Death of a meteorite
Posted: 2007-01-01 04:03pm
"Stand Aside, Tacitus."
That was the only sound to pierce the white noise of my radio for a whole three minutes. as if Sydney, the man Who I knew since I was assigned to the Aerospace Infantry seventy years ago My friend and confidant for all that time until he turned Automolo, could say no more.
"stand aside, Tacitus. I won't warn you again."
"You will not pass, old friend."
He couldn't pass even if he wanted to. Sidney is suspended inside his Hoplite Powered armor, the terrible machine is more a mech than armor; the largest Powered armor ever made, and the most heavily armed. I'll have no chance at all in my Keryx Signal Armor, The Electronic warfare package is doing it's job in keeping my fellow AI trooper blind to my exact location, and I had dumped enough smoke into the narrow corridor that not even the IR sights on the Hoplite's thick arms can see me, but there's barely enough room in the narrow passageway to turn around, and the sealed door behind me is far too small for me to fit through. I pray he still feels like conserving his precious little ammunition, Otherwise those 14.5mm guns would turn me into so much red vapor even without him knowing where I am.
"Tacitus, This is all pointless and you know it. Come out and let the Pezomachos through. You'll die for sure
when I open up."
That's the first I heard about the ultralight Aerospace Troopers being onboard. That would explain why he's being cautious. I only need to stall a little longer, though. Admiral Nelson is almost finished with the ship's primary magazine. He'll need all the time I can borrow.
"I'm not moving."
"Fine, die in vain. All alone and forgotten. No Gorget of Valor, no recognition from the Strategos, no spot in the Mausoleum of Heroes, just an eternity of drifting through the void; A broken, freeze-dried corpse."
"Not like I'll care by then."
I have to keep him talking for as long as I can. Admiral Nelson needs nothing less.
"I'm done, Sergeant. I'll try to get to the lifeboats. Try to meet me there if you can."
"Can't, sir. I'm cut off. If I'm not there, leave without me."
"It's been a honor fighting beside you, Sergeant Tacitus."
"The honor was all mine, sir."
Admiral Nelson Needs a distraction. It's all or nothing now.
"Tacitus, I love you like family, just let us pa-"
I seize the initiative. I Flood all radio channels with my favorite song and kick my thrusters into full burn, Sydney sees it, he throws his suit's thick arm around the corner, I push it upwards with the butt of my autogun as I burst from the thick smoke. Only now do I see a full squad of Pezomachos with machine guns and autoguns, they'll be no problem. It's Sydney who I need to worry about.
"Kill him!"
Sydney finally opens up, I can feel the shockwaves from the HEAPI rounds tearing through the bulkhead around me, I need to keep moving. I check one Pezomacho into the bulkhead, crushing him under my suit's weight. I use my thrusters to get back to full speed, I fire at the other pezomachos taking cover in the corridor, My rounds punch through their flimsy cordons, they're all dead. just Sydney and me. his fire is constant and frantic now.
"Damnit Tacitus! stop this! It doesn't have to end like this! You can join me!"
"NEVER!"
His right arm gun runs out. I charge around him, I need to hammer a weak spot, cripple him. then I can leave him to die. He turns around to meet me, I see his giant arm swing at me. I manage to avoid by inches. I fire my autogun into his torso. As I burst away he turns to bring his left gun to bear, and I see blood. A round penetrated. he's dying. A flash of light and hundreds of rounds burst around me. The glass around my head shatters and cuts up my eyes. I deploy my secondary cameras and switch primary visuals to my weapon sights. I'm blind, but I can still see. I fire at Sydney's torso once more. all the rounds I have left. I see blood drifting through the seams in his compartment. his suit stops moving. his weapon still fires at me as I run, I feel my arm explode in my armor. His gun runs dry. I'm free to get to the lifeboats.
"I've broken through, sir. moving to exit."
"Great to hear, Sergeant. You've got twenty-nine minutes."
Noting left to do but run. The information has to get to the Strategos. The Admiral has to escape.
I reach the lifeboats before the Admiral. He should have been here first. only ten minutes now.
"Admiral, What's your status?"
"I'm a little occupied, Sergeant. You may have to leave without me."
"Where are you, sir?"
"down the hall."
Thermals pick up gunfire down the corridor. He's close.
