Homecoming

[Zoombie]

The first battle of the war will be bloody! BLOOOODY!



Janet read the message, not quite believing it.

├óÔé¼┼ôShut down all major news networks├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, ├óÔé¼┼ôDo it right now, before they get this!├óÔé¼┬Ø

Carter nodded, tapping some messages into his PDA. Janet leaned back in her chair, head reeling. Then she shook her head, knowing she had to do something. But what?

She bit her tongue. ├óÔé¼┼ôBring our Generals here, put our fleets on defense condition three. We might come under attack. Send warnings to every police station, put every planet on high alert...every planet we still own that is├óÔé¼┬Ø

----------

Lowman read the message that printed out on his screen, not quite believing it.

├óÔé¼┼ôSir...are we to fire on civilian ships?├óÔé¼┬Ø L.t Okinawa cut into his haze, snapping him to the present. Lowman looked at the screen, where the computer outlined the five small asteroid cutters that were surrounding the Potemkin.

├óÔé¼┼ôHold them off. Fire a shot across their bow├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman said. One of the lances fired, the invisible laser light only registering on the scanner, drawn on the screen artificially. The left most cutter fell back, engine flaring as it did so. The other four dashed forward, reaching to tear the Potemkin apart with their cutters.

├óÔé¼┼ôShields up├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman said. One of the cutters was a mite too slow, its claws brushing the shield and flashing into plasma.

├óÔé¼┼ôHave they said anything!├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman shouted at Cmd. Lesly.

├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Lesly snapped, looking up from her console, ├óÔé¼┼ôbut five other ships have started to fire at one another. All civilian, three Tatt two Pinkos├óÔé¼┬Ø

Lowman ran his hand through his hair, trying to marshal his thoughts. He couldn't fire at the civilians...but he couldn't let his crew come under attack.

Two of the cutters charged forwards, their mining lasers firing, scouring hits on the hull. The mirroring stopped them, momentarily, the silvered metal boiling away under the gleam of the lasers.

├óÔé¼┼ôReturn fire, aim for their engines├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman said.

Two of the Potemkin's Lance's fired. One of the cutters exploded, something critical being struck. The other spun off, its engine disconnecting form the main hull. The three remaining ships backed off.

├óÔé¼┼ôKliner warp!├óÔé¼┬Ø Lesly said, ├óÔé¼┼ôFifty clicks behind the cutters├óÔé¼┬Ø

A military warship appeared. It was a Peacekeeper class, equipped with a full complement of fighters.

├óÔé¼┼ôThank god├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôReinforcements├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI don't think so├óÔé¼┬Ø Lesly said, sounding even more tired then Lowman.

The Peacekeeper's name had recently been painted over, being covered by the words Mao Zedong III. The fighters, each of them hurriedly repainted as red, danced into space, engines flaring in a fashion almost pretty.

Lowman closed his eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôLance batteries├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, voice dull, ├óÔé¼┼ôFire the instant they lock on├óÔé¼┬Ø

The fighters engaged Shields, each of them firing a flurry of missiles. The lance batteries opened fire, but half the shots went wide. Three missiles went wild, their engines blasted apart. They exploded violently, shrapnel flashing into plasma as it slammed into the Shields that filled space. The Potemkin's forward lance's caught a singe fighter, tearing its wing from its side. The fighter flew out of control and smashed into a nearby civilian ship. The shield ate through the ship then flew through the other side, leaving a massive, gaping hole in the side of the ship. A second later it detonated.

├óÔé¼┼ôLet all missiles go├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman said, knowing he had to finish the battle soon. His shield flickered down for a split second, long enough for his missile batteries to open up. The nukes slammed into space. Two of them were blasted out of the sky by enemy lasers. Two hit the enemy Shields, not detonating soon enough. They turned into mostly harmless clouds of plasma. The rest detonated around the enemy ship.

The nukes, in open space, were only so effective. But because they detonated so close to the enemy ship, they licked the sides of the Mao Zedong. The ship crumpled, its electrical systems failing and the shield dropping.

├óÔé¼┼ôAll lance batteries, FIRE!├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman stood, taken up by the rush of the battle.

The lance batteries blasted huge holes through the side of the Mao. It was burning, the ship slowly listing as it did so, air and smoke pouring from the holes punched through it. The enemy fighters shot towards it, executing emergency landings. A few moments later the ship blipped out of existence, leaving nothing but smoke.

The asteroid cutters moved off, but the Potemkin darted forward, covering each with a lance. ├óÔé¼┼ôStand by to be boarded├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman said, rubbing his temples as he did so. The cutters still ran, but they caught them.

---------


Cmd. Lauraine Weathers didn't ever expect for her console to explode. Yes it was a possibility, in heated battle condition. A shell dropping to close to the bridge, a power coupling overloading, something else going wrong...sabotage. She just never thought her console could explode. One second she had been trying to keep the ship she was stationed on from getting another shot up the engine, the next.

├óÔé¼┼ôFucking god!├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers moaned, hands clawing at the glass shard jammed in her eye.

├óÔé¼┼ôShit!├óÔé¼┬Ø The captain, a rather nice man named Joe, was leaning over her, ├óÔé¼┼ôGet her to the infirmary and WHEN ARE THE KLINERS BACK ON!├óÔé¼┬Ø

L.t Grimm, who had been held back for promotion because of his actions a year ago, was hunched over the gunnery console, sweating freely. The bridge was getting really hot. ├óÔé¼┼ôFive minutes├óÔé¼┬Ø he said.

Jon stood, stepping over his helmsman's corpse and to the fire extinguisher. He pulled it off the wall and sprayed down the fire burning in the left side of the bridge, emanating from Weather's console. The ship rocked again. Weathers got to her feet, sobbing with pain. Her eye...she'd think of it later.

├óÔé¼┼ôWe surrender, tell them we surrender damn it!├óÔé¼┬Ø Joe said, looking at Petty Officer Freemen.

Freemen shook his head, ├óÔé¼┼ôThey're either not listening...or our tac-con is down├óÔé¼┬Ø

Joe sighed, looking around his bridge. Two medics ran into the circular room.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou're late!├óÔé¼┬Ø Joe shouted, picking Weathers up, ├óÔé¼┼ôGet her down to the meds!├óÔé¼┬Ø

The two medics nodded, taking Weathers, who was still sobbing, and carried her to the elevator. The elevator ride seemed to take forever, Weathers being held by the two men. As the elevator went down, she tried to wrap her head around what was happening. The ship rocked, another shot impacting on the side.

They had been policing the Halcyon system...then two ships had warped in...then...their shield had fallen in a matter of minutes, unable to take the strain of holding up under sustained fire. The elevator arrived, dinging. Weathers could barely see, blood covering her undamaged eye, her other...she couldn't think about that.

They laid her down in the medical facilities. Then there was a pinprick and she woke up ten light years away. Weathers sat up, noticing how strange it was to be unable to open her left eye lid. She focused, trying to get it open. Didn't work. She slowly raised her hand, prodding the eye...it was covered by a patch.

Then she remembered.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhere are we!├óÔé¼┬Ø she got out of bed. Then she almost collapsed, head swimming. A doctor ran to her.

├óÔé¼┼ôLay down├óÔé¼┬Ø the doctor said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're going to be debriefed in an hour and a half. Till then just flush the chem's out of your system├óÔé¼┬Ø


Weathers sat at the table. It was half burnt, the celling above it still being repaired. Captain Joe sat at the end of the table and next to him was Grimm. There was a gaping hole where LtCmd. Trueman used to be. He had taken a bit of girder through the chest, stuck to the floor like a butterfly on display. Weathers still remembered how Joe, completely calm, had turned to a shocked Petty Officer Freeman and said, ├óÔé¼┼ôCan you handle communications? I need Weathers on the helm├óÔé¼┬Ø

The Dauntless orbited New Terra, along with five other heavily damaged ships. Each had warped in when the insanity had started, each of them outmatched by military ships, each hastily repainted with strange names. The Trotsky. The October. The Freedom. The Bolshevik. The Kim-Jong. The Zoe.

Weathers had spent her time in the medical bay reading up on the names, but it was hard with out a...can't think about that.

The screen in the middle of the table turned on, filled with the face of General Silia. He was looking as harried and tired as each person sitting around the Dauntless' table.

├óÔé¼┼ôThe situation is dire, people├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, ├óÔé¼┼ôAs of 22:02, six planets have seceded the USHS. Current counts are Golgotha, Halcyon, Deneb, Solis, Mars Three and...Graynor. Each of them seems to have the support of an unknown number of ships and munitions. They have already struck the Kellerion system, the Outreach system and the Andras Swarm├óÔé¼┬Ø

Weathers covered her face with her hands. Her family lived in the Andras Swarm...

├óÔé¼┼ôWe have word that an enemy fleet is going to be striking New Terra soon, and its going to take at least five hours for any reinforcements to come in...and if that doesn't make things bad enough, our defense sat's are down├óÔé¼┬Ø

Weathers uncovered her face with her hands.

├óÔé¼┼ôIt seems that someone has the codes to our systems, all of them. Till then please shut down your networks and please encrypt your communications. Now here is the game plan. We are going to cluster around New Terra's pole. The shield is weakest there and the enemy might try and land troops there├óÔé¼┬Ø

The very thought made Weathers feel cold. The monument to the First One was there...the thought of enemy troops around that monument...she remembered visiting there...Weathers forced her mind to the task at hand. Worry later...

├óÔé¼┼ôWe have already started destroying the defense sats, in case the enemy can use their codes to activate them. Last thing we need...├óÔé¼┬Ø

Joe raised his hand. After a moment Silia nodded, ├óÔé¼┼ôIdea from the Dauntless├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôHow are we going to get orders if we're not networked├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI was getting to that, captain├óÔé¼┬Ø Silia muttered, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou will be recing orders by...radio├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôRadio?├óÔé¼┬Ø Grimm muttered, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is this, the 2200's?├óÔé¼┬Ø

He was ignored by everyone.

