STGOD 4 Game Thread

[Straha]

(OOC: Sparta ha probably been totaled by now)

No, we conquered Sparta. We're going to use the planets for ourselves, and not strip mine/damage them more then necessary. It's the Monacoran way.

[Marcao]

Monacoran Space
Sol System

The fifth fleet in its entirety arrived in Monacoran held Sol without incident, and while there was nothing they could actively do to assist Earth in her time of need, that was not their primary reason for coming. Less than an hour after the arrival of the fleet, the Veithan cargo ships began to roll into the Sol system, most carrying medical supplies while others were converted hospitals. The Veithan Empire did not hold the Monacorans responsible for what had occurred, such foolishness would only compound the tragedy.

The fifth fleet did not orbit Earth, choosing to pick a point between Mars and Earth proper to make as their own waiting grounds. Veithan vessels identified themselves to Monacoran control as they entered the system and moved into whatever position the Monacorans asked in order to render assistance. Earth had survived, and while the cost had been high it would endure.

Grand Empire Space
Gladsheim Prime

The Veithan delegation to the Grand Empire had been well received, the diplomats all by now quite comfortable with their surroundings. The Imperial plaza was an amazing place, its size shielding hundreds of secrets within. The people themselves had proven to be gracious for the most part, although there were still some barriers that could not be adequately bridged at the moment. Nonetheless, none of the diplomats within the Veithan embassy could say that their time in the Grand Empire was anything but remarkable and enjoyable.

Veliam Munei, head diplomat and liaison between the Grand Empire and the Veithan Empire was absolutely thrilled at the depth of the relationship between the nations. He had come expecting to deal with a senior diplomat more often than not, and perhaps to be given the privilege of meeting the Empress once or twice every year. He was currently working on spending his fourth dinner or lunch arrangement with the Empress herself, and he had less than a month in the Grand Empire. The thought filled him with pleasure, and he had grown to appreciate and enjoy his time in the presence of the Empress. The Grand Empire had parallels with his own, and it was making their relationship a lot easier on both nations.

When he was asked that the Empress wished to speak with him over dinner, he readily accepted the invitation. He was aware by then of the tragedy that had occurred in Earth. Furthermore, the loss of their representative had only hours before been made public knowledge. He had met Magdalena Hyrt on more than one occasion, and remembered her fondly as the woman with the bright eyes. He sighed softly, mourning in his own way. When the time came to join the Empress, he was escorted to the final destination by two well built Grand Empire guards. The Grand Empire had a penchant for impressive guards, each seeming to have been carved from stone in the image of a Greek deity. He smiled for a moment at the thought, but kept silent. The Empress awaited, and he had no plans on keeping her waiting.

~~~

[VNN] Veithan News Network

Earth Ravaged!

The Veithan government has declared that as of eight hours ago unknown forces penetrated the Sol system and began a brutal offensive against Monacoran held Earth. The Monacoran defenses while mighty were not able to deter the attack. While the enemy forces were destroyed in their entirety, it managed to do near catastrophic damage to the planetary biosphere. The attack also coincided with the annual Monacoran Grand Ball, which is held once every year in the city of Monaco. Billions of civilians died beneath the enemy assault over earth, many cities brought to ruin beneath the bombardment. The city of Monaco itself was destroyed outright by what many believe was a massive matter/anti-matter reaction. The representatives of the participants of the grand ball were all shuttled to bunkers scattered over the entire planet with good results. By this brave action and Monacoran sacrifice, these foreign dignitaries were saved from outright annihilation. The enemy forces took it upon themselves to apparently try and destroy as many reinforced structures as possible, leading to the possibility that some foreign dignitaries may have been slain. We will have more information as time passes, one of our analysts had this to say. “The attack on Earth was effectively timed to coincide with the clashing of fleets between the Krynnor Republic and various other nations. The coordination seemed to have been made to maximize the damage to Earth, while potentially allied fleets were too busy elsewhere. It is said by many witnesses, that the hostile fleet made sure to enter Earth’s atmosphere so that even as the fleet was slain, the allied forces of Earth would cause damage to the planet. Those responsible for this atrocity can only be considered to be anti-life, and once they are found they will answer to their crimes.”

Magdalena Hyrt Killed!

