Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:19:38 GMT -5
Well you asked, and here it is. It's pretty old, and still far from complete (I'm a slow writer).
I also didn't like how it turned/ is turning out, so I'm scrapping it and writing it again when it's finished. So don't be afraid to rip it to shreds.
Prologue World War III was the last and the greatest conflict to take place solely on Earth. Each warring nation became more desperate to win as the conflict raged. Rights were suspended from the public. Governments’ powers spiraled out of control. Democracies became dictatorships and communist states. The citizens and soldiers of many nations came to fear the power of their own governments as the ferocity of the conflict exploded. Fortunately, this most loathsome war came to an end before the governments became too powerful. But, fear still deep within the minds and souls of citizens and soldiers kept the haunting memories of their homelands’ oppression vivid and clear. They demanded that steps be taken to prevent such a thing from ever reoccurring. One of the results of this movement was the creation of an outside and impartial military that would shift the balance of power in war toward the most just fighters. The impartial military organization came to be called the Raven’s Ark. Over time, it grew, and sub-Arks formed to handle different dimensions of conflict. For years the Ark helped to solve small skirmishes, but no major war tested it or its Ravens. Then, the Earth-Mars war erupted in 2297. This was the first major war that Ravens participated in. The most skilled of these soldiers became heroes; the morale of the public was sustained by them. Their popularity also proved to be good fortune for the future. Towards the end of the war, the Orbital States rebelled against Earth. The Ravens participation again helped to convince the populous of Earth to maintain participation in the war. With their assistance, the Earth Alliance defeated Mars. The Orbital States then became the main focus of the EA and the Ark. Their priority was the capture or elimination of Thomas Lanter, a former governor of the United States space territories who became the leader of the Orbital State rebellion. With the weak forces and limited supplies available to the OS forces, an EA victory was definite. It seemed that peace would reunite with humanity, but there was much that was not known then. Lanter’s rebellion was not a futile revolt against the Earth government as so many had thought.
CHAPTER1-Final Mission A wave of fire had risen to greet us. I pulled back and kept moving to throw off the shots, Zero engaged by overboosting through gaps in the fire. The hail storm of metallic shards and shrapnel attempted to consume us, in every direction the air seemed to be filled with daggers. Yet, despite the Orbital States’ willingness to fight, they would never be able to win. The soldiers were untrained, their ineffective shots proved it. Their bases were hastily altered apartments and office complexes. The best weapons available to them were outdated, we could have probably dived through to the ground with minimal damage, but we didn’t want to underestimate the enemy. The previous war had taught us that.
“Exorcet, the five MT’s have departed from the weapons depot. I can’t confirm which one Lanter is in.”
“I’ve got them Zero.”
She broke off to my left, blazing machine gun fire into the artillery positions. I, meanwhile, accelerated toward the target convoy. My FCS identified five A-11H MT’s. They had been retired from EA service over a decade before, yet they were probably the best units in the OS inventory. I could imagine the terror the pilots must have felt; being chased by a fully armed AC. They were nothing compared to me, the power gap between us was immense. It drove me to offer mercy.
“Surrender, you are not required to be killed. Disarm yourselves and force will be withheld.”
I was answered by the blasts of rifles and missiles. They didn’t get it. They did not have the strength to resist. They also did not have the right. There was no just reason behind the war they had started. Or more specifically, the official reason stated by the OS government was unjust. Today, when I look back, the war did have a good reason behind it, but I wonder if it was necessary to use the Orbital States as pawns.
I selected my KARASAWA and locked them into my FCS sight, the reticules tightened around each target like nooses.
“You have defied an Order of the Earth Alliance, I have no choice but to use force.”
I unleashed a four round burst of laser fire on the lead MT. The blue beams engulfed it; its outline completely vanished with each hit. Finally it reached the limit of its armor and burst apart into an inferno, the shattered and charred remnants showered the other MT’s. I had hoped that they would have given up after seeing their ally fall so quickly, but they continued to press on with their futile attack. They trained their rifles on me, and fired rapidly despite the fact that every shot failed to hit its mark. Their morale was unshakable.
“I’m finished with the artillery, I’m coming to back you up.” Interceptor, Zero’s AC, swept across the ground with its OB thrusters at full capacity. Zero was charging straight into the right flank of the MT squad, the debris and booster flames erupting in her wake were a sign of her fury. She obviously did not want to be patient with the enemy. She tore one MT open with a burst from her FINGER, and separated another’s legs from its body by laser cannon before rising into the artificial sky of the satellite. The two surviving MT’s showed their inexperience at that moment; they turned away from me and gave Zero their full attention. I held down trigger to ensure that the mission ended there. The blue rays discharged from my KARASAWA stripped the MT’s of their armor, and then penetrated their exposed machinery like paper. They shutdown and fell to ground, burning. I stood overlooking the battlefield as I confirmed my kills. As the last pieces of them fell, the entire area became silent. It seemed as though the sight of the slaughter had quelled the confidence of the remaining enemies. After I was sure that the final targets were dispatched, I relayed confirmation to the Augmus.
“Augmus, the mission is complete. We are RTB.”
“Confirmation received. The evaluation team is coming in to relieve you. Stand by.”
After a brief flight we reached our base, the Augmus opened its main hanger. I could already see a crowd gathered on the deck. Zero’s voice came through the radio.
“I think we got him. They stopped fighting when the last MT’s fell. It could finally be over.”
“After all the fighting, I can only hope so. Luck was with us, the OS military couldn’t sustain their resistance; but two wars in less than a decade. I hope for going through that, we get sustained peace.”
“Michael, don’t be so serious. The fighting can’t last forever.”
“Yeah you’re right. I just need to unwind.” The landing signal appeared on my HUD. “Okay we’re cleared, lets head in.”
The Augmus stood out so well from the darkness of space. Since combat was over, its white landing stripes were active. I started to think back to when I first saw it as a safe haven and a home. I was part of the 404th Special Armored Division, it was made up completely of Ravens. Zero, Hellfire, Tempest, Argus, Zinrai, Vise, Celestial, and myself made up the unit. We had become a great team during the wars. It wasn’t just because we were forced to by combat, everyone made up a unique facet of the division, and no one disliked anyone else. I took pride in knowing them and fighting along side them. They had all put a lot of effort into battles, and I couldn’t think of going back to fighting as a solo Raven again. As we landed and disembarked from our AC’s, they came forward to greet us. I saw Tempest first. Celestial was also with him.
“Welcome back.” He looked up at our AC’s to check their condition. “Doesn’t look like it was much of a battle. It must have been a relief to get out of their so fast.”
I tried to get myself into a more relaxed state, I wanted to remove myself from the seriousness of the combat I had been through; not just that last mission but in the past years.
“It was disappointing actually. The final battle was a little bit of an anticlimax. They didn’t put up any good fight.”
Zero was eager to relax. “I didn’t mind the brevity. All I want right now is throw off this combat suit and enjoy myself. Lets get debriefing out of the way so that we can rest.”
“Good idea Kate.” Celestial responded.
All of us proceeded to the debriefing room. Commander Arris was waiting for us.
“My congratulations go out to you all. The Earth Alliance has confirmed that the leader of the insubordinate Orbital States, Thomas Lanter, was killed during Operation White Blade. We know that he was piloting the lead MT, and there was no detected escape made by the pilot. A cease fire has been offered and accepted. Negotiations are planned to begin at 1400 hours tomorrow.” He rose and came to shake our hands. He was an old fashion type who always wanted to do things properly. “Thank you for your heroic and invaluable actions and contributions to the EA military. I was pleased with your performance as a group and as individuals.” He loosened up and became a bit more informal. “Great job guys, I really mean it. I hope I see all of you after we return Earth.” Zinrai spoke for all of us.
“You will, we won’t forget our commander.” We all affirmed his statement before Arris dismissed us. After news of the impending end of the war had spread, celebrations rose up throughout the ship. We all really though it was over. We loved fighting for to defend our government and beliefs, but war had the same effect on us as it had on everyone. It made us tired. We needed to rest. But we weren’t destined to.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:20:20 GMT -5
CHAPTER 2-Call to Arms
Returning to normal life was refreshing. It is possible to become accustomed to warfare, but I doubt that anyone could become completely indifferent to it. Anyone who says that is lying in some way. I still kept in touch with the former members of the 404. I knew them well outside of their lives as Ravens. Everyone was reinvigorated, leading more stable and certain lives than those of soldiers. Even soldiers as proud as we were could not be completely comfortable in combat. Since the Raven Arks did not function during peace time, Ravens had to take their secondary careers. Some went into the arena. I had considered this, but never got around to registering. Zero and Hellfire were top ranked arena pilots. I know first hand why, I had fought them in numerous simulations. Hellfire always said that the arena simulators were off. He always joked that one day he’d show me in a real fight.
I had another reason for not joining the arena, a time consuming interest of my own, engineering. Understanding the mechanics of an AC deeply was just as important and enjoyable as piloting for me; and it paid well. I was a mechanical design advisory engineer for American Arms Alliance, a subsidiary of Mirage. I primarily worked on mobility and energy management systems. It was about 4:00 in the afternoon when Marco, one of the other engineers, came in looking for me.
“Michael, you have a call. Main office.”
“Alright, let me finish here, it’ll only take a minute.”
I headed down to the office in a completely optimistic mood. I figured that it would be Mr. Celena, the head of the energy department; basically my boss. I came through the doors and took the phone from one of the secretaries.
“This Advisory Engineer…”
A familiar voice interrupted, “It’s good to hear from you Exorcet.”
“Commander? It’s good to hear from you as well. But you could have picked a better time. I’m in the middle…”
“No it’s alright, this couldn’t wait, I have good reason.” His voice became deeper and more serious. “Something has come up. We can’t talk about it like this. I need to meet you in person, privately.”
I thought he meant something personal; perhaps a serious tragedy in his family. “What do you mean? What happened?”
“I can’t tell you now. I’ll be outside Garret station, the north side.” He hung up before I could say anything more. His tone and concealment hinted that this wasn’t what I had originally thought. Now I was unsettled. I got Marco to take over for me and left. Commander Arris was right where he said he’d be. His face looked grim. His half hearted grin couldn’t hold back his true emotions. I was impatient because of worry.
“Well, why did you pull me out of work? I hope this is good.”
He sighed. “Don’t get excited. This isn’t official yet, but” he was holding back to reduce the impact of what he had to say, “I just, wanted to give you a heads up.”
“On what, come on.”
“Calm down. Alright I’ll be frank, we might need you.”
“What exactly does that mean?”
“Don’t worry, there’re just some loose ends that need tying. The EA found some things during the search through OS records and weapons. They are concerned, and they want to be ready.”
“What did they find?”
“I haven’t been given any specific details, but don’t worry, it’s probably nothing. I’ll see you around.”
He turned and left me there. My time out of the cockpit had been cut short. I wasn’t looking forward to raising my arms so quickly. Something from that conversation had impacted me. It hit hard. As I’ve already said, I didn’t mind combat, especially if it could not be avoided. I enjoyed it; it was one of the reasons behind my becoming a Raven. It’s just that war is never really a good thing. Even wars with just cause; there can be sides of them that appeal only to the darker side of humanity. That is what I wanted to stay away from. Two wars had already erupted. If the flames of war were still being fueled, something sinister was sustaining them.
I knew the situation wasn’t as good as he wanted me to think, he was too serious. I knew I would be called upon soon. Most likely, so would everyone else. I just prepared myself for it. I was going back to combat soon, that was for certain. I wanted to contact the others, to see if they would be pulled back, but I decided that it was best to sit and wait. If they weren’t called, they didn’t need to know now; perhaps they would prefer things that way.
Despite feeling reservations, I felt that I could not decline the request to fight. I was a Raven, and a good one. I could make a difference. I also knew that the situation was serious. I couldn’t be responsible if it got out of hand. The prospect of escalating war and possible wide spread death didn’t appeal to me, I couldn’t afford to feel guilt for such things. I took a bus from the station and had Matrix readied. Some new equipment was available; I needed to test it anyway. I decided to up the power of my boosters and to try a lighter core. There was really no reason to do this other than to relax myself. I didn’t even know what my mission was.
A few days later the request came. For once it was from an actual person and not a computer.
“Hello Exorcet. I am Lt. Cynthia Noine, your participation in a mission has been requested.”
“Give me the SitRep.”