The fleet moved into position around the North pole of the planet...though 'fleet' was perhaps too generous a name. Two Peacekeeper class ships, the Sleeper and the Prime, with damaged fighter bays rendering them useless for anything more then radar platforms. They were parked on the moon, their overlapping scanners throwing the entire planet into sharp relief...though it was nothing compared to the sensor net before the sat's were taken down.

Three Avenger classes, the Dauntless, the Kennedy and the Kliner, were above rest of the fleet their smaller stature allowed them to move to cover the larger ships in the fleet. The last two ships, both Crusader classes, were placed directly above the Pole, the last wall of defense. The Tirpitz and Bismarck hovered serenely, each of them bristling with guns and turrets. Both of them were the Flagships of the fleet, stationed around New Terra at all times. Silia on the Tirpitz and General Livingston on the Bismarck.

├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the Confederate Fleetmaster, Zoe Dewlight├óÔé¼┬Ø a voice crackled over the intercoms of every ship, ├óÔé¼┼ôSurrender and accept the rule of the Communist Confederacy of Human Space├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôConfederacy...├óÔé¼┬Ø Joe murmured, ├óÔé¼┼ôThey are running out of names...├óÔé¼┬Ø

The five ships that crested the bulge of the planet's equator looked menacing. Each was painted bright red, their names in bold white.

The Trotsky, the Revolution, The October, the Freedom and the Kalashnikov, each of them a Assault class warship. Slightly larger then the Dauntless and other ships like her, smaller then the Tirpitz, each one was armed with heavy missile batterys and laser batteries, like most ships.

├óÔé¼┼ôShields up├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, rubbing her eye patch. It still itched, damn it...how could an eye itch if it was not there?

├óÔé¼┼ôAll Avengers├óÔé¼┬Ø Silia's voice crackled over the intercom, ├óÔé¼┼ôHead for the enemy fleet's position. The Tirpitz will fire covering fire, the Bismarck will support us. Defend the Peacekeepers unless you want to fire blind├óÔé¼┬Ø

The Dauntless moved into formation, The Kliner falling into pace behind her. The Kennedy was hanging back, its engine sputtering, still damaged by the battles it had seen before.

The Trotsky opened fire, its shield dropped for five seconds as its missiles arched over the planet. The Dauntless jumped forward, smashing into the missiles bound for it. They puffed into plasma and the Dauntless scoured the Trotsky with its forward lances. The Trotsky spun slightly, throwing the lasers damage off easily. The Kliner backed the Dauntless up, firing its entire lower lance batteries in sync with the Trotsky's spin. The Trotsky, unable to change it's spinning, took the brunt of the damage, its silvered armor sloughing off over the left Kliner engine.

The October and the Freedom moved forward at full burn, pushing past the Dauntless and Kliner. The Kennedy took a chance, dropping its Shields and letting loose with every single conventional weapon it had, firing its gatts, cannons, missiles and rails. The bullets, missiles and other rounds smashed into the Freedom's shield, causing it to flicker. The Confederate ships were already primed for shield combat, so they fired with lasers which were just as effective as they would have been in any circumstance.

The Kennedy's Shields flickered on before the enemy gatts could spin up, defending it. The Tirpitz finally accelerated enough to cover the three Avengers. Its forward heavy lance's opened fire. The Freedom fell back, its left engine exploding. The Revolution and the Kalashnikov moved up, both targeting the Dauntless, adding their firepower to the Trotsky's. The Dauntless banked upwards, trying to get its damaged nose away from enemy fire. It wasn't quite quick enough, lasers scouring the forward lance, which was damaged beyond use.

The three Confederate ships moved upwards, following the Dauntless. The Tirpitz, seeing this, moved forward and let fly with two heavy lances. The Trotsky's forward missile batteries detonated, leaving a gaping scar in the ship. The Dauntless fired its lower batteries, coordinating it perfectly to hit the hole in the Trotsky's armor. The Trotsky started to list, its computer systems knocked out. Flames were burning across the entire front deck.

The Dauntless, however, was getting its own punishment. The Revolution and the Kalashnikov opened up, smashing into its lower armor. Weathers read off the damage readings.

├óÔé¼┼ôShit!├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe middle of the ship is starting to break apart├óÔé¼┬Ø

The ship rocked again.

├óÔé¼┼ôAnd our Shields are down├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, sighing as she did so.

├óÔé¼┼ôSet ramming course and abandon the ship├óÔé¼┬Ø Joe said, standing. Grimm typed in his codes. Weathers followed him up, typing in her codes as well. Finally Joe pressed the final button needed to turn off all the warnings in the ship's computer. The P.A started to play the prerecorded message of 'Abandon ship'. Everything started to list backwards, the inertial suppressor trying its hardest to cover the massive acceleration.

Weathers and the rest of the bridge crew scrambled down the hallways of the Dauntless. The ship shook again, a shot hitting it. Then it shook again, the frame of the ship creaking and groaning as it accelerated.

├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Joe said, opening an escape pod for Weathers, ├óÔé¼┼ôIts been a fun year├óÔé¼┬Ø

Weathers smiled wanly, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou've been a good captain, sir├óÔé¼┬Ø she saluted and stepped into the escape pod.


The Trotsky's shield failed, the fires in the front of the hull shorting it out. The Dauntless, now uncrewed, smashed into it and blew the entire thing apart. The Tirpitz and the Bismarck moved forward, slowly, and pounded each of the remaining ships. The Freedom fell, its engines blowing apart and gutting the entire ship from stem to stern. The Kalashnikov moved back, its forward engine pods cut apart by the Kennedy and the Kliner.

However the situation still looked bad for the USHS. The Kennedy exploded, violently, as the Revolution and the October blasted it with heavy lasers. The Tirpitz and the Bismarck fell into a one for one shot fest between the October and the Revolution. The Revolution exploded, finally, its Kliners holed by the Tirpitz. Then the Bismarck started to fail, its main engine blown apart by concentrated fire. The Bismarck had to fall back, using its secondary thrusters to prevent it from falling into the planet's orbit.

Left with only the Kliner and the Tirpitz, the USHS moved back to the Pole. The October and the Kalashnikov moved forward, though the Kalashnikov moved backwards, its back weapon pods being used as it had no more front weapons. They concentrated fire on the Kliner, knowing that if it fell the Tirpitz would no longer have cover. The Bismark was being carried away by a shaky orbit, barely able to stay out of the atmosphere, let alone turn around. It would take at least an hour for it to arrive back at the battle.

Then a ship warped into the system, right above the Kalashnikov and the October.

├óÔé¼┼ôAll nukes...open fire├óÔé¼┬Ø Harry Lowman said a few moments after he had examined the situation. The crew, despite being shocked by what they found at New Terra, leaped into action.

The Potemkin let fly, warheads arching down to the enemy ships. They exploded in a furry around the enemy ships, only three brushing too close to the Shields. The explosions burned the sides of the ships, boiling the mirrored armor off. Then the Potemkin put a hard spin on its side. Everyone on the bridge was hauled to the side, holding on as the ship tilted. As each of the lance batteries came into a firing arch, they opened up. The October exploded, peeling open as the lance batteries cut into the engine rooms.

The Kalashnikov, knowing it was doomed, warped. The battle was over in a little under an hour. Bodies, bits of metal and the gutted hulks of the ships orbited around the planet. The Bismarck was bounced the message that the battle had been won, but it was already beyond the horizon of the planet and out of range. Lowman set his screen to show the escape pod beacons. There were a lot, most of them green. Lowman sighed, starting pick up procedures.


Weathers sat in her pod, breathing slowly. She had to breath slowly, to keep calm...the O2 would last for a week, the food two. That dichotomy between the two had never been noticed by Weathers, not until now. She supposed if she fell into the atmosphere...but the shield would stop her, wouldn't it? She knew Planetary Shields worked differently than ship class ones...but how?

She was panicking. Then the pod rumbled. Did they win the battle? Was she being picked up by her side or by the enemy?

The door to the pod opened and two men wearing Navy uniforms led her out.

├óÔé¼┼ôAre you okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø one of them asked.

Weathers nodded, walking into the the ship she found themselves on.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat ship is this?├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôThe USS Potemkin├óÔé¼┬Ø One of her escorts said, ├óÔé¼┼ôCaptain Harry Lowman├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôLowman?├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers smiled.

├óÔé¼┼ôRank and name├óÔé¼┬Ø Her escort asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôCmd. Lauraine Weathers├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said.

├óÔé¼┼ôThe captain said he wanted to talk with anyone of command rank├óÔé¼┬Ø The left most escort whispered to the other.


├óÔé¼┼ôLaur...Cmd. Weathers├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman said, standing as Weathers was brought into his office.

├óÔé¼┼ôReporting├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers saluted.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat happened to your eye?├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôA bit of glass├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôGored it right out├óÔé¼┬Ø

Lowman winced, looking down, ├óÔé¼┼ôI haven't been able to talk to the Tirpitz, their com systems are down. Can you please tell me...what the hell is going on!├óÔé¼┬Ø

[Archangel of Death]

AhhhhHHHhh! I knew it! Ever since the sanders and the messiah and... AHAHHG! You said you weren't writing anymore! So fishy, so earily familier.

And coming in after 5 days of updates is just plane painful on my eyes. But DON'T SLOW DOWN.

[Zoombie]

Technically I said I would not write anymore Darkside books. This is not a Darkside book. Six hundred years is a LONG time for me to change things around and give me an entirely new slate to work with. But some of the IDEA'S in Darkside (S-02, Eve, Matter Negation fields and so on) Are just so damn cool I just couldn't leave them...