In a surprise announcement the Veithan government has acknowledged that secretary of state, Magdalena Hyrt has been killed. Details are sketchy at the moment, but it is believed that the bunker which had been chosen to house her was destroyed by the invading forces. Magdalena Hyrt was well-liked by the populace and had been currently serving her fourth term as secretary of state. She leaves behind her husband Ahra Hyrt and two children. The announcement hit the diplomatic community hard, as Magdalena Hyrt had been a powerful force for the widening of relations between Veitha and her neighbors. In an ironic twist, Magdalena Hyrt had served as an ambassador to Monacora for one and half years before moving on to the station of secretary of state. It was widely known that she enjoyed spending time on Earth, and took every opportunity to visit the world. Her body and those of her two escorts Maisha Navel and Alarik Navel have not yet been recovered. Ahra Hyrt, Magdalena’s husband had this to say. “The loss of Magdalena is a loss to all our people. However, we must put blame where it belongs. My wife loved Earth and she held the Monacoran nation in great esteem for being the care takers of the planet. I do not hold the Monacoran government or people responsible for what occurred. If anything, I thank them for doing everything they could to protect my wife and the world she held so dear. When the people of Earth have suffered billions of deaths and perhaps millions more to come as a result of the attack, it would be petty in the extreme to compare our losses to theirs. I simply hope that our government will choose to stand side by side with that of Monacora as we help them rebuild Earth and seek those that are responsible.” An hour after the comments from Mr. Hyrt the Veithan government pledged to create a fund to help rebuild Earth. The so called “Magdalena Hyrt” fund contains no less than ten billion muran. This money will be made available to the Monacoran government in order to be used for the reconstruction of Earth.

Fifth Fleet Deployed

In a move that surprised no analysts the Veitha Government has deployed the fifth fleet to the Sol System in order to coordinate allied efforts against those responsible for the Earth atrocity. The fifth fleet represents twenty percent of the Veithan naval might, and is considered by many to being a potent addition to the forces tasked with seeking out the so called “enemies of humanity”. The fifth fleet is not tasked with patrolling Veithan space, and due to this it was the most logical force to be asked to represent the Veithan people. The government has also announced that it is increasing the production of warships in response to the existence of the unknown force which so brutally savaged Earth. The active construction of five super capital ships, including one Dreadnought, two Battleships and two Drone carriers were revealed to the public in a surprise move, meant to alleviate some of the doubts of the population as a whole. Analysts believe that the super capital ships had been in the process of being built for sometime now, but are still “months away” from completion. Naval yards are currently nearing full capacity, beneath the new demand for Veithan naval vessels and the current allocation of new hulls being built for the so called “rapid reaction force Manasa”. It seems that for the immediate future to come, the Veithan navy shall begin to undergo a rapid expansion. When government officials were asked if the tax rate will increase in order to help fund the expanding navy, the response was mixed. “We would prefer not to raise taxes unless absolutely necessary, but it is an option that we are considering. Although our exports have been booming as of late, and our arms industry is still receiving high demand for their goods, we cannot overlook the need for possible tax increases.”

Krynnor Republic’s Last Gasp

The Krynnor Republic a star nation that was known for only a short time was not known for its capable leadership. In its brief existence it managed to antagonize many neighboring powers. The Arcane Empire blamed them for attempting to fan the flames of unrest in the former Covenant of God worlds the arcanists occupy. While other nations made their dissatisfaction with the Krynnor known in other ways. Nonetheless, it became apparent that the leadership of the Krynnor republic was lacking and the Veithan Empire wisely decided to not associate with them.

Sources indicated that the Krynnor republic has come under attack beneath a powerful coalition of nations, including the Arcane Empire, the Nashtar republic, Monacora, the United Protectorates and even the KSN. Beneath the might of so many nations, any single power would be doomed. It is believed that rather than try and run, the Krynnor forces threw themselves into a suicidal decisive engagement. The wrath of the combined Krynnor fleet supposedly fell on the Arcane Empire. Exact details of the engagement are unavailable at this time, although it is believed that Krynnor forces were smashed beneath the power of multiple star navies. If that is the case, the losses of the Krynnor may have accounted to tens of thousands in space alone.

Monacoran Forces in Action

At the time Earth was being assaulted, half of known space away a Monacoran task force was engaged in hostilities with the remnants of the Krynnor Republic. In the Krynnor world of Sparta, Monacoran forces engaged republican forces in a battle for the planet. One of our reporters was embedded with Monacoran forces and managed to be in the front lines as the battle took place. This is his story.