“Yes sir, remnants of OS military weapons have been found. These weapons have not been encountered in combat before and seem beyond the reach of OS technology. The EA is conducting an investigation to find the reason for their existence. You are being requested as an escort to the investigation team along with the Ravens Celestial, Tempest, and Halcyon. The rest of the information is attached in a text only message, you should see it now.”
I gave the message a quick look. Operation Ghost Eye. It was out by Jupiter, a storage satellite. The payment was decent.
“Do you accept the mission?”
“I accept.”
“I understand, the EA thanks you for your service. Good luck.” She then cut off the connection.
“It looks like the others got called back as well; and we’ve got a new guy in the group.” I said to myself. “Arris must be behind the reunion. It’s good to know people in high places.”
The mission was to take place the next day. I spent the rest of the day setting up my AC. It seemed like just another mission. Some of my concerns faded, it didn’t seem like such a big deal after all. I relocated to a near by military transport station as specified in the mission orders and joined the others before going into combat. I was curious to meet Halcyon. I knew he was there because I didn’t recognize one of the AC’s being loaded onto a launch platform. I was surprised to find him talking to Celestial and Tempest as if he knew them as well as I did.
“Oh, hello, you must be Exorcet. Your friends told me that you are quite a pilot. I’ll try not to get in your way. I am Alexander Matthews, callsign Halcyon.”
He was young, around the same age as Celestial, and was a little too polite. You would never think that he was Raven. I thought he was rookie.
“Michael Drexner, It’s nice to meet you as well. I’m sure you’ll do fine. Your AC looks like a powerful fighter.”
“Silent Phase, that’s its name. Sort of weird isn’t it? There a long story behind the name though.”
Celestial rose out of her seat with a slight laugh and walked up to him. “Don’t be ridiculous, I’ve heard worse than Silent Phase. It sounds good actually. Besides, anyone with your combat record should be able to select any name they want.”
I was somewhat surprised to learn that he was an experienced pilot. “You’ve been in combat?”
“Yes I served in the Earth-Mars war. Was a Raven with the army.”
“Yeah, this guy has been through some tough battles. He was telling us before you arrived.” Tempest added.
Our conversation was ended by an announcement signaling the start of the operation. We headed for our AC’s and prepared for our ascension into the mission area. I started up the generator, Matrix raised its head slowly before greeting me in what sounded like a solemn voice, “Main system, engaging combat mode.” It seemed as if it had been awakened too early; the call to return was too early for it as well.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:20:53 GMT -5
CHAPTER 3-The Encounter
Egress into the mission area was uneventful. We were launched out of the atmosphere on a simple two stage rocket, and then cruised with external ion boosters. All the AC’s had to equip multi dimensional maneuvering boosters to operate in space, with the exception of Celestial’s AC, Uranus, which was a hover type. The convoy that made up the investigation team was comprised of two light battle cruisers and four specialized transports. I have never seen so many antennae come from a single spacecraft. The transports were heavily outfitted with various forms of equipment, and it made me wonder briefly what they were looking for.
After a few hours, we reached out target. The facility was strange, a large silver-white sphere with hexagonal markings equally spaced out along the surface. It hardly looked like something constructed by the OS rebel forces, but it also was not from any Earth or Mars nation. I had not even heard of any base or large satellite out this far. As we neared it, we made a triangular perimeter around it, the convoy went in close and release exploratory probes before entering. I was the “North” tip of the triangle. Tempest was west of me, Celestial to the East. Halcyon was at a point under me and between Tempest and Celestial. He slowly surveyed the area repeatedly, as if he didn’t trust his empty radar screen.
“Looking for something?” I said.
“No, I just need something to do. It’s dull here, especially after a long trip.”
“Right.”
The investigation team had come upon an unlocked panel on the satellite.
“This is Seeker 1, we’ve found an opening in the satellite’s surface. We are going to proceed inside. Command wants one of you to escort us inside. Who’s it going to be?”
Halcyon responded quickly. “I’m up for it.”
“Alright, lead us in. Our electronics officer will guide you through the facility.”
Silent Phase quickly wheeled around and took point in front of the convoy. As the dark gray reverse joint AC joined the convoy inside, the only indication I had of there status became an automated systems check report from their machines. After half an hour had passed, they reached the center of the satellite. A power source and some dormant MT’s were contained within it. A com officer radioed back to us, as we stood guard, to inform us of their findings. Before he started talking, however, a squad of MT’s attacked us.
“Exorcet, Tempest, we’re being tracked! I’m picking up radar waves on the RWR.”
I wasn’t picking anything up. “Where are they, I can’t…”
My attention shifted from what I was saying to some flashes above me. At first I couldn’t make out what they were. Then a second set of three quick flashes went off, and a realized what was happening.
“Missiles inbound! Look above.”
We kept our triangular formation, but spread out away from the satellite. I charged up and began scanning the space in front of me with my KARASAWA. Whatever launched the attack was either highly mobile or shielded from detection; I could not find them. Tempest was the next to encounter them.
“They’re to the West, MT’s.”
He took immediate action; Overtake’s boosters vectored their thrust into a flaming spear behind the AC’s core and rushed it forward with a shotgun raised. The MT’s were completely unlike those we faced from the OS. There were three; one started pulling back and peppering Tempest with machinegun fire. The other two came together above the first and faked a missile strike on Tempest, which succeeded in breaking his attack and leaving him open for more machinegun fire. The two that staged the mock missile strike turned away from Tempest and came toward me.
I was attempting to pair up with Celestial and take down the pair of MT’s that was now approaching us at high speed. We were unaware that three stealth MT’s were behind us. As the first two MT’s climbed, they began to slowly pull of to our right. The three MT’s behind us must have been mirroring them behind us to remain unseen. The first hint of there existence came in the form of a plasma bolt into my right leg.
“Celestial, I’ve been hit from behind!”
“I’ll get them off you, get the two below.”
We broke off at that point, and so did the MT’s attacking us. I concentrated on the two MT’s that had just distracted us. Celestial rose to take out the three stealth MT’s. Tempest was still fighting the first one, and was giving it a hard time. We were all spaced out, and I saw an opportunity to weaken the enemy. Even though these were high end MT’s, I doubted that they were as fast as an AC; I would out run my pursuers and aid Tempest in destroying the lone MT, then we would each have a one on one bout with the two pursuing me before finally coming to Celestial’s aid. I rolled and flew down at a moderate pace. One MT tried to cut me off in front, while the other remained behind me firing. They might have realized what I was doing; it seemed as if they were driving me away from Tempest. I surprised them by accelerating into the first MT with a blast from laser cannon. The MT pulled aside quickly and turned to attack again, but I discouraged him with some quick bursts of energy beams from my EO’s. I started racing backwards toward Tempest, and kept the MT’s off of the offensive with blasts from my laser cannon. I was virtually ignoring the fire coming from them; the MT’s were slower than me, but not by as much as I had thought. Fortunately, I was able to reach Tempest, and put some pressure on the first MT by circling it with laser fire interwoven with Tempest’s shotgun blasts. It was overwhelmed by the combined firepower of our two AC’s. It became cornered in a burst of fire, and Tempest came in close to finish it. The MT danced around urgently in all directions to escape Tempest’s assault, but the light AC outmaneuvered in a turning contest. The death circle ended with a hole blown through the MT by a short ranged shotgun blast.
Tempest then showed the traits of a soldier of his level; he saw the MT following me, and signaled to have me bring it over. He pretended to form up in front of me, then swiftly decelerated and turned on the following MT. He let loose a burst of shotgun fire before closing in and impaling it through legs and core with his MOONLIGHT.
By now, we realized what we were up against. These guys would take a serious amount of effort to take out. Then I remembered Halcyon and the convoy. I did not know if someone else contacted them yet, so I sent them a warning about the chaos outside.
“Halcyon, there is serious fighting going on outside. Don’t let the convoy go anywhere.”
“We’re also in a battle, MT’s stationed in the base became active. It seems as if they’re unmanned. I have them under control for now, but I don’t know if I can take anymore. Don’t let any in!”
“Understood.”
I surveyed our situation briefly; the MT’s were focusing the attack on us, and no more had showed up that I could see. It was unlikely that they were seeking a way in. Celestial was still buying time for us; she was holding back with her attacks, and tempted the three MT’s to stay on her. I decided that she could hold on, and that the best course of action would be to take out the two separated MT’s. I left one to Tempest and focused on my own battle.
Now that I had adjusted to them, they weren’t as difficult, but they still resisted defeat well. I could see sparks of energy scraping off their armor as my shots missed by the most minute distances. These sparks mixed with the booster flames and exhaust of missiles to create a fireworks display in the dark sky, which made tracking the MT’s movements slightly more challenging. Eventually though, I was able to lead my adversary into an unavoidable shot. I used EO fire to persuade it over to one side in a moderately complex pattern. It realized the pattern and set itself to dodge it. I was firing my shots in a one-two spread pattern, and closing it like scissors. When it was nearly closed, I switched my shot’s alignment from horizontal to vertical and forced it downward. While it was distracted with this and a laser cannon blast I used to momentarily distract it, I launched myself toward it. I met it at point blank range and punctured a pair holes through it with my laser rifle. The MT was finished.
Tempest had also broken his foe by this time. We engaged in a short radio chat and decided on our strategy. We were going to split up, I would help Celestial, and Tempest would backup Halcyon; but Halcyon emerged from the satellite victorious. The convoy had hacked a locking mechanism and sealed themselves in an empty hanger. We now had more AC’s than there were MT’s. We separated and attacked from three directions in order to keep our advantage of numbers out of the enemies’ knowledge for as long as possible, but they had keen eyes and noticed us.
We were still a far distance off. The MT’s seemed to have decided to finish off Celestial and then escape. The unleashed their strongest attack yet; a storm of plasma surged from their rifles, and a battery of missiles was discharged from their backs. Celestial began an erratic dash away from the missiles to deplete them of fuel, and methodically timed her movements to weave through the plasma bolts simultaneously, but the attack was too intense to leave her AC unscathed. Uranus’ legs took some fire, and began to lose some stability. The AC’s movements became less precise; the MT’s took this opportunity and made it their last attack before retreating. Halcyon charged forward in an attempt to intervene, he was in the best position to protect Celestial.
“Pull back, I need a clear shot!”
Silent Phase raised its sniper cannon and began tracking the lead MT. Celestial was putting up a screen of pulse rifle rounds in between her and her attackers, it seemed as if a giant fan of was sweeping the space before her.
“Celestial, hold your fire, trust me I’ll get them.”
“Ah, right, it’s all yours.”
Halcyon finally got a shot he liked and blasted a heavy shell round into the enemy formation. The fearsome explosion from the cannon’s muzzle was then surpassed by a huge flash and burning shrapnel from what was formerly an MT.
At this point, the MT’s started abandoning their attack on Celestial and sought to withdraw, but she wasn’t going to let them escape after harassing her. She reversed her direction and launched toward them at incredible speed, her AC was one of the fasted I have ever seen, and broke their tight formation with a grenade round. She then burst through the flaming cloud of exhaust from the first shot and fired a second pulsating shot into one of the MT’s, vaporizing it. The commanding image of her AC’s black silhouette contrasted by the yellow and orange flames is one I will never forget.
The remaining MT realized that prolonging the fight would mean self destruction, it retreated instantly. Celestial wasn’t ready to quit yet.
“Don’t give him a chance!”
“I’m already on it.”
Halcyon’s reply was accompanied by salvo of heavy cannon fire. I could almost hear the roars of the shots accompanying the fiery eruptions of gunfire, despite the sound eating void surrounding us. The desperation in the MT’s movements was apparent, every shot was narrowly avoided. The machine was put to its limit, but luck was with it. In the end it managed to escape.
“Damn!”
Halcyon’s anger surprised me, I still saw him as he had presented himself at the base.
“It’s alright, this wasn’t seek and destroy. Nice shooting.”
He expressed gratitude for my compliment and we regrouped to escort the convoy. Things quickly cooled down from that point.
The convoy was able to collect an extraordinary amount of data from witnessing and analyzing the battle between Halcyon and the MT’s within the satellite and from a computer within the satellite, though Halcyon had accidentally damaged it with a stray shot. We deemed the mission a success and immediately headed back to Earth.
The day’s trials were not yet over though, debriefing was somewhat emotional. We had been misled to a degree. The mission and all the details presented in its description were accurate, but the EA knew there were active MT’s nearby. As part of a secondary objective, they used as bait for the purpose of testing the MT’s ability. Of course they didn’t tell us directly, but we were meant to know. Celestial did not approve of this. She dropped her usual calm and cheerful disposition and made her thoughts well known.