And on the ideas thing...

I was discussing space battles with me mum, who has a PHD in Nuclear Physics (A very good thing for a bored Sci-Fi writer) and she told me that I had misunderstood her:

She had said that when the strong weak NUCLEAR forces (not atomic, as I keep saying, annoyingly) matter will explode with the power of a nuclear bomb for every atom involved.

I heard:

...matter will turn into plasma.



Oops.

Now I am with a dilemma .How to explain away my ship's abilities to vaporize matter and such...

and lo, my dad said (who is as great, if not more so then my mom): ├óÔé¼┼ôSimply have the field manipulate the zero-point-energy of the hostile incoming matter zapping it into oblivion, but it will be unable to effect energy weapons because of the quantum structure of reality├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôOh├óÔé¼┬Ø I said, ├óÔé¼┼ômagic, got it├óÔé¼┬Ø

So now, go back in time and edit reality. MNG (Matter Negation Guns) are now called Z-guns, ZP-Guns Zpoint-Guns, or the long name of Zero Point Energy Field Manipulation Gun. The shield, still called a shield but WORKS differently. Has the same effect, but WORKS differently...

Sorry for the mix up, hope no physicists in the crowds have been laughing their asses off at me...

[Zoombie]

Its late and short, but...the ending is cool! coooool!


The shattered fleet around New Terra orbited, smoke still pouring from the hulks of the Kliner and the Kennedy, which had only been gutted. Repair Bee's darted around the ships, carrying new bits of hull and lasering off unworkable chunks. Spacesuited EVA workers crawled through the still semi-intact hallways. The escape pods were still being picked up by hastily armed shuttles. Then the first reinforcements warped in.

The Razorback, the Swordfish and the Mackerel were rerouted from New Terra to the Meliphorn System, a large mining settlement. Janet decided that it was vitally important that they had to hold onto that. The shipyards at Sarris and Venita had already started to work over time, but were running into a major labor shortage. Even with robotics and good teleoperation techniques, they still needed people.

So Janet had to call a very unpleasant meeting.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou want to what?├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter asked, staring at her.

Janet did not look like the semi-nice lady she had for most of her term. Her suit was opened and loose, the top three buttons unfastened. Her face was drawn, bags under her eyes and worry lines around her lips.

├óÔé¼┼ôSlavery├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet said, ├óÔé¼┼ôOne of the reason these commies are attacking us, is because we have slaves. A big thing on their whole 'equality' for all...├óÔé¼┬Ø She sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôSo why don't we use god damn slaves!├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWell...├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter read through his PDA, looking up the relevant information, ├óÔé¼┼ôAlmost every slave owned is a 'family' slave, kept around the house to clean, do the dishes├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôThen reroute those workers and put them in the shipyards!├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet snapped, sitting down behind her desk.

├óÔé¼┼ôThat would give us...five million new workers, but...is it ethical?├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI don't give a flying fuck if its ethical or not├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet leaned over the desk, glaring at Carter, ├óÔé¼┼ôI need those ships├óÔé¼┬Ø

Carter nodded, cowed, and walked out of the office. Janet knew she wasn't going to be able to look at herself in the mirror the next morning. She opened her desk drawer and slipped out the Tattooed Bible, looking at the door. She didn't read it, but rather just looked at the cover and felt it. She hadn't read it for ten years...but she had never thrown it away. There had been times were she had almost tossed it, times when Teresa did something trying to public relations...but she had always kept it.

├óÔé¼┼ôI hope you're on my side now├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet murmured, putting the bible away and turning on the communication system built into her desk.

├óÔé¼┼ôGet me a connection to The Outreach system├óÔé¼┬Ø She said.


-----------


Teresa hobbled through the streets, a cast on her leg. Every few seconds her leg twinged, the cast fixing something else broken. They said, whoever 'they' were, that she would be able to go without a cast in a day or two, at the least.

Chess followed behind her, looking at the city. Teresa did her best to not look at anything, knowing it would just...

Chess stopped next to a woman who had been flash blinded by the explosion. She placed her hand over the woman's eyes. When she withdrew her hand, the woman blinked, looking up.

├óÔé¼┼ôI can see!├óÔé¼┬Ø The woman stood, blinking madly, ├óÔé¼┼ôI can see!├óÔé¼┬Ø she hugged Chess. Teresa turned, worried that the motion might be a prelude to some kind of attack. Then the woman ran, practically dancing down the street. Three other people walked forward, seeing what Chess had done. They reached for her, murmuring in reverent awe. Chess looked as if she was just stepped into the deep end and couldn't swim, backing up as she did so.

Teresa stepped between her and the people walking forward.

├óÔé¼┼ôBack off├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said. One of the men, obviously pushed beyond all rational thinking by the pain and fear and horror of the attack, jumped forward. The Vindicator barked and the man fell, clutching a new bruise in his stomach. Teresa spun the Vindicator on her finger, holstering it as she did so.

The others backed off. Teresa turned around and lead Chess away. Chess didn't move. She looked completely heartbroken, looking at the people walking away.

├óÔé¼┼ôI know├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou can't help everyone├óÔé¼┬Ø

Chess shook her head, running forward. The man Teresa shot was getting to his feet. He saw Chess standing next to him.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do you want?├óÔé¼┬Ø He croaked, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou failed us├óÔé¼┬Ø

His words cut deeper then Chess could articulate. She took his hand. The man stood, his burns and wounds suddenly gone. Awe was in his eyes as he walked away, not saying anything. Chess walked to another injured person and healed them. Teresa sighed, following.

Miles had been following Teresa for the better part of the day, slowly and carefully so she didn't see him. The kiss might have been too much, now that he thought about it. But...for some reason he couldn't get Teresa out of his head. She...

She was walking this way, Vindicator out. Miles slipped further into the shadows. Then Teresa's hand grabbed him and jammed him into the sooty ground. The Vindicator pressed into the back of his head. ├óÔé¼┼ôHands up!├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa snapped, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhy are you following me├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI didn't want to get slapped again├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles grumbled, forcing himself up as he did so.

├óÔé¼┼ôMiles!├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa holstered the Vindicator. Chess covered her smile with her hand, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

Miles and Teresa stared at one another, neither sure what they were going to say.

├óÔé¼┼ôI'm...about the kiss...that might have been-├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles started to say

├óÔé¼┼ôToo much?├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa finished his sentence.

├óÔé¼┼ôYeah├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said slowly

Teresa smiled slightly. Chess moved away, leaving them alone. Miles stepped closer, knowing he was going to get slapped again. Then Teresa kissed him. She tottered slightly on her casted leg, the leg twinging as she put more weight on it then she really should. Miles hugged her tight, holding her as close as he could with their cloths keeping them apart.

Reality intruded with all the subtly of a sledgehammer to the face. Teresa shoved Miles away, blushing furiously as a runner came around the corner.

├óÔé¼┼ôTeresa Voorman?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, too tired to see straight.

├óÔé¼┼ôYes├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa stammered, hobbling away from Miles.

├óÔé¼┼ôGot├óÔé¼┬Ø the man gasped, out of breath from running to and fro over the city, ├óÔé¼┼ôGot a message├óÔé¼┬Ø

Teresa held her hand out for the message. The runner handed it to her, running before she had even grabbed it. Teresa read it.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôNew job├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said, ├óÔé¼┼ôChess, com-├óÔé¼┬Ø she realized Chess was not in sight.

├óÔé¼┼ôChess?├óÔé¼┬Ø She asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôI saw her go that way├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles pointed


----------------

The soldiers ran through the streets. People cleared in their paths, thinking they were Tattooed soldiers, because of their long robes. But they weren't...

---------------

Teresa found Chess staring at some wreckage. The building had collapsed, almost completely blocking off the street. It was otherwise abandoned. Miles ran up, panting slightly as he did so. Sweat mixed with the soot that he had gotten on his face from his Teresa induced spill.

├óÔé¼┼ôCome on├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa said to Chess. Chess didn't move, staring at the rubble.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhats wrong?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked, looking at the rubble. He couldn't see anything.

Then five men in long robes came around the bend, each of them totting rifles. Teresa grinned, stepping forward. Miles thought they looked like Tattooed soldiers. Then a gun spoke and Teresa threw herself flat, the bullet narrowly missing her. The soldiers raised their guns, aiming them directly at Chess and Miles.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhy!├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked.

The leader soldier threw his hood back. A man stood, with REPENT etched on his forehead.

├óÔé¼┼ôPeck...├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles murmured, recognizing the Cardinal's lackey in a few seconds.

├óÔé¼┼ôLast words?├óÔé¼┬Ø George asked, grinning.

Chess stepped forward, face set.

├óÔé¼┼ôGuess not├óÔé¼┬Ø George said. He gestured to the others, who raised their guns.

Teresa tried to get to her feet, but she couldn't possibly-

Miles threw himself in front of chess, his back to the soldiers.

The guns fired.





Miles opened his left eye. He was still alive. That was okay for a few seconds as he breathed in and out. He turned around slowly.

The bullets hung in the air, each one a few inches from Miles' face. They hung their for a few more seconds, then fell to the ground with a clattering, tinging noise. Chess stepped past Miles, her face set.

├óÔé¼┼ôHere we go├óÔé¼┬Ø

It took Miles a second to realize Chess had spoken, her voice soft and deadly.

The soldiers stared at one another. George stepped backwards, fear flickering in his eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôSh-Shoot her!├óÔé¼┬Ø George shouted.

The soldiers raised their guns, moving into a circle around Chess. They started to shoot. The bullets stopped, each of them clattering to the floor once they had been stopped.

Chess stepped between two soldiers. They stared at her. The other soldiers were running, fear in their hearts. George was gone, abandoning his troops.

