do so but Scarlet forced herself to count the rest of the line - With two retreating there should of been eight in front of her, but instead, only 7 - Had Kolme deployed more units into the debris field, or?...
She fiddled with her communications board, normally she ignored it entirely when under the influence, but curiosity had got to her - Soon voices filled her cabin, rebounding in her head like the morning of a hang over - The voice of Kolme and the Fluchtig''s bridge officers giving orders to fill the gaps in the defence line were the most clear.
Also in there somewhere she gathered the current status, 2 damaged machines plus one completely destroyed - The battle was no longer a stalemate...
Before long she made it to the dull grey shape of the supply caravan, the Nemo pilot guarding it began to broadcast to her - She didn''t recognise the voice but could tell the pilot was disinterested, probably not expecting her to reply to him;
"Come in Neo unit 3, this is unit 13, status? Repeat, come in--"
"Aye, fine - And the fleet?" Scarlet murmured, it hurt her throat to suddenly speak, but it seemed only polite.
The pilot on the other side clearly jumped in his cockpit out of surprise - "What, ah, er, right Ma''am?! 2 units have been damaged but the pilots are alive, one critical the other fine, both members of the Rinie''s squad.
We lost one of our guys, I mean, that is to say one of my squad mates from the Valliere ma''am, didn''t eject from his machine in time - He was Warrant Officer--"
Scarlet cut the feed, no one from the Fluchtig was yet hurt - Good to know but in her current frame of mind, worrying about the squads from the other two ships, people she hadn''t personally become allied with, was a waste of combat processing speed.
She mindlessly grabbed what she needed from the supplies, new ammo, two new arc staffs and the last spare rocket launcher they had - Happily mounting it on her free shoulder - Some spare rifles were present but she always preferred the physically ammunition where possible, especially when precision weapons were near useless when trying to navigate the asteroids.
Happy with her haul and unhappy with how clear her mind was rapidly becoming, she pressed open the glove box and drew out her next dose, the cold feeling of the syringe against her bare fingertips made clear to her how in need of this next shot she was.
Just moments from plunging it in, a new, gruff and familiar voice crossed her open comms line - "Yo Scarlet." Sabban Vint hailed, his machine came into view, clearly here to resupply too. He continued talking;
"I''m going to tell Kolme and Tomo to push forward the line into the debris field.
There won''t be any defence line left if the enemy keeps picking us off one by one - You, me and Erfu aren''t enough to break through on our own, the Casnel''s cover fire is just too strong - You want me to add anything to that report?"
Scarlet fumbled the syringe around her fingers - ''Huh, so I was right to think Erfu was the third person running interference, neat.'' - She plunged the syringe down and set her course for the far side of the asteroid field, break time was over.
Within seconds her machine was rattling forward, hearing soon faded back to that cacophony of meaningless noise, the still open comms incomprehensible - The feelings of the cold metal controls on her hands soon dissipating, her vision narrowing again to just the main monitor, to just the single glowing red eye - Forward the crimson lightning shot.
****
There was a stalemate afoot, possibly one that was about to start favouring the enemy, that was what she had gathered in-between doses - The rest was gone now, even the memory of resupplying just minutes ago had been lost.
What hadn''t was a feeling of minor annoyance, the Casnel had stolen her kill earlier and it was the reason they couldn''t break through despite having the greater firepower.
Her mech appeared.
A few minutes of flying at mach speed, dodging and weaving through the asteroids at an inhuman rate and finally it appeared on the far side. Could the Casnel G-Type of looked surprised, it would of.
It ''stood'' seemingly on empty space, atop the invisible hull of the Curadh - Well not quite invisible. The Tristian Flotilla''s ship''s had managed to land a few glancing blows, nothing fatal but enough to strip back the paint in places, so really it looked more like the Casnel stood atop a black starry-sea of little white islands.
Like an artist were illustrating space and had forgotten to colour-in the whole canvas.
Scarlet didn''t bother slowing down, there was no hesitation, the battle began in an instant.
She took the full momentum of moving through the debris and kept going, firing off 3 rounds back to back from one of her launchers. The heavy physical ammo slammed into the Casnel, but just as before its thin transparent green shield appeared in a cuboid shape around it.
Raising its own arm mounted cannon, the Casnel let free a return volley of the deadly green blasts - But that didn''t bother Scarlet much, she simply evaded, rolled and glided through the air, never slowing as she continued her approach.
Her mechs chunky reinforced hands reached behind it and grabbed the Calabar greatsword, the chainsaw like weapon spinning to life, its edges glowing red hot - She would collided the massive blade full force into the Casnel, moving at this ridiculous speed, if that wasn''t enough to break its shield, then even she wasn''t sure what would be.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.?Continuing to dodge the incoming counterattacks she grew closer and closer, the Casnel growing larger on her monitor, filling the whole thing until--
Until it didn''t anymore and suddenly her screen was purely space again. Her mech yanked its head fiercely around, one of the Vijaik Specials had interrupted her assault, attempted with a much less impressive Arc-Staff, to stab her in the side, she had subconsciously shifted her mechs posture, so that the enemy blade clashed with her own - While the sheer weight of impact had pushed her off course.
She didn''t mind, she would simply fight whatever was foolish enough to be in her line of sight.
The Casnel unable to shoot for fear of hitting its weaker friend, watched as the Scarlet''s red accented Neo swung the massive Calabar blade high over head and down with almighty inertia.
The Vijaik Special, ''no.2 of 3'', or so Scarlet believed - Was not a big machine, its thin, lanky arm rose to block her attack and was completely ill-equipped - The smaller Arc staff literally snapping in half from the impact and the Special being thrown off balance.
Scarlet didn''t miss a beat, with her free hand she reached out and grabbed the nearest shoulder of the Special - It was a feature of her custom mech that had taken Chief Pel some time to perfect, she''d made sure Sabban was the test pilot for this feature, feeling he would appreciate it slightly more than Hoki.
A normal Vijaik''s hand is strong, easily heavy enough to crush a person but Scarlet had wanted more and now she had it.
The fist of her machine dug into the light armour of the Vijaik Special, than as though its fingers were daggers, they dug into its shoulder-blade. She clasped the controls tight and yanked back.
Success was sweet, out she pulled a massive handful of internal electrics and hydraulics in a fire of sparks - A moment later the Special''s whole left side went limp as every system inside the poor machine failed dramatically to cope with the bizarre internal attack.
She let the handful drift away and replaced both her machine''s hands back on her greatsword, raising the blade to eye level, ready for the finishing blow - Somewhere, deeply in her haze addled mind, she wondered which pilot this was - Yazan and Gemon, those were the two who had sung karaoke into the early hours of the night at the Aardig''s day party. Somewhere even deeper in her, far, far deeper, a tiny part of her was glad she hadn''t properly talked with either of them during said party.
She lurched forward, the enemy flailed trying to get his systems back online, to atleast raise the arm she hadn''t torn up, in defence.
And again for the third time that day, a new enemy interceded - Now it was starting to get annoying.
She said new, but it was the small make of machine, like the two she had already damaged, a third Vijaik Special appeared to block her attack - If anything it looked a little newer, like this could be its first battle - That didn''t make much sense to Scarlet.
Had she been more... ''sober'', she might have joined the dots to remember that a certain Major Moncha''s machine was still in IAFS custody back on Bannerman, meaning the Major had been forced to use a similar but different Vijaik Special - But she was very much so not in that frame of mind, had she been she might even of admired the enemy''s teamwork, how effectively they came to each other''s aid - But again, she was not, instead she simply felt a tinge of annoyance, a biting gnaw demanding to know why she still had yet to draw anyone''s blood.
This new enemy had not exactly blocked her sword, but instead redirected it - Running his own, much thinner Calabar blade against the inside edge of hers, simply moving her attack to miss, rather than try and straight up fight it - ''Smart, he saw what happened when his friend tried to block.''
They floated apart from each other a few metres and instantly the annoyance was gone, in a flash the memory of fighting the Casnel and the other Specials dissipated - The enemy before her had real skill - The others were all above average pilots, true enough, but this guy was a different calibre.
The thin angular frame of the Vijaik Special gave it a more ''human'' look than most mechs - It held in one hand a long, slim Calabar blade and in the other a thin, short arc staff - It held them with form, proper, real sword form, even its legs, though standing on nothing, were positioned beautifully.
Scarlet flipped her blade into a backwards grip and closed the distance, swinging up in a diagonal strike.
The enemy reacted in kind, twirling out of the blade''s path and striking at the opening her attack created - She dodged back but not fast enough. To Scarlet''s absolute wild-eyed joy, two thin lines of heat where cut across her armour - Minor damage, but damage no less.
Her smile was no longer wolfish, it was downright demonic.
The enemy quickly took its own attack, striking out with its longer blade in a fencing maneuver - It was aimed straight at Scarlet''s domed helmet, ready to sear out her cameras.
Her machine ducked under the attack before swiping out in return at the enemies lower half - The Special jerked back only to see a rocket launcher rise up where the Neo had been a moment before, it boosted desperately to the side but not fast enough, Scarlet''s projectile colliding against the slanted shoulders of the Special.
It had been only a bracing blow, but through the cloud of dust came an uppercut of a slash from Scarlet''s greatsword - The Special barely dodged backwards in time, a faint cut forming across its frontal armour from the hit.
They parted again, once more sizing each other up. Scarlet tossed aside the now spent rocket launchers, freeing up her mech''s shoulders. The Special once more resumed its defensive sword stance.
----
She sprang like some otherworldly beast, her bulky machine catapulting with a two handed over head strike straight down onto the Special - It blocked.
Its two blades held in an X-pattern above its triangular head, in the weightless environment both machines soared downwards, thrusting against each other for dominance.
And then she realised her mistake.
She had been goaded into this attack, her Calabar blade was roaring against the small dagger-like Arc staff, the chainsaw like teeth of her blade were slowly chipping away to dust - She broke back away and howled elated aloud to herself in the cockpit of her machine.
The Calabar blade would break any minute now, any clash of blades could be the one. That left her with just two Arc-staffs resting at her sides. She could do it with those, beat this enemy and gouge out the Casnel pilot''s eyes for good measure - Just one more dose of Enhancer, the current hadn''t worn off yet, to take another on top would push her even further, far enough to beat a Casnel with just her swords - She could do it, she wanted to do it.
The syringe was already in her hand, she couldn''t remember picking it up, but there it was. The enemy filled her vision, inviting her in for another bout of blades.
"Sc---- R----. All Units, ---eat. Scarlet you o-- -here? We''-- -one. To much dam--- Una''s injur--. All Units to Retreat"
Her comms lines was still open from earlier but between the static and the fog in her mind, what did that matter - There was sport to be ha--
"Una''s injured--"
''Ah.'' She thought to herself, it always seemed to happen - She fought as hard as she could, moved faster than anyone else, hit harder, won against foes multitudes stronger than her - But always she returned to find them dead, allies, comrades, friends.
The Enhancer in her hand wasn''t for a kick, for fun or pleasure - It was to make her strong enough, to make her that ''Ace of Aces'' everyone wanted, needed her to be - To make her strong enough to fight Magi and win - To protect, not kill.
Why was she always forgetting something so very simple?
She focused on their image in her mind, of Una having fought her best and being injured, of Hoki and Sabban probably refusing to retreat until they saw her return, even of Kolme pleading with Nate to let them come find her.
It took so much to put down the call of the poison in her hand, but gradually, she let the third dose float away - Turned her machine''s back on her opponents and disappeared into the asteroid field, dodging the Casnel''s energy blasts in her direction all the way home.
There would be other day''s to finish off this particular prey.
Front 32 - To Be An Ace
What does it mean to be ''An Ace'' ?
Technically its meaning varies throughout time and culture - Sometimes, in its simplest form it is simple to score 5 kills, tanks or planes, it hardly matters - To be someone who gives hope to allies and brings dread to your enemies - Who takes on a whole enemy squadron by themselves and comes back out alive.
But times had changed, what does it mean to be a ''Vijaik Ace''?
Because a Vijaik is a different beast to a tank or plane, a lone Vijaik with a bit of luck and a lot of skill has the potential to sink an entire battleship by itself - An ''Ace'' isn''t just to boost moral, an ace could very well change the whole battlefield single handed.
Is that what it means to be an ace, the ability to change lives?
TSU and Abhaile had both developed more rigid framework for the term in the last decade. To TSU a regular ''Ace'' is still someone who shoots down five enemies - No medal or title, just the informal recognition of your peers.
But sometimes that isn''t enough - The ''Vijaik Knights'', a medal, a promotion and a pay rise in one. A term TSU had stolen as something of an insult towards occupied Abhaile, only the best held it - The likes of Hoki''s father, ''Hero of the East'' or people given the title in death like the First Casnel''s unknown pilot.
But Abhaile had realised the worth of official titles sooner than that, the power it had to motivate, to give hope in the face of insurmountable odds. A two tier system - The first was arbitrary, a mediocre pilot might get a basic ace''s title purely for propaganda reasons, there had been hundreds of this first type over the last decade.
You got a title with it, one word - An old friend of her''s had been given the title ''Bane'' - She had been bequeathed the word ''Scarlet''.
But there was a level higher, one far more strenuous to gain - It required permissions, the approval of someone in the Abhailen Royal Family and after they had all died, the approval of the Remembrance high council.
This second layer was for the very best of the best, for those who could change the tide of whole wars, for Magi or holders of supernatural talent.
You gained two more words for your trouble, sometimes even 3; ''Thee Bane of Konpei'' Remembrance''s first leader, one of the fiercest and most accomplished pilots and leaders who ever lived.
''Thee Scarlet Scourge''
Something many outside of Remembrance didn''t realise was that the ''Thee'' part was not for show, seen as an official suffix of respect, equal to that of ''Sir'' or ''Dame''.
''Ms.Scarlet'' didn''t exist on paper, it was ''Thee Scarlet'' - Was that what it meant to be an Ace, the rights to a longer name?
She hadn''t been given her title in the First War, atleast not all of it. She had in the war''s third year been donned ''Scarlet'' a word that had already been people''s nickname for her, but it was the peace-years that gained her a proper title.
The three years between the First War and the Remembrance Incident, Scarlet had spent pirating, attacking TSU supply lines for almost no reason - Her enemies had given her the name Scarlet-Scourge, a blight on their lives.
When Remembrance had requested her, asked her to help lead their forces, the loathing title had become an official one - In a manner of speaking it was both Friend and Foe alike who had named her.
It had always been like that for Scarlet. People had always looked to her, always hoped she knew what to do next, how to survive, how to win!
She''d thought pirating no one would revere her, yet give her a name out of fear they had. She thought Remembrance simply needed more firepower, yet give her a battalion to command and an official title they had.
She had hoped IAFS would let her fade into the background, yet once more commander of a squad she''d become.
Even here aboard the Fluchtig, although she did her best to avoid it, people looked to her. Looked to the ace pilot, hoped she would somehow lead the flotilla to win against the Casnel. Una and Hoki had that look too, softer, but in their eyes no less.
Kolme Nilas had it most of all, a buried, unspoken desire for her to ''save'' them all.
But Scarlet knew she was nothing, she had never been anything. She took a dangerous drug and that was it. Sure years of practise helped, but really it was all the drug, the Enhancer - It was what allowed her to win, to slay countless foes and cut down Casnels, not her.
She wasn''t a Magi, she wasn''t an expert - Just a woman who had some odd resistance to the drug, just someone who happened to have the right genes, or some ''lucky'' set of chemicals that just so happened to allow her to keep living and keep taking the drug - Where dozens of others had died to its effects, she simply hadn''t.
Their image of her, of the Scourge, was false - She couldn''t save anyone, just perhaps, kill better than most.
Her mech came to a stop aboard the main hanger of the Am-Fluchtig - After spending a few minutes composing herself, she exited the custom circular doorway. Before she knew it her mech was on the move again, one of the engineers eager to have it moved to the lower hanger, out of the way - After all Scarlet had barely received a scratch in the battle - A quick look around showed that hadn''t been the case for most.
The Fluchtig was by far the largest ship in the flotilla, its hanger was now packed with all 15 Neos, or atleast what remained of them - Having the best repair facilities with its onsite workshop, the order had been given to have all the retreating mechs enter here to asses the extend of the damage, rather than return to their own ships.
The handful of mostly unscathed mechs like Scarlet''s were quickly swept off to the under-hanger - While all around her fire-crews, medical teams and mechanics had set to work on the majority of the machines, searching out any mech that might still be liable to explode, breaking pilots free of damaged cockpits and of course, taking some to be treated for injury - It was chaotic, but between chief Pel, Doctor Hasain and the other leaders of the Fluchtig present, it was an orderly chaos.
Scarlet wondered among this cacophony, still somewhat out of it from the drug even after having taken the tablets to neutralise its no longer needed effects. She looked around in the hopes of spotting someone who''s name she might remember, that wasn''t busy with the work all around her - After a few minutes she found one, Kolme Nilas.
Well not just Nilas, standing before him were two more vaguely familiar faces - Lt.Tomo and 2nd Lt.Erfu (Internally Scarlet found herself somewhat proud she''d remembered not just their names, but also ranks...).
As she neared the scene she quickly realised the three weren''t talking so much as arguing;
"You should of given the order to pull back sooner, or gone for an all out assault - Your Indecision has cost us lives Lieutenant Nilas, this is on you!!"
Scarlet felt a little bemused. Tomo was a tall, muscular man with buzzcut hair - The picture of a well disciplined, thinking soldier. To see him so up in Kolme''s face was a little unnerving.
Kolme for his part had his face downcast, his ever slouched posture making him look all the smaller and older in the face of Tomo''s words. For a moment Scarlet honestly thought Tomo would start throwing fists, but before it could escalate further, the small woman by his side with the brilliant white hair, tugged lightly on his arm and shook her head.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.?Tomo bristled but relented, letting his arm fall to his side - "If he doesn''t make it Kolme, I will hold you responsible."
With that Tomo turned and began to march away, heading in Scarlet''s direction, he stopped upon spotting her and looked over his shoulder to add more;
"And keep this dog of yours on a leash next time, you should be ashamed."
With that he was gone, not so much as making eye contact as he passed Scarlet by. Erfu soon followed, sparing Scarlet a brief nod. She noticed now that the short woman''s left arm was in a sling.
''Did he mean me when he said dog?''
Scarlet mused to herself.
After a few awkward moments, Kolme closed the distant between himself and Scarlet;
"I''m sorry ''bout that, Tomo shouldn''t a'' spoken to you of all people that way."
Scarlet scoffed, "Ha! I''ve been called way worse then that before, no sweat."
Kolme''s face was still downcast, he looked to Scarlet more pathetic than usual, though she could see no particular injuries on him.
It was probably just the lingering affects of the drug she was sure, but for some reason Scarlet felt the need to be, well, kind to the man - He looked like someone in desperate need of a friend.
She scratched at her cheek, not entirely sure how to be nice to Kolme, "So ah, he sounded a bit upset - Things go that bad out there?"
Kolme looked up at her, visible confused - "Well ya, 3 of our units our badly damaged, 2 more completely destroyed. We''ve loads of injuries, some minor like Erfu''s sprained arm, others more major, Una''s got broken ribs. Then there''s the causalities, we lost two pilots from the Valliere, including their squad commander. Also there''s a guy from the Rinie, one of Tomo''s subordinates, Doc says they have to operate straight away, they..."
"They?"
"Ah." Kolme shifted, clearly still reeling from the news himself, "They''ve got to amputate both legs from the waist - His survival chance is pretty low and if he does make it, well...."
Scarlet took a deep breath, thinking back to when she lost her own leg - She looked at Kolme, who had once more resumed staring at the ground.
"And all that''s your fault how Nilas?"
Kolme blinked dumbly, "I was the field commander, of course it''s my fault! If it wasn''t for you we would literally of achieved nothing."
"Me, what d''ya mean?" Scarlet shot back.
"What? What are you saying Scarlet-Lass? You took on their whole squad, you forced two of the enemy units to retreat, Sabban says he saw you pretty much tear one of those Vijaik Special''s arms off! Then you faced down Major Moncha and the Casnel - No one else managed to land much more than minor hits on the enemy mechs."
It was Scarlet''s turn to stare back at Kolme dumbly - She couldn''t remember most of what was being described.
There had definitely been a duel with a very talented swordsman and she had definitely played hooky with the Casnel''s cannon alot, but the rest was vague. The battle had started suddenly and ended suddenly, in her mind everything in-between was lost. Had she really done these things?;
"Errr, right I guess?" She mumbled in response.
By now Kolme was back to wallowing, his eyes almost vacant as he stared around the large room at the mass of damaged machines;
"Hey Scarlet, do you know his name? The Commander of the Valliere''s Vijaik squadron?"
Scarlet shock her head. Kolme nodded, "Ya me neither. I''m sure I''m going to hear it alot in the coming days, in reports and briefings, but right now, I couldn''t tell you his name or the other dead guys either - I can tell you the name of the man with two crushed legs but only because Tomo shouted it at me a few minutes ago.
I ain''t cut out to be a commander Scarlet, I--"
"What about our squad eh?" Scarlet interceded, annoyance starting to rise, "Una''s hurt but alive right? And the rest of us seem pretty fine. Look Kolme, when I''m, ah ''under the influence'' things kind of blur for me a bit right?
Alot happens and fast, but I do remember your voice in there, staying calm, giving orders - I bet it was you who called the retreat too ya? And probably you who thought to use Una''s name to snap me out of it, now that I do remember.
We had our orders from HQ, to fight the Curadh, beat the Casnel - All we can do, is fulfil that to the best of our power right? No one is asking for miracles, people are going to die in a battle like that, no commander can stop that from happening. And besides all that, last time I checked you ain''t even trained to be a field captain are ya? It''s one thing filling in as acting squad leader, but fuck Kolme, there''s only so much people can expect from ya!"
Despite her words, Kolme stood head shaking side to side.
She sighed deeply, struggling to find words that would mean anything much;
"Look old man, what Tomo said, it wasn''t wrong. In his boots would you or I do the same? Probably."
"Then--" Kolme mumbled.
"Ah ah, I''m not done scruffy!" Scarlet barked, causing the older man to nearly jump in his skin, "Look just because its understandable that he''s upset, just because it normal to want to find someone to blame - None of that makes what he just did right - I''ll bet he knows that too, letting off steam at the guy one rung above you is understandable but it isn''t helping anyone.
There''s gonn''a be more fights like today, and we''re gonna lose more people - But in my eyes, any day that three-quarters of us come back alive, is a damn good day you hear me Nilas?!
Take it from someone who''s been in both Tomo and your position before, you did alright out there old man, k?"
Kolme looked up at her sorrowfully, but perhaps with a little spark of light returning to his old eyes.
Scarlet grinned, satisfied with her ''good deed for the day''. Kolme had, she considered, nice eyes - Maybe that was the drug still talking, but for a man his age, his face was actually not all that bad looking if only he''d shave better.
She slapped him hard on the back - "Now ain''t you got work to be doing or somethin''? I was thinking to go find Hoki or Una myself."
Kolme nodded, "You''re right, how good or not I did ain''t the problem now - Next few days are going to get busy - Sun above I don''t look forward to asking HQ for replacement machines neither, not after we disobeyed pretty much their whole plan and who knows when the next all out battle''s going to be, now that we''ve had one its anyone''s guess...
Hey Scarlet, can I ask ya to keep an eye on Una for the next few days? Me and Hoki are going to be swamped with work no doubt."
Scarlet laughed and began to walk away, stopping only briefly to leave the old man with his answer, "I''d of done that without you asking ya old fart - I''ll keep an eye on Hoki too and all!"
And in that bizarre and truncated way, in the fashion all battle seemed to go for Scarlet, a mix of hazy recollection and rushed adrenaline, Operation Deadlight''s 3rd engagement came to a close.
Is that what it means to be an Ace, to be Thee Scarlet Scourge? To face down an entire enemy squadron and then forget afterwards? To come back alive after others die? To not know the names of those ''lesser'' than you?
To talk kind words to old men?
As always, Scarlet had no idea.
Front 33 - Volcanic Felsite - Part 1/2
Scarlet had read some years ago that humans can experience time as slightly slower during moments of high stimulation - That the moment before one jumps off a plane, the act of skydiving, could actually cause you to experience the same few seconds everyone else did normally, as being longer - As though time itself had slowed down.
This was not Scarlet''s own experience of ''over-stimulation''
Rather the opposite, Scarlet found she frequently lost time - It happened whenever she took the Enhancer drug, whole swaths of her memory simply dampened or faded away entirely.
Scarlet''s time aboard the Fluchtig had been odd, both long and short.
Some weeks she remembered just fine, the week she came to the warship - The day she met Una, the ten initial days she spent tutoring the girl before Operation Deadlight really took off - And then... Pangs, feelings but nothing more.
Apparently at the Battle of the Clover she had gone berserk in their first fight against the Casnel - Scarlet could not remember it.
She loosely remembered days of waiting before the battle and she had feelings about the time.
She knew that before the battle she had held negative emotions towards Hoki Bachika, and that after the battle she held positive ones - But honestly? Not that she would ever say it aloud, but Scarlet couldn''t remember the words of any conversation that had lead to her and Hoki becoming such good friends - She was simply glad the feeling remained strong enough that she hadn''t unwittingly lashed out at the younger woman after the whole affair.
Kolme Nilas had tried to interview Scarlet in the days following that battle - She''d fobbed him off, been sarcastic at the time, but deep down, she didn''t have the answers to Kolme''s questions, she couldn''t remember that fight with the Casnel.
But following that had come an ''awesome'' stretch in Scarlet''s opinion - Sure the few days in sickbay had been a drag, but then there had been Station 9.3.
Kolme and the rest of the squad had done most of the fighting that day against the Fortress machine - All Scarlet had to do was arrive last minute and ram Major Moncha''s mech - That was something that hadn''t required taking her enhancer - Meaning to her joy, she could remember the thrill of moving at that ridiculous speed with all her engines set to maximum and the bonus thrusters she''d borrowed off Sabban''s Vijaik equipped - Like the ultimate roller-coaster ride.
But better yet was that she could remember what came next, the week spent just lazing about the Fluchtig, further training Una - The night out in Bannerman, or atleast as much of that as anyone remembers the next day - And then an Aardig''s day party to top it all off!
It had been a great period.
But then they had gone into battle once more and she had taken two doses of the harpy''s call.
Her memory of the last week was hazy at best - Last thing she truly remembered was sitting on some large metal crates, shooting the breeze with Kolme and of all the people, Major Moncha.
Next thing, 5 days later, or so every calendar on the ship insisted on showing, she was running through a corridor, heading for her mech - Then it was just flashes, bursts of intense energy, fights she could only see shards of - And then two more days later here she was.
It didn''t feel like 7 days had passed since the party, she simply couldn''t work out what she had been doing for those first 5 before the battle - And the battle itself, slowly she could see less and less of it - People kept looking at her, some out of admiration, others like she were a monster - All because she had apparently taken on the entire enemy squad one unit at a time, but that she couldn''t remember, not in the slightest.
It didn''t help that in the two days since the battle, Scarlet had found herself at a loose end - Hoki was a tornado lately, constantly rushing around, attending meetings, overseeing the repair work of the ship and the Neos.
Sabban who''s machine had been mostly undamaged, had sealed himself inside it almost instantly upon his return from the battle, hooked up the simulator and been pretty much practising ever since - According to Hoki, the young man was frustrated he couldn''t do more in the battle, Scarlet actually felt a little guilty - Was the boy comparing himself to her performance?
Fights she couldn''t even remember, driving Sabban to try even harder?
Kolme was seldom seen either - As Field-Commander of the battle, he alongside Nate Novel as Fleet-Commander were spending all their time attending remote meetings with HQ - The duo seemed to spend every moment of the day, receiving lectures, having their every choice in battle scrutinised, and in-between begging for reinforcements - All from sealed within the confines of the Captain''s quarter.
That left Scarlet with just Una to talk to - Una was after all her only responsibility. She''d been banned from the hanger, the place already crowded and some fearing she might copy Sabban and seal herself inside her mech.
So with others taking care of her machine''s maintenance, and training off the table - Her days were simply spent sitting with a depressed Una, or sitting in her room, reading or thinking - And that thinking was starting to lead to some unpleasant thoughts.
So when Scarlet had run into Typhoon-Hoki, she jumped at the chance to take on a quick job.
Hoki had been carrying a file to Kolme, claiming he needed to see it and it would only get lost if she sent it digitally.
It reminded Scarlet just how short staffed IAFS really was, back in her own time as a squad leader she''d almost always had attendants to do busy work and errands for her - That and her boredom in mind, Scarlet now stood outside the Captain''s quarters, thin report held laxly in one hand, waiting for Kolme to finish his current meeting.
The obvious problem of course, was now rather than being bored in her room, or bored sitting beside Una - Now she was bored standing in a corridor.
There were she guessed, worse corridors to be standing in - Like most space-fairing vessels the Fluchtig was mostly uninhabited, the massive iris shape of the ship''s main body contained engines, cannons, massive amounts of fuel & water storage and so on. Only a small portion of the crew had reason to be in the lower decks, even less lived down there.
Most of the crew resided in the main hexagonal dome atop the ship, filled primarily by the hanger-bay, opposite that the bridge and in-between the recreational facilities and the many different sleeping arrangements - Even for someone who liked to bend the rules, Scarlet had enough respect not to turn up unannounced on the Ship''s bridge, but today she had a reason.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The Captain''s quarters were in the same corridor that lead to the bridge, so now she stood facing its door. The door itself was somewhat unique, the Fluchtig being designed as a command vessel could potential house a fleet admiral or high level dignitaries, so safety was important.
The door she stared at was made of a solid reinforced metal - In fact the walls surrounding the quarters on all sides were, making the room effectively a miniature fortress hidden inside the ship - A far cry from the thin partitioning wall between rooms like those of Hoki and Scarlet.
Inside there would be no windows, that was luxury saved for lower ranked officer''s quarters, rooms like Una''s that rested against the outer wall of the hexagon.
Being so close to the bridge meant new faces were passing by Scarlet, she kept herself vaguely entertained by aggressively tapping her prosthetic leg against the metal floors and glaring ''evilly'' at passers-by, simply to watch their reactions.
Now she was considering strolling up to the bridge itself while she waited. Perhaps Cally would be on duty today, Scarlet didn''t know the woman all that well but she felt having Una in common would be enough to spark a few idle minutes of chatter.
She had pretty much solidified her decision to go sightseeing when suddenly a yell broke across the room - It had come from the Captain''s quarters - That''s when she saw it and kicked herself for not noticing sooner, the door was ajar, not closed, just on the hinge.
Without hesitation Scarlet glanced to either side of the corridor before stepping across, pushing her back up against the door and listening.
She couldn''t hear much, whomever Kolme and Nate were talking to on the computer screen, was a mumbled mystery - Still half a conversation was better than nothing;
"Sirs please, with one squadron of Vijaik Heavies I think we could greatly increase the survival chances of our pilots."
Following what she was sure were Kolme''s words, Scarlet strained her ears, trying to hear the response from the computer link but failing - After a few moments;
"Yes Sir, I appreciate that, I''m not trying to debate the merits of the Nemo--"
Another brief pause.
"Ah, no Sir, I of course mean the Neo-M. Look Sir, not even a full squadron, with just four Vijaik Heavies I could, errr, greatly increase the chances of a positive outcome in further fleet engagements - One for each of my high level pilots, Tomo, Erfu, Sabban and Scarlet, I''ve sent your office their files - You''ll see they all have the necessary skill threshold to qualify for a more specialised machine than the Nem-- Neo."
Another, longer period of mumbled reply from the computer - ''Kinda cute he''s trying to get me a better machine, guess he knows what the ladies like.'' Scarlet thought to herself in the pause.
"But Director! With all due respect Sir, if we can''t beat the Casnel with 15 Neo''s, the hell do you expect us to do it with just 10!!" Kolme suddenly shouted.
"Calm down there old sport." Nate''s voice added.
Scarlet found herself agreeing, to shout at superiors like that took some courage, or stupidity - ''Didn''t know he had the balls.''
There was a much longer reply from the computer''s speakers this time, the few words Scarlet did catch seem to centre around respect, with additions on how the flotilla would of already succeeded had they just followed HQ''s plan better and how the Neo-M is perfectly good machine.
Finally there were some painful seconds of silence as neither the computer or Kolme & Nate said anything, until in a more subdued tone;
"Neo-Cs Sirs, a squad of those instead of the M model, No actually, just two, one for Tomo and Erfu each, and their damaged Neo-M''s can go to the pilots who''s machine were completely destroyed. Just two Neo-Cs Director, please, I ask you this not as an officer but as a fellow."
"Oi Kolme, lift your head up man."
Scarlet blinked, based on what Nate said, was Kolme Nilas bowing?
There was a curt reply from the monitor.
"Yes Sir!" Kolme and Nate barked back together, flowed by just Kolme;
"Thank you Sirs, and I apologise for any disrespect I may of conveyed."
Then Silence.
----
Scarlet stood, head still resting on the door, she could faintly still hear Kolme and Nate but they were speaking more quietly now - Then - The door opened.
She didn''t fall in or anything, she''d been in space a long time, there was no gravity, she simply hung in the air turning her head slowly to face a bemused Kolme;
"Yo." The Scarlet Scourge grinned a little sheepishly.
" ''Yo''." Kolme Nilas said back, he gently pushed her back, causing her to float into the corridor and giving himself room to shut the door behind him; "Ya know lass, its a court-martial offence to ease drop on superior officers."
Scarlet attempted to smile ''sweetly'', though it wasn''t very effective - "Who me? Never, just here ta'' give you this old man." She finished tossing over the file.
Kolme frowned, than sighed in dismay as he read its title, "Ya, ya, fine."
Scarlet didn''t know what to say, where was the fun teasing someone when they didn''t get angry, flustered or embarrassed? Looking at his face she realised he had deep bags beneath his eyes and his clothes were a creas lined mess too boot.
"You ah, you slept much recently Nilas?"
"Hmmm? Er, here and there I guess..." He mumbled back, thumbing through the report.
Scarlet frowned, "Hey listen, not that I was listening in or anything, but you did good in there man - I was pretty impressed, it takes alot to stand up to people like that."
Kolme glanced up at her, his eyes that same vacant complexation as they had been after the battle two days ago, perhaps even more drained than then;
"Scarlet, according to this report, we''re down 4, if not 5 machines and 4 pilots - And all they are willing to send me is two Neo-Cs. No new pilots, no better machines. I begged them and got the bare minimum, nothing more than that."
"That''s still two more Neo-Cs than we had a week ago." Scarlet said back.
"No it isn''t, its one more Neo-C! We lost Una''s unit remember, even though she got out alive, what''s left of her machine is scrap metal. We''re up one Neo-C and down 3 Nemos - We''ll have 12 machines in the fight, if we couldn''t win with 15, how''re we going to with 12!!?"
Kolme straight up shouted back.
Scarlet gently leant forward and laid a hand on his shoulder - Maybe she was still just bored, but right now she felt this was a man who might crumble up and disappear if she left him alone;
"Hey, why don''cha buy me a drink k? You can read over your little report with some of that horrible tea of yours or something?"
Kolme looked up at her and nodded softly, "Alright..."
****
Front 33.5 - Volcanic Felsite - Part 2/2
In pursuit of a drink, Kolme and Scarlet had ended up retreating to the older man''s quarters, Kolme having forgotten his wallet. As acting XO aboard the Fluchtig he apparently had a code that allowed him free access to every electronic door and machine aboard the vessel but supposedly didn''t like using this system and would rather have the same credit everyone else on the ship was subjected to.
Having returned to his room Scarlet suggested they simply drink the tea there instead and she was briskly welcomed in.
There was running commentary about Kolme''s room around the Fluchtig and it seemed apparent to Scarlet as she entered, that almost all of it was true. The door had been left unlocked, the furniture inside was indeed eclectic and the legendary hole in the wall between this room and Sabban''s stood proud.
A quick glance into the younger man''s room as she entered indicted a very different story - Sabban''s room was almost barren and what was there, disordered - Backing up what she''d heard about him training near constantly the last few days.
Admittingly though, Kolme''s room interested her more - The Fluchtig had a shortage of senior officers, so with the exception of Una, all the pilots had the same size room along the same corridor but Kolme had taken far more libraries with his than the others.
A tall bookshelves lined most of one wall, the standard cot had been replaced with a more ''homely'' bed - A tea caddy with mini-fridge was to one corner where the man himself now stood, a big fluffy rug covered most of the floor and on top of that two old armchairs with a small circular coffee table between them.
The bookshelves packed with random volumes of this and that was the only familiar site as Scarlet had something similar in her own room but aside from that it was alot of furniture that felt out of place on a spaceship - Moreover the furniture was old, well kept sure, but definitely second hand in her opinion - The room had an almost nostalgic feeling, even with the metallic walls of the ship peaking out from behind the array of fittings, the space had a sort of old-lady''s parlour aesthetic.
"Kolme, you were on the Tradech before here right? And that other ship before that, the ah--"
"Monte Blanc" He finished for her, setting the kettle to boil.
"Ya, back then you were just a rank and file pilot? Did you get all this furniture in just the last couple months?"
Kolme blushed lightly at the comment, turning to start searching for teabags, "Well I am an officer here right? I asked them to get me some things."
Scarlet smirked, "But its all second hand, you could of asked for way better stuff than this."
"Well, I suppose, but no need to go overboard right Lass?"
She chuckled, he was a strange man - Every time she had crossed him lately he''d been a picture of dread, tired, clearly blaming every little decision the ship made on himself, clearly guilty for the deaths of the two pilots from the Valliere.
He was the Fluchtig''s self-appointed ''Dad-Figure'', he knew the names of the whole bridge staff, was a familiar face to the mechanical teams, made frequent trips out to the further edges of the Fluchtig to check in on the grenadiers - And just today she had listened to him argue, shout and then beg HQ for reinforcements.
And what reward did he consider appropriate compensation for all that? Some cheap second hand furniture.
He fiddled with a tin of cheap army issue teabags as the kettle reached boiling point - She wasn''t sure where he even got them, they''d stop producing that brand a decade ago atleast.
Still Scarlet couldn''t help but find this whole ''image'' to be remarkably cosy, hidden away on the Tristian Flotilla''s flagship, behind an unsuspecting plain door, she had entered another world, the lair of an elderly male spinster with no sense of interior design - Standing there hobbled, pouring kettle water into the battered old metal teapot, shuffling around the tea-caddy to find a second clean cup.
''I ain''t slept with anyone in a whole year'' - The thought crossed her mind all by itself as she watched the laborious teamaking of Kolme Nilas. Before coming to the Fluchtig she had been in a detention centre for a few months, it had been a while and to her bemusement she suddenly found the man before her to be attractive.
''He looks like someone who just needs a partner, someone to tell ''em to stand up straight, to give him a reason to want to look after his skin and facial hair. He''d be a reliable partner with the right...''
Kolme wasn''t really that old after all, right? Sure he himself and everyone around him labelled him the ''old man'' but that was only by comparison to the rest of the ship''s young crew. Others like Chief Pel, Doctor Hasain or even Commander Nate, were all probably pretty close in age.
In fact the more she looked him over, the more Scarlet wondered if Kolme was much past 50 - And after all she was hardly much younger, certainly the wrong side of 40.
By Abhailen standards, on a planet with a thin atmosphere and weak gravity, where water is buried miles beneath the surface - Getting to age 70 was considerably ''ancient'' but on Bhaile (Where she reminded herself Kolme came from), 50 was positively middle aged.
With such advances in food and medical science people there often lived to a hundred. And what of the Elves to the East, capable of getting to 200, or the Dwarfs in their ancient underground city, rumoured to live all the way to 300 - What was 50 compared to any of them?
She eyed him as he crossed the room, handing her the steaming cup of tea before sitting himself down in the seat across from her - She sipped at it while staring into his borderline vacant, sleepless eyes.
It had crossed her mind before, but Kolme really had pretty eyes. They weren''t a sky blue, nor a deep ocean shade that you could lose yourself in - Rather they were a more subtle shade, almost grey like his hair.
She liked looking at them.
Scarlet hated her own eye, it was mess that added to the image of a mad beast people had of her.
It had a sort of permanent bloodshot effect to it, her brown Iris had long since been invaded by a scratchy crimson red rim, that weaved and clawed at her iris as though trying to consume it.
Magi gained red eyes over time but Scarlet was no Magi, her eye was simply damaged from years of mistreatment, from side effects of the Enhancer - It was an ugly eye, or so she felt.
"Did ya hear Scarlet-lass? That pilot from the Rinie pulled through, the operation was a success." Kolme piqued up, breaking the silence.
Scarlet blinked, brought out of her own musings before nodding. Kolme smiled before going on;
"Ah, how about Una, she doing alright?"
She nodded dumbly again, before kicking herself internally, "Oh right, ya. Well she''s kinda depressed, keeps going on about having let the whole team down. She''s in alot of physical pain too, broken ribs, lacerations, poor girly is kind of a reck." Scarlet finished getting back on track.
Kolme frowned, "But that''s not true, sure she got hurt back at the Clover but she saved Hoki by doing so and at Station 9 she kept fighting despite her emotions. And even this time!
Ya it sucks we lost one of the Neo-Cs but she fought well, kept up with everyone else - Heck the two who died from the Valliere both had way more combat experience than Una, yet she kept up with them!"
Scarlet shrugged, "Ya I keep telling her all that." Then she grinned, "I hear too it was you who saved our girl.
Apparently you realised the automatic eject on her Neo had failed, had you not warned her they say 30 more seconds and she would''a been destroyed along with her machine - Good job Nilas."
The man shook his head, "No, that''s the minimum I could do, not like I managed to do it for any of the other injured pilots..."
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
"Hey now, didn''t I already have this chat with ya? You can''t take responsibility for everyone out there Kolme, cut yourself some slack man."
Kolme didn''t respond and for a little while they sat in silence, sipping their tea. It was bad tea, horrible in fact - But it felt like the right thing to be drinking in that moment.
Finally Kolme spoke up once more;
"Scarlet, do you ah... Do you remember the first time you saw a Casnel?"
She blinked and tried to give it some serious thought. It was weird for her to think about, the threat of one Casnel or another on her life had been a constant for so long now that it was easy to forget there had been a time when they didn''t exist.
After some thought, she shook her head unable to recall.
"Well that''s fair enough, I mean you''ve piloted and destroyed Casnels in the past - They must all blur together after a while--" Kolme replied, it made Scarlet cringe a little - It was the sort of sentiment she often faced from well meaning people, as though facing off against titans of war ever got easier.
"-- But I remember my first time, sometimes I wish I could forget."
Kolme continued, laying down his half-empty cup, a far away look overtaking him;
"It was the third year of the war, I got transferred from the engineering core to the TSU Vijaik programme - Before I knew it I was the pilot of the ''new'' mass production TSU Vijaik being sent up to space. You remember the old Casnel-MBT right lass? A Vijaik made to look like the First Casnel, but not actually a Casnel itself."
He laughed almost fondly.
Scarlet too smiled, she indeed remembered many hours with her comrades making fun of TSU''s bad naming schemes, back then it had been make fun of them or sit in fear of their vastly superior specs.
Kolme continued, "I was assigned to this little flotilla of three ships, on its way to meet up with the home fleet, mundane stuff - But we got ambushed, an Abhailen group, something like 5 ships and maybe 20 to 25 mechs, mostly the old Mk2s, a couple Mk1s and a Heavy or two.
Who knows whether they were headed towards Bhaile or retreating away from it but they were ferocious, experience and skilled - We had fifteen machines but most of them were like me, rookies who were in space for the first time ever with barely any mech training."
"Within minutes we''d lost ten machines and two ships - I truly thought that was it for me Scarlet, life''s way of telling me I should never of left Ivernia heh. And then it came.
It was already legendary by then, the ship and the mecha that were changing the tide of war almost single-handed, the Cheval De Troy and the First Casnel.
It flew past me, shimmering white, and it crushed them Scarlet. One by one, 20 or more mechs couldn''t even scratch it. It smashed and gouged and burned and slashed its way through every last one of those poor bastards, and then it kept going, bursting open the enemy warships, tearing them apart piece by piece - All by itself."
Scarlet listened attentively, she found it fascinating. For years now she had heard stories from the opposite perspective, from Abhailen soldiers who had survived an encounter with the First Casnel, watched their friends and comrades die by its hand.
"Was it like an angel?" She asked.
Kolme''s brow wrinkled, "Why an angel?"
"Well, everyone''s always told me it was a demon, a demon of war coming to kill them, so I thought maybe for you, being on its side was like seeing a benevolent angel of war?"
Kolme visible shuddered at the suggestion, "No." He put firmly, "A demon you say? Ya that sounds about right, a demon clad in white maybe, but demon no less. I was just lucky enough to be on its side of the fight.
But now, now whenever I think about our next battle with the Curadh, whenever I try to think up ways we could beat it, all I see is that memory - That time I watched a lone Casnel tear apart a force three times larger with ease."
Scarlet stared at Kolme, his face a ghostly shade as though he was reliving the memory even now - She wasn''t sure if her next words were a lie or not, if they were a cruel deception or not, but she wanted to say them, wanted to try and give the fragile creature before her something to latch onto;
"Hey don''t go getting weird ideas ya hear? If a Casnel is about to burst through that door, then I''ll deal with it ya know? So relax a little, you''re too high-strung for ya own good. The Curadh is one ship, the Casnel is one mech - They aren''t the Cheval De Troy, nor a demon - We''ll get through ''em somehow right?"
He didn''t respond, but she felt, deep in those grey eyes she saw the faintest glimmer, the tiniest ember of hope still holding on - It made her smile a little.
"Kolme you got a partner, like an Ex still holding a candle or a wife back home or something?" She added with a grin - It had the desired effect as the man was broke from his musings, his cheeks regaining some colour at last;
"You''re the second person to ask me that lately! What sort of image do you all have of me?" He borderline pouted, than sighed;
"I had a partner, before the First War, we were to be wedded but she died. She was a Magi believe it or not!
A real one too, not just good at predicting the weather, she used to know how people felt, she could even detect diseases in people months before any machine could!"
He spoke as though boasting on the woman''s behalf; "But she died, I mean to be fair who doesn''t know someone who died in that war eh? After I joined the army, guess I''ve never really looked back."
Scarlet tensed up a little, "Kolme there no chance that I--"
"No, no. I mean you''re a hard woman to track through history but I did look into it as best I could when I first heard we would be working together and I''m pretty confident you were on a different continent when she died, so don''t worry about it.
And anyway, even if you had been there, how would I know which of the many soldier shooting at us had killed her? Or say hypothetically I could find the one, what then? Revenge? We we''re soldier''s on opposite sides of a war and trust me, what me and her were doing at the time was as good as asking to be shot at.
Nah, just shows how crazy all this fighting is that we could go from mortal enemies, to drinking tea together eh lass?
But what about you, must of had a few suiters with your looks right?"
Scarlet grinned, "Flattery is it now Kolme? Ya I''ve had my fair share of ''action'' - Though since becoming a pilot keeping things stable has got tricky, lot''a one night deals before shipping out I suppose."
Kolme nodded, blushing rather cutely at her flippancy on the topic - Too cutely in Scarlet''s opinion;
"Hey you should know by the way, there''s a rumour Remembrance is on the mov--" The man began.
She pounced.
It was a panther-like movement, announcing that she would not be letting this moment pass in favour of political chatter.
Aside from the large dampener-field over the bed, the rest of Kolme''s room had only little gravity, enough to sit in a chair, but light enough to let you float over the coffee table and hang in the air with your arms crossed around Kolme Nilas''es neck, bringing your faces intimately close.
The man in question was set ablaze, trying to pull back, flustered in the extreme;
"Sc-Sc-Scarlet what are you doing?!"
"What do ya think?" She purred back, pulling in closer any time he tried to pull away.
"I-i-I thought you hated me?" He shrieked.
"Hates a strong word, I thought you were a na?ve idiot."
"And now?"
"A pathetic idiot, but a brave one"
"Is that a compliment?!!"
She leant in, their lips briefly met, she pulled back and smiled.
"I''ll stop if you want, just say the word - If you don''t like me back, or if you''d find it a betrayal of your last partner, I''ll understand. But don''t feel guilty or any crap, I would Never debases myself to the level of sleeping with you out of pity Kolme, this and you being sad are separate you got that?
I just suddenly saw something I like and can''t be bothered with all the flirting and hand holding crap the kids get up to, I like to skip to the good part - So?"
Kolme stared at her face, her almost glowing eye, long streaming crimson hair like a mane behind her - Her smile, for once soft. This time he leant in and there lips met once more, for longer this time.
The half-drunk tea soon went cold.
And so it began.
Front 34 - Changing Tides - Part 1/2
Kolme Nilas''es bed was larger than most aboard the space-warship Am-Fluchtig, and that had today turned out to be a very good thing indeed. Clothes strewn across the place, some literally floating in the parts of the room not covered by the dampener field - It would of been almost an embarrassing sight, were Scarlet of an age to be embarrassed by such things.
It crossed her mind to wonder who exactly was put-out by messy rooms and hastily thrown about clothing, surely not teenagers and certainly, in her experience, not people her age - Definitely not today.
She lay under the covers next to Kolme having thoroughly ''skipped to the good part'' - The older man was the first to break the calm silence;
"Was ''Pathetic idiot'' really meant to be a compliment?"
She grinned back broadly and dug an elbow into his exposed ribs, "Shad-up ya idiot."
They stared up at the faint glow of the damper-field above, enshrouding them in a soft glow - "Hey Scarlet, is it true you don''t remember your name and age and stuff, or just something you tell the kiddos?"
She laughed, "What do you think?"
"Well it''s just, I''ve never slept with anyone who''s name I didn''t know before."
Kolme blushed a little as he said that, which only made her grin all the more;
"We''re adults old man, no one''s gonna give ya detention for using the big S-E-X word."
That made him blush even more.
"What about you then? You must have a middle name right?"
Kolme frowned as he thought about that a moment;
"Well ya, I was born a bit before the homogenisation got rid of all that, though now that you mention it I suppose Sabban and Una probably don''t." He sighed, "Kolme Luke, Havler Nilas."
Scarlet smirked, "Heh that''s pretty long - Luke huh? Should I call ya'' Lucky Luke from now on?"
"I''d rather you didn''t, people called me that for years already." Kolme grumbled back unhappily.
"Oh ya, why''s that?"
"Eh? Well... People used to say I was ''Lucky'' for having the eye of A-- of my last partner, but really they just thought I was lucky for being my father''s son. Plus his name was ''Kolme'' too so they couldn''t call me that."
"No kidding? I think I''m starting to get an impression of the sort of family you come from. The type everyone knows, local celebrity, a priest or maybe a soldier--" Scarlet stopped a moment when Kolme visibly cringed at her last guess;
"A soldier then eh? Never would of guessed you were so similar to Hoki and Sabban, military family huh - Sounds rough. But hey what about that other word, ''Havler''? I''ve met alot of people in my time but never heard that one."
Kolme frowned, "Ya me neither, apparently it was the name of some hero deep in my family tree - Not sure what he was a hero of, but enough of one to have his name passed down with the eldest Nilas-son of each generation.
But come on, play fair, I told you both a'' mine - How ''bout you tell me your middle name too?"
Scarlet laughed, reached her hand across the sheets and ruffled the man''s messy hair, causing yet another ill-suited blush:
"Sheesh, atleast take me out to dinner before ya start asking such things!" She cooed.
"You have a weird sense of priority you know that? Still feels wrong to call you by a title after today..."
"Just call me ''Scar'' then, that should be enough ''ight?"
"Scar huh? Whatever will the neighbours say about me having a pet-name for you I wonder." Kolme said back with a grin of his own.
"Since when have I ever cared about neighbours." She returned the smile.
There was a buzzing sound from the foot of the bed, probably Kolme''s communicator, the man groaned unhappily;
"Pah, guess I should be getting back to it, sorry, Scar."
"Like heck! You''ve barely stopped in like 48 hours, you''re owed a little recreation ain''t ya?"
"You say that but..." Kolme mumbled back.
Not allowing him the room to go any further, Scarlet shifted off the comfort of the bed and stood up - Grabbing her familiar bomber jacket and laying it over her exposed shoulders, she turned back to Kolme who himself was now sitting upright, "Now you listen here old man--"
She wasn''t entirely sure if this was the right move, many faces of time''s past would tell her that work relationships, especially in their line of work, were a bad idea - And it wasn''t like she couldn''t just leave, never mention this again, let Kolme pout and go back to shouting at each other all the time - But that wasn''t what felt right.
It had just been a little kindness that she spoke to him - Just a little chemistry that she''d desired to sleep with him - But now, now it felt like more, it was fun, nice - And she wanted to know, to know what life with someone like Kolme Nilas as a partner rather than an enemy, might be like - To stand by this bizarre man and together help their young friends through this war;
"-- I''m going to borrow your ensuite here to have a shower, while you''re gonn''a shuffle your merry way across the corridor and pick me out a change of underwear, you''ll find my door stays unlocked too. After that we''re both gonn''a go see Una - This worrying of yours is no good, if you want to take accountability for those who died an'' got hurt, then face it like a man, or better yet see that hope ain''t all lost and more of us came back than didn''t ya hear?
Either way I won''t stand for any.., For any man of mine to avoid seeing my Una! You got all that?"
Kolme''s face was a picture, of hesitation, of amusement and perhaps a hint of happiness to boot - "And on who''s authority does that order come lass?"
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Scarlet grinned, "Ha! On the highest of all, a woman talking to a man!!"
****
Kolme at her side, Thee Scarlet Scourge made her way, somewhat bemused, down the corridors leading from their quarters, over to the ship''s sickbay - Each person they passed seem to give them a shocked wide-eyed look as though utterly confused.
"Yo Kolme, is it really that strange to them for us two to just walk down a corridor together?"
Kolme laughed, "You do have a bit of reputation Scar."
She shrugged, "Seems that way. Oh Kolme, before we go in there you should know - They reckon she won''t be ready to fight again for atleast a few weeks - So, Una won''t be in the next battle."
Kolme looked to her;
"Heh, ya I heard. Scar, would you hate me if I said I''m kind of glad? Not that she''s hurt or anything, but that, well..."
"That she''ll be safe for the next battle? That she''s gonn''a have more time to train and improve before going anywhere near her next Casnel encounter? Nah man, I feel the same way." Scarlet finished, laying a hand on Kolme''s shoulder.
He nodded looking rather relieved, before a new thought seemed to cross his mind;
"Oh by the way, I meant to tell you before - There''s been a report that Remembrance are on the move--"
"Wh-wha-wh-What!! Wha, eh, what is going on!!?" Shrieked a new voice interrupting Kolme.
The corridor had a T-shape junction and coming up it, Hoki ''Hokuai'' Bachika, Acting Squad Vice-Commander, test pilot and Scarlet''s wingwoman, had been able to hear the last couple lines of conversation as she approached the two.
"Hey Hoki-lass..." Kolme said wincing a little at her outburst.
"I, i-I thought you two hated each other?!" Hoki burst out, all her normal composed formality lost.
"Hate is such a strong word." Scarlet said back, starting to become a little concerned about the general perception of herself aboard the ship.
"He called you ''Scar''!!" Hoki borderline yelped back.
"You call me that too right?"
"Not the way he did, not with a hint of sheepishness and a touch of gloating!"
Scarlet stared forward, Hoki really did have a way with words to be admired, especially when flustered.
"We err, we''re just going to see the Rookie, you wann''a tag along lass?" Kolme added.
Hoki relented and the two became three, walking now in an awkward silence, one on either side of Scarlet, both blushing while the tall crimson haired ace simply looked between them entirely bemused.
"Did you... Ahem, did you get that report lieutenant Sir?" Hoki asked, trying to regain her normal cool.
"Aye I did, thanks to my expert courier here." Kolme said back, smiling at Scarlet.
"No, nope, can''t do it - Weird, Weird, Weird!!" Hoki blurted, the composure gone again.
Regardless of her wingwoman''s opinion, the trio soon stepped into the ship''s infirmary - It was a somewhat dull room, the expected white walls, overly bright lights and trolleys filled with equipment - A glorified hallway divided up by curtain partitions and hospital-style beds.
They made their way along the row, Kolme''s face growing paler as he past the many injured from the previous battle, pilots of course - But also people who''d simply been caught up in explosions when the Fluchtig had taken hits of its own - Or even those who had just been unlucky in the high tension of battle and tripped on a staircase, fallen in a corridor or bumped their heads - There were alot of ways to get injured in battle that didn''t involve gaint robots.
And yet (To Scarlet''s secret delight), there was no grudge to be had, no heckling in Kolme''s direction, no one avoiding eye contact - In fact quite the opposite, many of the patients tried to get up to come talk with Kolme, nurses having to stop them - Some cheered thanks, and most just said hi as though he were just another old friend.
Slowly the colour returned to Kolme''s face.
And then they made it to Una O'' Conchabhair''s bedside. She wore a simple white hospital-gown, most of her body covered by the duvet - She smiled upon seeing the three approach.
"Everyone, well kinda." She said.
"Hey Una, how you keeping." Kolme said, a little stiffly.
The small woman made eye contact with Kolme, doing her best to look determined - "The Doctor says I can get up and stuff later today, not much at first but I should be able to move around a little soon to do healing exercises."
