”You know, I’m not too sure about this sir.”
McCallen gave the private a quick gaze. To tell the truth, he shared the private’s concerns. After all, this was an idiotic plan.
But it wasn’t as if they had a choice.
“Well, if you’d rather stay or take your chances with the emergency pods, be my guest!”
To punctuate his words, the station shuddered as another railgun slug was launched from it.
But the shudder wasn’t just from the now-automated defense systems. The station was wrought in fire, as an entire armada bombarded it with plasma shells. Before long, the alien capital ships would start returning the fire with their railguns, and the station would turn to Swiss cheese on fire.
“Uh, you have a point, sir.”
McCallen sighs.
He really wishes he didn’t.
“Well then, Jenkins. Take point.”
The private leaps off the space station without as much as a word, slowly being dragged down towards the planet below.
McCallen was fairly sure they were all going to die.
This wasn’t exactly how he had imagined going, but at least there’d be one hell of a story to tell if he survived.
Private Jenkins’ voice rung out in the Titan-suit’s coms.
“Just remember to activate armor lock! Don’t do my mistake. Trust me. And aim for land. From what I hear, it hurts less than water at higher speeds!”
McCallen takes a deep breath, and jumps.
This is going to hurt.
Olaf watched as the outpost commander crawled at Mayuki’s feet.
The xeno hadn’t even put up a fight, and had thrown himself at Olaf’s feet when the command bunker was breached.
Pathetic creature. If it had been up to Olaf, he would have crushed the bug. But it hadn’t been up to Olaf. Instead his orders had been to bring the commander back to Mayuki, who subsequently obtained the system’s unconditional surrender.
“Soldiers! You have all performed valiantly this day, and for that you will all be rewarded. As of now, this solar system belongs to Gammorrah!
Round up all remaining Xeno on the planet. If they fight, kill them without mercy. If they surrender, let them live beneath Human rule.”
Olaf now realized what Sven had planned with Operation Conquest. The sly bastard was using the war to expand his influence.
“Olaf!”
Olaf raises his head as he is brought out of his thoughts.
Lady Mayuki is looking straight at him.
“You performed valiantly this day, and thus the right of first loot will go to you.”
Olaf sneers slightly.
“These senate scum have nothing I want.”
While Olaf spoke the truth, he did realize that there was something on the planet he wanted.
Though it was not something he could easily claim.
Gordon was looking at the holographic rendering of the galaxy.
He watched as dots moved around on the display while biting his knuckle slightly.
The senate wasn’t supposed to be responding yet, but still they had.
Task force Alpha had been forced into retreat by a hostile armada, and the forces of Task forces alpha and beta were now performing a large-scale guerilla war with the enemy fleet across the sector.
The senate species had proven that they were learning from the mistakes of the Fa’la.
They wouldn’t be as easy to outmaneuver.
The automatic door hisses open, and Angron enters TacCom.
“Back so soon?”
Angron gave Gordon a bemused gaze.
“I transferred myself directly back after concluding the tasks on Fenris. I do not understand why we give the Gammorrans so much free reign.”
Gordon takes a deep breath.
“Sven likes to bare his fangs, but he is ultimately a coward. When we make a decision, he will follow. Now, come over here. What are your thoughts on our situation?”
Angron steps closer to the holographic projection, and casts a single gaze on the various dots.
“The schedule has been moved up. Maybe it is time to put operation clear waters into play?”
Gordon nods slightly to himself.
“Very well. Make the arrangements.”
McCallen fell.
He was trailing down through the atmosphere, wreathed in flames.
He was just happy that the shields were keeping the heat from grabbing on to the suit.
Well, so far.
Every warning light he knew was flashing. Hell, there were some that he had never even seen before.
He had done some crazy things in the past, but this really took home the prize for the stupidest thing he had ever done.
He couldn’t help but think about Hyllia.
He really wished he would get to see her again.
What if he died here? Would she ever know?
Dammit, soldier. This is not the time or place for such thoughts.
He forced the thoughts of his coming death from his mind.
The shields were failing, and his feet were starting to get hot.
The outermost layer of the armor was white-hot in seconds.
Fuck, fuck, fuckity, fuck-
He decided that if he got out of this alive, he’d ask Hyllia to marry him.
He just had to stay alive.
The systems were blinking.
Critical failures all around.
Armor lock was engaged. He just had to pray it was enough.
The ground rose up towards him, and he felt like he was going to throw up.
Not in the suit god damnit!
He was starting to see trees and bushes now.
Then he could see rocks.
Then he could see the details of the wild grass.
Then he blacked out.
When McCallen woke up, he immediately drew a deep breath.
Damn if it wasn’t the most wonderful breath he had ever taken.
Then he noticed how the armor was almost entirely offline. Only a red triangle was flashing down by the bottom right-hand corner of his HUD.
Critical systems failure.
Well, no fucking shit.
He tries to move. His whole body aches something horrible, but his arm does as he commands.
Not broken, thank god.
He sits.
The Titan suit had saved him, but there wasn’t much left of it.
He pulls off the helmet, and is greeted by the buzz of insectoids and various wildlife.
His first course of action is to remove the malfunctioning armor, something that takes him several hours to do.
After that, he picks up the helmet again, and engages manual reboot.
If he’s to locate his men, he needs the HUD.
He just hopes he won’t be ambushed by hostiles.
After all, he is unarmed, and all he’s wearing is the heated under-armor jumpsuit.
He is essentially helpless.
Well, if he manages to find a thick branch, he’ll be back as he was all those years ago, save having a fancier helmet.
This is going to be fun.