The left soldier fell. Miles stared, wondering what had-

Blood fountained from the soldier's neck, his head tumbling down the rubble and ruins of the street. The soldier's gun clattered from his lifeless hands. The right soldier turned to run. Then his arm fell off, blood spraying.

The soldier screamed, backing up. Then he fell in half, his body slit around the waist.

Chess turned to the running soldiers, a evil grin spreading over her face. One of the soldiers turned, firing.

Two loud slamming noises sounded, puffs of soot rising from the ground at Chess's feet. Then she was flying upwards, propelled by an incredible force. Her left arm snapped out and there was a wet, slicing noise as of flesh being cut by a razor. A blade snapped out of her arm and then she landed, the blade stabbing through the soldier's face.

She tore the blade out, spinning to stab the last soldier in the chest as she did so. The man stood, staring at the blade in his chest.

Chess grinned, placing her foot on the soldier's chest and shoving. He fell off the blade, tumbling as dead men do.

The soldiers were dead. Chess stood, looking at her blade. She snapped it back into her arm, the flesh closing with a wet snap. She looked at Miles and Teresa who both stood, in complete shock, their mouths hanging open.

Chess looked at them. Then at the blood splattered over the rubble, the severed heads and arms.

Then she looked at her hands, splattered with blood. The grin faded, replaced with shock. Her eyes were wide, then went wider.



George panted, coming to a stop. He couldn't believe that....what...what he had seen.

├óÔé¼┼ôI think we might have a problem├óÔé¼┬Ø he gasped.

[Guessmyname]

Zero Point Energy Field Manipulation Gun

That's the long name for the Half-Life 2 Grav gun, isn't it?

[Zoombie]

Maybe...

[Snipawolf]

loser... Hehehe, I wonder..


Would either of you happen to have some sort of power suit infantry? If so, rate mine on my topic, forgotten chronicles..

[Zoombie]

And then, there was God. And God said, "Zoombie, create!"

And Zoombie held out his hand and wrote the ZET.

And God said, "Zoombie...try again!"

And then Zoombie wrote Rings and it was mediocre.

God looked the work over and said, "Zoombie...C for effort. Try again"

And then, many many tries later, Zoombie wrote...


This



They found Chess huddled in a ruined building, one hit harder by the shock wave them most. Half the walls were collapsed in, but Chess found a small alcove that she could huddle in, away from prying eyes.

├óÔé¼┼ôAre you sure we should go in there?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles whispered to Teresa as they looking into the building.

Teresa was as white as a sheet, her lips tight. But still, she nodded. Miles shrugged and walked in before Teresa could tell him that she was agreeing that they should hang back.


Chess had her knees pulled up, covering her face as she sat there. Her gown, or whatever it had been, was tattered by her flight, the left sleeve torn by the...blade that had come out of her. Her shoulders were slumped and she seemed to be completely immobile. Miles noticed with a star that she wasn't breathing.

├óÔé¼┼ôChess?├óÔé¼┬Ø he asked, kneeling next to her. Chess moved slightly. Miles slid onto his but, moving to a more comfortable position.

├óÔé¼┼ôSo├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, trying to make some kind of small talk.

├óÔé¼┼ôGo away├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said. Her voice sent a chill down Miles' spine, a eerie sense of the familer that didn't sit well with him at all. Chess looked up, her face twisted into an expression Miles had never seen her wear before.

├óÔé¼┼ôGo away...before you die├óÔé¼┬Ø

Miles blinked, not quite sure if that was a warning or a threat.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhy would I die?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked, trying to keep calm. Chess sighed, slowly, and looked at her hands.

├óÔé¼┼ôEverything├óÔé¼┬Ø she said, slowly, ├óÔé¼┼ôEvery single thing I touch dies├óÔé¼┬Ø

Miles took her hand, slowly, and smiled at her. ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm still alive├óÔé¼┬Ø

Chess shook her head, ├óÔé¼┼ôOnce...now that I...I have taken- I took a vow of silence for a reason. Because when I talk, people find out who I am...then they try to kill me...and I have to kill them├óÔé¼┬Ø

A tear trickled out of her eye, and she squeezed her eyes shut, ├óÔé¼┼ôI had...I had to kill everyone I cared about...but I couldn't die, I can't die, I won't be allowed to die├óÔé¼┬Ø she started to sob, smashing her face into her knees. Miles moved next to her and hugged her close.

├óÔé¼┼ôI promise I will not try and kill you├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said. Chess hugged him, sobbing louder.

Chess sniffled, wiping snot off her nose.

├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not the Messiah, you know├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said, her voice miserable, ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm...I'm nothing of the sort. But I couldn't tell them why not, or...I'd be killed, or I'd have to kill them, or...├óÔé¼┬Ø she trailed off.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhy don't you tell me why not├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said softly.

├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI promised├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, trying to be comforting.

├óÔé¼┼ôNo!├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess glared at him.

├óÔé¼┼ôPlease├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles insisted.

Chess put her hands over her head, closing her eyes, ├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø she moaned, ├óÔé¼┼ôNo I can't tell you!├óÔé¼┬Ø


Teresa was about to join Miles when he moved in, knowing that she couldn't just leave him behind. A hand pressed over her mouth.

├óÔé¼┼ôStay back Voorman├óÔé¼┬Ø A gritty voice hissed in her ear, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou and your entire fucking cult is over its head├óÔé¼┬Ø

Teresa's eyes darted to the side and saw the vague profile of the man who held her. She could...make out a foxhead cane and nothing else. The man pulled her back, out of the building and onto the streets. Then he let her go. Teresa spun, but then his hand was on her throat, pressing her against the wall of the building. The man himself looked frail and old, but his hand had a cold strength beyond what Teresa expected. There was something familer about his face...

├óÔé¼┼ôWho are you?├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa hissed, his hand on her throat allowing her to do little else.

├óÔé¼┼ôPaladin Micheal at your service├óÔé¼┬Ø Dobson grinned bitterly

├óÔé¼┼ôThats...thats impossible├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa felt all fight fade from her, shock filling her.

├óÔé¼┼ôNow├óÔé¼┬Ø Dobson pulled out his Z-gun, ├óÔé¼┼ôStay here...I don't want you getting hurt├óÔé¼┬Ø

Then he left her. Teresa stood, completely shocked. Paladin Micheal...alive? The single Knight who survived the trials and tribulations of the End Times and saw the Messiah in her second incarnation safely, and he was holding...

A Z-gun. Teresa pulled out her Vindicator, her monofilament glove already at the ready.


├óÔé¼┼ôBack away from the woman├óÔé¼┬Ø the voice cut into Miles conversation. Miles looked at the man who had entered the room. He held a bulky looking Z-gun, capable of turning a meter sphere of matter into nothingness, and it was aimed at Chess. At this range, she'd be turned to nothingness. Chess looked at the man. Why didn't she...kill him the same why she had with the other soldiers?

├óÔé¼┼ôBack away├óÔé¼┬Ø The man hissed. Miles didn't move, staring at him.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou have no idea what this woman, what this woman's parents have done├óÔé¼┬Ø The man said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWhat things like her did├óÔé¼┬Ø

Miles didn't move.

The man charged his Z-gun, the entire thing spinning up, energy crackling around it. ├óÔé¼┼ôIts a shame├óÔé¼┬Ø he said, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut you're going to have to die with her├óÔé¼┬Ø

Then something slammed into Miles' chest. He flew backwards into the wall. Chess slid backwards as well, kicking off the floor. The gun went off and part of the wall was vaporized. A shockwave buffeted the room, slapping Miles in the face as the sphere of vacuum collapsed. The man turned to aim his gun, spinning the thing up as he did so.

The gun suddenly fell in half, the energy lashing outwards in a random bolt of blue color. The celling caved slightly, but remained firm. The man dropped the useless bit of the gun, stepping away from the monofilament that he knew was whistling through the air.

├óÔé¼┼ôGet away from the Messiah!├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa shouted. Dobson jerked his cane up, the foxhead detaching from the thing and a sword flashing in the air. Teresa jumped backwards as Dobson dived forward, his legs moving easily. All pretenses of age, or infirmity, was dropped as he slashed at Teresa.

The monofilaments whipped through the air, almost catching him. But Dobson ducked, a few strands of his silver hair falling from his head. Then his sword pushed forward and stabbed through Teresa's Achilles heel. Teresa fell with a smash, sending rubble and her Vindicator clattering around. Dobson turned around. Chess and Miles were gone, footsteps printed in the soot outside of the hole the Z-gun had blown in the wall.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhy!├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa spat, her face tense with pain.

├óÔé¼┼ôBecause...its not about revenge anymore├óÔé¼┬Ø Dobson grinned, looking at Teresa, ├óÔé¼┼ôIts about the survival of the human race├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôChess...Chess would never hurt anyone who didn't try to hurt her!├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôIts not Chess I'm worried about├óÔé¼┬Ø Dobson walked to the hole, the soot that filled the city making the footprints easy to track, ├óÔé¼┼ôIts her parents├óÔé¼┬Ø


-----------

Hawk bowed, slowly, to the man she had saved...Vindict. She was still not sure why he had remembered her name, let alone called for her to meet him.

├óÔé¼┼ôHawk├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said, his ribs healed by a quick injection of increasingly rare medicheins, ├óÔé¼┼ôI am glad that you have recovered├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôUh├óÔé¼┬Ø Hawk looked over her shoulder at her wing. The plumage was a bit damaged, but the wing no longer hurt every few seconds, ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôYou might try and fly around a bit├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe lighter gravity of Outreach would maybe facilitate-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI tried flying on Golgotha...about the same gravity, and I don't want to try it again├óÔé¼┬Ø Hawk said. It was starting to hurt more, Jeremy's death. It had hurt before, but every day that passed...it seemed that the realization of his death was sinking into her mind like a sword.