The older man smiled at the news, it would be some weeks until her ribs would heal and the girl must surely be in alot of pain, yet here she was as always, smiling for her seniors.
"That''s great to hear Rookie."
Scarlet stepped forward and ruffled Una''s short crop of hair - "Ha, you seem pleased today girly, thought you were depressed still?"
Una blushed a little, "Well, I mean, I couldn''t really stay down when all of you are working so hard right?"
Scarlet grinned.
As Hoki took a seat next to Una''s bedside, Scarlet leant into Kolme to whisper;
"See that old man? We ain''t beat just yet now are we?! Outmatched, maybe - Hurt, definitely - But we ain''t out for the count just yet!"
Kolme nodded, and that ember of hope she''d expended so much effort trying to kindle, finally started to glow a little brighter.
They both took seats next to Hoki, all four chatting - Discussing Sabban''s absence and the goings on of the ship.
"Weird..." Una mumbled after a little while.
"What was that?"
"Huh, oh ah, nothing, ahahaha... Just, ummm, you two being so friendly... It''s kinda weird." Una mused quietly.
"I know right!" Hoki added, clasping Una''s hand in her own with a firm nod of agreement.
They laughed and continued like this for a time until the buzzing alert sounds from both Hoki and Kolme''s handhelds began to get annoying.
As they moved to get up and say their good-byes for the day, Una sheepishly piped up once more - "Ummm, sorry to ask - I was going to wait until Cally came by to visit but she''s probably as busy as all of you guys are too - It''s just, with being able to get out of bed soon, ummm."
Scarlet patted her softly on the shoulder, "No worries, I unlike these two I have all the time in the world--" She gloated to ''those'' two''s dismay, "I''ll head over to your place now and pick up some clothes."
"Thanks Miss.Scarlet and thanks to everyone for coming over, it means alot. Tell Sabban I said hi too if ya see him."
"Not likely these day, but will do." Kolme nodded.
And with that the group left. Hoki still weirded out, Kolme with a little more life in his eyes - And Scarlet with a new errand to alleviate her boredom, after the last one she was honestly fascinated to see where this one might lead,
****
Front 34.5 - Changing Tides - Part 2/2
Scarlet walked back through the corridors, turning off slightly to arrive at the junior officer''s quarters - Although nearby to her own room, she seldom had much reason to travel this particular area of the ship and hadn''t at all the last couple days with Una being in sick-bay.
As she walked, Scarlet found herself in a damn-good mood - For today was a good day.
She was under no circumstances afraid to think that, in fact were someone at her side, she would of said it out loud. She did not believe in doom-saying, in superstition and wives'' tales.
Major Moncha''s prediction had been wrong, all three of them went out to battle, all three came back - Life was not ruled by some imaginary force or God and she was free to think it was turning out to be a damn-good day.
She could think as many positive thoughts as she liked, she could be happy that Una was getting back to her old self - Happy that she had found someone to talk to in Kolme Nilas, happy that Hoki was opening up a little more.
Nothing could jinx or change a good day, like today, life simply wasn''t ruled by such foolish notions.
She rounded the last corner and faced the space where Una O'' Conchabhair''s room should lie.
It wasn''t there.
In the space where once her door had lay, was a hastily welded and sealed sheet of reinforced metal, caution tape thrown across and a guard standing before it.
Scarlet winked and steadied her heart, ''Una''s fine, I just talked with her a few minutes ago.''
Stepping forward she coughed into her palm to catch the guard''s attention, the lazy looking man turned, paused a moment before saluting - "Ma''am?"
She sighed internally, the man was probably someone random, the Fluchtig didn''t have Marines or MPs to guard doorways, she shouldn''t be surprised to find such an uninspired vigil as this - At another time she might of chewed him out for not standing up straight and what not, but she didn''t want to sully her good mood;
"Yo, what happened here then?"
The guard looked back at her stupidly, she sighed openly this time, "Behind you?"
"Oh! That, right, during the battle a few days ago this one and the room up from it got hit or somethin''." The man said back hurriedly.
"Darn, bad luck I guess - Was anything recovered?" Scarlet frowned.
"Errr Ya, Quartermaster has the stuff, he sent me here."
Scarlet nodded, she''d never met the Fluchtig''s Quartermaster but she was sure it wouldn''t take long, "The lower decks right? Next to the under-hanger."
The guard nodded and that was that, a bummer for Una but these things happened when you lived on an active warship - Sometimes your bedroom got blown out into space, worse things could happen ''at sea'' - She turned to head back the way she had come - When the man called out once more;
"Oh umm, Ma''am, do you know who lives here?"
She stopped and looked over her shoulder, "Well ya, why else would I talk to you?"
The man flinched a little before saluting, "Well err, sorry for your loss."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Scarlet paused, ''Sorry for your loss'' felt a bit much... Did this man value objects more then her perhaps, he worked for the Quartermaster so maybe that really was all it was...
Her heart fell, she turned back around to face the man and the massive gash in the wall so roughly covered over;
"Was someone in there when it was hit crewmen?"
The man blinked, then his eyes grew wide, "Oh yes, although we haven''t worked out her name."
Scarlet''s heart fell even lower, "What exactly are you here for?!" She barked at the man.
He flinched again, "To look for people who might know who it was lived here?"
She couldn''t believe the idiot before her, "Let me get this straight, you''re here not to guard, but to look for people who know this room''s former inhabitants, but didn''t think to ask me?"
".....Yes?"
"Who was it died you buffoon!? Someone from this room behind you, or the room one up?"
"Oh definitely this one, the other room''s occupants were out at the time, what with the battle and all - Quartermaster reckons this room''s owner might have been someone from the night shift, asleep when the battle started. He keeps trying to tell the bridge staff, but they''re so busy with everything going on and.... Ummm.... Miss, are you alright?"
"Cally...." Scarlet said blankly.
Una''s roommate, someone Scarlet barely knew, a nightshift officer aboard the bridge - She had probably been getting ready to go stand by, or maybe came back to pick up something she''d forgotten, or just not been required anywhere and stayed in her room - What did the reason matter, she was dead.
"Did you recover the body?" Scarlet asked.
"No..."
She snapped her head up, "Then how can you be sure?"
"Ah-h-h we s-saw it Ma''am, but the Fluchtig got underway quite fast after the battle, there was so little time and, ah..... She would of died instantly Ma''am, the explosion would of killed her the moment it hit the ship."
Was that meant to be a comfort? That Cally hadn''t suffered, hadn''t been forced to have the air pulled forcefully from her lungs as the vacuum of space claimed her? What did that matter to Scarlet, what did it matter to anyone whether the woman had made an epic final stand, spoke last words of wisdom, or simply died in an instant - She was dead no matter what.
And Scarlet hardly even cared, she didn''t know Cally for anything other than to pass her in a corridor - But that wasn''t why she was trembling now, why her fists clenched and her eye twitched and the stub of her lost leg throbbed.
Someone close to them, someone familiar to their daily lives had died, someone Una woke up in the same room as everyday - How would this affect her? How much misery could that girl be forced to content with?
It felt like a joke, like reality was spiting in her face just for letting herself think for one moment they might all make it through this war alive.
Scarlet struck out, ramming her fist against the metal wall, her knuckles cracking simultaneously, echoing through the corridor; "Fuck!!"
The stupid guard panicked, "Wait, don''t do that, those are just temporary repairs!" He squealed.
Would this break Una''s spirit? Would it be enough to damped Kolme''s too? Could something like this knock any momentum they might have to get back on their feet and fight again?
She slammed her now bleeding fist against the wall a second time; "Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit, Shit!!!"
The words were a roar.
They had failed, failed to all come back home again - Cally had probably died before Scarlet had even got to the cockpit of her mech, she literally couldn''t of prevented this, she wasn''t good enough, not even to save one stupid woman who just so happened to be Una''s friend.
She struck the wall a third time, a visible indent, a wail of anguish that echoed across the Am-Fluchtig.
Two days, no one had even noticed for two whole days.
"Fuck it all to fucking Hell!!"
Front 35 - Dismay - Part 1/2
3 long days ago, Junior Navigation''s Officer Cally had died.
No that wasn''t quite right, 3 days ago she had suddenly been discovered dead, 5 days ago she had actually died.
Scarlet sat in one of the two old armchairs in Kolme Nilas''es quarters, the man himself sitting opposite - They sat drinking the usual crap tea, a brew she was rapidly coming not to hate so much anymore.
Sitting here across from him was also becoming a habit - It had been coincidence that they started sleeping together just a few hours before she discovered Cally''s death - But it was coincidence she was grateful for, right now she needed a place to sit with quant company drinking bad tea.
The story had spread across the Fluchtig fast and she hated that.
The words you heard in the canteen and break room being spoken in hushed whispers, were all about her and Kolme being an item now - It felt wrong, shouldn''t they be talking about Cally''s death, or the dead pilots from the Valliere, or anything other than a stupid workplace relationship?
But she could hardly blame them, life goes on, especially for soldiers - And besides most of them probably didn''t know the two dead pilots from the Valliere, most of them wouldn''t even know of Cally, a low ranking night-shift officer.
Perhaps she was more upset with herself for not caring much more than they did - She didn''t know the woman either, she could barely describe her if asked.
But it was different for the others.
She wasn''t there to see it but apparently Sabban had gone off the handle when he''d heard, thrashed a whole room before returning to his mech''s cockpit to practise even more. Hoki had somehow found ways to work even more then had already been the case - The faint glimmer of hope that had been kindling in Kolme''s eyes, now seemed to be entirely gone.
And then there was Una.
Scarlet had told Una herself, the others were in no condition to do so.
She had watched as the colour had drained from the girl''s face in real time, as her whole body language changed as though to roar in pain - Watched her curl in on herself and clasp her hands to her head - And then scream and cry all at once.
The doctor later explained that it probably wasn''t a reaction to Cally''s death per se, but a repressed grief - A sort of mental build up of people Una had lost over her short lifetime, hitting her all at once.
It was being classed as a catastrophic mental breakdown with accompanying episode of depressive mania, or so she was told.
Kolme coughed from across the coffee table, Scarlet looked up to meet his tired eyes.
"I''ve been thinking of givin'' her a secretary position." He mummed.
"Una? Why?" Scarlet replied, not really paying full attention.
"Well, she won''t be combat ready again for another month or two, not that I have a mech to give her anyway - But I think her just laying in bed all day ain''t gonn''a do her much good right? So I though maybe she could be assigned as me or Hoki''s aide, no one can say we aren''t short staffed."
Scarlet nodded, holding back the words she really wanted to say, she instead chose a different topic,
"Ya I guess that makes sense... Hey Kolme, I heard someone mention Remembrance in the corridors today, then I remembered you saying it too - Something happening with those guys?"
"I meant to tell you but it got away from me. Word is that Remembrance have suddenly lunched a whole armada and are headed for Bhaile''s shadow."
"No kidding?" Scarlet added - It wasn''t that surprising, Remembrance had been secretly rebuilding its forces for half a decade, still it could be an issue, "They just showing off their weight or?"
Kolme shrugged, "No one''s sure, all just rumours and speculations - The higher ups might know more--" He added a little bitterly, the constant lectures and reprimands he and Nate had been receiving from HQ on the daily had not lightened up over the last few days,
"--but we don''t know much for sure. We do know this, that side of Bhaile''s orbit where they''re going, is where we think TSU-s is building its new weapon."
Scarlet''s eye opened wide;
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is sounding like one of those good rumours right? If they''re heading there to attack TSU-s, to stop them finishing this new weapon, that''s great news!"
Kolme raised a hand, "That''s not the end of the rumour."
"Huh?"
"And this is only just a rumour ok, but, well - People think there have been communications sent, that Remembrance is in talks with TSU-s, not against."
"Oh... Not the good kind of rumour after all then." She finished sombrely.
At the end of the day the war between IAFS and TSU-s was small - TSU-s was an experiment of sorts, a group of just a few dozen ships and a couple bases, tasked with keeping peace across the Nation-Satellites and Abhaile by any means necessary, however authoritarian, as long as they kept their resource usage to a minimum.
IAFS was a group of a few dozen ships and a couple bases, trying to stop TSU-s - They may have spent a couple years rallying sponsors to commission new vessels like the Fluchtig and new mechs like the Nemo - But they were still small scale.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
By all accounts the actually Goverment, The States Union home-fleet, the real force of regular TSU - Seemed entirely content to let IAFS and TSU-s keep duking it out amongst themselves, 7 months of small scale warfare - Little flotillas like the Tristain group, fighting ships like the Curadh - The Tradech out there somewhere poking the beehive of TSU dominance across the solar system.
But were Remembrance to get involved, to side with TSU-s simply to boost their political standing, perhaps in a deal for them to be recognised as an official force rather than as terrorists - That many ships could be more than enough to turn this war into a simple massacre.
It made her head spin just to think about it.
Everything made her head spin these last few days - She had made the mistake she''d sworn at the start of this conflict, not to make again - Thee Scarlet Scourge, had got invested.
At first just in Una, in teaching the Rookie some skill - Then she had found a comradery in battle with Hoki - And now of all the things, she was sleeping with Kolme Nilas - And so she once more cared, about this ship, this war and the people in it - And once you started to care, you couldn''t just stop.
It was exhausting. A day ago there had been a meeting of the flotilla''s senior staff, the stories from it made her head spin even more.
Tomo had apparently had another go at Kolme. Commander Batty had torn into Nate, blaming him for everything under the sun and then some, while Commander Louise sat on the side-lines snipping.
And then someone had asked the obvious question: Where was Emilia Sheen?
If only the Fluchtig''s real squad-commander was here, with her Casnel, the real ace of the Am-Fluchtig - What better way to fight the enemy Casnel, than with one of their own?
And of course neither Kolme, nor Nate, could give an answer as to why HQ still felt the Tradech needed Emilia more than they did.
The whole ship had a horrible atmosphere to it - Beneath the talk of her and Kolme as an item, was an endless rumour mill - A building sense of defeat.
Scarlet stared drearily into her teacup;
"Did I ever tell you I was almost the leader of Remembrance?"
Kolme furrowed his brow, "Err, no?"
She laughed - "Yup, after the Bane of Konpei did his whole final stand thing and died, only a handful of us made it home.
The Grand Admiral was dead, almost everyone was dead - And people looked to me, some even asked me, to take up the leadership. My old Naikima even said I should, told me I could preserve Abhaile''s legacy, be the one to lead to a third war of independence."
"So what happened?"
"Nothing really." Scarlet sighed, "It wasn''t that I''d just lost almost everyone under my command, it wasn''t that there was much opposition to me taking the role - I just couldn''t.
All I did with that considerable power and influence was insure a hospital bed for my old friend, where he stayed until the day he died, and that was it. The Grand Admiral''s daughter seized the power vacuum, formidable woman, I''ll bet it''ll be her behind it if they really are in talks with TSU-s.
And I just let the one chance I ever had to really make a difference in the world, slip through my hands."
Kolme looked at her with sympathy, though clearly unsure what to say in return.
She did her best to grin;
"Eventually I released all the shitty stuff they were doing, project A.M.I, you saw that for yourself - And so I left - I could of stopped all that, but I didn''t...
Kolme why don''t we send Una home, hasn''t she fought hard enough?!" She let the words she''d been holding back roll out.
He smiled softly back at her - "Ya that thought keeps crossing my mind too, she could easily get an honourable or medical discharge at this point and the shuffle bringing our reinforcements won''t be staying, I could get her put on it."
"Then!"
"Then what? Send her home to her gran-aunt? We both know TSU-s arrest people even tangentially connected to IAFS.
Maybe get her somewhere to stay in Bannerman, a job with Bailey Mechanics? But who does she even know there? Her classmates are all dead except Sabban, likewise her old teacher is Hoki, her mentor is you - Right now the Fluchtig might well be the only safe home Una''s got."
Scarlet suppressed the urge to scream in frustration, instead softly nodding her head, she had already thought all this through but hearing it aloud still hurt.
"Speaking of, Doctor Hasain talked with me earlier. Listen I can''t ask you to do this, its way out of the scope you can expect from comrades, heck it might be out of the scope of most friends."
''Ah'' Scarlet thought as she listened, it was time for this chat then?
"But the Doc'' thinks Una should be around people right now, not in a hospital bed - I obviously can''t send her back to her old room, not that''d solve much. I''d let her stay with me but, well seems inappropriate considering, if Sabban was about maybe, but still, I think it would be better if...."
Scarlet smiled best she could - "I''ll talk with Hoki, two of us will take her in, you don''t need to worry about."
"Your sure? ''Cause this really is more than anyone could ask of a ''mentor'', the girl ain''t well right now and--"
"Kolme, I said its fine didn''t I? And anyway some DIY sounds nice right about now." Scarlet said, while looked to the window in the wall between this room and Sabban''s.
"Your not planning something in violation of a dozen protocols are ya lass?" Kolme moaned.
"Ohhh you bet''cha I am, don''t worry, I''ll make sure no one complains." She winked with an even more forced grin.
"That''s exactly what I''m afraid of."
****
Front 35 - Dismay - Part 2/2
A spot of DIY - Aside from piloting, what better way to let off some steam - Or so felt thee Scarlet Scourge.
Having recently made friends with the ship''s Quartermaster, tools were easy to come by, a quick chat to confirm things with Hoki and Scarlet was off.
Moving aside all the furniture in both her and her wingwoman''s rooms, she set about systematically tearing, striping, and bashing the thin dividing wall between the two rooms to pieces - It was perhaps a little sturdier then she''d guessed but that was no problem, in fact it gave her all the more incentive to hit it harder.
Not to say Scarlet had any intention of making a mess, no sir - She swept and carried the debris away and before noon was upon her, smoothed out the rough edges to the point one might almost think there had never been a partitioning wall.
Next was to rearrange the furniture to fit the larger space but quickly it became apparent what her and Hoki had between them would be insufficient to do the job and so Scarlet set off on another little quest.
Before long the room was decked out with a dinning table, chairs, extra cupboards, an entire kitchenette (which she took great pleasure in plumbing herself) and a few other homely knickknacks.
It warmed her heart a little to know that evening a dozen or so senior officers would return to their rooms and in a blind rage deploy subordinates to find the ''borrowed'' items - And that when those subordinates returned to report who had taken them, that said same officers would no doubt suddenly remember they had ''never owned a coffee-table after all...''
She had even procured an extra bed - This had been tricky as it wasn''t exactly something the ship carried alot of extras for, but Scarlet could take pride in her skills of persuasion.
She spent the afternoon tentatively unsealing, unscrewing and unwiring one of the dampener fields and moving it over next to the other - Then butting all three beds together to in effect produce one very large bed with gravity above it.
She wasn''t entirely sure how good an idea this was, in part it felt a little insensitive towards Hoki whom Scarlet loosely remembered hearing that the woman was gay - Perhaps that would make it awkward for Hoki to sleep next to other women, but in truth Scarlet was struggling to find ways to help Una - So far the idea of having it that no matter what side of the bed the girl woke up on, she''d be met with a friendly face, was the best Scarlet could come up with.
Besides she could always sleep on the floor if her idea was a bad one.
With the wall gone, the furniture in place and the beds reconfigured, her project was done - It was a good days work if she said so herself. The enlarged room looked almost like a nice hotel-lodging now, a kitchenette to one corner, dining/lounge area across from it, the beds in the opposite corner, wardrobes and other storage alongside them.
Sure the metal walls of the ship were still quite present on all sides and yes she was aware her idea of home given her background, might be a little different to what girls like Una and Hoki had grown up with - But all told she felt this was the best they could achieve right now.
She took a deep breath, evaluated her days work once more, allowed herself a final grin at the expensive of those the furniture had been lifted from - And left the room to go get the final piece - Una herself.
Scarlet made the all to familiar journey to the sick-bay, entering the long hallway of a room, she was greeted by the massive figure of Doctor Hasain;
"Ah Scarlet, back again - This time no doubt for a full check up yes? Or to atleast let me take your bloods, I have no doubt you disobeyed my advice and took, oh shall we say 2 doses during the last battle?
You will atleast let me to take your blood pressure?"
His booming voice greeted her with this same set of questions most times she an entered the space in the last few days - Scarlet wasn''t overly sure if he meant them seriously or not, after all if he did take her vitals and they were as negative as both he and her knew they would be - What was the man planning to do, take her off the battle rooster?
For now she had come to conclusion it was just the doctors idea of banter...probably;
"Eh-heh, hey Doc."
The man nodded, clearly taking note of her somewhat softer than usual tone - "Well, not like you are my biggest concern any longer." He added, eyes narrowing.
Scarlet frowned back, "I''m not?"
"No. A week ago yes, a ticking timebomb I would of called your wellbeing but now it seems all your fellow pilots seek to out-do you. Of course young Miss.Conchabhair is the most concerning."
Scarlet swallowed. Doctor Hasain beckoned her forward and they made their way to the end of Una''s bed.
Words seemed to fail Scarlet whenever she laid eyes on the young Rookie now.
Her skin so pale it didn''t look natural, her eyes drained of any ounce of vitality - Weight loss was just starting to show, her hair a barely attended mess. The girl bluntly looked less alive than many of the corpses Scarlet had come across in her time.
A nurse was currently helping the girl out of bed and into a bare-bones wire frame wheelchair - Technically such things were unnecessary with most of the ship''s lack of gravity - But it wouldn''t do to go from weightlessness, to flat on your face if you entered the wrong room - So Scarlet watched as the nurse gently strapped Una in.
It was like she was watching someone else entirely, Una''s arms and legs were limp, neither resisting or helping the nurse - She let herself be moved about like a ragdoll. It looked almost as though her head would tilt forward, as though the pain to keep it upright were too much.
Hasain began speaking at Scarlet''s side; "She has experienced a few episodes of night-terrors, we have medicated for this, along with medication for the pain from her injuries and her mental state. A full list of instructions and the prescriptions are here."
He handed her over a large brown-paper wrapped box, which she languidly accepted, "Right..."
The large man hummed beneath his breath - "Are you sure you are ready for this Scarlet? As your doctor I completely loath you--"
"Oh, thanks man." She murmured back.
"--But as a fellow soldier I have nothing but respect for you and your services to all the causes you have chosen over the years. That does not mean I expect you to be able to heal a broken mind - If this is a burden you are not at the right place of your life to accept, then say the word - There are many others on this ship, you pilots are far from alone." He finished, softly laying a hand on her shoulder.
For the first time since spotting her young friend, Scarlet finally tore her gaze away from Una, and back to the Doctor - After a moment she grinned as best she could;
"No one''s ever really ready for anything ya? But I can''t fail until I''ve atleast tried first - I weren''t ready to be a soldier, a pilot and certainly not an Ace, but here I still am - I know we ain''t alone Doc'' but that''s still our girl and if we weren''t ready to hold her when she''s down, then we should never of let her fly in the first place right?
I''m ready."
The Doctor nodded and that was that.
****
Scarlet pushed and floated Una''s wheelchair back to her room - Doing her best not to snap at anyone who dared to shoot her a sympathetic glance along the way.
Upon returning to the newly renovated room she gave the girl a tour of sorts, showed her where her new clothing was stored (Most of her old attire having been lost with her room), making sure the Rookie knew she was free to read anything on Scarlet''s bookshelves and that she''d be more than happy to get more books from Kolme''s room for that matter.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.?Una didn''t exactly respond to any of this, in fact Scarlet wasn''t even sure the girl was awake at times.
She got dinner brought up to them from the canteen, it was one of Kolme''s privileges as acting Ship XO, and since she had already stolen his code to raid all the rooms for furniture, she didn''t much mind abusing it to get room service.
She and Una sat in the small dining area and ate, well sort of.
The girl indeed seemed aware of the food and of the general idea that she should eat it, but her plate was far from empty by the time Scarlet decided to call dinner ''ended''.
Una spoke just once that day, she asked; "Where are we?"
Scarlet had been so excited to hear the girl''s soft and rather nice voice again that she had given a long, winding answer even Kolme would be proud of.
She''d explained their spatial coordinates, then put those in context with the nearest planets and Nation-Satellites - Told Una how they were still pursing the Curadh, but this time was different to Station 9, back then the Curadh had tried to lose them, sudden changes in speed and course - This time it seemed content to just let the Tristian flotilla tail it, maintaining a course just barely out of firing range and heading in the general direction of Bhaile''s shadow.
That and more - Una''s only response had been to vaguely nod her head, eye''s seemingly blank of emotion.
Scarlet wondered later if perhaps Una''s question had been less literal, and more philosophical - Whatever the case the girl spoke no more after that.
Shortly after dinner Scarlet helped her into the middle bed and shut off the lights - It was still early evening but she could see no point in trying to force the girl to do anything at this point.
She sat herself in bed and read for some time. Eventually Hoki returned, late into the night going straight to bed herself - And for a few hours there was sleep to be had.
And then it started.
The screaming, the pouring sweat, the endless stream of names.
Some names Scarlet knew, others only Hoki recognized - And more still neither of them had ever heard of.
And in this manner, so passed the first of many long and sleepless nights.
****
Somewhere not so far away, atleast not in a cosmic sense, another Ace pilot and his charge were also having a long night.
"Major, Major! Stop walking away from me!" The young Casnel pilot, Helt called out.
The towering form of Major Moncha stopped in his tracks, just a couple step away from his cabin''s doorway;
"I''m not walking away from you, I''m walking towards my room." He said back coyly.
Helt''s shorter form had caught up now, his expression bordering on a pout at the Major''s response, "Oh ya? And what do you call storming out of the meeting like that?"
"Storming?! I-, The cheek! I don''t storm out of anything, I''m the boss man - And since when do us pilots have meetings like that one? Why was it all so damn formal eh?"
The meeting in question had been between the five pilots of the Curadh and it had been somewhat stiff.
Usually when he wanted to talk strategy, he simply took Gemon or Yazan aside - If he wanted to give a pep talk to Helt & Falc, he would do that - But this meeting had seemed forced - He couldn''t imagine that in his absence his deputies had run things like this and so it got on his nerves, Moncha felt as though he was being had.
Helt shuffled a little uncomfortably in the face of the onslaught - "Well, that, Falc was just looking out for me is all..."
Moncha scoffed, "Oh is that it then? Well keep your romance to yourself."
The young man''s face flared at this, "Now hold on, you know that isn''t what it''s like!"
"Oh ya, how ain''t it? All I know is you''ve been enamoured with Falc since the day she arrived."
Helt faltered a moment, clearly unsure how best to approach this line of questioning;
"Major.... Major do you know what its like to be a Magi? It''s.... It''s like a fire inside, buried deep in your head and your chest, but me, I''m just a minor one - Just enough compatibility to be able to fly the Casnel is all - But Falc''s different, she''s like an inferno, she glows so bright, the most powerful flame I''ve ever met - Being near her, it''s more like a compulsion than an active desire, like if I stand close enough, her fire might make mine brighter too."
"That so? Lame excuse Helty, you can admit it was ''love at first site'' for all I care."
"Major!!" Helt yelled, he looked as though he might even cry - "Major I don''t like her like that and you know it! ?This connection I have with her, it''s like family I guess? Like knowing you want to protect someone simply because they share the same birth name as you - But I don''t ''like, like'' her."
The Major flinched at this staunch rebuttal, "Oh, right, ah, sorry then - Though that doesn''t explain the whole meeting thing."
"Really? Falc just wanted us to talk is all Major - Ever since you came back to the ship you''ve been different, you won''t look at me anymore, won''t talk to me - Was it the party, that stupid incident with that IAFS pilot, is that it?"
Moncha shook his head, he didn''t want to do this, he didn''t want this conversation - Yet here it was nonetheless;
"Of course it ain''t, you can hold what ever politics you want eh - Don''t matter to me."
"Then what!? Because, because Falc thinks you''re the sort of man who thinks too much when left alone Major - That sitting in an IAFS prison cell would do nothing but think himself into a hole..."
Moncha winced, "Is that her ''Magi intuition'' talking? Ha, what does it matter, she''s right."
Helt gulped hard then asked the question he had been holding back - "So you have noticed? All the signals, all the little nods, Major it''s too cruel, please give me a straight answer!"
"Helt you''re young, your heads filled with all this Magi stuff, like with Falc and--"
"Major I''m 26!! I think I''m old enough to decide when my own mind''s in love!"
".....Ya, course you are, sorry." The tall man murmured back, it was so easy to see Helt as young rather than just a little immature, so easy to dismiss him for Moncha''s own peace of mind...
----
"Is it the age gap? Or our difference in ranks? Are you just not, you know, gay?
I won''t mind, if you tell me it''s any of that, I truly won''t mind - But please Major, stop ignoring me, it hurts too much."
Moncha closed his eyes, leant an arm against the corridor wall - "Those are good question Helty, they are - I''m nearly 20 years older than you and I''m your boss - That''s alot of power for me to hold over someone looking for... well..."
The tears formed in Helt''s eyes, but he nodded all the same.
"But really, Helt you might think this is a terrible excuse, no it is a terrible excuse - But I''m afraid kid, that if I let you in it''ll cost us all - What if in battle I prioritised you over the ship? What if the worst happened and I had to make the call to abandon you to save everyone else - And I couldn''t?
Helt I''m going to say something truly terrible to you and I''m sorry but - It''s not something you''ve done, it''s all on me."
The tears slowly ran down the younger man''s cheeks, but he nodded no less - Turning on his heal, raising a sleeve to wipe his eyes, "Thanks......", with that Helt began to walk away.
The Major hesitated, he cursed his own mind for not allowing him to keep ignoring the signs, he cursed himself for not giving the kid an answer sooner - And he hesitated to say what he did;
"Helt? I don''t know if this helps but, that last question? You can atleast stop worrying about that one ok?"
----
Moncha slouched down onto his bed, staring up at the dampener field above - He reached into his jacket and retrieved an old ship''s badge, the felt type that would usually be sown to military cap or the like.
He rubbed his finger across its gold embossing - ''T-S-U TROY CLASS BATTLE-CARRIER, CURADH'' - It was such a long time ago he''d received this, the people from IAFS had been kind enough to let him keep his jacket and this emblem when they released him.
Whenever he looked upon it, he was reminded of when they had started out, him and Captain Synapse Senior - He had trusted that man with his life in more ways then one - And when the Captain had been executed, punished for heroic deeds that had saved lives - Moncha had been left behind, to protect their home, to keep the Curadh safe, to keep the Marie Synapse safe, he owed that much to her father.
But now, he wished more deeply to see his old Captain''s face once more, to ask his advice - To know what they were doing was right, that he was protecting them from the right side of history - But Major Moncha knew that was one face he could never see again - He tucked the badge back into the recesses of his jacket, he needed to get some sleep.
Front 36 - What You Can Do? - Part 1/2
It had been three days since Scarlet and Hoki took in Una O'' Conchabhair, the Rookie.
Of course that meant it had been 6 days since Junior Navigations Officer, Cally had been discovered dead - And 8 since she had actually died.
They had been very long days...
Scarlet sat now at the table the Vijaik squad always used when in the canteen, across from her sat Una and Hoki - The idea, one of many Scarlet had thought up over the last few days, was that Una might be coaxed into eating a bit more by being in a public part of the ship - And like her many other plans to help the girl, Una''s barely touched food was evidence enough this plan too, had failed.
It was disappointing, Scarlet had really hoped this strategy would work, even Hoki had made time to come along with them for breakfast - But to no avail, and it was starting to show - The signs of weight loss, the dimness of her eyes, the complexation of her skin - Una did not look well.
Another of her ''great ideas'' was currently plaguing Scarlet''s mind - She had decided last night to read Una''s files - To use at first her own, then Kolme''s credentials to access IAFS files on the girl - She had done so hoping to find some way to help her, some hobby perhaps, or a piece of trivia that might give her a way to communicate better with the Rookie - Scarlet regretted that choice deeply now.
With each layer of security she had entered, her eye had gradually gone wide in disbelief, thoughts of whether the system was wrong, mislabelled - Eventually she had been unable to resist her own morbid curiosity.
7 months ago Scarlet had been known by the alias ''Lt.Commander Bela Grimizan'' - Bela no longer existed, but her access codes to the IAFS system had never actually been rescinded, some sort of oversight no doubt - Using them Scarlet had been able to see almost every piece of data available - And it had been alot.
She sat sipping her coffee, staring across at her downcast junior, all that she had learned circling though her mind like a sick joke.
Scarlet had known about Station 5.5, about Una''s Mother, Sister and Father''s untimely deaths, but soon she learned so much more.
The part of the Conchabhair family that lived on Station 5 was small, first generation immigrants - The rest still lived on Bhaile, to the south of the Western-Continent. Scarlet had read that with a horrible sense of dread, she like any Abhailen soldier, no like anyone alive at the time, remembered November of TA412, the month when the sky had fallen.
A meteor shower meant to pass harmlessly through the solar system, suddenly changing course and colliding with Bhaile''s Western continent - Entire countries with-in the southern hemisphere had been wiped off the map over night, the environmental damage, changes to the tides, the atmosphere, all of it had devastating affects across the entire planet - The largest single loss of human life in history it had been labelled - And the Abhailen Goverment had claimed the credit for making it happen.
Among the millions dead, was almost all of Una''s extended family, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins - All dead.
But that was normal, atleast as normal as anything was these days - No one didn''t atleast know someone who had died in the course of the First-War, civilian or otherwise - But that wasn''t where the story ended, oh how Scarlet wished it was.
For one relative had survived, living on the small family farm just outside of the areas destroyed - Una''s Gran-Aunt.
Left all alone, Una''s family made the decision to frequently visit this older woman, making the day''s long trip from Station 5.5, all the way to rural Western Bhaile - And in that time Una had become something of a favourite granddaughter.
Perhaps some might think her parents choice, to let Una at age 14 make the journey for the first time on her own, a reckless one - But the shuttle flight was with a TSU owned company, the train across the continent a TSU sub-division, and the walk from the station to the little village her Gran-Aunt lived, a short one in a nice neighbourhood.
Perhaps, Scarlet felt, it was providence they had let her go alone....
She imagined Una on those ridiculously long commutes, making all the different stops and transfers along the way, navigated spaceports and train-stations, never complaining about any of it - All just to see some old lady and her dog - It was in Scarlet''s opinion a very ''Una thing'' to do.
And so it was on the last of these long trips, at age 15 - That station 5.5 had been destroyed from the inside out - Scarlet had known that vaguely before, now she had read the details.
For 18 months a small but vocal group of protestors had been lobbying the station''s administration for better pay, wages equal to those of people working on Bhaile. The protests and strikes were frequent, organised and entrenched, 18 months was a long time for neither side to budge and it was starting to harm the Station 5 cluster''s commercial output as a whole.
So a somewhat new group were called in, an oversight branch of the military known as TSU-s.
The protests had been peaceful, a bare handful of arrests or altercations had occurred, in almost two years there had been no weapons - TSU-s spoke with the unofficial Union leaders, determined they couldn''t give into their demands, less other Nation-States demand similar rights - And gave the leader''s two choices;
"Go back to work, or be made an example of."
The Unions thought nothing of it, they might believe they were being treated as second hand citizens, but they still had human rights - The average citizen of Station 5.5, like Una''s parents, didn''t even know TSU-s were there - And they never would.
In March of TA422 TSU-s would make their mission-statement clear to all those in the know - Testing an experimental nerve gas, they turned the peaceful protestors of Station 5.5 into gas-choked corpses, along with every other person present in the city - A total massacre that Una had only avoided because she had chosen to show her gran-aunt kindness.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
It didn''t seem right to Scarlet, to get that unlucky in life, to have your family involved in not one but two of the worst civilian massacres of all history, to lose so many in one lifetime felt too cruel against a girl as kind and gentle as Una.
But the girl had got up once more - She had just lost her parents, her little sister, her childhood home, all her school friends, everything she knew - A girl who hadn''t even been given the chance to finish highschool, had joined IAFS, made the long journey to Bannerman and while 16, lying about her age being 17, had entered the fast track programme, to fight to prevent such atrocities from coming to pass again.
Then Scarlet had read the names, and one by one to her horror, read the Fates of each name - She honestly wasn''t sure if she could even look Sabban in the eyes again after doing so - The Fates of each and every classmate at the academy alongside Una and Sabban.
Apparently Sabban (and Kolme for that matter) had even watched names like Shasha, Zori, Ennya and Mili die in battle.
There were others like Hikari, or the names of those who had been in Una''s own cadet unit.
There were of 20 students total, partially trained by Hoki of all people, just two of whom weren''t either confirmed fatalities or MIA & presumed dead - Sabban and Una.
And yet still, even after learning that, even after all that loss - Una had kept fighting, been posted to a base, had her machine stolen, been threated for a time as a criminal - And still she kept going, came here to the Am Fluchtig - The Rookie had preserved through Scarlet''s strictest of training regimes, had gone into battle alongside far more experience pilots on three separate sorties and returned alive from each of them, invaluable to the Fluchtig''s squad''s survival - She had never complained about how unfair or hard it was, if anything the girl had given herself a hard time with anxieties of not being good enough to match the rest of the squad, it made Scarlet want to laugh bitterly,
''Not good enough? She took a shot for Hoki at the battle of the Clover, fought through her own mental hang ups at Station 9, survived and held the line where more advanced pilots died 8 days ago - And to think she''s worried she can''t keep up?!!''
That was the Una she knew, young, kind and indominable - Maybe not the best at anything, maybe not destined to be ''a hero'' or such like, but someone Scarlet had grown deeply fond of these last couple of months they had spent together - But the girl across from her was not that.
As Doctor Hasain had informed her, Cally''s death was simply a bridge too far, a loss too many - A switch had flipped inside the girl and now Scarlet didn''t know how to help - She could teach, she could fight, but help a young girl out with such trauma as this? It felt impossible.
She knew now alot more of the names Una would cry out for in the night - She deeply regretted that fact...
"Ummm, Scarlet you ok?" Subtlety asked Hoki from the opposite side of the table - She had long since finished her food and emptied her teapot.
Scarlet, finally snapped from her own musing was quick to respond, "What, ah, sorry ya. I''m fine just stuck in my own head I guess."
"I can understand that for sure. Anyway I was thinking we should be going now, its been a while." Hoki added with a small nod in Una''s direction - It was clear the girl wasn''t going to be eating anything more at this time.
"Ya lets." Scarlet said back, moving her own cup and plate back onto a tray and getting ready to move - Just then the girl''s thin lips moved, her voice frail, barely audible - It was the first time Una had spoken in nearly 36 hours by Scarlet''s count;
"Miss.Scarlet.... Can I ask....?"
"Huh, eerrr, ya of course anything girl!" Scarlet blurted back, not wanting to let the rare spark of conversation pass.
Una nodded, a hardly perceivable affair at this point, "....What was Cally''s name?"
"What do you mean Una?" Hoki asked from beside the girl, her face a picture of concern.
"Scarlet read my files last night right? ..... So do you know her name?"
The older woman''s heart fell, guilt swept over her in horrid waves, she hadn''t though Una was conscious enough to notice her even reading, never mind to have seen the contents - And then there was her question, ''Cally was her name right? What''s she asking exactly?''
"Una I don''t think I understand?"
"......Was Cally her first or second name? What was her full name? I....i wanted to ask her but I felt embarrassed for not knowing.... So I never did and now, and now.... now I never can."
The Rookie''s voice went from deadpan, all the way to a slow wail as large sloppy tear began to roll down her cheeks.
Scarlet watched as emotion completely grabbed the girl, as her face took on that terrible grimace of pain that it wore during the worst of the night terrors, curling and frowning, hands coming up to hold her own head - Una began to sob violently.
Scarlet didn''t know what to do, she didn''t know what to think of the by-standers in the canteen watching this, she didn''t know what to do with the knowledge she had learned about Una''s past - She didn''t know how to help her.
Hoki was faster to move, wrapping her arms around Una and embracing the girl against her chest, speaking soothing words of comfort as best she could.
Scarlet sat across from her two embracing juniors, staring at Una''s warped, tear lined face.
Why hadn''t she researched Cally, that was something she could of done, she could of had the answer ready, she could of done that much for the girl but she hadn''t - Once again she had tried to do what she could not and failed to do what she could - And it made her feel so very ashamed...
****
Front 36.5 - What You Can Do? - Part 2/2
"Ya of course Scar I''ll ask the first chance I get for sure."
As was becoming habitual, Scarlet found herself once more in Kolme''s room, sitting across from him in one of the two worn armchairs, drinking tea she now found oddly comforting.
"I''d just search it myself, but..." Kolme added.
"Hard to search her file when we don''t actually know her name?" Scarlet finished for him, he nodded.
She leaned back into the chair, "Thanks, whenever you get chance - I should of already had that name myself."
Kolme frowned, "Hey you couldn''t know she would fixate on something like that Scar, you''re doing your best."
"Well my best doesn''t seem to be worth much!"
----
"The err, the reinforcements arrived ok?" Scarlet continued, breaking the silence from her previous statement.
"Ya fine lass, 2 Neo-Cs and a pile of Tos-Duirs-Mk3s."
"You mean those little missile launchers? The ones you can strap onto the side of just about anything?"
Kolme grinned at the question;
"You betcha! It was Nate noticed them when he attended that meeting in Bannerman - Massive pile of them going spare, Bailey Mechanics have discontinued the line you see, got some new version in the works - Anyway I got in contact with a friend of mine there and convinced him to give us the lot! Gon''na strap every last one onto the new Neo-Cs, it isn''t the panicle of customisation but better then nothing."
"Discontinued or not, they can''t of been cheap?" Scarlet replied, a knowing smile of her own starting to form.
"They weren''t but by the time IAFS find the bill we''ll of used them all up - That''ll teach them to send me more reinforcements next time." Kolme boasted.
She nodded, impressed by the unexpected haul - "So what''s the plan? I heard you were in another senior staff meeting this morning."
"Ya well, looks like me and Nate can''t stall any longer, now that the reinforcements are here we are to enter battle again in 2 days - Well unless the Curadh decides to attack us first again, they''ve gotten the jump on us twice already.
Anyway plan is pretty simple really. First we fire a full barrage including all those new missiles, they might only make small explosions in real terms, but all of them at once should give us cover to launch all our mechs, while confusing the Curadh''s sensor-systems"
"Good idea, then what, another defence line like last time?"
Kolme shook his head, "Not exactly, didn''t really work great the first time did it? I''m going to leave Tomo in charge of the line this time - Eh now don''t give me that look, I''ll still be field commander, but the four of us will be busy elsewhere."
"The four of us?" Scarlet asked.
"Yup, while the missiles give us cover, we''re gonna cross the field, straight into the Curadh''s airspace and lure out the Casnel - While the 7 remaining mechs will stay behind to guard our ship''s under Tomo''s command."
"I see." She mused, "Two battles, one between us four and the Casnel, while the rest of the machines on both sides guard their respective ships, while said ship rip into each other. It means our defence line is going to be really thin though?"
Kolme agreed, but it was they both knew, worth the risk - If the four of them could keep the Casnel occupied by themselves, then the Tristain flotilla''s supior numbers and firepower might just be enough to sink the Curadh, especially if its defences consisted of just the three Vijaik Specials.
"Just two problems then, can we beat the Casnel ourselves? And what if the Fortress makes an appearance?"
Kolme sighed, "Yup, it''s a risky plan but what better is there? If we leave the Casnel guard the Curadh like it did last time, then the best we can hope for is a stalemate again - And HQ have been pretty clear, in not so many words, ''Destroy them, or die trying''....
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.?Ya know Scar you''re welcome to come to the Flotilla meetings, no one would complain about having you there... Well Commander Batty would but she complains about everything."
Scarlet paused a moment, normally she just fobbed off offers like this, but her and Kolme had been pretty close these last few days - She felt he deserved a proper answer;
"Thanks but no. I''m not just saying this, I actually think you''re pretty good at your job Kolme and you''ve got Hoki, Tomo and Erfu there too, lots of reliable people - I think at this point you all have a dynamic, honestly I think I''d be a spare part, my style of leadership isn''t actually that different from yours - And right now I think the last thing we need is to let me into meetings like those, a fox among the hens ya know?
I really don''t think I''d of come up with a better plan then you guys have - And besides, especially after this morning I don''t want to leave Una alone too much."
Kolme looked truly surprised by the sincerity of her answer, then smiled softly, "Ya know you can use this bed here for things other then what we''ve used it for, like actually sleeping. I can keep an eye on Una for an hour, you must be exhausted Scar."
"No it''s fine, thanks though. Bet''cha I''m still sleeping better then she is."
"Scar...."
"I just.... I wish I could do more Kolme. I wish I could tell you I''d go out there in two days and take down the Casnel all by myself! I wish I could tell Una it''s going to be alright, that things will work out, I wish I could... Argh I don''t know!!
I''m not good at moping like this!" Scarlet growled, days of frustration building.
Kolme laughed across from her.
"Oi, what''s so funny!?"
"Nothing really, just, I''d rather see you shouting, over being depressed. Trust me when I say I know what I''m talking about with this ok? Sometimes it''s too easy ta'' focus on all the stuff we can''t do and none of the stuff we can. Scarlet you give people hope, you make them believe they can win against any odds - That''s worth somethin'' Lass."
"Do you really think that? Hope? I''m just a mediocre pilot takin--"
"A deadly drug? Ya you''ve said that before, doesn''t change the facts - You make the impossible, possible - You slay Casnels - That''s what people think when they see the Scourge." Kolme smiled.
She blushed, then immediately wanted to slap herself, she couldn''t remember the last time she had blushed, it wasn''t the sort of thing she did - She was Thee Scarlet Scourge, not a school girl;
"I should get back to Una now, ah, c''ya later Kolme." She murmured, standing out of her chair.
"Sure, take it easy."
She paused in the doorway of the room, hand on the handle.
She turned back around.
"I''ll do it!"
Kolme, standing himself and tidying up the tea set, gave her a confused look - "Do what?"
"I won''t attend meetings or be a field commander, not right now, I really do think you''ve got that covered - That isn''t what I can do for us now, what I can do is be the Scourge they want right?
Get them all together, all the pilots we have left, an hour or two before the battle is scheduled, when they''re most nervous, when their minds are most fixated on those who died in the last battle - I''ll give ''em a speech, tell them Casnels are over-rated, that I eat ''em for breakfast! If you really think that will give them hope, help us win the battle, then that''s what I can do!"
Kolme''s smile was broud, it warmed her heart, "Hey Kolme, this thing we have, its more then a fling ain''t it? So you should smile like that more, it''s good on yo--"
His smile faltered as her sentence stopped, "What''s wrong?"
"I said something like that to Una, just before the last battle, about smiling."
"She''ll smile again soon, just you watch, nothing can break that girl forever." Kolme said back with a confidence she''d never heard from him before.
She grinned, that wolfish grin people knew, sometimes even feared her by, "Ya we will, I''ll make you all smile again - Just you damn well watch!"
Extra - Nates Evening
12 was the total count - It had taken a few days to make its way to Commander Nate Novel, Captain of the Am Fluchtig and Leader of the Tristain Group - In the end despite losing two pilots, the Valliere had actually faired the best, not taking a single hit in battle, it had suffered zero crew deaths, leaving its count as just 2.
The Fluchtig had sustained zero pilot fatalities but lost 4 members of staff from the enemy barrage, including Nate had been told, one of his bridge staff, Cally.
Another like her had been blown out into space when a part of the ship was hit. A third had suffered some sort of heart failure and a fourth had been impaled when a piece of shrapnel had shot through an outer wall of the ship, leaving the corridor in question in tact and air tight but the unlucky crewmember without lungs to breath with.
Finally there was the Rinie, though the Fluchtig had quickly moved to shield her, the battle had started with the Curadh''s surprise attack against the old ship - And it showed.
One pilot now without legs, though alive - But aboard the ship 6 deaths, in general the Rinie was in bad shape, it had avoided fatal damage but was moving on half power - Were the Curadh to make a run for it right now, Nate would have to give serious thought to leaving the Rinie behind just to keep up the chase.
He had of course relayed all this back to IAFS HQ, and Kolme had attempted to use it as leverage to get them more reinforcements, but to no avail. If anything HQ seemed to think just 12 deaths and about 3 times that in injuries was pretty good going - It made Nate''s blood boil, but regardless the orders were final, in two days time they would go into battle with just 11 machines left, a number just one less than the death toll of the prior fight.
He flopped down onto the couch, staring up at the night-club blue of the Captain''s-Quarter''s ceiling, his moppy blond hair swaying as he did so.
He pressed a button on, & spoke into his handheld; "Aurin old-chap, message Kolme, tell him that was the last meeting with HQ and to take the rest of the evening off would you? He won''t do it, but its the thought that counts."
"Aye Sir, will do." Replied the lieutenant.
He was glad of Aurin these past 8 days, the man had been near constantly in command on the bridge as Nate floated from one meeting to another - He felt exhausted, certainly not alert and ready for a ''final battle''.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Oh Emilia my love, when shall we meet again?" He spoke softly to himself.
Emilia Sheen, Lt.Commander Sheen that is, had come up alot recently - People on his ship wanted to know where she was, why the Casnel technically meant to be assigned to the Fluchtig was off galivanting with the Tradech.
Nate was thinking about her for very different reasons.
They weren''t actually dating, he wished they were, but there was never time;
"Star crossed lovers that we are, destined by fate to be divided on ships planets apart!" He wistful added.
Kolme''s ''stupid face'' suddenly popped into his mind, grinning boastfully - He liked Kolme Nilas alot and was glad for him, Nate wasn''t sure he could of secured two Neo-Cs if he had been by himself without Kolme there to play ''bad cop'' - But lately Nate had reason to hate Kolme, for Kolme had succeeded, he''d gotten the girl - Well, Nate hesitated to refer to someone as scary as Scarlet as ''the girl'' - But the point stood;
"You lucky son of a--, Damn you Kolme Nilas, You Lover-Boy You!!" He shouted to the ceiling.
A hushed snickering suddenly came back at him, Nate flinched, ''An intruder, in here?''
He glanced around himself, looking for the source, "Hello? I say, hello?"
The snickering transition to outright laughter, and not that of just one person.
Slowly, sweat slide down his shiny forehead, Nate brought his eyes down to the handheld:
"...... Aurin, is the line still open....."
One of the laughing voices broke away with an obvious cough, "Ahem, err, yes sir, on your end."
The reply from Nate''s second in command only served to cause more laughter from the other officers on the bridge.
Nate winced, his face flushed in embarrassment at the rookie mistake - He went to turn off the link as gracefully as possible but then smiled, it was nice, to hear his staff laughing again after such a hard week.
He grinned, then bellowed louder than before; "Curse you yet again Kolme Nilas!!"
In return, already unable to contain their amusement, the Captain''s quarters was filled with the merriment of the whole bridge''s laughter, while Nate just smiled.
Front 37 - To Take Flight Into the Endless Sky.
It was now 10 days since their previous battle, an entire week - A week isn''t a particularly long period of time of course - But for Scarlet and just about everyone else in the Tristain flotilla, it had been a particularly long week.
Alot could happen in ten days, she had watched her comrades hit rock bottom, then thought by her own hands she could lift them back up, only to have them fall to entirely new depths of sadness and burnout.
But despite that here they all still were, worse for wear maybe, but still standing in one piece.
''One week huh?''
Scarlet had been aboard alot of warships, quite a few civilian transports too - But she would have to admit that the hanger-bay of the Am-Fluchtig was by far the best of them all.
IAFS didn''t have the finances to build armadas, at best they had around 100 ships total hidden in all corners of the solar system, and most of those were former TSU or Abhailen vessels - So to their credit, what few original ships they did produce were made to order.
The Celtic-Class Battleships were designed as heavy all rounders, good weapons, strong defences - State of the art communications equipment to allow them to act as fleet-command-units and of course a massive hanger-bay.
A space so large smaller freighters and supply ships could fly straight inside the ship to unload, rather than having to dock alongside.
The Fluchtig''s for example was divided in three, to the East lay the massive workshop run by Chief Pel - Some would say having more space for mechs was better then a workshop and Scarlet could definitely see merit in that, but these last 10 days had truly gone to prove the workshop''s value - Without it there was no way they could of repaired the 9 still functional Neos, and moreover tune and service even the mostly undamaged units like Scarlets, to an absolute peak condition.
To the centre, in front of the massive roller-doors, large enough for Vijaiks to easily step through - Lay the magnetic lines, thin strips that shot out the mechs at an accelerated speed to give them a little head start in battle - Behind those, the large elevators leading down to the under-hanger and even deeper into the ship''s extensive storage areas.
Finally to the West was rows of what to the common eye looked like railway sidings, raised platforms packed with crates and other deliveries - A place for shuttles to land beside and be unloaded.
It was here where they she had first met Una, and it was here where she now stood, a couple feet behind Kolme who himself stood in front of an impromptu podium made of wooden boxes.
He was giving a long and rambling speech to three rows of people before him - In the back row were the five pilots of the Rinie, Tomo and Erfu, the man who had lost both legs in the previous battle and two others she didn''t know the names of.
In the middle row stood just three people - HQ had not sent replacements for the Valliere''s fallen pilots, in fact no one had even been prompted to squad leader of that ship - Most people knew that really the Valliere-Vijaik-Squad was no more, its survivors were really being merged with Tomo''s squad and taking their day to day orders from him - She looked to the squad''s surviving officer, a tall blockheaded man with bulging muscles - He was the type of pilot she normally disliked but right now she felt alot of sympathy for the man.
Finally in the front row stood Sabban, next to the wheelchair bound Una and lastly Hoki. Una hadn''t spoken once after her breakfast outburst two days prior- That was until Scarlet had suggested not bringing her to this meeting, suddenly Una had sprung to life, insisting she had to come - So here she was, face staring blankly at the floor.
Scarlet allowed herself a little smirk as Kolme was forced to stop speaking mid-sentence when the loud rumbling of the hanger''s MBT-Mk2 trundled by nosily.
The Vijaik MBT was a sort of predecessor to the Neo and looked somewhat similar in design, well normally it did.
The Fluchtig''s wasn''t a combat unit, rather it was littered in weird adjustments, prototype customizations, seemingly random pipes and cabling visible here and there. Most of all was the simulator prototype - Unlike the detachable ones their squad used, the MBT''s was permanently fixed, giving the old machine a sort of plus-shape when looked at from a side profile.
Even its life as a test machine was clearly coming to an end, the machine had been abused a little too much at this point - Most saw it now as simply a very big forklift - But Scarlet couldn''t help feeling a little endeared to it, on it kept working as hard as anyone around it - Even if all it did now was move boxes about.
Finally Kolme finished his speech, stepped off the platform and took a place next to Hoki in the front row.
Scarlet stepped up to the podium.
Confused faces looked up at her, even Sabban seemed lost - They had intended to tell him, but in the end it had been a struggle just to get him to eat something and go to bed ahead of today''s fight - Scarlet and Kolme had literally had to drag the young man out of his mech''s cockpit - Ultamitely they had forgotten to inform him, not that it mattered much.
She grinned, it was a little forced, but still unmissably her wolfish grin - She had hated her teeth as a child, it was a memory buried deep in her, of other kids mocking her for having oddly pronounced Canines - In highschool she had gained something of a... delinquent reputations, those same teeth earning her the nickname ''bloodsucker'' - Now she was glad of them, for her grin was part of the image, part of what made people see her as the Scourge.
He grin was the smile that could kill Casnels all by itself, or so they exaggerated - And right now it brought all those in-front of her to silence, it created a tension of expectation.
And not just to those before her, like Kolme''s speech, this one too would be broadcast to every handheld in the flotilla, video and microphone footage to every crewmember - ''Quite the audience.''
"Yo, I won''t keep y''all as long as old man Nilas did." That comment gained her a few nervous laughs, though it was far from ice-breaking.
"I don''t know all your names, heck about half of you in-front of me are strangers - But I bet you all know me, the Scarlet Scourge, or to some of you, Mad Dog Scarlet.
See that''s the thing, aside from my Lover in the front row--"
She paused as some engineers passing in the background jeered boisterously at this comment, she waved them off with a laugh;
"--Aside from him and Tomo glaring at me from the backrow, all of you are what? In your first year of soldiering? ?Maybe a couple of you have been out here as long as three, four years?
Heh, you''re all at that stage where you believe the rumours amma'' right? You hear the hype, the legends of the First War, of the Cheval the Troy, the arrowhead that lead TSU from the brink of defeat, to total victory - Of the First Casnel, the God that could fight entire armies without a scratch - And maybe even of the Scarlet Scourge, the woman who slays Casnels."
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
She paused to take in their expressions, a mix of nervousness and concern - She had them hooked and though speeches weren''t her forte, she knew a little build-up was called for.
She grinned again, for real this time;
"Well I won''t lie to you all, the rumours, the legends - It''s all true. The Cheval the Troy, the older sister of our target, the Curadh, really was unbelievably powerful - And the First Casnel, ha!!
You lot don''t even understand what it was like, it shone brighter than the sun, it crushed and slashed and hacked hundreds of enemies all by itself, it was the definition of legendary, it was a God!"
Concern was rising now, a couple hushed whispers about the grim direction this seemed to be heading.