<<The Monacoran forces widely respected as the best ground forces in known space have been assigned with removing the Krynnor forces from this world. Monacoran armored vehicles have spent the last fifteen minutes rushing to their target areas, protected by their powerful mobile shields.>>

<<The Monacoran lead elements have met up with Krynnor resistance, fighting has been intense, but Monacoran forces have a technological and human edge which they are ruthlessly exploiting. Krynnor armored vehicles litter the battlefield as Monacoran tanks and powered armor engage them beyond the range of Krynnor attack.>>

<<A loud explosion just came from my right, a Monacoran tank reeling beneath a blow before exploding. The crew are escaping out of the burning tank, and moving towards the back of the formation. The Krynnor forces are being steadily pushed back beneath the constant onslaught of Monacoran weaponry. It is believed that in another fifteen minutes, the Krynnor will be in full retreat. It is a scene that is being repeated all over the planet.>>

<<The battle is over, Krynnor command has accepted an unconditional surrender to the Monacoran forces. Monacoran casualties are light. Wait, Monacoran forces are receiving new information. It appears that Earth is under attack…the information spread like wildfire through the Monacoran formation, Monacoran command attempting to ascertain what they should and can do now that Earth is under some form of attack…>>

Monacoran forces in Sparta are believed to still be there, awaiting an influx of inbound refugees from Earth.

[SirNitram]

"This," She slammed the mass of charred and melted metal on the conference table, "And a dozen more like it were killing miners on one of the outer moons. They seemed to be working to replicate themselves, and were trying to take over our people with some form of techno-organic implants."

The Secondary Programmer was vexed. It was missing a Replicator. Not that one had been destroyed in an accident or conflict. It was simply missing. This was unheard of.

Perhaps one of the Organics had seized it and destroyed it, carting off it's advanced technology. The Quantum Computing Core inside even that mindless construct would advance their primitive society centuries. Yet, where was it? Annoying.

The Doomed it had seized from the miners were stable enough workers, and were being put well to work assisting the Replicators. A defensive cannon would be in position in days, and a small shield in a week or two. Enough to hold the position if the Organics of this system really did steal the Replicator.

It longed to speak with it's God, the Overseer, the Sevenfold Core. But it was under orders from the Sevenfold Core not to contact it! What a tragedy. It returned to the toil of it's Constructs.

[Dahak]

Outside Sol system

The Verdandi and her battle group observed as the larger fleet, led by the Superdreadnought Thor, emerged from their wormholes. Immediately the two group minds reached out and touched each other. They became one, a new sub-Consensus. They formed a new formation, just as fluidly as fish swarms.
As they were finished, they activated their drive systems and swallowed back to the Sol system.

***

They emerged from their wormholes near Jupiter, hailing all the other ships and fleets in the system.

Gladsheim Prime, Imperial Plaza

"Mr. Munei," the Empress smiled at him, "thank you for coming, even in this troubled time. I heard about your loss. I am deeply sorry. It seems this universe will never come to peace."
Her focus turned inwards for a second. Is it wise?
"I, and the Empire as a whole, came to a decision not long ago. So I just bring it on the table. We are interested in a formal relationship between our nations. An alliance if you so will. Your nation has some intriguing potential. And should push come to shove, we don't want to be left alone out in the rain." She smiled again, this time even broader. "I am sorry if I was too blunt."

[Hotfoot]

International Deep Space
Serial Peacemaker
One Month Prior to the Rape of Terra

(OOC: Details on the Dra’kol have been handled via PM for the time being.)

~We thank you once again for your generosity, Ellana.~ Kallis smiled as he accepted the gifts the Veithans were bestowing upon them. ~The Captain tells me that he has assembled our own data readers, storage units, media, and encryption devices and protocols. They will be brought to your shuttle, so you can load them when you are ready to leave.~

The offer to open up an embassy was a pleasant surprise to the delegation, and there was a quick flurry of mental communication between the Ravenlock diplomats.

~We would be delighted to accept your offer of an embassy in Veithan space, and we have already just recently completed a diplomatic station which you can use to base your embassy in.~ Diego impressed lightly into the minds of the Veithan delegates. ~We are ready to accommodate you there whenever you are ready. Simply send us specifications, and we will begin altering the habitat to best suit your needs.~

With that, the first contact of the Ravenlock with the galaxy at large was concluded, save for some minor formalities and pleasantries. The universe had become a dangerous place, and it looked to be more dangerous as time went on. Construction of new ships to better protect the Consortium began, at the recommendation of the Director.

[Hotfoot]

Director’s Office, Corvus
Three days after the Rape of Terra

“The relief ships have been sent out, they should make it to Earth in a few days time. It’s not much to help immediately, but it will provide their own forces with relief,” The frail man sifted through rivers of data as he talked to the Director.