├óÔé¼┼ôI know you recently lost a loved one to Amadeus' machinations├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd that you yourself have been working as hard as everyone else in the city to repair the damage caused by the attack...I was wondering if you would like to speak for the USHS as you did for the CCHS├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôCCHS?├óÔé¼┬Ø Hawk rubbed her eyes, ├óÔé¼┼ôI'm...not qutie up to date with everything├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou're old friend and new enemy has quickly worked up the planets that successes from the USHS into a Communist Confederacy of Human Space, or the CCHS├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôOkay├óÔé¼┬Ø Hawk closed her eyes, ├óÔé¼┼ôI don't think I'm ready to...talk to large numbers of people├óÔé¼┬Ø

Vindict looked at her, sympathy in his eyes. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou miss him, don't you?├óÔé¼┬Ø

The simple kind words caused Hawk's barrier between her face and her mind to break. She started to cry. Vindict stood and walked to her back. He hushed her, trying to give her the support she needed. Hawk took the support, hugging the offered arm.

├óÔé¼┼ôI have been crusading for equal rights for people like you for ten years├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said softly, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut I think that you're example over these past few days has done more then I could ever hope to do with words alone├óÔé¼┬Ø

Vindict left Hawk alone, walking out of the room. She needed to be alone, he understood that. Once he was gone he let the worry show on his face.

├óÔé¼┼ôLord Illustrator├óÔé¼┬Ø one of his aides said, ├óÔé¼┼ôTeresa is still convalescing...and we still can't find General Dobson or the Messiah and that...Muslim├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôThat Muslim has been knighted, remember├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict snapped, irritation at the grudges that his church had kept for so long.

├óÔé¼┼ôA fat lot of good that did├óÔé¼┬Ø the aide muttered, thinking Vindict wouldn't hear.

├óÔé¼┼ôHe is a good man, Miles Benedict├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said, ignoring his aides chagrined expression, ├óÔé¼┼ôhe was just on the opposite side. We can not fault every man who fought for his home, just as we would have├óÔé¼┬Ø

His aide knew better then to argue.

├óÔé¼┼ôCheck to see if Benedict's ship is in orbit, or anywhere in the system├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said.

├óÔé¼┼ôIts going to be hard├óÔé¼┬Ø His aide sighed, closing his eyes, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe attack scrambled our systems pretty bad...and the USHS still hasn't sent any god damn help!├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWorry not├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said, ├óÔé¼┼ôHelp will come soon. I am sure of it├óÔé¼┬Ø


-------------


The Andras Swarm was a sight to behold. Weathers had always loved it, hated to leave, and never thought to return under these circumstances.

She sat in, of all places, the Potemkin. The bridge crew of the Dauntless had been shuffled to other ships, Captain Jeff sent to a new ship that just rolled off the Sarris system. Weathers hoped that he had a good term served.

├óÔé¼┼ôPlot us a course forward├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman said. Weathers nodded, looking at the view screen as she did so. The Potemkin moved forwards, towards the Swarm. The Swarm, if anything, looked like a huge plate of spaghetti. The comets, asteroids and planetoids that filled this brown dwarf star system had been a treasure trove for miners in the Dark Ages, and once it had been tapped, the planets, asteroids and comets that had been hollowed out where strapped together with a load of cheap tubes and made into...the Swarm. Now seventeen billion people lived there. Weathers' parents had built her home with their own hands and a laser drill...

She couldn't afford nostalgia. There was an enemy fleet somewhere in there.

├óÔé¼┼ôWe're getting a signal!├óÔé¼┬Ø Benji said, glancing with envy at Weathers. He had been relegated to communications and back up gunnery, but...Lowman had requested for Weathers assignment. That flattered her slightly, and scared her more.

The Potemkin was backed up by the Enterpriser and the Privateer, two battleships. Battleships were the mainstay of the USHS Navy, heavily armored and not as dependent on Shields as most, thanks to their heavy cannon batteries and missile banks. Their armor frustrated lasers of most shielded vessels, but the enemies Shields frustrated a battleship's guns...for a time. But with the ammo the battleships were packing, time was one thing they had. The Potemkin was to give the battleship's covering fire.

They slipped through the Swarm, forced to move along predesignated channels. This cut off the ships from one another, but who would be insane enough to-

├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the Privateer...we're surrounded by small, unshielded fifers. They are going for a boarding pass...we're holding fire├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôShit├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman muttered, ├óÔé¼┼ôBring shield up├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôYes sir├óÔé¼┬Ø Scot said, switching on their Shields. The walrus mustached man was hunched, as per usual on the Potemkin, over the engineering station, though there were three women and one man who could do his job as well as he could. You could never have too many 'head' engineers. Its just only Scot liked the bridge duty to volunteer for it every shift.

The Shields flickered on around the Potemkin and it hit one of the central hubs, sections of the massive Swarm that were cleared out for ships and shuttles to dock in. There was no one there...then, suddenly, fighters broke out of the hub, darting on small RTC's and flying straight at the Potemkin. They backed off, suddenly aware of the shield.

├óÔé¼┼ôTarget them with lance batteries├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman said

├óÔé¼┼ôWe can't├óÔé¼┬Ø Okinawa pointed out, gritting her teeth as she held back the guns, ├óÔé¼┼ôThese guns might damage the Swarm├óÔé¼┬Ø

It was beginning to dawn on Lowman how incredibly retarded this plan was. Why hadn't command sent them in with fighter support, at the least!

├óÔé¼┼ôEnterpriser here├óÔé¼┬Ø The intercom crackled, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've cleared the-├óÔé¼┬Ø. Static.

├óÔé¼┼ôEnterpriser...its stopped transmitting├óÔé¼┬Ø Benji said, his voice dull.

├óÔé¼┼ôThey must be jammed├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman gritted his teeth, ├óÔé¼┼ôThey have to be├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø Scot cut in, ├óÔé¼┼ôShield is registering impacts. For now the Z-generator can zap the shots away, but its already starting to heat up. We can withstand the barrage for three hours, and then the shield's going to be fried├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôThey can't have that much ammo├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman muttered.

├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø Scot said, ├óÔé¼┼ôRadar detects more coming in, and more after that. If we don't withdraw, then these fighters can take the shield down, bord us, or-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI don't need it all explained to me├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman snapped, thinking. If he fired...there was a chance a stray shot could kill thousands of people.

He made a decision.

├óÔé¼┼ôL.T Okinawa...fire├óÔé¼┬Ø

[Guessmyname]

I think I know who Chess's parents are.

For those who don't want the suprise spoilt (incase I happen to be correct):
They're probably Michelle and Takara

[Zoombie]

As I am sure some people are asking: "Where's the white women at?!?!"

Well, I don't know, but I do know where Homecoming is at. Its in my head, see. Its just my fingers can't type it when they are otherwise occupied at my desk doing homework and marching band and more homework. So expect a dribble of Homecoming here and there, to slowly stabilize as my homework gets more 'done' and less 'almost done'.

[Zoombie]

Hahahaha! Guessmyname seems to be...COMPLETELY WRONG!




The proper authorities thought the Kitty Hawk had warped out of the Outreach system, taking Chess with it.

The proper authorities were wrong.

├óÔé¼┼ôWell├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles turned his chair around, looking at Chess, who was sitting in her normal chair, her legs pulled up to her chin, ├óÔé¼┼ôI think we avoided them├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat did you do?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess asked. Miles tried to beat down his feeling of unease every single time Chess spoke. Her voice...

├óÔé¼┼ôI set my Kliners too jigger a pulse├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, ├óÔé¼┼ôbasically made a warp...well I always call them warp dents in space/time, but didn't actually do anything-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôShut up├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said

Miles blinked. He'd never imagined that Chess would say that. Chess looked away, her chin thrust forward stubbornly. Her eyes betrayed her, tears brimming, barely held back.

├óÔé¼┼ôChess├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, ├óÔé¼┼ôI...I don't hate you├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess looked at him, blinking away the unshed tears.

├óÔé¼┼ôI don't hate you for killing those people. Hell they were trying to kill me, and I don't much take to people who try and kill me├óÔé¼┬Ø

Chess burst into tears. Miles blinked, not surprised that that had set her off.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou stupid...stupid human├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess sobbed, hands pressing into her face, ├óÔé¼┼ôI...I don't...my...they know that I'm here now├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles was the one confused now, standing, moving to comfort Chess.

Chess sniffled, wiping snot off her nose, ├óÔé¼┼ôIts complicated. Long and complicated├óÔé¼┬Ø

Miles checked his navigation charts, the Kitty Hawk's symbol displayed behind one of the moons around Outreach.

├óÔé¼┼ôWe have another five hours before we even have to think of moving. We have time├óÔé¼┬Ø he looked at Chess, ├óÔé¼┼ôI want to know...I have to know who you are├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said, her voice bitter, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou have to know what I am├óÔé¼┬Ø

And she started to tell her story....

--------------

600 years earlier.

Aikatreina had little to no warning, just like every one else.

├óÔé¼┼ôAika! Aika!├óÔé¼┬Ø Her brother, Adrastos', voice snapped her head to him. He was running down the streets of the colony. The streets were made of cobblestone, almost perfect replica's of their ancient counterparts, and Adrastos' sandals slapped loudly.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat is it?├óÔé¼┬Ø Aika snapped, turning around to look at him.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou HAVE to see this├óÔé¼┬Ø Adra said, jerking his finger over his shoulder to their house. Aika put her bundle of metals and tools down, not wanting to carry it with her all the way back to the house. Then she ran, following Adra.

├óÔé¼┼ôThis is a brea...breaking news├óÔé¼┬Ø The newscaster...he was different this time around. Usually it was a clean pressed man with a nice modern suit. This time it was a man with a half shaven mustache, a bit of shaving cream still on his face. Instead of a suit he wore a...janitors outfit.