"I'm coming, sir."
I charge down the corridor, At the junction The admiral is pinned beyond a blockade of automolos. They're Marines, and their backs are to me. The don't know I'm coming. I burst into the junction and smash one Marine into the bulkhead with my autogun. I swing my autogun down and the barrel crushes another marine inside his suit. The rest turn to fire on me and the Admiral fires on them as they leave cover. It's over in a few seconds. I discard my gun and grab the Admiral. In a few moments we're back at the lifeboat. The hatch is too small for my armor to fit.
"I need help out of my suit, sir."
He sees my face for the first time since he sealed the hatch of the ship's magazine.
"God damn soldier, look at you!"
The admiral opens up the battered suit as fast as he can. I try to sit up, I try to pull myself out, but I can't manage the strength. Before I can tell the Admiral I feel him grab my vest and pull me out. the plug comes out of my brainport as He pulls me from my armor. I'm now completely blind, I'm dragged into the lifeboat, I hear the hatch close. Laying there on the cold floor I feel afraid for the first time in my life. the very next moment I lift off the deck and slam into the hatch of the boat. We've left the ship. I mouth a prayer, hoping against hope that we get far enough away before the ship explodes. I find the strength to push off the hatch, I feel myself drifting a moment before I feel the Admiral move me into a seat. He ties off my stump.
"How you holding up, soldier?"
I try to answer, but all that comes out are mumbled groans.
"You fought well today. Sergeant. Just hold on a little longer."
I feel needles on my arm, and I hear the Admiral curse to himself.
"Sergeant, if you can hear me, twitch your fingers."
I hold up my middle finger. I hear a bellowing laugh.
"You're going to be alright, soldier. The Army of Mercy is on their way. you just need to hold on."
I nod, I feel a numbness surround me, I'm dying. Admiral Nelson knows it. I did my job. The admiral is safe, the Strategos will be notified about the Automolo armada moving into Confederate space, And while I know I won't live to see it, They'll be beaten back into the void. My life will
-Recovered from the neural flash drive of Sergeant Tacitus Ambrose, Fenris 38th Aerospace Infantry. Located in the Fenris 38th Mausoleum of Heroes, plot #L825001-42
That was the only sound to pierce the white noise of my radio for a whole three minutes. as if Sydney, the man Who I knew since I was assigned to the Aerospace Infantry seventy years ago My friend and confidant for all that time until he turned Automolo, could say no more.
"stand aside, Tacitus. I won't warn you again."
"You will not pass, old friend."
He couldn't pass even if he wanted to. Sidney is suspended inside his Hoplite Powered armor, the terrible machine is more a mech than armor; the largest Powered armor ever made, and the most heavily armed. I'll have no chance at all in my Keryx Signal Armor, The Electronic warfare package is doing it's job in keeping my fellow AI trooper blind to my exact location, and I had dumped enough smoke into the narrow corridor that not even the IR sights on the Hoplite's thick arms can see me, but there's barely enough room in the narrow passageway to turn around, and the sealed door behind me is far too small for me to fit through. I pray he still feels like conserving his precious little ammunition, Otherwise those 14.5mm guns would turn me into so much red vapor even without him knowing where I am.
"Tacitus, This is all pointless and you know it. Come out and let the Pezomachos through. You'll die for sure
when I open up."
That's the first I heard about the ultralight Aerospace Troopers being onboard. That would explain why he's being cautious. I only need to stall a little longer, though. Admiral Nelson is almost finished with the ship's primary magazine. He'll need all the time I can borrow.
"I'm not moving."
"Fine, die in vain. All alone and forgotten. No Gorget of Valor, no recognition from the Strategos, no spot in the Mausoleum of Heroes, just an eternity of drifting through the void; A broken, freeze-dried corpse."
"Not like I'll care by then."
I have to keep him talking for as long as I can. Admiral Nelson needs nothing less.
"I'm done, Sergeant. I'll try to get to the lifeboats. Try to meet me there if you can."
"Can't, sir. I'm cut off. If I'm not there, leave without me."
"It's been a honor fighting beside you, Sergeant Tacitus."
"The honor was all mine, sir."
Admiral Nelson Needs a distraction. It's all or nothing now.