“This is insane! You can’t keep information like that from us, and… and toy with us, we’re not tools or machines! We are people. We volunteer, have volunteered many times before... and it is because of us that you won the last war, isn’t it?”
The officer explaining the debriefing to us could care less about how she felt, he probably broke news like this before.
“We told you in the mission description that some information was being withheld for security reasons. We’ve encountered these enemies once before. We just needed more accurate knowledge of their limits. You weren’t in any danger, we made sure you could not lose. Now please stop shouting.”
I tried to calm her with more sincere reasoning. “Celestial, it’s alright. It might not have been the most practical situation for us, but this is the EA. There is a clear distinction between right and wrong. They didn’t cross the line, I’m sure they wouldn’t send us in if we could not survive. We chose to side with them in the beginning because we knew they were on the right side.”
She completely disagreed with me, and even in Tempest’s silence, I know he sided with Celestial. I looked over at Halcyon to see what he was thinking, but I couldn’t read him. I could understand some of Celestial’s anger. Although she probably wasn’t in serious danger, she had taken the harshest beating. I was about to soften my statement, but she beat me to speech.
“Can you be so sure? If you knew them so well, how come this is so unexpected? Don’t hide it, you never expected this from them.”
That shut me up, I knew I couldn’t sway her mind, though I was still fairly sure of my beliefs.
We ended the day on that note. Normally I would have ignored something like the debriefing incident, but something was keeping it a prominent thought in my head. I actually began to feel a little off from the time Halcyon fired his first sniper shot. It brought strange feeling to me. At the time I couldn’t make any sense of it and dealt with it as best as could. I wish the premonition I received that day was more complete. It could have made a significant difference in some of the events that were to follow.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:21:19 GMT -5
CHAPTER 4- OUTSIDE CHAPTER 1, Zero- Malice of the Past
The EA was on high alert. Attacks by MT’s had no traceable origin. The one that had escaped from Exorcet and the others disappeared in an empty region of space. Since then, other attacks had been reported. All had similar outcomes. The MT’s would amass in multiple small groups, they would then attack for only brief periods, and then they retreated and disappeared. Apparently they had stealth devices and high speed boosters; tracking them proved impossible beyond certain distances. This meant that they could not be remnants from the OS armies, they were far too advanced.
Eventually though, a pattern in the retreat paths was established. All the traceable portions of the MT’s flight paths led to a central point. This point was labeled the Abyss. The location was near the asteroid belt, and was seldom visited by anyone. It was a good place to hide something, and the EA quickly turned its attention to it.
Searches of the area were conducted immediately once the information was obtained by the higher ups of the military. A blockade cut the Abyss off from all outside travel, while inside, nearly everything at the EA’s disposal was diving deeper into it.
I was a frequent participant in the search missions. I was infuriated by the attack on Celestial, even if the EA was partially to blame. We had made a promise to watch out for each other when we first became friends, and I was always loyal to my word.
At the time, we were still separate; the 404th had not been reformed. Missions were done on an individual basis with a few exceptions. Exorcet would only undertake a sortie when a significant discovery was made, he hadn’t committed himself yet. Hellfire was his opposite, he took every mission offered to him. As usual, he was enraptured in the pleasure of fighting. Vise, Argus, and Zinrai were between those extremes, and Tempest had decided to ignore the incident from the first mission, though he only took part occasionally.
Celestial was still angry with the EA, and held her pledge to stay out of their affairs, at first. She soon returned to service as if nothing had happened. At first I had no explanation, but then I realized what was up after I saw a pattern in her mission requests. Halcyon was with her nearly every time. That partnership became a topic of discussion amongst our group. Though I didn’t really dwell on why she would want to get together with Halcyon. She had always been reluctant to be with someone. It wasn’t until I had a conversation with Exorcet that I figured it out.
“It isn’t all that surprising, they have the same personality.” he told me, for some reason very amused at the thought, after a recon mission.
“Well, there is that, but I think it might be something more. She probably needs someone who can relate to her.”
“That is no different from what I said.” He said in a confused tone.
“I meant, really and deeply relate with her.” I looked down and paused before looking at him and continuing. “Do you know why Halcyon became a Raven?”
Exorcet became slightly more stern, he knew what I was hinting at.
“He said he wants to carry on his father’s glory. His family had a few Ravens, his father was one. He was on a peacekeeping mission, but unfortunately, a battle broke out. He followed orders not to take aggressive action against either side, and was killed. Halcyon said his life changed when he was told the news. He wanted to carry on his father’s honor and discipline in the face of death, he assumed the title of Halcyon from his father and became a Raven shortly after.”
It was easy for someone who knew Celestial to see that she had a past similar in some ways to Halcyon’s. She became a Raven to earn money to care for her parents. They both suffered from a disease causing the deterioration of the nervous system. Caring for them was extremely expensive; she became a Raven at the age of 19 without their knowledge to raise money. Outside of them, she had no family. She also didn’t want to depend on anyone for anything because she felt that she would pass her burden to others. Since Halcyon had a similar experience, she must have felt drawn to him, and also must not have feared tainting him with her family’s painful history.
After my mind broke free of Celestial’s tragic situation, I noticed that Exorcet had been troubled by something as he recited Halcyon’s story. He didn’t say anything, but I believed that it was being reminded of Celestial’s past that got to him. It was easy to forget what kind of life she used to live because of how she acted. Her face always beamed. She was either very strong, or in serious denial. He’s told me that he can feel guilty discussing another’s problems, like he is trespassing. Whatever was bothering him then possessed him to speak.
“He must be proud to have a predecessor like that. I know I would.”
Something about that sentence influenced me. Although I never intended to reply, my thoughts became words and broke free. It just felt like what he said was wrong, and I had to correct it.
“With all due respect to Halcyon and his father, I don’t think that was the wisest decision. He should have saved himself.” I was also surprised by my tone, I sounded so serious. Exorcet thought the same; he turned away and stared straight ahead. He then sighed lightly and explained his opinion.
“Well, I would have liked it if he survived, but I think he was thinking about the consequences. He did not want to involve his client in the situation. He did not want to escalate the skirmish into a war. He thought about things beyond himself.” He then shifted his gaze back toward me. His eyes fell on me with great force, all of his energy was focused on making me accept what he said.
That’s when I realized what was actually bothering him. Though he might have been thinking of Celestial, it was his own family that troubled him. His family did not include many Ravens. He and Hellfire made up a good percentage of the number of Ravens in the family. There was another right before them though. Exorcet doesn’t reveal very much about that part of his past. The only immediate family that he talked about was his mother. I guessed that meant his father was a Raven, and that there was a strong aversion between them. I also knew that Exorcet had a mentor while he was training to become a Raven. I believed that his father was his mentor as well, and he somehow angered Exorcet and they turned against each other. It must have been something terrible. Behavior like that was not common in Exorcet.
After that, I regretted speaking. I thought I had hurt him. From that point, the argument was not something I was willing to continue. I just made a quick nod, left, and went home.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:23:05 GMT -5
CHAPTER 5-Turning Point
The hanger was filled with activity. Workers were frantically running across the ground as the lifeless AC’s stood watching them in the background, waiting to be awakened. A request had been made for the acquisition of a capsule in the Abyss. The conflict finally seemed to be taking a certain direction. It was hoped that the capsule would answer everyone’s questions. What was known at the time was only very limited; most of our knowledge came from engagements with the enemy and from the data retrieved from the core of the satellite that we had investigated.
The data contained a vast wealth of information, but unfortunately it was not easy to obtain. Many of the files that could be opened were on advanced weapons, but outside of that, the data was erased, damaged, or heavily encrypted. Only a few attempts to retrieve these files were made. The EA was caught up in analyzing the weapons, and modifying existing equipment to better deal with the MT’s, which, according to the data, were called UM-905 “VEYETTE”.
Many spoke out against the EA putting aside the non weapon files, they wanted to know what was behind the MT’s. They formed a protest group known as the Truth Organization. There were also the conspiracy theorists. Like in most situations without an explanation, wild rumors started to spread. Some claimed that remnants of the Martian military had hidden within the Orbital States, and were behind Lanter’s rebellion and the MT attacks. The best reliable information regarding the origin of the Veyette was that they apparently were stationed in the Abyss; that was it. I shared the Truth Organization’s concerns, but I put my faith in the EA. I assumed that the higher ups decided that priority should be given to defending against the threat, then finding out where they came from once it was suppressed.
The progress made in the Abyss supported my theory. The Veyette were becoming much less of a threat, and their source was being honed on constantly. Only two months had passed since my first encounter when a small capsule was found within the Abyss. Although it was unguarded at the time of its discovery, it was considered an important item. In order to ensure its retrieval, the EA sent in a team of Ravens to recover it. The team consisted of me, Hellfire, Celestial, and Halcyon.
We were moved to Lansung base in England. It was the first time I was stationed outside of the US on Earth.
The time to depart for the capsule fell upon us quickly, and we boarded our AC’s. The two bipedals were at the corners of the hanger. Hellfire’s Deathgod was a menacing black giant. The armor and joints of the entire body were colored in the darkest shade of black. It was large and heavy for mid weight, the massive MAM-RE/TIN arms and thick MLM-LW/X4 legs were the reason for its commanding stature, and gave the AC some of the thickest armor available. It was also strong offensively; one hand held a silver-grey MG/800R machine gun, the opposite forearm had an RN1 blade fixed to it. On the back was a light chain gun, and Hellfire’s preferred weapon, the XLGN001/15 heavy grenade launcher. The AC reflected its pilot’s destructive taste well, and its burning red eye alerted all opponents of the soulless slayer within the cockpit.
Matrix towered in the other corner, glowing deep blue as rays of light immersed it from an air vent in the ceiling. The frame contrasted Deathgod heavily. Its core was an angular midweight EO instead of Deathgod’s light, curved OB. The arms were much lighter, and the narrower MLM-AE60/MU legs were capable of far greater mobility than Deathgod could ever manage. Its weapons were all energy. A heavy LQ/20 laser cannon was mounted on the left shoulder. The right held a light LQ/15. The main weapon of the machine was the mighty KARASAWA laser rifle, which needs no description. The other hand refrained from fighting and was free from weaponry.
Uranus laid dormant to my right. The PETAL hover legs were folded, and the bright white frame appeared small and fragile. A small pulse rifle was visible in its hand, timidly peeking out from the leg panels. Hiding on its back, however, was the AC’s true weapon. A heavy CWC-GNL-15 grenade launcher. It was unusual to see such a large weapon on such a small and delicate AC, but seeing Celestial pilot it made all onlookers wonder why that was so.
The last AC was Halcyon’s Silent Phase. The grey reverse joint AC was an amalgamation of advanced equipment. The head contained every electronic piece of technology available to an AC, and made it well known with its complex outline. The core had many vents and protrusions, and the arms contained the most jagged angles and were pierced with many needle like projections. The CWG-W200R/BL in its hand was the most advanced rifle yet produced. Even more advanced was the sniper cannon on the AC’s back. The targeting mechanism was a huge box that extended nearly the length of the gun, and vents and tubes covered the barrel’s surface, most likely with the intent of providing flawless precision.
A large shuttle served as transportation for us this time; its speed combined with the short distance of the trip allowed us to reach the target very quickly.
We deployed a few miles ahead of the target. The shuttle stayed behind in case the capsule had some kind of defense. The mission coordinator relayed stern orders from within the shuttle.
“We will remain at this position. You are to head to the target in formation and retrieve it. Do not destroy it unless absolutely necessary; even if it attacks you, do not resist unless it uses lethal force. Understood?”
“We’re professionals, you should be more concerned about your own safety.” I could see Hellfire’s smirk as his words came to my ears. He then took point and advanced toward the target.
Halcyon armed his weapons and moved in front of Celestial and I, “I guess that’s our cue.”
We kept in a 3 flight formation until we met up with Hellfire. After a short time, we were under a 1000 yard radius from the capsule. Halcyon and the electronics officers were scanning the area for enemy activity. They picked up nothing, and so we continued onward.
We closed in slowly, we knew that the Veyette could appear at any time. We closed in to about 100 yards, right within reach of the target. Then they revealed themselves. The electronics officer on the shuttle could only detect them as they started their attack.
“They’re here. I’m getting radar hits in every direction!”
“We see them already.” With that Hellfire engaged his Overboost and threw himself straight into an enemy formation advancing toward of us.