"And ya known what?! They sunk, both of them, I saw it happen, at the battle of Fortress Moon Ghealach, the day the Last King of Abhaile''s head rolled - Sure the crew of Cheval mostly evacuated but the ship indisputably sunk and the First Casnel, beaten by a Vijaik class fortress - By a name you all know, by IAFS''s very own Commander Ceathair! Who not only sunk that God of a machine, but lived to tell the story, to later join us here in IAFS - I know him, trust me he brags about it, alot."
She laughed.
"And he isn''t the only one, I have too - And not just that test unit I killed earlier this year, pah!
That was a child nothing more - No I''ve fought with real Casnels - You all remember Major Moncha, the enemy leader our higher up''s in their infinite wisdom decided to hand back? Well I seized him up a little before he left, had a chat ya know?
He reminded me of just a couple of my Casnel encounters over the years.
I once fought this gaint, all gold plated Casnel, the size of two if not three Nemos."
She stopped and locked her eyes on someone in the middle row, "You don''t believe me do you, you want to stand there and roll your eyes huh?!"
She flipped up her eyepatch.
There was of course nothing to see, no hidden power, no secret - Just a space where a second eye had once been long ago.
She didn''t wear an eyepatch because of shame or pride - She simply kept her scars to herself, they were a part of her she had long accepted, she didn''t want people to see her differently for them, they were what they were.
She had known some who saw battle wounds pridefully, a display of battles won - Others the opposite, a sign of lost comrades, a battle barely survived.
There were very few who bragged of old wounds - Maybe to a grandchild or maybe half-drunk in a bar - But to Scarlet that was something different, more nuanced then bragging - She knew for a fact what she did now was no boast, rather the best way she could think of to make them, all of them, believe.
Rolling up her shirt sleeve, a plethora of deep burns and poorly treated scars - She picked a particularly nasty one and held it to out toward the crowd;
"This is the one I got fighting that gold Casnel - But here''s one better--"
She rolled up her trouser leg, to show her prosthetic, "This one I got fighting none other then the Curadh - Ya that same Curadh we''re chasing now - It was years back, during my Remembrance days - I faced a different Casnel, launched from the Curadh - And I crushed it, lost this leg in the process, but I won."
That was actually a lie, she had lost this leg before that - But it hardly mattered, she really had faced off with a Casnel from the Curadh 5 years ago - Even if the Bane of Konpei had been the one to actually defeat it.
She looked to the backrow, to the pilot like Una, in a wheelchair - The one who had barely survived and lost both his legs in the process; "I beat it at a price of my leg, I wouldn''t recommend doing that mind you - That said? Anyone who loses their legs and is still brave enough to attend a meeting like this, is a hell of man in my book."
She finished nodding in his direction.
The man looked as though he might well into tears, but he held them back, made eye contact with her and nodded - He like Una wouldn''t be piloting today, but he stood proud with his comrades no less.
It was time Scarlet knew, she had strung them along far enough, now she could hammer it home.
"Casnels are not invisible, Troy class ships are not invincible - In my life I know I''ve assisted in the downfall of atleast 6 of the bastards - Yes the rumours that they are God-like in ability and strength is true, yes they all have ridiculous Magi pilots that can see the friggin future!
But one other legend is true too - I am thee Scarlet Scourge, the woman who slay Casnels, who slay Gods!!
So what if they have a good swordsmen on their side, have you seen my sword?!"
She beckoned in the direction of her Red-Neo-C deliberately left in view, its massive Calabar blade on its back.
"So what if they have a single G-Type Casnel - They''ve been sunk before and they will be sunk again - We will show them all, all those in headquarters who won''t give us proper reinforcements, all those in TSU who think we''re just playing soldier - We''ll show the world we can do with 15 Nemos, what the Tradech barely does with its three Casnels!
And to those you who think you''re going into battle with the mad dog today, I say no!!"
She withdrew a plastic bag from her bomber-jacket, inside a syringe - Most of the flotilla had no idea about her drug abuse, for most they''d be learning about this for the first time - But that was exactly the point - ''Change the state of play'' Scarlet thought to herself - Make them think that today''s battle is different, today''s battle is with someone stronger then before.
She smashed the syringe against the podium, the shattering sound echoing deliciously into the microphone;
"The Mad Dog is gone, Today you fly with thee Scarlet Scourge - You understand that right?!
It doesn''t matter whether I know all your names or not, your life stories, your simulators scores - No, you are the brave ass people, mad and brilliant enough to fly alongside me - You are trained, you are skilled and you can damn well succeed - Everyone of you has flied and is choosing to once again take flight into that endless sky!
Well today you fly with the God-Slayer! And today is the day we end Operation Deadlight once and for all!!!"
A moment of hesitation, of consideration - And then a roar of applause, not just from the pilots in front of her, but all around the hanger - A booming review.
But she knew who too look to most of all - Kolme and Hoki were obviously going to clap no matter what, it was the likes of Tomo and Sabban, both more resistant to a speech like this, but both clapping, looking begrudgingly enthused.
And most of all Scarlet looked to Una - All the way through her head had been downcast, almost unconscious looking - But now it was staring right up at her, hanging on every-word, even if she didn''t clap it was more then enough - Scarlet knew she had got through to them, given them ''hope'' as Kolme had put it - Convinced them the Casnels weren''t all that, made them see her as the Scourge once more.
She allowed herself to smile, panting a little as she caught her breath, basking in the applause, the cheers of motivation - She had finally done what only she could do.
Front 38 - Last Day - Part 1/2
As she floated up to the round circular doorway imbedded into the thick set armour of the red & green Neo-C, Scarlet waved in the direction of what to the common eye might look like a supports box in a stadium.
The Fluchtig''s hanger was lined with these boxes'' along its back wall - Used for various purpose such as offices, break rooms and the like - It made the perfect spot for her to watch over the battle. Like with the speech, Una had insisted she wanted to atleast be with them in spirit and Scarlet could hardly say no to that - Now sat in that box, nodding back loosely at Scarlet''s wave, Una would have access to all the camera and audio feeds she could possibly ask for (courtesy once again of the Bela Grimizan access codes).
Scarlet had also roped the ships head-fitter into keeping Una company too, the man was known to the squad in passing and though he''d probably be quite busy after the battle, during it repairs to the ship''s mechs and armour would take priority over plumbing and fixtures.
She sat into her chair as the circular doorway rumbled shut - It had been an entire week since she had last so much as touched a mech, that was a weird thought to her.
Since the First War she could count the number of times she had gone that long without atleast doing a little mech maintance, on one hand - But this time Chief Pel''s mechanics had tuned things to perfection, and with Una''s condition, Scarlet hadn''t wanted to leave the girl alone - And so a whole ''mech-less'' week had passed.
Not to say it took her long to settle - No the cockpit of her machine was still assuredly the place she felt most comfortable in life.
She checked around her controls, the engines having already been brought to standby for her - The main, ever red-tinted monitor shining before her - It made her smile a little, unlike all the other Neo''s, hers had a triangular dome shaped head with a movable red eye, said eye could look in all directions without moving the head''s direction, but offered a much smaller field of vision - It was how she liked it.
The helmet had been recovered from her previous machine, an original Vijaik heavy that had accompanied her on and off for nearly a decade now - That single glowing red eye was one of a the few constants after all these years.
That said the cockpit of the Neo was far better than those old machines - She remembered having just three monitors back in the day and a cheap metal frame chair, in a cabin that was so close to the engine you felt like striping down to nothing just to bear the heat.
By contrast the Neo was spacious, much better ventilated and filled with monitors, control dials and a seat with good back support and cushioning for when you got thrown about.
In particular she appreciated an addition Hoki and Chief Pel had come up with, a socket at her feet that she could insert her prosthetic into - Most mechs had auxiliary pedals, some skilled pilots used said pedals to control altitude or energy output, with this socket Scarlet could do the same more easily.
She also rested her eye briefly on the glovebox containing her supply of the ''Enhancer'' drug - The one she had smashed during the speech had of course been a fake, just a syringe she''d nabbed from sickbay and sloppily stuck a label to - But her words had been true, she had made a promise to herself, not to use the drug unless absolutely necessary - Today''s mission had been worked on tirelessly for a week of sleepless nights - The likes of Kolme, Hoki, Tomo, Erfu and Nate all planning endlessly for a mission of precision and teamwork, to give them the best chance of beating the Curadh once and for all - She wasn''t about to spoil all that planning, all the hard work of the technicians pre-programming the missiles, the grenadiers readying the main ship''s cannon shots - She would fight alongside them with her own skills and abilities, even if she didn''t believe in them, the others did and that had to mean something.
She took one last look at Una''s almost ghostly face via her machines rear camera, then flicked open her comm lines - "Bout time yet bridge?"
A moment''s pause, then, "Roger Warrant Officer, You Are Clear For Launch in 10 seconds, Happy Hunting."
Scarlet grinned, "Got''cha, good luck to you too."
Her mech stepped into the magnetic rail shackles and hunched forward, she set the power output to maximum, "Alright then, this is unit 3, Neo-C Red Custom, Scarlet Scourge taking off!!"
****
Some would of suggested it was only fair the Fluchtig got the first shot in today''s battle - Considering the Curadh had manged to ambush the Tristian Group twice before this, however that wasn''t exactly a massive consolation prize to Major Moncha.
The ambush had been carried out with forethought and precision, to such a degree Moncha would have to begrudgingly admit he was impressed - It had started only a short time ago with a massive barrage - Cannon blasts from all three of the enemy ships, AA fire from dozens of smaller stations and a gigantic swarm of missiles - Said projectiles had been pre-programmed to spread out and cause as much confusion as possible, stalling an array of the Curadh''s sensor equipment while creating a smokescreen for the Tristain flotilla to deploy its mechs - Meanwhile the cannon fire had also been planned in advance - Using their ability to trace the Curadh''s position, the Enemy had successfully landed multiple blows in its first volley - The endless night sky had been lit ablaze with a constant stream of colourful lightning.
A single shot had completely destroyed one of the Curadh''s two launch decks, in the process burying half the hanger-bay and some of their mechs. Another had skimmed off the bridge, luckily no one was hurt but the Captain and her staff had been forced to go to the lower-bridge, the time spent moving had delayed their response even more.
And most damaging of all had been a direct blow to the Curadh''s main cannon. Despite being a decade old ship, the Curadh was one of only two ever completed Troy class ships, it had been built like a Casnel, packed full of the wonder-metal Goibniu with absurd power generation - But that meant nothing if the barrel for channelling said power, had just been snapped in half.
And all that had just been the enemy''s first volley. With one deck destroyed Moncha''s squad had to launch one by one in single file, Moncha taking off last after having to literally unbury his machine.
Meanwhile the Curadh itself had to turn around to better face the enemy force, an action which had cost it even more time.
Indeed Moncha had to admit, it was a very good ambush, the Tristian Flotilla was clearly playing for keeps this time.
He launched fourth, Falc''s machine still buried (Not that they had clearance for her to sortie anyway...) - To Moncha''s annoyance he soon learned the Casnel was no where to be seen, apparently having gone out first it had chased after two enemy Neo''s and not been seen since.
Not that he was worried about Helt winning, the boy had the best machine on the battlefield - Rather Moncha couldn''t shake the feeling it was a trap, that the enemy had deliberately destroyed only one runway in order to split the Casnel apart from the rest of the Curadh.
Nonetheless Moncha couldn''t worry about that now, he had the greater battle to concern him.
This time there was no asteroid field for cover, just an open expanses of dark space - Far in the distance the machines of IAFS, firing their volleys at the already damaged Curadh.
They needed info, to know exactly what they were up against and that meant reaching the other side of the battlefield - With the Casnel absent, that only left the 3 Vijaik Specials - Moncha respected his two wingmen, they were in his opinion some of the best, Aces in their own right - But there was no way they could cross the massive gap between here and the enemy ships - Not without being torn to shreds - No ordinary pilot could manage that, ''So it''s good I''m no ordinary pilot then eh?''If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Leaving his two wingmen to guard the ship as best they could, the Vijaik-Knight had set into no man''s land - He weaved, dodged and ducked his way through the waves of cannon fire larger than his whole machine, past lines of heavy anti-air gun munitions, and as he got nearer, the more precise rifle fire of the enemy Nemo''s.
For most it would be a suicide run, no cover, no room for a single mistake - Sure the Vijaik Special was made for speed but that came at the cost of armour, should he so much as scrape against the cannon fire his machine would be crippled in an instant - But onward he strove.
Gradually the image of the three green & beige coloured IAFS ships began to come into view, growing bigger on his monitors by the second. He was in part fuelled by his frustrations, the Curadh had a plan of its own - At their current speed, in just one more day''s time, they would of crossed paths with a friendly TSU patrol fleet - While the regular TSU forces weren''t officially at war with IAFS, if they saw a TSU-s ship being pursued, they would no doubt help - They could of turned this from a 3 on 1, into a 16 on 3 - That was the captain''s plan.
Moncha had pleaded with her to increase their speed, to head for the patrol fleet faster, but the captain had insisted any faster and IAFS would guess their plan - Now it was too late, the Fluchtig had made the first move and the Major would just have to live with it.
He soared past the enemy line, not slowing until he past a hair''s breath away from a confused enemy Nemo - The machine that was dutifully guarding its flotilla, turned its head all too slowly.
Using the momentum of his flight across no man''s land, Moncha spun his machine and let free the weapon in its hand, an ''Arc-Spear'' - Where the average Arc-Staff varied in shape and size, Arc-Spears had never really been mass produced considering their difficulty of use, a long metal shaft with a plasma arrowhead - Moncha had picked them up somewhere years back and decided today was the right time for them, making use of centrifugal force he flung the spear with almighty pressure.
It coursed through the vacuum of space, striking the Nemo right in the chest just as it finished taking aim at Moncha, the whole machine jerked back violently from the force of impact - Moncha flipped a switch on his control board, the spear exploded violently.
It was a risky strategy, you threw your weapon in the hopes it would cut a small indent through the enemies'' bulkhead, a little incision all the way into the cockpit - And then you exploded the whole weapon, killing the pilot by force or incineration, while the outside of the mech remained intact.
And it had worked, the enemy Nemo fell limp, the pilot inside dead.
Sparing no time, Moncha finally took in his surroundings - Beneath him was the hexagonal dome of the Am-Fluchtig, sitting as always atop the large iris shape of the battleship.
In the distance on the left was triangular shape of the cruiser, Valliere - And to the right, the similar shaped cruiser Rinie. Out in the distance was where he''d come from, the partially visible, heavily damaged Curadh.
All that was what he expected to see from this side of the battlefield, what was strange was the absences.
In the previous battle the Tristian group had kept 11 Nemo''s to guard it, a decent net of protection against maneuverers like what Moncha had just managed - But as his mechs angular head turned from side to side, Moncha found a complete lack of any such tight defence this time - In the distance he could see two Nemos, holding their position, keeping their weapons pointed in the Curadh''s direction - There were three more heading straight for him, probably to avenge their friend - If a commander unit was hiding somewhere else, that meant just seven mechs were guarding all three warships.
Moncha licked his lips, this was big news, he had planned to knock out 3 enemies while he was here, perhaps he mused, he could systematically take down all 7 one by one and then simply blast open the enemy ship''s bridges at point blank range - The idea excited him for only a moment, a second later he was forced to dodge to the side as a flurry of orange light coursed past him.
Another Nemo had come into range, shooting its rifle at him - Moncha could evade each volley with ease, moving minimally, just enough that the paint on his machine singed from the close proximity.
He raised back his mech''s arm, a second spear held firm and launched it forward - To his surprise the enemy Nemo ducked, as though it had been warned just in time.
The spear instead of piercing the chest, went straight through the Nemo''s orange visor, burrowing a path through to the back of the head.
Moncha tutted, sure that Nemo was now blind but it was no knockout. He quickly reached to his side and drew an a short bladed arc staff, looking around warily for the next attack. Missing the kill on this second Nemo was bad news, he was deep in enemy lines, even if there were less opponents then he''d first thought, he couldn''t afford to get sloppy.
He carefully moved his machine out of the way as a burst of heavy AA fire tried to reach him from the Warship''s below. His brow furrowed, things were too quiet, it should of been chaos by now.
The worst had happened, an enemy was hanging in the sky above their flagship, it could attack the ship at any moment - Normally panic would of set in, the whole defence line would rush to defeat him, abandoning their posts - But that wasn''t happening, in fact the Nemo he''d just blinded was cautiously pulling back, carefully retreating.
''Their commander is damn good, they know how to keep discipline, stop their men from panicking'' Moncha thought gloomily to himself - He didn''t like this, the tension of waiting, he preferred the constant flurry of attacks on all sides.
"Fine then, if you''re gonn''a ignore little old me!" He turned the speical downwards, he would strike out at the enemy bridge if no one wanted to play with him.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a new blast of orange fire spread past his machine - He turned to face its origins.
Something not quiet a Nemo faced him, Moncha remembered its shape from previous battles - The larger rounded bulkhead, the battle-kilt and other small additions - A Neo-Custom, though unlike those of Kolme''s squad, this one was covered in only a series of endless grey boxes - ''Depleted missile launchers eh?''
In one hand the rifle it had just fired, the other a sword shaped arc staff.
Moncha watched carefully as this lone challenger tossed the rifle aside, next its shield unclipped and floated away - Finally all the grey containers uncoupled and floated freely.
The now slimmed down Neo drew a second Arc-staff and took a new stance - Moncha rose an eyebrow, he didn''t know many others who used sword skills, especially not a dual wielding stance.
"Alright then!" He cheered, reaching forward to attack - But the instant the word ''Attack'' crossed his mind, the Neo moved.
It was fast and a second later his staff clashed with the enemies first blade - As sparks flew, it swung forward it''s second, Moncha moved to evade, breaking contact and reaching to his mech''s back he grabbed his Calabar blade, a long fencing style weapon - With a thrust he aimed for the opening created by the enemies attack - To his surprise once more, the enemy rather then press their attack had immediately pulled back away - Now a few metres back held its blades in a defensive X-pattern.
Moncha grinned, this person wasn''t just a good pilot or a skilled swordsman, they were something he hadn''t even considered finding out here, "Your reading my mind ain''t ya, you''re a Magi!" He exclaimed with excitement.
****
Front 38.5 - Last Day - Part 2/2
"Decreased Altitude, NOW!!" 2nd Lueitant Erfu Shiri, vice-commander of the proud Rinie pilot squadron, roared across the comms board.
Her subordinate reacted just in time, a spear intended to piece his torso instead skewed through the Nemo''s head, damaging but not lethal.
Erfu allowed herself a tiny sigh before speaking up once more, "That''s good deary, retreat back, I''ll stop his next move myself - Tomo''s ordered everyone else to hold the line, we can''t have it collapsing now can we?"
"Right, ma''am, sorry..." The man replied, his voice clearly lined with frustration - Erfu could understand why, somehow an enemy unit had crossed the open battlefield, a task by itself she could only imagine someone like Scarlet managing - And immediately this intruder had precisely killed one of their number - It had been one of the Valliere''s pilots but that didn''t make it any less shameful to of lost a subordinate so easily.
Still if they panicked and all started swarming this enemy, they''d be playing straight into his hands - The plan was working just fine, the Curadh had already been greatly damaged, Kolme''s squad had lured the Casnel away - The enemy in front of her was a minor stumbling block.
She ran her thin hands along her control boards, as though playing the piano - Slowly her Neo discarded its superfluously equipment until Erfu was left with just a sword in either hand.
Erfu was an oddity, an elf in space - Her albino skin, red eyes, beautiful silver-white hair and pointed ears made that clear for all to see. She didn''t hate her family, but she had hated their traditions, she''d been rebelling against them all her life.
She had made her brothers teach her in secrets the family sword-school, against her father''s wishes - She conversed with humans and other races as equals against her gran-mother''s warnings - And eventually she had shook off their bonds entirely and taken to the stars, to see all that space had to offer, to not be bound to one planet, one country, one tiny forest nation.
But Erfu knew she would one day return, to show them Tomo, get their blessing - Perhaps even settle down there - And to that end she would use her heritage, use the sword-style of her family and make use of the Magi blood running through her veins.
She couldn''t tell what the enemy would do next, that was a skill reserved for those with outright precognition - But she could read the thoughts and feelings of a person''s mind and that had its own battlefield benefits.
Even separated by walls of steel and armour, as long as she concentrated she could feel the enemy pilot''s surface-most thoughts, tell when he would strike, know when he''d go for an opening - As long as that was the case she knew she could out-wit this enemy.
"Bring it on asshole." Erfu grinned, her mech surging forward.
****
A sleek Calabar blade and three sword shaped arc-staffs clashed in an inferno of sparks as Moncha''s Vijaik-Special surged against the dual wielding Neo-C.
Moncha laughed, bellowed with delight as the two machines clashed and clashed again - Each trying to outwit the other. Moncha knew he was the better pilot, but the enemy''s strange power was enough to bridge the skill gap - So clash on and on they did, circling one another, blades beginning to chip and buckle with each successive heavy hit - Each blow helped him gauge the enemy''s strength, each dodge allowed him to be more confident on what sort of power they might have, until finally he came to a conclusion.
He wanted so desperately to respect this pilot, to fight them honourably, he knew deep down they deserved that respect - But Moncha hadn''t become the pilot he was by fighting with sentiment - Even now below him was a warship firing a deadly cannon at his allies, he couldn''t waste anymore time.
As the enemy came in for another swing, Moncha let his arms hang loose - The Neo had no time to back out even if it could tell his plan, instead it changed its posture and the blades came fourth.
The Neo''s two flaming swords hit like a scissor blade, one on either side, aimed to dismember the Vijaik Special''s lanky, thin arms just above the elbows - As always Moncha dodged just enough, he lowered his mecha''s altitude by a meer couple feet - The two arc staffs landed, but instead of his elbows they smashed into the Special''s far more substantial shoulder blades.
Moncha didn''t waste another moment, his arc staff & Calabar blade stabbing forward straight into the rounded bulkhead of the Neo.
All four weapons hissed and burned - The staffs bore their way through his shoulders, while his blades cut gradually into the Neo''s defences.
It was a race against time, whether the Neo would chop his arms at the stem, or if he could reach their cockpit. Moncha had wondered if the Neo would abandon its blades and back away, it still could of course - But it didn''t.
Perhaps it was too big a risk to lose its weapons, perhaps it had read his mind and knew what Moncha would do next if it did back away - Or perhaps the pilot had simply done what they hoped was best - Whatever the reason, the decision sealed their fate.
The Calabar rapier got through first - With a quick thrust of the Arc staff in his other hand, the Neo''s pilot was seared into a burned and bloody pulp in an instant, exposed to the horrific heat of the giant plasma cutter.
The Neo''s arms fell limp. The Vijaik Special''s arms, still just barely functional.
****
Things were working surprisingly well for Scarlet and the fleet at large - They had successfully launched their surprise attack, damaging the Curadh and giving cover for her and Sabban to cross the battlefield and lure out the Casnel - They had lead it to a place perpendicular with the main battle of the four warships, an empty part of space just out of the warship''s range - Within sixty seconds Hoki and Kolme had also launched and so began their dance with the Casnel.
The plan had them divide into groups of two, one attacker & one in support - As Scarlet slashed forward with an arc staff, the Casnel''s gleaming white & silver surfaces rose its cannon to face her, a second later it was forced to back off and raise that strange, translucent green shield to block an incoming blast from Hoki''s newly repaired long range rifle.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.?"Scarlet you''re out."
"Roger Kolme." She replied back, flipping a switch to fire one of her two shoulder mounted rocket launchers - Again the Casnel blocked with the cuboid shield covering it on all sides, in that time Scarlet pulled back her machine, while Sabban drifted into frame to take her place - Meanwhile a heavy blast of energy fire from Kolme''s back mounted barrel-cannon passed over head - It was almost like wrestlers tagging out of a match.
They had repeated this little manoeuvre a dozen or more times now - The two who backed away had a chance to breath for a moment and let their weapons cool off, after a couple minutes they would trade places again and repeat.
It was far from a ''safe'' strategy mind you. If the long range support (Kolme or Hoki) missed their shot, you ran the chance of hitting an ally, but hesitate too long and the Casnel might get the upper hand on the attacker (Sabban and Scarlet), whom should they mess up, would be facing a direct date with the Casnel''s intimidating arm mounted cannon.
Moreover this set-up was purely a defensive one, they were simply keeping the Casnel surrounded by attacks enough that it couldn''t fire back - They couldn''t win like this.
Victory could come in only 2 ways - One was they hold off the Casnel long enough for the Fluchtig to sink the Curadh - Should this happen the enemy pilot might be distressed enough to either fly into a rage, enviably leading to mistakes they could exploit, or if they were really lucky, he might even lose the will to fight.
This however meant holding out against the Casnel until the warships finished their battle and its outcome was hard to predict. After meeting the Casnel''s pilot back at the Aardig''s day party, it had been easy to assume the young man''s stubborn pride would lead him to taking the bait that lead to this current skirmish - The Curadh was a different story, they truly didn''t know what other secrets in might hold, or anything much about its Captain and her potential escape tactics.
So in truth the Neo squad was aiming for the other path to victory - Luck.
The Neo-C was a Vijaik, they would run out of power hours, if not whole days before the mighty Goibniu infused Casnel ever would - The output generation of even lower class Casnels was no doubt one of the things that made them so powerful - And this was no second class unit.
However ultimately, god-like or not, the Casnel was still a machine - And while the four Neo''s were taking turn, ''tagging'' out with one another to let their weapons cool off and the like, the Casnel was under a constant siege.
A machine isn''t like a human, it can''t just pump its veins full of adrenaline to push through, machines break - Hoki''s rifle had broken way back at the Clover, Una''s escape pod had malfunctioned just last week - These things happened, alot and especially under a constant barrage.
They had to hope that something would go wrong, that its shield perhaps had a cooldown period after a certain number of uses, or a bolt to come loose and slow the arms movements - Or just a faulty wire to break the cannon - It didn''t matter what, they just needed a single opening to push through.
And then it came.
As she was sipping from her water bottle, she watched as Sabban charged in for a sword swing - The Casnel held back, clearly ready to block with its shield - No shield rose - The sword kept going and scrapped across the shiny white of the Casnel''s left arm.
Scarlet physically leaned forward in her chair, her monitor fixed on the point of impact - The armour was of course fine, the enemy was made to be next to indestructible even without its shield - Yet, just where the sword had struck, was a thin blackened section, contrasted wonderfully with the white of the surrounding area - Sabban had landed their first blow.
She grinned a very wolfish grin.
"Kolme I''m going back in, Wingwoman on me!" She bellowed to Kolme and Hoki.
A quick order from Kolme in reply and Sabban backed off, with a sniper bolt from Hoki guiding her in, Scarlet started her assault - With an arc staff in either hand she batted, tore and cut into the Casnel - It could barely block the renewed ferocity of her assault - Its movements were slower then normal, ''He''s panicked, the shield failed him and he''s losing it!!'' Scarlet cooed to herself as she moved with vigour around her cockpit, swaying side to side with each swing of her Vijaik''s arms, clutching at various levers and switches to regulate her machines temperature and push it to move faster and strike harder.
One. Then two.
Small, shallow black indents formed on the Casnel''s armour as Scarlet broke past its pathetic evasion.
A whole new high hit Scarlet, one that needed no drug, she out-struck her left arm, arc staff first, this time aiming for a direct strike on the Casnel''s torso, the first of many she would inflict to break through to the tiny person hiding inside.
"Huh?"
The word tumbled from her mouth, she stared blankly at her red tinted monitor.
Her mechs left hand was gone, cut off at the wrist by a glowing green cube surrounding the whole of the Casnel - Sparks and hydraulics were all that hung in place of where the hand & staff had been prior.
"Scar get outt''a there!!" Yelled a friendly voice.
She held her gaze on the severed hand for a full five seconds before snapping out of it and throwing her machine into a downward dive - Everything around her rocked as the Casnel''s cannon fired, the massive, lethal, green energy blast striking where her cockpit had been a moment ago.
"Sabban back in now, Hoki you stay - Scarlet talk to me?!" Kolme issued without hesitation.
With a curt reply from Sabban and Hoki over the radio, Scarlet saw them recapture the Casnel''s attention, while her mech floated freely, its domed head and red eye staring down at the stump the lost left hand - As though the mech itself were in as much shock as she was.
"Scarlet? Scarlet talk to me!?"
"He duped me Kolme! That bastard played me like a fool!!" She bellowed back in response.
The battle had only just begun.
Front 39 - An Aces Charge - Part 1/2
Lining all along the backwall of the Am-Fluchtig''s hanger-bay was a series of outcropped boxes, filled with offices, breakrooms and the like. Una O'' Conchabhair found herself sitting in one of these such rooms.
This one was intended for breaks, some old-fashioned vending and coffee machines were set up in one corner, benches lined the backwall and a countertop ran around the room at waist height - Above this three sides were all window to the ceiling, giving you a great view of the work going on below.
The room was also airtight, separate of the hanger-bay, though Una had been dressed in a space suit just in case, its helmet laid on her lap.
In front of her was a decent sized monitor projecting whole manner of data - From audio lines being transmitted between the three warships and the Nemos - To sensor information and even camera feeds - What she was seeing was the Fluchtig''s battle net, of course no one person could process all this data, there was a whole team of people on the bridge to do that - But by tapping into it you could gain a front row seat to the battle at large.
Today''s fight was not about stealth, it had been decided that once the initial ambush attack was complete, all units would be allowed to use radio at will - It would be about precious and teamwork, an all out assault, if the enemy hacked their comms lines then so be - And as such Una not only had audio, she even had video from some of the mechs like Kolme''s.
She had been able to watch Tomo and Erfu fire off dozens of missiles via a camera on the hull of the Rinie, she could see a view from the Valliere of all the myriad lightning bolts crossing the night''s sky as the battle raged on outside - It was quite the view.
Of course even Scarlet and Hoki couldn''t of organised this level of access for her - Scarlet had explained it to Una, but she could barely focus on the explanation - She did her best to listen, but it hurt, it all hurt, her ribs hurt, her head hurt.
Una''s mind was constantly swimming in an endless sea, she was here, she was awake, but it was so very hard to, too, hard! - ''Hard, hard, Hard, hard,Hard, hard, hard,hard, Hard, Hard,hard, hard, Hard,hard, hard, Hard--''
She clutched at her head and forced herself to slow down, as best she could.
Yes that was it, Scarlet had explained that she had once used the name ''Bela Grimizan'' for a bit and by some oversight that login still worked - The Fluchtig''s internal system had made something of a leap in logic, believing ''Bela'' to be the new Emilia Sheen - A female Lt.Commander, holding the positions of squad leader & XO.
Sooner or later the computer would catch on to its strange mistake, but Scarlet said that didn''t matter as long as Una got to watch as requested - Or something like that.
Standing behind Una, also watching the screen was a tall bald man in his forties - The Fluchtig''s Head-Fitter, a man Una had spoken with a few times during her time here on the ship - The only familiar face Scarlet could find on short notice to watch over Una during the battle.
He was a very nice man and very good at his job - He stood smiling kindly wearing his more soot black then blue overalls, his spacesuit splayed out on one of the benches behind them.
She tried to remember his name, it was. . . Hard.
She turned back to the monitor in front of her - All sorts of voices could be heard;
"Sabban swap in."
"Roger."
"Captain, AA-33 reports damage, eta 3 min to active again."
"Roger that, tell them to take their time, Anti Air isn''t our priority right now, better to fix it right."
"Roger Sir!"
But one set of voices had caught her attention most, it was less controlled, less composed then the rest, it was panicked;
"Lt.Tomo Sir, there''s an enemy coming through no man''s land, right at us! I can''t hit it, I-- ARGHHHH!!"
"Benton? Come in Warrant Officer Benton?"
"This is Yates Sir, Benton is gone - Repeat, we have an enemy behind the defence line, moving to intercede."
"I''ll go too."
"Right behind you."
"Hold your positions! Do not jeopardise the line, we all charge in there and what''s stops more like him hitting us from behind? - Yates, keep eyes on and maintain your distance - 2nd lieutenant Shiri, move to intercept, use any means necessary."
"Got''cha Tomo-dear."
"Don''t call me that out here for pity''s sake."
The voices belonged to Tomo, Erfu and a number of other pilots from the flotilla - Una had gone out drinking with Erfu back in Bannerman - The woman was an elf and their legendary grace and beauty had left an impression on the girl - She wasn''t sure if it was a crush, or just the same admiration she felt for Scarlet and Hoki, but Una definitely felt fond of Erfu.
It was hard, her mind swirled and swirled - Her body was in so much pain that any moment of clarity was coloured by more pain - But Una wanted to hear it - She tried to reach forward, her hand feebly moving towards the screen.
The Head-Fitter was an attentive, kind man - It was part of what Una liked about him, like her Father had been, if more practical. He saw Una''s movement and happily reached forward to the screen himself and turned up the volume for her - She nodded as best she could in appreciation.
"Decreased Altitude, NOW!!
----
That''s good deary, well done. Retreat back, I''ll stop his next move myself - Tomo''s ordered everyone else to hold the line, we can''t have it collapsing now can we?"
"Right, ma''am, sorry..."
"Tomo I''m moving in to engage now"
"Roger. And errr, be careful ya here, Erfu."
"Hehe, always am - Now then, Bring it on asshole."
The line was soon filled with impact sounds as Erfu''s machine clashed with the Vijaik-Special - Although Una didn''t have a camera feed for this battle, the sound alone told a story - Until finally.
"YaGhhhHHHHH!"
"2nd lieutenant?! You all right?"
A horrendous banging noise began to fill the airwaves, an inorganic, irregular pounding that drowned out all the other lines in Una''s little room.
"What''s that sound?!"
"Oh nothing kids, just the enemy pounding on my front door."
"What?! Can you back out!?"Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
"No need, he''s about to be armless!! Just. One. More. PUSH!!!"
----
"Oh crap, oh crap Tomo no, I''m so sorry, Tom-- ARGHGHHHHHHHHHH -----"
"Erfu? Lieutenant?! Erfu report in for god''s sake! ERFU!!!!"
"She''s.... lieutenant Tomo Sir, the enemies gone back into no man''s land - Lady Erfu Sir, she''s gone..."
The head-fitter stepped forward awkwardly and muted the line, "Best not think about that to much..." He muttered.
''Hard, Hard, hard, Hard, hard, HARD''
It was like no other word would cross Una''s mind.
A moment later something did manage to catch her attention once more, the rumbling shape of the old MBT Mk2 heading towards the ship''s roller shutter doors which were quickly being raised. On the other side was two Neo''s, one with a spear impaling all the way from its visor, out to the back of the head - It carried with it a second machine, a customised C-variant Neo with a blackened, gouged out cockpit block.
Una noticed the Head-Fitter fidgeting a little behind her, and he being the attentive sort noticed her gaze;
"Oh it''s nothing, don''t mind me - I was just thinking I might know a way to get out that damaged head unit and get that unit back out into the field double-quick. But that''s just silly, Chief Pel will know two dozen better ways no doubt." He laughed.
''Hard, hard, Hard, hard, Hard--'' ".......Go" The words tumbled softly from her mouth.
"Eh?! What, no I couldn''t I promised Miss.Scarlet to keep you company."
''Hard, hard, ....'' "Come back when.... you''re done."
Her head began to clear slightly.
"What, well I - Alright but I''ll be back in ten minutes at the most, promise." The fitter said back, rushing over to put on his space suit.
She nodded softly.
"Ten minutes at the most! You need anything, anything at all, just call - Not just me even, ain''t a soul on this ship who won''t come running to you if you call ok? Just ten minutes I promise."
He said as he opened the door and left.
Una turned her attention not to the monitor, but to the old MBT Mk2 helping the two damaging Neo units into the workshop - She clutched the helmet in her lap a little tighter.
****
"He duped me Kolme! That bastard played me like a fool!!" Scarlet''s eye darted to her machine''s glovebox, she roughly tore it open with such force a couple of the syringes began to drift out - She grabbed one nearly hard enough to shatter it in her grasp and flipped off the cap in one movement.
"Don''t you dare Scarlet!" Kolme yelled across the comm line - She hesitated, a week was such a short amount of time and yet his voice was just enough to make her hesitate;
"Or what? I''m gonna take this damn drug and tear that guys fucking spleen out!" She roared back.
"We''re not beaten Scar, so we acted a little too quickly, so what? Your rocket launchers are remote right? You''ve still got an arm right? Or can the Scourge not fight one handed?!"
"Oh fuck you Kolme!"
"Scarlet! We have this, we just need to keep it together a little longer, I need you."
The syringe hovered over her skin, ready to take the dive - "Then what should we do huh?!"
"Sir, Sabban says 60 seconds more, at most." Hoki suddenly interrupted over the line."
"Got''cha Hoki-lass, we''ll be ready. Now look Scar, we talked about this in briefings and what just happened to your left ''and proves it - That things shield is pure energy, like an Arc staff cube thingy."
Scarlet scowled, "Ya and?"
"And nothing, I don''t understand the science for crap - But you''ve noticed it too right? Every time the shield activates, 8 little rods pop out of the Casnel, front and back - 8 points makes a cube, so what happens if we could knock out one of those points?"
Scarlet listened careful if impatiently, to Kolme''s idea and realised what he was saying;
"....Doesn''t matter how much power he has, if those poles are what focus that power into a shield then we just got to break one?" She muttered, then grinned - She slammed the Enhancer back into the glovebox.
"Alright then." Kolme answered, clearly relieved, "Sabban back off in 10 seconds, for the next five minutes Scarlet''s going to tank, you''ll do hit and run distractions - Hoki feck the safeties, melt your rifle if you have to, you''re covering for me."
"You sure you can hit it? Those rods are pretty tiny." Scarlet sneered. It made sense for Kolme to do this, the Casnel had fought Kolme the least, the older man had the best chance of getting a clear shot.
"Sure I can, I''ve got a really big barrel." Kolme said back, an almost audible grin of his own.
"If you miss I''m taking the damn drug."
"Scarlet, if this fails, I''ll take a shot of it with ya." He laughed back a little bitterly.
She smiled, "Alright then, let''s go!"
****
Moncha''s cockpit was filled to the brim with rattling, the circular walls looked as though they were shaking - Terrible grating noises echoed throughout the mech from his two heavily damaged shoulders.
He had been making the arduous journey back through no man''s land when he had spotted it - Perpendicular to the battle between warships, nearer the Curadh then the Fluchtig, a second battle was on-going - The Casnel and four Neo-Cs.
That was fine, he''d seen Helt let his anger get the better of him as the boy flew off to chase the machine Moncha loving called ''Big-Red'' (The heavily armour, red Neo-C), what had sent shivers down his spine was the state of battle.
The Neos weren''t just holding their own, they almost looked like they were winning - Big Red taking the most direct approach, a sniper he recognised from Station 9, taking pot-shots, a brown Neo dipping in and out - And finally, most concerningly, a fourth Neo with a large cannon strapped to its back, holding back from the fight, trying not to be noticed as it edged nearer to the Casnel''s blind spot.
Moncha had borderline change course on instinct - He knew he should return to the Curadh, he needed to tell them how weak the enemies defence line was, moreover by now they would be developing a plan, a counter-attack or an escape route, perhaps permission had come to deploy the fortress, or maybe there had been friendly ships closer by then first thought - Whatever the case the Captain would need him, be waiting for him.
And what exactly could he do to help Helt? He burnt out one arc-staff fighting the last opponent, his arms were one hit away from literally falling off - He was armed with only the chipped blade of the Calabar-rapier and a short bladed arc-staff that looked more like a dagger - An almost identical set-up to what he''d used when first facing the Neo-squad back at station 9.
And despite all this, despite knowing this was wrong - He couldn''t just abandon his precious subordinate.
Pushing his tattered machine far past the speeds it was built to tolerate, Moncha had a single track to where he needed to go - Too narrow a track in fact.
Pellets bigger than a man''s head rattled across his mech''s torso - He''d been so focused he hadn''t even seen the enemy coming.
Quickly he turned his machine and took a defensive stance. A little ways off from him was a lone Nemo, no not quite. It had the yellow visor and more narrow head Nemo''s were known by, but the rest of the body was all Neo-C, circular bulkhead, battle-kilt and a massive booster unit on its back - In one hand a regular Arc-Staff, in the other a shotgun.
Moncha knew this muddy brown unit, he had faced it in Station 9, almost destroyed it.
He had talked with its pilot, or rather been interrogated by them - Ensign Sabban Vint - A man who looked to be a bit older then Helty, but who after talking to Moncha had decided was probably a bit younger, made mature through strife and loss, rather than age.
He also remembered Sabban''s words from that ''interview'' all too well;
"I''d of beaten you too in a fair fight!"
''Hold out a little longer Helty, I''ve got to settle this first....''
****
Front 39.5 - An Aces Charge - Part 2/2
As soon as Kolme had explained his idea - Scarlet''s dual with the Casnel set off anew.
She cut the clasp holding her left-side rocket-launcher, let it slide down to the stub where her mech''s hand had been, then resealed using the heat from her arc-staff. This done she could now use her left arm again, if only a little.
She coursed into the Casnel with every ounce of skill and experience she could muster, slash after slash, rockets in-between - Bursts from Hoki''s sniper rifle and periodic hit & run attacks by Sabban - The three completely overwhelmed the Casnel, forcing it to relie more and more on its cuboid shield to stop their assault.
And she was doing it all without the enhancer drug - As her mech bounced in and out, dodging in all directions, using every trick in the book to evade and attack, a new type of high washed over Scarlet - One part adrenaline and part pride.
She could do this, no - She was doing it - She was fighting at her peak ability, dodging lethal energy blasts by a hairs-breath, making slashes so accurately the Casnel couldn''t even attempt to block with anything other than its shield - All by herself, all with her own power, her own skill.
But the high could only carry her so far, as a couple minutes transitioned into a few, Hoki''s sniper support began to lessen as her poor rifle was pushed past its limits - As for Sabban he had disappeared, Scarlet was confident he hadn''t been hit, so his sudden absence was a mystery.
And no matter how hard she fought, her weapons had a limit, after one more slash was blocked by the enemies'' stupid shield, her last arc staff shattered into a hundred tiny glittering pieces, "Tch!"
Her red mech reared back, firing off a rocket from both launchers, the Casnel once more raising its shield to easily block the projectiles - They were her last, she was out of ammo, out of weapons but one - The massive Calabar blade on her back - How long could she hold the Casnel off with just that?
Sabban was missing, Hoki for all she was one of the best marksmen Scarlet had ever met - Didn''t have remotely enough skill to fight the Casnel in close quarters - It was now just Scarlet, one handed, one bladed - Her eye drifted to the glove box.
Finally it came - Her rockets disintegrated harmlessly against the Casnel''s energy, not a single fragment of the explosives making it to its armour - The shield dropped - Kolme fired.
The Casnel''s head literally turned to see the blast coming, Scarlet could imagine the pilot inside desperate to reignite the shield - Too late.
Just before the 8 thin rods, rods far too thin to hit with a rifle or sword, could retract - And just before the shield could reignite - The double-barrel energy blast of Kolme''s custom cannon rocketed past the Casnel - Not just one but two of the rods were torn, scorched and blasted to pieces - A millisecond later the Casnel''s shield ignited but this time only two faces, a square beneath it and one covering its left flank - Its core, its head, its whole right and centre sides were left entirely exposed - You didn''t need to be a mathematician to know you can''t make a cube with just 6 points.
"Hell Ya!!" Scarlet cheered with a fist pump - She reached her mech''s right arm back, and in a single flush movement, the spent rocket launcher on her right shoulder disconnecting and floating out of the way, she drew down her signature broadsword.
****
Major Moncha felt the urge to apologise to the Neo-C before him, to Sabban Vint, for today would not be a fair fight - Like he''d done against the defence line, Moncha was ready to use any tactic no matter how underhanded, cruel or cowardly to beat the enemy before him - There wasn''t time for chivalry or honour, not with Helty in danger.
But equally Moncha wasn''t exactly in peak condition - Both the Special''s arms were a single hit away from losing all functionality - He''d shaken the every bolt, screw and joint with the speeds he had been moving at - And of course his power supply had been drastically drained by crossing no man''s land not once but twice.
Nonetheless, whether this was the fight either of them wanted or not didn''t much matter, it was the fight before them.
To Moncha''s surprise, the Neo left the shotgun drift free, the sleek weapon getting picked up by a magnetic clip on its kilt - With a newly freed up hand, it grabbed the Arc-Staff doubly, a moment later the staff turned a few shades deeper.
Sabban Vint had been practising alot since Station 9.3, certainly more than was healthy - But he was also an intelligent man who understood reality, he couldn''t become a master swordsman in just a few weeks, long weeks or not - He couldn''t beat Moncha in a prolonged sword-dual, not without years of training - But with both hands gripping an Arc-staff being pushed to its output limits, perhaps he could land one good hit, perhaps weeks of training would allow him to master just one single sword strike - That''s what the brown Neo''s amateurish, yet determined stance said to Moncha.
He smiled a little out of respect and moved the Vijaik speical into a much more refined stance of its own - Rapier held out at eye level, arc-staff dagger, held lower near the waist - ''A single attack, one blow - That''s how this battle will end.''
The two mechs stared across at one another for a long moment - Then they burst forth - Both machine at almost the exact same second strove across the empty space.
Both enemies struck one another. The narrow Nemo head and the V-shaped Special''s head passing by one another, until they had both past...
Both machines hung in the air, backs now to one another, floating in each other''s starting positions.
A moment later, as though time itself had lagged behind the duel - Both arms of the Neo-C snapped off.
"It was a damn good effort kid, next time you''ll have me for sure." Moncha spoke bitterly to himself, one of the Special''s arms floating past his monitor screen - His Arc-staff snapped in half, his Calabar rapier shattered to pieces.
One handed & weapon-less, the Vijaik-Special left the Neo behind, to go save a Casnel.
****
Scarlet was a living lightning bolt soaring across the void of space, her broadsword the arrowhead - She was going for a run-up, for physical stopping force, for brute power - Moving at a G-force that would of knocked out a lesser pilot.
Her mech rocketed as a straight line, her sword held overhead - Around her Kolme and Hoki were guiding her in. Tossing cooldowns and caution to the wind, her wingwoman and her lover downright ''spammed'' their weapons.
The Casnel dodged left then right to avoid sniper bolts - A third it couldn''t dodge, it smashed into its torso - Any Vijaik would of been felled by this, but even without its shield the Casnel was still made of Goibniu, of a metal so powerful ancient cultures had simply called it ''Magite'' out of reverence.
Still Hoki''s attack had thrown the Casnel off balance and it was unable to dodge as one, than two blasts of Kolme''s cannon also smashed into its torso - That would of been enough to atleast strip the paint off a lower class Casnel, but this was no knock off.
And yet, Scarlet grinned with glee to see a small, no tiny, crack form along the Casnel''s chest, in the place where a human''s heart would lie - A little splinter, a miniscule opening that Scarlet knew she was about to strike down.
"I''ve always liked this machine, I kinda felt a sense of comradery for it, like me and it were similar - Not meant for the battlefield, maybe never meant to be here."
Scarlet was streaking across the sky, on an unavoidable collision course with the Casnel, still itself flailing to get its balance back - She didn''t even question the strange comment that came across the open radio line.
Her ever red-tinted, circular monitor was moving by at nauseating rate, the stars passing in the blink of an eye, the Casnel''s white and silver form growing massive with each second.
"HRGHHHHHHHHH!!!" She roared, ready to end it once and for all
----
It is almost impossible to imagine the sound of two mechs colliding - There is of course no sound in a vacuum, but mechs are sealed and so, when one rams another, you hear it - A crunching, grinding, bloodcurdling scream that travels up your machine''s limbs, into its bowels and all the way to you in the cockpit.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.?That sound filled her ears now, but it was wrong.
"Wha--, what, no, what?!" Scarlet whispered haplessly.
She had missed, no that wasn''t true - She had hit a mech, gone straight through its hearts - Her massive chainsaw blade had gouged all the way through and out the back of the mech - Of a one handed Vijaik-Special.
Another sound is created when two mechs touch, or even when two space suits touch - A contact link, you hear the other person - What Scarlet heard was a man''s voice, coughing and hacking, spiting up copiously amounts of blood, that splattered gorily against the visor of a space suit helmet.
In between the coughs, the voice spoke; "Helty-- Take-- The-- Shot--"
Scarlet''s eye rallied to the Casnel, only a few metres away - Its hand was trembling, its arm mounted cannon shaking - Mech hands didn''t shake, even if the pilot''s hand shook a little, the Ai would correct it - For the Casnel to be visibly trembling meant the pilot inside must be in downright hysterics.
Scarlet slapped herself, hard - She had to act now, this wasn''t over - She grabbed the controls and shook her right hand, trying to dislodge the impaled enemy - It made a horrendous sound, her Calabar blade was still spinning at an ungodly RMP, with each movement, the sound of the massive chainsaw teeth rubbing against the internals of the Vijaik-Special threatened to deafen her as the hole in its chest grew ever larger.
But rather than fall away, the Vijaik speical did the unthinkable, its lone remaining arm reached forward - And grabbed Scarlet''s wrist.
''Oh... Shit.'' - She thought - It had been a mistake, she should of let go of the sword while she still had the chance, now she was stuck - She considered ejected but it was too late, she''d be caught up in the Casnel''s blast.
She looked to it on her monitor, its shaky cannon had begun glowing that horrible pale green.
"I found it, I mean of course I did - People on the bridge knew it and there was a file, we just weren''t looking in the right places - What a silly thing to fixate on - ''Cally Treith'', I think it''s a pretty name right?"
"Una stop right now!!"
"Una no!"
''Una? Una''s back on the ship, safe and sound - Me and Kolme decided that, she''s done her duty, she''s fought hard enough, she doesn''t have to pilot ever again - Why are they calling her name, it''s me above to be disintegrated?'' Scarlet thought to herself, confused at the sounds of her allies over the radio.
"Take- The- Shot- Please!!" interrupted the voice of the Vijaik-Special once more.
And indeed fire it did.
The massive blast of green energy coursed through the sky.
The massive blast of green energy - Passed her by - A metre or two away, close enough to melt whatever little paint reminded on Scarlet''s mech, but that was all.
The impaled pilot''s voice echoed one final time, "I''m so sorry everyone... Helt..."
The special''s arm let go of her wrist, it jittered down the teeth of her blade violently and floated freely into space, pushed lightly in the Casnel''s direction - The warrior was dead.
Scarlet looked up in disbelief, a new mech had appeared and quite literally tackled, borderline bear-hugged the Casnel, causing its blast to go astray.
Calling it a new mech felt wrong actually - It was a old machine by battlefield terms, much abused and covered in a random array of prototype equipment - A massive box on either side of its torso in particular, made it look almost like a giant ''plus'' symbol.
A Vijaik MBT - A glorified forklift in its current state, had stopped the Casnel.
And rather than escape, the Casnel was still, its head pointed towards the corpse of the Vijaik-Special, as though the machine was frozen in mourning for a fallen comrade.
"The head fitter, he said there isn''t a single person on the Fluchtig who wouldn''t come to my aide, or something like that - I think that and this last week helped me realise something."
"Una?" Scarlet mouthed in disbelief.
" SELF-DESTRUCT PROTOCOL ACTIVE, PLEASE EVACUTE NOW - 10 "
"I didn''t think I belonging here, that I was just a burden to my gran-aunt, to you guys, to everyone."
" 9 "
"Una get out of there!" Hoki pleaded.
"Una eject now damn it!" Kolme swore.
"Una O'' Conchabhair, fucking run!!" Sabban roared from afar.
" 8 "
"Sorry guys, this model''s been messed with ya know?--"
" 7 "
"--It doesn''t have any escape pod anymore."
"Una, Una no!" Scarlet said, tears on her cheeks, she unclipped her safety belts, physically crawling to her monitor pressing her hand over the shape of the MBT hugging the Casnel.
" 6 "
"You guys, gave me a home - Sorry it took so long to realise something so simple"
" 5 "
"I mean look at me, I''m hardly ''revenge for my family name'' material, haha."
" 4 "
"I think all I was really looking for was you guys, so I''m actually kinda happy."
" 3 "
"Una please don''t do this, please!!"
" 2 "
"Cause I got to have a home and this time I can be the one to protect it - Thank you, everyone."
" 1 "
"UNAAAAAAAA!!!!"
In Scarlet''s life she had seen this sight dozens, no, hundreds of times - An orb of light that for a short time blocks out the entire endless expanse of the night''s sky - A circle of white light in such stark contrast to the black of space - A light so bright it would no doubt blind you in its majesty, if viewed without the protection of a machine''s lens - The explosion of an overdrive Hindenburg reactor, either through damage, or self destruction - The ultimate death of any mecha, a last light of a pilot''s whole life.
She was thrown back into her chair, sprawled upside down - Hands and leg bashing off control levers and throbbing harshly under near instant bruising, but she hardly cared, scrambling back upright to stare blankly at the ever red-tinted monitor screen.
She had been right on the perimeter of the blast, the sheer force had her mech now spiralling backwards, but even as she got further and further away, her screen was still filled with purely that all consuming white-void.
The Casnel, the Special and the MBT at its centre - All caught up by that most terrifying of explosions.
It was over, they had won - The Casnel was at last defeated.
And somewhere out in the dark endless depths of space - At the epicentre of that brilliant, blinding light - Una O'' Conchabhair, smiled forever more.
End of Arc 5.
Memo 1
| Addressed To; |
Office of the IAFS Board of Directors |
| Delivered From; |
Office of Vice-Admiral Louise |
| CC; |
n/a |
| Date; |
10/01/TA425 |
| Classification; |
Commander Authority & Above |
| Subject Matter; |
On The Results of Operation Deadlight |
Ahead of a full report to be delivered in the coming hours, this memo is to serve as primary notification of the battle today between the Tristain Flotilla and the enemy Troy Class vessel ''Curadh''.
As per orders the Tristain Flotilla engaged in a deceive battle, the fourth official action of the on-going Operation Deadlight - The battle ended in victory for the present IAFS forces.
The Curadh took severe damage to its engines, all main armaments, both its flight decks and large amounts of its general superstructure - Although the ship did manage to withdrawn to the safety of a nearby TSU-patrol fleet, we believe the enemy submarine took sufficient damage that in order for it to be a threat again, it would require weeks, if not months of repair work and cost significant resources.
Similarly the other target of Operation Deadlight, thee experimental G-Type Casnel was heavily disabled - We can confirm that its shield system was entirely broken, its frontal armour stripped away and that it took the full force of a Hindenburg reactor explosion at point blank range.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. That said, eyewitness reports claim to have seen the utterly blackened surfaces of the Casnel retreating with the aid of two Vijaik Specials - At present therefore we cannot actually confirm whether the explosion of the MBT-Mk2 actually destroyed the enemy or its pilot - A testament to the remarkable survivability of Casnels.
Nonetheless the damage this Casnel took is undeniable, even if we can''t confirm the status of it and the pilot - We can safely say that like its mothership, the Casnel could take months to repair and a drastic amount of replacement Goibniu - We have Lt.Commander Emelia Von Sheen''s team to thank for this, though she herself could not be present on this occasion, four of her subordinates using the Neo-C model and one with an MBT-Mk2 (Inquiry into its presents is on-going) succeeded in effectively disabling the enemy Casnel, as well as additionally killing their field commander, Major Donald Moncha - Vijaik Knight.
All this in mind I wish to declare Operation Deadlight a success and henceforth suspend its activities - We should now move the Tristain Flotilla back into the IAFS home-fleet under my direct command in preparation of our assault on the new TSU-s weapon in the coming months.
I will await further discussion on this from the board at your earliest convenience,
Best Regards,
Vice-Admiral Louise.
Memo 2
| Addressed To; |
Office of Commander Nate Novel |
| Delivered From; |
1st Lieutenant Kolme Nilas |
| CC; |
[CONTACT GROUP] - Fluchtig Heads of Staff |
| Date; |
13/01/TA425 |
| Classification; |
Heads of Staff & Above. |
| Subject Matter; |
Una O'' Conchabhair |
In relation to what we verbally discussed earlier today, this memo is to document a desire from my squad, as well as the heads of staff for mechanics, engineering, fitting and other involved parties - Not to launch an investigation into the final actions of 2nd-Crewmen Una O'' Conchabhair.
It was believed Una was both mentally and physically in too much pain to so much as walk, in spite of this she managed to make her way to the Fluchtig''s hanger-bay and then pilot the MBT-Mk2 into battle.
I don''t know if any of us can imagine how painful an action this must of been and how much determination and willpower it would of required on her part - That said I think it would be wrong to blame anyone for this course of actions, the Head-Fitter tasked with watching over her couldn''t of known she would take such drastic action - And the mechanics who Una held at gunpoint until they handed over the MBT''s keys, can hardly be blamed for being busy with their duties when it happened.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
No one expected Una to forcefully steal a mech in her condition - But more than that, we believe to investigate, to attempt to attribute ''blame'', would be to devalue her sacrifice - Were it not for Una, I am unsure how many of my squad would still be left standing, if any.
The idea IAFS command might try and tie this action, to her previous incident last year when her machine was stolen by a POW, feels like a sickening betrayal of her incredible bravery.
She fought through such intense pain and payed the ultimate price, in order to save her comrades and protect her home - I think the last thing she would want is others to be punished on her behalf - After talking with them, all other relevant heads of staff and the remaining pilots of the flotilla are in agreement with me on this.