├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not...the normal fellow, but the normal fellow...is dead. As are ninety three million people. Uh, five hours ago we received a tachyon based messages from several other colonies that they were under attack too, but I-├óÔé¼┬Ø the image cut off, leaving the screen staticing. Aika turned it off, chewing her lower lip, panic beginning to rise in her. The screen reverted into its 'wall' color, making it look like a brick wall again.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do we do?├óÔé¼┬Ø Adra asked, shaking, ├óÔé¼┼ôBillions are dead!├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôHe said millions├óÔé¼┬Ø Aika corrected him.

├óÔé¼┼ôSame thing├óÔé¼┬Ø Adra moaned, ├óÔé¼┼ôThey're all dead...and why! What!├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI don't...did you hear that?├óÔé¼┬Ø Aika heard the sound, ducking down. There was a rustling sound in the yard outside. Then a scream rent the air. Someone, outside!

Aika ran to the window and saw-

Her neighbor, a young man that she had fancied for quite some time, was running from a monster, his arm a bloody mess. Then the monster leaped and covered him in blackness. His scream went very high pitched, then stopped. Aika threw up, spinning around as her hand flew to her mouth. Bile leaked between her fingertips, a foul stench filling her nostrils.

├óÔé¼┼ôGet the gun!├óÔé¼┬Ø she coughed, flicking her fingers to get the vomit off them. Adra ran to the side of the house, searching frantically for one of the few guns on the colony. Aika sent a pray to the gods, thanking Athena for granting the wisdom to her father to buy one of the rare guns. Now it would actually do some good.

Adra ran to the window, the pistol in his hands. The monster was laying over the poor man's corpse, covering it completely. It was a strange, completely bizarre thing, comprised entirely of blackness, rippling slowly. Then Adra fired. An explosion of black sand, it looked, flew from the thing and it riled up like a furious cat. Adra fired again and again. The thing seemed to not notice, dashing straight for them. Adra shouted, backing up. Then the monster stopped, right at the window. Aika had been frozen, staring at it, expecting to die.

But the thing had stopped. It moved away, fleeing it seemed. Aika gasped, slowly, eyes wide.

A man had appeared in the lawn, wearing a finely pressed business suit. One second no one had been there. Then the next he had, looking distastefully at the horrific red mass that used to be a young man. Then he looked up at Aika. Adra ran forward, jumping out of the window, gun raised. He shouted a war cry, like a true Spartan, and fired again and again. Then, to Aika's faint surprise, his head detached from his body, falling as his body fell, blood spraying.

Aika felt cold, as if her body had been frozen, as if she had stepped outside of the dome without a space suit. The man had killed her brother. Fury slammed about her mind. She looked around for a weapon. The window had shattered when her brother had fired. She grabbed a piece of glass, ignoring the cuts that gouged into her palm. Then she ran at the man, jumping through the window like her brother had. The man was walking towards her, brushing off a bit of dust from his suit, not even noticing her.

An invisible hand suddenly latched onto Aika's throat, squeezing it. The glass fell from her hand.

The man looked at her, the same way she looked at insects. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou are a very interesting species. Most other races know when to run away and conserve their reassures. But in the last three worlds I've been, killing one seems to just make the others fight even harder├óÔé¼┬Ø

Aika gasped for air, barely able to breath. She heard, faintly, screams and gunshots from other parts of the colony, sounding over the artificial bird song and artificial wind.

The man said, after a few moments of quiet contemplation, ├óÔé¼┼ôI think I will study you├óÔé¼┬Ø

The colony around Aika dissolved. She dropped to her knees, the hand's grip vanishing. She couldn't breath, the air smelling acrid and burning her throat, coldness licking at her. Then, as suddenly as the colony had vanished, the cold did. The air still smelt terrible, but at least a bit of it was breathable.

Aika looked around, to see where she was. The sky was different, that was the first thing she realized. The stars were in a completely different locations then what she was used too, changed around into alien constellations.

The planet around her looked completely devoid of life, a barren wasteland without trees. The atmosphere was thick and orange hanging low and thick like a fog over the craters and hillocks that covered the place. The man was no where to be seen. Aika felt her self for injuries, wondering faintly how she was breathing in such a place. She knew enough about the sciences to know most of everything that had happened today was completely impossible.

After a few minuets it dawned on her that she'd have to do something. She couldn't just stand here for all eternity, waiting for the gods to do something. So she looked around, saw the area of terrain that seemed to have the least amount of dangerous crevasse and hard to scale hills, then went that way. She walked, slowly and carefully so as to not completely shred her shoes on the sharp rocks that covered this planet.

After more then a half hour of walking, Aika saw something on the horizon. It was...a house. She started to walk faster, forgetting her shoes for the moment. The house was strange. It looked like a normal house, styled after the ancient Greek patterns of building, but there was something slightly off about it. Aika walked inside, finding the door unlocked. The walls, from the inside, looked even more wrong. The angles were just slightly off, the texture just slightly wrong. It wasn't enough to really be called 'bad' but it was enough to make Aika feel decidedly uncomfortable.

The furniture of the house was the same, almost right, but just enough wrong to feel uncomfortable. Aika sat down on the bed, feeling very tired. She lay down, and cried herself to sleep.

---------------

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat does this have to-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôLet me finish the story, damn it├óÔé¼┬Ø


--------------

Aika woke up to find the Man standing over the bed, looking at her. She froze. She should treat him like a god, in the flesh. Powerful and quick to anger, like Zeus or Ares.

The man nodded, ├óÔé¼┼ôThat would be wise├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôCan you read my mind?├óÔé¼┬Ø Aika asked, her voice soft.

The man smiled, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt's not particularly hard├óÔé¼┬Ø he turned.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat do you want with me?├óÔé¼┬Ø Aika asked as he walked to the door.

├óÔé¼┼ôTo learn├óÔé¼┬Ø the man said, ├óÔé¼┼ôTo study. Is there any other reason?├óÔé¼┬Ø He was gone, walking out of the door. Aika stood. Then she started to pace, measuring the house with her feet. After walking past each bit of furniture, she started to rifle through them. Food, generic food, was placed in each drawer and the sink provided water, to her surprise. The air was beginning to smell better every breath, as if it was becoming more earth like.

Aika sat down on the bed, swaying slightly. The shock was beginning to catch up to her. She stared numbly at the wall. She stared for a long time.

Had it been days, or just hours? Aika's gaze was suddenly interrupted by the Man appearing in front of her.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhy no action?├óÔé¼┬Ø He asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôI'm not going to preform for you├óÔé¼┬Ø Aika said, looking up at the man.

The man frowned, ├óÔé¼┼ôI am loath to kill you after putting so much effort into this house and your lungs├óÔé¼┬Ø

Aika felt her lungs through the skin, and from what she could tell they were the same. The man sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôIf you don't do something, soon, then I will have to kill you├óÔé¼┬Ø

He left, vanishing as suddenly as he had come. Aika looked around, chewing her lip. She knew that she couldn't preform for this monster, never. She looked at her bed and tore the sheets off. After a few minuets of tying it was made into an effective noose. She looked around and found the light fixture in the celling, testing its strength. It'd have to work. She tied the noose there, using a chair to reach it. Then she slipped the noose about her neck.

├óÔé¼┼ôSee you soon, brother├óÔé¼┬Ø Aika murmured. She thought one last pray to the gods, hoping Hades would be at least slightly pleasant when she met him. Then she kicked the chair out from under her and fell. Right to the floor. Aika winced, feeling her backside. Had the light fixture? No, it was intact. The rope had been severed so perfectly that it didn't even have frays. Aika knew of the one thing that would cut it like that.

├óÔé¼┼ôIts not going to be that easy├óÔé¼┬Ø

[Guessmyname]

It seemed a logical guess at the time. Chess was an S0-2 hybrid, otherwise she wouldn't have parents. What sort of parent would be very angry, enough for Dobson to be worried about? Takara and Michelle.

[Zoombie]

2 things. There were more stage three's then Taraka and Michelle, Prime and Eve.

And Dobson is not infalibal. He can make assumptions and be wrong about them, just like anyone.

[Guessmyname]

I know there are more Stage 3s than Michelle and Takara. I was just under the impression that Stage 3s were created by Stage 2s 'levelling up' as it were. For an S0-2 creature to have parents, it would have to be a hybrid, correct?

[Zoombie]

This is truth, and it is very heartining that people are paying attention. All shall be revealed in later chapters...

[Archangel of Death]

While Taraka and Michelle did have a child, they were not the only ones.
Course, that doesn't mean its her either. In fact, Chess doesn't have to be related to any previously encountered stage 3 (I got the impression there were dozens, maybe hundreds or thousands, of them towards the end of extinction), or been born as a hybrid (Michelle?).

[Zoombie]

There were only a hundred or so per galaxy. I'm not sure how many galaxies S-02 have gotten too. Random bits could have floated off to Andromada or outwards into the other galaxies in the supercluster.

[Zoombie]

Its late and I'm tired and have NO time.


Aika was not sure if it had been a week, maybe two, maybe less...she didn't keep track and the light outside the house did not waver. Sometimes it felt as if time itself had stopped, ticking by endlessly. Maybe she should have kept track as best she could, because the time she spent in that small house was mind numbingly boring. The Man, whoever...whatever he was had brought her here for reasons she still didn't understand, and then had left her, alone. Stepping outside was something she wanted to avoid, though she could breath the air...it didn't make it especially pleasant.

So she sat, looking at the wall. Then, after a week, or two, or maybe less, she asked the air, ├óÔé¼┼ôCan I at least have a screen├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôSure├óÔé¼┬Ø The man's voice echoed in her mind and suddenly the wall Aika had been staring at turned into a screen. Aika's hackles raised as she looked at the screen. Did it work? Was it a trick? She stood, walking slowly to the thing. It turned on when she thumbed the button and, to her surprise, a man was on the screen.