As he shot off, I checked my radar. The number of MT’s was the largest I had seen. Only a few soldiers had faced more.
“Hellfire, we should stay in formation. This is a significant force.”
“I’ll join up after I finish these three. They’re only MT’s.”
My suggestion apparently wasn’t going to come to fruition. Celestial and Halcyon had already split, and the MT’s were trying to separating us as well. I found a squad of four Veyette and engaged them.
They were much easier opponents than before. The modifications made to my AC took out a lot of the effort in tracking them. I activated my EO’s and set them to find targets independently. I then lowered my LQ/15 and broke up their formation with a couple of blasts. The green beams scattered them into a large square, and I picked out one corner to destroy.
I retracted my EO’s and blasted towards one of the MT’s. It began raining rifle fire on me, I weaved between the shots and unleashed a powerful blast from my LQ/20. The glowing blue halo of the white explosion nearly crushed the MT, but it managed to evade with a jolt from its boosters. Its allies had managed to get behind me by then. I reactivated my EO’s; they started orbiting my core emitting waves of fire in all directions at the MT’s, never giving them a chance to rest. While they were still recovering from that, I finished off the first MT with another blast from my LQ/20. It was point blank; the MT desperately returned fire. The shots were vaporized by the laser, and soon after the MT no more as well.
As I searched for another target, an exploding block of metal streaked by me, it was followed by a red glow, and a trail of fire.
“That’s two. Pick it up Exorcet.”
Hellfrie’s fly-by had disrupted the efforts of the MT’s behind me, and I took advantage of the opportunity. I made a quick turn and dived down on my pursuers. I aimed my KARASAWA and assaulted them with six rounds of fire. They responded by regrouping and firing a barrage of missiles together. “Too easy” was what I thought to myself. I switched to my LQ/20 and fired a single shot. The immense beam cut through the missiles, and blew the MT’s out of formation. I then finished them with a combined attack from my EO’s and KARSAWA. All the three MT’s blew apart simultaneously.
I looked around to evaluate the battle, the MT’s could not sustain the offensive. Celestial was hammering her targets with grenades. Halcyon switched between sniping and close quarters rifle fighting depending on his range from the enemy. Hellfire was emptying his machine gun on anything that caught his eyes.
The battle was leaning in our favor. It was time to make a move.
“Celestial, take the capsule, and get back to the shuttle, we’ll cover you.”
Celestial sprayed a defensive burst of ion pulses at the MT’s around her before pulling back and discharging her OB. As she moved toward the capsule, I cut off her rear flank from attack. When they moved in my attacks, combined with Hellfire’s and Halcyon’s, cut them down. The MT’s were defeated, they could do nothing against us. We simply had to wait on Celestial; but misfortune stepped in at that point, and harshly reminded us all of its power.
“Hey, something is near the capsule. I don’t see it yet, but I’m picking it up on radar.”
“Celestial I’ll come as soon as the MT’s…”
They stopped dead. Every MT around us looked as if they had been struck down by a virus that had been growing inside them and waited to strike. They simply shut down, frozen at a single moment. I tried to contact the shuttle, but some kind of ECM was jamming me. It was probably what caused the MT’s to shutdown.
“Celestial something’s wrong. Do you see the object near the capsule yet?” I strained my eyes in her direction looking in vain for it.
“No, but I see the MT’s. Why did they stop? Halcyon can you find anything?”
“Nothing, except that whatever you’re detecting is on my screen as well.”
Hellfire turned his attention to the object as well. “It’s only one; surround it and destroy it if it’s hostile.”
The, out from the capsule’s proximity came a blinding beam of light, surging with power. It burst through space toward the nearest target.
“Celestial! Move!”
“Jink, jink!”
Celestial managed to escape a direct hit, but the beam was so powerful, that a surrounding burst of energy grazed her AC. Her Primal Armor shield nearly failed under the immense strain.
“I’m hit! Whatever it is, it is powerful. Don’t get hit directly!”
After the beam had past, all we could see was a sparking point in front of us. Then we saw our adversary clearly as the flashes lit up its body. It was a strange MT. The blue glow was reflecting brightly on the silver black body. It came from a massive single barrel cannon slung over its right shoulder. In its hands were two identical guns that I could not identify. The shoulder slots normally reserved for extensions held booster packs; the cannon was so large that placing boosters in their normal position would have been useless.
Halcyon slowly crawled forward toward us and shouted what was on everyone’s mind, “What the hell is that?”
The MT stood perfectly still. It was as if it was studying us, analyzing us on every level. Our move was the next to make, and it was waiting.
“Alright, let’s see what it can do.” Hellfire had already closed half the distance to the MT, and began circling it. He made some random boosts to throw off any fire the MT might have made. The rest of us stood still and silent. After a few seconds, Hellfire broke out of his orbit and rushed the MT with his laser blade extended, and his machine gun blazing.
The MT turned, and the dodge the shots. Its movement was strange, it seemed to just flow, in one continuous motion out of the path of the oncoming shells and around the violently sweeping edge of the blade.
“No, you won’t escape.” Hell fire instantly turned and opened up with the machine gun again. The MT began its effortless flow again and moved about 2000 yards above Deathgod, but this time, it was prepared to strike back. The cannon’s tip grew brighter, and a second colossal beam burst from it. Hellfire immediately put his boosters to their limits. Deathgod shot across the path of the beam, but only managed to avoid a direct hit. Its shield emanated an intense glow as it struggled to survive the blast.
“That’s it, you’re dead.”
Hellfire armed his grenade launcher and charged at the MT again. His attacks were quick, not much time passed between his first attack and his narrow escape. The rest us began our attacks as Hellfire charged the MT again.
Halcyon rained cannon fire on the MT while Celestial held down the trigger on her pulse rifle. I selected my fastest firing weapons, the KARASAWA and EO’s, and tried to give the MT no chance to dodge.
The MT flew upward and danced through the fire. Once it reached its desired altitude, it showered us with a mass of orbit pods. The pods rapidly descended upon us, and spun around the head of each AC before discharging a stream of energy bolts at us. They were too fast to outrun, so I began to violently trash around within the orbit cage in an attempt to throw off as many shots as possible. The beams darted around me like mad, and every hit I took rang through the cockpit like loud static.
At that point, I gave up being on the defensive. Attacking would be the only salvation from the orbit assault. I captured the MT in my sights once again, and darted at it. The MT saw me approaching, and apparently called off its orbits as it slowly lowered itself to engage me. Both of its arms snapped up, the twin guns pointed directly at me. I reacted faster; a burst of laser rounds flew from my weapons and quickly closed on the MT. Flames broke out of the left shoulder, and the MT shot right, avoiding the shots. Though, it would not survive forever. We were already learning its moves.
The MT was sent reeling forward as a grenade detonated behind it.
“Come on, I’ve got more.”
Hellfire had broken away from the orbits as well. He was standing brazenly far behind the MT. His grenade retracted as his machine gun rose and he boosted forward in an OB thrust.
Another massive bolt of energy came thundering from the MT’s cannon as a counter against Hellfire, but he was too suicidal to be stopped by the same attack twice. Deathgod jetted to the side and continued onward.
I made a simultaneous attack with my LQ/20 and EO’s. The blasts forced the MT to forgo its defensive strike against Hellfire, and pull off to the side. I joined up with Hellfire and gave chase. An enormous volume of firepower was sweeping across the MT’s path. Reflections of laser energy and sparks shooting from its body confirmed our hits.
The MT tried to get in another cannon blast, but was stopped by Celestial’s pulse rifle. She had come in low and surprised the MT. It turned to attack her, but a large sniper shell cut in front of it, and silenced its rifles. Halcyon was still tracking it with godly precision.
More orbits blasted out from behind the MT’s shoulder, and surrounded Celestial and Halcyon, but the MT could not react in time to avoid Hellfire’s blade. It was cut across its core and damaged, but still fought.
I bolted straight for the MT as it attempted to recover from the slash. I aimed my KARASAWA on him, and released a myriad of lasers. The MT was submerged in a pulsating blue sphere. All of my shots were connecting. Hellfire joined in with an unrelenting torrent of chain gun shells.
Spears of flame began to breakthrough the MT’s skin, until they were fully liberated and morphed into a swirling firestorm. The MT was engulfed, and when the blaze lost out to the powerful vacuum of space, nothing remained of the MT.
I relayed the information to the rest of the squad as protocol dictated. “Target destruction confirmed.” I then swung around to check Celestial’s condition. “Celestial are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Uranus didn’t take any major damage, I still have over 6000 AP.” She then pointed Uranus toward the capsule with a quick shot from her boosters. “We should grab the capsule now.”
There was no objection to her statement. We spread across the area to prevent any further attack. We were all tense, and straining our senses to the limits. We understood now, that the enemy was not someone we could predict the actions of.
“Unidentified AC detected; range, 1500.” I looked down at my sensor screen, unwilling to believe in another attacker, but it was there. It was closing.
“AC inbound, adjust orientation to the following coordinates. Matrix, send coordinates, no restriction.”
“Understood, coordinates sent.”
“I’m getting the capsule now!” Celestial pounded the throttle, her AC pushed forward with incredible acceleration, but she would have never made it in time.
A swarm of missiles scattered from a pursuit pod and formed an impassable wall between Celestial and her goal. When they passed, a lone AC took their place.
“The Earth Alliance has no right to this device. Fall back.”
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:23:37 GMT -5
Chapter 6- Truth’s Arrow
The pilot in the AC raised his voice and growled at us again. “Back off. Now.”
Another disruption was the last thing I wanted. I had to complete the mission quickly and was prepared to fight at my fullest against any obstacle. “We’ve come here with a purpose, and we are not leaving until we reach our goal!”
The AC folded its four legs in and a hatch opened on its back. I was expecting an attack, but instead it rotated to the right. Matrix’s computer warning went off again.
“A second AC is approaching.”
“Matrix, attempt hack of enemy communications.”
“Understood.”
As the second AC came into view, I could see that it was also a quadraped, but it was much lighter and held only arm weapons. It was unnaturally fast, like the first. Yet both appeared normal. I recognized the parts, so it was clear that these were advanced machines disguised as normal AC’s. As I studied them, Matrix informed me that the hack was complete. I fixed my attention on my communication receiver.
The man in the first AC spoke first. “Myrs, they’re stubborn. I’ll take care of them.”
The second AC folded its legs and drifted back towards the capsule. The pilot made a quick response in a stolid tone.
“Alright.”
The bulky AC moved with out hesitation as it received the consent of the second pilot. Its body leaned forward while the head remained dead centered on our formation.
“Take him down.” Hellfire began spraying the AC with chain gun fire. It made no attempt to dodge, it merely kept its course and stubbornly plowed its way through the bullets.
We then concentrated our fire power on him; all he did was speed up and make a sharp 180 degree turn as he passed by.
Celestial’s angry voice blasted through the radio. “Are we doing anything?”
The AC then made a sudden stop. I couldn’t help but suspect something from his eccentric fighting style. I checked my rear flank, my defense screen was being flooded with red dots and lines, a wave of missiles was behind us.
“Missiles inbound, break!”
We scattered, the missiles followed. They were extremely fast and agile, more so than any pursuit missiles I was familiar with. They were absolutely relentless. Avoiding them was a battle in itself; if they missed, they would snap around and begin tracking again. I was pushing myself hard, just to avoid missiles. I could not help but think to myself, just what kind of technology made up these AC’s.
There was no time to think about it though. As soon as I began to, I found myself lost in a cluster of missiles. Another pod had been fired. I managed to wake myself up in time to blast some of them out of existence with a desperate blast from my LQ/20. The rest managed to hit, and sent a violent tremor through the cockpit.
When I recovered, the missiles were gone. So was the AC. I shot my eyes in all directions searching for the AC. I found it behind me attacking the others. I took off after it and began unloading my KARASAWA.
The blue bolts caught the pilot’s eye; he broke off his attack and fixed his sights on me. He jettisoned the missile launcher on his back as he closed in. The lost mass made him accelerate even faster. He was in front of me out of nowhere, and began to hammer me with a rapid fire weapon. It made me feel, for the first time in a long while, fear. Not just fear, pure terror.
I managed to fight off there feelings though, and retaliated with a LQ/15 blast. He was so close that the explosion of light made it impossible to see the result of the attack. Then, an extending laser blade confirmed that it had not stopped him. I threw myself back with a quick boost, but he was still just as close, and still swinging his blade.
“Damn!”