As such I politely request any investigation be dropped and Una''s legacy maintained for what it is.
Kind regards as always,
Kolme Nilas.
Memo 3
01/02/TA425
I was kind of an awkward kid, I used to think stories were silly for the strangest reasons.
I used to hate how they either ended in ''Happily Ever After'' or, ''The dragon was slain, while the hero fell dead''.
The former felt too vague, what does ''ever after'' even mean? What about saving a princess from a dragon fixes a small country''s financial woes or famine crisis - What about saving a princess from a terrible beast means they have romantic chemistry?
What stops another calamity being born?
On the other hand the latter felt too sad, too real for me - The hero dieing to save everyone else, never coming home, sometimes not even completing their promises - How is that fair? And why did a young me already find that more realistic then ''ever after''.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
But that''s not quiet right either, ''cause my young self wasn''t smart enough yet to see that both endings are actually pretty similar. What happens to the starving village folk the hero leaves behind?
How does the fallen kingdom''s goverment hold up now the heir to the throne has gone and sacrificed himself to a dragon - What about the people, the comrades and friends, the dead hero leaves behind?
I''m afraid, afraid that the story is already over - That we are those people left behind - I fear finally finding it out, what happens after the story is done?
Time keeps flowing onward, we must all keep living even after her death and there are more dragons, many more - But now we will face them without her.
Our young Hero is dead.
The dragon is slain - The battle is won, but what happens to those left behind?
To the ones relegated to the blank pages of ''Ever After''?...
Appendix 5 - Part 1/3 - By Pierre Havelock
In the two months following the events of Operation Deadlight''s fourth battle and heavy loses sustained in defeating the Curadh and the Casnel - The Tristian group has been reorganised back into the IAFS home fleet under the direct command of Vice-Admiral Louise.
In light of the group''s heavy loses during all this, the Tristian Flotilla''s ships have received new personal and as such a renewed count of all crewmembers was carried out.
This census of sorts was glanced over by Kolme Nilas, giving those of us viewing the NTME a unique chance to see more data on the perhaps lesser known members of the fleet.
It would of course be rather obscene to include all 1500 or so entries from just the Fluchtig only, however the following are a few example snippets from this census data for your reading pleasure.
- Pierre Havelock
Fluchtig Heads of Staff;
| Name; |
M.Encanador |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
37 |
| Nationality; |
Abhailen, Fal-Dara Provence |
| Rank; |
Chief Petty Officer |
| Position; |
Head of Fitting |
Melchor Encanador is well known aboard the Fluchtig in many different divisions - As head fitter, alongside the likes of head electrician, John finds himself attending duties all across the ship - From small bathroom leaks in the recreational areas, to partial responsibility over repairs when the ship is damaged or from regular wear & tear.
Melchor''s previous position was as a senior fitter for Bailey Mechanics - When the call went out for volunteers to join IAFS, Melchor put himself forward and has been considered a valuable assist to the Fluchtig ever since.
In terms of seniority, the heads of small departments like fitting and electrics - Are the lowest ranked within the chiefs of staff, sharing most of their responsibility with the higher ranked head mechanic - Nonetheless, the value of fitters both from a plumbing, welding and general maintenance perspective cannot be underestimated.
Next of Kin; Melchor has a wife and daughter waiting for him back in Bannerman, who he was purportedly delighted to briefly visit during the Fluchtig''s brief stop there recently.
| Name; |
J Pertwee |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
32 |
| Nationality; |
Abhailen, Occupied Territories |
| Rank; |
Chief Petty Officer |
| Position; |
Quartermaster |
The Fluchtig''s Quartermaster is one of the less known faces aboard the ship, preferring to keep to himself deep within the ship''s bowls, overseeing the many massive warehouses - With a small staff as well as managing the mountains of supplies needed to keep a vessel the size of the Fluchtig running smoothly, even if not the best known aboard the ship, Pertwee''s role is certainly an important one.
A native of Abhaile, he used to run a small chain of supermarkets in the southern regions of the continent - After TSU begin its brutal occupation of Abhaile, Pertwee was soon put out of business as the local economy collapsed - Down on his luck, he found his way to IAFS and before long his resource management skills were once more put to good use within the stores department.
Next of Kin; Pertwee has a wife and two children, all of which he has used his IAFS connections to get moved from southern Abhaile, up to the more prosperous Fal-Dara region.
| Name; |
Doctor. T. Pele |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
39 |
| Nationality; |
Western Bhaile |
| Rank; |
Master Chief Petty Officer |
| Position; |
Chief Mechanic and Head of Fluchtig''s Neo-C Development Project |
Tsole Pele or Chief Pel as most know her, is the lead mechanic and engineer aboard the Fluchtig - With a degree of authority over many other divisions, such as fitting, electrics, stores and repairs.
She is well known for her bombastic personality and vigorous work ethic - Known to push her subordinates past breaking to get a job done, while also being extremely protective of all those around her.
Pel herself has a somewhat coloured history, being a child prodigy of sorts she was offered a university position at the age of 26 and holds a doctorate in both mechanical engineering and physics.
Unfortunately around the time of this university offer, the first war began - With both her brothers signing up as volunteers, Pel too wanted to do her part, however she faced fierce resistance to the idea from friend and family alike - As such Pel ran away, crossing the ocean to Eastern Bhaile, where she joined TSU under a Pseudonym.
Her mechanical talents were quickly put to work and eventually Pel would cross paths with a ''Captain Bachika'', better known as ''The Hero of the East''.
She would spend the rest of the war as his personal mechanic, getting hands on experience working with both tanks and the famous ''Ground-Type Casnel'' - In the years after the war Pel finally returned home and took more scholarly roles in life, but never stopped visiting the Bachika family - When the now ''Lt.Colonel Bachika'' got ready to leave Bhaile and join up with IAFS, Pel volunteered to come - In the end the Coronel was arrested before he could make the trip, leading to just his daughter (Hoki Bachika), Pel and one other actually making it to IAFS.
Next of Kin; Both Pel''s brothers died in the First-War and her parents have since passed away leaving her with few blood relatives - However the Bachika family are known to treat Pel as one of their own.
| Name; |
Doctor N. Hasain |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
41 |
| Nationality; |
Abhailen |
| Rank; |
2nd Lieutenant |
| Position; |
Fluchtig Head Doctor and Surgeon |
Doctor Hasain is a well known presence on the Fluchtig, if for no other reason than his booming voice and for being the tallest man aboard the ship at 6''11.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.As head Doctor, Hasain has a small staff, consisting of 2 nurses, a junior doctor, therapist and a small number of assistants - Despite this small personnel count, Hasain is one of the Fluchtig highest ranking officers given the extreme importance of medical facilities when in space and at war.
Hasain was a practising doctor in the city of Bannerman when the First War broke out - Although he did not serve in the military during this time, many injured soldiers were brought before him, back from the revolution''s front lines - Most for life changing surgeries.
In the peace years, Hasain struggled deeply with adapting to regular practise again - This hit a peak during the Remembrance incident, when he reportedly felt deep shame to be living a normal life, while out in space his fellow Abhailiens were dieing in droves.
Around the time IAFS was forming, an officer from the organisation stumbled across Hasain''s small clinic (Hasain having long given up his lucrative hospital position, to instead join a small rehabilitation centre for recovering veterans) - The officer offered him a role in IAFS and eventually Hasain found his way to the Fluchtig.
Next of Kin; Unlisted
| Name; |
Aurin |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
27 |
| Nationality; |
Station 4 Cluster, Nation-Satellite 4.2 |
| Rank; |
1st Lieutenant |
| Position; |
Fluchtig Chief of Staff |
Lieutenant Aurin is seen by many as Commander Novel''s right hand man - In the continued absence of Lt.Commander Emilia Sheen, Aurin is joint acting second-in-command of the ship alongside Kolme Nilas - With Kolme handling the tactical side of that role and Aurin the admin half.
Aurin is a somewhat reserved and soft-spoken man, considered highly reliable and competent by his fellow bridge staff he carries out his duties with poise and efficiency. He is also one of the Fluchtig''s three reserve pilots.
The man known by most for his odd habit of always wearing sunglasses, comes from the Station 4 cluster of Nation-Satellites. Aurin''s father being a business-Investor of some renown, had the right connections to learn the truth of the neighbouring Station 5.5 incident - Aurin states he accidentally saw these files on his father''s computer, leading to his decision to leave home and join the IAFS officer''s academy in Bannerman, graduating with top honours.
Next of Kin; As mentioned, Aurin has a father as well as many other relatives back on Station 4.2, however Aurin has declined to comment on whether these family ties have been dissolved or not following his leaving home.
| Name; |
K. Nilas |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
Unlisted |
| Nationality; |
Bhailien, Central Continent, Ivernia |
| Rank; |
1st Lieutenant |
| Position; |
Senior Pilot, Acting Fluchtig Combat Commander, Acting Squadron Leader. |
Kolme Nilas is considered a central figure among those aboard the Fluchtig''s crew. As acting second-in-command, Kolme has made it his mission to look after the many divisions of the ship - Often going out of his way to check in with the different departments and keeping a close eye on all goings on.
He is also the vice-commander of the Fluchtig''s mecha squad (Currently the acting commander) - Considering that no warship is safe without Vijaiks in modern warfare, pilots tend to be seen as local celebrities - The Fluchtig''s set of ''unique'' individuals in its pilot squad is no exception to this, with many of the crew feeling most comfortable approaching Kolme or his second in command Hoki, compared to the other squad members.
Kolme has declined to share much of his personal details with this census, however those of a higher authority rank are capable of seeing such details if they so chose - For the rest of us, we know that he originates from the country Ivernia, within the central Bhailien continent, and served in the regular TSU forces in both the First War and the Remembrance Incident before being brought into IAFS.
Next of Kin; Kolme has declined to give details on his family ties - He is however publicly known for recently starting a relationship with fellow pilot, Thee Scarlet Scourge.
| Name; |
N. Novel |
| Race; |
Half-Troll |
| Age; |
43 |
| Nationality; |
Bhailien, Heartland Nations |
| Rank; |
Commander |
| Position; |
Captain of the Am-Fluchtig, Tristian Flotilla - Fleet Commander |
Nate Novel is the commanding officer of the Am-Fluchtig, as well as the Fleet Commander of the Tristian Flotilla and field coordinator of Operation Deadlight.
He is seen by most as a somewhat laid back leader, loveable if a little airheaded - An opinion which Nate himself seems fine with. However beneath the perception of a goofball, most have come to respect that our Captain is someone who cares more about the lives of his people, over climbing any promotion ladders - Something worthy of our loyalty to him.
Commander Nate is also considered one of Vice-Admiral Louise''s ''lieutenants'' - These being an unofficial group of the Admirals most trusted leaders, many of whom (Including Nate) served him back when he was the commander of TSU patrol fleet 9 - That said Nate is generally considered the black sheep of this circle...
The Commanders history is quiet storied - He joined the military straight out of highschool, years before the First War.
When that war broke out, Nate became a bridge officer serving on a small destroyer class vessel.
Nate was instrumental in the forming of IAFS, being an aide to Vice-Admiral Louise throughout the initial process - He also temporally took captainship of the Tradech itself, delivering the newly commissioned warship to its current CO, Captain Legro.
Next of Kin; Nate has declined to disclose family matters to this census.
Appendix 5.5 - Part 2/3 - By Pierre Havelock
Other Senior Officers of the Tristain Flotilla
| Name; |
E. Shiri |
| Race; |
Elf |
| Age; |
37 (Deceased) |
| Nationality; |
Eastern Bhaile, Elven Controlled Territory |
| Rank; |
2nd Lieutenant prior to her death - Promoted to Commander in honour of her passing. |
| Position; |
(Formerly) Staff Pilot, Vice Squadron Commander |
Erfu Shiri was the vice-commander of the Rinie Vijaik squadron - Known well as a reliable comrade and compassionate officer both among her own squamates and those of the Fluchtig''s squad.
She was also in a long-term relationship with Tomo Chujits.
The 2nd Lieutenant was a rarity for those of us in space, a pure blood elf - As such she left quite the impression on all those she crossed paths with, not just for looks but also her equally elven sense of poise and elegance.
It is understood Erfu left home some years ago, intent on seeing the stars against elven tradition - Eventually she ended up working for Bailey Mechanics to make ends meat - Her favourite part of this role was when she would be sent with the prototype products for field testing.
On one such trip Erfu met Lt.Tomo and the two become fast friends - She stowed away on the Rinie and to everyone''s surprise, commander Batty took a rare liking to the young elf, agreeing to let her join the Rinie''s squad.
She was soon much loved by the whole squad, happy to teach her the more practical side of Vijaik piloting, to go alongside her existing test pilot knowledge and latent Magi abilities, all while her bond with Tomo quickly blossomed - Before long she was a vital member of the squad and when its existing commander retired, she and Tomo took up the new leadership roles.
Erfu Shiri passed away on the 05th of January TA425 - Dying in combat with the enemy Vijaik commander, Donal Moncha - Erfu''s actions against this Vijaik Knight are no doubt proof of her piloting careers prowess.
| Name; |
C. Tabitha |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
26 |
| Nationality; |
Bhailien, Bhaile''s Moon |
| Rank; |
2nd Lieutenant |
| Position; |
Valliere XO |
2nd Lieutenant Tabitha is the young second-in-command of the Valliere - A quiet individual with a dedicated work ethic and remarkable memory.
Tabitha is thought of by many as the brains of the Valliere, appointed its XO in order to compensate for the ship''s in-experienced Captain - Whether this holds any truth is not for this recorder to comment on - However it is undeniable the lieutenant is a valuable support pillar of the vessel and a highly competent officer.
Tabitha went straight into a TSU military-officers academy after high-school with a full scholarship - Graduating with the highest written test scores recorded in the academy''s history.
In light of this Vice-Admiral Louise hired her to be his personal aide - When a few years later, the admiral''s daughter was given her first warship to command, he could think of no one better than Tabitha to watch over and guide the young Lt.Commander Louise.
Next of Kin; Tabitha has a younger sister, a niece and both her parents are still alive - She is at present single.
| Name; |
T. Chujits |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
31 |
| Nationality; |
Abhailen |
| Rank; |
1st Lieutenant |
| Position; |
Rinie Vijaik Squadron Commander |
Tomo Chujits is the leader of the Rinie''s Vijaik squadron and an experienced pilot - Although he seldom mentions it, during the Remembrance Incident Tomo was officially recognise as a Tier 2 ace, his title being ''Vanguard''.
He is known to be a very by the books officer, tough on regulations but equally caring for his subordinates and a talented leader, capable of maintaining order in the most stringent of circumstances.
Paired with his long time partner, 2nd Lt.Erfu, it would be right to say the Rinie''s Vijaik squadron is one of IAFS''s more elite units.
Tomo was nineteen during the First-War but was not a volunteer. As the war progressed, Abhailen conscription gradually grew more extreme and came to include previously reserved occupations.
Tomo was trained and added to a reserve unit before the war''s end, however never actually saw combat.
Later the young man would be tracked down and recruited to the Remembrance organisation, leading Tomo to first see action during the Remembrance Incident.
By the time of Operation Deadlight Tomo had risen to the rank of squadron leader, he was suggested to the IAFS board as a candidate for field commander, however the board instead chose Lt.Commander Emilia Sheen for the role.
Tomo alongside Erfu were the only non-Fluchtig pilots to be deployed in all four of Operation Deadlights mission - Guarding the Clover during mission 1, helping take Major Moncha captive at Station 9.3 - And active combat during the previous two battle.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Note; There is currently on-going debate as to the fate of the Rinie Vijaik squad, Tomo is the only remaining active pilot and it is believed the deaths and injuries of his squamates has hit hard - Talks are being had to have him moved to the Fluchtig under Kolme Nilas''es command and for the Rinie to get a completely new replacement squadron.
Next of Kin; Unlisted.
| Name; |
W. Batty |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
53 |
| Nationality; |
Abhailen |
| Rank; |
1st Lieutenant |
| Position; |
Rinie XO |
Lt.Wally Batty is the second-in-command of the cruiser-class ''Rinie'' and has been ever since it was commissioned over a decade ago, alongside its captain, Commander.Batty.
Wally is a veteran of 33 year''s service, having signed up to the Abhailen defence forces long before the First-War broke out - Despite being rather meek and soft-spoken compared with his legendary Captain, the lieutenant is no doubt an expert at his job, serving as an approachable and reliable ship''s XO.
Wally''s loyalty to both his ship and his captain are well documented, he has turned down multiple promotions and transfer offers in order to remain with Commander Batty and the Rinie.
Next of Kin; Wally is married to Commander Batty and has two step children along with a number of nephews and nieces.
| Name; |
F. Louise |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
23 |
| Nationality; |
Bhaile, Heart-Land Nations |
| Rank; |
Lt.Commander |
| Position; |
Captain of the Valliere |
Lt.Commander Fran?oise Louise is the captain of the cruiser-class vessel Valliere, third ship of the Tristian flotilla, as well as the daughter of IAFS''s highest ranking officer - Vice Admiral Louise.
The commanders reputation with-in IAFS is somewhat unfavourable, with many accusing her of only being given a Captain''s commission owing to her family name. Thus far her performance during Operation Deadlight has not done much to lessen this view, with the Valliere being completely irrelevant during the first 2 missions of the operation, while taking the heaviest casualties in the lather 2 (Only one pilot of the Valliere squad is still alive, all 4 of the others, including its leader and vice-leader, passed away during the fighting.)
That said there may be simpler reasons for her promotion to Captain - During her time at the IAFS officer''s academy, Louise was something of a poster-child used to promote the academy and IAFS in general - It could be suggested that giving the face of young IAFS recruits a lesser position would of been bad for PR.
Moreover the commander is known to hold her own in conferences, even against those with decades more experience and has formed a deep and thrusting bond with her second in command, 2nd Lt.Tabitha.
It would be fair to say her career is young and potentially still quite promising.
Next of Kin; Aside from her Father, Louise also has a living mother, multiple grandparents, cousins, nephews, nieces and two older brothers. She is currently single.
| Name; |
N. Batty |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
50 |
| Nationality; |
Abhailien |
| Rank; |
Commander |
| Position; |
Captain of the Rinie |
Commander Batty is a deeply experienced officer, having been Captain of the Rinie for 10 years and serving in other roles for 19 years before that.
She is known throughout IAFS and Remembrance as an indominable wall, a stalwart veteran leader who is exceptionally good at her job - She does however also have somewhat of an undesirable personality.
It is believed Batty feels quite alot of resentment for having been constantly passed over for promotion for one arbitrary reason or another.
Nonetheless as Captain of the Rinie, Batty saw her ship and crew through both the First War and the Remembrance Incident, it cannot be understated how few ship''s served and survived both these conflicts - It is a whispered superstition among senior IAFS officers, that should the Rinie ever sink, the war is probably lost.
Batty is a career soldier, having gone into an Abhailen officers academy and joining the Abhailen defences forces by the age of 21 - She alongside her 2nd husband, 1st Lt.Wally, are probably the only members of IAFS who come close to the same number of battles survived as the Scarlet Scourge has - Indeed Batty and Scarlet have actually served alongside one another in a number of battles over the last decade.
For a short time prior to the first war, Batty was actually transferred into TSU (Back when Bhaile and Abhaile still had something that could be called diplomacy) - She partook in multiple joint training operations and peacekeeping missions under the TSU flag during this time - Despite having been on Abhaile''s side for all of the fighting of the last decade, there are still some diehards who hold suspicion of commander Batty for this reason - It may in fact be an explanation for why she has never been offered a higher promotion.
Next of Kin; Commander.Batty is married to her XO, Lt.Wally Batty, she also had two children with her previous husband who died in the First-War.
Appendix 5.75 - Part 3/3 - By Pierre Havelock
Others of Relevance to the Tristain Flotilla
| Name; |
J. Ahern |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
22 |
| Nationality; |
Station 9 Cluster, Nation-Satellite 9.9 |
| Rank; |
1st Crewmen |
| Position; |
Junior Pilot |
Crewmen John Ahern is a young Vijaik pilot within the Valliere Vijaik squadron. Ahern and most of his comrades in the Valliere squad are all relatively new to active combat, for most of them Operation Deadlight is their very first battlefield deployment.
Ahern is well liked by his fellow crewmembers, known for his laid back attitude even under great stress - His simulator score is D+ and his estimated real ability is the same. He graduated from the Bannerman pilot academy a year ago.
As of Operation Deadlight''s completion, Ahern is the only surviving member of the Valliere squad - All four other members have fallen in battle. This in mind Ahern may be transferred into a different squad, or merged with whatever replacement unit is given to the Valliere - Some discussion has been raised to have both Ahern and Lt.Tomo Chujits moved to the Fluchtig.
Next of Kin; Ahern has a younger sister and two parents back on Station 9.9, he is currently single.
| Name; |
C. Treith |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
25 (Deceased - KIA) |
| Nationality; |
Station 2 Cluster, Nation-Satellite 2.4 |
| Rank; |
Warrant Officer (Prior to her death, promoted to Junior Lieutenant) |
| Position; |
(Formerly) Junior Navigations Bridge Officer. |
Junior Navigations Officer Cally Treith was formerly a night shift bridge officer aboard the battleship Am Fluchtig - Cally was considered to be highly skilled for her age and very organised, capable of turning her hand to an array of tasks given to her by the likes of Commander Novel or Kolme Nilas.
A quiet girl, Cally was a welcome presence to her fellow officers, also fondly known for her ability to sleep at seemingly any time of the day (something of great benefit to her as a night-shift officer) - In light of all this her name had recently been put forward for promotion to the rank of junior lieutenant, something which she has received following her death.
Cally came from the Station 2 cluster, a very industrial group of satellites, her Father is the branch manager of Bailey''s Mechanics there - In light of this he encouraged her to join up when IAFS was formed, paying for her to attend officers academy - Eventually leading to her placement aboard the Fluchtig.
Cally Treith passed away on the 30th of December TA424 - Dying in combat when her quarters aboard the Fluchtig were destroyed by an enemy barrage - She is sorely missed by those who knew her.
| Name; |
B. Grimizan |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
Unlisted (Declared Deceased - MIA) |
| Nationality; |
Abhailen |
| Rank; |
(Formerly) Lt.Commander |
| Position; |
(Formerly) Mithril Vijaik Squadron Commander, Mithril XO, Deputy Leader of IAFS Pilot''s Department. |
Lt.Commander Bela Grimizan was the Mithril Vijaik-Squadron commander and formerly the second highest ranked pilot within IAFS. Many know of the pitfalls incurred in IAFS''s formation, most famously one of our three founders (Lt.Colonel Bachika) being placed under house-arrest - Another is that of Bela Grimizan, an Ace pilot formerly of Remembrance who was intended to lead an elite squad of IAFS Vijaik-Heavies as a fast-strike team against TSU-s targets of value.
Unfortunately Bela, her squad and the entire cruiser class vessel ''Mithril'' were destroyed during the ''Skirmish of the 4th''.
The only items recovered being some armour from the destroyed Vijaiks, currently being used by the Fluchtig''s experiment Neo-C program.
Bela became relevant to this survey when her access credentials were used to display the Tristian Flotilla''s entire battle-net without permission. This glitch in the system has since been rectified and those responsible thoroughly cautioned - The question of why any on the Fluchtig''s crew had Bela''s access codes is currently an open inquiry - Some rumours about Bela actually still being alive and now going by a different name are being spread about but there is currently no official proof to back these up.
Bela Grimizan was decreed MIA on March the 4th TA424 - As of today she has now been officially tagged as deceased - Her skill in battle is greatly missed.
| Name; |
E. Sheen |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
36 |
| Nationality; |
Bhaile, Heartland-Nations |
| Rank; |
Lt.Commander |
| Position; |
Fluchtig Vijaik-Squadron Commander, Fluchtig XO, Deputy Leader of IAFS Pilot''s Department, Casnel Pilot |
Lt.Commander Emilia Sheen is a former TSU-s pilot who defected to IAFS after discovering the atrocities her former comrades were committing - Since joining Emilia has become a pillar of IAFS, known and looked up to by fellow pilots and crewmembers alike.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Piloting one of IAFS''s 3 Casnels and leading an elite Vijaik squadron aboard the Am-Fluchtig, Emilia is held up by many as a prime example of the model IAFS soldier.
She hails from Central Abhaile, her family of an old & strict military lineage - She graduated a TSU officers academy at 23 the year after the First War ended, with top honours.
She is considered one of IAFS''s finest pilots with a test score rating of A and estimated real ability of A-.
She has recently been on an extended secondment to the IAFS flagship ''Tradech'' where she is said to have a brilliant teamwork skills with her two fellow Casnel pilots - That said it is expected she will return to the Fluchtig any day now.
Next of Kin; Emilia is an only child with both her parents alive back home - She currently has no spouse.
| Name; |
B. Ceathair |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
Unlisted |
| Nationality; |
Abhailen |
| Rank; |
Commander |
| Position; |
Tradech Vijaik-Squadron Commander, Leader of IAFS Pilot''s Department, Casnel Pilot, IAFS Founder |
Commander Ceathair is the Tradech''s Vijaik commander and Head of all IAFS pilots. As one of IAFS''s founding members Ceathair is known to all in the organisation as its most skilled and powerful combatant second to none.
That said he was already one of histories most infamous pilots, having been a 1st tier ace during the First War (Thee Golden Meteorite) and a member of Remembrance (Although he didn''t actually serve during the Remember incident for reasons unknown) - His crowning achievement of course being his defeat of the First-Casnel on the final day of the First War.
He is much beloved by his fellow comrades and looked up to as a brilliant leader who looks out for his juniors, especially the young Magi pilot Davrim, whom Ceathair has taken under his wing since the War''s beginning.
The commander doesn''t believe in test simulations so has no test score, his estimated real ability is S+ - He is probably the greatest pilot not just in IAFS but of all humanity.
Some believe he had history with the Abhailen royal family, perhaps even being a distant relative - However considering that family being entirely wiped out after the First-War, it is unlikely we will ever know if this bears any turth.
Next of Kin; Ceathair''s next of kin is a younger sister back on a Abhaile. Rumours are spreading that he is no longer single.
| Name; |
C. Louise |
| Race; |
Human |
| Age; |
48 |
| Nationality; |
Bhailien, Heartland-Nations |
| Rank; |
Vice-Admiral |
| Position; |
Admiral of the IAFS Home Fleet, Leader of IAFS, IAFS Founder |
Vice Admiral Louise is the military leader of IAFS, a commander with nearly 30 years front-line experience - Louise has served in a varied number of conflicts over the last 3 decades and was the one to reach out to both Commander Ceathair and Lt.Colonel Bachika to begin talks that eventually lead to the formation of IAFS.
The Admiral is known to spend his time tirelessly representing IAFS in front of potential sponsors, drawing up operation plans and personally overseeing the continued growth of the IAFS home fleet.
The Admiral has confirmed that in the coming months he will personally lead the combined fleet in an open assault against TSU-s''s new weapon, from the bridge of the newly commissioned ''Never-More'', the third in the Celtic Class of IAFS Battleships.
The Admiral''s history is long and storied, a successful leader throughout his career had he chosen to ignore the war crimes of TSU-s, Louise would no doubt of been promoted even higher before his retirement, however the Admiral has publicly stated his morals and consciousness would not allow him to ignore their crimes any longer - His personally listed reasons for his dissolution with TSU were the Station 5.5 incident, as well as the wrongful execution of Head-Captain Synapse (a close friend and something of a mentor to Louise in earlier life).
Admiral Louise''s former TSU fleet, ''Patrol-Fleet 9'', almost entirely followed Louise into IAFS - Ships like the Mithril, Valliere and the Monte-Blanc all originated from there and continue to serve under the admiral as part of IAFS.
Next of Kin; Vice-Admiral Louise has a wife and three children, all of which he had moved to the city Bannerman for political safety, his youngest child has followed in his footsteps to become an IAFS officer herself. (See; ''Lt.Commander Louise.'')
UnderCurrent Volume 3 - Interlude
Kolme and Scarlet both found themselves stood in one of the break rooms of the Am-Fluchtig, a drab affair mostly dominated by benches and vending machines ¨C It was a quiet day, only the two of them inhabiting the space.
They had come for hot drinks, the machine whistling slightly to indicate it was done.
¡°The upgrades nearly finished then ya?¡± Kolme mused as he picked the steaming cup up from the machine and handed it to Scarlet.
¡°Yup, Chief Pel''s people are pretty much done ¨C That Vijaik heavy has pretty much everything off
my old Neo-C installed now.¡± She answered back, accepting the cup.
Kolme frowned, ¡°I begged for them to give us a couple heavies during Deadlight, I begged! You ''eard me even
¨C And now that its done and over? Now they finally give us one!¡±
Scarlet leaned forward, laying her free hand gently on the man''s shoulder;
¡°Hey we''ve talked about this, no point fretting over it now, let''s just be glad we finally got one ya?¡±
¡°Ya, ya you''re right ¨C But even now its just the one, they could of atleast given us enough for Sabban and Tomo too - And... and if they had fulfilled my request maybe Erfu would''a....¡± Kolme grumbled.
¡°I''m not sure how much good it would do Tomo now....¡± Scarlet trailed back, thinking to the former Rinie squad vice-leader and leader, the lather of which had recently taken Una''s place as the Fluchtig''s 5th pilot ¨C Only to lock himself away in his quarters most of the time.
¡°-- That said, Sabban and Hoki are awfully close lately, you don''t think those two are, ya know?¡±
Kolme let out a little half-hearted laugh;
¡°No chance, Sabban ain''t the type to skirt-chase a teacher and anyway, Hoki don''t swing that way ¨C Naw I re''con it''s more... I dunno how to put it right, those two knew Una longer than either of us right?
I think her passing is still hitting them pretty ''ard, two months or not, they''re probably the only two people who can understand it proper.¡±
¡°I wish she''d lean on me more...¡± Scarlet murmured a little longingly, staring down into her coffee,
¡°I shouldn''t really tell ya this, but who''s to stop me? Looking like sometime next week things are gonna come to ahead.¡± Kolme added while scathing the back of his head.
¡°So the negotiations have failed?¡±
¡°Ah, I don''t know much about all that ¨C But TSU-s have kept gathering their forces, word is the home fleet is their target ¨C A proper all out fleet battle any day now they say.¡±
Scarlet sighed, ¡°Huh that so. I''ve been here a couple times before, heck so have you ¨C I''d be surprised if this isn''t it, a battle this scale ¨C War is finally coming to an end right?¡±
Kolme nodded.
With a shake of her head, Scarlet turned her lonely eye to the rooms ceiling;
¡°Just two more months and we could of all made it, Una was so close to the end. If I could of just--¡±
Her voice was stopped as Kolme stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, a moment later Scarlet let her head drift sideways, to rest on the older man.
They stood in a silent embrace for a short time before Scarlet once more spoke up, ¡°Kolme if they tell us to die, I mean not literally but if we start getting stupid, vague, inconsiderate orders ¨C What will you do?¡±
Kolme paused a moment, clearly giving it due thought;
¡°If someone like Cap''ain Legro tells us to block the enemy with our bodies kinda thing?
To play cannon-fodder in a hopeless battle with no chance of winning? I think I''d charge up to the bridge, hold the coxswain at gunpoint and have the whole of the Fluchtig run away as fast as it can move.¡±
Scarlet smiled in relief ¨C Kolme continued, ¡°--But if, if it meant protecting this ship and the people on it, I''m not so sure ¨C If Nate was in charge I think I''d stand and fight ¨C If there was really hope IAFS actually could win, or if the alternative was too terrible to think about ¨C Honestly I think I''d stay an'' fight.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Una protected this place with all she had, I think we''d owe it to her to do the same.¡±
Scarlet broke away from their embrace, shifted around to stare the man before her straight in the eyes ¨C She nodded firmly; ¡°Ya, me too ¨C That''s all we can do really.¡±
They leant forward as their lips met once more.
****
A familiar scene held place in the Am-Fluchtig''s underhanger, 4 Vijaik Neos stood in their cages,
crates as well as other supplies and tools littered the floor space, a faint smell of machine oil permeated the space ¨C Sitting atop some in particular was a tall, slender woman with elegant, almost angular features.
A short ways from her, by an open panel in one of the Neo''s legs, was a well built young man, with unkempt hair and straggled stubble.
Sabban and Hoki had found themselves like this often as of late. Sabban had seized his incessant training after the final battle of Operation Deadlight, now back to a more regular amount of daily practise ¨C Instead he spent that free time working on his mech.
Of course Chief Pel''s mechanical team had long since insured every nut and bolt of the Neos were in top condition, but nonetheless Sabban spent hours daily polishing and checking over every inch of the battered old machine.
Hoki on the other hand found herself with more time than normal ¨C She still had plenty duties to attend to and her training to keep up with, but the Fluchtig had been blessed with two months of no combat, leading her to more free time ¨C Most of which she spent simply sitting in the vicinity of her young friend Sabban Vint, usually in silence.
Every once in a while though, they would strike up a little conversation;
¡°They believe a battle will happen next week, between us and them.¡± Hoki spoke softly.
Sabban grunted as he moved his head out from the open leg segment and turned to look in Hoki''s general direction, ¡°That so?¡±
¡°Yup.¡±
Silence fell once again ¨C 2 months was a long time and Sabban wasn''t the most chatty of individuals to begin with, they had long since exhausted most conversations, even so Sabban was polite enough to pose back a question;
¡°Hey I haven''t seen you in the canteen much lately, you good?¡±
Hoki winced slightly, ¡°Oh ummm, yes I suppose you wouldn''t ¨C I... It just hasn''t felt right.¡±
¡°Hmmm?¡±
¡°To go there and drink fine teas I mean ¨C It was something she always used to make time to do with me everyday. I know its exceptionally silly to say, but doesn''t fell right anymore.¡±
¡°Oh, I see, that makes sense.¡±
----
¡°Sabban listen, would you think it rude for me to ask why you''re here?¡±
The young man frowned, ¡°Ah, well, I''m doing mech maintenance right?¡±
¡°What? Oh no sorry, I meant in IAFS ¨C It''s just Scar and Lt.Nilas both sort of ended up here by circumstance, being career soldiers and all that. And she had her connection to Station 5 ¨C For me, with my father being a founder it was effectively inevitable, but I''ve never actually heard your reason.¡±
¡°Oh.¡± Sabban nodded, resting a hand on the back of his head, ¡°My family is always in the military ¨C My Ma'' died in the First War, uncle too ¨C I thought, if I was gonn''a be a soldier might as well join the organisation that might actually make the world slightly better. That was stupid of course, IAFS isn''t that, no military is ¨C I was just being a child I guess. Anyway that''s all.¡±
Hoki nodded along attentively, a pang in her chest at the familiar reasoning - ¡°I was sort of hoping you wouldn''t sat that.¡±
¡°Err, sorry?¡±
¡°No, no of course, it''s just I heard that answer alot when I was teacher ¨C I actually liked it you know, teaching that is. Until I realised what I was actually doing, teaching kids to go off to fight and die - Not just the year you and her were in either, there are whole academy groups of kids who I helped teach, even if just for a short time, who''ve been completely wiped out, one by one ¨C People I taught, kids I was complicit in murdering....¡±
The silence grew heavy, it hung over them both for some time.
Hoki stood from her perch on the crates, raising a sleeve to her moist eyes, blushing in embarrassment at herself - ¡°Sorry, that was stupid to say, selfish ¨C I''ll talk to you later Sabban.¡±
She turned away from the man, beginning to walk away.
A moments hesitation, and Sabban called out; ¡°Miss.Hoki? I don''t know if it''d help but I don''t mind coming with you to the canteen for tea or whatever sometime, k?¡±
Said the student to his former teacher.
Front 40 - Building Storm - Part 1/2
Recording Starts.
Ahem, 1,2 and all that ya?
A''ight this thing is recording now, handhelds really can do a bit of everything these days eh?
Hoki-Lass showed me how to get it going, but truth is I actually knew, I mostly just pretend not to know how to use electronics ¨C I mean don''t get me wrong, I ain''t great or anything but I play it up a bit.
The other pilots and the rest of the crew, well I think its good for them to have a sort of approachable image of me as a dithering old fool ya know, I even play up my accent sometimes to-boot, seems to work.
An image I hope I have solidly shattered with Scarlet if you follow my meaning, heh heh..... Ok that wasn''t very funny was it?
But man it''s been two great months, for real! The sort of time I love: Peace and Quiet.
Though if you''re listening to this you''ll probably think I''m mad, ha! For most people in the know, these last two months have been absolutely hectic ¨C Backstabs, doubles crosses, fleet battles that make Operation Deadlight look like child''s play ¨C But for us, the survivors of the Tristain Flotilla, its been quiet.
See a little over two months ago, almost in sync with when we were fighting the final battle of Operation Deadlight, a much rumoured meeting was going on, between our enemy TSU-s and the terrorist militia, Remembrance, Scar''s old gang.
They actually went and made a deal, a partnership ¨C An agreement that once we, IAFS were wiped out, TSU-s would lobby on behalf of Remembrance for those guys to be recognised as an official nation, rather then their current classification as a terrorist state ¨C ''Course no one actually expected this alliance to last long, 2 whole weeks was all they managed.
Still during those two weeks things were tense, our enemies had effectively doubled in strength ¨C The Tradech got the brunt of it, being chased by vessels from both forces ¨C Alot of Nemo pilots and escort ships lost their lives in those two weeks ¨C I know it''s wrong to say this, but I was honestly just glad the Tristian Flotilla was never involved.
But thankfully this combined army didn''t hold long, see Remembrance caught wind of the new TSU-s weapon.
We''ve learned quite alot about that since Deadlight, its massive for a start, the size of multiple cities large. And it''s a laser, yup, a trite, contrived, stupid, big-ass laser ¨C How friggin god-awful can TSU-s get?!
Well stupid or not, it was nearing completion and Remembrance decided they wanted a piece of the pie, without warning they launched an all out attack on the force guarding the weapon ¨C But TSU-s aren''t quite that stupid, they had been planning a double cross of their own anyway so they were ready.
Roughly 40 Remembrance ships and nearly 60 TSU-s vessels went at it, hard.
Remembrance made up for the lesser number of ships by having nearly double the number of Vijaiks, it was carnage ¨C By far and away the biggest battle of the war so far and we weren''t even there, well not exactly...
See, being this is a war primarily between TSU-s and IAFS, you might indeed be rightfully wondering what
we were doing during all this ¨C Well this is where it gets unbelievably, I mean just ridiculous!
So get this ''ight, the Tradech all by itself sneaks in ¨C I mean that literally.
While the two supposed allied fleets were tearing chunks off each other, the Tradech docked with the weapon and used its Casnels to take the control centre hostage, Ha-HA!
Well next thing the enemy knows, their own laser is pointed at them ¨C This is a problem in all sorts of ways ¨C For one thing is only like 93% done or somethin'' like that, so if fired it could just exploded and kill everyone for miles upon miles ¨C Worse yet, if it actually did fire successfully it would of been one of the greatest military victories in all of history, wiping out two fleets in one shot!
Suffices to say they all backed off, Remembrance completely disappearing off to who knows where, while TSU-s began rallying every last ship and mech they have back to their HQ.
As for us, the entire IAFS home-fleet has been moved to the weapon''s airspace, it is now officially IAFS''s headquarters, everything in the fleet is here, even supply and repair type vessels ¨C As I record this, the likes of the Duke of Bannerman have been spending the last month in boardrooms and meetings, negotiating terms, a truce ¨C The laser has finally given us the trump card we needed to make the actually State-Union Goverment take us seriously, TSU-s have handed us victory!
Well, atleast that''s what we all thought.... It really has been a very nice two months, just doing our daily routine aboard the ship, enjoying each other''s company ¨C Sure we all miss Una and the others we lost like hell but, well, it almost looked like we were gonna get away with it, make it to the end of the war without any more fighting.
Well just between you, me and this tape recording handheld ¨C Seems that was just a pipedream.
Negotiations have completely stalled, over a month of no progress ¨C An inside source passed on the news a day ago, the version that''s trickled down as far as me probably ain''t that accurate but the message is clear enough;
TSU-s are to come at us with everything they have, to call our bluff, they don''t think we will risk firing the laser, heh, maybe they''re right ¨C Anyway, should TSU-s fail, if we win that is ¨C Then the goverment is going to send the real navy after us, not a hundred ships ¨C No we''re talking 1000s, the TSU Goverment aren''t going to let us keep their weapon, they''ve poured millions, maybe billions into it, they want the disgrace of TSU-s accidentally letting us steal it wiped clean from the history books ¨C No they want this entire war wiped clean.
Scar says I have this bad habit of rambling when I don''t know what to say ¨C She reckons I either do it to buy time or because I''ve simply forgotten what I was talking about ¨C This time its very much the former, I''m sure if you''re listening to this, everything I said was tedious and boring, you would after all already know it all, but honestly I don''t know what else to say.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Scar wanted us to all do this BlackBox thing, a Will and Testament of sorts ¨C We each record one and upload all 4 to each others machines, so if only one of us were to survive, they''d have all 4 recordings.
We wanted to ask Tomo too, he transferred here after the last battle but he''s a broken man ¨C Reminds me of how Sabban was when his squad mates first died, just stays in his room all day ¨C Barely eats, barely trains, probably doesn''t sleep much ¨C Just a ghost pilot you sometimes pass in the corridor.
As leader I should probably give him some sort of caution for not keeping up his duties, but hell what would I say? Anyway we decided it best not to involve him in this, so it''s just the four of us.
Thing is, I already have a will ¨C Not a very good one but it exists.
I have no property or vehicles, no heirlooms ''cept my teapot but I keep that on my person at all times when piloting, so if I''m dead it''s gone ¨C I had written that my books aboard the Fluchtig should be given to Una but poor-lass doesn''t have much use for them now, so they''ll go to Scar, neither Sabban or Hoki would have a use for ''em.
The rest is just money, but there ain''t even that much of that ¨C A soldier''s salary isn''t mind blowing, I''ve made more as a lieutenant in IAFS this last half year, then I had in years of being a regular pilot.
Still I have no abode, on shore-leave over the years I''ve just crashed at the homes of whatever comrade was available or stayed aboard the ship I was on ¨C No house, no family, no hobbies ¨C I guess even a pauper''s salary builds up a little under those circumstances, so what I have is split four ways between my fellow pilots and Nate ¨C That''s pretty much it.
Unlike Hoki I''ve no secret documents I could upload here, and god only knows what Abhailen classified info Scarlet might add ¨C But me? I''m just Kolme Nilas, Ivernien ¨C I trained as a fighter pilot for the Ivernia Incident but that ended before I could fight. My fianc¨¦ died in the First War, with nothing left for me I joined up with TSU ¨C I have served in the engineering core, then as a pilot for 10 odd years ¨C The Fluchtig is my first time being an officer.
That''s it, that''s me. Sorry.
I guess, if this is only ever going to be heard postmortiously, then clich¨¦ as it is ¨C I might have one or two things left to say.
Hoki-lass, you have got to be one of brightest, most impressive young women I have ever had the pleasure of being acquainted with ¨C You''ve got an unbelievable memory and your talent with numbers, well it''s no wonder you make such a good marksmen.
You''ve also been the best second-in-command an old man like me could of asked for ¨C You cover my weaknesses, your admin skills, managing of resources and schedules ¨C You do all the boring stuff that no one ever sees but without such things no team could ever stay afloat.
Whether it be in the military or outside of it, you have a bright future lass, I think we all know you''re carrying alot of weight right now, alot on your conscious ¨C Not much wisdom I can offer to help you with that but I do atleast hope you know that if the old men in your life are anything like me, they want you to fight for yourself more than anyone else a''ight?
Scarlet, heh, Scarlet... Sun above this is pathetic for a man my age to say aloud, guess I''ll just have to try very
''ard to make sure you never have a reason to hear this but, ah, well ¨C Scar the first time I met you face to face, I was absolutely smitten girl.
Now don''t get me wrong, alot of that was pure chemicals ya know? And your personality, the constant bickering and verbal abuse, certainly did their best to turn me away ¨C But I''m glad, that we got to spend this last 2 and a bit months the way we have, its been pretty great to have someone like you with me. You might act harsh and cold but not even all that deep down is a woman who cares so much about other people that it always ends up hurting you ¨C And dear lord, if I''ve died and you''re hearing this, I am so, so sorry to be adding to that list of names you carry.
But.... But I ain''t gonna! Last Nemo Standing Nilas eh?!
For the first time, in a very long time, I don''t think I''d mind having that title and ones like it, I know for you Scar this might just be a fling or a short-term relationship to help us through the current conflict and fair enough ¨C But when this is over, I''m gonna chase ya Lass! Hound ya if I ''ave to ¨C Till you decide I''m worth marrying.
There, said it, ha...ha....
Oh sun above Sab-Lad, must of been a bit awkward to listen through all that to get to your bit eh wingman?
Then again knowing you, you''ll of stopped listening a while ago, haha...
Heh, anyway, I don''t really know what to say to you that hasn''t already been said between us right?
Heck when we met, I''m pretty sure you hated my guts ¨C Even now I''m hardly your favourite person in the world. Still, if this really were my last message to you, I want you to atleast know how much you''ve meant to me ¨C If it weren''t for you I don''t know if I''d of made it this far, literally, we both know Hoki mostly wanted you for the Fluchtig and just got me as part of the deal - Bwahahahah!!
Honestly lad I don''t really know what to say ¨C As much as I can joke about it, I''m pretty sure if you died I''d be distraught and I can''t help but think that beneath it all you''d feel the same if I go down ¨C Well on the plus side I''ve got no family for you to worry about apologising too so there something ¨C Really lad, you''re like a brother to me at this point, so I guess all I can say is stay strong?
Eh, something like that.
There, y''all will have to be happy with that ¨C Sorry it''s not more, considering you 3 are all crazy skilled pilots, this is the only one of the four recordings anyone is ever likely to actually hear, so shame I couldn''t make it more interesting but you''ll have to make do.
Signing off ¨C Kolme Nilas.
............Arm.....This? ,...... Ahhh come on turn off!
This button maybe?
.........
This one?
...............Hoki!?, Hoki come help me, this blasted thing won''t turn of--
[Recording Ends]
Front 40.5 – Building Storm – Part 2/2
An Older man, somewhere in his 50''s at a glance, with something of a hunched back, greying hair and an improperly kept beard ¨C Along with a woman of similar age, wearing a striking eyepatch over one eye, wrapped around her free flowing wild mane of crimson hair ¨C Made their way together down a metallic corridor of the battleship Am-Fluchtig, audible bickering to the chagrin of those trying to pass by politely;
¡°Come on Kolme, tell me what''s the deal already!¡±
¡°How many times, I''ve no more idea than you do.¡±
The woman scowled, ¡°You can''t be that useless old man, come on!¡±
¡°Ouch, been a while since you talked to me like that.¡± The man half winced and half laughed in return.
Thee Scarlet Scourge frowned a little at that, ¡°Ya you''re right, sorry about that.¡±
Kolme Nilas rose an eyebrow at this,
¡°Hey, hey not trying to guilt trip you or nothing, you can talk however you like to me.¡±
¡°Ptff can not, you''ll get a hurt puppy dog look in your eyes, it''ll be terrible.¡±
Scarlet cooed back, nudging him in the ribs.
¡°Ta- I will not! Is that really what you think of me?¡±
¡°Pretty much ya.¡± Scarlet smiled back earnestly.
The sincerity of the smile was enough to cause a faint reddening of Kolme''s cheeks;
¡°Well, I think that just says more about you for sleeping with such a man.¡±
Rather than keep playing along, a frown came over Scarlet, ¡°You don''t think that''s what this meeting is do ya? Like a caution against inappropriate relationships.¡±
Kolme couldn''t help but smile happily at the concern Scarlet asked the question with - ¡°Ha, our Nate Novel, on his infinite quest to woo Emilia Sheen ¨C Nah I don''t think so.¡±
¡°But what else would he need just us two for?¡±
¡°Meeting of the ship''s old people?¡±
Kolme smirked back.
¡°Oi take me seriously here old man!¡± Scarlet snapped.
Kolme laughed and beckoned to the door they had arrived at; ¡°Welp, here''s one easy way to find out.¡±
He said before sliding open the door and letting Scarlet enter in front of him.
They had entered into one of the Fluchtig''s meeting rooms, a familiar place for Kolme, less so for Scarlet ¨C Most of the room, the cheap plastic chairs in particular, were empty, with just four others already present.
One sitting in a chair at the front of the room by a computer terminal was Lt.Aurin, the man best known for ever wearing sunglasses indoors ¨C And for being Commander Nate''s right hand man.
Speaking of, Nate also stood a little ways into the room, his usual mop-like blond hair and goofy grin present.
Two others were also here, people not of the Fluchtig ¨C One was a middle aged woman, tall with rounded glasses and a neat ponytail, as well as a very nicely kept uniform, she stood near the far wall of the room, a file held in her hands.
The other had his back to Scarlet and Kolme as they entered, having been conversing with Nate ¨C He was tall, imposingly so, with rounded shoulders and a firm build ¨C As he turned to face them, his shapely face, piercing eyes and friendly smile greeted them.
Kolme was the first to act, straightening up completely with a rapid salute, ¡°A-Admiral Sir!!¡±
Scarlet was a little more hesitant, she was pretty sure she had never met this man before ¨C But from his very professional black and silver uniform and Kolme''s reaction she quickly realised this could only be one person ¨C Vice-Admiral Louise, military leader of IAFS.
She followed suit with a little salute of her own.
¡°At ease friends.¡± The tall man responded with a loose wave of his hand and a kind smile, his voice a low
verbose tone. From behind the admiral, Nate grinned at the them both, clearly somewhat amused by their reaction.
There was a few moments of silence, the admiral with a hand to his chin as though sizing up the two before him ¨C Kolme was first to speak up; ¡°Ah, Ummm Sir? What brings you here?¡±
¡°Hmmmmm - Ah yes, a reasonable question ¨C In about, oh two hours? Yes, in about that I will be giving a speech to all ship''s in the fleet, detailing the battle that will take place rather soon ¨C I wanted to check in with my chief deputies first, Commander Novel here was the last on my list.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Kolme nodded politely, ¡°And umm, me and Scar are here for?¡±
¡°Another apt question Lt.Nilas ¨C Mr. Aurin if you would be so kind?¡± The admiral said, turning in the direction of the man in sunglasses. Aurin nodded wordlessly and turned on the projector, a moment later the front wall of the room was lit up with a presentation of sorts ¨C The Fluchtig''s briefing rooms were equipped with rather fancy screens, one moment the backwall of the room was the same plain grey as the rest, the next a cinema quality picture with no borders or hints of pixilation ¨C Took up the wall space.
Upon it was a diagram of sorts, depicting none other than the ''weapon'' itself, the long tube the size of multiple cities, miles in length and currently surrounded by around 100 little rectangles meant to represent the ships of IAFS.
¡°Keeping this brief as you and everyone else in the fleet will soon receive the more detailed version ¨C We have it on a reliable inside source that the States Union Goverment have made a decision. In simple terms they have ordered the TSU-s fleet to call our bluff, to charge at us with everything they have at their disposal and take back the weapon.
Should we make the choice, to fire the weapon at them that is, than TSU high command are willing to sacrifice either the entire TSU-s fleet, or conversely to forfeit the weapon itself in the likely case that the thing simply explodes, taking our forces with it.¡±
The admiral paused a moment.
¡°They know we won''t risk firing it?¡± Kolme added.
He nodded, ¡°Indeed Lt.Nilas, it seems they do ¨C A month of half-hearted negations on the part of our foe and they seem to have decided we don''t ''have the stomach'' for it. By rights this situation could actually be used to our advantage ¨C I won''t divvy into all the details but it is no coincidence IAFS has made it a priority to bring our number of warships up to the same amount as the TSU-s fleet.
In an even battle between our home fleet and their combined forces, with us in a defensive formation, I have no doubt we would win ¨C That is unfortunately not the entire situation.¡±
The admiral beckoned his eyes to the projection again, it followed his words showing two forces of a hundred or so rectangles each, fighting at the front or left side of the weapon, in front of its mouth as it were ¨C The next slide however was different, about a third of the IAFS fleet now being out of the battle, moved to the right, the rear of the cannon, stationed above the weapons crucial control centre.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Our fleet will be split in two, group A consisting of almost 70 ships will take TSU-s head on ¨C Considering we will be in formation with our guidance systems all set up hours ahead of time, and that the TSU-s force will probably be hesitant to shoot back until they are close enough to ensure they don''t accidentally destroy the prize they so desperately want to take from us ¨C I believe we can take down atleast a dozen of their ships before the enemy fleet ever reaches an effective firing range.
Moreover, even once they have gotten close enough, they will still have to be more caution of damage to the weapon, where as we can continue to fire at will with no risk ¨C In this way the weapon will remain an IAFS asset, crippling TSU-s ability to fight us properly.¡±
Kolme nodded along, clearly impressed by what genuinely sounded like a reasonable plan ¨C Scarlet on the other hand was a little less enamoured;
¡°And what exactly are the other 30 odd ships doing hiding at the rear? I mean I understand leaving 10 or 15 in reserve, to guard the control centre and stuff, but a third of our forces?
Seems a bit much chief.¡±
The admiral smiled a little in response, a kind, knowing smile - ¡°Well put Lady Scarlet. As you say, some of this force is simply to protect the control centre and prevent surprise attacks from the rear ¨C After all, the only reason we have the weapon is because the Tradech snuck aboard it, it would be... Embarrassing were the same stunt to be pulled in response to us ¨C But clearly group B is a much larger force than is required for such a task.
No the reason is that around 12 hours after the TSU-s force is estimated to arrive, a forward attack group of around 100 Remembrance high mobility type Vijaiks will come from the opposite direction.¡±
Scarlet whistled under her breath.
¡°With any degree of fortune, group A will of already wiped out the TSU-s force by then, however we cannot be sure of that, hence the large size of group B. This group will of course need its own flagship, I had planned for that, however...¡±
A new picture came up on the screen, it was somewhat grainy, perhaps not intended for such a big monitor ¨C That said, what it displayed was unmistakable to all present. A red sky over hundreds of cuboid houses with heavy window shutters and dust laden streets between - The Ducal city of Bannerman, Capital of Fal-Dara, the only nation of Abhaile not currently under occupation ¨C And hanging above it in that striking red sky, 5 unmarked warships.
Kolme and even Scarlet, gasped at the site.
¡°My friends--¡± The admiral said breaking the sudden tension, ¡°--IAFS is an organisation of all peoples, all creeds ¨C Some of us are formerly TSU members, others are from Remembrance, more still are volunteers with no former allegiance.
We have no home, no country''s flag flies above our ships ¨C But in spite of all that, the city of Bannerman, the place our training academies are hidden, the place where Bailey Mechanics has so fervently supported us from the shadows, the place our board of directors keeps council ¨C Is no doubt the honorary home of IAFS.
Around 24 hours ago these five, unmarked warships began to hang over its air space, bombarding the streets below at random intervals ¨C Already dozens of civilian lives have been lost. This is an obvious ploy, when Fal-Dara''s goverment requested aid from TSU, they declined to take the call ¨C Confirming the obvious, these five ships are from none other than part of the garrison force occupying most of Abhaile, they are acting on behalf of TSU-s ¨C Holding our home hostage.¡±
His voice never quite rose, but a faint simmering of indignation was no doubt present, a minor clenching of his fists;
¡°It would be foolish to send any less than 15 of our ships to help Bannerman, with that number you could assure victory, be prepared for potential reinforcements and come out with the least amount of causalities.
This is of course what TSU-s expect me to do, to split the home fleet even further ¨C But there is another option.¡±
¡°Sir! We couldn''t possibly abandon them!¡± Kolme suddenly burst out.
The admiral, who''s complexion had grown rather stern, now soften at the comment;
¡°Never Lieutenant, not ever. But there is one ship in our arsenal who could pull it off, take out five enemy vessels all by itself ¨C The fastest ship we have, capable of getting back here far quicker than any other ¨C The Tradech itself.
I sent it off 18 hours ago, it will crush the enemy forces. And it is by no means alone, Bannerman is not entirely defenceless.
Any other city would already have causalities in the hundreds by now, but Bannerman was prepared, its people knew the evacuation plans, were ready to find shelter ¨C And even now the Duke''s own Nemo battalions stand rather to pounce ¨C With the Tradech for air support, with the three Casnels and 9 Vijaiks it carries ¨C They will save Bannerman with ease. We have in effect foiled this pathetic, inhumane trap of theirs.
However that does leave me with a vacancy, one that no ship other than the Fluchtig could fit better.¡±
He turned to face Nate, who nodded perhaps a little too childishly ¨C Before facing the two pilots again;
¡°The main fleet, group A, will defeat the TSU-s armada. The Tradech and the Duke''s forces will stamp out this abhorrent invasion of Bannerman. The Am-Fluchtig will lead group B, the newly dubbed ''Tristian Fleet'', to victory against the Remembrance forces that would seek to exploit us.
I have already chosen two of my people to be the chief and deputy chief pilots for the home fleet ¨C Now I need two highly qualified and deeply experienced people to take up the same positions for the Tristian fleet.