├óÔé¼┼ô-een three months now, but we've finally got this damn thing working again!├óÔé¼┬Ø He said.

├óÔé¼┼ôThree months?├óÔé¼┬Ø Aika murmured, her eyes scanning the screen. There was a generic newscaster 'HUD' around the man, a ticker at the bottom displaying a system of coordinates. The upper right corner was emblazoned with ├óÔé¼┼ôNTN├óÔé¼┬Ø, presumably the name of the news network.

├óÔé¼┼ôSo this is the first broadcast of the New Terran News, or NTN, and we are pleased to say we have some good news from the other planets for a change. Homeworld has had some survivors that limped here two days ago, and are now landing in the western hemisphere. Now as a way to kick off our broadcasting carrier, we have a special gust today├óÔé¼┬Ø

The newscaster looked to the right and the camera panned out. A very old woman was there, her gray hair pulled back in a bun, making her face seem even more drawn and sever.

├óÔé¼┼ôMay I welcome Gloria Ridembach onto our show. You might all know Gloria, famous physicist and biologist. You apparently have prepared the most comprehensive analysis of the alien aggressors, Sanders I believe the name is now, every thought of. ├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI believe I have├óÔé¼┬Ø Gloria nodded, her voice breathy and frail. The background faded and images of one of the monsters that had shattered Aika's world was there. It was a simulation, but all to real for Aika, who shuddered.

├óÔé¼┼ôA basic Sander mutates to suit the current environment. When it gets hot, the Sander grows until it can stand the heat. When its cold, the Sander grows and changes until it can stand the cold. The growth is to replace the cells that die off in the environmental change. To make it worse, the cell regrowth is double the loss, usually, meaning the creature gets far bigger each time it mutates├óÔé¼┬Ø

The picture changed to a shaky video camera footage, with a small header at the bottom saying 'subject matter might not be appropriate for young children'. The footage was a crowd of soldiers, backing away from something, their assault rifles flashing in the darkness. The sound was gone, or never recorded, so the entire thing was shown in surreal semi-stop motion, the frames skipping choppily.

One of them men flew in half, flying off the screen, blood and entrails spraying. The other men turned to flee, but three of them exploded in sprays of blood. The last two bashed into the camera, the camera falling. A head rolled in front of it, mouth lolling open. The last solider alive ran past the camera, only his feet caught by the camera. Then one of his legs stayed behind while the rest of the body moved, blood spraying. Then two feet walked in front of the camera.

One of the feet pushed the camera onto its back, so that it was looking upwards onto a blue sky, with peaceful clouds and a bright sun. The thing that had moved the camera stepped to the side, blocking the sun. Aika caught sight of a deadly looking woman, but then the camera stopped transmitting.

├óÔé¼┼ôThis is the only footage that survived the invasion of a Stage Three. Stage Three's are truly terrifying entities. For when a Sander-├óÔé¼┬Ø


-------------------------


├óÔé¼┼ôFor when a Sander-├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess was cut off when the ship's alarm went off, snapping Miles attention back to the Kitty Hawk's control panel. He spun his chair around, brow furrowing. A ship was getting close to their hiding position.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhy are we hiding, anyway?├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôWell-├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles stopped, ├óÔé¼┼ôIt...seemed like a...a good idea at the time├óÔé¼┬Ø

Chess sighed and Miles sent a message flair to the other ship. The ship, a tattooed schooner that had been ferrying pilgrims and now was pressed into searching service, pinged them back, demanding that the Kitty Hawk send Chess back to Outreach.

├óÔé¼┼ôI don't want to go back there├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess murmured, ├óÔé¼┼ôThat man, that old man...he can kill me...he will kill me, I know it!├óÔé¼┬Ø

Miles chewed his lip. Then he sent a message asking for a direct link to Vindict. To his shock, he got it.



├óÔé¼┼ôMiles, I understand why you are apprehensive├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict steepled his fingers as he looked at the screen, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut we can assure The me- Chess's safety├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI don't think you can├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess said. Vindict's jaw dropped, staring at her.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼┬Ø he stammered, ├óÔé¼┼ôYou...you're talking?├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI've broken my...oath├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess murmured, ├óÔé¼┼ôBoth of them├óÔé¼┬Ø

Vindict looked at Miles, his eyebrow raised slightly. Miles shrugged. Chess frowned, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut I won't go back to that planet, not while-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø A man ran into Vindict's room, half visible through the camera, ├óÔé¼┼ôA ship has been stolen from one of the star ports. That woman, Hawk, she reports that she is sure that Dobson stole it├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôDobson?├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôWait├óÔé¼┬Ø Vindict said, ├óÔé¼┼ôDoes your ship have weapons?├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôUh...yes├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said. His computer cut in, making this conversation even more cluttered then before, saying ├óÔé¼┼ôThere is a ship coming straight at us├óÔé¼┬Ø



Teresa slid into her cockpit, her still damaged leg moving sluggishly. The artificial tendon they had put in there to 'fill the gap' was slow, far to slow for actual combat. But what the hell...

├óÔé¼┼ôTeresa, as your doctor I have to say this is a bad idea├óÔé¼┬Ø Her doctor said, frowning.

├óÔé¼┼ôToo fucking bad├óÔé¼┬Ø Teresa snapped, the nerves of the past days and her injury making her snappy, ├óÔé¼┼ôJust give me a pill to pop down the pain, and then shut that door├óÔé¼┬Ø

The doctor pulled out a single pill and tossed it to her. Teresa caught it and slipped it under her tongue. It dissolved and she immediately felt much better. The doctor crossed himself, ├óÔé¼┼ôGodspeed. Go get em├óÔé¼┬Ø he closed the door. Teresa sighed and gunned up the Michaelangelo's engines. The ship lifted off as her doctor ran back, away from the fumes and flames of the engine.


The Kitty Hawk was trying to keep the moon between it and the enemy ship, which was a small fighter on the same level of the Michaelangelo, without the long range modifications Teresa had put into her ship. It was closing, faster then the Kitty Hawk, but the Kitty Hawk was spraying little bombs behind it, forcing the enemy ship to dodge and weave, cutting its speed. But Mile's didn't have an infinite number of bombs.

He thumbed the launch key, thinking it time for a new sequence. The ammo counter bleeped, empty. ├óÔé¼┼ôSon of a bitch├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles muttered, looking at Chess, ├óÔé¼┼ôDon't suppose you can blow his ship up with your mind?├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess gritted her teeth, ├óÔé¼┼ôI can barely stop a bullet. Cutting is easy...crushing is hard├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôCan you CUT his ship, then├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôNot close enough!├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess snapped, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd if he was close enough we'd be dead!├óÔé¼┬Ø

Miles swore, spinning the Kitty Hawk around and charging straight at the enemy fighter.

'This might be a bit of a bump├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles said, gunning his machine guns. The enemy fighter's shield flipped out. Miles banked off, knowing he didn't dare play chicken with a shield. The bullets he had fired slammed into the shield and blipped out of existence.

├óÔé¼┼ôOur shield is still broken├óÔé¼┬Ø The computer said, trying to be helpful

├óÔé¼┼ôYou had an entire damn year to fix it!├óÔé¼┬Ø Chess shouted.

├óÔé¼┼ôShields are expensive!├óÔé¼┬Ø Miles snapped back, but then the enemy fighter opened fire.

[Zoombie]

Special Guest star! Who can guess?

It's going to be Guessmyname. You know why? He's a smart bastard, thats why...

oh and he wrote the original charicter...


Janet rubbed her temples, looking at the map.

├óÔé¼┼ôHow did this happen?├óÔé¼┬Ø She asked the air. The air, as it normally did, had no answer.

The map was laid out on her desk, a roll of smart paper that was constantly being kept up to date by the computer web on the planet. Five planets remained the cool blue of USHS, while five were half blue half red, signifying that they were currently being caught over. The Andras Swarm was black, no movement, no color...no life.

├óÔé¼┼ôI want someone's head├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet muttered, ├óÔé¼┼ôI want someone responsible for this travesty. I want someone who I can arrange a fucking firing squad for!├óÔé¼┬Ø

Carter, who was hovering near the back of the room, sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôMam...I don't think that will fix anything├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI know that!├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet shouted, turning around, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've lost two planets! One is unacceptable├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôThree mam├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter corrected her, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe've lost three planets├óÔé¼┬Ø

Janet's shoulders slumped, looking at the Andres Swarm. She ran her finger over the map, tracing over the planets that were still held onto by the USHS, New Terra, Telphlon, Venitia, Sarris, and...Melephorn. The CCHS would attack Melephorn, they must.

├óÔé¼┼ôRe-rout the entire defense fleet├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet said.

├óÔé¼┼ôEs...what!├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter almost shouted, stepping forward.

├óÔé¼┼ôWe have defense satellite? They can hold the line the fleet can come back and reinforce us├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôMam├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter said, ├óÔé¼┼ôThey can still land troops├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôBut they can't bomb us, and they can't land more then fifty thousand troops, tops. We have over one thousand members of the armed forces here. We have to hold the line at Melephorn. If we lose that, we lose all the resources, we lose the ships and we lose the war├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet turned the map off, the lights of the room turning on as she did so.

├óÔé¼┼ôWhat makes you so sure they are going to attack that system? Why not the Sarris system, capture our shipyards?├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôNo├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet sighed, ├óÔé¼┼ôThey have...what, Mars 3 as their main resource provider. That place gets quite a bit of export, but not nearly as much as Melephorn. My intelligence-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôYour intelligence?├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôSorry├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet said, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut I'm making the loop as small as I can. You're...not necessarily in it├óÔé¼┬Ø

Carter grinned, ├óÔé¼┼ôI always thought you had that bit of your sister in you. Just not...so much├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI'm the president of the United States...I don't have to stand here and be insulted├óÔé¼┬Ø

They must have been really tired, for that struck them as hilarious. Janet clutched her sides, tears streaming down her nose as she laughed.