I shouted in frustration. I was becoming enraged at my inability to counter him. He was too close and moving too erratically for me to get a clear shot. His proximity also kept the others from helping me. Even Halcyon held his fire so as to avoid accidentally striking me. Such a mistake could prove fatal.
As he continued to madly slash at me, my frustration grew even greater. I was determined to fend off his attack, by any means. I unleashed a laser blast from my left shoulder at almost zero range. The blast wave struck us both. Our AC’s were knocked back with great force, but my armor wasn’t weakened severely. I had fired slightly off to the side to keep damage to a minimum.
When the blast dissipated, I saw that I had succeeded in separating myself from the AC. Hellfire began firing off grenades as fast as he could, Celestial and Halcyon opened up as well. The AC’s ability to take punishment was impressive, but the power of the attack raining down on it showed that it was not invincible. It wheeled back violently, out of control. One of its arms failed and went limp. It only managed to crawl away after activating a special shield function built into the core. It encased itself in a faintly white glow, and was spared destruction.
But there was still another AC. It was fresh and fully armed, and it had seen what we could do.
“Zaiven, hold on, I’m backing you up.”
The second quadraped descended upon us, propelled by a pulsating tail of fire from its powerful overboost.
“Damn, its fast!” Halcyon could not line up a good shot. Every round he fired went stray, the AC kept approaching. Halcyon fell back a short distance and armed his rifle in preparation for a close range struggle, but the AC dashed passed Halcyon, it was heading straight for its wounded comrade and was firmly locked on course.
It aggressively decelerated when it reached the damaged unit and quickly circled it, examining the broken machinery. My FCS’s lock signal was just going off as the AC completed its orbit, but its head was already turning to face me. My attack was expected by the target, and it had a plan of its own.
Twin sprays of bullets came down at me. The weapons equipped were high powered assault rifles, getting caught in the fire at close range would be extremely dangerous. I returned fire to cover my retreat, but cut shooting shortly after. My ammo was running down, I would have to use my EO’s to conserve my main weapons, but I didn’t know if they would be strong enough on their own.
The quad kept coming, the EO’s were my only option. They jolted Matrix as they ejected from the back of the core, and then barricaded my front flank with energy fire. Fortunately, this AC was more conscious of dodging; it broke away before getting caught in the EO strike and did not complete its attack.
I radioed Hellfire as he came to provide support.
“It’s up to you, my ammo is running low.”
“That’s fine, leave it to me.”
Hellfire and the quad began trading shots. A torrential stream of chain gun shells and rifle bullets mixed between them. I trained my KARASAWA on the AC, hoping Hellfire’s attack would prove to be a good distraction. I looked down at my weapons display to check my ammo before firing.
“Only 20 shots. Don’t miss.”
With that, I cautiously advanced, and waited for a good shot. The AC liked to make abrupt stops when changing direction, that’s when I would fire. With Hellfire’s relentless assault, I didn’t have to wait long.
Four beams flashed from the KARASAWA, accompanied by a spray of EO. The quad did not seem to notice them. Then just before they made contact, it boosted back and raised its altitude. I only landed two hits.
“If you want to kill me so badly, then come get me!” She taunted me with a laugh after saying that. I might have chased her if the operator in the shuttle didn’t contact me.
“The other one is going for the capsule. Stop him!”
I glared at the light quad momentarily before going to intercept the other. I brought my AC around and lined up to intercept the heavy quad while Hellfire tried to block the lighter AC, but the pilot wasn’t going to make it that easy for us. Even with Hellfire covering me, she was difficult to avoid. She just broke through the chain gun fire and chased me with unshakable determination. I thought of leaving the heavy AC to Halcyon, but I saw that he was having trouble landing a shot. Celestial was too far off. I had to go on.
“Hellfire, I can’t get the capsule with her on me!”
“It’s under control.”
I could tell his hands were full. He could manage to hold it off a bit, but he couldn’t stop the AC. It was just better. It had some kind of technology unknown to us. At that point, I decided to take a risk. I would fly straight for the heavier AC so that Hellfire could get a better shot on the lighter one chasing me. I didn’t say anything because I figured that out communications must have been hacked. I left it to Hellfire to figure out.
I leveled out and channeled full power to my boosters. The pursuing AC lined up on me and fired its rifles. The impacts rocked my AC. I could only hope that Hellfire got her off me.
The shuddering kept going. I began to get desperate. I focused completely on the target in front of me. The sensation of time stopped, and I didn’t feel the shaking anymore. I locked on and fired. Then I came back to my senses.
Hellfire had driven the Myrs away from me. The other one had broken off from its run for the capsule after my attack, which Celestial and Halcyon were now trying to recover. What I didn’t immediately notice was the damage I had taken. My EO’s had been destroyed, and I was on the verge of overheating.
I just ignored the alarms going off in the cockpit. With the capsule nearly in our possession, I set up a defense against the two attacking AC’s. But, before I did anything, a piercing sound like a mechanical scream came through the radio. Then the two quads backed off. They didn’t leave the fight, they just pulled away from the capsule and started on a wide path around us. They were trying to get between us and the shuttle. I just kept my sights on them as I backed toward the capsule slowly.
Celestial was nearly there by that time, but she was not in the best shape. Her AC was probably worse off than mine.
Halcyon spoke exactly what was on my mind. “Celestial I’ll take the capsule. You’re too damaged.”
“No, I’m the fastest just give me some support.”
Halcyon then killed his OB and began decelerating. He lowered his sniper cannon. By then, I was watching him and Celestial as much as the quads. I began to feel strange. Something didn’t feel right, but I didn’t know what.
“I’ve got it, give me some cover!”
Then I just froze. I knew something was wrong, I felt just as I did when Halcyon fired his first sniper shots during the satellite mission, but I just didn’t do anything. I stood and watched. I can’t believe I just stood and watched as the sinister premonition came into reality.
Halcyon boosted forward with his cannon extended over his shoulder. The quads began to move as well. Then Halcyon fired. He launched two heavy sniper rounds, but there trajectory was clearly off. They were not meant for the quad AC’s.
Uranus became enveloped in an explosion. Celestial had taken a critical hit, but she didn’t stop. I doubt that she even knew what was happening. Then a second blast, larger than the first, swallowed her. The blast was blinding, and it wasn’t from the shells that hit the AC. Uranus itself had broken up. The remains of the core were the first thing to come out of the blast. Then the barely recognizable capsule, still tightly grasped by one arm. The other shattered limb pointed toward Halcyon and his smoking gun with its hand opened.
Hellfire and I remained still. I guessed he, like I, could not grasp what had just happened; there was not enough time to process it. At least that is how I felt. Despite the fact that I sensed it coming, there was no preparation.
“The capsule is unrecoverable. The mission is over. Myrs, Zaiven, the mission is over.”
“Understood Halcyon.”
The quad pilots’ unison response snapped me out of my denial induced trance.
“Halcyon was a traitor. No, he was never on our side. He was an agent.” I thought this over in my head as I said it aloud, and it only served to exasperate me. I gripped my controls tightly as my sight shifted away from the traitor and onto the wreckage that I prayed contained a still living Celestial.
Hellfire hastily moved forward. “I’ll kill him!”
“No, stop! We need to help Celestial. Their mission is over,” I could not help but stare at the three with a deep hatred, “don’t fight except in defense.” Despite this realization, it was hard for both of us to back off.
I called the shuttle and explained the situation. As Hellfire and I retreated back to Uranus’ wreckage, Halcyon and his accomplices drifted off into space. It took nearly my full restraint and my concern for Celestial to keep from pursuing them. The feelings were a blessing, though. I would not have lasted even a minute against all three.
I warded off one last temptation of malice against Halcyon as Uranus’ core was loaded onto the shuttle. I turned my back on the three AC’s, and boarded the transport. The flight back was one of deadly solitude; surrounded by the complete darkness and silence of Matrix’s cockpit, I fought to keep myself alive.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:24:00 GMT -5
CHAPTER 7-Torture Cell
Dark history was reawakened inside me as we exited the combat area. I thought I had defeated it, and that I was stronger than its influence. It was only much later that I discovered that I had lied to myself. Despite my best efforts I was consumed and overwhelmed. My senses were tainted, and nothing felt familiar. My tense hands gripped my AC’s controls with immense force, and despite the pain, I would not relax my hold. Celestial’s tragic circumstance played a role in my suffering, but it was not the true source. The reason I exiled myself to the darkness of my lifeless AC was because the memory of Vigilant had risen to the surface of my conscience. To be more precise, it was the memory of the anguish I felt when he died. I would never forget Vigilant himself.
He was one of the greatest figures in my life. The void he filled was of incomparable significance. My deterioration attested to the fact that his status in my mind had never eroded. I was falling apart, my fight to preserve my equanimity was in vain.
As I shattered, the world around me began to change. Familiar but vague visions and sounds flooded my perception. I was somewhere else. Something was in front of me; a tall figure with a strange outline. It stood still on its long legs, but its arms and body were jolted occasionally. As it became clearer, I saw that it was enormous. It started to move, but with a jolting mechanical limp. It was wounded. As my eyes adjusted, I came to realize that the figure in front of me was my AC. My old AC. I had not used it or seen it for years.
Suddenly I realized that it was surrounded by cannon fire. I was witnessing one of my early battles, but this particular one I recognized easily. My AC’s failing armor, and depleting ammunition; and my exhausted body and terrorized mind. I recognized it all. I knew it wasn’t real and that it could not be real, but I felt the fear all the same. It was as if death surrounded me once more. Termination filled my mind, and I was helpless, both in my nightmare and reality.
Then from the sky; a light of salvation beamed down toward me. The storm of gunfire turned away from my crippled mech, and flew into the light. It was an act of infinite futility. The light beam thinned and pressed through the attack against it. A hand of fire reached out from it, and crashed down on the heavy MT’s that were firing. With this, the light exploded out in all directions and dissipated. The beam’s dark core lowered itself upon me a in a glorious descent, and I was beset with awe of an enormous magnitude. For I knew from sight, even after all the years and the distance from me, that it was Noble Vision.
“Exorcet, I’ll cover your retreat, you need to get of hear. Don’t argue!”
I could not disobey the shocking voice; it penetrated me and rang with the air of supreme authority.
Motivated by both fear and respect, I instantly commanded my AC to rise. The beaten machine rose and moved with renewed verve as if it too was stirred by the godly voice.
Only one being that I have ever encountered held such a power. Vigilant, and none other, stood before me in his shining Armored Core, Noble Vision. Such an image is simply overpowering, I could barely contain it in my mind. I forgot everything, his presence was so strong. I forgot everything; just like when it was real, and had set myself up for my own destruction.
“Enough.”
It was another familiar voice. Cresil was the speaker, and he appeared soon after; a good distance in front of Vigilant and me.
“Cresil, this is madness! You disappear completely only to reemerge as my enemy!”
“You are the one at fault. Blame this on yourself. And I will also take this opportunity to punish your act of betrayal against me.”
Vigilant relaxed his stance for a moment. His sniper rifle had dropped down to his side. Then he suddenly rose and burst forward toward Cresil. Noble Vision charged and cut its distance from Cresil in half, then ascended with its sniper rifle still drawn, but silent.
Cresil remained still. He was experienced in warfare, his time away had wrought him into a powerful fighter. He seemed far darker and more serious than when he was with us. Something had changed him. I could see it, even in his motionless stance there was something foreign. I almost wanted to ask him what was wrong.
Then the battle commenced. Vigilant reached his desired position of attack high above the desert floor. Noble Vision trained its sniper rifle on its target and launched a heavy round right at Cresil’s core. Xenolith, Cresil’s AC, jumped to the side and then raised its huge arm mounted chaingun. The weapon and various other parts of the AC were vastly superior to those on his original design. It seemed that he had the most serious intentions of malice against Vigilant. He had done everything possible to guarantee his victory.
The chaingun let loose multiple bursts of metal and let out a deep roar with each attack. Vigilant sidestepped the numerous bullets and ramped up his rate his fire. Despite his unerring accuracy, he failed to strike the opposing AC. Cresil’s reaction speed was unreal. He sifted through the shots as if he were an intangible phantom. The he launched himself forward with a quick OB thrust; his chaingun outstretched like a lance.
Vigilant’s heavy AC would be at a major disadvantage if Xenolith closed in with its powerful weapon. He swiftly ran through strategies in his mind, and then lowered his rifle in favor of missiles. A smoke cloud plumed out from his shoulder mounted launcher, and then slid behind the AC as the missiles’ thrust forced it back and left a trail of mirages created by heat. Cresil merely countered with a quick blast from his chaingun, but was forced to move aside when a high powered beam cut through the fallen missiles. Behind the beam was Vigilant, quickly moving to a more favorable position.