I am proud, deeply grateful that IAFS has come as far as it has in such a short time ¨C But it is still in its infancy, most of our pilots have never faced a battle of the magnitude and scale of tomorrows ¨C Will you two allow me to borrow your years of strength and experience?¡±
It was quite the proposition, neither of the older pilots knew exactly how to respond, one having vowed never to lead again, the other a man who considered himself a third rate commander at best.
Kolme glanced in Scarlet''s direction, his face a picture of concern ¨C Seemingly the admiral picked up on this, waving a hand defensively in-front of him;
¡°Of course this isn''t an official role exactly ¨C In fact outside of excessive emergencies, I do not actually have the power to field promote people to such a high rank, nor do I have the time to propose this to the board ¨C I am merely trying to give our organisation the very best chance it has, to wring out every ounce of power and talent I can from its loyal members. Once the battle is done you would both be free to return to your current roles if that''s what you so wish.¡±
That said, the large man offered out a single hand.
There was a long pause but gradually Kolme reached out and shook the hand - ¡°Thank you Sir, It''d be an honour.¡±
The admiral smiled and turned the hand in Scarlet''s direction.
She stared hard into his piercing gaze, as though attempting to read the man through eye-contact alone, before finally speaking up and grabbing his hand a little roughly;
¡°Ya whatever, fine. If its just for one battle I can hardly say no ¨C But after that never again you hear, Admiral.¡±
Although a little taken back by Scarlet''s manner, the admiral nonetheless thanked them both.
A moment later the tall woman who had stood silently in the back of the room, stepped up to the admiral, quietly reminding him of the time. He nodded and a moment later the woman left.
¡°Well, I truly am grateful I decided to speak to you both in person, it has been a valuable experience without doubt.
My friends there is every possibility that tomorrow will mark the end of this war, that our destiny will be put on the line once and for all ¨C Whether god will respect our efforts to improve the world we inhabit or not.
I am proud to be the leader of IAFS, proud that we have stood up against overwhelming odds ¨C We have forced TSU to the negotiating table already, I believe we shall do so again tomorrow when we trounce their authoritarian branch once and for all!
A coalition of stragglers, people of Abhaile, Bhaile and the Nation-States, all under one banner.
IAFS will hold the goverment to account, we will make this solar system that we all share a better, more equal and fair place for all to live ¨C That is what I truly believe, my friends I thank you for joining me in that endeavour regardless of the outcome of tomorrow''s battle.
Now I bid you good-day, I still have some creases to iron out for the upcoming speech.¡±
And with that, Vice-Admiral Louise, leader of the Independent-Alliance of Free-States, left the Am-Fluchtig.
Front 41 - Crossing the Path of Light - Part 1/2
The IAFS home fleet, for any who had been in the organisation for even a short length of time, was truly a
sight for sore eyes. Around a hundred ships were assembled, split between group A & B, many older ships like the Rinie that had been retrofitted for the current conflict ¨C Other more modern vessels like the Valliere that had joined IAFS over the years from out of other militaries ¨C And of course their pride and joy, the ships made by Bailey Mechanics exclusively for IAFS, the likes of the Celtic class battleships, Am-Fluchtig and Never-More.
Moreover they had all been painted over the last month of peace, the organisation''s logos and other emblems plastered on the liveries of each warship ¨C IAFS was hiding no longer, they had forced the TSU goverment, the largest goverment in existence, perhaps the most powerful organisation in all history, to the negotiation table ¨C Today IAFS would guard the weapon with pride, their flags flying.
Kolme Nilas, acting Chief-of-Pilots for the Tristian Fleet (Group B) had one heck of a view to all this.
The weapon was large, in terms of length it went for miles ¨C As per the plan the admiral had so carefully laid out, the ships and mechs of group B were at the back end of the weapon to the east, positioned around its control centre ¨C A black office-block looking building, seemingly stapled onto the back of the vastly larger weapon-shaft itself.
From here, using the magnification of his Neo''s camera, Kolme could just about make out the far western side of the weapon, where in front of its ''mouth'' stood the IAFS home fleet.
The plan was detailed, painstakingly so ¨C Kolme was sure it must have taken the admiral''s staff sleepless nights to get it all ready in time for today. Each and every ship in the fleet had specific orders, carefully chosen placements.
Weapons had been synced, firing angles optimised, sensor arrays linked together ¨C Even the pilot squads had each received thorough guidelines and placements within the formation ¨C Mechanics and engineers told what repairs to prioritise over others, which protocols to rely on most.
Now that detail was bearing fruit ¨C The Home-Fleet was symmetrically aligned in a spider like web, it would allow all 66 or so warships, big and small, to fire simultaneously at the incoming TSU-s force ¨C Nemo''s had already been spread out in great numbers between these many ships, field-cabins and supply-caravans at the ready to make sure the pilots could rest and resupply as fast as possible.
And of course, with the fleet being so close to the weapon, the enemy would have to be extremely careful with its return fire, lest they destroy the very thing they wanted to take back.
It had, Kolme now released as he sat in his cabin looking out at the grand spectacle, been the better part of 5 years since he had last partaken in a battle this well planned ¨C It was honestly a good feeling, to know the admiral and his deputies really cared about giving them all the best chance, not just of winning but also surviving.
If they could pull this off, wipe out the TSU-s fleet here and now ¨C Then even if the Union goverment threatened to use the general navy forces ¨C IAFS would still of succeeded in their goal of destroying the extremist branch of TSU ¨C That would no doubt be the push needed, for their allies, for the dozens of nation-satellites and countries throughout the solar system, to finally announce their public support of IAFS and demand reform for the better ¨C If they could win today, something they might actually stand a chance at ¨C Then everything might finally change for the better.
And then it began ¨C A tsunami of firebolts.
Kolme''s machine didn''t have the equipment needed to see much past the end of the weapon, it certainly couldn''t see the approaching TSU-s forces ¨C In fact it would be a few hours yet until even the Home-Fleet''s Nemos would be able to see.
This would be a true fleet battle, computers pre-programmed with specific co-ordinates, firing into the endless dark ¨C For what was estimated to be the next 5 hours atleast, the battle would take place between IAFS and TSU-s, without either side actually being able to see the other ¨C This is what all out warship combat looked like, when energy beams could travel through space for hours before ever dissipating.
The hard work had paid off, the IAFS ship''s all fired their first volley at almost the exact same seconds ¨C hundreds of cannons let loose all at once, beams of orange, pink, red and yellow coursing across space to a place Kolme couldn''t even see.
A few minutes later, and plenty more rainbow volleys fired ¨C And the first of the fireworks showed up to those in the Tristian Fleet watching on ¨C Though they couldn''t see the TSU-s ships yet, they could just about see the impact, the colourful explosions as the cannon fire hit its mark ¨C So far away from them that it seemed more like sparklers, little flickers of explosive light on the horizon to indicate they were drawing first blood.
''12 enemies downed was the worst case scenario ¨C It all depends on the TSU-s formation and leadership, its possible we could take out 20 or 30 of their ships before Vijaiks are ever launched! We... We can really win this!!''
Kolme allowed himself a moment of genuine hope as the barrage continued, as the enemy hesitated, having yet to fire back, probably afraid to hit the weapon ¨C The plan was good, the plan was working!
¡°Commander Novel sir? We are picking up a strange reading.¡±
Kolme had been promoted, or atleast temporarily bumped up in rank ¨C To the highest rank an IAFS pilot could achieve no less, Acting-Chief-of-Pilots for the Tristian Fleet ¨C This in mind he was added to a particular comms channel.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. It included a direct link to every bridge in the fleet, 33 in all, plus other important people, such as the group currently occupying and guarding the weapon''s control centre.
This communication had come from the bridge of a small destroyer class ship, a vessel that had been assigned to quite literally sit on top of the weapon''s control centre, an absolute last line of defence against anyone who might try and ''sneak in'' like the Tradech has so successful done over a month ago.
A moment later another ship, a cruiser class this time and also quite near the control centre, radioed in aswell;
¡°Same here commander, massive energy build up?¡±
It spread like a wave ¨C First to all the ships of group B, then to even the Nemo pilots whom Kolme also had a radio link to.
A Nemo''s sensors were not particularly powerful at long range, for even them to be picking up this strange reading meant it had to be massive, colossal.
Soon Kolme too, who was quiet some way out from the weapon, was also picking up the signal.
¡°Base command come in? Repeat command come in? Have you been compromised, hello?¡± That voice Kolme knew, it belonged to Charlie, the Fluchtig''s communication operator.
A few more requests for confirmation from Charlie and with all lines now a buzz with all manner of officers and pilots alike shouting at one another ¨C It was Nate''s voice that next stood out amongst it all to Kolme;
"Admiral Louise come in Sir! IAFS command vessel Never-More, this is the Am-Fluchtig, do you read me? Anyone damn-it?!¡±
¡°The energy build up, its jamming long range comms sir!¡± Charlie''s young voice said back.
¡°Damn-it all! Admiral can you hear me!? We have to abort Sir, move the fleet ¨C The weapon is going to fir--¡±
Nate never got to finish that sentence, or if he did Kolme certainly didn''t hear it.
A shockwave rumbled out from the rear of the long tubular body that was the weapon ¨C Buffeting at the Vijaiks of group B, throwing them about above ¨C But most of them, like Kolme, hardly even noticed this, for their eyes were all transfixed on the opposite side of the weapon all those miles away.
Kolme knew he didn''t have much vocabulary to speak of, he certainly couldn''t describe the horror mixed with ethereal beauty that is a Vijaik explosion ¨C He stood no chance of explaining what he''d seen when Una had sacrificed herself in a ball of light to beat the Casnel, a heat so magnificent, so large that is seemingly outshine the sun for just a moment.
What Kolme Nilas saw before him now was on an entirely different scale, a monumentally greater one.
If the shaft, the length of the weapon was as wide as entire cities, then the diameter of the tube ¨C The actually size of the projectile it fired, was also ridiculous.
It was only now he truly understood what this ''thing'' they were guarding really was ¨C He''d been here with the rest of the fleet for weeks, cracking jokes at how stupid a thing it was, how much money had been wasted ¨C How ''evil'' it made TSU-s look, more than they already did.
But now he understood ¨C The barrels diameter was the width of a small town, it dwarfed even the largest warships ¨C And it wasn''t clever.
It was a signature TSU-s, ''big hammer solution'' ¨C It was no different to the double barrel cannon on the back of Kolme''s Neo-C, scale that up a few times and you got the guns on the Never-More, that had been firing so fervently until just a moment ago. And scale those up, keep scaling them up bigger and bigger, stupidly, outrageously, preposterously bigger ¨C And what you got was the weapon.
It wasn''t clever, it didn''t use some new weapon technology, or clever energy source, nor divine power from a cruel god ¨C No it was just a gaint gun.
Its whole body glowed, miles of rolling metal glowed a golden light, seeping out through the machine ¨C And from its mouth, the greatest beam of power anyone had ever seen in all of history was sent forth.
The Home-Fleet, all 66 ships, seemed to just disappear ¨C One moment they were valiantly firing, holding the line against the approaching enemy ¨C The next they were all gone, completely consumed by the throbbing, billowing pillar of endless golden, nearly searing hot-white light that stretched out into space forever.
Kolme had no words, his mind was blank ¨C As the seconds thumbed forward, the pillar continued, the weapon itself still glowing, shaking violently, pulsating brilliantly - Inside the pillar would sometimes be a secondary explosion of reds and black ¨C It would last only a moment, blink and you''d miss it ¨C Miss the last moments of a warship, of a 1000 lives quenched in an instant.
To the edges of the explosion some IAFS ships were fleeing ¨C The Home-Fleet had been spread out, not all ship''s were hit directly ¨C But even these stranglers on the outskirts of the pillar, were aflame.
It didn''t take much to realise why, the heat of the blast was so intense, so powerful ¨C That just being near it was causing the warships to explode and overheat from the inside out ¨C Pillar of flames would shoot out, only to quench in the vacuum of space, before another would take hold.
The Tristian Fleet watched as one escaping ship imploded, its generator having overheated it buckled in half in vibrant violence, knocking into another escaping ship next to it.
After a full horrifying 60 seconds, the pillar finally ''thinned'' out, the energy of it began to dissipate ¨C The glow along the weapons body passing ¨C Kolme stared at what remained when the beam fully seized ¨C Where once had stood the proud 66 ships and a few hundred mecha ¨C Was now nothing but an endless field of wreckage, of torn metal ¨C All of it completely black, there was no way to tell what ship had been where, or even what shard of metal might once of been a Vijaik ¨C Just a graveyard of blackened shards.
****
Front 41.5 - Crossing the Path of Light - Part 2/2
Commander Nate Novel half standing out of his chair, stared out at the same site everyone else in his fleet did, tens of thousands of IAFS men and women meeting their deaths, the sinking of a couple dozen of their best warships.
¡°The Command Centre Now Charlie!!¡± Nate bellowed ¨C He seldom got angry, it never really helped anything to do so ¨C And his puppet like face wasn''t suited to such emotions, yet right now there was no stemming his seething fury.
The comms officer, turned and nodded ¨C Nate sat back into the chair and flicked the switch on his right armrest;
¡°Are you comprised down there? Well?!¡±
The reply that came back static ridden, the brash voice of the commanding officer was deeply flustered;
¡°I-i, we don''t know yet Sir, I have people searching every corner of this place, but we''re short staffe--¡±
¡°Do it faster damn-it man!¡± Nate barked back.
¡°Y-Yes Sir. We couldn''t stop it sir, I swear no one here in this room even touched the controls, but once it started it wouldn''t stop ¨C Commander Novel I don''t what to say....¡±
¡°Spare your breath and keep searching, find the infiltrators now!¡± Nate flipped off the link, turning his attention back to the screens above him.
The radio lines were filled with despair, speculation and arguing coming from across his fleet:
¡°Oh my god, this is, its--¡±
¡°We''ve lost, there''s no way we can come back from this! We''ve lost!!¡±
¡°Ah can-it you idiot ¨C The TSU-s fleet were caught up in it too right?¡±
¡°To sacrifice their own forces just to hurt us, those bastards!¡±
¡°Bu-But that means we''ve won right?¡±
¡°Was that the TSU-s Fleet?¡± Added a stern voice cutting through the rest ¨C Nate shivered a little thinking it was Commander Batty, but after a moment realised it was a male voice, just with a similar tone;
¡°Would it not be more likely that the weapon was fired remotely, some system we were not aware of? Perhaps even a dead man''s switch causing the weapon to fire at half power if a certain number of days should pass without anyone entering a specific code?
If that were the case who''s to say our sources haven''t been corrupted, that what we were just shooting at was really the TSU-s fleet.¡±
¡°Oh gods!¡±
¡°He''s right, they were only positioned in front of the weapon because TSU-s were coming head at it, but if they always planned to fire it remotely somehow....¡±
¡°Hold on now, where did the power come from eh?! That thing take ages to fire, surely its more likely a third-party has snuck into the weapon and done this?¡±
¡°Oh that could be it!¡±
¡°But doesn''t the weapon keep batteries, enough that a few minutes of charging at full power like we witnessed, combined with that stored energy would allow it to fire a low power burst on command?¡±
¡°Low power?! No way, NO WAY!¡±
¡°Commander Novel Sir,¡± Interjected the voice of the control centre officer again, ¡°I can confirm that, the read outs we''re getting show that was only about a 40% power output ¨C And our sweep of the base is showing nothing ¨C Sir I don''t think our defences have been passed, this was their plan from the beginning.¡±
Silence final overtook to line.
Nate swallowed hard, shut his eyes for just a moment, than began to issue orders before the cacophony of gossip could get going again;
¡°Gautier, Gaspard, Fraldarius and Blaiddyd ¨C All of you are to leave the line and meet up with the ships that are retreating from the home-fleet ¨C There will be lifeboats out there too, and fires that need putting out, get on it now ¨C Kolme organise a Nemo escort to aid them too.¡±
There was no response for a few long moments, until one by one the captains of the four ships agreed.
¡°Right, next, any of you chaps got a number on the survivors yet? Just a visual is fine if our long range scanners are still being blocked by the discharge.¡±
¡°We count 18 ships heading towards us sir, all of them some degree of damaged.¡±
Came the reply from one ship''s captain.
¡°Same count here Commander.¡± Added another.
Nate resisted the urge to wretch ¨C The idea terrified every fibre of his being, that just 18 ships of the home-fleet had made it out of the blast ¨C A blast that had only represented a mere 40% of the weapons total power.
He did his utmost to remain objective, to focus on giving clear orders;
¡°Charon you have an FE-16 high mobility jet on stand-by yes? Have it launch now at maximum speed and head straight for where the TSU-s fleet was 5 minutes ago, we have to confirm whether it was a decoy or not ¨C And if it was the real fleet, we need to know how much of their force was destroyed.¡±
¡°Err, right, will do Commander.¡±
¡°Charlie can we contact the retreating ships yet?¡±
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Nate turned in the young, somewhat chubby, blond haired man''s direction.
¡°No Sir, the discharge is still blocking long range comms.¡±
He said back.
¡°Fine, fine. Then--¡± Nate began.
¡°Now just hold on a minute!¡± Bellowed a verbose, brash voice back at him ¨C Nate had only been made acting fleet leader yesterday, aside from the Rinie and Valliere, he didn''t know most of the other ships in said fleet, he certainly didn''t know who''s voice addressed him right know, but address him it did, ¡°Admiral Louise is in charge of this operation, and if, Only IF he has been harmed, than command falls to the next in line ¨C Not you Mr.Novel!¡±
Nate clenched his fist, unable to contain the anger any longer ¨C He slammed it down on his left armrest, a couple members of the bridge crew jumped at the act, having never seen the perpetually goofy commander act out in such a way;
¡°And should the Admiral or any of his deputies come in contact I will be happy to take council with them over what to do next ¨C But until then rescue and information gathering is our top priority or would any of you disagree?!¡±
Silence. Nate relaxed his fist.
¡°Sir!¡± Charlie squeaked on his right, the young man''s face was even paler now than it had been when the weapon fired 5 minutes earlier, ¡°We have a laser-link connections to one of the home-fleet ships.¡±
Nate stilled himself as best he could, taking a deep breath, ¡°Let''s have it then chaps.¡±
Charlie nodded, the headphones held to one ear while he faced Nate, relaying what the damaged and retreating ship told him through the heavy static;
¡°The Flagship Never-More, Vice-Admiral Louise and all hands, lost.¡±
----
Well of course, Nate had known no other option was likely ¨C The admiral liked to lead from the front, the Never-More had stood proud at the centre of the fleet, the core of the formation ¨C And yet it still didn''t sound real to Nate.
He had known and served under the admiral for a long time, considering him to be more than just a comrade but also a close personal friend ¨C An indominable leader or epic proportions.
¡°The crew aren''t sure but they think most of the deputies have fallen too, maybe one, a head-captain rank, escaped but they''re heavily injured. Sir.... Sir I think you might be the highest ranking officer left able-bodied....¡±
Charlie finished, voice trembling.
Nate slowed took in the whole of the Fluchtig''s bridge ¨C He had served on quite a few bridges in his career, including as a junior officer under a once ''Captain Louise''.
For all the Fluchtig was a state of the art vessel, its bridge was actually one of the smallest and simplest Nate had seen. A small rectangular room, the far wall all reinforced glass, above it on the slopping roof a myriad of monitors ¨C Currently these screens showed 30-something faces, the faces of his fellow captains within the Tristain fleet, quite literally looking down on him ¨C The closet thing to ''friends'' he had among this gallery were the Rinie and Valliere''s captains.
His chair was on a slightly raised plinth against the backwall, to either side lay two exit doorways ¨C A little in front of him was a second chair for Aurin, though the man generally chose to stand next to it instead.
Along the far wall, underneath the screens and reinforced-glass windows, was a long C-shaped bench on which the 5 terminal-stations of the bridge lay ¨C In its centre the coxswain, to his left the gunnery co-ordinated, and the sensor specialist ¨C To the right the navigator and the comms operator.
Of course it took more than those 7 to run the entire ship, in the secondary control room were rows of people tasked with sub-jobs of the ones being done on the bridge ¨C And yet, Nate realised, right now the 7 people in this room, and above all else he himself ¨C Not only controlled the fates of the Fluchtig''s crew but of every warrior IAFS had left ¨C ''The Tristian Flotilla has really grown alot bigger huh.''
Nate stood from his chair, looking up to the faces on the screen above firmly ¨C Nate wasn''t someone who cared about promotions or ladder climbing, he believed it right to follow good people like the admiral ¨C He was happy to support and uphold the person he believed to be the very best of them ¨C And this showed, of the admiral''s inner-circle Nate was known to all as the black-sheep, the lowest among them ¨C But he was no less a member of that circle, no less someone the admiral had chosen to confide in, placed in charge of watching his back.
¡°Everyone, it seems we have been out played this day ¨C Our forces have just been cut in half, our moral has no doubt plummeted ¨C Our enemy are most likely still on the way, now from a direction we can''t even be sure of.
There is of course no retreat for us, if we leave now the enemy will certainly recapture the weapon and fire on our fleeing backs ¨C But its more than that isn''t it? We can not run now, we can''t let the loss of our great admiral, of our brothers and sisters lost today and throughout this entire war be in vain.
We have just seen exactly what our enemy plans to use this devil''s-gun for, is this not exactly what we created IAFS to stop?
Therefore I hereby propose to decree a top-level state of emergency, and in light of that promote myself to the rank of Rear-Admiral, Lt.Aurin to the rank of Commander, Lt.Kolme Nilas to the rank of Captain and field commander, Warrant Officer Scarlet to Lt.Commander, Ensign Hoki Bachika to 1st Lieutenant, Commanders Louise and Batty to the rank of Captain ¨C With the mission to hold this weapon to the end ¨C I will order the weapon begin being made ready for demolition right now and that all remaining IAFS ships come under my command as the newly reformed Tristain Absolute Defence Fleet ¨C What say you all?
Will you stand by me? I have never asked for promotion, that is true, but the admiral trusted me with your lives and I will not run away from that ¨C So will you now pledge your loyalty to me?"
----
One by one the replies came, each captain in turn giving curt responses, some even going as far as ¡°It would be an honour, Admiral Novel¡±. Finally Nate''s eyes came to rest on those of Kolme Nilas, the old man looked more ragged than ever, his skin ghostly at the site they had all witnessed ¨C Nonetheless;
¡°You''ve had our backs before Rear-Admiral-Sir, all us pilots have yours now.¡±
Nate nodded, ¡°Thank you Captain Nilas.¡±
And so it came to pass ¨C In the space of one hour the most brutal and violent battle of the TSU-s ¨C IAFS conflict began to unfold. In that single hour all was changed, before long it was indeed confirmed, what was though to have be the TSU-s fleet was a rouse ¨C Containing only around 5 real warships, the rest had been old heavy duty freighters, painted and fitted with the equipment needed to look and be detected as warships from a far - An expensive but a highly convincing ploy.
Before long the real TSU-s fleet, still nearly 100 ships strong, revealed itself coming in from the South.
Soon five long hours of the now barely 50 remaining IAFS ships firing out at the invaders began ¨C And after that all hell truly broke loose as mechs from both sides came into range of one another ¨C Soon the longest and most bloody day of all those who lived to survive it ¨C Began.
Front 42 – The Paths They Take - Part 1/3
From the moment the home-fleet opened fired, a timer of sorts was set in motion, recording the start of the battle all the way to the present. Over 11 hours had passed since the Admiral''s forces had been so mercilessly obliterated.
Within the hour all IAFS''s worst fears had been confirmed, the enemy they had thought was the TSU-s fleet had been little more than a skeleton crew operated decoy ¨C The real TSU-s fleet approaching them now from the South, still around 100 ships strong.
The 18 or so warships that hadn''t been instantly destroyed by the weapon were in a terrible state, although they made it back to the rear of the weapon to be worked on by their waiting comrades, only so much could be done under such circumstances ¨C Moreover not a single Vijaik had survived the weapon firing, their armour couldn''t take the incredible heat the pillar of light gave off, meaning IAFS was left now with only the squads of Nemos and the odd Neo-C or Vijaik-Heavy of the Tristian Fleet''s ships.
Before long the true TSU-s fleet was upon them, what had followed was 5 long hours of warships trading blows over an incredible distance. Admiral Nate put the original plan partially back into practise, reorganising the 50 remaining ships around the weapon and all having their best to impromptu retarget and sync weapons to fire upon the approaching fleet.
There were some differences, for one the now 50 or so strong Tristian Fleet positioned itself around the weapon''s control centre in a much tighter formation than the Home-fleet had been in.
This had advantages and disadvantages ¨C It meant the enemy would have to get even closer before it could freely fire, for fear of hitting the relatively fragile building that was the control centre ¨C On the other hand it meant IAFS would have less time to shoot at the enemy, if they were set up halfway down its shaft they would have a clear line of fire and be able to then gradually retreat backways ¨C This had been the original plan ¨C But it was now far too risky with what forces they had left.
The firefight was brutal, the pilots, mechanics, engineers and just about anyone not on the bridge of a warship ¨C Could only wait, hoping desperately that their ship wouldn''t be hit ¨C Some crew were told to sleep, to get some amount of rest before the enemy really started its assault ¨C But few could under the constant cacophony of every ship''s gun in the fleet firing constantly for hours on end.
2 long hours past, the TSU-s fleet was poorly laid out, moving in borderline single file (Perhaps part of how it had managed to remain undetected) and as Admiral Louise had originally planned out, their forces were hesitant to open fire at such an inaccurate distance. So it was that even with their reduced numbers, the IAFS ships valiantly sunk TSU-s vessel after vessel from miles upon miles apart.
But the closer the enemy got, the worse it became ¨C Soon their forces had spread out into a much better formation and by hour 3, the enemy was starting to shoot back.
Seven hours after the weapon had fired, six hours since the massive firefight between the Tristain and TSU-s forces began ¨C And finally the two fleets became close enough to launch Vijaiks and fighter jets at one another.
And so the gates of hell opened in earnest.
The battle descended into utter chaos, at first there were formations, defence lines, orderly squadrons ¨C But as minutes elapsed into hours, everything began to collapse.
TSU-s was clearly not expecting IAFS to still be able to put up such a resistance, nor had they thought they''d lose so many warships in their approach ¨C Foolishly over-estimating the IAFS force, thinking that the weapon had perhaps missed its target, the TSU-s fleet went for an all out point-blank attack, brining their ships within mere kilometres of the enemy around hour 7.
The lines blurred, for some it even became impossible to tell friend from foe ¨C Hundreds of the green and blue, humanoid Neos clashing against thousands of spikey mud-green, mono-eyed ''Ogre'' mechs.
Low tier Casnels and Fortresses being overpowered by valiant Nemo sacrifices, dieing IAFS vessels ramming into TSU-s capital ships in the hopes of their deaths holding greater meaning.
Multiple attempts had been made to recapture the control centre, insurgence disguised as life boats, mecha assaults, single operatives in nothing but spacesuits navigated the madness ¨C All were repelled by IAFS.
No rhyme or reason was left, as though TSU-s''s true nature had finally been revealed, that of wild bestial animals, crazed for victory ¨C The air was filled with carcasses, for miles around, no matter where you looked there were fallen mechs and flaming warships ¨C Five hours of mecha warfare had passed, it had been around 11 since the weapon had last fired.
Of the 200 ships that had been readied for battle 12 hours ago, barely 60 remained...
And in amongst that utter depravity ¨C One tiny oasis still stood, one last bastion of order ¨C A line of ships and mechs barely holding, their backs almost literally pressed against the precious control centre ¨C Lead by the Am-Fluchtig, the Tristain Absolute Defence line yet held.
¡°Squad V, head for sector nine ¨C Unit 251, join up with them. Squad H fall back from that position it''s no good to us anymore, head for maintenance, sharpish.¡± Rattled off acting-Captain Kolme Nilas from with-in the narrow confines of his Neo-C.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The radar array on its shoulder was very much so earning its keep today, attached to it a long, thick cable leading all the way a half kilometre down to the iris shape of the Fluchtig below, insuring a constant connection between Kolme and Nate and increasing the Neo-C''s Sensor ability ¨C All while making the Neo look a little bit like a kite.
The inside of the cockpit was no less busy, while the warships had been duking it out, Kolme had gotten Chief Pel to install some extra monitors ¨C Well install was a strong word, all around Kolme these extra monitors had been haphazardly tac-wielded on, the cables in and out of them completely visible.
They streamed a whole manner of information to the Field-Commander, some displayed maps covered in icons representing as many foes and friends as the Neo''s poor processors could count. Others were long lists, squad names down to unit lists, each sorted by colours representing if the line in question was alive, dead, or lost out in no man''s land, out of Kolme reach.
Sensor equipment, communication routing and more ¨C Kolme''s entire cabin was a command centre in itself.
This wasn''t to say he was detached from the battle, one only had to look at the biggest of the screens above the rest, the Neo''s main camera feed: It was staring out at the battle, a bare mile away ¨C A mile was as much safety area as the defence line could still hold, past it by even a metre and it was simply chaos ¨C Ship''s exploding, mechs fighting to the death, allies accidentally cutting one another down.
The defensive line, small as it now was, stood firm above the black officer-block shape of the control centre, a crisscross pattern of ships and Nemo''s ¨C The Fluchtig at its core.
A stray shot could hit Kolme at any moment, an enemy could burst past their cover fire and make a beeline straight for him ¨C There was plenty damage even here ¨C He was meant to have an escort squad, but Kolme had long since sent that off to more important matters, now guarded by just a single Nemo a few metres in-front of him, piloted by someone he didn''t even know the name of.
¡°Captain Nilas Sir, the Rear-Admiral.¡± Said a voice that was far more clear than his other comm-links thanks to the cable tieing him directly to the Fluchtig''s command centre ¨C The remarkably tired voice of Charlie.
¡°Aye, I''m here Sir.¡± Kolme said back, his eyes never leaving the reams of data as his mind decided who would need to be moved where next.
¡°Kolme old chap, the FE-16 just confirmed it ¨C Remembrance are still approaching from the East.¡± Nate announced.
Kolme cursed but otherwise stayed quiet to let his boss finish;
¡°I''m going to send the Valliere and the Charon to form a rear line, we have to stop their advance force separate to our current line, we''re barely holding as is.¡±
Kolme frowned, ¡°Two ships?! Sir they''ll be slaughtered!¡±
A pained tone took hold of Nate, his voice lowering - ¡°I''m not sending them to die Kolme, you know I wouldn''t do that ¨C Every explosive that hasn''t been used to rig The Weapon will go with them, a veritable minefield. But that''s all it will be, a minefield with two ships at one end unless I send mechs with it ¨C An entire company atleast and they will need a very skilled leader.¡±
¡°Oh great, the one thing I''ve got less of than pilots right now, is pilot-officers!¡± Kolme scoffed ¨C He was incredibly tired, he''d gotten maybe half an hour''s sleep at best, everything in his body was exhausted, his mind ached.
¡°Kolme, we can only do our best...¡±
¡°And what then? If this rear line does stop their advanced force, of 100 mechs might I remind you ¨C What will we do about the fleet that''ll follow ''em?¡±
¡°...The Tradech should be back before the main Remembrance force arrives...¡±
¡°The Tradech!? What''s it gonna do against a whole fleet?¡±
Kolme shouted back.
Nate paused and in that moment a horrible feeling of guilt coursed through Kolme ¨C Nate was even more tired than him, he had left the bridge for nothing but the bathroom over these last 12 hours ¨C He had commanded both the firefight between warships and now the continuing close range warfare ¨C And he was doing his best, more than his best even;
¡°If we hold a bit longer, one more hour ¨C TSU-s will fall back, they have too their tactics have been disastrous.
Then the Tradech gets here, it stalls the Remembrance fleet while we turn the weapon on them ¨C Maybe... maybe we fire it ourselves, or maybe it''ll be enough to force Remembrance back ¨C We can still do this Kolme but we have to hold one more hour, it''s that or we''ll be sandwiched on all sides.....¡±
Kolme bit his bottom lip, what Nate said wasn''t impossible but the odds were against them ¨C They had 14 ships left in the defence line, many of those heavily damaged ¨C All the rest of their forces were out their in the maelstrom, being torn apart as they spoke ¨C But Nate was right, ''We can only do our best...''
¡°Ya, ya sorry Nate, that was wrong of me, Admiral Sir. I can get you 12 machines once alpha squad gets back from running disturbance ¨C We''ll have to close in the line a bit more though.¡±
¡°Yup, Aurin is already working on that.¡± Nate replied.
¡°Right then, guess we need a commander who can turn all odds, make the impossible, possible right?
Someone who knows Remembrance tactics and machines would be good too. Looks like I''ve got''ta go ask my lovely lady friend for a favour.¡±
****
Front 42.5 - The Paths They Take - Part 2/3
****
The battle had fallen into chaos, only the IAFS defence line hanging above the office-block shape of the weapon''s control centre remained in any semblance of order ¨C Every other direction you looked, for as far as you could see, was simply put, death.
And within that were dozens of lives, friend and foe ¨C But these lives were not without purpose, these standard IAFS vessels and Vijaiks were what was keeping the battle chaotic, should they all fall it would give the TSU-s forces a chance to regroup, take a better handle on their tactics and turn things around.
That alone would be reason enough for the defence line to try and aide its lost comrades ¨C But the other much simpler reason, was that they were their allies and they would not be abandoned.
As such, under the leadership of the current deputy of pilots, Scarlet ¨C 5 ''Disturbance-Teams'' had been set up, each of about 6-8 mechs ¨C They would leave the line and dive head-first into no-man''s land, weave their way through flaming warships and mech duals ¨C Shooting down enemies that crossed their path, while seeking out allies, giving direction to warships that might be able to get back to relative safety and even towing back the odd still functional Nemo ¨C Regardless of if the pilot still lived or not...
Scarlet was leading one of these teams, squad Alpha ¨C While Hoki, with Sabban as her second in command, lead a second, squad Beta. Lt.Tomo had been placed in charge of squad Gamma and there had been 2 more on top of that.
But this was no simple task, the battles were deadly, the job a nightmare ¨C Within an hour of these 5 squads beginning their operation, one squad had already been wiped out and all the others, including Hoki''s had lost members ¨C Before much longer the fourth squad too had dropped off, leaving just three.
Those three had held for quite some time, doing their best to help the hapless and make a dent in the enemy ranks ¨C Eventually however Tomo''s team too was forced to bow out, leaving just two.
But those two teams had become the sharpest of blades, forged in the hottest of flames that had been this battle.
Hoki hadn''t even known the names of the 4 pilots under her command a day ago, but after 5 hours of hell she would now trust them all with her life. You had to learn fast, had to develop an almost 6th sense for your squad mates strengths and weaknesses. That wasn''t all either, months of training on the Fluchtig''s advance simulators, the battles of Operation Deadlight, the loss of treasured friends ¨C Hoki knew herself now just how much skill she and Sabban had gained, they were aces in their own right at this point and running this squad was evident proof of that.
¡°Now Sabban!¡± She issued into her comm link.
Without hesitation, the mud-green of Sabban''s Neo-C suddenly lurched downward, leaving Hoki''s main monitor filled with only two other objects, the two green spiky-shouldered silhouettes of the duo of Ogres Sabban had been fighting with.
Hoki fired.
The shock of blue light rebounded free of her weapon, smashing into the Ogre''s cheap cabin-block, a second later it blasted out the back end of the machine, continued travelling and hit home against the 2nd Ogre''s own torso. A few moments pasted before both enemy machines began exploding violently.
¡°Two in one shot, that''s impressive even for you.¡±
Sabban murmured over the radio.
Hoki wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, sweeping her head around the cockpit to check for any further enemies in their vicinity before turning back to the comms board;
¡°Squad formation D2.¡±
Her people followed without hesitation and a moment later a dull clink echoed in her cabin as Sabban''s Neo-C rested its back against her own ¨C Beneath her the four other Nemos took similar paired positions.
Hoki liked being Scarlet''s wingwoman and she was pretty sure Sabban deep down felt the same way about Kolme ¨C That said she was glad to have Sabban today, they made a good pair with him allowing her to take careful aim even out here in the chaos ¨C And that was exactly what surrounded them, chaos.
Those last two Ogres had been the end of what they''d been fighting against in this sector but that barely left a scratch on the war being waged around them ¨C As little as 30 metres beneath them she caught a glimpse of a heavy-fighter jet whizzing by, to her left about 100 metres off was a massive explosion ¨C Perhaps the death of a warship or Vijaik''s reactor turning critical.
And most of all, just 3 metres on her right was the hull of an enemy warship ¨C It was the underside of the ship, meaning the main cannons where in real terms out of Hoki''s view but nonetheless it was unmistakably the hull of what she felt confident was a Berglez class battleship ¨C It wasn''t abandoned or sinking, in fact on the other side, its cannons continued to roar as its dual with a similar sized IAFS ship carried on, just metres away from Beta squad.
In fact it probably had AA guns in range of the squad, but no one could keep track of every target today, this warship was prioritising the enemy vessel, of course should Hoki and Co start firing at it, that would quickly change.
She considered this for a brief moment, but then shook her head ¨C It was time to make a pit stop back to the defence line and besides if memory served her (and it almost always did), the Berglez was a class of ship with quite sturdy outer armour, her squad probably didn''t have the right kit to try and bore through the ship''s underside and they certainly didn''t have enough fuel left to assault its topside.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. This was what Hoki had concluded over these past 5 hours, to be the key to running a disturbance squadron ¨C Knowing when to turn back. If she had to guess, squad 4 and 5, the ones that had barely lasted an hour had probably made a simple miscalculation in how long it would take to get home.
As leader you had to be sure, of how much ammunition you''d need to get through ambushes, of how much fuel each member had ¨C All you needed was for one of those things to run out in a single machine and suddenly the rest of the squad would be slowed down, forced to tow back the fuel-less mech, or pull their weight in firefights ¨C The key was to start heading back at the right time, to arrive back at the Fluchtig with still some gas in the tank.
Her decision made, Hoki went to issue the fall-back order ¨C Hanging around here for much longer would be foolish, it would only take a minute or two for another enemy squad to spot them, or heck for a stray energy round to hit them ¨C Standing still was another death sentence on this battlefield.
Before she could however, the voice of one of her subordinates came in;
¡°Ma''am, SOS on frequency E22.¡±
Hoki reached for the dial and tuned it to the heavily static riddled line ¨C What greeted her was a hacking cough.
That thought hurt her a little ¨C She had gotten used to calling it that in the last 5 hours ¨C Calling the dieing moments of a friendly soldier, a man or woman pierced by jagged steel or who''s skin had been seared to a crisp ¨C Someone on their deathbed far from home, coughing or vomiting, precious blood escaping forever ¨C The finally moments of a pilots life ebbing away ¨C A hacking cough...
¡°Pilot come in? Can you hear me pilot?¡± Hoki said, sternly and clearly.
¡°......That voic----¡± More coughing, ¡°.....Miss?¡±
Hoki''s blood ran cold but she quickly got a hold of herself - ¡°That''s right, this is Hoki Bachika. Now listen pilot, can you tell me your three words?¡±
¡°....... The Cheval De Troy---¡± Cough ¡°I saw it!!¡± Splatter.
¡°Poor bastard is delusional.¡± Muttered one of the Nemo''s in the squad ¨C But both Hoki and Sabban had very different reactions to the news.
¡°It was damaged.... A big cloth over its guns bu-but! The Cheval De troy!!¡± The voice spluttered on.
That clinched it for Sabban and Hoki both, they''d been told the Curadh had escaped their previous encounter but with serious damages ¨C It seemed in their desperation TSU-s were even deploying half destroyed ships to this battlefield.
Sabban cut across the line, ¡°Pilot, where is it?¡±
¡°........ The far side, behind the line, 5 or 6 ships with i--¡± More retching.
¡°Where are you pilot, what''s your three words?¡± Hoki asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.
The three words were something of a legacy left by Vice-Admiral Louise, his people had attributed 3 words combination to every square-mile around the weapon, they were far less accurate then conventional co-ordinates but for a dieing pilot, the chances they could read three words, instead of a complicated ream of numbers ¨C Had so far proven exceptionally valuable to rescue efforts.
But the pilot didn''t answer, coughing more instead.
¡°Miss.Hoki drop it, the guys gone, let him finish.¡± Sabban half growled ¨C She knew he was right, they had learned that too over the last few hours, or perhaps Sabban had already known how to do it ¨C To identify someone already too far gone by their voice alone ¨C By their broken speech, delusional panic ¨C By the amount of blood splatter.
Hoki didn''t answer.
Sabban scoffed angrily, ¡°Pilot, was it escorted?¡±
A few moments of coughing passed - ¡°Y-Yes! A Casnel, A CasNeL!! It got me, It got me........¡±
¡°Alright man, you did good to contact us.¡±
Sabban said back as the dieing pilot began coughing again.
¡°......I didn''t even like you that much in..... school--Miss--¡± Heavy breathing echoed around Hoki, ¡°Thought you were kinda pompous.... but am glad I could hear.... your voice at the----¡±
----
The line fell dead.
An eerie silence fell, Sabban was the one to break it; ¡°Miss.Hoki? Lieutenant?¡±
¡°Right, right.... Squad Beta lets head back, resupply and relay what we just learned.¡± Hoki said to the group at large, then switching to the contact link between her and Sabban''s machines;
¡°Did.... did you know him Sabban?¡±
¡°Don''t think so, you?¡±
¡°I-- I''m not sure, his voice was too strained and with all that static.... But he called me ''Miss'' ¨C I didn''t even know any more of my students were left out here.¡± Hoki said back.
¡°You gonn''a be ok?¡±
¡°Ya, of course, sorry ¨C Lets make sure their message makes it back home, it''s the least we can do.¡±
Front 42.75 - The Paths They Take - Part 3/3
Beta Squad got back to the familiar Iris shape of the Fluchtig and the defence line around it in surprisingly good time with minimal distraction ¨C Though this struck the members as odd, they took it as a rare piece of luck, not knowing that in truth it represented the fact that the battle was beginning to wain, as both side got closer and closer to wiping each other out.
As they made their approach, Hoki''s eyes were drawn to a flashing red beacon above the Fluchtig, the kite looking Neo-C of Kolme Nilas;
¡°Sir Beta squad reporting back, no damages. Is Scarlet around?¡±
¡°Heya Hoki-Lass, good to see ya ¨C ''Friad you''ll have to do with me, Alpha squads been reassigned to other duties, you''re back under my command now lass ¨C Any news?¡±
Hoki took a deep breath and began explaining the situation the dieing pilot had told them of ¨C Before long Kolme cut her off in order to add Nate to the call as well.
By the time she had finished explaining it to them both, along with her own thoughts on the matter, Beta squad had covered the last of the distance and was now just above the wide open doors of the Fluchtig''s hanger bay.
The various Vijaik workshops of IAFS had been extremely hard at work for the entire duration of the fighting, keeping their warships and mechs alike in working order ¨C None more so than Chief Pel''s team, what with the Fluchtig''s role as IAFS''s de-facto flagship, its massive hanger-bay space and large workshop had been in high demand.
In response to this Chief Pel had devised a strategy for getting none critically damaged Nemo''s back into the field as fast as possible ¨C It reminded Hoki of an event her father had brought her to when she was a child, before her mind was filled with thoughts & facts about mechs and warships.
It had been a racing Grand-Prix, visiting a nearby city to the Bachika family estate ¨C The part of it that had stuck with a young Hoki most was the pit-stop lane, where these ridiculously fast vehicles could stop for mere seconds, have tires changed, car stability checked and even a quick sup of water given to the pilo-- driver, before off the cars would shoot again.
The Fluchtig''s two magnetic rail-lines, usually used to give mechs and shuttles a head start when they launched, had been reconfigured for a similar purpose ¨C As her and Sabban''s mechs touched down on the deck, the rail clamps locked on and slowly began moving their Neo''s into the hanger instead of out.
In seconds the mechanics teams were hooking up fuel lines and electrical cables leading from the Fluchtig''s own reserves ¨C Hoki watched in real time as all the gauges on her machine returned to full ¨C Outside ammo packs were transferred over, replacement arc-staffs equipped, small armour repairs committed.
She leaned back and took a much needed drink from her water, finding it empty she put on her helmet and opened the cockpit hatch ¨C Within moments a member of Pel''s team dropped in a care package and took away the emptied bottles. Once the hatch was sealed again, Hoki rustled through the bag ¨C A smile crossing her face at the inclusion of a hot towel and a flask of tea alongside the water bottles and field rations.
All the while as she took this much needed break and her machine moved along as though on a conveyer belt ¨C Nate and Kolme mulled over the news;
¡°This is bad, damaged or not, the Curadh could be used as a rallying point for TSU-s to reorganise, we know its captain is skilled ¨C Plus the Casnel, Scarlet has her hands tied and we ain''t got anyone else left who can face off with an upper tier beast like that on their own.¡±
Kolme grumbled.
¡°We can''t just leave it unaddressed, it is probably tearing through no man''s land as we speak.¡± Mused the voice of Lt.Aurin, also in on the call.
¡°Lets not be too hasty chaps, if the Curadh is still damaged we should presume the Casnel is too.¡± Nate added.
Hoki nodded to herself hearing that, it was a good point - ¡°Sirs, me and Sabban, we''ll go ¨C Atleast scout it out, maybe beat it.¡±
There was a moment''s pause before Kolme''s voice roared across the comms;
¡°Have you gone bloody mad lass!! It took all five of us to just nearly beat it last time ¨C What sort of bastard would send just the two of you?!¡±
Hoki winced back from the speaker before replying, ¡°It should still be damaged sir, and besides who else can go? Plus we know more about it this time, we can use the same strategy as before, Sabban as attacker, me as supporter ¨C If its shield is back, we can just break it again.¡±
¡°Yo-You! Hoki-Lass, this is thee Casnel a Goibniu infused, state of the art--¡± Kolme began.
¡°I know all that Sir, I did major in studies of warfare over the last ten years.¡±
Hoki cut in.
¡°Well, ya I know Lass but come on!¡±
Hoki took a deep breath ¨C Both Nate and Aurin remained quiet, even if they had a greater say in the matter, they both knew this was a question for the two pilots to deal with, putting aside their emergency promotions and everything else that had transpired in the last few months ¨C Kolme and Hoki were still the two officers in charge of the Fluchtig''s Vijaik-Squad, it was their call to make;
¡°Sir, no, Kolme ¨C I want to believe in the Una, I want to believe that her dieing light really did damage the Casnel, that it is just a shell of its former self ¨C I want to believe that we''ve all gotten a whole lot stronger since that day back at the Clover ¨C I.... I want to believe in the five of us and finish what we started ¨C We can do this lieutenant Sir, I know we can.¡±
¡°And you Sabban?¡± Kolme said meekly.
¡°I''m with her Kolme, we got this ¨C Besides she''s right, Una destroyed that thing once already, we''re just gonna clean up its ghost. Oh but you can look after the rest of Beta squad, they''re good but they don''t have practise against a Casnel.¡±
The gruff man replied.
¡°Sir?¡± Hoki added.
¡°Well Kolme?¡±
Nate said after a few moments of silence.
¡°I know its selfish for me ta'' say this ¨C But you two come back ya hear me? If its been fixed, upgraded even! Then you come back and we think this through, treat this as scouting, you only engage if you''re absolutely sure you can win ¨C I know you can measure that Hoki-lass.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Come back to us, both of ya?¡±
¡°Sir!!¡±
¡°Ya, ya ¨C Clingy old man.¡±
Hoki then and Sabban responded.
Kolme sighed, ¡°Alright then, Mr.Aurin have Pel clear the runway, give our kids a proper send off eh!¡±
In under a minute it was done, the pipes and cables disconnected, the two Neo-Cs both fully reloaded ¨C Hoki saw the jolly silhouette of Chief Pel in her spacesuit waving from down below.
The runway was cleared, the two Neo''s turned back around.
¡°Sabban Vint, Neo 27, I''m off then.¡± The young man said lazily but with a small grin.
¡°Hok-- Thee Hokuai, Neo-C Cyan-Custom, Taking off!¡±
****
Scarlet sat staring at her ever red-tinted monitor screen at her now 11 direct subordinates.
The group of Nemos were hard at work shunting around small pieces of metal to pre-designated spots.
Only a handful of these were actually mines, circular spikey objects bigger than a Nemo''s hand ¨C The rest were regular explosives, enclosed in an array of patchwork metal boxes and easily fitting in the palms of the Nemos ¨C These smaller charges wouldn''t be able to damage an enemy mech but that wasn''t what Scarlet had planned for them anyway.
On her rear camera she could see the two vessels that made up their ''rear-defence-line'', the familiar triangular shape of the Valliere and a rectangular grey-ship called the ''Charon'', both cruiser class warships.
Not far behind them you could make out the black-office block in space that was the weapon''s control centre, the now 11 odd ships hanging above it ¨C And further out the constant series of violent explosions that was no man''s land ¨C The fact she could see all this so clearly was the only proof needed to show that this line she was setting up was a truly desperate measure ¨C If it fell, the Remembrance force would be on top of the Fluchtig and Co in now time flat.
She turned her attention back to the front, noticing one machine in particular she flipped a switch on her comm board;
¡°Yo Ahern, you meant to be back here?¡±
Ahern had been with her in Alpha squad for hours now ¨C She hadn''t known it when she haphazardly picked him for the group, but upon learning he was a surviving pilot of Operation Deadlight, Scarlet had taken something of a liking to the man ¨C Sure she would of rather had Hoki and Kolme or even Sabban at her side right now, but Ahern was an alright substitute for the time being.
The young country-accented voice replied to her in kind;
¡°They''re waiting for the Fluchtig to send over a spare arm, thought I might as well help out until then Ma''am.¡±
Indeed Ahern''s Nemo only had one arm, the other covered by white tarpaulin ¨C Scarlet grinned at the sentiment;
¡°Heh, alright keep at it ¨C But once the fighting starts you''re not to join in until you are fully fixed. For that matter I want you to guard our supply-caravan, don''t think this means I''m benching you or nothin'' ¨C This is going to be a marathon not a sprint, I need someone I can trust guarding that thing and the ships for that matter.¡±
¡°M-Ma''am!¡± Ahearn said back promptly, his mech turning in her direction and saluting with its available arm ¨C She laughed at the site of it and turned off the link.
Scarlet''s plan was unorthodox but necessary ¨C Their force of two cruiser, 11 Nemos and the Vijaik-Heavy she had received just last week ¨C Would be no match for 100 enemy Vijaiks even with the minefield.
Instead the mines had been wired to explode by remote control instead of proximity ¨C And their goal wasn''t destruction.
It had been a few years since she left Remembrance, this was no doubt a gamble ¨C But Scarlet had test flown the high-mobility type Vijaik that was currently heading towards them ¨C It was stupid fast, with good weapons and decent armour, but it did have one flaw in exchange for such high performance ¨C When it transitioned from its jet fighter mode, into its more humanoid mech mode, it was for a few seconds vulnerable. If knocked even slightly during this moment, it could stall out for a short time, effectively stuck between a jet and a mech ¨C Now Remembrance had surely found ways around this since Scarlet''s time with them, but the gamble was to hope that considering the massive numbers being sent ¨C That these mass-produced units for the sake of cost, still had this quirk ¨C One only a few even knew about to begin with ¨C This was what they would exploit, what Scarlet''s team of 12 would use to beat 100.
A different radio line flicked on her right;
¡°Commander, all going to plan?¡± Asked a youthful woman''s voice.
The now Captain Francoise Louise, commanding officer of the Valliere sounded very tired ¨C Like all in the fleet she had been pushed to the brink in this battle, not to mention having to lead her people while mourning the death of her father.
¡°All good Captain, we''re on schedule.¡± Scarlet said back.
¡°Good, good. Right....¡±
¡°You alright too?¡± The pirate ace, feared throughout the solar system, asked politely.
¡°What? Oh yes of course ¨C Everyone''s lost someone today, I''m no different....¡±
¡°True enough I suppose, still family hits different eh?¡±
Scarlet wasn''t sure why she felt such sympathy for Louise ''Jr'' ¨C Perhaps she just wanted to make sure the girl was capable enough of leading this small force under such harsh circumstances ¨C Or perhaps it was the fact the young captain was the right age to be Scarlet''s own child had she ever chosen to have kids ¨C Perhaps it was simply comradery ¨C ''Heh, I''m gonna get a weird reputation for being kind to younger woman, huh Una?''
¡°It''s just....¡± The Captain murmured, ¡°I wonder what Father would of....¡±
Scarlet smiled kindly;
¡°I didn''t really know your Dad, least I don''t think I did ¨C Not got the best memory, but I did meet him the once, went to all the trouble of talking directly to me and Kolme when he wanted to ask a favour. I''ll admit, before that I thought he was just another suit, another officer sending people to stupid deaths ¨C But I''ve realised quickly that wasn''t true, he lead from the very front, gave damn good speeches and really respected his people, he wanted to look out for us all.
I don''t know if this means much to ya'' but I can count the number of officers I respect on one hand and he''s one of ''em.¡±
There was silence on the other end of the line. No not silence, a very faint sobbing - "Th-thank you, Lady Scarlet ¨C I think he would of been so happy to hear that.¡±
Scarlet turned off the link, swapping back to the one connecting her to the other mechs present;
¡°Alright you lot, show me some spirit hey!! This is going to be tough, real tough but you know the plan ¨C The first batch, the forward scouts we take out by ourselves, than the main force we stun with the mines ¨C Like shooting fish in a barrel right?
Heh-heh! We''re outnumbered lads, surrounded on all sides with no retreat ¨C But we aren''t beat, we ain''t gonn''a fall ¨C 12 against a 100, lets make history boys - Tonight you fly with the Scarlet Scourge!!!¡±
A chorus of ''Aye!'', ''Yes Ma''am!'' and ''Ho-rah!'' echoed back at her.
Front 43 – Last Duet - Part 1/3
[Recording Start]
Ahem, this is Ensign Hoki Bachika speaking. I''d like to say right off the top that you''ll find alongside this recording a heavily compressed copy of the TSU-East Flash-drive ¨C If that doesn''t sound familiar, it is the flash-drive of information my father gave IAFS just before he was placed under house arrest.
It contains base blueprints, troop deployments and a database of every TSU weapon that was available at the time he took the info ¨C Unfortunately the data gets progressively more outdated with each passing day, but still perhaps it can be sold for some small profit? Whatever the case it was all I could think to put on here of any real use.
I should state more clearly what ''here'' is ¨C Scarlet asked us all 4, to record a black-box listing ahead of the rumoured battle next week. It''s ummm. Heh, it''s rather strange to think about, I''ve never recorded anything like this before ¨C Though I''ve definitely been thinking about it alot recently.
There are just people in your life who you think are invincible right? Even when sad accidents and illness occur to others, there are some people you just don''t think it''ll ever happen to ¨C People like my dad or Chief Pel.
I''d thought much the same of my squamates ¨C Scarlet and Kolme are textbook survivors and Sabban surpassed my piloting skill months ago ¨C And Una... She saved me at the Clover, fought on through a panic-attack at Station 9 and battled with the rest of us every-time.
If someone like her can die, then I guess anyone can really.
It has lead me to think alot about why I became a pilot too ¨C In one way I''m the same as Sabban, heir to a military family. I didn''t even join IAFS for any principled reasoning, I just kind of did.
And then I got such silly ideas in my head, that I was fighting for all those who couldn''t fight anymore, and that list just kept growing, first it was my father and his friends but then my students started to fall in battle ¨C Kids I had taught even if just for a couple weeks or months, were dieing.
I thought the best thing I could do was fight for all those voices, for people like Vald.
I love my family and I know I had a very privileged upbringing ¨C Where other people grew up in houses, I grew up on the ''family estate'' ya know? But I''ve never once felt I deserve the title of ''Hokuai'', military-nobles ¨C A title I got just for being born.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. My Father, he earned that title by being the Hero of the East, the first Bachika in generations to really live up to our warrior lineage ¨C But me? He just declared the last time I saw him that the title was mine now, just like that.
Ever since me and Scarlet started getting along better, I''ve found myself coming to deeply admire her ¨C She''s a warrior-noble too, an Ace twice knighted as it were ¨C She fought from nothing to being one of the greatest fighters, no Heroes of her generation!
She deserves her titles.
But now I think I''m starting to see it ¨C Ridiculous it took me this long to learn such a simple lesson but sometimes I ask myself, if Scarlet died tomorrow would she really want me to fight in her name?
Would Una, wherever she is now, really want that?
Poor sweet Una, with her pretty smile and kind eyes ¨C I don''t think she''d want that for a second, she lived her own life, made her own choices and even if she''ll never be able to fight again, or do much of anything ¨C She never asked me to fight in her name ¨C Neither did my other students or my father or, ... or Vald.
I should stop putting on airs, stop acting so foolishly and fight for myself, live my life for Hoki and be the very best I can be!
That''s how I earn it, the right to the Hokuai title, the right to return to my father some day with a smile ¨C And when the day comes for me to pass on, the right for me to face all those we''ve lost along the way with a brave face.
That''s what I''ve decided.
Oh God, I really said all that out loud?! Ughhhhghhh I sound like some hormonal highschool girl!