"Tacitus, I love you like family, just let us pa-"
I seize the initiative. I Flood all radio channels with my favorite song and kick my thrusters into full burn, Sydney sees it, he throws his suit's thick arm around the corner, I push it upwards with the butt of my autogun as I burst from the thick smoke. Only now do I see a full squad of Pezomachos with machine guns and autoguns, they'll be no problem. It's Sydney who I need to worry about.
"Kill him!"
Sydney finally opens up, I can feel the shockwaves from the HEAPI rounds tearing through the bulkhead around me, I need to keep moving. I check one Pezomacho into the bulkhead, crushing him under my suit's weight. I use my thrusters to get back to full speed, I fire at the other pezomachos taking cover in the corridor, My rounds punch through their flimsy cordons, they're all dead. just Sydney and me. his fire is constant and frantic now.
"Damnit Tacitus! stop this! It doesn't have to end like this! You can join me!"
"NEVER!"
His right arm gun runs out. I charge around him, I need to hammer a weak spot, cripple him. then I can leave him to die. He turns around to meet me, I see his giant arm swing at me. I manage to avoid by inches. I fire my autogun into his torso. As I burst away he turns to bring his left gun to bear, and I see blood. A round penetrated. he's dying. A flash of light and hundreds of rounds burst around me. The glass around my head shatters and cuts up my eyes. I deploy my secondary cameras and switch primary visuals to my weapon sights. I'm blind, but I can still see. I fire at Sydney's torso once more. all the rounds I have left. I see blood drifting through the seams in his compartment. his suit stops moving. his weapon still fires at me as I run, I feel my arm explode in my armor. His gun runs dry. I'm free to get to the lifeboats.
"I've broken through, sir. moving to exit."
"Great to hear, Sergeant. You've got twenty-nine minutes."
Noting left to do but run. The information has to get to the Strategos. The Admiral has to escape.
I reach the lifeboats before the Admiral. He should have been here first. only ten minutes now.
"Admiral, What's your status?"
"I'm a little occupied, Sergeant. You may have to leave without me."
"Where are you, sir?"
"down the hall."
Thermals pick up gunfire down the corridor. He's close.
"I'm coming, sir."
I charge down the corridor, At the junction The admiral is pinned beyond a blockade of automolos. They're Marines, and their backs are to me. The don't know I'm coming. I burst into the junction and smash one Marine into the bulkhead with my autogun. I swing my autogun down and the barrel crushes another marine inside his suit. The rest turn to fire on me and the Admiral fires on them as they leave cover. It's over in a few seconds. I discard my gun and grab the Admiral. In a few moments we're back at the lifeboat. The hatch is too small for my armor to fit.
"I need help out of my suit, sir."
He sees my face for the first time since he sealed the hatch of the ship's magazine.
"God damn soldier, look at you!"
The admiral opens up the battered suit as fast as he can. I try to sit up, I try to pull myself out, but I can't manage the strength. Before I can tell the Admiral I feel him grab my vest and pull me out. the plug comes out of my brainport as He pulls me from my armor. I'm now completely blind, I'm dragged into the lifeboat, I hear the hatch close. Laying there on the cold floor I feel afraid for the first time in my life. the very next moment I lift off the deck and slam into the hatch of the boat. We've left the ship. I mouth a prayer, hoping against hope that we get far enough away before the ship explodes. I find the strength to push off the hatch, I feel myself drifting a moment before I feel the Admiral move me into a seat. He ties off my stump.
"How you holding up, soldier?"
I try to answer, but all that comes out are mumbled groans.
"You fought well today. Sergeant. Just hold on a little longer."
I feel needles on my arm, and I hear the Admiral curse to himself.
"Sergeant, if you can hear me, twitch your fingers."
I hold up my middle finger. I hear a bellowing laugh.
"You're going to be alright, soldier. The Army of Mercy is on their way. you just need to hold on."
I nod, I feel a numbness surround me, I'm dying. Admiral Nelson knows it. I did my job. The admiral is safe, the Strategos will be notified about the Automolo armada moving into Confederate space, And while I know I won't live to see it, They'll be beaten back into the void. My life will
-Recovered from the neural flash drive of Sergeant Tacitus Ambrose, Fenris 38th Aerospace Infantry. Located in the Fenris 38th Mausoleum of Heroes, plot #L825001-42