After Cresil’s failed strafe attack, he lowered his oversized cannon and took flight. Vigilant mirrored him at range with his laser cannon. They traded shots, and both scored hits on each other. I could only watch, as my skills were at a horribly primitive stage. My AC was also unable to keep up, it had taken much abuse in the preceding battle.
The two AC’s battled brutally in the sky; then fell in unison back to Earth, scarred by combat. Without words, they spoke to each other; it was a skill that I noticed many masters of warfare possessed. The fiercest fighting followed that soundless exchange, it was a dissonance of the various cries of war, clouded by gunfire and thruster flames.
It ended quickly, and the two AC’s stared each other down before engaging in a high speed joust of sorts. This was the turning point, the source of many consequences that even now I must face. Vigilant took a serious hit. Noble Vision, fell to the side, and tore through the ground as it skidded to a stop. I instantly charged forward to intercept Cresil. Before I could reach him, I was hit by a wave of thunder. Cresil’s smoking cannon raised itself into its latent position on the AC’s back once again. By that time, Cresil had to turn to face me, and he locked me in his sights as I had fixed my anger on him. His AC had lost its composure, it was no longer resolute. The arms seemed to tremble with the mechanical equivalent of fatigue, and the legs struggled with the sudden weight of the frame. It took the threat of my laser rifle and extended blade to force Xenolith from its position.
The beams streaked by, scraping deeply into Xenolith’s weakened shield. The chaingun slowly rose and tried to retaliate. The short burst did not cause me much damage, but my AC was not in a condition to take much more. I positioned myself for the finish.
“Cresil, I’m putting an end to this. I don’t know what evil possessed you, but you don’t even seem to be fighting it.”
Before I took down Cresil’s dying AC, he stopped. His AC stood tall and strong; it seemed to forget its wounds. I was unnerved by this unexpected move, and held back, expecting some form of counter attack.
“Evil? No such thing exists. To fight for evil means you do not believe in what you are doing, it means you are fighting without a cause. It is irrational. No one can fight like that. You must remember that there is no good and evil, or you will never understand.”
I paid no attention to his words. After what I had been through, I didn’t have the patience to comprehend what I heard; and when I thought about it later, I disagreed. There are some things that cannot be excused, no matter how much the reasons behind such actions were twisted, they could never be justified. Cresil was guilty of committing such an act. I had to correct him.
I resumed my charge. My laser blade extended and rose into position. Cresil raised his gun and fired uninterrupted salvo at me. I pushed myself to the side, but my arm could not escape the hail of fire. My blade was useless. I quickly armed my laser and drilled through Xenolith’s core. The AC fell, silently, the entire time looking up at me as if I had lost. As it fell, my blade shattered leaving me with only one arm to defend myself. My attention quickly turned to Vigilant.
“Vigilant, can you hear me? Please answer!”
I rushed over to him. I could not call for back up, we had taken this mission without any support units. The AC seemed to be intact.
“I’m coming hold on!”
As I approached, I noticed the abnormal shape of the core. I quickly realized what Cresil had done with his last cannon shot.
I woke up after that, still in my cockpit. That was when I realized that Celestial was dead. I had lost again, and could not take my defeat unscathed.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:24:22 GMT -5
CHAPTER 8- OUTSIDE CHAPTER 2, Hellfire- Motivation
The whole thing felt messed up. I had never heard of anything like Halcyon’s betrayal happening before. I was filled with so much anger. It just didn’t make sense; that was what I couldn’t stand. My first thought was revenge; Halcyon had earned himself punishment at my hands. It was up to me to make it right, that was how it felt. At the time, I had no idea how far those thoughts would take me. But then wasn’t the time to think about that, Celestial was hurt badly, and we needed to focus on her.
I ran down to the medical station as soon as I got out of my AC. I knew that I probably wouldn’t be allowed to see Celestial because her wounds were so great, but I tried anyway. I saw one of the nurses standing outside the emergency room and demanded to see Celestial.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t have anyone but the doctors in the room with her. I’m sure you understand.” The lack of urgency in his voice made me want to throw him against the wall.
“Yes, but do you know anything about her condition?”
“Nothing specific, but I know she has taken some severe hits; probably from being knocked into the cockpit’s walls. It seemed her AC’s pilot stabilizer failed, she would be vulnerable to being ejected from her seat, and sustaining injury from high g movements.”
We stood in a disturbing silence for a few moments before the nurse responded again.
“Look, we’ve handled things like this before, I can almost guarantee that she’ll be completely fine in the next day or two. We may not look it, but we’re just as concerned as you are. I’m sure I couldn’t keep a straight face inside one of those metal behemoths of yours while someone else was shooting at me the way you do. We’re accustomed to what we do, just like you; and trust me it’s better for her. I think you should go relax. You don’t want to be tired and tense when you speak to her later.”
He put on a forced smile and patted me on the shoulder. “Thanks, then,” and with that I left. It was only then that I realized that Exorcet had not been there. I would have expected him to be the first to show. I went back to the AC hanger to see if one of the technicians knew where he went. I decided to walk despite how much slower it was than using the personnel transporter. Just doing the smallest things helps me relax at times.
After some minutes of walking, I finally made it to the hanger. It was a distinct part of the ship, with dark gray walls and constrained lighting. It also happened to be desolate; it seemed as though the damage sustained by our AC’s was too much to be repaired on the shuttle. I walked around for a while before I found a mechanic walking toward one of the elevators with an empty parts bin.
“Hey, you!”
The mechanic slowly stopped, and leaned his head back toward me, before fully turning and saying “Yes.”
“Have you seen another AC pilot?”
“No.” Then he slowly faced forward and continued with his task. I felt like tossing him in the bin he was pushing.
After that I gave up and went down to the barracks. I just waited, for anything to happen. I lost track of how long I stared into the ceiling. It was a while before the nurse from before came to me. I was still resting motionlessly on the bed when his voice came through the door’s speaker.
“I’m here to update you on Rachel’s situation.”
I turned my head and jumped to my feet in front of the door. I pressed the lock release, and the door stepped aside revealing a rather tense looking man. I didn’t immediately recognize him as the same person I spoke with in the medical station. His eyes carried a worried look, the weight of which seemed to compress his face, and he was forcefully brushing the back of his head with his hand.
I hoped for the best, “Is she awake?”
“Unfortunately, no.” He put his hand down to his side, and stood for a moment, as I waited for him to continue. “We lost her heart beat half way through the procedure, but we were able to get it back before it became a problem.”
“Then she’s fine?”
“Her heart stopped a second time. We tried to get her back, but she wouldn’t respond. Then everything else started to go.” He stepped in the room slowly. She was still alive when I left to tell you. She might still have a chance, but it doesn’t look good.”
He moved aside from the door and turned away. I walked past him, and slowly made my way downstairs. I wanted to run, but I could not put anymore strength into my legs. I felt like I was submerged, every step took effort. The long halls of the transport only caused the water to reach a higher pressure. Then I found myself standing in the medical station again, I had concentrated on walking and didn’t realize that I had started to run. I looked up and saw an exhausted looking Exorcet desperately leaning against the wall.
“Michael, where were you? It doesn’t look like Rachel will make it.” His head rose slowly and his eyes linked with mine as he drifted in front of me.
“She’s dead.”
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:24:44 GMT -5
CHAPTER 9- Dawn
Why? We aren’t even at war.
Why Celestial? She of all people deserved to live.
Halcyon who are you?
Those were my thoughts as I attended the in flight debriefing. I tried my best to remain composed; I was still in my combat suit and so I was still a soldier. It wasn’t the time to give in to my emotions. Other lives were at stake, but the strength I displayed externally was as intense as the pain I felt within.
It was only when the traitor was mentioned that I could bring my full attention to the debriefing officer.
“The only explanation for Halcyon’s actions as of now is that he is a member of some unidentified rebel force, possibly extremists who refuse to accept that Mars has surrendered or supporters of former OS rebel faction leader, Thomas Lanter. These theories fail to address their seemingly advanced technology. However, I have been informed that coded data was transmitted from the capsule to our ship during the fight. The great sacrifice made by your squad gave the device enough time to transfer its contents in their entirety, and was not in vain. It seems that we were its intended recipients. This is a strange fact, as our opposition obviously did not want us to acquire the information, as with previous data acquisitions. We are not sure what it means as of now.”
Despite the significance of the recovery of the capsule’s data, and possibility that a third party was involved, no one discussed the mission for the remainder of the flight, for obvious reasons.
I felt completely defeated. I never seriously considered losing someone close to me in combat again. Or at least I never acknowledged the possibility. It sunk in that her voice, her smile, her virtuous persona; everything that was hers, and all the influences she had on my life, were never to be found by any of my senses again. I found it hard to remember her, as if I never paid enough attention, and I cursed myself for every argument I had with her. Then my mind was flooded with various thoughts; I was lost in a myriad of dreams, nightmares, and memories.
The return to Earth was disheartening. It was as if I was abandoning Celestial for my own sake. I saw no one after grimly relaying Rachel’s fait to Hellfire.
Upon our arrival to Earth, we were showered with praise, and consolation. I couldn’t stand it. When ever I was approached by someone and complimented, I had to look back and smile with immense fallacy, and then they would ask me about Celestial, and I would have to tell them. I relived her death each time. I just wanted solitude. The one moment of comfort came when I was given the opportunity to be excused from service. When the option was presented to me, all of my anger and desire to avenge Celestial built up. Halcyon could not live freely after what he had done. I refused to step down from fighting, and I made it known. The committee of officials who had tried to approve the pardon of service looked awe struck. I’m sure they felt that I was a man of great integrity. They could not see that my motivation came as much from my mortal weaknesses as it did from my sense of righteousness.
News of Celestial’s death reached the former members of the 404th Special Armored Division soon after. The next day, we sent a request to the EA chain of command; the reformation of the 404th. There was little debate about it beforehand. I wonder if that was a sign that the same vice that gripped me had become present in my comrades.
It wasn’t long after our reunion, that we were alerted to what we were actually dealing with. An emergency briefing was given to all active Ravens and EA commanders. Vital information had been obtained from the capsule after part of its message was decoded.
“The information recovered by the expeditionary team lead by members of the 404th Special Armored Division, has revealed information on the identity of our adversaries. Halcyon and his allies are part of a covert organization. This organization appears to have some influence on the Earth government through political and military means, though we do not yet the extent of its control. We have no information regarding its origin or objectives, but considering the attacks they have staged against us and the interfering with our government, we have classified this organization as hostile. The EA is preparing its entire military force to deal with this threat, so the weight of this crisis will not lie solely on the shoulders of Ravens. Nevertheless, you must be prepared at all times to fight. We will be counting on you. Remember that by fighting for your government, you are fighting for your beliefs.”
Even in my bewildered state, I didn’t entirely believe the last line of that speech, but I was still too naïve to see everything clearly.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Dec 10, 2008 22:25:02 GMT -5
Chapter 10- Dulce et Decorum Est
The endless plane of blue-white snow surrounding Greenland’s Evark Base was one of the most calming scenes of nature I have ever seen. Flawless and immaculate, it helped me to feel at ease a great deal while I was stationed on the base. The EA had positioned us and a few other AC squadrons on arctic perimeter defense because there was a concern that the region was under prepared to resist any landing from space forces. Cargo transportation at spread out space ports was usually the only thing going on in the region, so it had limited scanner coverage. The defense system was ancient, and it proved to be a great source of trouble during the Earth-Mars conflict.
The main concern was that small groups of enemy forces could penetrate the loose security of the numerous space ports and amass into a dangerous force or disperse around the planet from there. It had finally been decided that it was time to scrap the whole mess and put up some kind of defense. This was probably a rash decision brought about by the situation at the time, and it left the area vulnerable while it was being reconstructed. So the EA turned to the Raven’s Ark so that it could concentrate on fortification. We ended up being selected.
Nothing happened for about a week. All we did was patrol the Northern coastal grid supported by AWACS units from the air force. It didn’t take long for it to feel mundane, but the aerial view of the snow covered coast and icy blue water surrounding was just one of those things you could watch for hours, even through the frequent snowstorms.