Ummmmmm..... I have a Will so I won''t list it here, that would be rather morbid I think ¨C So I guess that''s everything really? This is a very weird experience, perhaps I should do audio logs more often, step out of my comfort zone?
Well, errr.
It''s strange, I feel like Una would know exactly what to say here and yet she''s the only one who doesn''t get to record one of these.
If I am, err, ''dead'', well, stay strong everyone ¨C I really am glad I got to know you all and fight alongside you.
Hoki Bachika signing off.
[Recording Ends]
Front 43.5 - Last Duet - Part 2/3
A flurry of energy fire passed uncomfortably close to Hoki''s cabin, inside Sabban''s voice howled at her;
¡°Ha! That''s our Casnel alright!¡±
They had dived back into the madness of no man''s land once more and following the destruction it left in its wake, soon found the Casnel ¨C Or perhaps it had found them too for that matter.
Now Sabban''s muddy brown Neo-C and Hoki''s cyan unit rushed through space, weaving through debris as needed, hot on their tail and closing fast was the Casnel firing wildly at them all the while.
That said Sabban''s uncharacteristic excitement was more than just adrenaline, the Casnel was not what it had once been, in fact upon seeing it Hoki had subconsciously dubbed it ''The Casnel Repair''.
Just as they had hoped, the scars of Operation Deadlight were still fresh on the Casnel, its cuboid shield no where to be seen, its massive cannon completely absent and then there was its armour.
Most was still the gleaming, angular whites and silver of polished Goibniu ¨C But across the torso in particular, the places the Neo team and Una had assaulted so firmly last time they met ¨C Were plain grey portions, it was instantly clear to Hoki that this central armour was regular Lanthanides, same as the Nemos.
Of course none of this was to devalue the Casnel''s worth ¨C Even without the cannon or shield, this was still a top-tier G-type Casnel, its power generation turning the regular rifle in its hand into a far greater weapon, its speed allowing it to catch up to the Neo-Cs in seconds ¨C Still Hoki''s hope had been rewarded, the Casnel had weakness''s this time, they could win!
¡°Now Sabban!¡± Hoki shouted over the radio, after patiently waiting for the Casnel to get to a certain distance from them.
Sabban''s Neo immediately acted, turning on a dime the young man drew out an arc-staff from his waist and swung forward ¨C Even the Casnel couldn''t match the speed of this sudden turn, nearly ramming straight into his blade, it managed to pull up at just the last moment, but not before Sabban''s blade cut through its rifle rendering it useless.
A moment later the Neo-C lurched forward blade first, aiming for the grey parts of the armour ¨C The Casnel barely managed to draw its own arc staff ¨C The two glowing blades locked in a violent spray of sparks.
Hoki moved fast herself, she had learned the hard way from her squad-mates that in a battle like this, only a fool waited for the shot ¨C Sure maybe that''s what a conventional sniper would do but Hoki had moved far past that ¨C She was a front-line officer, she wanted to be here in the thick of it with her comrades and so she would find that perfect shot the hard way.
Angling around as Sabban began a fierce series of slashes against the Casnel, diagonal cuts, precession jabs, blunt strikes ¨C Hoki made her way below them both and let loose her rifles blue beam of light.
The Casnel acted just barely in time, with a renewed effort it dodged Sabban''s latest strike, then repositioned its free hand in Hoki''s direction ¨C The rifle bolt struck into its forearm ¨C When the dust settled the arm was fine, if a tiny bit blackened.
''So that''s his plan, protect his vulnerable core by blocking with the parts of the body that are still Goibniu!''
¡°Tch, I always thought this guy just had a good machine, guess the pilot ain''t bad either.¡± Sabban growled over the line which had Hoki nodding in agreement.
Before the Casnel could right itself Sabban was already upon it again ¨C Staff met staff as the two machine traded vigorous blows, circling around one another in an almost endless ballet of death ¨C It would no doubt of impressed even Major Moncha to see just how far the sword skills of these two young pilots had progressed ¨C Without its cannon and shield, Sabban was now able to hold back the Casnel all by himself, he didn''t let up for even a second, never allowing it time to reach for another weapon or to back away ¨C He kept the distance between Neo and Casnel tiny, the two arc-staffs clashed again and again ¨C Sparks hailing with each impact, the blades beginning to warp and buckle under the sheer impact.
Hoki was hardly idle either, once more on the move in search of openings in the Casnel''s defence ¨C Moreover her eyes were constantly focused on the area around them, battles were still on-going all around, ships burning, Vijaiks fighting to the death ¨C In the same way Sabban was shielding her from the Casnel, she had to make sure nothing crept up behind him.
Once again a shoot lined up, Sabban had finally backed away a little after one particularly heavy slash ¨C Path clear Hoki took aim ¨C Her attack soared through the air striking the Casnel''s right hand.
Again the ridiculous heat resistance of the Goibniu held, but the force alone was enough to knock the arc-staff out of the Casnel''s hand ¨C Sabban didn''t waste a moment, he boosted forth and grabbed the blades hilt.
Turning his machine pounced, two blades in an X pattern aiming straight for the Casnel''s half-repaired torso ¨C Its only choice would be to block with its arms ¨C That''s when Hoki would finish it from below--
Tink tink TinK TINK TiNk
Although Hoki didn''t hear this sound, it was the noise made as the Casnel-Repair rose one fist and from it fired a rapid stream of tiny metal pellets ¨C A sound akin to a pin-ball machine, far too mundane for the destructive damage that followed as a bullets rattled across Sabban''s incoming machine.
Their source was a little rectangle on the Casnels forearm, where its cannon had once been ¨C Imbedded in it was a circle spinning at an unholy speed as three small nozzles unleashed pellet after pellet.
The recoil was enough to send the Casnel''s arm rearing back violently, causing the damage to spread from the Neo-C''s chest over to its shoulder ¨C Explosions roared out from Sabban''s mech as it was flung backwards by the impact.
¡°Crescent-Moon-Rises!¡± Hoki yelled three words as fast as she could find them. She watched on her monitor as Sabban''s smoking mech fled, making its way to the burnt out ruins of a nearby ship and quickly entering.
Hoki herself had ducked behind a thin sheet of metal, it would stand no chance of blocking the bullets of this new weapon and she found herself holding her breath as she waited to see if the Casnel had seen her take this hiding spot.
2 seconds, then 5, 10 ¨C Hoki swiped away the sweat from her forehead, peaking her mechs head, its rectangular scope ever present, around the metal she caught sight of the Casnel, heading slowly down in the direction of the warship Sabban had entered.
¡°Sabban you ok?¡± she asked tentatively.
¡°Ya I''m fine. He took out the left vent and my shoulder ¨C I''m as good as one handed but its not critical ¨C Thanks for the coordinates.¡±
Hoki sighed in relief before getting back into the needed mindset; ¡°It lost sight of me but it knows exactly where you went ¨C Can you fight inside of there?¡±
¡°Not sure, this ship''s been burnt to a cinder, my machine''s having to crouch just to walk through, everything is narrow as fuck ¨C What was that weapon, you get a good look?¡±
¡°Not really but at a guess it was some sort of miniature chain-gun, low stopping power, physical ammunition ¨C Probably a test weapon they just stapled onto the Casnel as a backup options.¡±
Hoki mused.
¡°Sounds about right. Well no point complaining ¨C It''s close quarters in here Miss.Hoki, maybe you should head back.¡± Sabban replied in a lazy tone.
¡°You really think I''d ever abandon my precious student like that?¡±
Hoki said back, forcing a smile.
¡°Nah not really, but a man''s got''ta at least offer right? Well then, round 2 huh, lets do this!¡±
****
The husk of a former warship Sabban had escaped into was little more than burnt out box ¨C Every wall was blackened with dirty soot, metal panels floated past freely, the floor itself was warped and bumpy in places.
And of course the odd corpse, charred beyond recognition, littered the place, a reminder that this ship ¨C That Sabban couldn''t even hope to identify as either IAFS or TSU ¨C And its crew all looked the same in death.
Although such morbid thinking weren''t at the forefront of his mind as his machine continued its hunched over course through the narrow hallways ¨C He had been mid swing when the Casnel had sprung its surprise weapon ¨C ''Lucky'' for him then the minigun had seemingly been designed to maim and disorientate enemy units, not to deliver finishing blows ¨C That wasn''t to say his machine was in a good state.
The pellets had riddled across his left shoulder and fan ¨C Rendering both useless and reducing his machines ability to regulate internal temperature to boot ¨C Moreover a couple stray rounds had ricocheted across his Neo''s head, smashing one of its helmet mounted flashlights ¨C This had the rather immediate effect of leaving Sabban with only one small spotlight to guide him through the otherwise pitch-black corridors.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. He knew for sure that should the Casnel catch up with him and fire a concentrated burst of those pellets at his unsuspecting back, Sabban''s Neo wouldn''t last long.
In light of this he took every turn and twist he could as he snaked through the dilapidated warship ¨C Some corridors were too narrow or with ceilings too low for him to pass, forcing him to skip those ¨C But every now and then he found one that would accommodate the Neo''s height and width, he stepped into one such turn as he spoke into his radio;
¡°So Miss.Hoki, any plan?¡± He said half-jokingly.
Whether Hoki retreated or held her ground, it would be pointless for her to follow Sabban into the ship ¨C She was for good reason a Sniper, close-quarters combat was by far Hoki''s biggest short-coming and her machine wasn''t particularly optimised for it either.
Combined with the fact the heavily damaged warship would be near unidentifiable and Sabban really wasn''t sure what support his former instructor could really provide ¨C And yet to his surprise Hoki''s voice came back with a firm determination;
¡°Sabban you''ll have to trust me and I coul--, No I probably am wrong but I think its our best shot at getting you out of there and taking down the Casnel.¡±
Sabban allowed himself a small grin, more of a smirk really ¨C He didn''t often have much to smile about these days but the young man trusted Hoki more than she knew and her determined voice was all he needed to hear;
¡°Go for it, what do you need?¡±
With a slight moment of surprise at Sabban''s instant approval, Hoki began to explain;
¡°I''m confident you are in a Hresvelg class Battleship, or what''s left of it ¨C I think it split into parts when it sunk and the part you''re now in is the reactor portions of the ship, it''d explain the ceiling being too tall for a residential area but to low for a hanger bay ¨C If that''s the case then I need you to find me a number, any number.¡±
¡°A number huh?¡± Sabban muttered ¨C He swung the Neo''s head from side to side, the dim light showing little ¨C Just as his enthusiasm began to wain he spotted it, a small speck of white ¨C Moving the Neo''s large palm next to it, large clumps of black soot fell away to reveal two white numbers and a letter painted onto the corridor wall.
Now he was really grinning; ¡°C33 boss.¡±
Hoki sounded excited too - ¡°Perfect, Sabban I want you to head to the end of that corridor and wait for the Casnel to pass, ram it with everything you''ve got left, into the opposite wall ¨C I''m hoping, no confident that it''ll crumble and you''ll be back in open space where--¡±
¡°Where you''ll be waiting with a shot all lined up!¡±
The man laughed.
¡°Exactly, but.... But I could be wrong, trying to identify a ship this badly damaged and then trying to remember its layout based on blueprints I studied months ago ¨C This is a massive gamble Sabban.¡±
¡°Heh, Miss.Hoki you worry too much ¨C I like working with people like you, ya'' see the big picture stuff. Leave the little details to me alright.¡±
With that Sabban got to work, moving the Neo to the end of the corridor turning it around and putting it in a crouched position like that of a sprinter on their mark, and of course turning off the flashlight, immediately bathing the entire corridor in complete darkness ¨C He would have to hope the Casnel had its lights on in order for him to see it coming, or so he thought when a quiet ping echoed on his right-hand side:
The Neo''s sensors had been useless for hours now, what with the massive energy discharge of the weapon 12 or so hours ago and the endless array of warships in continued conflict, it was perhaps no wonder ¨C And yet in the tightly confined and enclosed space of the hollowed out warship, Sabban''s Neo had managed to pick up a single trace, a little green dot showing the Casnel casually making its way towards him, Sabban laughed, ¡°Good old Nemo 27 hey?!¡±
He messed with the dials on his left and a loud clunk sounded throughout the machine as the bulkhead lowered disconnecting the limp left-arm from just below the shoulder.
In total darkness, Sabban and his machine had laid their trap ¨C The tension raising with every-step the Casnel took, the adrenaline rising by the moment ¨C The little green dot got closer until;
¡°HARRRRRGHHHHHH!!!¡± Sabban roared as he flung the Neo''s controls to full, the machine rocketing through the short offshoot corridor.
The Casnel, an arc-staff in one hand, was taken by complete surprise as the Neo rammed headlong into its mid-riff, a blink of an eye later the two machine hurtled violently into the outer wall of the corridors ¨C The reinforced metal buckled and bent as the spikey extremities of the Casnel pressed into it with almighty force ¨C And yet.
The wall held.
The thrusters died down. The Neo hung in the air, head and arm pressed into the Casnel.
It moved one hand, firmly clamping it atop Sabban''s shoulder ¨C And with the other, it rose into the air its weapon, igniting a standard orange glow of the arc-staff.
Sabban braced from the impact to come down on him and crush his feeble body from behind ¨C Instead a voice came through;
¡°It''s you guys right? The people from the Fluchtig?¡± Said a voice he''d heard just once before during the St.Aardig''s day party ¨C The voice of someone bumping into an old acquaintance at the pub, more quant curiosity than concern ¨C The voice of the Casnel''s pilot, ''Helt something or other...''
¡°......What of it?¡± Sabban murmured back. He didn''t talk to enemies, he didn''t talk much outside of combat in fact, but in this moment Sabban knew that the second his enemy''s curiosity faded, his life was over.
¡°I knew it! What are the chances eh? Like something out of a story how we keep running into each other, though I guess you guys were hunting the Curadh for a while so maybe it''s not that surprising really.
So hey listen, before we go back to the ''fight to the death'' stuff, can I ask something.¡±
Sabban felt very irritated, by the man''s childish voice and careless nature but decided to play along ¨C He needed time to think of how he''d get out of this now that Hoki''s plan had failed;
¡°Go on?¡±
¡°Well I was just wondering if you could let me speak to that other girl, Una right? It''s just ever since you lot took Major Moncha from us-- Oh that''s not me looking for revenge or anything, it hurts, a damn lot it does but you guys lost people too ¨C No it''s just ever since he died, I think maybe I understand her better no ¨C I kinda want to talk to her again¡±
¡°Heh.¡± Sabban laughed, a crooking, hacking, droll cacophony of broken sounds - Dragged out of his throat and bitterly projecting into the microphone.
¡°Ummm, sorry I know that''s a pretty crazy request, my bad...¡± Helt added, clearly uncomfortable.
¡°You bastard, you think this is a game? You think you can take us so causally as to have a fucking chat in the middle of a battle!
You piece of shit, you killed Una, the hell did you think was piloting that MBT ¨C Una died to kill you and you, YOU DIDN''T EVEN HAVE THE DIGNITY TO STAY DEAD!!¡±
Sabban had seen red, he didn''t allow Helt to respond ¨C His Neo-C was known for the large booster pack on its back, he had hesitated to use it in an enclosed space like this but now couldn''t care less.
Every thruster and booster across his machine roared to life at its maximum setting ¨C An inferno of blue fire erupted out the back of the Neo as its continued to slam the Casnel into the wall behind ¨C Slowly it buckled more, crunched and warped until finally--
Crack
The two machines cartwheeled over each other again and again as they flew back out into open space at a ridiculous speed, once more surrounded by explosions of battle on all sides, by others fighting their own dances to the death and far beyond that, the sole obverses of it all - The stars of the universe.
The Casnel rose its free arm, arc-staff reigniting as the spinning came to an end, it readied to swing down and end Sabban.
The young man didn''t care, Hoki''s bolt would arrive any second and finish this once and for all ¨C He didn''t care whether the Casnel''s staff or Hoki'' rifle hit him ¨C They had won.
And just as expected a beam of light blasted through the Casnel ¨C But the light was orange not blue and it had not come from a rifle.
¡°M-Miss Hoki what are you doing?¡± Sabban asked stupefied.
The arc-staff of Hoki''s Cyan-Neo C had cut through the small of the Casnel''s back, all the way out to its lower abdomen.
¡°Sorry, I couldn''t be sure the rifle wouldn''t hit you.¡±
She said back a little shyly.
Sabban''s instincts flared, every atom of his being sparked with information he knew to be true, had always known and would always know to be true, ¡°HOKI DODGE!¡± He roared in the next instant with all his being, but it was far too late.
Hoki Bachika was a brilliant sniper but a lousy swordsmen, her blade had hit home true but it had failed to pierce the Casnel''s cockpit, its core ¨C Now no doubt it was finished, its reactor would be either shutting down or going critical as they spoke but that could take a few minutes ¨C And even a few seconds was an awfully long time this day.
Charging all its power into the thin arc-staff, the blade suddenly changed colour to a vibrant fiery red ¨C The sleek line of energy seemed to grow in size and ferocity, into a massive flaming saber - The glowing blade almost looked as though it were alive, doubled in size and flaming over the Casnel''s head.
The mech they had chased for so long, now impaled by Hoki''s arc-staff, twisted its waist and swung its might weapon out - Scaring through the ill-prepared shape of Hoki''s mech.
¡°HOKIIIIIIII!!!!!!¡±
****
Front 43.75 - Last Duet - Part 3/3
Scarlet panted heavily as she lay back into her chair ¨C She had hoped her efforts not to use enhancers as often would make battles less exhausting, but that didn''t seem to be the case.
Looking to her main monitor she watched the now lifeless rumble of more than a dozen fallen mechs float by ¨C They had soundly defeated the enemies first wave, 12 forward scouts were now nothing but scattered sheets of red and purple metal ¨C Interspersed between these were the corpses of 3 fallen Nemos ¨C Overall it was an acceptable victory.
¡°Now to deal with the other 88...¡± She muttered.
Of course this small debris field of slain mecha was nothing compared with what was just a few miles behind her, the defence-line and past it the still raging fields of No-man''s land.
Just the sight of were her other squad-mates were still valiantly fighting on was enough to get Scarlet to straighten back up and reach for her comms dial;
¡°Alright you lot, well done but this is only the start ¨C If you''re damaged, get fixed ¨C And everyone get refuelled than back into position. We took that first wave by ourselves but the next ones we''ll have the mines to aide us ¨C Lets do this!¡±
A few replies echoed back at her and the surviving 8 Nemos got to work doing as instructed ¨C The battle to hold off Remembrance was just beginning.
As Scarlet readied her own machine for what was to come, she looked out once more at No-man''s land in the distance, ''You lot better be doing ok out there...''
****
Kolme let out a long yawn before wiping the sleep from his eyes and lowering his helmet visor ¨C A moment later he stepped through the sealed doors and back into the Fluchtig''s main hanger-bay.
He had only had 10 minutes out of the cabin while Chief Pel preformed repairs and optimisation, but it was already time to head back out ¨C At this point there wasn''t really anyone for Kolme to leave in charge in his absence except for Tomo.
He strode across the cavernous space, carefully weaving between engineers and mechanics hard at work salvaging parts of some destroyed machines and repairing those that might yet still fly.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Nearing his own Neo-C he spotted Chief Pel herself and beckoned the jubilant woman to come over.
The Chief was as ever a short person with a large personality, a spanner in hand, her space suit more soot coloured than white.
¡°How''s it going?¡± Kolme asked as cheerfully as he could muster.
Pel frowned a little playfully;
¡°For the commanders machine you have taken far too much damage Mr.Kolme, far too much.¡±
Kolme did his best to laugh in good humour before asking the real question, ¡°Wat''cha think in general lass?¡±
Pel''s foe frown transitioned into a real one, filled with exhaustion and worry - ¡°It is not good Mr.Kolme. We have only around 80 machines that can still move left in the line, but more than that ¨C Once this is over, to get those machines working again in time for the next battle will be almost impossible.¡±
¡°Next time? Pel we just got''ta hope there isn''t a next time after this for all our sakes ¨C Anyway thanks for your hard work.¡± Kolme said back, patting her on the shoulder and starting off over to his machine.
With both Scarlet and Hoki''s teams now seeing to other duties there was no longer anyone out in the chaos to help guide stranded machines back to the line, that meant their numbers were now exclusively going down and it was starting to show.
Kolme suddenly turned on his heal remembering something and calling out to Pel, ¡°Ah actually Chief, you seen Lieutenant Tomo recently? Just, when I called for him he didn''t answer so I presumed his machine was being serviced too but I don''t see it here?¡±
Pel''s face took on a truly pained expression, ¡°Mr.Kolme the lieutenant fell in battle nearly an hour ago ¨C His machine was brought back but he dead inside the cockpit, I saw as such with my own eyes.¡±
¡°A-Ah eh? You did? I see....¡±
¡°My greatest apologies Sir, someone should of notified you or the bridge.¡±
Pel bowed her head deeply.
Kolme floundered his arms at this, ¡°No, no, you''re busy enough ¨C My job is keeping track of pilots not yours, think nothing of it. Its just.... Ah well, it is what it is ¨C Thank you Chief.¡±
With that Kolme kicked off the ground and floated the rest of the way up to his machine''s entry-hatch.
He knew Scarlet was fine, he could see the rear defence position from his Neo-C''s place above the Fluchtig but his thoughts went to other pilots like Tomo who he couldn''t hope to keep a constant eye on ¨C ''Sabban, Hoki, you two better come back to me, please.''
Front 44 – A Teachers Grace - Part 1/2
¡°Hoki! Hoki!!¡± Sabban roared ¨C He moved to his controls, desperate to reach out and grab her machine as the Casnel''s flaming sword bore its way through.
Even as he did however a flurry of four green lightning bolts grazed off his Neo''s armour ¨C Sabban looked for the source and found it easily, hurtling towards them was an enemy combatant larger than any other mech on the field of battle that day.
A sort of shifting rhombus shape of polished black-marble metal ¨C A Diamond almost, with four metallic hoses each attached to small energy cannons, the very thing that had just missed him.
There was no time to react, the machine was coming in too fast, at this rate it would ram them ¨C Sabban braced himself, and then ¨C It passed.
To his surprise the Fortress came in close, wrapped one of its four hoses around the critically damaged Casnel and then began to run away ¨C As fast as it had appeared, the Fortress, now toeing the Casnel ¨C Were gone.
Sabban however didn''t even consider giving chase, his machine lurched forward and grabbed Hoki''s;
¡°Hoki answer me!¡±
The Cyan Neo-C had been cut across diagonally, starting from its right shoulder blade, all the way across to its left elbow ¨C Sabban earnestly couldn''t tell past the waves of smouldering metal whether the blade had struck the cockpit of not ¨C The Neo''s neck was gone, a thin series of exposed cables just barely holding the head unit in place, the light in the visor flicking off and on mockingly.
¡°S-Sabban....¡± Murmured a voice at last, ¡°You.... called me Hoki.... Without the ''Miss'' part...Thanks.¡±
¡°What? I mean sure fine, I''ll do it again ¨C Hoki, Hoki, Hoki, a thousands times, Hoki ¨C As long as you''re ok!¡± The young man half shouted, relieved just to hear her voice;
¡°Now come on, open your hatch and lets get home, if your suit got damaged will just have to be quick ¨C A pilot can escape into space for a few seconds as long as they''re careful and get straight back into another sealed space right? You taught me that Hoki, you!¡±
¡°....Sabban, the heat of his blade.... It sealed... Fused the hatch shut.....¡± Hoki said back before breaking into a harsh fit of coughing - ¡°....If you try to force it with your machine..... you are as likely to crush me.....¡±
¡°Wh-what are saying! We have to get you out of there before that Fortress comes back around - Come on!¡±
Sabban half shouted back.
¡°Sabban, look to area... 33...¡±
¡°Those are!¡± Having done as he was told, the young man spotted an enemy squad was approaching, to investigate all the commotion of their battle with the Casnel no doubt.
¡°You''re out of weapons... You need a distractions and I''m trapped in here anyway... Look at area 39.¡±
That area was the site of another battle that had just ended, two warships had been sunk and now the last of an IAFS squad was falling as it became overwhelmed by TSU-s mechs ¨C Those mechs would also be on top of Sabban and Hoki as soon as they finished off the last of the poor Nemo squadron any second now.
¡°Hoki hold on a damn second this is too fast - You can''t be serious! We''ll find a way, you''re not dead, You Are Not Dying! I''ll get you out of there and we can just hide for a bit of something.¡±
¡°....Sabban, the heat of the Arc-Staff that close to my...skin ¨C Sabban I never saw it but I read about what you saw.... And I know you can''t take a repeat of Shasha.....¡±
Sabban''s vision lurched and his heart clenched ¨C His eyes were drawn to his two deeply scared hands, still so heavily damaged from when he had forced Nemo 26''s cabin door open, only to find his childhood friend long dead.
¡°N-nooo...¡± The man replied in more of a wail than anything else.
¡°Here....¡± Hoki''s voice crooked ¨C Her machine began to move, creaking and rocking with each inch ¨C It grabbed her signature rifle, pulled until the cables connecting it to her mech broke loose and pushed it hard into Sabban''s machine;
¡°It can only fire a single time when.... disconnected..... But that might be enough.¡±
¡°Hoki stop, don''t do this.¡±
¡°......Sabban, I''ll be your decoy........ Let me just this once............. Protect one of my precious students...¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The cyan mech, barely functional as it now was, had began to move away, to get smaller on Sabban''s screen ¨C He reached his mechs remaining hand out but did not move ¨C He wanted to, to give chase and stop her ¨C But Sabban Vint had recently learned the signs, how to tell when someone was already dead by their voice alone ¨C And something deep within him refused to throw away what she was about to do;
¡°No! No please Hoki, No!!¡±
The Cyan machine disappeared ¨C Hoki Bachika, wingwoman of the legendary Scarlet Scourge, Vice-Commander of the Fluchtig Vijaik team, Heir to the Hokuai dynasty, leader of Beta Squad, and Sabban''s teacher - Heading towards where the two warships had just sunk, to create the mother of all decoys.
****
"Whew that''s a big one." A pilot muttered mostly to themselves over the defence-line''s comm-channel.
Kolme turned his Neo''s head in the direction of what had caused the comment ¨C Far off in a lonely corner of No-man''s land, a massive explosion had just appeared ¨C It was ridiculous in scale, perhaps the largest since the weapon had fired half a day ago ¨C Another endless ball of white light, a temporary second sun in the night''s sky.
His brow furrowed - ¡°That''s no ordinary ship sinking, someone deliberately sent a reactor into meltdown.¡±
He murmured before setting his radio to just the Fluchtig''s bridge below;
¡°You guys seeing this?¡±
¡°How could we not?¡± Replied Charlie, clearly a little awestruck by the scale of it.
A moment later Lt.Aurin''s voice cut in with a sigh, clearly not overly impressed by Charlie less than useful answer - ¡°It''s fine Captain Nilas, the blast is quite some ways out from the line, it shouldn''t cause any immediate issues.¡±
¡°Ah well, that''s good. Any idea who it was?¡±
Kolme said back.
¡°Running scans now Sir. We were aware of two ships out there, perhaps they simply wiped each other other a little more creatively than most.¡±
¡°Ya maybe I guess...¡±
Kolme was a very ''normal'' human being ¨C He had zero Magi ability, nor did he place much stock in religion or even in concepts like gut-instincts ¨C But in that moment Kolme felt a truly sickening chill in his spine.
****
¡°The Heck was that!?¡± Someone on the bridge of the Valliere shouted.
Scarlet too turned to look as an almighty light burst into existence far behind them in No-man''s land.
She was just leaving the Valliere after being restocked, her machine stopped to watch the explosion, hanging in the air alongside the Valliere''s angular shape, she watched it swirl and swell, as the pulsing light blotted out their view of the battlefield.
¡°Ma''am word from the Fluchtig, the defence line is clear ¨C Nothing to worry about.¡±
The comms operator said.
¡°Good, though I suppose we are just lucky not of seen more explosions like that today with how many ships have sunk.¡±
Captain Louise said back, the relief apparent in her voice.
¡°No.¡± Scarlet suddenly spoke, ¡°There were more like that, when the weapon fired but we couldn''t see them from inside that things blast radius ¨C After that I''d bet real money every ship out here made sure to check reactor measures are properly in place ¨C When a ship sinks its meant to automatically decouple the fuel from the reactor to prevent what we''re seeing now ¨C After all an explosion like that is just as likely to hit friends - A normal sinking ship still makes a hell of a mess, but not to that scale.¡±
¡°You don''t say? Actually I did myself ask Tabitha to have safety systems checked after the weapon fired.¡±
Louise mused.
¡°Exactly. I''d guess that was deliberate.¡± Scarlet added softly.
¡°Ma''am further report from the Fluchtig ¨C They can''t be completely sure, but it seems it was no accident ¨C One of our people lured 12 or so enemies into the sinking warship, than deliberately set its generators to critical!¡±
Louise whistled under her breath, ¡°For real? One unit taking out two enemy squads ¨C That''s quiet impressive.¡±
¡°More than you know. The number of people who would have the knowledge to that is minuscule ¨C And far less who could do it while being chased by 12 enemy units ¨C That was no kamikaze, whoever did this just gave their life doing something exceptional - And they won''t of made it out, to send a generator into meltdown require a dead-man''s switch. Maybe exceptional doesn''t do it justice.¡±
Scarlet spoke.
She didn''t know why but her heart ached ¨C Something felt wrong inside her but she couldn''t tell what ¨C All she knew was she couldn''t take her eye off that ridiculously large explosion ¨C That white void of sheer energy. Similar, albeit magnitudes larger, to the explosion that had taken Una O'' Conchabhair from her.
¡°Ma''am the outer detection probe just pinged ¨C The enemy''s main force is imminent!!¡± The comms operator issued to just about anyone who was listening.
¡°Lady Scarlet?¡± The Captain added.
¡°Ya, ya you''re right ¨C No time to be looking at what''s behind us ¨C All eyes on what''s in front now eh? We owe it to whoever that brave pilot was to do that much a''ight!¡±
And so the Red-Vijaik Heavy set forth with its 8 remaining Nemo companions, to face the Remembrance army - Never looking back.
Front 44.5 - A Teachers Grace - Part 2/2
Falc was a high-tier ''Magi'' pilot, considered an exceedingly valuable and powerful asset to those who had ''cultivated'' her. She had been deployed in battle just three times, once during a brief skirmish at a station ''9.3'' ¨C A second time to cover the retreat of the Curadh during what was called by their enemies, ''Operation-Deadlight, Action 4'' ¨C And now a third time as part of the reserve TSU-s forces attempting to reclaim a massive asset known to most simply as ''The Weapon''
Unlike most of the pilots out here, who had been fighting now for nearly 6 hours ¨C The Diamond Fortress of Falc guarded by the two Vijaik-Specials of Lieutenants Yazan and Gemon, as well as Helt''s G-Type Casnel ¨C Had all only deployed about half an hour ago as the back-up troops for the floundering main assault forces.
This meant the Curadh''s odd squadron had been doing quite well for itself, cutting swaths of exhausted IAFS machines down with ease.
But then Falc had spotted something, spotted her young junior Helt ¨C Engaged with none other than 2 of the Neo-Cs that had been chasing them for months. Had it been any other mechs she wouldn''t of given it a second thought, she would of continued to sleep quietly as the battle raged on ¨C But these Neos she had witnessed go to incredible lengths before to try and break the Casnel, in fact they had nearly succeeded.
And so Falc did something she had never dared attempt before ¨C The fact was, in truth, Falc had not piloted the Diamond into battle three times ¨C Rather she had, the Magi part of her mind that always took over when she lay down on the bed of Fortress''s control centre.
So Falc had asked her, the other girl, to assist the Casnel ¨C But she had been less than impressed, explaining without malice or cruelty but through simple cold logic ¨C That the chances two Neos of minor customisation could defeat a high-tier Casnel were all but nil, like ants trying to topple a human being ¨C Or so she had claimed.
Falc, completely fatigued by the simple act of asking a favour, had fallen back to sleep ¨C Or atleast almost ¨C It was a face flashing in her mind that broke the conditioning, that allowed her to force the other girl back into the recesses of her mind.
It was a kind man''s face, a bushy but always well-trimmed trimmed moustache ¨C Eyes that seemed to smile kindly, a face of warmth and compassion.
Falc literally lurched free of the Fortress''s grasp on her mind, the other girl letting go surprisingly easily, as though amused by this turn of events ¨C Her head had reared up, elbows slid back pushing her up to ¨C Solidly slam her forehead against the glass canopy of monitor screens above her.
A few seconds of self-loathing later, the reawakened Falc pushed up the canopy and took in her surroundings.
The Fortress was much bigger than a normal mech and its cockpit reflected this ¨C Unlike a regular machine, once she was free of the glass canopy just inches from her face, the rest of the cockpit was a large square room ¨C Plenty space to stand, it was if anything a surreal space to be in while also knowing underneath you lay the writhing shape of the Fortress proper.
There was a somewhat sizable problem with this large environment, filled to the brim with dozens of monitors, keyboards and control shafts ¨C Falc had no idea how to pilot it, she knew the basics but even then only because Moncha had insisted on teaching her them ¨C Normally she was wired into the machine, controlling it telepathically in ways she didn''t understand.
There wasn''t even a chair, the slim, blond haired woman was forced to simply sit on the edge of bed as she looked around the controls.
But before she could get too overwhelmed a familiar image appeared on the largest monitor ¨C Tumbling out a stricken warship, cartwheeling round and round in the grip of a muddy-brown Neo-C, was Helt''s Casnel ¨C And closing in on them both, a cyan Neo-C with sword drawn.
Falc scrambled, pressing buttons and levers at borderline random until finally her machine started to speed in the right direction ¨C She was far too slow of course, the Neo had stabbed straight through the Casnel''s lower back and out all the way to its stomach, or atleast where a human''s stomach would be.
For a moment Falc''s heart sank as the terror of being too late washed over her ¨C So it was an absolute relief the Casnel continued to move, swinging around an abnormally large Arc-Staff and cutting down its foe.
Spirit renewed, Falc managed to fire a volley of her own at the brown, one handed Neo ¨C Considering it was standing completely still and how close she was to it, it should of been an instant kill ¨C It would of been one but Falc unfortunately didn''t really know what she was doing.
Still it had been enough to push the mech back and in its moment of hesitation she closed the last of the distance, used one of the Fortress nozzles to latch onto the Casnel and made her great escape ¨C It had been clumsy, far from optimised and very almost a complete failure ¨C But Falc grinned with happiness at having successfully shaken their dogged pursuers once more.
''Now'' she thought, ''How do I stop this thing again?''
The Diamond had continued to thrash its way through the night-sky for a solid half a minute, dragging the Casnel wavily behind it, until finally it impacted hard into a piece of debris that didn''t feel like budging.
The force of impact threw Falc against the ceiling, which hurt rather alot ¨C But on the plus side the impact seem to of activated some sort of automatic ''halt'' sequence and at-last the machine had stopped.
Rubbing the back of her head tenderly, Falc retook her position on the edge of the bed and reached out for the radio dials ¨C After just a little trail and error she managed to connect to Helt''s battered machine;
¡°Ummmm Helty? You there?¡±
After a few uncomfortable moments of silence;
¡°Just about, your rescues sure are rough ya know that?¡±
Falc smiled, happy to hear her junior''s childish jabs alive and well.
Helt continued - ¡°Hey can you open your cabin''s door? Oh and don''t forget to put on your helmet first.¡±
¡°Oh ummm, sure?¡± Falc responded, tucking up her hair and putting on the stuffy helmet before pressing a series of mostly random buttons ¨C Eventually rather than opening the regular hatch, she accidentally manage to open the entire front wall of the control centre ¨C Screens, controls and all lifted like a garage door, she was forced to hold on for dear life as her action causally released all the air from inside the cockpit.
Below her Helt existed the Casnel, the fully white-spacesuit clad young man floated his way up ¨C Once inside he quickly found the button to replace the wall and before long the control room returned to how it had started, plus one guest.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. With the air gone they of course had to leave on their spacesuit now, something they both frowned about a great deal...
¡°Ummm.¡± Falc spoke over the short range link between helmets, ¡°Is it ok to leave the Casnel like that?¡±
Helt shot her a look of dismay - ¡°Falc that things kaput, it''ll go into Meltdown any moment now ¨C Actually if ya don''t mind could you put some distance between us and it?¡±
¡°Wha-wha-What!!!!¡±
The young woman exclaimed back.
Helt sighed, ¡°Look Falc, you know I see you like an older sister but now ain''t the time.¡±
Reluctantly Falc manipulated the Fortress to let go of and push away the Casnel, Arc-staff still impaled through its now lifeless body ¨C With a little coaxing from Helt, they put the Fortress into reverse and slowly the image of the Casnel on the main monitor began to get smaller and smaller.
¡°Is this really ok?¡± Falc asked but there was no answer as both youth''s eyes were suddenly grabbed by a side monitor ¨C It pointed in the direction they had come from and now showed nothing but white.
It was no visual glitch or screen error ¨C A warship had been set to make the biggest explosion it could and it quite literally blotted out that part of space.
¡°Wow...¡± Falc whispered, Helt was silent.
They sat staring at the fascinating sight for a few moments before suddenly a similar image appeared on the larger main monitor screen ¨C The Casnel went critical.
They didn''t have long to admire it, as the shockwaves slammed into the Fortress sending it cartwheeling backwards.
Thrown about inside, Helt cursed aloud; ¡°Damn, the blast radius is bigger than I thought!!¡±
¡°Don''t talk, you''ll bite your toung--¡± Falc protested before perhaps inevitably doing just as she''d warned.
It took along 30 seconds of spinning before the Fortress settled down once more, its exterior now badly burnt.
Both Helt and Falc got back to their feet, nursing the array of new cuts and bruises.
Still, putting aside the pain, the site before them was awestriking ¨C The screens on the left displaying the dieing warship and to the front the Casnel ¨C An explosion so bright, of such swirling white, that you could never of guessed at its centre was once the Curadh''s prized Casnel.
¡°It''s bigger.¡± Helt said sorrowfully after a time.
¡°Hmmm?¡±
Falc responded, thought not taking her eyes off the screens.
¡°The explosion, when that MBT tried to kill me two months ago, its explosion was smaller than the Casnel''s.¡±
¡°Well ya of course, The Casnel''s Hindenburg reactor is way, way, way more powerfully then a little MBT''s.¡±
¡°Doesn''t seem fair, I didn''t even have to die to make a brighter light...¡±
Falc took her gaze off the screens, to stare at Helt''s eyes, hidden behind the helmet visor;
¡°Well only ''cause your big sister has got your back.¡±
She grinned stupidly.
Helt returned an earnest smile of his own - ¡°Ya, seems people are always saving me huh? It''s just.... When I was little Falc, both my parents died in an accident....¡±
¡°I know.¡±
She replied gently
¡°I never told anyone on the ship that.¡±
¡°Nope, but I know and I bet you know my past too right?¡±
¡°Well ya, kinda.¡±
She smiled, ¡°So what is it you can''t tell anyone else?¡±
He unclenched the fist he hadn''t even know was held;
¡°I was just a kid right, I didn''t know how to handle a loss like that ¨C It wasn''t my fault that I became the sort of person to thrust in authority is it? I needed faith, trusting TSU was like my religion, my way to cope ¨C Its not wrong that I wanted to buy into the lies and the hurt is it?
But that girl, Una, she lost everything too ¨C No far more than me, her family, her friends, her entire city ¨C But she didn''t fall, she didn''t look to snake-oil to recover ¨C She stood up to fight, to try make life better for other people.
I said such terrible things to her, tried to force my faith on her rather than except that maybe she was braver than me ¨C It took Major Moncha dieing and our own side making this ridiculous giant-laser-weapon piece of shit for me to see that, why?
Why can''t I talk to them now, speak about everything that my mind won''t let me forget.¡±
Falc smiled as best she could, ¡°You can still try, to talk to her someday.¡±
¡°No I can''t! She was the pilot, of that MBT, of course she was!
She''s dead, I killed her ¨C The Major died for me to live too ¨C But.... But I don''t think I deserve it. Why did I get to be the one in the invincible machine? Would she still be alive if she''d been born a Magi or given a Casnel?
What could she do for the world with that power, would she be able to make it a better place? Why do I get to live when they don''t.¡±
Falc reached a gloved hand up and laid it atop Helt''s helmet - ¡°I didn''t mean talk like that, I meant, well I''m not very good with words but I meant in here.¡±
She beckoned to her heart, ¡°I don''t know about all these ''Ifs'' but the Major and that girl, you''re right, they''re gone.
But you''re not ¨C What can you do with the time you''ve been given? What can you change with the Casnel ¨C Maybe that''s the way to think about it.¡±
¡°Well its all over now anyway, those Neo''s finally pulled off a win.¡± Helt added, turning his gaze back to the final light of his Casnel ¨C The edges of the explosion were beginning to fray, the energy spluttering and starting to dissipated ¨C It would still be quite some time but slowly the Casnel was starting to fade from this life.
¡°Wonder how much trouble I''ll get in for losing it ¨C Though probably not as much as you for breaking conditioning.¡±
¡°Oh God there gon''na be so mad!¡± Falc lamented as the duo''s easy air returned to them
As though on que, a channel Falc hadn''t even realised she''d activated, began to boom around the cabin;
¡°Attention all remaining TSU forces - This is Captain Marie Synapse of the Troy Class Vessel, Curadh ¨C I am hereby issuing a total retreat order in the face of a large and immanent Remembrance Fleet set to arrive sooner than first thought. The Curadh and its escort will keep open a safe corridor at the rear of line, use it to withdraw and regroup ¨C I repeat, Attention all remining TSU forces ¨C This is Captain Marie Synapse--¡±
Helt frowned, ¡°Hey look, another priority message.¡± He turned the dial;
¡°This Is Admiral Luitpold Speaking From The Bridge Of Your Flagship, The Egypt!!! Captain Synapse has gone insane, just like her father before her!! Ignore her orders, maintain the ranks, hold your GROUND!! I repeat, this is your Admiral, the next Grand Admiral once this finished!¡±
Helt and Falc shared a concerned look - ¡°A power schism now, this late in the battle?¡±
¡°What should we do?¡± Falc asked.
Helt grinned, ¡°Oh that atleast is easy ¨C We do what the Major would of done, we head home and protect the Curadh with all we''ve got!¡±
And so ripple began to spread through-out No-man''s land, as the Casnel and Fortress withdrew for the last time - As TSU-s began to crumble yet grow more desperate than ever, one question remained for those who released what was happening with-in IAFS ¨C Was this too little too late?
Front 45 – A Pause
[Recording Starts]
............................................................................................................................................................................
......................................... The fuck do you want me to say, huh?!
I mean who gives you the right to tell me I have to record a stupid BlackBox entry Scarlet?!
.....................................................................................................................
Seriously the Hell am I meant to say? If I''m dead, than I''m dead, that''s it.
Kolme I attached a file for you, damn cockroach I can be sure you''re not dead ¨C Send whatever is left in my account to Shasha''s mom and throw a brick through my Dad''s living room window ¨C That ought to settle all my affairs right there.
There is literally nothing else for me to say, I''m not gonna sit here and treat this like therapy ya hear?
If I''m dead all I hope is that I don''t die like an idiot ¨C For fuck''s sake don''t let me commit some stupid act of self-sacrifice, I hate it.
I hate how my whole life I''ve been constantly surrounded by Martyrdom obsessed fools!
My Da'' couldn''t be in the military, some stupid minor condition like flat feet ¨C So his whole family ostracised him ¨C My uncle, now he was military, so he was the golden child.
Mom was military, that''s how she met dad ¨C She fell in love and got this friggin ridiculous idea she would fight for them both, earn back the Vint family''s respect that way ¨C And you know the worst bit? It actually helped a little bit, my Grandparents, my uncles and aunts ¨C They all accepted my dad a little bit by mere associations to a ''good soldier'' like my mother.
''Course when both mom and my uncle died in the First War, the ''family'' disappeared, never supported us, sometimes tried to hinder us! Bunch of snake-eyed bastards!
The thing I hated though, was the letter about their deaths, informing us ''with pride'' that mom had died saving others ¨C Fuck that!
..........................................................This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Ya know it hurts, it sucks, it fucking burns that Ennya and Zori died ¨C But atleast they died for themselves ¨C They got beat by better machines and died, all there is to it ¨C But Mili and.... And Shasha ¨C They died protecting others like idiots ¨C Their deaths didn''t even pay off, the people they saved either died anyway or were never really in that much danger!
And now Una too, stupid girl had to go and die to save us ¨C Who the hell decides which life is worth more huh?!
So Scarlet would of probably died, but who''s to say Una didn''t deserve to live in Scarlet''s place?
Why do people always, always insist on dieing for others, its so fucking stupid!!
Me and Shasha, we could of been something better than this miserable reality.
She''d of become a famous officer, we''d of drifted apart for a bit but then years down the line I''d get put in charge of her security detail or something ¨C We''d rekindle our childhood memories and retire together ¨C She having gotten the money for her mother''s medical treatment, me reclaiming the ''Vint honour'' for my dad ¨C Why the hell did she have to go and die like that!
Why!..... Why couldn''t I save her, or Una, or--.... Why didn''t my Mom listen when I begged her with tears in my adolescent eyes not to go off to war?
............................................................................................................................................................................
Fuck this shit, I told you lot I didn''t want to do one of these ¨C We''re even for Bannerman now, no more favours old man.
Damn it all......
[Recording Ends]
Sabban''s bruised and busted Neo-C floated placidly through the rolling debris fields of fallen ships and defeated Vijaiks ¨C It was in-general moving in the direction of the defence-line, although there was little urgency to its movement.
Two remarkably large white explosion accented what should of been the black void of space behind him ¨C Hoki''s ''decoy'' had worked exceptionally well ¨C The TSU-s forces had fallen into disarray, perhaps panicked wondering if IAFS had swapped to an all out self-destruction strategy, or maybe they were just taking a moment to regroup.
Whatever the case it meant for the first time in hours, there was something of a temporary reprieve spreading throughout the battlefield.
Still held in his remaining Neo''s hand was the ACR-Mk5-Sniper Rifle of Hoki Bachika, a single round left in it.
The young man''s eyes were barely focusing on much of anything but he was vaguely aware of two things:
One being the suffocating heat being generated by his machine ¨C He''d lost one vent fighting the Casnel and managed to crush another while ramming it, his cockpit was therefore incredibly hot right now ¨C And two, that the warship that had just appeared in front of him, a warship that was aflame as a massive pulsing beam of energy smashed into its side ¨C Was none other than the Rinie, an IAFS ship that had accompanied them throughout Operation Deadlight ¨C The ship where pilots Sabban atleast professionally respected like Tomo and Erfu had come from ¨C A ship on the cusp of sinking.
Front 46 - An Ode To Would Be Protagonists
In a day that had been filled of magnificent explosions and exuberant laser weapons, the beam currently swirling & drilling into the side of the good ship Rinie, was perhaps underwhelming by comparison ¨C But of course comparisons don''t really matter, not when a bolt of light the size of a Vijaik, with multiple smaller beams of multi-coloured flare circling it, is cutting away at the life of your vessel.
As Sabban Vint approached the destruction from an angel, it finally stopped ¨C Once the dust cleared, the view of the Rinie was not pretty.
As a warship it was designed as a sort of 45 degree triangle, with rolling rows of little windows and gun ports ¨C Although Sabban knew it was a somewhat childish analogy, the thought that came to mind was a wedge of cheese, one with a massive corner having been chewed out.
He fiddled with his comms dials:
¡°This is our final order, all personal evacuate now, repeat, now!¡±
Sabban frowned and in spite of his hollow self, spoke back;
¡°Hello?¡±
A pause, then; ¡°I take it you''re that Neo pilot floating towards us lad?¡±
A heavily accented, older man''s voice spoke back.
¡°Yup.¡±
¡°Well, not much for you here I''m afraid ¨C If you want, you could help guide our lifeboats towards the Fluchtig.¡±
Sabban was quiet for a few moments, he already knew the answer but asked anyway - ¡°And you?¡±
¡°Ah, someone''s got to make it look like the Ship''s still standing, or the enemy might shoot down those fleeing.¡±
The voice replied almost shyly.
It was no word of a lie, Sabban could see the little rectangular escape boats leaving from the Rinie''s hanger-mouth.
Meanwhile its cannons were still shooting, meaning someone was keeping up the fa?ade, though of course some careful observation would clearly reveal the guns were firing at nothing, aimed at random.
¡°No you Lt.Wally are catching the last boat!¡± Suddenly boomed a different, much more brash voice ¨C Sabban had never interacted with the leaders of the Rinie but at this point he could guess them to be the Captain and second in command, Lt.Wally and the infamous Captain Batty.
¡°I could say the same to you Captain.¡±
Wally said back.
Sabban wasn''t really paying attention, he was more focused on ''where'' he was. Approaching from a parallel angel he was close to the Rinie but also had a different point of view and after a little searching he found it. Tucked away in the wreckage of fallen ships and mechs, was the attacker who had fired the abnormally large energy attack:
It was effectively a pistol in shape, one easily 3 times the size of a Neo ¨C Stood behind it was a standard Ogre Vijaik, meaning the attack was all on that strange pistol shaped cannon.
It was also quiet far away, not surprising that the Rinie couldn''t fight back, it was like trying to find a needle in a battlefield of endless Vijaik debris.
¡°Is your gunnery commander still there?¡±
Sabban mused.
¡°Huh? Ah no lad, ''fraid its just me and the captain.¡±
¡°Shame, I can see the enemy.¡±
¡°You can!? Well maybe if.... No I don''t actually know how to aim the main cannons properly ¨C You?¡±
¡°Nope, actually I don''t even know how to give co-ordinate for that sort of shot either ¨C I''m just a pilot.¡±
¡°Ah-well, nice of you to think of us ¨C Now I''d get going lad, that thing can''t be far off its next shot.¡±
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The Lieutenant was right again, Sabban could see the barrel of the pistol glowing, in a similar way to how the weapon had when it fired ¨C Perhaps it was some sort of prototype or miniature version, rolled out now as the battle on both sides grew more desperate.
¡°Won''t be enough ¨C Once its done with you it''ll just keep sniping off our ships one by one, the defence line will fall.¡±
Sabban muttered back.
It was Captain Batty''s voice that boomed back this time;
¡°Indeed! Then stop whimpering boy and get back to your mothership ¨C Our comms are down but you can go and warn them in person ¨C Let them know of our lifeboats as well while you are at it! That Nate Novel is likely to panic without me around, see that he atleast has due warning of my departure!¡±
Sabban shook his head but said nothing ¨C He doubted there was much good that would do, even if with warning the Fluchtig or Kolme''s Nemo squads and they could stop this enemy, another would soon appear ¨C A Casnel or a Fortress, more strange weapons or extra reinforcements - ¡°Pointless.... I can''t help them....¡±
He whispered.
He wasn''t lying, the single shot in his rifle would do no good ¨C The chances he could knock out the Ogre operating the gun from a side angel like this were stupidly low and he wouldn''t have enough time to get behind it for a clear shot.
He could shoot at the gaint pistol itself but again its sides were probably heavily fortified and Sabban only had a single shot left ¨C Moreover his helmet had been damaged, his cameras were barely functioning, visibly scratch lines permeating throughout them, and of course he had none of the long range targeting equipment that Hoki used ¨C There was nothing he could do about the next shot.
Plus the Rinie was already clearly finished, 12 hours of combat against a decade old ship ¨C Its paint was stripped away, many holes littered it where entire sections of the ship had been blown open, it was a miracle it had lasted this long.
The voices of the Batty''s broke him from his thoughts;
¡°Now then Lieutenant, off with you!¡±
¡°The last boats already gone Captain, just us two now.¡±
Wally said back, a touch of genuine softness in his voice.
¡°What?! You idiot!¡±
¡°And what about you, you''re still here my love.¡±
¡°!! - I am the Captain of this vessel, I shall stand with my ship to the very end!¡±
¡°And I am your husband, until death do us part right?¡±
No more words were spoken between the two, Batty didn''t have anymore to say but Sabban could hear a faint rustling as the two stood closer together one final time.
Opposite that he could see the pistol''s barrel now radiating bright light ¨C The time had clearly come.
''There''s nothing to be done, no way to save them and no point in saving them. That ship is finished, and more enemies are out there ¨C Nothing I can do. I don''t have power, my machine is buckled and it was never very good to begin with. I don''t have abilities or a speical drug and I''m not like them.
I can''t turn things around just by being me.
..... I hate people who self-sacrifice.''
Sabban gave into the flow that had always been beneath him, to the feeling of knowing what to do, of always having known what to do ¨C To an ability he had never mastered, the latent potential of a different lifetime, of a different person.
His Neo-C, drifted in the last of the distance and outstreched its remaining arm, rifle held out proudly.
He didn''t really aim, so much as knew exactly where to place the weapon ¨C He pulled the trigger.
So too did the enemy, the massive swirling, pulsating silver beam ejected out of the gun in a long continuous stream, the multicolour lightning circling around it.
In mid air, the sleek blue line of the rifle bolt past by the magnitudes large blast of the pistol ¨C The bolt slid by and slammed forcefully into the Pistol''s outer edged.
The explosion it made was small, insignificant against the armour of the impressive tool, but it was enough ¨C The pistol only halfway through its blast was sent into a mass of chain explosions along its body as the energy discharge backfired.
The cannon barrel exploded, cutting the attack short and causing both weapon and Vijaik to go up in flames.
Of course the half blast it had already fired continued onwards.
Sabban Vint smiled ever so slightly as the light engulfed his Nemo, eviscerating it in an instant.
The blast continued on, ripping straight through the bridge of the Rinie, the final blow causing the whole superstructure of the veteran vessel to rip, buckle and sink.
Two mechs, one ship and a strange weapon ¨C Fell.
Front 47 – Last Stand - Part 1/3
Nate Novel looked around the small space of the Fluchtig''s bridge, spotting one of the aides bringing food to the current scanner operator ¨C He was about to call out and ask the man to bring him a drink refill ¨C When it happened.
The explosion was nothing compared to what they had witnessed a short while ago ¨C No reactor went into meltdown this time and yet this one seemed far, far more important, and all eyes on the bridge shot to it to stare in disbelief.
The Rinie had stood with them this entire time, positioned above them to the right side of the Fluchtig ¨C The old-general, a ship everyone has atleast heard of. It wasn''t a particularly impressive looking vessel, in fact it was the oldest ship in the IAFS fleet ¨C Even its angular design had gone out of fashion, with more modern ships like the Valliere having much less aggressively triangular set-ups.
It was a ship you never expected to be in charge per-se, but always expected to be there, ever reliable and steadfast.
When Nate had suddenly found himself as leader of IAFS 12 hours ago, he hadn''t hesitated to make Captain, no Commander Batty, his successor in the case the Fluchtig might sink.
''Commander Batty, Captain of the good-ship Rinie'' ¨C That was what she had been to so many for over a decade now ¨C For all she acted bitter about constantly being passed over for promotion, Nate was pretty sure the only way Batty would of ever left the Rinie was in the eventuality of its destruction ¨C She was more than just its captain, something akin to its matriarch.
The Rinie had taken damage before, many times over the years ¨C Even during Operation Deadlight ¨C And yet, perhaps more so than even Admiral Louise ¨C Nate Novel could never of imagined watching the Rinie sink.
It wasn''t the impressive white void of a Hindenburg reactor meltdown, but rather the normal buckling of metal, explosions of fiery reds and oranges ¨C Drifting apart of sections.
¡°.......The Rinie''s been hit!¡± Charlie said after a while.
Nate shook himself back into action, he couldn''t imagine how angry Commander Batty would be if she saw him gawking like this;
¡°Tell me what we know, speculate if you must!¡±
He said in the scanner operators direction.
¡°Err, if I''m speculating sir, well...¡±
¡°Go on, you can confirm it later, I need to know what happened now.¡±
¡°Right Sir! Well, it looks like 3, maybe even four explosions. One was the Rinie obviously, but another looks like a Vijaik right in front of it and finally something weird out a ways from the Rinie, maybe a Fortress or something?¡±
Aurin stepped over to the operators terminal to look at the data too;
¡°If that''s the case maybe one of our Vijaiks managed to land a shot on that thing, destroying it!¡±
¡°That''s what I think too Sirs. I''d guess we''re safe.¡±
The operator added with a nod.
¡°So we owe our lives to a nameless pilot then? Hmmmm, make sure and confirm it chaps, last thing we need is a Fortress hiding right under our noses. Charlie we lost comms with the Rinie a few minutes ago, see if you can''t find any short range signals from lifeboats, and put me through to Kolme Nilas.¡±
Nate wasn''t really sure, if the loss of the Rinie felt so heavy on his heart because it was so reliable. Or because with it gone the Fluchtig was now the only remaining capital ship, all the rest in the defence line being smaller destroyer and frigate class vessels - Or if it was because there was now no one to take command should Nate fall ill or the Fluchtig sink ¨C Or maybe, it was simply that for the Rinie to fall, the end must surely be close.
He beckoned Aurin to stand next to him and listen in on the call, the younger man ever in sunglasses stepped up and spoke solemnly;
¡°I fear we owe our lives to quite a few nameless pilots today sir.¡±
¡°Yes, I suppose we do.¡± Nate said back quietly.