“Any complications?”

“Just one. SENTINEL already took care of it.”

“Good. How’s the public reaction?”

“Shock, outrage, and support for the Monacorans. It’s going to be relatively easy to justify war footing in the shipyards.”

“Not that easy, I still have to maneuver the board. There are still a few isolationists who are trying to use this as an excuse to shut up tight again.”

“Already spinning that, sir. The majority of the shareholders should be on our side, that usually changes the board’s opinion quickly enough.”

“Good. Now, do you think you can handle things here for a time?”

“Of course sir, but why?”

“I’m going to take a little vacation. You always said I should get out of this office more.”

The frail man paused, opening his mouth to voice a protest, but the Director shot him a look which prompted him to shut his mouth again. He composed himself, managing a small smile. “Of course, sir. I’ll get your ship ready. Where are you heading?”

“Veitha. I’ll work out the details as I go. Let them know I’m coming, we’ve got a bit to talk about.”

“Of course, sir.”

+++ENCRYPTED MESSAGE+++
From: Ravenlock Consortium
To: Veithan Empire

The Director of the Consortium requests an audience with the Veithan Government in order to cement relations between our two peoples.

[Thirdfain]

Ja'Del System
Former Krynor Empire

The 3rd War Cluster's 4th Carrier Swarm, escorted by the 5th Crusier Swarm, hung in space over the second planet of Ja'Del. The world was even now being assaulted by a swarm of Marines and GS troops. The fleet's Subadmiral, Boundwoman Quisa su Jhalar, had retired to her quarters. The Krynor soldiers were surrendering en masse as news got in from the edge systems, and the orbital bombardment the carriers and their escorts were laying down was breaking up most of the poorly equipped Jaffa formations even before the Hajr's infanftry struck. The planet's capital and over half of it's secondary cities already had the white starburst-on-black of the Hajr's standard fluttering over them. The war would soon be over. Quisa smiled- The 3rd had been deployed abroad, fighting the Jardanians and the Krynor, one after the other, not to mention the boring defense duty they had pulled in the Edean system. Her eyes began to close- it had been a rough day, and she needed a break, if only for a half hour.

She was jarred from her revery by the beep of her com unit.

<< Boundwoman Subadmiral! Vessels entering the system! Contacts read as Arcanist vessels, and subadmiral- there's a lot of them. >>

Quisa sighed, and reached for a stim-hypo as she pulled her skinsuit back on. It looked like it was going to be a long day.

<< Arcanist vessels, this is the Warship of the Hajr Heroic Conflict state your intentions. >>

[Straha]

The Military Prince draped the flags personally over the coffins. The Monacoran and Veithan flags on each one gave a somewhat harsh contrast, but the honor was due to the memory of the dead. Saluting the honor guard, reduced to four per coffin instead of the customary eight, the Prince turned and walked back to the rescue efforts, as the coffins carrying the found corpses of the Veithan Delegation departed for their homeworld, along with as many Veithan Tourists as they could find on the planet so far. After he finished clearing the bunke he had meetings to attend to with the Represenitives from the Ravenlocke and Baelorean, and tommorow with the Veithans.

Earth was not pleasant, the average temperature had risen over ten degrees in the course of the past twenty four hours, the surviving cities were being spared the brunt of the damage, but the Army was having a hard time co-ordinating the rescue efforts in the back lands of many provinces, and things looked like they would get a whole lot worse then better.

[Captain tycho]

The fleet retreating from Sparta finally reached home, after days of zig-zagging across space to avoid pursuit. Each ship was jam packed with equipment, ore, and naquida obtained in the hasty departure. They were welcomed back, military commanders given some minor metals for fighting off pursuit, and plunder teleported down to the surface, where it would either be scrapped or retro-fitted.

[Captain tycho]

A small, automated drone arrived at the war conference (what system was that again? ) and transmitted it's intentions to land.

[Straha]

A small, automated drone arrived at the war conference (what system was that again? ) and transmitted it's intentions to land.

(OOC:Earth, we're holding it in Andorra seeing as how everyone has some major fleet in system already it'd probably just be easier this way.)

Fedayn looked at the comm tech.

"A fucking what?"

"An, automated drone sir... robotic... it wants permission to come down...sir."

"Is it of the same origin as the rapists?"

"We can't tell sir..."

"Tell it it can land, tell it to land in one of our Alpine space ports. We'll screen it before it goes to Andorra."