Janet sighed, picking up the intercom and wiping her nose off as she did so. ├óÔé¼┼ôPlease, send for General Silia. He'll be heading up our defensive operations in Melephorn├óÔé¼┬Ø she hung up, her laughter leaving a faint feeling of well being in her chest.

├óÔé¼┼ôSorry to bring the mood down├óÔé¼┬Ø Carter said, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut what are we going to do with this Capitan Lowman?├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôShoot him├óÔé¼┬Ø Janet said. Carter wasn't sure if she was joking...or not.

--------------


├óÔé¼┼ôNow├óÔé¼┬Ø Investigator Galliger Adams cracked his knuckles ominously, ├óÔé¼┼ôAccording to the logs you followed the former Capitan Lowman?├óÔé¼┬Ø

Weathers licked her lips, the lights of the interrogation chambers shining in her remaining eye. The entire bridge crew...hell even some of the petty officers were getting grilled for Lowman's, the dumb bastard, decision.

├óÔé¼┼ôYes├óÔé¼┬Ø She said, knowing better then to lie.

├óÔé¼┼ôAnd did it cross your mind that opening fire with lance batteries inside of a densely populated asteroid field, like the Andras Swarm would have catastrophic consequences├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôI was given a direct order and I tried to execute it to the best of my ability. And, as the logs note, it was Lieutenant Okinawa who pulled the trigger. I just fly the ship├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôAnd you never thought to speak out against an obviously poor decision?├óÔé¼┬Ø Adams stood, frowning at her.

├óÔé¼┼ôYes I did├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôBut we only had a few seconds to think. In combat situations-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôYou should have know to speak up in those few seconds!├óÔé¼┬Ø Adams shouted, walking around the desk and standing directly above her. Weathers eyed the camera. To her dismay it wasn't tracking, the green recording light off.

├óÔé¼┼ôNow├óÔé¼┬Ø Adams said, ├óÔé¼┼ôGive me one reason why I shouldn't have you shot for treason, like you're commander├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôHar- Lowman is dead?├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers asked.

├óÔé¼┼ôFirst name basis?├óÔé¼┬Ø Adams murmured, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd no. His execution is scheduled for a few hours├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers suddenly remembered, ├óÔé¼┼ôIsn't it under the code of military law that a soldier has to obey an oder-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôUnless├óÔé¼┬Ø Adams cut her off, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe order is unethical or suicidally dangerous. And I believe condeming five thousand four hundred and thirty three people to death...is quite unethical├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôThree of them were my family├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, hurt making her tongue go faster then her brain, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd I think thats enough punishment for me├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI disagree├óÔé¼┬Ø Adams walked to his desk, ├óÔé¼┼ôA month of detention and a demotion. Be glad that you are not getting shot. Have a nice day├óÔé¼┬Ø he gestured and two guards moved to take Weathers away.



Lowman sat in his cell, feeling surprisingly calm and peaceful about this. An hour away from death...at least he knew the time now. The door to the prison opened and two guards lead a woman into the place. Lowman sat up, surprised to see Weathers placed in the cell next to his.

The guards left, the door locking behind them, the machine gun turret tracking between the cells with an ominous whirring noise.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou are a son of a bitch├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, her voice biter.

├óÔé¼┼ôI don't need to defend my actions├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman snapped, suddenly angry, ├óÔé¼┼ôI did what any responsible commander should have done├óÔé¼┬Ø

Weathers was speechless, staring at Lowman through he bars that separated them.

├óÔé¼┼ôMy ship was under attack. I took register of the facts, and I fired. Did it occurs to you that eventually once our Shields dropped our ship would be boarded, or shot at. And if the Potemkin had blown that we might have had over a million deaths on our hands. At least someone survived their├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôBut you didn't have to take that shot. You could have-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôRetreated?├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman stood, walking to the bars, ├óÔé¼┼ôRun away? Let out ass get blown out from under us? This is a war and...you can tell how a war is going to be fought by how it starts. This war started with an unprovoked nuclear bombing of a civilian target. Its going to be dirty. If I have to fight dirty to survive...I'll do it. When you get your command, some day...you'll do it too├óÔé¼┬Ø

Weathers sighed, her anger at Lowman replaced with a crushing depression.

├óÔé¼┼ôSo...I suppose the human race is just fucked up beyond all hope of redemption?├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers said, ├óÔé¼┼ôWe advance and then we fall back...it seems hopeless├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôYup├óÔé¼┬Ø Lowman leaned against his wall, putting his feet up on the bed in the middle of the cell, ├óÔé¼┼ôThats how it is├óÔé¼┬Ø

Two guards walked into the jail. ├óÔé¼┼ôYou├óÔé¼┬Ø one of them opened the door to Lowman's cell, ├óÔé¼┼ôCome with us├óÔé¼┬Ø

Lowman stood. ├óÔé¼┼ôOh...and Weathers├óÔé¼┬Ø He said, ├óÔé¼┼ôI...I hope that you can...just don't hate me, okay?├óÔé¼┬Ø

One of the guards pushed him and he walked, walking out of the prison. Weathers felt her breath catch in her throat, knowing that most of the people she actually knew on first name basis were dead. Harry...

Gunshots rang out, a series of bullets slamming into something fleshy. Something whistled in the air...something-

Weathers was picked up and slammed against the far side of her cell. She tasted blood, dust and grit blasted onto her face, making her feel as if she had gotten slapped ten times over.

She stood, coughing. A bit of metal bar was buried a few inches to the left of her still intact eye, quivering with its impact with the floor. Weathers breathed in, then coughed as the smoky air rushed into her lungs. The chatter of an Ack-Ack gun started up and something exploded above the building.

Weathers stood, glad she still had her uniform on and ran out of the hole blasted in the wall. Outside was chaos, men and women running about as fighters swooped over the capital city. How had they gotten through the shield? That question was pushed out of Weathers' mind as one staffed her area, bullets smashing into the area around her. She ducked beneath and awning, protected for the moment.

Two marines ran into the ruined courtyard, looking confused. ├óÔé¼┼ôPrivates! Over here!├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers shouted.

├óÔé¼┼ôYes Sir├óÔé¼┬Ø The private snapped a salute, obviously glad to see someone of a higher rank then him.

├óÔé¼┼ôYou two, front and center. Lets repor...report to someone who knows what the hell is going on. Can I borrow your side arm, Mr...├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôTrent├óÔé¼┬Ø The private she gestured to said, holding out his pistol, ├óÔé¼┼ôAnd this here is McKay├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôPrivate├óÔé¼┬Ø Weathers nodded, ├óÔé¼┼ôLets head out├óÔé¼┬Ø another fighter roared over head, dropping a missle that slammed into a nearby Ack-Ack gun. An explosion rocked the world and the three of them ran inside, trying to find cover.


---------------

General Silia looked over his star map of the Melephorn system, chewing his lower lip. The system was a large belt of asteroids, looped around a cold, huge Red Giant. No one had even tried setting up terr formed planets, the only real settlement a lonely outpost that had one of the most comprehensive, complex A.Is that could operate on a planetary level. It controlled the robotic mines that were peppered through the system, tended by a married couple of robot techs. They had refused to be evacuated, instead spending their time teaching their A. I, whom they actually had a name for, to fight along side the ships.

Silia had thought it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. 'Young' A.I's, generally, had proved to be ineffectively at managing anything larger then a space ship single handedly. A.I's that were 'old' enough to manage a star system had normally developed some kind of psychosis or paranoid delusions by then and had to be deleted. But apparently the couple, the Browns was there name, had grown this A.I to a mature enough level without it trying to kill them.

Silia still didn't trust it.

├óÔé¼┼ôSir├óÔé¼┬Ø His ship's computer piped the A.I through the speakers, its voice sounding masculine and deep, ├óÔé¼┼ôThe enemy has warped into the star system. Counting fifteen ships├óÔé¼┬Ø

Silia nodded, ├óÔé¼┼ôThank you for reporting. Please prime all the-├óÔé¼┬Ø

├óÔé¼┼ôI have already set the minefields in sectors A1-C6, the most probable attack vector├óÔé¼┬Ø The computer said, cutting him off. Silia frowned, not liking uppity A.I's.

Then he nodded, slowly, ├óÔé¼┼ôGood job. Please keep me and the other captains updated├óÔé¼┬Ø

Silia looked at his map, which had finally gotten around to updating. It did look grim, the ten ship USHS fleet badly outnumbered by the CCHS ships.

├óÔé¼┼ôI hope this works├óÔé¼┬Ø Silia muttered. Then a message started to flash on his board, a tac-con message.

He read it, his heart clenching. Another CCHS fleet, a very small collection of blockade runners, had smashed into the planet's shield, their own shield negating the effect, and then deposited sixty thousand troops across the planet. Not enough to take it over and hold it indefinitely...but more then enough to do lots of damage. Then his eyes scanned the last bit of the message.

├óÔé¼┼ôDo not return. Defend your position at all costs├óÔé¼┬Ø

Silia sighed, hoping his family...

He couldn't afford to think about that now. He had a war to win. ├óÔé¼┼ôAll ships. Shields up. Peacekeepers, launch fighters. Avenger class ships, move forward and open fire. And all other ships...break and attack├óÔé¼┬Ø

[Guessmyname]

Hehe. Hello Adams.

EDIT: Wait, I'm going to have to sneak in a Homecoming reference into Insurgency Division now, aren't I?

Though, with the one Adams is chasing being Elizabeth Montoya, I think I can get away with it.