¡°Sir transmission from the lifeboats fleeing the Rinie! They say commander Batty and Lt.Wally.... Stayed with the ship sir.¡±
Nate nodded, holding back his own feelings on the news, ¡°Thank you Charlie, get me Kolme now please, than help guide those lifeboats to safety, fast as possible.¡±
Over the 12 long hours this battle had raged on for, Nate Novel had run dozens of scenarios through his mind ¨C Once an hour he''d dictate these to one of the aides, give them numbers and have them transmitted to all remaining IAFS ships in range.
In his head he now crossed off these contingence plans one by one ¨C The sheer number of them that had been conceived with the Rinie in mind were heart-breaking ¨C Nate and Batty hadn''t gotten along very well.
The woman was a bit older than him and had served in the military even before the First War, plus she had once thought Nate was hitting on her ¨C Something she had never forgiven him for ¨C But none of that had stopped Nate deep down respecting and depending on her over this last half years of the Tristain Flotilla''s life.
¡°Sir, I know the Rinie meant al--¡± Kolme''s voice suddenly emitted from the speaker affixed to Nate''s chair.
¡°Indeed it did, so let us not waste whatever time it seems to have bought us yes?¡±
Nate replied, cutting Kolme short.
¡°Right Sir.¡± Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°Gentlemen I''m considering plan 9-c.¡±
¡°What?!¡± Aurin, losing for once his composure, burst out loud.
Nate shot him a kind smile, ¡°Our forces are all but spent, we have just 6 ships left in the defence line and no way of recovering any more that might be stuck in No-man''s land ¨C Our number of mecha has dropped to around 70 as well ¨C We can longer sustain our activates. We will abandon the line and retreat to the weapon''s control centre to pick up the refugees.¡±
Refugees was the simple term they had been using to describe all those who had survived their ship''s sinking.
Although the exact numbers were unclear in all the chaos, around 90 IAFS ships had sunk today, many had sent off survivors in little life boats of metal ¨C Some of these survivors had been put to work on still operational ships but others, especially the injured, had been sent to the weapons control centre ¨C Which had adjoining it, large infirmaries and residential blocks to house the unwell ¨C If it was time for IAFS to retreat, than they would have to first pick up the couple hundred survivors currently aboard the weapon.
¡°Once we have them, we head north and meet up with the Valliere and the Charon plus whatever forces Commander Scarlet still has active.¡±
¡°What about the advanced Remembrance forces!?¡±
Aurin shot back, his voice dripping ever so slightly of indignation.
¡°If they have not been defeated, then we should still have plenty enough firepower to bust a hole through their ranks ¨C That said I doubt we have to worry, the Scarlet Scourge has no doubt already cut that path for us.¡±
¡°You can count on it.¡±
Kolme added jovially.
¡°But... But the main Remembrance Fleet behind that and... and....¡± Aurin continued.
Nate looked upon the man fondly ¨C For all Aurin acted mature, he was still a fair ways younger than Nate and far less used to battles of today''s scale. But moreover where most of the bridge crew had been able to swap throughout the battle, take short breaks while night-crew took their places ¨C Nate and Aurin had been here for 12 entire, long hours now ¨C Overseeing everything together as best they could ¨C they were both exhausted and he knew exactly the things Aurin wanted to say;
¡°Why did so many have to die if we were just going to retreat?¡± Nate said for him ¨C The younger man looked up, clearly Nate had hit a bull''s eye.
¡°Well for one, we had to rig the weapon for remote demolition, that alone took quite some hours ¨C You would know as much considering you co-ordinated that process Aurin. By the time we had finished setting up the weapon to blow, we had already lost over half our forces and since then, well ¨C I thought we might still be able to win ¨C To force TSU-s into a retreat and scare off Remembrance.
It seems I was atleast partially wrong on that front but we have not fought here in vain.
Had we retreated when the weapon was first ready for demolition, we would of left with 50% loses while TSU-s still had most of their fleet intact ¨C Now? Now we leave them a shell of their former selves ¨C Once we blow up the weapon, that remaining TSU-s forces will return home a shambling disgrace, the goverment will dissolve them.
No we have not fought and died in vain this day ¨C We have done what IAFS was created to do, to stop TSU-s authoritarian madness. The weapon''s demolition will probably take out a few more of their ship''s to boot."
Nate paused, looking around at all those on the bridge, his impromptu speech no doubt important to the others too;
"We are not retreating in defeat Aurin, but in victory ¨C One that has cost us a great deal, I know, but those who''ve perished today, I do not believe they would want us to pointlessly fight to the death ¨C I believe they want us to make their sacrifice mean something and we do that by living to see TSU-s fall.
Sure I could order the weapon turn around, order it fire into No-man''s land, we could ensure a true victory that way ¨C But we would also be firing on any IAFS survivors out there ¨C Waiting for rescue, floating in escape pods and life boats ¨C And it would be an act of pure bitterness, using the same weapon that took the Admiral and our home fleet brothers from us, in order to enact some petty revenge? Which no doubt would lead to the Remembrance fleet finishing us off from behind.
No, we''ve lost enough today and done our very best ¨C Its time.¡±
As Nate studied Aurin''s face, he was reminded of how being a Captain was only in part about giving speeches or leading charges ¨C Often, like now, even in their current dire straits, it was more about guiding people through the most painful of times.
¡°What if the Remembrance main fleet decide to chase after us anyway? Once they see the weapon destroyed they might do so?¡± Aurin finally said after some careful thought.
¡°Ah that atleast is easy ¨C We surrender.¡±
The jaws of a half-dozen people around the bridge, most of whom were still busy attending to their stations, gapped.
¡°Surrender?¡±
¡°Yup, we''ve done what we set out to do ¨C Stopped this devil''s weapon and dealt TSU-s a death blow, we have no reason to fight Remembrance and with the forces we have left, we''d be crushed.
Remembrance on the other hand have no actual reason to destroy us outright ¨C The Fluchtig alone is state-of-art, useful for study and of course, perhaps we can remind them that many members of IAFS are X-Remembrance.
I''m confident we can either sneak past them or peacefully lay down our weary arms.¡±
¡°I see.¡± Aurin said ¨C The young man had clearly realised that Nate had given this alot of thought, it was time to trust his Captain.
¡°Yes, I''m glad I talked this through with you both, my decision is made ¨C Kolme see to it the Nemos are reorganised for a gradually withdrawal, we head north to the refugees and the rear defences - Then north-west, hopefully we can even catch the Tradech on our way, have the entire remaining strength of IAFS high-tail it back to Bannerman, leaving the weapon and TSU-s as just a fireball of a bad memory behind us.¡±
¡°Aye Sir.¡±
¡°Aurin, my friend ¨C Will you transmit a formation for the remaining ships to the other captains?¡±
Aurin looked up and saluted;
¡°Of course, Sir.¡±
****
Front 47 - Last Stand - Part 2/3
The large reinforced palm of Scarlet''s Vijaik-Heavy pressed against the torso of a battered magenta-purple and burgundy-red machine ¨C With a small push her massive Calabar greatsword slowly slid out from where it had pierced the machine''s core.
A moment later her mech spun around, sword outstreched ¨C Coming at her was another of the strange Remembrance high-mobility type Vijaiks, this one with Arc-staff held over head, hoping to strike her down from behind.
Aiming lower and with more reach, the Calabar ripped the attacker in half, its leg separating from its waist.
Next sidestepping slightly, Scarlet allowed the bisected foe to pass her by before swinging her blade one last time, down hard on its passing back ¨C Slicing in until the cockpit was pierced and another machine fell dead.
Breathing heavily, Scarlet withdrew her blade once more and began to look around ¨C She was surrounded on all sides by the debris of over a hundred mecha. Most of them were Remembrances, with their wing like arms and rectangular heads ¨C But every so often was the green and blue parts of a Nemo, atleast ten of them in all.
Scarlet had hoped not taking the enhancer drug would allow her to be a better leader and yet around her it seemed she had once again lost all her subordinates.
They had no question died valiantly, each taking out atleast 3 to 4 enemies before falling ¨C Scarlet''s hunch had been right, the remote mines had left the Remembrance mechs stalled for a few seconds each, allowing a massacre to be carried out ¨C But one by one the Nemo''s too had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of foes ¨C Until only scarlet remained.
Though she hadn''t counted, it would be a fair guess to say she had taken out atleast 50 machines, if not closer to 70 all by herself ¨C But that didn''t make her proud or happy, perhaps she could take a little comfort in knowing she and her subordinates had stopped the entire Remembrance advanced force, a staggering feat even by her standards.
Satisfied that there were no more stragglers hiding near-by, Scarlet placed the greatsword on her back and begin to drift in the Weapon''s direction ¨C Its massive shape still accenting the sky for miles around.
Pretty quickly she caught site of the Valliere and the Charon, the two ships that had supported the battle against the Remembrance advanced forces ¨C Both ship''s were still in one piece which was something of a relief ¨C Though clearly both had taken alot of damaged.
Before long she came into range of communications and called out;
¡°Anyone home?¡±
After a few moments the static riddled line cleared and was replaced by Captain Louise''s voice;
¡°This dial here Tabitha? Ah I see it now yes.... Hello Lady Scarlet can you hear me?¡±
¡°Yo¡±
¡°Oh this is wonderful! For a moment we thought you might not have made it.¡± Louise said back.
¡°Ha! Who d''you think you''re dealing with here Captain?¡±
Scarlet sniggered, ¡°Anyway how are you lot?¡±
¡°Well good and bad ¨C Our causalities have been fairly small, a blessing no doubt ¨C But both the Charon and Valliere have been severely damaged, neither can move anymore ¨C I''ve given the order for lifeboats to launch and take the crews away before any more serious damages rear their heads ¨C Mr.Ahern is going to escort them.¡±
¡°That so? Shame to hear the ship''s are staying her-- Did you just say Ahern?!¡±
¡°Hmmm? Well yes, he made it back just before you.¡±
Scarlet''s face broke into a massive smile ¨C ''So one person did make it back, one entire pilot, one of my pilots, still alive and kicking after 100 enemies eh? Hell ya!!''
¡°Alright great, when you get chance patch me through to him ¨C We''ll tow whatever is left in the supply-caravans too and the both of us can escort the lifeboats ¨C Time to head home to the Fluchtig.¡±
Scarlet nodded mostly to herself, genuinely cheered up by the news of a surviving subordinate.
¡°Indeed the Commander is quite right, we should get going too Captain.¡± Added in a third voice, that of the Valliere''s second in command, Lt.Tabitha.
¡°Well I guess you''re right...¡± Louise said back reluctantly.
Scarlet rose an eyebrow - ¡°Something up ladies?¡±
Tabitha was quick to reply, ¡°The Captain has some strange notion to stay with her ship, despite there being no purpose in doing so.¡±
¡°Tabitha please!¡± Louise cut in.
Scarlet laughed, if the two could bicker like this than it was probably true that both the Charon and Valliere had taken little causalities ¨C Even if the ships were having to be abandoned, it meant they had accomplished their duty with minimal loses ¨C Perhaps Scarlet hadn''t failed at leading them quite so badly after all.
¡°! Captain look at this, quickly!¡±
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.Tabitha suddenly shouted.
¡°I don''t understand, what does it mean?¡± Louise added.
¡°Oh, my apologies ¨C This is our long range scanner, ma''am this shows 5 more machines approaching us!¡±
Scarlet''s heart fell, it was too soon for the main Remembrance fleet to get here ¨C Just 5 machines implied something else entirely, something she didn''t even want to imagine - ¡°Lieutenant, co-ordinates to me now!¡±
Tabitha was quick to reply, listing a very specific set of numbers ¨C Scarlet turned her machine''s camera and pushed the focus lens to the max.
It was distant, the image very grainy ¨C But she could make out 5 shapes and their colours;
¡°Four Lilac coloured and one pure white....¡± She muttered.
¡°Different to the ones we were just fighting then?¡±
Louise asked.
¡°That bitch, that fucking bitch!!¡±
¡°Ah what? Lady Scarlet?¡±
¡°I can''t believe she would actually do this, that absolute bitch!!!¡±
¡°Commander you''re not making sense?¡±
Tabitha added.
Scarlet''s heart raced as she looked at the tiny blimps of the approaching squadron;
¡°It''s her, the leader of Remembrance, the one who made them so corrupt and shitty ¨C The one I didn''t stop years ago, Omaes Agagite!¡±
¡°What?! But why would Remembrance''s grand commander be out here now?¡±
Said back a bewildered Louise.
¡°Oh she always used to do this, observing from the front ¨C Or more like sending in a massive advanced force and then watching from the side-lines--¡± Scarlet Sneered, ¡°--Atleast she did in the simulations and war games, but to do it now in real combat!!
I''m sending you the picture from my Vijaik ¨C You see the four lilac coloured dudes? Those are the Type D, only a limited number have been produced and they''re given exclusively to Ace pilots, each of those mechs matches the specs of our Vijaik-Heavies and then some ¨C But the white one in the middle is key, you see it with all the curves and stuff?
Its a bona-fide Remembrance Casnel and its one of a kind ¨C Piloted by the higher-tier, natural born Magi, Omaes Agagite ¨C A veritable demi-god of combat.
Damn-it, five more minutes and we''d of had the lifeboats clear! But as it is that sadistic bitch will shoot you guys out of the sky if she spots you.¡±
Tabitha, her voice shaken, was the one to ask the obvious question; ¡°W-what do we do against such an elite unit?¡±
¡°Nothing. We do nothing.¡± Scarlet replied flatly, ¡°All five of those machines are Ace level, no doubt ¨C I''m the only one who can face them ¨C Even if the rest of the Fluchtig''s squad were here I''d tell them to fall back.¡±
¡°Alight then we must act with haste, Tabitha have the evacuation of the ships sped up and get down to one yourself.¡±
¡°Captain what are you suggesting?¡±
¡°Ya sorry Cap'' but this is mine ¨C You both get on a boat yourself, have Ahern set the supply caravan to automatic ¨C After that tell him to guard those lifeboats with his life a''ight? I''ll buy you the time you need and then catch up later.¡±
¡°No Commander, I''m staying here ¨C It may have been only a short time but you are my head of pilots right now and I refuse to leave you to your fate alone ¨C I''ll keep the Valliere''s guns firing, perhaps the distraction will help in your endeavour... It''s what Father would have done.¡±
''Oh'' Scarlet thought ¨C She''d seen red when she spotted Omaes''es unit, she had forgotten for a moment that other people have their own motives, their own regrets and ambitions ¨C She couldn''t help but wonder if that narrow-ness of her vision was what had lost her Una.
She did her best to smile.
¡°Heh, you are right ¨C Admiral Louise would of probably done that, I mean he didn''t have much choice in the matter but even if he had? Ya he was the sort to go down with the ship.
I won''t tell you that''s wrong to do girly ¨C Sometimes it buys others time, saves lives ¨C But in this case? If those aces are half as skilled as me, then there isn''t a chance in hell the Valliere''s cannons being fired off by a total novice like you will be any more than the most minor of nuances ¨C You''d be dieing for the sake of vanity.¡±
¡°Th-Then what of you? You just told me this squad is so good that they came here to simply watch the chaos ¨C Aren''t you just throwing your life away too?¡±
Louise shot back.
¡°Ha! You really don''t get it ¨C I''m not just ''an Ace'', I''m thee Scarlet Scourge! I had a comrade once who used to say that Ace''s like us, ''Make the impossible, possible''.¡±
¡°And what of that comrade now?¡±
¡°Oh well, he died but he protected his mothership doing so ya know?¡±
¡°Lady Scarlet....¡±
¡°Captain Francoise Louise, I ain''t the type to go out there and die for the sake of others ¨C I mean it when I say I''ll be right behind you ¨C But this isn''t about me is it. Captain you''re young but you''ve proven today how skilled ya are, standing proud alongside the Fluchtig, the Rinie, heck alongside your father ¨C Today you are the Valliere''s captain but tomorrow you''ll be another ship''s Captain, even IAFS aren''t stupid enough not to keep promoting you.
You have potential girl, to be so much greater, maybe an even bigger hero than your father someday ¨C Dying here with your ship, for the sake of it? Thanks to you, your people are even now evacuating, do you really think they want you to die pointlessly for the sake of upholding a tradition?
Cap''ain, we aren''t other people, you aren''t your father and me? People have called me a knock off Golden-Meteorite for years! Said I was just the second rate copy of the Bane of Konpei, but the fact is I''m simply Scarlet, once ace of Abhaile, once ace of Remembrance and now proud ace of IAFS ¨C And you Captain, are Francoise, not the admiral ¨C Don''t waste your life, its not what your Da'' would want.¡±
----
¡°Tabitha, radio one of the boats, tell them we''re on our way. Commander Scarlet, good luck to you and... Thank you, truly.¡±
''Heh'' Scarlet thought to herself, ''I really am going to develope a reputation for being nice to younger women.''
****
Front 47 - Last Stand - Part 3/3
Kolme Nilas''es eyes moved from screen to screen as his voice, hoarse from hours of speaking, issued order after order to the 70 or so remaining Nemo''s under his command.
Three recent explosions had given everyone pause for thought ¨C Two Hindenburg reactor meltdowns out in No-man''s land had seemingly been the wake-up call TSU-s needed to fall back and regroup ¨C While the destruction of the Rinie had proven the final straw for IAFS, with Kolme now helping the organization of a complete retreat.
It was almost bizarre after so much fighting, to look out and see No-man''s land fall quiet ¨C The constant dog-fights between mechs and warship duels to the death had rescinded and something approaching tranquillity had fallen for the first time in hours.
On the other hand, neither Sabban or Hoki had come back yet ¨C Not that Kolme was panicked for them or anything, he knew they could handle themselves ¨C Perhaps they were simply lying low, waiting for a good chance to get back home.
¡°Squad Gamma, you boys can start mov''in now--¡± Kolme''s voice caught.
He had honestly thought nothing would surprise him anymore, the weapon firing on the Home-Fleet, the Curadh''s surprise appearance, news of Tomo''s death and of course the Rinie''s fall just minutes ago ¨C And yet, when the ship furthest from the Fluchtig, the sixth ship of the defence line, suddenly exploded without warning ¨C Kolme was indeed surprised.
Moments later the half dozen Nemos that had been guarding the small vessel, also began to explode one by one;
¡°What The Hell!!¡±
The communication lines were quickly filled with similar sentiments to Kolme.
He turned his machine around, to face No-man''s land again in hopes of seeing what terrible weapon had broken through the line to do this ¨C It was gone.
Well not gone, nothing could make the dozens of warship corpses, the hundreds of slain Vijaiks of all colours and sizes for miles around ¨C Disappear. No what was gone was the fighting ¨C Not a single explosion accented the space anymore, no passing energy bolts, no grand final stands ¨C No-man''s land had fallen completely silent.
Nate''s decision that it was time to retreat had been right but it had come a few minutes too late, or so Kolme now released ¨C As what he saw coming through the newly silenced No-Man''s land, slinking their way slowly but surely through the endless detritus of battle, was 30 or so enemy warships.
All in varying states of disrepair, but unified in their goal ¨C All heading towards the six-- No, now just five remaining warships of the defence line ¨C And of course accompanied by dozens of enemy mechs.
¡°All Forces Withdraw Now!!¡± Nate Novel roared across every channel.
****
Scarlet''s Vijaik Heavy made its way through the carcasses of the 100 of so slain mechs of the Remembrance advanced force ¨C She had raided all the remaining supplies the rear-defence line could spare her.
On her back two of her beloved Calabar greatswords, along with two standard energy rifles attached to her legs and two rocket launchers, one mounted on each shoulder ¨C To top it off she had acquired a whole belt of Arc-staff, currently slung around her mechs waist, and a couple missile pods wrapped around her machine''s ankles
Finishing off her ''new-look'' was the Remembrance High-Mobility type-C currently held out in front of her, acting as camouflage.
Her enemy shouldn''t be able to detect her, what with the massive energy discharges and fields of interfering fallen Vijaik-scrap metal ¨C Only a capital-ship like the Valliere had strong enough sensors to pierce through that ¨C Or so atleast, Scarlet hoped...
She had gotten close enough to clearly see the enemy unit now ¨C As expected they had come right up to the edge of the battlefield and simply held in the air for a few minutes ¨C Unamused it had almost looked like her foe would retreat home, but then they had spotted the Valliere, spotted the lifeboats and just as Scarlet had feared ¨C The enemy squad had decided to give chase.
Now they were heading towards her, in about a minute they would pass right overhead ¨C With any luck she hoped her element of surprise would allow her to take out 2, if not 3 of the lilac coloured Type-D''s before the battle began in earnest ¨C That was the hope anyway.
In truth Scarlet knew she was outmatched and that wasn''t just self-deprecation or doubt over her abilities. Although she had been able to restock her weapons and fuel, her machine had been fighting now for 6 hours, it could at any time suffer some arbitrary technical fault ¨C Its joints were surely in needed of maintenance, its gasket wanting replacement.
In contrast the four Type-Ds were just entering the battlefield, all in pristine condition. Plus the Type-D was already a very powerful class of Vijaik, its rectangular head with single massive lens on the front, while looking awkward, allowed for a great deal of processing power.
Its rigid looking, flat limbs were designed to be thin and hard to hit, while still delivering a solid punch in return ¨C Its engine gave it enough output to move at high speeds and fire powerful weapons.
But none of this could compared to what stood at the centre of their formation ¨C Completely white, gleamingly so, the Remembrance Casnel.
Casnel was a convoluted word in Scarlet''s opinion, it meant too many things. On its face it literally only meant any mech that had a qualifying amount of Goibniu concentration ¨C But this by proxy meant almost all modern Fortresses counted as ''technical'' Casnels ¨C Moreover there were tiers, lower spec Casnels weren''t nearly as much of a threat when compared to TSU''s legendary ''G-Type'' Casnels, such as the one they had fought with during Operation-Deadlight.
What faced Scarlet now was a machine like that, a top tier dealer of death ¨C Its white colouring was deliberately intended to inspire images of the legendary ''First Casnel'' that had so dramatically changed the face of battle a decade ago.
There were no straight lines to be see, all its gleaming surfaces curved, its rounded head, rolling back into a tail shape, its shoulders looking more like two massive pauldrons on a cape ¨C It was tall too, a good two metres higher then its bodyguards.
No projectile, energy or physical, would be able to pierce its mighty shell ¨C Scarlet knew her only chance would be to dig and cut and sear her way through with an arc-staff or Calabar blade.
The enemy was just 40 seconds away from her ambush now, she opened her glove box, grabbed a syringe and plunged it into her skin. It had been over two months since her last use of an enhancer, and after today she had almost began to believe ¨C To think that maybe her skills and talent, her Ace''s title belonged to her and not the drug.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
She had sworn not to take it, because she had people to return to now, a home of sorts, a reason to come back alive ¨C It was exactly those same reasons that now spurred her into driving a second needle in after the first.
She would need every last ounce of power to finish this, to cut down the last obstacle stopping her from getting back.
The Enhancer drug was a desperate measure of the dieing Abhailen Revolutionary Army ¨C An attempt to slow TSU down in the last year of the war ¨C But even it had come with some advice, some warnings, it was after all given out to only the best pilots.
''Only take a second shot, after the first one has worn off ¨C Only take two at once under extreme circumstances.''
Scarlet didn''t understand medicine, she had no clue how the Enhancer worked or if taking more than one at once actually made a difference. She had heard taking two increased the speed at which the drug took effect, made it hit deeper and last longer. She also knew it greatly increased the chance of death.
Someone with a heart or blood condition, if they somehow survived taking one dose, would not survive two.
She held in her hand a third syringe ¨C There was no rumours about taking three, the advice had been simple ¨C ''Never take three in under a minute''
Maybe it would increase the potency, perhaps the effects would take hold faster ¨C But no one knew, because no one ever survived taking three at once ¨C Of course Scarlet was different, some natural resistance to the drug ¨C Atleast that''s what she told herself as she rammed the third syringe down.
Her body jeered, her blood vessels felt aflame, her heart ached and her breath laboured as the three doses began to circulate ¨C But the agony lasted only a short time, her sense of smell faded, the feeling of the metal controls on her fingertips left her ¨C Vision narrowed, sound dispersed.
The enemy unit passed over head ¨C The battle ragged on once more.
****
If the first 12 hours had been some of the longest for those who lived through that day, than the last 12 minutes had been some of the fastest.
The regrouped TSU-s fleet, having finished off the last of the stray IAFS forces in No-Man''s land, descended without mercy upon the defence line. Kolme, having dropped to now stand atop the Fluchtig''s hexagonal dome, was greeted to a front row seat ¨C Within minutes two IAFS vessels had sunk and the rest were outright running.
The weapon''s control centre was ordered to evacuate, they would have to pick up the hundreds of stranded survivors in flight.
Kolme watched the list of Nemos drop, from 70 to 60, and before 5 whole minutes had elapsed, all the way down to 47.
¡°Evacuate now! We''ll pick you up as we pass over!¡± Nate issued to the Control Centre commander ¨C The Fluchtig and its three remaining warship companions raced towards the centre ¨C Which in turn began to launch little metal lifeboats.
The night-sky was filled with thunderbolts all over as the 30 TSU-s ships rained hell down on the fleeing IAFS vessels ¨C Stray blasts that missed their target, slammed into many of the lifeboats, eviscerating them in an instant.
CRUNCH
Another IAFS vessel buckled and sank, the Nemo count dropped to just 38.
¡°Nate, now or never!¡± Kolme shouted.
There was a pause before Nate made the only move left to them; ¡°Regen and Ordelia, abandon ship, full evacuation! All Vijaiks, rally to the Fluchtig!¡±
The order was carried out with admirable speed, the two IAFS ships launching their own life-rafts and set themselves into a crash course.
As the Fluchtig kept speeding ahead, the two now abandoned IAFS vessels scraped against each other, following close behind the Fluchtig, they became a final barrier.
At last the thunderstorm lessened and Kolme set about organising his remaining Nemo forces ¨C The Fluchtig now alone.
¡°Evacuation -- ------- Leaving No ---- Com---der -ate, Its --- The Tradech!!¡±
The words, mauled with interference had been spoken by the control centre commander ¨C Neither Kolme or Nate could believe their ears.
¡°Tell them to hold position, we''ll come to them!¡±
Nate quickly issued back.
¡°S-- Captain Legr-- ---ts to fire --- Weapon.¡±
¡°What? Repeat?¡±
¡°Fire T--¡±
An explosion went off just metres away from Kolme as an energy blast smashed into the last of the Fluchtig''s long range radio-antenna ¨C Kolme turned to its sources.
Their temporary wall, made up of the two warships, was already falling ¨C Under the concentrated fire of the enemy fleet, the now lifeless vessels smoked and bulged as blast after blast tried to force its way through to the Fluchtig.
Meanwhile beneath Kolme, the handful of lifeboats that had made it through were being accepted into the Fluchtig''s open hanger bay.
¡°Sir last comms tower just went to crap ¨C Route through my Neo.¡± Kolme said, still in contact with the bridge thanks to the physical cable between his machine and the Fluchtig.
¡°Charlie old boy do it, quick.¡± Nate agreed.
¡°Done Sir, we can speak with the Vijaiks and lifeboats again.¡±
A nervous sounding Charlie quickly said back.
¡°What about the control centre!?¡±
¡°No sir, its too far away, too much interference...¡±
¡°Damn-it, we have to get word to the Tradech before they do something... na?ve.¡±
¡°The base commander will surely tell them the situation right?¡±
Kolme added.
¡°Maybe, or maybe after watching a half-dozen of his lifeboats get shot down, he might be looking for some last minute revenge.¡±
¡°Oh Sun above!¡±
¡°Kolme can a Nemo get through?¡± Nate asked but even as he did the swarms began to appear ¨C Dozens of Vijaiks snaking their way around the impromptu IAFS shield and closing in on the Fluchtig, Kolme was forced to ignore Nate''s request;
¡°All units, follow my lead, concentrate your fire on one squad at a time!!¡± Kolme yelled to all remaining pilots.
The Nemo squads, collectively spread out around and literally standing on the Fluchtig''s decks, began their defence ¨C Focusing their fire on one enemy machine after the other, cutting down legions of TSU-s mechs, and yet still more came.
''It''s over'' ¨C The thought clawed at Kolme''s mind ¨C The Fluchtig was fast but not nearly fast enough to outrun a fleet this large ¨C And the fact that TSU-s still had this much firepower, after so many hours of fighting ¨C The site of their shield crumbling in real time, the numbers of Nemos dropping now to a paltry 23 ¨C One lonely vessel against 30 ¨C ''It''s really over....''
And then, through the darkness, out of the waves of endless space, one final surprise reared its magnificent head ¨C Three silhouettes passed over head, whizzing over the Fluchtig they careered into the enemy line and began to cut a path;
¡°No way.....¡± Kolme uttered in disbelief.
IAFS had just 3 Casnels, all of which it had stolen from TSU-s, Kolme had been their to witness it.
Now those three machines, heavily customised courtesy of Bailey-Mechanics, were single-handedly pushing back the TSU-s renewed line.
The golden Casnel of Commander Ceathair, the blue & red Casnel of the Magi boy Davrim ¨C And most brilliantly of all for those of the Fluchtig still watching ¨C The simplest looking of the three, with a plain livery of navy blue and grey, yet dealing as much damage as its fellows ¨C Lt.Commander Emilia Von Sheen ¨C Leader of the Fluchtig mech-team, had arrived.
Front 48 - Stand Firm, Hold Out - Part 1/2
For the four lilac Type-Ds and the white Casnel of the Remembrance elite squad ¨C Time seemed to slow as out of the rubble, just feet away, burst forth a raging red-Vijaik Heavy.
Before any of them could react, Scarlet unleashed a volley of 4 rockets from either shoulder mounted launcher before tossing them both aside.
The rockets all aimed at the nearest Type-D, streamed towards it without mercy ¨C The pilot of the lilac Vijaik was no slouch however, even having so little time to evade he managed to weave between the first two, the third slammed into its torso but with admirable reaction time it spun a halberd shaped arc-staff in front of itself blocking rockets 4 and 5.
Number 6 glanced across its slim forearm but it was 7 and 8 that spelled its doom ¨C Passing its desperate defence, the final two rockets burst against its core.
Scarlet on the other hand hadn''t bothered to wait, in her current state she couldn''t care less if they all hit or all missed ¨C Before the 8 had even finished their course, she had already closed the distance ¨C One arc staff from the belt at her waist drawn she stabbed straight into enemy number 1''s heart ¨C A moment later its limbs fell limp, not even a full 10 seconds having elapsed since her ambush began ¨C the next ten would prove no less dramatic.
Grabbing the discarded halberd of her slain foe, her machine spun on a dime, tossing the weapon like a spear in the direction of enemy number 2.
The throw was well placed but her enemy moved fast, easily deflecting the one halberd with its own ¨C But that was all it took, those small few seconds spent deflecting had allowed the Scourge to close the gap ¨C With a slick movement she swung overhead one mighty Calabar greatsword from its place resting on her back.
Her enemy rallied, raising its own halberd to block but it was far from enough, the two handed grip and sheer force of the mighty greatsword instantly shattering the enemy''s weapon in half.
Lilac enemy number 2 did what almost any pilot would do, discarding its bisected weapon it moved back and drew a rifle ¨C It expected Scarlet to also back off and take a new stance, but in her current trance, Scarlet was no ordinary pilot ¨C Instead she moved from one violent swing to the next.
The Type-D forced to block and dodge, unable to even grab its own arc-staff it valiantly took slice, followed by thrust, followed by uppercut until finally one attack cleaved its rifle in two ¨C The weapon exploded, blinding both the Type-D and Scarlet ¨C Yet, unable to see or not, the Crimson-coloured Heavy-Vijaik kept coming, its blade''s tip appearing through the dust cloud and scoring straight into enemy 2''s chest.
All her back thrusters roaring, the sword surged forward, cutting, biting, gnashing, tearing away until it appeared out the back of the now helpless enemy.
A second victory under her belt, Scarlet didn''t even wait to recover her sword, leaving it impaled in her enemy she turned away and began to head towards the remaining two ¨C Backlit by a massive fiery light of the second enemy as her attacks sent it exploding to pieces.
When Scarlet''s attack had begun, the enemy had spread out, forming a rapid perimeter expecting an entire enemy assault ¨C Now realising their foe was just one single Vijaik, the two remaining machines both turned their rifles on Scarlet, having already spread out they now claimed the clear advantage.
With practised marksmanship and discipline, the two began to fire in sync, one firing at Scarlet, the other where she would next be ¨C A tricky thing to pull off and a sure fire way to disorientate most pilots ¨C Scarlet was not most pilots.
The Vijaik-Heavy, both IAFS''s version and the one that had inspired it from a decade ago, were known for being large bulky machines with heavy armour and pension for large weapons ¨C But as the two surviving Type-D''s witnessed with mounting dread, this particular Vijaik-Heavy was quiet the exception ¨C It soared across the night sky, ducked and diving, swerving and cutting a path in-between each and every well placed rifle bolt.
About half-way across the distance Scarlet drew one of the two rifles strapped to her legs and began to shoot back ¨C And despite her ridiculous speed and being mid dodge, one of her shots landed true with uncanny accuracy, splitting open ''enemy number'' 3''s rifle.
In response a single enemy shoot hit her too, smashing into one of her massive rounded shoulders, the whitewash writing written on it seared and burnt away ¨C Though of course Scarlet was in no way aware enough of such things to notice.
Her mech having crossed this most deadly obstacle course, lazily tossed aside the rifle and drew two more arc-staffs ¨C Bringing them down with force onto enemy 3 ¨C However the Lilac foe was prepared, having lost its rifle it drew an arc-staff of its own to block Scarlets, three blades locked together it used its spare hand to swing forward the Halberd ¨C The weapons supior reach rammed its arc-tip straight into the Vijaik-Heavies torso.
Once, Twice, Three times it pounded into the bulky frontal armour.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
The attack could by no means pierce such armour that quickly, but the sheer force of impact spread inwards and deep inside Scarlet''s cockpit, from just above the main monitor, a massive piece of shrapnel was set free ¨C It spun through the air before embedding itself deeply into Scarlet''s midriff.
Had she been in a normal conscious state, had the drug not held her captive, it was certainly possibly the pain would of been miserable ¨C But right now she wasn''t even capable of feeling such things, none but the aching tightness growing in her chest.
The shrapnel''s effects were immediate, blood shooting out form the wound with force, painting one wall of the cockpit a deep burgundy red.
Yet Scarlet fought on, breaking the three way lock of arc staffs, she knocked aside the halberd before it could strike a fourth time and in an unexpected move grabbed onto the enemy ¨C A moment later all her left-side thrusters sprung to life and her machine spun 180 degrees, swapping the positions of the two mechs.
Now while this had been happening, enemy 4 had been waiting for the perfect shot ¨C Said shot now careered not into Scarlet but straight into the back of enemy three.
Their machine damaged and reeling, enemy 3 couldn''t block Scarlet''s next wave of arc-staff slashes and bit by bit, her flaming short-blade cut out the lilac machines core before incinerating the pilot within.
One final time there was no waiting, no break in combat ¨C As soon as her Enhancer addled brain was happy number 3 was dead, so started the assault on enemy 4.
Grabbing the freshly charred corpse of third foe as a shield, Scarlet began crossing the last distance between her and the final bodyguard. But these were highly professional pilots and enemy four didn''t hesitate to begin shooting on his fallen comrade''s body ¨C Yet Scarlet pushed on, brute-forcing her way forwards even as rifle bolts came through the wreckage of enemy three and struck her, even as her whole machine juddered with each minor impact.
Finally the distance closed, arc-staffs still drawn, she burst out from around enemy 3''s now hole riddled form ¨C Enemy 4 however was ready.
Perhaps he had seen the signs and realised his enemy was on Enhancers, these were after all Remembrance elite, and waiting for her as she broke cover was the edge of a flaming arc-halberd ¨C Aimed firmly for her chest.
Scarlet moved at the last possible moment, it was an unnaturally timed affair, a reaction speed no human should of been capable of ¨C It wasn''t enough to dodge completely but in the end the halberd rolled against one rounded shoulder instead of her chest.
Without hesitation, one of her hands grabbed the enemies outstretched limb, while the other reached for its head.
The Lilac had a somewhat esoteric shaped head design, a long rectangle with little outcropping metal-signal poles and a central lens at one end, almost like large film-set camera. The large, chunky fingers of the heavy wrapped around the lens and corners of this rectangle and crunched in ¨C The lens shattered instantly, the corners of the rectangle not far behind but Scarlet didn''t stop there ¨C With a bone chilling sound that echoed through both her and the enemy''s cockpit, she yanked back her mechs arm and tore the head free of its neck ¨C Then swinging her hand back, she swung her arm back down.
Again and again and again she slammed the decapitated Type-D''s head down like a hammer against its chest ¨C Slowly the head lost its shape and the frontal armour of the mech buckled and dented.
Eventually she let go of the head, balled her machines hand into a massive fist and with all the grace of a berserker, smashed and punched over and over until finally tearing open the cockpit and pulverising the pilot inside.
In truth the pilot had been flung out of his chair and fallen unconscious long before Scarlet broke through, once she had finished the last Type-D was little more than four spare limbs with nothing at their centre.
¡°Ha.....Ha......Ha.......Ha.......Ha.......ha.....¡±
Finally Scarlet fell back into her seat, panting extremely heavily ¨C Her right shoulder still pierced with shrapnel and bleeding, her face covered in a massive, disturbing grin ¨C Four Ace''s defeated with ease.
She was far too deep in the trance for such trivialities as checking power levels or scanning for enemies ¨C Scarlet would know when the next one came, on a deep instinctual level she could feel her final foes eyes on her.
Indeed, slowly lowering from above came the gleaming white, curving, pointlessly tall shape of the Remembrance Casnel ¨C Perhaps it had been up there simply watching in amusement ¨C It certainly didn''t seem overly concerned as it lowered itself without any weapon drawn, only a few metres away from Scarlet''s Vijaik-Heavy, the machine surrounded by the mutilated remains of the four bodyguard machines.
A voice over the open comms-lines broke the short lived, fragile silence;
¡°You are her are you not? The red Vijaik-Heavy, Calabar swords, animalistic combat style - How very surprising, to think I would run into the Scarlet Scourge here of all places.¡±
The voice was smooth and slick, that of a woman in her early thirties perhaps and not far off a sneer ¨C It was clearly amused rather than worried;
¡°And I suppose it was you who dispatched my advanced force too? Really now for one lonely traitor you have cost me quite a sum today. Really it is sad, the great Scarlet Scourge reduced to an IAFS lapdog?
I''d say I pity you but honestly I don''t. It''s funny but there was a time people warned me of you, claimed you could oppose me for leadership of Remembrance, yet I never believed it for a second. To use an awfully crass phrase, I always knew you weren''t ''man enough'' for leadership you understand?
Oh but it is a shame, I could of made you so much more, I would of known where to point your madness for the greatest effect!! But IAFS? You are wasted on such pointless battles as these, I mean how many enhancers have you taken? 2, maybe even 3 in one go? Bad girl Hmmm-m ¨C Alas it is what it is I suppose ¨C You are a nuisance I should of dealt with long ago no doubt, about time I put you to rest by my own hand.¡±
A roar slowly crept out of Scarlet''s throat, it wasn''t necessarily aimed at her foe, nor did it necessarily communicate any particular intent ¨C It merely signalled the Red-Vijaik-Heavy leaping forth one final time.
****
Front 48 - Stand Firm, Hold Out - Part 2/2
¡°What the fuck are they doing!?¡± Kolme said in disbelief.
The IAFS Casnels had arrived bringing a moment of hope to the survivors, but they hadn''t been alone ¨C Following behind them was a squadron of 6 Nemo''s and 3 Vijaik Heavies, the 12 mechs together being the complete compliment that always accompanied the Tradech. And while the Casnels tore apart enemy machine''s one by one, the Nemos and Heavies were not nearly so successfully, being wiped out in mere moments.
¡°They should of come here and helped defend the Fluchtig and the Weapon, the Hell were they thinking?!¡±
Kolme yelled at no one in particular as he watched the last of the Heavies get unceremoniously ripped apart after having charged head first into the fray.
¡°It would seem our good Captain Legro has gone somewhat rouge Kolme ¨C The weapon is turning - If I were to guess, Legro isn''t here to rescue us but rather for a glorious last minute victory.¡±
Nate mused.
¡°Wha?!¡± Kolme turned his machine to look and indeed, though a slow process ¨C The colossal length of the weapon was ever so slowly moving.
¡°ARGHHHHH!!!!¡±
Kolme turned again to see one of the Nemos nearby him writhe in pain before exploding violently ¨C The next moment a second, than a third.
Kolme looked straight up ¨C Literally circling in the space above the Fluchtig, having skipped past the war-path of the Casnels, were just three mechs ¨C Blue, with something akin to wings affixed to their arms and long pointed heads. A Mleue, a mech Kolme had faced back in his days aboard the Tradech.
If memory served him, it was a high-spec Vijaik, designed for speed and close quarters combat.
One of the trio in the sky swooped down, imbedded in each of its arms was a short Arc-Staff, a bayonet of sorts ¨C Getting in close and easily dodging the counter fire of the Nemos, the Mleue drove the two bayonets straight into another units core before pulling free and flying back up to the circle above ¨C Before long this Nemo too exploded.
¡°Bastards, they''ve given up on overwhelming us with number? Trying to beat us with a single Ace unit instead?¡±
Kolme scowled.
¡°More likely,¡± Aurin cut in, ¡°they simply want to focus on the Tradech''s Casnels and the Weapon and so felt they could only spare this one spare unit of Aces.¡±
¡°Well we''ll show them ¨C Hold your ground everyone, we have them outnumbered still!¡± Kolme issued across the local comms with the remaining Tristian Vijaiks.
It was a desperate defence, behind them the weapon continued to turn, while lifeboats kept on trying to reach the Fluchtig''s relative safe haven ¨C Above them the IAFS Casnels continued to fight on against hundreds of enemy machines.
The now just 20 Nemos fired under Kolme''s command, even from the open door of the hanger-bay the mechanics of the Fluchtig had wired up some unused rifles and added to the assault.
They desperately tried to push back the three Mleue above, aswell as many squads of Ogres that snuck past the Casnels and headed straight for the Fluchtig.
But one by one, the Mleue picked off the Nemos ¨C With speed and power they jabbed and stabbed the Fluchtig''s meagre forces to pieces.
Kolme took a deep breath; ¡°Nate, take what''s left and ram the control centre or something ¨C I''ll give you a distraction.¡±
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Kolme no, we need you!¡±
Kolme laughed softly, even as he did another Nemo exploded to his right, while the Mleue continued to mockingly circle overhead like birds of prey;
¡°We can''t let the weapon fire, Sabban and Hoki might still be out there and who knows how many others ¨C The Weapon fires and they''re gone ¨C I owe it to them not to let that happen. Make a break for it, Admiral, and stop this madness once and for all.¡±
There was a long pause before Nate spoke again; ¡°Very well we can try it. Good luck old friend.¡±
Kolme drew an arc-staff in one hand and cut the cable connecting him to the bridge ¨C Rifle in his other hand he kicked off the deck and floated up. The Mleue seemed to find some novelty in this, perhaps also recognising Kolme''s machine possessing a different design to the other Neos ¨C They began to tighten their circle.
Kolme rose his rifle and fired off a few shots ¨C They weren''t aimed at anyone of the three enemies but just at the circle in general, presuming if they kept circling he was bound to hit one of them.
Unfortunately for Kolme, the Mleue closest pulled up and skimmed past the energy volley, instead closing in on him its bayonets at the ready.
One blade cutting his rifle in two, Kolme just barely managed to rise his arc staff to block the other ¨C The Mleue passed as fast as it had appeared, re-joining the circle.
¡°Tsk.¡± Kolme groaned, his rifle now gone he laid both his Vijaik''s hands on the arc-staff.
Kolme knew for a fact he was a fairly mediocre pilot but if he could atleast act like an ace, atleast keep the Mleue occupied with the novelty of the Neo-C, perhaps it would buy the Fluchtig a little time.
On que another strike from the Mleue, it rapidly came straight up to the Neo-C, easily batting aside the arc-staff it reared back its other hand ready to strike ¨C When with all his might, Kolme pulled on his axillary levers ¨C The double barrel cannon on his back swung forward and fired off without hesitation.
The Mleue pulled out of its attack, ducking beneath the last minute assault and falling back.
¡°Ha! How do you like that!¡± Kolme shouted ¨C He began firing the weapon again and again, circling around, creating his own fireworks show of energy charges.
Then:
¡°Shit!!¡± - This time the Mleue had dropped the niceties, one coming in from the front, while another struck from behind ¨C The double barrel cannon was pierced ¨C It exploded nearly destroying the Neo-C with it.
Kolme was rocked around the cockpit from the force of the explosion but it didn''t stop there ¨C One by one the Mleue took turns swopping in and cutting at the now weapon-less Neo-C ¨C Kolme could only watch as with each hit the Mleue seemed to take massive pleasure in slowly tearing the flesh of his Neo to pieces ¨C An arm, then a vent ¨C A hand followed by some of the kilt armour ¨C Impact after bone shuddering impact.
Kolme stood out of his chair, crazy-eyes fixed on the main monitor ¨C His read-outs showed there was little more for the Mleue to strike at aside from his legs or the cockpit itself;
¡°Come On Then!! Finish Me You Bastards!!¡± The old man roared, beating at his chest.
And then the Mleue left.
¡°What are you doing?!¡± But his words fell on death ears.
His mech thoroughly disabled after having bought barely any time at all, Kolme could do nothing but watch through the cracked camera screens as the three ace-Vijaiks left his buckled machine behind and once more descended with all their might on the bedraggled Fluchtig.
He watched as one by one the last of the Nemos fought to their last breath. He watched as one of the three stopped circulating and began hanging just above the Fluchtig''s bridge, from its back it unsheathed a long rocket launcher looking weapon ¨C Aiming straight down at the Fluchtig''s central dome.
Kolme leaped for the controls, desperate to do something, anything;
¡°Come on unit 3, god-damn it, COME ON!¡± But the machine didn''t respond to his cry.
Just as the barrel of the rocket-launcher glowed, ready to split apart the Fluchtig itself, a thin beam of red cut across the sky ¨C It pulsed into the launcher, shattering it.
Kolme stared in joyful disbelief ¨C The Mleue''s assault suddenly halted, they also turned to see this final intruder ¨C Closing the distance with remarkable speed was a Casnel, the grey and navy blue of Lt.Commander Emilia Von Sheen.
Front 49 – What Do You Do At The End Of The World? - Part 1/2
[Recording Starts]
A''ight time to try this again ¨C Heh, it was poor Una who interrupted me last time, though I guess she did personally make sure I didn''t need one of these in the previous battle didn''t she? Managed to convince the others to record some of these too so that''s nice I guess...
It''s strange, it ain''t like you guys are the people I''ve been with the longest, it''s been like 5, 6 months? Less even, or more?
But then again my whole life has been like that, I guess everyone''s is ¨C You make friends, then go to the next school and do it all over again ¨C You change jobs, you drift away from people ¨C That goes doubly for soldiers right?
Those original Vijaik test pilots I worked with, my first squadron, my first warship posting, my first company during the Bhaile invasion ¨C My Naikima, Remembrance, people I met piloting, the crew of the Mithril and finally you guys ¨C Heh I really do carry alot of names on my shoulders.
You guys feel kinda different though, more normal ¨C Haha, guess that sounds a bit mean, I meant more like, throughout my ''career'' if you want to call it that, I''ve been surrounded by fanatics ¨C People obsessed with Abhailen independence, loyalty to the King, even IAFS with their whole stopping the injustices of TSU-s stick ¨C But you guys, with you I can for the first time in forever see a future.
Like Hoki and you too Sabban, you two ain''t gonna be with me for much longer regardless of what happens in the next battle ¨C You''re both young and smart and crazy skilled for your ages! But I don''t see either of you dieing for a cause neither, you''ll fight on and reach your own potential, ya know ¨C You might even visit me from time to time for advice. But Kolme, you and me ¨C Well maybe you see this thing we have as nothing more than a fling, a relationship of convenience, a shoulder to cry on and some entertainment over the last couple months ¨C But for me, I think this is real old man ¨C When this war is over I''m going to hound ya to the ends of the solar system until you take me as your wife!
I already got Doc-Hasain working on a detox plan for my drugs, we fight for IAFS one last time and then its about damn time we both finally call it quits ya?
But of course there is the chance something goes wrong, in which case you''ll be hearing this recording ¨C Heh, and if that''s the case there''s some things I need you guys to know. I''ve attached a password protected file to this, I''m pretty computer-savvy don''cha know, so it''ll corrupt the data if you enter the code wrong too many time ¨C Still Hoki or Sabban should be able to crack it pretty easy ¨C If you are the only one left Kolme then, damn ummmm, that sucks I guess?
Anyway pass the code and you''ll find a load of text files, typed ''em up myself ¨C They''re all my knowledge.
Ma'' day to day memory ain''t great but the broad-strokes stuff is fine, still whether everything in there is accurate or not is debatable but its the best I could do.
I included everything I could think of, machines I was a test pilot for, Remembrance and Abhailen safehouses that might still be useful, weapon caches and a good helping of just general classified info from the various groups I''ve been a part of.
.........There is also the full details of what I''m about to tell you ¨C But you three should know this is proper treason and I mean that, crimes against the monarchy ¨C Still if I''m gone I want someone to know this stuff.
Ummmm, first off, Kolme ''dear'' I hope you aren''t one of those men with a ''no-single-moms'' dating policy....Bwahahahahahahahahhaha ¨C You know I tried for ages to think of the best way to break that news but I''m happy with that, hahaha.
Seriously though, three years ago right around the time IAFS was forming, my old Naikima was about to die ¨C I mean he had been dieing slowly for years but this time was for real ¨C And what does he do on his deathbed? He tells me of his latest ''investigation''. See for years after the whole Remembrance Incident stuff, he spent his time in hospital beds investigating the organisation as it changed via his remaining connection, then telling me of his findings.
I ignored most of them, not much I could do after I had passed up the chance to be the leader ¨C But this time he really was dieing and he did that thing old-people do, he asked a favour. Told me this was one thing we couldn''t just ignore ¨C Tch, don''t old people ever learn?
Guess I count as one now too huh?
He had discovered project A.M.I, yup that A.M.I.
He died and now I, with no reason to stick around Remembrance anymore, was left with his last request ¨C So I did it, found Station 9.3 and started my own hunt. I found a project about to be scraped ¨C The artificial magi experiments had failed, something like a couple dozen kids were at best killed, at worst left in comas or with irreversible brain damage ¨C You can''t change an adults brains patterns to turn them into a physic, the world just isn''t that simple to manipulate and with it seeming like children were no more viable, Remembrance was ready to shut down the whole thing ¨C Except they did manage to do it just once ¨C A single time they succeeded, one single little girl turned from a regular person into a Magi.
You can guess what I did next right? Stole the poor kid, hid her with my Nakima''s remaining family and than ran away to IAFS under a sloppy pseudonym to cover my tracks. With their magnum opus seemingly killed off by a rouge agent, project A.M.I was shut down and station 9.3 abandoned ¨C Mission complete.
Well except... The little girl is still out there, still waiting for me to come back for her. I''m not even sure she''s human, like I think they were experimenting with true artificial peoples, grown in test-tubes or some shit ¨C There is no family I can return her to and the people I left her with are old and poor ¨C No the girl is my responsibility, my time with Una and Hoki, well as childish as it sound, reminded me I''ve got to go back to her.
It''s funny, I never really wanted kids, yet I ended up with one ¨C Thing is if I''m dead than the favour falls to you guys ¨C I know its a bitch of thing to ask, I''m not saying you guys have to take her in or nothing but just....Like, check in on her ok?
I hope I don''t die, that girl deserves a mother and I finally found her a dad, even an uncle and aunt, plus Una would of been the ultimate older sister am I right? Heh......
Oh right, so the true ''treason'' part of all this ¨C There is actually a second girl, though don''t worry this other one isn''t a second adopted daughter! No this one is something very special in an entirely different way....
Just before the final battle of Ghealach, in the last week of the First-War, my unit of the Special-Forces was given a very specific job ¨C To escort a small town''s worth of people and recourses to a remote corner of the solar system.
The royal family isn''t dead and I don''t just mean distant relations like the Duke of Bannerman ¨C There is a remaining princess, little more than a baby 10 years ago ¨C Alive.
As the only woman on that escort team, misogynistic as you might call it, I ended up spending the most time bodyguarding her during that short flight ¨C She was cute, very innocent, literally unaware of how important she was or what it meant for the world for her to escape the end of the war. Of the people on that mission there''s only a handful of us still alive ¨C Actually I''m pretty sure one of the guys is now serving aboard the Tradech ¨C Another was still in Remembrance last time I checked and finally there was the pilots of the ship, they still covertly deliver resources to that town on the edge of the universe.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
If I''m dead it''s possible the number of people who know their location will of dropped to just 4 or even lower ¨C Point is I wanted to make sure someone knew. The info won''t do much for you guys, nothing you can do about it, nor anything I want you to do ¨C Just wanted ya to know I guess?
Well unless you can''t break the code on the attached file, in which case this might all just sound like the crazed delusions of one old woman, Hahahahahahahaha!
Well there you go ¨C The last of my secrets laid bare, my duty to the AMI girl and the Princess, now you really do know me better than probably anyone else out there. Oh and that in mind, destroy any of the Enhancers left in my room if I''m gone, there might be others out there with them, but we can atleast insure mine don''t end up in the wrong hands.
I hope I don''t die but even more so I hope you three make it, I''m not a very sentimental person and I apologise for being so bitter when we first met but really, good luck you guys, don''t get killed out there a''ight.
- Scarlet.
[Recording Ends]
The oversized, gleaming white Casnel of Remembrance''s grand commander, Omaes Agagite, swirled through the air alongside the battered and blackened, bulky shape of a Vijaik Heavy, Thee Scarlet Scourge.
The two mechs were locked in a ballet of death, swirling around one another, Scarlet firing off ankle held missiles, the Casnel dodging them with ease or even allowing the odd one to impact harmlessly against the curving, rounded armour of its massive shoulders.
Adding to the chaos, from within the shoulders were held missiles of Omaes''es own, firing at borderline random, sometimes smashing into Scarlet''s weaker projectiles, other times heading straight for the heavy, any one of them probably enough to take out the Scourge, were it not for her uncanny ability to dodge at the last moment.
Onwards they moved, all the night sky their arena, up and around one another, moving in and out of each other''s hold, twirling through space like a tornado of reds and whites with the stars their only witness.
One by one Scarlet''s collection of weapons began to fail, her rifle out of energy, her missiles depleted ¨C Arc staffs shattering with each impact. Omaes having expended her own supply of missile had swapped to a single blade, one lone golden Arc-Staff, shorter then Scarlet''s swords and looking more like a ceremonial blade rather than one intended for battle ¨C And yet it held within in it far more power than anything Scarlet could throw.
Every swing of the massive mech''s arms put enough force into the thin golden blade to slice and cleave through each and every one of the Scourge''s tools.
But by far, as the seconds turned to minutes, as the duel to the death rallied on ¨C The most frustrating part was the talking ¨C Omaes''es running commentary over the open comm channel, tugging on the edges of Scarlet''s drug-addled mind;
¡°Really Scarlet Scourge is there a need for quite this much struggle? I never expected you would last this long!¡±
¡°But you know it means nothing don''t you? You have yet to land a single hit on my machine''s core, what hope have you of winning exactly? You are an Ace no doubt but what can those same old tired moves everyone has seen before do?
A crimson comet across the sky might be beautiful the first time, the second, the third! But after a while, every day the same sight - Simply put you''ve grown thin on the stage of our world!!¡±
¡°I am no human, you must surely understand that atleast?
I am a true Magi, I am the successor of St.Aardig herself!!
I can see your movements before you make them and my powers only grow stronger with each day ¨C Soon I will be able to foresee something like you destroying my advance force ahead of time, be able to counter people like you long before you can even become a nuisance, and I will use this power to crush The States Union bit by bit, and take back our home!¡±
''Shut up, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!'' Scarlet thought to herself.
The next moment she realised, that her conscious was returning, that the cold touch of metal was back on her fingertips, the smell of leaking hydraulic fluid filled her nose ¨C She could hear Omaes every word ¨C The Enhancer was beginning to wear off, yet the battle was nowhere near done ¨C On they circled around each other, Scarlet using anything she could, grabbing up every weapon they happened to pass across the debris fields, punching, kicking, rolling, fainting ¨C Onwards they danced.
¡°Oh-ho? You just had a clear thought didn''t you?
How delightful, the Enhancers are truly fascinating are they not, under their full influence all I could read in your mind was an instinctual drive for combat ¨C But that''s all they are you know, they speed up your reaction time, cut distraction, a little painkiller in there too for good measure ¨C But they can''t help you bridge the gap between you and me, I can see the future, read your mind ¨C I can reach out and touch the very fabric of reality!!¡±
Scarlet''s teeth gnashed, with blinding speed the Vijaik heavy ducked under a slash from the Casnel''s golden blade, outstreched its own hand, final arc-staff held and rammed it into the torso of her foe;
¡°Big words from the girl who''s power couldn''t get her the attention of her STUPID CRUSH!!!¡± She roared maliciously.