[Captain tycho]

The drone landed and waited while it was scanned. It had no weapons, no shielding except for a minor debris screen, and a small semi-sentient AI CPU.

[Bugsby]

Adar Krell was one of the first to arrive at the Monacoran military conference. That was odd, seeing as how the Krell style was usually to show up late, but hings were different this time. This time, not only had the Combine been attacked directly, but current contracts had the entire Krell Armada sweeping the galaxy for the forces of the Overseer. The bandage on his forehead was a grim reminder of what had happened only days ago. He took a seat around the large conference table and waited for the talks to begin.

[Dahak]

Sol System

<<Well, I will go, then,>> Admiral Tjoehom finally decided. <<But after the last happening here, I don't risk it. Prepare fleet for jump.>>

The patterning cells worked their magic, ripping open space-time and plunging each ship through their wormhole, which suddenly brought the fleet from orbit around Jupiter in near-Earth orbit.

"Gladsheim representative will disembark now for the military meeting."

A assault shuttle launched from the Verdandi accompanied by a fighter squadron, and made their way to the meeting point.

***

Admiral Liv Tjoerhom, a rather exceptionally beautiful woman, even for Gladsheim standards even though she was on the short side with only 6'2 for Gladsheim people, walked into the meeting room in her impeccable uniform.

[Captain tycho]

The drone lifted off again, and sped towards Andorra. (OOC: I assume it was cleared)

[Hotfoot]

Earth, Sol System
Andorra

“I hate this thing,” Radim muttered as he fussed with his dress uniform. “Makes me feel like a starched out desk jockey.”

“Well, give it a few more decades, it might grow on you,” Harris might have smiled if the situation had been different, but he could not get the sight of Terra, beaten and torn, the true wounds growing ever larger as the shuttle approached the surface. He knew that, in some way, this was how Radim was dealing, but he just couldn’t join in, not today.

“Earth’ll be a paradise before I ever like wearing formal dress Harris.”

Harris shot a glance at the Fleet Admiral, but said nothing.

“I know…I know. I wanted to see it too. Only person who remembers seeing it as it was is…it’s one of them, Harris. You know how I feel about that.”

“Yeah, I do. For now, let’s keep the conference in mind.”

“Of course,” With that, Fleet Admiral A.J. Radim and Captain Harris entered the conference and found their seats. Radim eyed over the Krell representative. They lost someone, didn’t they? Damn shame…this whole thing was a damn shame, but bitching about it wasn’t going to do anything, this was a time for action.

Radim was never good at pleasantries anyway. He simply waited for the conference to start, a dark expression shrouding his face.

[Thirdfain]

Andorra
Earth
Sol System

The Hajr dropship touched down at the designated co-ordinates. Under the clouded, toxic sky, a dozen Ousters disembarked, armored feet tapping on the hot ceramic of the landing pad. Escorted by a solid ten Hajr Marines in light power-armor, carrying fletchers at port arms, a broad-shouldered, uncommonly tall Ouster officer presented himself to the Monacorans dispatched to take his delegation to the meeting. The officer's face, scarred and war-weary, surveyed the scorched skies.

"Bondman Admiral Jerac su Fassar, welcome to Andorra. Please, come this way," said a Monacoran aide. "The conference is almost ready to convene."

Flanked by his guards, his ground combat advisor at his side, the commander of the veteran 3rd War Cluster entered the conference. His presence could be interpreted as a sign of the Hajr's commitment to the hunting down and destroying of the Overseer.

[Captain tycho]

The drone swept over the conference center, scanners registering every little detail. It landed next to the Outster ship, and out of a small chamber a spherical, hovering drone was deployed, and promptly traveled to the conference room, where it activated a hologram of an armored R'hlloran.

[Rogue 9]

Andorra, Earth

The shuttle swept down and landed. Five men got out, a man in a Nashtaran admiral's uniform with five stars on each shoulder flanked by four Marines. They marched in quick step into the conference building.

"I am Fleet Admiral Martin Blessinger, here to attend the military conference," he said in precise, clipped tones.

[InnocentBystander]

Andorra

The Baeloaren Shuttle touched down, Tacer Drealaan and a pair of Order Police officers emerged and walked briskly to the conference building; they had seen the scans of earth's atmosphere, it wasn't dangerous, but it certainly wasn't a good idea to breathe the air for very long, Drealaan had a small air filter over his mouth, not taking any chances.