Our routine didn’t last though. Thule spaceport had made reports of an unidentifiable craft entering the atmosphere. It had nearly fallen to the Kármán line before being detected. The craft also seemed to be following the approach path to Thule. No communications could reach it or had been received from it. Air Control’s records failed to give any indication of what it was. The spaceport went on alert status, and called us in.
The biggest concern they had was the Guardian stationed in the main hanger. It was the third ship, Kerberos. After so much money had been put into the Guardians, the EA was unwilling to put them in any danger. The only reason Kerberos was located in the poorly defended Northern End region was because it had experienced trouble while in orbit, and was ordered to land immediately for servicing. That had happened during the last weeks of Lanter’s Rebellion. The repairs seemed to be going slowly since it had been grounded for so long.
I never thought the Guardians had a place in the military. They were originally designed to be super orbital cannons with the purpose of bombarding Mars into submission during the last war. They were so expensive and advanced that only 4 were commissioned. At the time, the EA was engaged in peace talks with Mars. The talks were obviously going no where, and both sides began preparing their militaries. The EA was extremely preemptive in its construction of the guardians. They assigned the Geokard Technologies corporation the task of designing the ships and building the main structures, while the rest would be handled by smaller more specialized organizations. All of this took place before the war even started. Development of the main laser cannons assigned to the Melies corporation. The lasers were, by far, the most powerful that the company was to ever produce. As the failing peace talks continued, the EA formulated its attack plan. In the event of war, the four vessels would annihilate Martian military and industrial facilities with immensely powerful atmosphere penetrating laser cannons. Construction began in secret a few months before conflict broke out. However, they took so long to build that, they were never used for their original purpose. The entire strategy was abandoned because the EA had managed to achieve the upper hand. Only one, the St. Michael, was finished in time to see combat. It destroyed the Martian defense satellite Ares, and then fired a single laser blast into the Martian Capital military fortification. The attack softened the last remnants of Mars’ defense before the EA invaded.
The other three were still being built at the time. In order to get something from the huge amount of money invested in the program, the EA reassigned them as anti-asteroid and space defense ships. The second ship, Cerberus, was so close to completion that it was virtually a military vessel. The only components it lacked from the St. Michael was the full power laser, complete sensor, avionics, and defense control systems, and military grade Primal Armor. The other two ships, Kerberos and Charon, were in the early stages of construction, so they were significantly downgraded.
The four ships became known as the Guardians when Charon incinerated a falling space station in a firing test. Although the station was a low threat, the media made a big deal about it and called the ships Earth’s Guardian Angels. People started referring to them as Guardians after that, and their names were changed to reflect their new roles.
I was fairly sure that whatever was going to happen would involve the Kerberos when the report came in during our patrol. Vise and Argus were accompanying me at the time. The AWACS controller received Thule’s message and relied the orders to us.
“Thule spaceport has requested our presence. A possible threat has been detected approximately 55 miles above the base following the approach path. It is communications deaf and silent. Coordinates sent, weapons safe.”
“Orders confirmed.”
We decided to set a formation before entering the target area and set a rendezvous point outside the base. I was about 50 miles from Vise closing at about 300 knots through heavy snowfall. My radar and RWR were clear, and AWACS made no advisements of any potential threats, however I soon began to pick up heavy ECM interference. It didn’t help that my AC’s ECCM wasn’t strong, it was a sacrifice I made for strong target acquisition and tracking.
My screen was framed with various warning messages, and my radar was vaguely sensing something unidentified. A white triangle was racing around my RWR screen, somewhere between 30 feet and 6000 miles from my location, and at various angles. I wasn’t just being jammed, my defense system was being hacked. My first reaction was to radio my situation, but communications was cut off. I brought up my emergency transponder. I found myself sending out distress signals that I thought I would never use and again attempted to reach someone through my radio. The ECM density had become too high by that time, so the only thing that could have gotten through were the standardized prerecorded distress messages.
Then I heard something come through my communications receiver, and felt slightly relieved. The feeling was quickly replaced with anger.
“Exorcet, this is Halcyon, are you receiving my transmission?”
A feeling of disgust came over me, hearing his voice; that he would speak directly at me and expect an answer.
I unlocked my weapons, and checked whatever sensor functions were still operational. He was probably nearby hiding in the descending veil of snow and undulating terrain. The sudden ECM screen, and our inability to detect him probably meant that he was hiding under a small electronic screen.
“What would I have to say to you?”
I figured that the best thing I could do was to keep him talking and possibly track him by his radio transmissions.
“My weapons are not drawn, this is not a battle. I have come to pass on information.”
I analyzed the transmission. It was no good, his communications were being relayed from orbit. The fact that they weren’t even protected was enough evidence. He really knew what he was doing. My best option was to let my systems optimize their ECCM, and track him with my FCS. The FCS’s more concentrated sensor beam would be better able to cut through the interference than my radar.
His words carried no weight to me, but some part of me was listening anyway. It was the only thing that allowed me to hear him.
“Celestial was an unfortunate casualty. It was not intentional, I had to destroy the capsule.”
Despite how much I had thought over the situation he was describing, the killing of another individual out of his duty as a soldier, I could not resist giving in to my particularly weak humanity. Celestial was my friend, she was a good person. She wasn’t meant to die like that, not her.
Even though I realized at some level, that I was no different from Halcyon, that I had most likely also silenced someone’s ally, I could not stop myself from wanting to avenge Rachel.
It seemed that was able to brace myself for things that I thought I would never have to deal with. Yet when I was confronted, all my “preparation” stood for nothing.
“There is one other thing I have come to tell you. You may be fighting for the wrong side. We are not against the Earth Alliance, we serve under them. You have exceptional skill, and the desire to fight for peace. We are open to you. Should you realize our position and seek to join us, you have a place.”
Hearing that, my hands loosened from the controls. It was absurd, I could not make sense of his words. For a moment, I even lost track of where I was, trying to get my head around his statement.
But it was only for a moment. My systems soon revealed his location, “0820, 266; position of target confirmed.”
I seized my controls, and surged forward. My FCS was already locking, my computer’s optimization allowed partial clarity in the ECM field.
A vortex of snow sublimed as my laser beam broke through the air, leaving a trail resembling an enormous silver arrow. Unsurprisingly though, Halcyon had been prepared for this. He immediately leapt into the sky. I was surprised when he neither returned fire, or made any movements. He just watched me as his AC gently shifted in the wind.
I did not know how to react to his action. After a moment’s pause, I slid the Overboost throttle forward cautiously, and rushed him. My senses were well over 100%, I had no idea what to expect.
“I told you this is not a fight. There is no reason for me to be here under these circumstances, I am departing.”
My aggression rose slightly with that statement, and I accelerated to terminal velocity with a flash of my QB. With my KARASAWA raised, I began to taper to the side towards an elevation in the ground. I would approach him behind cover and wait until the last moment to fire. I wasn’t going to miss. The distance between our AC’s was already too small to allow Halcyon to maneuver away. He would either have to take the hit, or fire back.
As I predicted, his cannon dropped over his shoulder, and his AC pulled itself in and braced to fire. My hands tightened on the controls as I was ready to avoid his fire. However, he made the attack with his rifle. I was so anxious to hit the QB, that I avoided the shot before I realized that it was a decoy. A thunderous flash and harsh jerk followed as he landed a shot on my leg with his cannon.
Despite the stun of the cannon round, I managed to wrangle Matrix into high speed landing on the snow covered ground. A great wall was left billowing all around me as I skidded across the landscape, upturning the white earth. With a quick correction to my trajectory, I managed a lock while still trying to pull out of the slide and fired directly at Halcyon’s core. He caused it to overshoot with a forward QB, and realigned his guns on me with a sharp turn. The snowfall made the raining shells harder to spot, I had to rely on my RWR to accurate located the incoming fire . I began to realize that his AC was better equipped for this situation. His weapons were highly accurate, and he probably had a very capable FCS. I would need a change of tactics.
I selected my LQ/15 cannon, it had the highest shot velocity of any of my weapons, but I couldn’t hope to beat him in a sniper battle. I had already managed to move out of the way of his rifle fire, and rested behind a hill briefly to replenish my capacitor. I was about half of a mile from him, I knew that he was readying his cannon as he circled above, I needed to close. The scream of my OB once again echoed off the surrounding terrain. Rushing him straight on would be disastrous, I would have try to take advantage of the environment. After the boosters finished charging, a white vortex was left shining intensely behind my AC. As Halcyon tracked me, I tried to anticipate the moment when he would fire. I made no movements, and only came straight at him. He waited until I was at about 600 range from him, then hurled a sniper shell into my path. I immediately cut power to the OB and pulled a QB that shot me to the right, and the shell grazed my PA with a sharp scraping noise. I followed with a QB in the opposite direction, but I had also lifted off the ground. I had used the snow to make it appear as if I had kept going to the right. The deception only lasted for a split second, but it was enough for me to close on him.
He was lined up for a shot on his right flank, I made no hesitation once I saw the opening. Silent Phase was instantly flung across the sky from the combination of the laser’s impact and an attempted last minute thrust to the side. As the AC drifted with its arms hanging open, I positioned myself for a shot with my LQ/20. Everything was to my advantage, he was firmly within my weapons’ optimal range and had limited options for escape. With his AC’s flank completely exposed, I could end the fight. I wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip away.
At that moment however, Halcyon displayed what I could only assume to be the fullest extent of his skill as a pilot. His AC quickly recovered from the last attack utilizing all of its boosters, and straightened out with one of its rifles raised directly at me. Most pilots would have crashed if they ever attempted such a maneuver. The AC was at the limits of its handling. I had already fired when I realized that he was recovering. Matrix pulled back at the release of the high powered laser pulse, and I pulled off to the side to set up another angle, trying to keep the pressure on as best as I could.
Silent Phase pulled back hard, keeping right in step with me. Halcyon let off some rifle fire, and got me to change direction. At the same instant that I fired my QB, he slid under me with a lateral boost. He was directly to my left. I didn’t expect him to counter my evasion so quickly, I had no way to open the distance between us. My vertical thrust was put to maximum, and I tried to launch forward to pull away from his sights, but it was for nothing. I felt a sudden jolt, and confirmed that I had taken a severe hit to on my left rear flank. My LQ/20 had been damaged, and an OB warning light blipped in the corner of my screen.
I started to QB jink, and took cover within small rift pressed into the ground. Halcyon had truly surprised me with his piloting ability. I wasn’t going to be able to simply out muscle him.
Before I had much time to think however, I noticed a receding signal on my radar. Halcyon was pulling out. It left me confused, he really wasn’t here to fight me.
Even so, I didn’t want to let him get away. For Rachel’s sake, I was going to make sure that he never had the chance to retreat to safety. It was the force behind all my thoughts and my actions. There was also a chance to uncover what was going on if he could be captured.
I glanced down at my control panel. The OB warning signal was still flashing, the resonator of my LQ/20 was not receiving any power. I surveyed the area trying to think over my options. Cover wasn’t overly abundant. The few hills dotting the landscape didn’t look like they would suffice if Halcyon pulled high enough into the air. I wasn’t sure if I could close in. But it didn’t matter, the time needed to think through it thoroughly was absent. In the end, I was persuaded to just let things happen as they would. I pulled out and pushed forward with a QB.
As I came out, Halcyon started to turn away. I thought that he would make an attempt at escaping. I began to press down on the OB activation switch, but hesitated with a brief glance at the flashing warning sign. I just blocked it out, and pressed the switch, then slid the throttle. A deep buzz filled the cockpit, but soon gave way to the sound of thrusters on the verge of a burnout. Matrix pushed forward once again, but was shuddering violently. Even so, I couldn’t stop. Any hesitation, and Halcyon would get away.
As I the distance between us faded, I fired a few laser bursts to keep Silent Phase from making an evasionary maneuvers. Halcyon merely turned to face me. This unusual action put made me uneasy, but I pressed on. Then he suddenly charged at me, his AC leaned forward and took an offensive stance with rifles drawn. The first few rounds made direct contact, and my OB shut down instantly. Fortunately, my AC was still stable, I began to strafe him, but he kept advancing. It degraded into an all out slug match. Constant fire, constant motion. We dragged our wounded AC’s across the sky, mixing paths and throwing out as much ammunition as we could.
As the relentless brutality continued on, our fatigue became apparent. Hits occurred with more frequency, and damage built up on both AC’s. Silent Phase’s once unshakable aim was wavering. The armor plating covering the upper sections of the chassis was losing form, and was marred with numerous laser marks. But it wasn’t something we could take the time to notice.