Her blade had hit just as conscious thought began to return, the arc-staff simmered against the core armour plating of the Remembrance Casnel ¨C And there it simply stayed, it would take a lifetime to actually bore through Goibniu this thick but that hardly seemed to matter ¨C The greatest insult of all against Omaes, Scarlet had reached out and cut a path to her heart.
----
¡°...........You know I never did like you.¡±
Omaes''es voice was cold over the line now, perhaps her powers hadn''t foreseen an outcome where Scarlet landed a direct hit, or maybe it was Scarlet''s simple jab at the proud woman''s history, but all the cruel joy and excitement had left Remembrance''s leader now, her words little more than knifes against a foe already defeated;
¡°It was when I first heard your real name, I thought it was so droll, so ''normal'' and basic, unfitting of one who Father claimed was such a great warrior, a pillar of Remembrance ¨C Turns out I was right about you from the start, a simple traitor-whore is all you are Amy.¡±
¡°Heh.....heh....¡± Scarlet half-laughed and half-panted, more than a little pleased at having gotten under the other woman''s skin ¨C And yet her heart ached, it screamed, it felt as though it could tear out from her at any moment, far worse than the seizure she had survived before and somehow the pain of it was greater than the wound to her side ¨C She knew not what it was, yet with a strange sense of calm she knew her time was up;
¡°Go on then.... heh..... finish it....¡±
----
¡°No. No you don''t deserve the honour of being cut down by one such as I ¨C It is far more fitting that a fake, that a human like you, who would try to claw at the eyes of the great Magi, should die of her own poison!¡±
¡°What?¡± Scarlet asked genuinely, but her body caught on before her mind fully could ¨C With an involuntary spasm, both her hands moved to clutch at her chest, ¡°Ungh!?¡±
The pain in her chest was astounding, her vision blurred completely, her everything ached ¨C Her pulse stopped.
¡°Y-you knew this wou-- Hah.... you bitch.....¡±
Scarlet panted.
¡°Farewell, traitor ace.¡± Omaes replied, her machine using its barehand clutched Scarlet''s Arc-Staff, which had continued shimmering against Omaes''es torso armour, and with little flourish, snapped the blade in half.
With that the Remembrance Casnel began to float away, as though disinterested in chasing its pray any longer.
Scarlet tried to reach out, to grab the controls, or the first aid kit or something.
A dozen thoughts ran through her oxygen leaking mind, her heart died.
¡°Kolme--¡±
****
Front 49.5 - What Do You Do At The End of The World? - Part 2/2
Kolme found himself knelt in the rather uncomfortable position of his mech''s footwell. In front of him, beneath the main monitor, he had torn open the various access panels of the Neo-C and began tearing out wires, at his side a small collection of emergency tools ¨C The cause for this vandalism was displayed on the monitor above his head:
Lt.Commander Emilia Von Sheen had indeed arrived just in time to save the Fluchtig from the three of Mleue ace pilots ¨C However not all was going well.
IAFS''s Casnels were no doubt impressive, the three of them had singlehandedly pushed back the 30 or so ships of the regrouped TSU-s fleet and dozens if not hundreds of Vijaiks, but even for Casnels and pilots of their calibre it had come at a cost.
Emilia''s machine was covered in burns and scraps ¨C Its only remaining weapon a single rifle - Having come straight to rescue the Fluchtig she had not had time to refuel and grab new weapons. In light of this the three Mleue were using the exact same tactics they had against Kolme ¨C Circling endlessly around the navy blue and grey Casnel, periodically swopping in to try and run it through with their bayonets ¨C For now Emilia was admirably dodged these attacks much better than Kolme had, but as things were it was a stalemate with no end in site.
¡°Come on Damn-it!¡± Kolme growled slamming his fist against the metal floor ¨C In any other situation a team of high spec Vijaiks managing to take on a Casnel would of been a great, heroic success story ¨C But this time it just so happened the Casnel was on their side for once.
He had hoped mechanical skills from what felt like a lifetime ago, might come back to him now, allow him to get the Neo-C moving again ¨C Not in order to fight but as a distraction of sorts. As it was the Mleue had done quite the job against his poor Neo, its arms destroyed, its camera filled with fractures, the double barrel cannon and all other weapons executed ¨C In fact so much of the customised parts of the Neo-C had been torn away that it felt as though Kolme were back to being a helpless Nemo pilot ¨C Nemo Unit 3, the unit that had been retrofitted into the Neo-C, forced yet again to watch uselessly.
But no matter what he tried, his hackneyed attempts to get the Neo-C moving again kept failing.
He looked up to his monitors just in time to see the worse case scenario ¨C With the same deft teamwork and discipline the Mleue had used to take out both Kolme and all the other Nemos that had made it this far ¨C All three blue-birds of prey came at Emilia simultaneously ¨C One she side-stepped, a second she forced away with a brilliant shot from her rifle ¨C But the third landed the hit, its bayonets slicing through one of her mechs arm.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡°God Damn It!!¡± Kolme yelled to no one.
****
Nate Novel was standing out of his chair, staring in horror at the battle happening above his warship.
It had been a trepidatious ride getting as far as the Fluchtig had and when Kolme had left to buy them time it had seemed that ride had finally come to its end ¨C That was until none-other than Nate''s long time love interest, the woman he was still hoping to work up the courage to ask out, and of course the woman who was supposed to be in command of the Fluchtig''s Vijaik team ¨C Lt.Commander Emilia Sheen had arrived.
Like an angel of battle she had descended above the Fluchtig to protect them from certain doom ¨C And yet it hadn''t been enough; ¡°Can''t we do anything!?¡±
Nate voiced, tears stinging at his eyes, was this truly the end of them all?
¡°Sir--¡± It was Aurin, Nate''s faithful acting second-in-command who broke the silence, ¡°--There is no way we can out run them if the commander falls, so... So I think I speak for everyone when I say we should go help her!¡±
Nate stared at the man in disbelief; ¡°You can''t be saying?¡±
¡°Aurin ''tis right Cap''ain, better go in a blaze a'' glory than a'' whimper.¡±
Added the voice of the ship''s coxswain, a man who had spoke barely half a dozen times in all the months Nate had known him.
¡°I agree Sir, we have to save our XO!¡±
Charlie of all people added.
¡°Y-You guys.¡± Nate said, his composure falling, 12 long hours of constant command collapsing as tears streamed down his cheeks.
All the bridge staff turned to him, with nods and smile, voicing their agreement;
¡°I''m sure everyone on this ship feels the same way Sir.¡± Aurin finished.
Nate steadied his emotions and nodded back, ¡°Thank you, everyone ¨C Alright then lets do this. Charlie send out a message on all channels, I don''t care if it only reaches 2 feet, let anyone who hears it know to head for the Tradech--¡±
¡°Aye Sir!¡±
¡°--Coxswain, set a crash course, directly for the nearest enemy--¡±
¡°My Pleasure Sir!¡±
¡°--Aurin, find us a gun that still works, double time old friend--¡±
¡°Roger that Rear-Admiral!¡±
¡°--Alright then, IAFS Celtic Class Battleship, Am Fluchtig ¨C This is my final order to you all, give them hell chaps!!¡±
Front 50 – Those Who Fall Trying To Save The World
Kolme had collapsed out of exhaustion, still in the footwell with his back now pressed against the base of the chair, panels still open, wires splayed around him ¨C He stared up at the monitor screen with dread in his heart.
Emilia had just taken a serious blow, the loss of one of her Casnel''s arms ¨C But now something new caught his attention ¨C The Fluchtig was moving the wrong way.
¡°Wh-What the Hell are they doing!!¡± Kolme exclaimed in sheer disbelief.
Ever so slowly the battered warship had been making something of an escape but now it had changed course, it was moving closer to the mech battle, heading straight for it in fact.
Kolme watched on his screen as the 4 mechs, the three Mleue and Emilia herself, all turned their mechanical heads to observe the surprising site ¨C As though the machines themselves were as bemused.
Then it sprang.
The Fluchtig''s cannons had been pulverised one by one during its grand escape from the reformed TSU-s fleet ¨C And yet against all odds, one single gun barrel out of a pair, flared to life and with a shot to beat all others, taking the nearest Mleue completely by surprise ¨C A bolt of pink lighting erupted into it ¨C A moment later, at long last, one of the three enemy ace Vijaiks fell.
¡°Holy Shit!¡± Kolme shouted earnestly, the shot had been remarkable impressive ¨C But it was short lived, in the next moment the bedraggled cannon that had fired it, exploded, as though that single shot had taken all the warship had left to fire ¨C And yet the massive iris shape of the Am-Fluchtig didn''t slow down, it kept coming, surging forward.
The other two Mleue now reacted more appropriately, with one immediately ditching the dual with Emelia to go face down the Fluchtig ¨C That''s when the Grey IAFS''s Casnel made its mistake;
¡°No don''t!¡± Kolme roared, but no one could hear his plea.
Emilia turned to stop the Mleue and in that single moment the third enemy closed the distance ¨C Its thin precision arc-staffs, one on either wrist, cut through the unguarded, open back of the Casnel ¨C In response it jerked and shuddered, as though trying to resist the inevitable but it was no good ¨C The moment had passed ¨C The blades gouged out the cockpit with in and the Casnel of Lt.Commander Emilia Sheen fell silent.
¡°Nooooooooo!¡± Kolme groaned, he reared up, grabbed either side of the monitor in his hands ¨C But it meant nothing, he could do nothing but watch.
Mleue number two, unimpeded drew a similar rocket luacher to one Emilia had destroyed earlier, off its back ¨C The Fluchtig passed by, still functioning anti-air craft guns reaching out to the stars, desperate streaks hoping to hit but it was no good ¨C The enemy dodged with ease, lined up the large weapon it held and fired ¨C then It fired again. And Again.
The hexagonal dome atop the Fluchtig, battered and bruised as it already was ¨C The place Kolme and his squad had spent those long months training and living together, defending with all their might ¨C Shattered.
Tears in his eyes Kolme reached for a control board, with a morbid compulsion the camera zoomed in ¨C He could just about make it out, the bridge of the Fluchtig ¨C Now exposed to the open air, Kolme saw a dozen bodies floating, completely blackened and lifeless.
Just as he thought his heart would crack, his eyes caught onto one figure, holding on against the vacuum of space to a railing next to what had been the Captain''s chair ¨C It was too far away for Kolme to be sure, the figure had a spacesuit on aswell, one that had been brutally seared to their body, but in some fashion Kolme knew it must be Nate Novel.
Commander Nate, a man Kolme had originally thought an incompetent fool who could be easily manipulated to make his own life easier ¨C Had quickly become a close friend, one of the few officers, few leaders Kolme truly respected.
The helmet of the little man clinging to the railing for dear life, had many score lines running through it.
Kolme shook his head slowly, ¡°N-no, please.¡± He spoke in little more than a whisper.
Crack
The helmet failed, in an instant the atrociously burned figure, let go of the railing and was claimed by the void of space as all air left his lungs.
It wasn''t over of course, the two remaining Mleue reunited and soon fired more rounds ¨C This time into the main ship itself ¨C Slowly a chain of explosive reactions began to run along the massive length of the Fluchtig, gun ports engulfed in flame, cracks and buckled metal ¨C Melting sections and collapsing hallways ¨C Slowly the Fluchtig''s main body split in two, both sides falling away from each other, the shattered main dome hanging above them both ¨C The Am Fluchtig sank.
****
Silence had fallen over a solitary cabin on a particular edge of space. It was lit only by a dim red glow, some from the warning lights in all directions but also from the large main screen, a red tinted screen.
Another thing in that lonely place glowed red, a small light on a switchboard ¨C Its label indicating it to be an open communications channel of some sort ¨C That channel now broke the peaceful rest of the cabin;
¡°Hello, Hello? Come on anyone in there? Your machine looks pretty ok, better than all the rest around here anyway ¨C Come on?¡±
Clunk
A dull sound of metal on metal, the red-tinted monitor offering a clue as to its origin ¨C A gleaming, angular, golden mech appearing on the screen, one arm touching creating a contact link ¨C The almost human portioned face of the gold mech seemed to speak to the silent cabin;
¡°Seriously what happened here? There has got to be nearly a hundred Remembrance mechs out here but I didn''t think those guys had arrived yet ¨C Did you beat them all yourself? And these lilac coloured ones, type-Ds right? That''s no joke, who are you?
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.Your machine hasn''t even taken any direct hits so you must be seriously good.¡±
A pause.
¡°Hmmm, guess I should try a heat scan, your machine is ok but maybe you left it behind? Or died inside.
Tch, thought so, gonna take a minute to do with all the interference ¨C If there is someone in there who can hear me, just give me a second ok? But really, you must be an ace right?
----
Hey that over there! Couldn''t be, an old Calabar blade? Ha well I''ll be, don''t see those too often anymore ¨C Though I''ve heard she still uses them, massive greatswords ¨C Giant chainsaws in the shape of swords is very her sty-- No, no you couldn''t be ¨C I mean your machine is red but that''s far from unique ¨C That blade though and all these defeated machine, it can''t be?¡±
¡°No, no ¨C The Scarlet Scourge isn''t likely to fall in a place like this, no chance. But then.... She was meant to be here, with the Fluchtig now right? Could it really be her? Oh the scans done!¡±
¡°...... Nothing, so either its empty in there or the pilot passed away ¨C I ah, I guess I hope you aren''t her then, I suppose that''s a little cruel to say ¨C Well whoever you are I hope you can rest in peace, looking around here you certainly earned a warrior''s honour today ¨C Farewell friend....¡±
Clunk
The metal hand moves away, the contact link breaks ¨C Silence once more falls over the small space and the bright gold machine moves out of the monitor''s view ¨C The place is bathed slowly in only red once more.
Time passes, auxiliary batteries fail ¨C Following the wishes its mistress left behind, the machine falters, wiping itself clear of data, its black-box corrupts.
The monitor fails, the lights fade one by one ¨C The Vijaik breaths its last as the glimmers of remaining energy leave it ¨C Silence falls and the machine goes to meet with its partner.
****
Kolme Nilas had collapsed back into his chair, not bothering to tidy the cradle of exposed cables at his feet ¨C His eyes stared vacantly at the main monitor ¨C At the drifting wreckage of the battleship Am-Fluchtig, the corpses of Nemos and Emilia''s Casnel mixed in for good measure.
In what one might call a ''stroke of luck'' it seemed the battered remains of his machine, now little more than a front row viewing platform to the destruction of his home, was being ignored ¨C Plenty TSU-s Vijaik squads had passed him by, but none had seemed to identify him as any sort of threat, perhaps thinking the machine''s pilot long dead.
He had even caught glimpses of TSU-s warships passing to boot ¨C On there way to reclaim the Weapon no doubt ¨C Of course he couldn''t move his viewing angel, so he couldn''t actually see what was happening ¨C But had he wanted to he could guess:
Right now the Weapon was being charged and turned, right now TSU-s would be boarding the control centre, hundreds of injured IAFS soldiers would be holding back the invasion in every corridor, using fragile bodies to slow the advance by even a second ¨C Right now the Tradech and its two remaining Casnels were probably doing their best not to meet the same faith as the Fluchtig.
It would be a race of sorts, would the weapon fire and wipe out TSU-s first, or would the last dregs of IAFS be overrun.
But Kolme didn''t care about any of that, his glassed over eyes simply stared blankly out.
A tremendous force knocked the Neo-C, the sheer impact causing it to spin ¨C And for a few brief seconds Kolme got the full perspective of the battle''s final moments. The Grand Weapon fired a second time ¨C The TSU-s fleet was overtaken in an instant, waves of golden energy washing over warships and mechs alike, obligating all in paths ¨C At the same time the Weapon too began to erupt, its incomplete shell unable to take being fired for a second time, began to collapse ¨C The explosives The Tristian Fleet had so painstakingly laid out began to react to this sudden crumbling of the weapon''s superstructure ¨C One explosion at a time the fireworks display of a generation began.
But Kolme didn''t see it for long, for his camera shattered from the influx of heat and he was left with nothing but a blank screen. But he had seen enough ¨C The godly beam coursed straight through the TSU-s fleet and into No-Man''s land ¨C The thousands waiting for rescue on all sides, whether it be as prisoners of war, or still hoping for their IAFS comrades to come find them ¨C Perished right along side TSU-s ¨C Any lingering hope that Sabban or Hoki were still out there faded from Kolme''s already broken mind.
It was, in a manner of speaking a ''victory'' ¨C TSU-s was wiped out instantly via the Tradech''s use of the weapon, but in exchange it had cost the lives of all those aboard both the control centre and of course the Fluchtig ¨C In truth the only survivors would be those who had headed for the Tradech.
But it was still surely a victory ¨C The TSU-s fleet, all that was left of it gone in the blink of an eye and the Grand-Weapon itself slowly collapsing ¨C IAFS had finally won, wiped out TSU-s.
The Fluchtig''s wreckage and by proxy Kolme Nilas, were not in the line of fire, but they were also not far from it.
Blind to the outside as he now was, Kolme simply had to feel the pressure to know that he was not out of the danger-zone ¨C The heat from that ridiculous energy blast caused what little systems his machines still had, to violently explode ¨C The old man was thrown across his cockpit as impacts rocked his whole machine ¨C But Kolme Nilas didn''t much care any more ¨C In fact he might well of welcomed the Weapon finishing him off.
The second and last firing of the Weapon was a sight none who saw it would ever forget ¨C But history itself would remember this day very differently. For as the Tradech, sole survivor of IAFS retreated and the handful of TSU-s ships not destroyed limped away ¨C There was one more force that arrived shortly thereafter.
While it would go on to be recorded as the last day of the ''conflict'' between The States-Union-special-Branch and the Independent Alliance of Free States ¨C As the ''Battle of the Grand-Weapon'' ¨C Most ordinary people would learn of it as an entirely different day, as the day Remembrance''s grand-commander Omaes Agagite would claim that they had been the sole victory of the battle ¨C Remembered as the day that Remembrance declared war on Bhaile, sparking a conflict so much grander in scale, costing so many more lives, that it would entirely overshadow the IAFS and TSU-s ''petty'' squabble ¨C It would come to be remembered as the first day of the Second War of Abhailen Independence.
But for those who truly witnessed it, the struggle of IAFS to make the world just a tiny bit better, to sacrifice so much in the mere hope others might live a little happier ¨C That sight marked the very end of their struggle.
Front 51 - A BlackBox Floats / Epilogue
Epilogue
A black-box floats through space, over endless lapping waves of empty darkness, on a fate-less journey to the end of the world ¨C A black-box floats through space.
An old man props himself back up into his chair ¨C The small space he is enclosed in looks mostly undamaged, although the screens all show blank, their connected functions all terminated. But a look outside the machine reveals more ¨C All four of its limbs are greatly mashed and mangled, its armour a melted black slush ¨C Its helmet a mix of squashed and singed.
At a glance its colour might once of been green or blue, but just as easily could always of been its current pitch black.
An expert might be able to discern the machine''s make, but to most it would seem like nothing more than the torn and bloodied remnant of an IAFS nemo.
The old man rustles in his tattered jacket''s pockets ¨C He retrieves an item that fills him with feelings of naivety and crass sentiment ¨C But regardless of the feelings, of the merit in his having such an item, the item will not change ¨C It is a simple, if rather expensive looking, packet of cigars. Bought on a whim when last in a city far, far away, during a night out with people now all slain.
The impulse purchase, the thought that one could be given to each of his comrades when the fighting was over ¨C He would watch as the three younger ones coughed and spluttered on the foreign taste, while he and the older woman would savour the moment fondly and they would all laugh and tease one another over it.
Clunk
The sound echoed around the small space, an unwelcome voice joining it;
¡°Hello, Hello? Now come on, I''m detecting signs of life in there for sure this time ¨C Come on! Look if you are too injured to talk then I''m tearing the door off and getting you out ¨C 3, 2--¡±
¡°Enough!¡±
The old man''s voice barks back.
¡°Well hey you talked, nice! Was beginning to think I was all that''s left out here ¨C I''m Commander Ceathair and you are?¡±
The old man sighs ruefully, ¡°You''re not really him are you?¡±
¡°Afraid so bud ¨C Doesn''t the golden Casnel give it away a bit? Then again got pretty beat up fighting an old friend, she has a shiny white Casnel of her own these days it seems ¨C Still even without legs my mechs is pretty distin-- Oh!
My bad, your cameras are pretty messed up huh? Actually its kinda hard to tell where your mech starts and the singeing ends ¨C Anyway, I am he, IAFS''s highest ranking pilot! So sort of your boss I guess.¡±
¡°I out rank you.¡±
The old man says back disinterestedly.
¡°Ummm, how?¡±
¡°Field promoti-- It doesn''t matter ¨C Just go away!¡±
¡°Oh I guess that makes sense, so many died today I imagine there was alot of musical chairs ¨C I ah, I really do wish we could of got here sooner, we tried our best.¡±
One of the old man''s eyes twitch at this last comment;
¡°Your Best? You arrived rammed your forces to their deaths against stupid odds, atrociously evaluated the situation and then fired the Weapon because you cared more about glory than saving people!
If that is your best, than it wasn''t worth much.¡±
¡°I, I''m not sure what to say to that.¡±
Ceathair replied.
¡°Good, then fuck off and leave me alone.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
¡°......I appreciate you''ve lost a great many today, so have I ¨C My, err prodigy? A young man by the name of Davrim, excellent pilot and someone I honestly thought might carry our hopes for the future on his back ¨C He was slain in the fighting ¨C As for Emilia I still have yet to find sign of her--¡±
¡°As in Commander Emilia?¡±
The old man interrupted.
¡°Ah yes, have you seen her?¡±
¡°Dead, went down with the Fluchtig.¡±
¡°Oh I see... A shame, it wasn''t anything serious but we did have a little something going on.¡±
''So Nate never stood a chance huh.'' The old man thought to himself dryly ¨C Taking the silence as some sort of que, Ceathair continued; ¡°It would seem IAFS is done then, I''d been thinking for a while it wasn''t really working out but after today I doubt they can keep going.
Aside from the Casnels, almost all the warships seem to have sunk excluding the Tradech herself, I think I may have even come across a fallen Scarlet Scourge, never thought I''d see the day that one fell in battle.¡±
¡°Scarlet aswell then?¡±
The old man whispered more to himself than his vocal intruder.
¡°Say, I know it isn''t much but tell me your squamate''s names ¨C Perhaps by taking them with me they can live on in a manner of speaking.¡±
The old man bristled, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles glistened;
¡°Their names, you want their names?! Sabban, Scarlet, Hoki, Una, Nate, Aurin, the bridge staff of the Rinie who stood tall to the end, the people of the Valliere who took on ridiculous odds alone, the entire crew of the Am Fluchtig?!
Do you have a pen and paper?! How about every last man and woman in the Home-Fleet, the defence line, the hundreds of Nemos that I personally sent to their deaths!? All the people who got us this far, Tomo, Erfu, the Admiral himself!
You want names Commander - You want to tell me what the point of it all was, why they all had to die?!!¡±
¡°............My apologies, you''re clearly mourn for a great many. Then just your own, the name of the man I met at the end of the world?¡±
Ceathair asked a little more soberly.
¡°End of the World? The world is always ending, I''ve seen it end atleast twice before, no ¨C The world has ended hundreds, thousands of times over the years, for someone the world is ending now, tomorrow and the day after ¨C No, this isn''t the ''end'' of anything.¡±
¡°I would still have your name Nemo pilot.¡±
¡°Heh, ha,haha ¨C You already know it, I was on the Tradech when this whole war started and now I sit here speaking with you at its end ¨C But you don''t remember it do you, the sound of my voice?¡±
The old man croaked on.
Ceathair paused, the line falling silent for a moment as he considered his answer carefully, ¡°No, I''m afraid I do not ¨C I, like you, have seen a great many people come and go, fall in battle over these many years, too many perhaps ¨C To remember all those names and faces all the time, it would surely break any man''s heart to try and do so.¡±
The old man grinned, a bitter crooked smile - ¡°True enough, you can''t remember every story, only the ones that really hit you right?¡±
¡°Something like that.¡±
Ceathair relented.
¡°My name should be forgotten, it''s the one name that shouldn''t survive today, that deserves to just disappear ¨C Leave me, be on your way commander.¡±
¡°Won''t you atleast let me bring you to the Tradech? Remembrance are closing in as we speak, if they find you, you will surely be taken prisoner ¨C The Tradech is still waiting a little longer, I can bring you there.¡±
¡°No! M-my helmet is broken, yes and this cabin is leaking air ¨C I will of already passed by the time anyone finds me ¨C ....Please, leave me be.¡±
The old man finished earnestly, looking to his side where his helmet lay perfectly intact.
A long hesitation followed before Ceathair spoke again - ¡°I see now that you have already decided this is where your journey ends ¨C I must keep going, for a while longer anyway but I apologies for disturbing your rest ¨C farewell nameless friend, last nemo standing.¡±
Clunk
The contact link broke.
The old man took the plastic wrapping off the cigars, shuffled around for a lighter and lay back into his chair ¨C Lighting it, he took a long draw, closing his eyes as the oxygen slowly drained from the cockpit and the machine continued to drift aimlessly onwards.
A BlackBox floats through space, over endless lapping waves of empty darkness, in a void of nothing on a journey to nowhere ¨C The BlackBox floats through space, waiting for someone to find it again, emitting the faintest of signals, so that perhaps one day it will speak once more.
The End - Thank you so very much for reading.
[Disused old Prologue chapter 1 - Kept only for posterity]
Prologue
"Man all those books they make us read for class are such a drag." The young man moans while walking down the busy street, a school bag slung lazily over his shoulder.
"Oh ya? It''s not like you even bother doing most of the classwork for them, you just end up copying mine." The girl sighs as she walks alongside him - "Oh speaking of books - Have you heard about that one?"
"Heard about which one?"
"That new UnderCurrent book, what else was everyone talking about today with the pandemic is over?"
"Ha, who wants to read a book by choice, you''re such a nerd Kris. I bet you loved being locked-down at home for all those months."
"What''s that supposed to mean, and who says ''Nerd'' anymore Dave" - Kris replied indignantly.
She glanced away from her impassive friend, to look over at a massive billboard mounted to one of many tall concrete buildings, across the street from where the two youths walked;
"Look over there, it''s the poster for it!" Kris added, her excitement betraying any dissatisfaction she held for Dave''s earlier comments.
Dave, a stout young man of 17, with a full head of scruffy black hair ending in a short dreadlock - Scrunched his tanned face as he skimmed over the large, imposing billboard. On about half of it was the cover of a novel with the words: "The UnderCurrent Experience" - Although the other half was filled by the somewhat flamboyant, smiling expression of a slightly greying, smug-faced man - The type whose appearance seemed to embody the word ''aristocracy'' in Dave''s eyes.
He scoffed drawing his gaze away from the eyesore;
"If it''s some big historical book about ''aliens'' or whatever, then what''s that git''s face doing plastered all over it?"
His conversing partner flushed at this comment, "That''s Mr.Havelock he''s famous. Even you must know that!"
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Dave sighed ruefully, "Of course I know who he is, doesn''t mean I like him. And anyway doesn''t his name bein'' on it prove it''s all just a big media hoax? I mean the heck is the chances England of all places makes a machine, that ''NTME'' thing, to let you see through the eyes of these ''alien-humans'' - Who just so happen to be fighting some sort of Space-War, that is easily marketable for good book sales?
Nah, I''ll bet it''s all just an ad-campaign for Netflix''s next TV show."
Kris''s expression gradually fell to one of a simmering rage, unsuited to her young face - Sweeping her long blond hair aside she lay into Dave''s ignorance; "You are such a dolt David, not everything has to be some stupid conspiracy theory, the book was sanctioned by the King! His Highness, how can that be fake? And for your information it isn''t just a ''Space-War'', it is a desperate, romantic struggle between two planets! A war of brave rebel forces, against the tyrannical ruling class, all from the eyes of a group of humble mech pilots.
It''s all about fighting fate and romance and sacrifice, and, and --"
"Alright, alright enough with the lecture, all you''re doin'' is making it sound even more like a sales pitch! And by the way you should really tone back the nerdom, you are so into it." - The young man jeered, teasingly elbowing his companion lightly in the ribs.
Kris for her part blushed a bright crimson in response; "A-am not!"
"Are too. Or is it more ''Mr.Havelock, O-B-E'' that you like so much?"
The young man said, grinning happily.
"Why are you always such an ass Dave!!" Kris shot back trying to hide her embarrassment.
The conversation continued on in much this manner for some time, as the two teenagers continued their carefree walk home from school - Down along the busy yet peaceful streets of old London town.
Before long the talk of overzealous authors and fantastical books faded in favour of more important discussions of homework assignments due the next day, plans for the weekend and to the faint grilled-smell of a nearby chip-van, to be availed of on the duo''s long walk home.
Of course the two, little more than children, had no way of knowing that just a half dozen blocks away, ''Thee UnderCurrent Project'' continued, past even what the public was being informed of.
No way of knowing that the novel Dave so dubiously discounted - Truly was an honest depiction of another human-like race''s struggle in an interplanetary war - Of people little more than his own age fighting and dying - In a conflict on a scale unheard of in all Earth''s entire history.
And indeed no way of knowing both the suffering of that people''s world he so wilfully ignored, or the suffering that the UnderCurrent''s discovery might yet bring to Earth if given enough time...
[Disused old Prologue chapter 2 - Kept only for posterity]
Prologue 2
"You are not!" Exclaims the girl''s voice.
"I am too. Right after Una gets in-front of that shot heading for Hoki." The boy responds indignantly.
The two youths of maybe 18 or so, sit in the shade of an old beech tree, on a worn old wooden bench, school bags on the ground by their feet. Near them, the greenery of a small park and the wafting smell of a fish & chip van make up their surroundings.
On the far side of the van is a second bench where an older man and rather pretty looking woman sit talking, although far enough away that they are out of earshot.
The not-so-distant city skyline making for an urban backdrop to the two''s conversation.
The girl - A slender brown haired figure, dressed like her friend in a plain black and brown school uniform - Lays a hand on her chin thoughtfully; "I thought you weren''t interested in ''fiction'' Dave. And you must be skim reading, no way you got that far so fast!"
''Dave'' scrunched his face grumpily, speaking up in-between mouthfuls from a brown-paper bag of chips in his hand, "Look if you''re gonna'' be like that Kris..."
He said turning his gaze away and causing his long dark dreadlock to swing in the air.
Kris laughed lightly before leaning forward and poking Dave softly - "Oh, I''m sorry I''m sure you''re a great reader." Dave glared at her, to which she simply laughed more;
"So then what do you think, who you shipping with who?! Promise I won''t spoil anything, honest."
Dave for his part reluctantly turned his head back to face the grinning girl;
"The hecks shipping? No, but I actually did have a couple questions." He admitted almost meekly, which struck Kris as both cute and a little out of character for her usually boisterous childhood friend.
"Oh, umm ok, sure ask away I guess."
"Why ain''t ''they using nukes." Dave asked altogether too flatly.
Kris blinked repeatedly - "You what?"
"Nukes, nuclear missiles ya know? I mean they got all these wars and mechs and stuff but why doesn''t one side just nuke the other? Is it like ''a cold war'' or something?"
Kris sighed at the boys fixation on weaponry above all else - ''Should''ve guessed, boy''s and their toys'' - She mussed;
"How should I know? Well I guess it is mentioned a bit in one of the appendices."
Dave''s face brightened at this news, "Oh ya? Well what does it say?!"
"Now who''s being a nerd," Kris sighed again - "Apparently it''s because of the Magi."
"The Magi? Isn''t that bit just a myth? Something Pierre Havelock added to leech off the Harry Potter market?" Dave asked back.
"Ku ku kuu!" Kris chimed, grinning her best ''evil antagonist'' smile;
"Seems you haven''t read enough yet dear boy!"
"So what then? These Magi are real not just something the crew mentions every now and then?"
"Ha-ha, I''ll have you know they''re even in the third arc!"
"You said no spoilers Kris!" Dave shot back with actual upset in his voice.
Kris half-clasped her hands over her mouth, before laughing aloud in amusement at how serious her friend was treating the whole thing. Dave seemed to realise this too and blushed ruefully, casting his eyes downward;
"Well that still doesn''t explain nothin''."
"Look I don''t know really, apparently the Magi used to be able to do all sorts of stuff - Like predict the weather or diseases and stuff--"
"Sounds useful for dodging homework assignments." Dave added snidely.
"--Yes well, apparently, if you must know - During that ''First War'' thing, there was like a Cult of Magi who could change the course of meteorites, making them hit the Planet Bhaile. Better than any silly nuclear missile." Kris finished, her emphasis on specific terms from the book not being lost on Dave.
"Ok, I think I get ya. So every time a war starts, these ''Wizards'' come up and ruin any plans the army has in some way - So they never bothered making nukes - Or somen'' like that?" He finished, seemingly pleased with his hypothesis.
"Was that all your questions? Any that are maybe to do with something other than big guns?" Kris asked with an apparent lack of enthusiasm for the conversation - ''I thought the book might give us something fun to talk about, not stupid guns....''Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
"I do actually." Dave said, offering his bag of chips over to Kris in an attempt to bring her back around;
"Why does it focus on them? The Fluchtig''s people I mean? Like I dunno'' they don''t really seem that important or somen''. Like they''re fighting this invisible battleship but like who cares if they sink it ya know?"
"Warship." Kris corrected.
"You w''ut?"
"Warship, that''s the blanket term for combat capable vessels - A battleship is a specific type, like the Fluchtig, but the submarine is an assault-carrier class ship not a batt--"
"Are you seriously lecturing me on battlesh--, sorry ''Warship'' Terminology right now Kristen?"
Kris''s visage caught a-flame with a bright blush of her own. She glanced away while trying to steer the conversation back on course, "The umm, Miss.Lawson said--"
"Miss Lawson? Wait you didn''t actually talk to a teacher about your nerdy hobby?" Dave asked bursting into a fit of laughter at Kris''s ever-more red face.
To Kris''s credit, Miss.Lawson was a physics teacher and very much so the sort who actually researched and kept up to date in her field - This information however, did not stop Dave from laughing.
"Hmph, Well I hope that was your last question, ''cause I won''t be answering anymore." Kris pouted.
Dave calmed himself down, appealing to his friend''s forgiveness; "Alright, alright I''m sorry. But I really do want to know why the story follows Jar Jar Binks."
Kris broke from her pouting to stare in confusion at Dave.
"Well, it is! You know, like if we saw Star-Wars from Jar-Jar''s perspective. Like he does important stuff but he isn''t exactly the protagonist of the story is he."
There was a moment of silence between the two youths before a shiver ran down their collective spines at the horrifying thought of the potential film Dave was describing - Before they both burst out laughing.
"If he was protagonist think he''d get a lightsabre?" Kris snickered.
"Ha, he''d probably drop it on old Sheev by accident in the first movie if he did!" Dave chuckled back.
They continued like this for a bit, forgetting the novel they had originally been discussing - Until while scrunching up the now empty brown-paper bag and throwing it toward a nearby open-top dustbin - Dave remembered their early train of thought;
"Oh right! So what did Miss.Lawson say?"
"Promise you won''t start laughing again?" Kris replied, glaring through slit eyes at Dave. The young man threw up his hands in a sign of surrender.
"...She said to think about what the UnderCurrent''s people would see if they could look back at us."
"Look back? I don''t think I follow."
Kris grinned, nudging Dave in the shoulder lightly;
"Oh no? And here I thought you were finally getting into it." She jeered - "Alright, how about this - Who''s ''The Protagonist'' of our world?"
Dave mused on this for a few moments, "I guess Donald Trump? No wait maybe Vladimir Putin. Actually Kim-J¨®n-Un seems to get up to alot, good old Boris certainly does, and Elon owns like everything." Dave finished with a grin.
Kris shuddered at the cavalcade of controversial names but nodded her agreement;
"Exactly, now imagine the people of the UnderCurrent had their own ''NTME'', what''s the chances they would see one of those people? In all likelihood the machine would lock onto one of the 8 billion or so other people in our world right?"
Dave''s face lit up in an epiphany of sudden understanding - "Ohh-h, I guess that does make sense. We just got lucky it didn''t lock onto someone really boring, like the UnderCurrent''s version of Miss.Lawson and her daily life!"
Kris scowled a little at this slight against her favourite teacher but once again nodded her agreement;
"In a way you could say they''re boring, the pilots of the Fluchtig I mean. Essentially they are like, the middle management of an office-block but wrapped up in a massive space war - Ya know? Instead of the printer running out of paper, they worry about resources and invisible enemies."
"I guess that answers my questions, though did you really just try to compare soldiers to office clerks?"
Kris blushed again. Dave grinned; "Hey, speaking of Miss.Lawson I''m sure glad I finished that assignment ahead a'' time for once yesterday."
A look of panic & fear swept across Kris''s features."....Oh crap."
"On no way, you - You actually forgot to do your homework!? Ha-ha, all these years of me copying your work and finally you forgot, ha-ha-ha!" Dave said bursting into a whole new fit of laughter.
Kris however was already on her feet, face now beetroot red - She grabbed at Dave''s wrist;
"Oh shut up and come on already, I''ve got to get home and do it quick!"
"Ya know I don''t think I will." Dave sneered breaking her grip and putting both hands behind his head, "Think I''ll just sit here, admire the scenery. Safe in the knowledge all my work is done."
Kris frowned and began to stride away; "Fine then you ass, do what you want!"
Dave quickly rose from the park bench and began to chase after his friend, "Hey wait up! I didn''t mean it, t''was only a joke. Kris!!"
[Disused old Prologue chapter 3 - Kept only for posterity]
"Yo."
Said the young man with the tanned skin and the short hair that had once been long enough for dreadlocks.
"Ya, been a while." The woman answers back with a weak echo of her old smile.
They''ve met at an old and very worn park bench - There was once a second just across but it''s long gone, the old chip-van still stands but no longer does it open for business - Its window boarded up, its tires slashed deeply.
Thrash covers much of the unkempt grass - Old bottles and discarded syringes.
A trundling sound catches the man, Dave''s attention - He tenses a little as he subtly looks over the back of the bench.
"What''s wrong?" Kris asks turning to look but Dave indicates not to make eye contact.
What passes out of one alleyway, progressing along the park''s dilapidated pathway - Is what looks suspiciously like a Dalek from the old British Tv show.
Kris raises an eyebrow, visible confusion on her face before suddenly clasping a hand over her mouth - The thing isn''t quite a fan replica, the metal on its salt-shaker silhouette looks discerningly akin to actually metal rather then just painted wood or plastic - And perhaps more alarmingly, where an enthusiast''s model might have a pretend laser to mimic that of its inspiration - This particular version appears to have a very real-looking sub-machine gun protruding from it;
"Th-that''s not the guy from the news? The one who shot a load of police?!"
Dave nodded solemnly, his shoulders untensing as the strange rumbling grew more distant and the corrupted replica turned down another alley, away from the park;
"I actually pass by him fairly often, he''s kind of a vigilante around these parts, patrols the city daily."
"But the news?! They said he shot like 4 police men!"
"No one''s perfect."
"Dave!"
"Alright, alright, I''m just messing - But honestly he does keep the peace round her better than anyone else now, the local police all stay cooped up in their station, place is like a fortress - I mean can you imagine 10 years ago a single police getting shot? ?The whole department would be searching day and night for the culprit."
Kris frowned, "Well, they just don''t have those sorts of resources anymore..."
Dave shrugged;
"Ya, who does."
A silence fell between them for a few moments, a discarded soda-can rattling near by, a stray dog howling meekly.
"You''re going for your 5th year I hear. Will the scholarship cover that?"
"Ah no, actually they pulled my scholarship a few years back, last figures I saw say there''s only about 20% of the funds allocated to further education now compared to 2022."
"Oh..." Dave said a little put out, "Your parents helping?"
Kris visibly flinched at this, "No, they tried to at first but it just got too tough ya know? I work a couple side jobs - And in the summer I help with a local harvest, since they closed all the borders getting that sort of work is atleast easy, I guess... ?What about you though? You must be done the apprenticeship now right?"Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Dave did his best to look proud - "Yup, looking at a fully qualified electrician. Though actually getting works been hard."
"What? No way, people always need electricians!"
Dave shuffled, clearly uncomfortable about a comment he received often; "You would be surprised. Like ya there''s plenty of work, some of it good paying but... I don''t know, I just don''t want to work for one of these mega-companies that are, well, dodgy I guess?
And as for building works, so much funding has been pulled - Then you got smaller companies and local people, but everything''s so tight that they can barely afford to turn on the electric - And well..."
Kris nodded, understanding in her gaze, "Ya..."
----
"Did you hear Musk bought Twitter back again?" Dave added trying to break the silence.
"You''re kidding, how much this time?"
"65 billion is what I heard. How long you wann''a bet before Bezos buys it back again?" Dave laughed with a crooked, tired grin.
Kris did her best to smile, glancing off in the direction they had spotted the Dalek replica moving;
"I''d say about as long as it takes for your friend to come back around again."
They laughed a little.
"Hey Dave, do you remember the time we sat here and talked about that book?"
Dave thought for a moment, "Oh ya the UnderCurrent thing - That''s gotta'' be going on five years ago right?"
Kris smiled softly, "Ya about that - You called it a Netflix stunt, remember?"
"Heh, guess I did. To think it was all true - And that they''d actually find a way to copy the book''s tech, make spaceships - Get to mars in just a couple years. Doesn''t seem real."
"It would be cool if they could of done it without giving up on this planet though." Kris half-mumbled sadly.
Dave shrugged, "What can ya do? Once Brittan started studying it, it was only a matter of time before other countries got wind - China, India, Russia and old Uncle Sam, not to mention every billionaire with an ego - A modern space race they said. Didn''t Miss.Lawson and you used to chat about that old book?"
Dave said, trying to lift the mood back up - It had become so difficult not to sound like a news-caster when speaking on just about anything as of late.
Kris flinched again - "She''s d--. Miss.Lawson, she ah, she passed away recently."
"Oh. I see." Dave responded - There wasn''t much else to say on the matter, so he didn''t;
"So umm, you wanna'' go to the cinema or something after this? I heard phase 8 ain''t completely terrible."
"Oh, sorry Dave, I know we haven''t talked in ages but I''ve got a night shift later, then lectures in the morning."
"Ah, right ''course, no worries."
"Dave?"
"Ya?"
"She died too. Um, ah." Kris paused, her throat catching, her words feeling dry, "My Mam, she passed away."
Dave''s eyes shot open - "Kris I''m so sorry, I should of known or heard or--"
"It''s alright Dave, its alright." She said back, eyes bulging but no tears falling - "She''d only been able to afford to turn the heating on every second, or third day, and the food she was eating kept getting cheaper, and,-- . The Flu got her in the end, that''s all - I thought you should know properly, not in a text, she pretty much raised you as much as she did me back in the day."
"Ya of course. Look Kris I''m really, really sorry."
Kris nodded.
They both stared out at the sky, or rather the heavy rolling smog covering it - To Dave''s surprise, Kris slid across and leaned her head atop his shoulder - Rather then pull away he offered her his hand to hold.
It wasn''t out of romance but more a sibling comradery they had lost touch with over the years.
Suddenly the fog began to swirl violently, gusts of heavy winds filled the barren park - Overhead, high up in the sky a gigantic rectangular shape, clad in metal, miles in length, with a glowing blue afterburn - Passed by above.
The young man and woman stared up - Watching in amazement and perhaps terror - As humanities first vessel capable of leaving the solar system, with people aboard - Took flight.
UnderCurrent ζ – Extra Chapter – #2
A Chance Meeting
"Look at that view, Miss Hoki," Una O'' Conchabhair said with a smile.
I stepped over to the port window; beyond it was the round, white shape of the moon, with all its little pockmarks and the minuscule gleam of city domes.
"It''s very beautiful indeed. I visited the moon once during cadet training."
Una''s young eyes sparkled under her purple hair, "Really?! I''d love to go there someday. What was it like?"
"Well, we were mostly there for practice with space training. But we did have a few days free here and there," I trace the shape of the moon in the window pane, "I''ve thought about asking Scarlet about that day from time to time, but she''d probably just laugh at me,"
"I''m not sure I follow?"
"Oh well, I suppose I could tell you - it was a rather exciting day for me at the time. Let''s get some tea, shall we?"
****
I was younger then, more, well, naive, you could say.
It was my first time off planet for me and my friends. We set out into this strange foreign city with a whole lot of vim and vigour. It''s almost embarrassing to remember how ¡®young¡¯ we all were.
Oh, the shops, Una! We went to all sorts of places. The moon is known as the hub of new-wave fashion, stuff no one in my home country would have been seen dead wearing, but we were enamoured. We went from shop to shop and tried on everything we could. These dresses with vivid colours and sort of plastic decorations that would mesh and flow. It''s probably out of fashion now, but then it was the height of ''hip.''
The city was beautiful, a real mix of cultures refined over time. The moon is the oldest civilisation after Bhaile and Abhaile. And well, unlike Abhaile, TSU put a bit more effort into cultivating it. There were heated pavements wherever you went and bright open spaces between buildings, with a range of mixed architecture - Klachien arches, Felden brickwork.
But the best part Una, was simply looking up. The capital is built directly under a dome, and the main boulevard is right underneath its apex. You look up, and all you see is the beautiful sky above: stars or the planets or any number of incredible sights depending on the time of day. That may have overwhelmed me because I got lost. All these years later, and that still feels a little bit embarrassing - one moment, my friends and I were giggling our way through every store - the next, I was alone in a foreign city.
I panicked a little inside. There''s just something lonely about being surrounded by unfamiliar sights and sounds. That''s how I stumbled into him, literally.
"Oh, sorry," I said. I''d walked into a man taller than myself, which is saying something. For his part, he didn''t even flinch, instead offering his hand. "No, I should have been more careful. My apologies, Miss."
I took the handshake a little shyly. He wasn''t just tall either; broad shoulders, long legs - a musculature evident in his build and a face with a rugged charm to it. You know I don''t swing that way, but I can still tell when I''m looking at someone quite handsome.
"Are you perhaps lost?" he asked when I didn''t say anything.
Snapping out of my stupor, I nodded, "Ya, I guess I am, haha..."
He smiled this slow, warm smile. "Well, it¡¯s my first time in this city, too, but I happen to know a rather good view. Perhaps you could spot your destination from there?"
I''m a little ashamed to admit I accepted this offer. He was a total stranger and evidently not a local. Clothing-wise, he wore this green jacket that almost looked military and a big warm overcoat. His hair, a greenish-grey colour I had never seen before, was kept in a neat wolf tail of sorts. Quite the dashing ensemble.
He took the lead, and I fell into step beside him. Perhaps I was just grateful to have someone to follow. I''ve never been the best at being alone in my own company.
"Your hands are awfully calloused; do you perhaps practise material arts?" I said - it wasn''t just that, though; the gait of his walk and his muscle structure, as I mentioned before - all gave the impression of a practitioner.
He seemed surprised, but that soon faded when he glanced at my own hands, "Ah, a fellow student, is it? As it happens, I do practise the sword, yes. An old school from Bhaile, the name lost over the years. It¡¯s gone now, though. I could well be its last member."
"Oh, that''s unfortunate. I''m from the Bachika school myself!"
"The bow and arrow, then? Respectable, but I''ve always found the blade more¡ personal."
I leered at him, "Hmph, more brutal, perhaps. A savage weapon."
He grinned, "As aversed to a coward off in the distance?"
We glared at one another before bursting out in laughter, "You''re alright, mister. It''s nice to meet one of my kind all the way out here."
He looked at me thoughtfully, "Yes, and what a nice turn of phrase you have. Perhaps if everyone thought in terms of material artist or not, we could avoid all sorts of conflict."
At the time, I was a little bit lost on that comment, but in retrospect, I suppose he meant our race. His accent made him a clear Abhailien, and mine was a dead giveaway to my Bhailien-ness.
I guess at that age, despite The First War having been so recent, I still didn''t really think about how much tension and resentment existed between different people. Back then, the idea of more wars never factored into my mind, strange when you consider I was a TSU cadet.
I was about to get a crash course in that racial disparity, whether I wanted it or not. Just ahead of where we were strolling was a small crowd and the sound of pain.
Pushing our way to the fore was an absolutely abhorrent site awaiting us. On the ground was a man with lightly tan shaded skin, probably Abhailen, and bleeding. A Stab wound in his side, and standing above him, four men, ruthlessly laughing and kicking the grounded man.
I didn''t so much think as leap into the fray, striding right up the nearest man and pulling him back.
"Oi, you want somen¡¯ missy?" he snarled like some bit-part punk.
"What do you think you are doing to this man?" I said.
"Relax, he''s a filthy Abhailen," the thug said with a shrug and went in for another kick - I was faster - I spread my legs firmly, twisted my waist and shot my arm out with a nice twist. You know my family specialises in archery Una, but we do quite a bit of training in other forms aside from that, which comes in handy sometimes.
The man took the blow to the ribs with a grunt. Another second, and he''d turned to take a swing at me. He was fast; I''d give him that much, but not fast enough. I shifted my weight and grabbed the incoming right hook, twisted, and, using his own weight against him, flung him over my shoulder and onto the ground hard.
The crowd¡ booed.
I kept my eye on the guy¡¯s other friends, who had stopped kicking the Abhailen and seemed to be heading my way, but the crowd¡¯s reaction was unexpected.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"What''d you do that for?!"
"Abhiailien sympathiser!"
"Maybe she is one; you never know with their mixed-race shit."
"Mongrels, the lot of ''em."
Someone threw a soda can. He knocked it aside.
Stepping out of the crowd and coming to my side was my strange new friend, "Isn''t this a little too close to the action for you?" he said with a smirk.
"Heh, I thought you were staying at the back, afar from the fun."
"Wouldn''t dream of it."
Together, we took on the remaining trio, including the one with the knife. Honestly, though, the man hardly needed my help. He was without his sword in much the same way I lacked a bow, but his hand-to-hand combat was flawless - no openings, no wasted movement - his eyes saw everything, and his ears heard every step.
By the time all four goons were scampering away, licking their wounds, I realised that I was in the presence of a master, not just some wandering student.
"I take it one of you has at least called the police on us. Can I expect even that much of you? Good, hopefully, they''ll bring an ambulance for this poor bastard," my new friend said to the now much meeker crowd, the scorn saturating his voice.
While he did that, I checked the man as best I could. The wounds and bruises didn''t look fatal, at least.
"Come on," he said to me, "Better make a run for it."
Well, that was quite bold of me, I appreciate. We''d done nothing wrong, so I should have done the civic thing and waited for the police, but... well, his offer was very charming, what can I say? Hand in hand, we booked it down the side street.
****
We zigzagged through a half dozen blocks like lunatics. In retrospect, my friend seemed very good at evasion, as if he knew where to go and had routes planned in advance.
Once he''d decided we were far enough, we stopped running and walked casually to a little coffee kiosk. I guess that is a good way to blend in with the crowd.
Before long, he returned and handed me a matcha; it was like we¡¯d never run across a quarter of the city at all. The drink in question was all the fad at the time. It was very sugary, maybe a bit immature, but I was parched all the same.
As we walked more casually, apparently back in search of this view of his, it dawned on me that I''d fought thugs by his side but didn''t even know his name; when I asked, he hesitated slightly, "Smidth... Kiyo Smidth. And you, Miss?"
Back then, I didn''t really feel the weight of my title. Being heiress to the Bachika Clan was still just a fact of life, so with boastful pride, I announced it, "Hoki Bachika."
"You mean like?"
"Yup, yup!"
"Well I''ll be, ¡®never thought I''d meet a main family member from one of the Bhailein schools. What an odd day."
I was embarrassingly pleased by his reaction, so it took me a few moments to process something, "Ya know, there was a famous swordsman called Kiyo once."
"Oh, is that so?" Mr Smidth replied a little shiftily.
"I read about him in my studies; he was the last practitioner of the Kigen school. But he disappeared. Rumour said he went to Abhaile during the first mass migration there, but that''s only speculation."
"Probably just a story."
"Probably, but imagine it. You said your school is nameless, but maybe it''s a descendant of the Kigen Clan, and if so, maybe your parents named you in homage! That''d be so cool, don''t you think so, Kiyo?"
You might think me a bit of a dunce, Una, but this was a couple of years before the Remembrance Incident, before Supreme Commander Kiyo Kigen became infamous as much more than a rumour. Back then, the name meant nothing to most people.
My companion just shrugged, "That would be something. More pressingly, I see our destination."
"You do, where? ...Ah!" it dawned on me like a lightning bolt. We''d been gradually heading towards the very centre of the city and, by proxy, beneath the apex of the glass dome above.
"Is it open to the public?"
"It''s not closed to the public," he said simply. He wasn''t wrong. Feeling a bit criminal, we began climbing the ladder around the central pillar, the massive metal column that rose from the ground all the way up.
"Say, what is it that you do?" I said, bored halfway up the climb with no end to the steps in sight; it was quite a tall structure.
"I''m a surveyor." Kiyo said ahead of me, "I evaluate whether buildings, satellites and so on are suitable for¡ redevelopment."
"Really? Do you get to travel much for something like that?"
"Oh yes, yes indeed. I''ve visited almost every corner of the solar system, even Ghealeach City, before it was destroyed. Well, everywhere except there," he said as he came to a stop.
I stepped up beside him and followed his gaze. We were wonderfully high up, an observation or maintenance deck just a few metres beneath the doom itself, so much higher than the city''s tallest buildings.
Being so close to the dome made Bhaile''s rich blues and verdant greens feel so very near; they were as beautiful as the city spread around us.
Kiyo cupped his hand over a cigarette and lit it. He gave me an apologetic look and said, "I am trying to quit them; they just remind me of better times."
"Oh, you mean like before the war?"
He nodded solemnly. I''d come to the conclusion he was probably Abhailein. It was a guess, of course, but that was the vibe I was getting. "A friend and I used to sneak out to share a smoke nearly daily. Our drill sergeant hated us," he added with a laugh.
"So you were a soldier?"
He nodded again.
I leant against the railing, gazing upon the city below. "Did you know these central towers are completely pointless? The dome is entirely structurally sound; the tower just makes people ¡®feel¡¯ safer, as if it¡¯s holding up the sky."
Kiyo smirked, "Yup. If anything, it makes the dome weaker. If you destroy the tower, you can ruin the entire structural integrity of the glass. Humans, we''re funny like that. Have you spotted your lodgings yet?"
"Yup, just over there," I pointed to the East, towards the docks. Kiyo humed, "Ah, good. Will you be able to get back?"
I held up my handheld, "I''ll take a few photos; it should be easy with those. Where are you headed?"
He pointed his chin to the west, the warehouse district. "Use those archer¡¯s eyes of yours, what¡¯cha see?"
I pouted a little at that, feeling teased, "Most swordsmen have plenty good eyes, but alright," I said. It was pretty far away, so I couldn''t see much. Some slanted-roof buildings, little fenced compounds, ordinary stuff.
"Those fuel tanks are a bit exposed, not regulation at all."
"Very good, you''re a fast one. That''s where I''m headed: building evaluation. I like to get a bird''s eye view first, and luckily for me, every single dome city has a tower like this, which makes things easy to scout out."
"Huh, ya, I can see how that would be."
"Well then," he stubbed out the cigarette on a little tin box from his coat pocket and offered me his free hand. At that moment, I felt rather melancholic. It wasn''t often you met someone new who shared your interests and gelled with you off the bat.
"Yes, I suppose this is where we split up." I took his hand, and we shook firmly.
"You never know," I added, ¡°Maybe when the war is long forgotten, the borders will lighten, and you can finally visit Bhaile. You could come East and see the old material arts schools in person."
He''d smiled a slow, sad smile at that, "Maybe, but I fear that chance may have slipped me by for good."
With my impromptu map in hand, I did successfully make it home. My friends gave me hell, worried I''d been mugged or something and complaining that I should have just used the inbuilt map system every handheld has - that part was quite embarrassing.
After that strange day, I never did meet Mr Kiyo Smidth again, but that wasn¡¯t the end. The entire class was summoned to the entrance hallway, and the instructors began telling us how the police had gotten a report of a foreign cadet embroiled in a street fight. I was getting ready to own up when the mother of all explosions happened. Let me tell you, Una, it was ridiculously loud - you can''t imagine!
The city went into a panic, and the electricity was gone about a second after everyone¡¯s hearing returned. Our moon trip was cut short, and there was no time for the instructor to ever get a confession from me.
We''d learn the next day, as we prepared to go home, that the warehouse district had been completely blown up. It was chalked to a terrorist attack at the time, but a few months later, when the Remembrance Incident broke out, people would speculate it could have been a trial run for the guerilla tactics that faction would go on to use so effectively.
His build, his way of talking and fighting, the look in his eye when we spoke atop that view - I can''t help but look back and wonder who that man might have been, but I suppose it doesn''t really matter anymore, does it? Our world is full of funny little meetings like that.
Even so, an image of him comes to my mind so readily: His great coat blowing in the breeze, a cigarette in his hand - and an almighty explosion at his back.
END