As they approached the conference building an aid came out greeted them quickly and guided them to the conference room. Again, Drealaan was representing the Commonwealth and despite the happenings of his last visit to earth, he was more nervous about meeting some of the delegates face to face than anything else. Drealaan was a little perturbed he had only gotten down four plates of food and barley two words when he was shuttled off to a secret Monacoran bunker to wait out the invasion, short lived though it was.

[consequences]

Combine Space: A concerted effort was being made to track down any of the machines, or their unwilling victims, that had intruded upon the six systems that comprised the core of Combine Space. This task was relatively easy on the major inhabited worlds, because of the disturbances in the carefully calculated harmony that they generated. It was however, excessively difficult on the rest of the system bodies, as a piece of machinery did not stand out much from a lifeless landscape, and the Combine's purely technological sensors were behind the curve. The majority of the fleet would be engaged in the task for the next week at a minimum.

_______
(Edited out by request to properly reflect passage of time)

[Alyrium Denryle]

Andorra: Sol System

The Semmemon appeared in orbit over earth and instead of the usual teleport, Astinius went down planet-side with a shuttle.

When he dismbarked, escorted by two Arcane Archers and 2 mage-blades he could only say one thing

The loss of life had been... overwhelming. Radiation had not yet blown in this direction, and wasnt predicted to for several days, and the poison clouds were.. elsewhere.

As Karsus made new friends with the Atlanteans, he was charged with dealing with this mess.

When he entered the conference room the only thihng he could say was

"My Gods I am so sorry"

[Thirdfain]

Ja'Del System
Former Krynor Empire

Boundwoman Subadmiral Quisa su Jhalar pulled herself onto the Heroic Conflict's command deck. The displays were monitoring the approaching Arcanist vessels, and the battle on the planet below had taken second fiddle. Having secured most major objectives, the Hajr troops were digging in as squadrons of fighters returned frrom CAS duty to dock with the orbiting attack carriers.

Quisa looked at her XO. "Liam- any response from the Arcanists?"
"No, Subadmiral. They are maintaining their course."

"Retransmit, all bands. They might have missed the first one."

<<Arcanist vessels, this is the Warship of the Hajr Heroic Conflict of the 3rd War Cluster. State your intentions in this system, which we are currently liberating from Krynori domination.>>

[Straha]

Deep Space

Chief Petty Officer Richard Ancaris stared at the screen of his terminal. He was charged with following the course of ten of the high speed probes sent from the ship earlier, and it was boring as hell. It was nearing the end of his shift, and he was just about to leave early to get something to eat when one of the probe status windows started flashing red, and popped up on screen.

Code: Select all

Probe Alpha Gamma 0-2-9.

2:03:49:21 Status Normal

2:03:49:30 Status Normal

2:03:49:40 Status Normal

2:03:49:51 Staus Normal

2:03:49:59 ALERT! Contact made!

0:00:00:05 Report delayed

0:00:00:10 Report Delayed

0:00:00:20 Report Delayed

0:00:00:37 Sensor Status Report:

Contact: 1 Ship, Waship Class, Size: 5.12 Kilometers
Shielding: Positive Weaponry: Positive Armored: Positive Life: Inconclusive
Weaponry Distinctions: Multiple Mainly Rail-Guns.
Threat Status: Extremely High
Heading: Earth

0:00:01:10 (Timer Reset) Status Normal

0:00:01:20 (Timer Reset) Status Normal

Starring at the screen the Petty Officer's jaw dropped. Then, dialing into the terminal, he sent the status right to Earth.

[Hotfoot]

Ravenlock Space
Aequitas System
SENTINEL Deployment Ship Pigpen

Tsu Chan shook his head as the transmission played on his holoscreen. “Wonder what took them. I figured they’d have come out of the woodwork right after first contact.”

“Probably wanted to wait until they knew First Fleet was elsewhere. Better to make the people feel helpless, want to recall the fleet play their tune,” Arnade DeJerico gazed at the transmission with augmented eyes, scanning it for any salient details he could relay to his team.

“Probably. We’ll be on site shortly. Go join the rest of your team, you’ve got to suit up.”

“What sort of entry we going for this time?”

“Upsy-daisy.”

“Figures. I hate Mondays.”


Aequitas System
Civilian Transport Ship

The SENTINEL team had drifted towards the transport for two hours. The terrorists gave no indication of noticing the team’s deployment ship, but that was no assurance that it was undetected. The situation remained stable, the usual threats and demands were made. It didn’t matter. The Consortium had a policy of never making deals with terrorists, and both sides were well aware of that fact. Major Vessal gave the signal to the team, giving the order to give minute amounts of thrust from their cold-gas MMUs, allowing them to land on the outer hull of the civilian cargo freighter. Four humanoid bodies landed softly with the skill of decades of experience.