Our eyes met one last time high above the now scarred earth. Though visibly damaged, Silent Phase’s bold stance showed that Halcyon wasn’t ready to give up yet. His rifles slowly came to bare on me once again. My KARASAWA was already drawn. My mind was blank. I had resorted to fighting solely on reflexes. I just stared him down, waiting for the faintest motion. My hands twitching, perhaps even anxious to fire for some reason. Their wish was soon granted; at the instant Halcyon leaned his AC forward, I did the same. We rushed in towards each other, thrashing from side to side to avoid the other’s fire. Our brazen clash didn’t last long. We passed each other, and landed. Both AC’s undamaged by the blunt attacks.
I took refuge behind a hill, but I knew I couldn’t rest. Halcyon was waiting behind an icy outcrop. I had to rush him. He was going to make a full retreat. By this time, back up was probably en route searching for me. Dealing with a fully armed AC would be nearly impossible at this point. I needed to keep him occupied until then or finish him now. However, whatever I did required flawless execution. A full on rush would end disastrously. Halcyon would be fully prepared for it. My OB was back online, and some of my combat systems had recovered, but Matrix couldn’t take much more punishment. The frame was very near the limit of its endurance.
After a brief moment, I decided. It was all or nothing. I jumped forward into the air, with my OB charged, then released its battle cry. The world around me should have morphed into a blur, but the adrenaline, the tension, the fear; time slowed and I could perceive everything. The menacing ice tower concealing Halcyon and his AC crawled up to me. With every yard it advanced, there came a feeling of fate. My future had been determined, I just couldn’t ascertain what it was.
Then finally, it was in front of me. I released the OB, and glided in. My RWR displayed a lock on warning. Silent Phase had its rifles trained on me from behind cover, he knew this was the only way I could attack. I was coming in on his right flank. I couldn’t switch directions because I was so close to the terrain. That was exactly what I wanted him to think.
Far later than I should have, I fired the QB on my left shoulder. My AC was jolted to the right. My primal armor began to flare as it scraped the ice. It probably penetrated deep enough to brush against my AC’s frame itself. It only lasted for a moment. The momentum from the OB and the force from my shield broke through the thin corner of the wall. Had I been off by a little bit, I would have slammed into in directly, and been instantly killed.
What I saw next, was one of the most stressful instances of my life. An AC halfway through a boost turn with rifles primed to fire. Because of my maneuver, my laser rifle was retracted. I instantly summoned Matrix to raise it. At that point, my sight went blank. I only heard the sound of gun fire. I couldn’t tell where it came from. Nothing was registering, in the darkness, I only felt a great trembling.
Then it was all over.
“You really were as good as they said. I truly did underestimate you.”
I was barely able to take in the words coming through the radio.
“The simulations didn’t give you enough credit. It seems you only show your true self when pushed.”
As I began to recover from the shock of the battle, I felt a heaviness in the voice. The words seemed to conceal great pain.
“But, this is the result of my being a soldier. You may not understand now, but we are fighting for the same thing. I have sworn my life to protect all innocent people, and so I was entrusted with that duty. Our goal is not once of destruction or malevolence.”
“It is true that there are things that I wish I did not have to do. However, a soldier such as my self, or anyone who holds such responsibility…”
I could barely make out a grunt in the pause.
“They must be able to look past the short term results, and to seek the greater good. It was truly painful to have to take the life of such a benevolent person. It was never intended, but war is never under total control. At least now, I might be able to reconcile with her.”
“Exorcet. Do not let it get to you. There is much more you will face. Think clearly when you face the trial. That is the only… give… you.”
“My time is up…”
The radio went dead. I finally came back to alertness. Flashing lights and signals surrounded me accompanied by desperate warning sounds. On screen I saw a countdown. My auxiliary visor was being activated.
With haste, I brought my hands over to my diagnostic controls and started a system check. A schematic of my AC expanded across my screen. The head was missing, and the right arm was crippled. My generator was running at a dangerously high temperature. The true severity of the battle had escaped me.
“Visor system initiation complete”
The formerly black screen slowly brightened around the edges. The center stayed a dark black. The shape became clearer and clearer; Silent Phase. The AC was kneeling down. Both arms had fallen dead like anchors into the ground. Through the smoke, I could see the fatal shot. The core had been torn open on the side by laser beams. It seemed to have caused the generator to overload, and detonate. At such short range, the fragile AC never stood a chance. I looked toward the center, trying to find the cockpit. I saw no signs of damage, but I couldn’t tell if anything had happened inside.
I sunk into my seat, and threw my hands off the controls and took note of the fact that I was still able to breath. When I tried to remember the battle, all that came to my mind were Halcyon’s words. None of it made sense to me. After trying to grapple with them, I just decided to let it go.
“Not now. You’ve been through too much. Just rest.”
I wasn’t sure if I was hearing things, or if I said it to myself. I only followed what I heard and collapsed. All I could do was wait to be found.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Dec 11, 2008 2:14:29 GMT -5
I've only had time to read the first chapter so far, but what I've read has been really good. A little thick on technical terms, but I like the banter between pilots and the subtle phrasing that never gets caught up in the action. Such touches really make the atmosphere very easy to feel for the reader, and draws them into the story. Not a bad way to make an entrance. Not a bad way at all!
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Jan 6, 2009 22:42:41 GMT -5
Thanks, I've actully started the next chapter. Though just wonder if there are specific discussion sections here. I don't really mind random comments in the middle of the story if their isn't though.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 6, 2009 22:51:37 GMT -5
We don't really have discussion threads for stories. Our typical way of doing things is just to banter between the chapters, and if the fic goes up on the webpage, we cut out all the banter and comments.
Though maybe if we had seperate discussion threads, it might inspire more comments... HMMM...? I think you may have inspired me!
I'll get around to in depth commentaries on the later chapters fairly soon.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Apr 11, 2009 18:50:03 GMT -5
Interest is raging out of control. I think I've gone two paragraphs into the next chapter, in case anyone was waiting for it.
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Exorcet
Citizen of the Archipelago
Posts: 27
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Post by Exorcet on Nov 8, 2009 21:58:56 GMT -5
Chapter 11-The World Outside
It didn’t take long for Vise to find me after Halcyon fell. The ECM field has weakened and, the electronic warfare unit sent in was fairly quick at breaking through what was left. Vise didn’t make any attempt to contact me. A notification came up informing me that my vital data was being uploaded to an external system, then Titan merely stood guard in the blizzard. I was evacuated by an airborne special forces team. The feeling of solid ground supporting my feet eluded me until I arrived back at Evark.
After I was debriefed and filed my mission report, the EA brass were quick to take notice of what had happened. A one on one encounter with the enemy stands out.
It wasn’t long after I was rescued that the EA branded me a possible threat. I wasn’t surprised or disturbed though. I was just as curious as them to find out what made me so enticing to the enemy. I was silently transferred by helicopter to a “safe house” referred to as “Del-4”. I don’t know where it was, or what it looked like.
Upon arrival at Del-4 an officer, who identified himself as Major Bradley Rigfield, warmly greeted me with a firm hand as I exited the chopper.
“Welcome Mr. Drexner, I am glad to see that you were recovered intact.”
Once his pre recorded statement was finished, the smile on his face was discarded and replaced with a soldier’s expression.
“I don’t like wasting time, here’s the short of it. Your situation doesn’t sit well with the EA. No one knows what to make of these cases and…”
When I heard “cases”, I was of course surprised.
“Cases? This wasn’t the only one?”
“Correct. Multiple pilots have been contacted in a few of the small operations we have been carrying out. As you know, the enemy has not been traced to a group or location so our movements are very limited. At this point, it seems that they are targeting individuals. We do not know their purpose.”
“Would I be right in assuming I’m here to be questioned.”
“That too is correct. You will be kept here until interrogation ends, it is a safety measure.”
He raised his arm and grasped my shoulder.
“You seem to catch on quickly. Rest today, we will pick this up tomorrow. That is, unless you would like to know anything right away.”
I was half tempted to dive into it right there and then, but I figured it would go better if I had time to think.
“No, but thank you for the explanation.”
“I will bring you to your quarters then.”
The fact that other pilots besides myself were confronted by the enemy was as assuring as it was alarming. I could think of nothing comparable to the situation, and didn’t like dealing with such an unpredictable foe. The Earth Alliance was already reduced to an oversized reactionary force. There was nothing to take the offensive to, it was like we were just being played with. Not long after, and for the first time since the conflict started, I really asked myself who we were fighting, and why.
I was restless the entire night. The plain white bed surrounded by plain white walls illuminated by plain white lights never caught my attention. I just was; lost in thought on all that had happened and all that might have been. My mind began to wander and strayed from reason. The facility I was detained in had never come to my attention before, and I also wondered about the fates of the other contacted Ravens. My thoughts went as far as imagining the loss of my military career for the mark of a traitor. Times of weakness like this were never my favorite things to deal with, but I’ve never totally caved in under pressure.I managed to find some resilience and kept the fears at bay. If I wanted to sort everything out, going crazy wasn’t going to help. I was in a bad spot, but there was nothing I could do. Move on.
The next morning began early. Major Rigfield along with Lieutenant Braison greeted me at 7 AM sharp. I was lead through the slender gray halls comprised of seemingly infinite slabs of metallic plating decorated only with occasional ventilation ducts, panels, and doorways. Blue tinted lights were pressed into the canted corners where the walls met the ceiling, creating a rather unique, if not feel. It was an odd thing to think about a facility like that one, but that’s what ended up in my head. Our walk ended when we reached a door marker with ‘K-448’. Rigfield traced a horizontal line parallel to the door, and it responded by quickly sliding to the side into the door frame. He then stepped beside the open doorway and addressed me.
“Captain Drexner, please have a seat.”
I turned to look into the pale room, then slowly proceeded in. It was fairly vacant, the only notable feature to be seen was a desk surrounded by four seats. A lone window was stuck on the far wall, with blinds gently swaying in the breeze. There was no doubt that it was fake, a building like this wouldn’t be so open to external observers.
I took a seat at one side of the desk, the two officers took their places opposite me. Rigfield was the first to talk. He would actually be the only one to talk, as Lieutenant Braison did nothing but write on a clipboard.
“Captain Drexner, you were paired with Alexander Matthews during most of your recent sorties. It turns out that this man was not part of the Raven’s Ark forces working with the EA. Matthews inflicted damage and casualties before discarding his façade as an Earth Alliance Raven.
After giving his opening, as if reading a newspaper aloud, Rigfield paused and broke eye contact with me, momentarily looking up to the gridded ceiling.
“He was not seen again until you engaged him in Greenland, where he was fatally wounded. It has also been noted that despite the fact that you were part of a multiple AC unit, you engaged Matthews alone. You were also out of contact during the battle.”
His tone came off as an attempt to sound neutral, rather than the voice of an uninterested judge. He also got to the point quick, which I liked.
“These are, of course, unusual circumstances. We would first like to hear your account of the situation. Starting from your first encounter with Matthews when he was integrated into your unit, up until your last encounter. Give us as much detail as possible, and try to be as accurate and consistent as possible. After that, we would like to ask you some questions.”
So I gave them my story. It was the last bit of it that they liked the most.
“So, you’re saying that he basically tried to get you to switch sides in the middle of the engagement?”
“Yes, Major.”
“And, what was it that he said just before the fight broke out? About the EA.”
He said, putting his elbows on the desk and resting his head on closed fists.
I slowly straightened up and hesitated for a bit. He knew what I said, and Braison had taken it down. He wanted me to repeat it. It was only a part of protocol, at least from what I understood about interrogations like this, but I did not want to put myself in a bad situation with misplaced words.
“He said”, I exhaled slowly, “he said that I was on the wrong side. That the EA was not his enemy.”
I hunched forward slightly, recalling an important detail.
“He said, that ‘we’ serve under the Earth Alliance.”
“We?” Rigfield inquired, shift in his gaze.
“I assume he meant who or what he serves under, sir.”
“Did he give any indication of who we was at any other time?” “Not that I recall” realizing that I had answered to quickly.
The Major leaned back and shot a quick glance at Lieutenant Braison before turning back to me, “Alright. Let’s see what you can tell us about the other encounters.”
I didn’t exactly know what he meant by that. I still don’t know where it even fits in with all of this. The information that followed seemed like something that I wasn’t meant to know, at least not then. I exchanged words with the Major for two or three more hours. There was never a follow up talk. He came to see me off a few days later when I was released and put back into service, and that was it.
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