~Arnade, make contact with the ship’s captain. Try to confirm the number of hostiles on board. Barry, get started on bypassing the airlocks.~ Vessal looked at his own weapons and made sure that everything was as it should be. He couldn’t control surprises from the enemy, he could only control surprises from his end, and that meant being cautious.

~Intel was off, there are eleven hostiles inside. Three are with the captain in the bridge. He’s scared, but I don’t think he gave any tells. The other eight are planting explosives with the cargo and crew.~

~Triggers?~

~No clue. Captain thought they might not be ready to die today.~

~Doubt their boss is willing to give them a choice. Okay, Barry, how’s the airlock?~

~Almost there, they put on an alarm. Don’t think I can disable it from out here. They’re going to know we’re coming.~

~Shit, any other ways in?~

~Probably have them on all the crew airlocks, maybe on the cargo access too.~

~Check cargo access. Avery, Arnade, you’ll go in one way, make a diversion, Barry and I will probably head in through cargo and try to get the bombs.~

Avery and Arnade nodded, slowly drifting into position to enter in through the crew airlock. Avery got his laser carbine ready, while Arnade checked his grenades, pulling out a flashbang with his left hand and holding his laser carbine in the other.

~Cargo access is clear, chief, but this is not going to be our cleanest op ever.~

~We’ll let Chan worry about that. Let’s get moving.~

Barry nodded, and the outer airlock door by Avery and Arnade slid open, allowing the two SENTINEL operatives to slip in before they shut themselves again and repressurized the airlock. The alarm was silent, but effective. Immediately the terrorists began moving to take down the inserted SENTINEL team. Slight vibrations on the hull were the only physical indication that something was happening inside the ship.

~Okay, Barry, let’s go join the party.~

~You got it, baby.~ Barry readied his Zero-G grenade launcher with a distinct feeling of elation as the cargo bay doors cycled open. Major Vessal activated a smoke grenade as the airlock repressurized, and gave the order to Barry to fill the room with gas grenades as soon as the doors opened.

Lances of coherent photons burned through the smoke the second the doors opened, and the position Major Vessal and Barry would have been standing in was filled with laser fire from two carbines from the terrorists. No grenades came from the airlock, and for a time, there was no motion at all. The Terrorists stopped firing, having expended their energy cells, and began to reach out with their minds to confirm if the SENTINEL team was dead.

The sound of the first self-propelled grenade firing from the automatic launcher had barely reached the Dra’kol terrorists before the second and third grenades had already been fired. Major Vessal deactivated his magboots dropped from his position on the high ceiling of cargo airlock, using his cold gas MMU to alter the path of his fall and to help steady him as he returned fire from his own laser carbine. The pulses of high energy photons found their marks, scorching the air around the path of the blasts, and scoring the interior of the cargo hold as shots either landed marginally off target or actually burned gaping holes through the flesh of the Dra’kol terrorists. Each blast was followed by a powerful electrical pulse, riding the superheated air around each shot. The Dra’kol screamed as they fell to the ground, twitching.

Major Vessal wasted no time running to cover the moment he hit the ground. Scanning the cargo bay with his eyes and his mind, he tried to make out any other possible threats. Two down, nine to go.

~Clear~

~Advancing~

The cargo hold was quickly filling itself with a paralytic toxin, specifically designed to target Dra’kol physiology. Any terrorists not in an encounter suit would be effectively out of the fight for a few hours. More than enough time to clean up here.

~Avery, how’s your end coming?~

~We’re a perfect fucking distraction. Got us pinned down right outside the airlock. Got two on each side of us.~

~That all?~

~Used to be six.~

~Seven left then. Barry, get to work on disarming the bombs. Avery, do you need assistance?`

~Not yet. Let you know when I get tagged.~

~Lunatic~ Major Vessal just smiled grimly and kept watch over Barry as he began to disarm the bombs the terrorists had set.

Bulkheads glowed brilliantly as stray laser pulses danced around the interior of the ship. Ozone filled the corridor. Avery and Arnade were had dove into crew compartments on each side of the hallway in order to avoid being trapped in a killzone.

~Keep them busy, I’m going to try and access the security system~ Arnade impressed to Avery as he threw another gas grenade down the hallway.

~Sure, good luck, have fun.~ Avery filled the other end of the hallway with laser carbine pulses, catching one of the Dra’kol in the arm before pulling himself back behind cover.

Arnade accessed the crew compartment’s data terminal, entering in a series of backdoor system codes to give him access to the cargo ship’s security system. In a way, he almost wished the Dra’kol terrorists had hit a station, or a military ship, where the security systems were considerably more robust. Here, the best he could do was redirect air flow and control bulkheads. Fortunately, that was all he needed for now. He took his last two gas grenades and threw them into the air vent in the compartment, redirecting the airflow to the forward section of the ship, where they were encountering the heaviest resistance. The bulkhead doors slammed shut, and the gas quickly filled the compartment, removing three more Loyalists from the equation.

~Not our cleanest op ever, but it works. How you doing over there, Avery?~

~Got tagged. Fucker got me just as you were slamming the door. Arm for an arm.~

~Heh. Sealed yet?~

~Yeah, sealant got it, still burns like fuck though. Looks like I’m going to be a lefty the rest of this op.~

~What about the one behind us?~

~No noise from him since your last fartball. Guess he’s down.~

~How are you guys holding up?~ Major Vessal cut in again

~Winged Avery, three more isolated and gassed. One presumed down between us. Should only be the three near the bridge now. How are the bombs coming?~

~Remote trigger. Jamming while Barry disables. He should be fine for now, I’ll come up and give you guys a hand.~

~Copy~ Arnade looked down the hallway as the doors he slammed shut cycled open on the timer he had set. The sight of a red smear and a disembodied arm holding a laser pistol greeted him, with the rest of the body welcoming him in.

Major Vessal saw two bodies slumped by the bulkhead in the corridor leading to Avery and Arnade. Without hesitating, he shot them both as he turned the corner, not willing to take any chances that one of them could be playing possum. ~Clear. Advance to the bridge, tag anyone you’re not sure of. We’ll sort it out later.~

~Copy~ the thoughts entered his mind almost at once, a sensation he still enjoyed, it was a mark of professionalism in any field when your subordinates were always on the same page as you, and Counter-Terror was no different in that regard.

The three SENTINEL operatives stopped just shy of the bulkhead leading to the bridge, scanning for the minds inside. There were going to be civilians in the line of fire, and while it would be excusable, it would be a black mark on their record if they just let citizens get killed. They wouldn’t have much time to isolate the terrorists before the Dra’kol would realize what was about to happen.

In fact, they wouldn’t have any time at all. A powerful Dra’kol mind snapped at Major Vessal’s, forcing him to go on the defensive.

“DOOR!” he shouted over the team’s secure comms, and Arnade complied as quickly as he could, knowing that something must be seriously wrong if the team was switching back to voice comms. The door cycled open, and all hell broke loose. The Dra’kol were waiting, and had their guns trained on the entrance to the bridge. The SENTINEL team opened fire on the three targets, even as their own bodies were raked with laser pulses. Their body armor offered them some protection, but in the end, two Dra’kol and three humans collapsed on the floor.

Major Vessal looked at the scene on the bridge as his mind cleared. Arnade and Avery were down and unable to fight, but their vitals were still strong. Medivac should be able to get them out safely. Still, looking at the bridge, he looked at the wounds on the three bodies inside the bridge. That’s when the realization hit.

~Barry, watch out, we’ve got one missing. Avery and Arnade are down. Watch out, this one’s good.~

~Copy. Almost done here, chief. Want me to come up there?~

Major Vessal kept looking around the bridge, thinking about the current situation. That’s when he saw the bomb.

~I don’t think you’ll make it here in time. I’ll handle it.~

~What? Major, what’s going on up there?~

Suddenly, the ship shuddered. Barry reached out to Major Vessal, fearing the worst.

~Barry, are you okay?~

~I was about to ask you the same. What happened?~

~If it wasn’t a…shit, an escape pod.~

~Fuck…you don’t think…~

~Had to be. I’ll call in medivac and bomb disposal. We’re done here. Just hope that pod gets picked up by the system patrol craft.~

~Shit man…just had to be that one, didn’t it?~

~Yeah. You want to break the news to Chan, or should I?~

~Fuck that, you’re the chief, chief. You take it. I stick to nasty boom boom things out here, you get to deal with the nasty boom boom things in administration.~

~Thanks man, your support is touching, really. I can feel the love.~ Major Vessal frowned as he finished disabling the bomb on the bridge. The op was technically a success, but now they knew that Ar’dun was back, and that meant all sorts of trouble.