9 Years, 6 Months, 13 Days After Eridani Landing
Jikse
Moving down the hallway Diana paused at the double doors, carefully she moved forwards into it’s threshold and they slid open.
A woman in an orange smock looked up from her Comm for a moment, and then going back to look at it did a double take as she took in Diana’s appearance. Diana smiled keeping her weapon pointed at the woman. The woman for her part only quickly glanced to either side down the corridors.
“Make a sound and I shoot you, now walk over here.”
The woman apparently at a loss for words took a small step forwards as Diana had directed.
The building shook and a rumble from a distant explosion ripped through the air. Diana blinked in surprise and already on edge the woman let out a blood curdling scream. Diana quickly fired hitting the woman sending her to the ground.
Another explosion sounded and Diana winced and picked up the Comm again.
“[Orin]?”
“What!?”
“How long have you had the tail specifically? Since the hospital, or before that?”
The line was silent for a moment and Diana heard several warnings going off in the background and [Orin] fighting with the controls of her transport.
“Before the hospital.”
“Meaning it’s not the Empire following you, it’s the guys we stole the ship from. To top it off you advertised where I was and what state I was in.”
“Well I’m sorry we tried to save your life! I don’t know anything about medicine beyond bandages! We injected you with some of the nano-machines but you were still bleeding!”
“This is just going to be more interesting is all, and I’m not going to have to do much for a distraction. Meet me on the roof on time!”
Diana closed the line as [Orin] began to swear again.
“Idiots!” growled Diana, not putting much force into the words. In all honesty the two of them would be able to without her guidance run the criminal networks on the planet if she removed the other class C’s. Which was saying something considering she had only had a month to train them.
The building shook again and Diana rolled her eyes. Sek was once again taking the more direct route it seemed, simply blasting through the hospital to find her. He was not sneaking in as a guest with some sort of poison to inject while she was unconcious, no he was literally breaking into the hospital guns blazing.
Diana paused, she hoped it was him at least. He was a known factor, and one that despite his brutality was predictable. The only other group she could think of was some wort of Empire clean up crew fro dealing with class C’s.
Shrugging Diana began to jog down the corridor, looking for a stairwell. Doctors, staff, and those patients who could get out of their beds were all cautiously looking around and sticking their heads out of doorways. An alarm began to sound as Diana rounded the corner and ignoring the odd looks from others around her quickly found the stairwell.
Several people hesitantly got in her way as she ran towards it, Diana pushed them away trying to avoid shooting anyone else.
Reaching the stairs and bounding up them moving far faster than the patients and others moving down Diana paused at the third floor looking at the lettering on the wall, pediatric wing. For a half moment Diana stared at the plaque, the building shook again and Diana heard the sound of twanging gunfire in the distance.
Shaking her head Diana turned from the door and continued up the stairs moving as quickly as she could up the building now, trying to ignore the part of her that was yelling to go back and ensure that the children would at least be out of the building before Sek and his ilk swept through the wing looking for her.
Growling in frustration Diana swung away from the stairs and ran into the next hallway, the weapon hastily clipped onto the vest she had stolen.
The medical personnel and staff were by this point in full evacuation mode pulling patients who were an even mix of class A and B from rooms, life support equipment was rolling in every direction and Diana quickly spotted a younger looking class A directing everything from a small raised stage in the middle of what looked like a waiting area.
He had an orange suit on like the other woman, and he was shouting over the crowd pointing and directing others to work.
“Hey!” shouted Diana.
The man finished telling a subordinate something and then quickly turned, his eyes widened slightly looking at Diana, and the blood stained uniform she had stolen.
“You alright?”
“Intercom, or the public frequency what is it?” asked Diana.
“What?” asked the man confused.
Diana stepped forwards and with her left hand grabbed his smock and lifted him up.
“You want these people to survive or not? I need the intercom to deal with the idiots shooting out the lower floors!”
“There are people shooting!?”
“Class C’s, intercom now!” shouted Diana.
The man’s red skin paled slightly and his eyes went wide.
“Class C’s!?”
“Intercom!” Diana set him down but kept her hand on his shirt holding him steady. The room which had been a loud hubbub a moment before was now deathly silent.
“Here!”
The man handed his Comm to Diana.
She smiled, and raised it up.
“Sek! You want to get me I’ll be on the roof! Come and get me you bastard!”
Diana pocketed the Comm and spun around trudging back towards the stairs.
“Wait!”
Diana turned, the man was looking at her, “Why are class C’s here!? How did they get here?”
“Well I’m here to sightsee, the other class C’s? They’re here to kill all of you.”
The man blinked and he took a step back, “You, you,” he stumbled over the word several more times.
Diana raised the weapon, and gestured at her commandeered armor, “This isn’t my blood. Now get your patients out, this building is going to be burning by now I think.”
Diana spun and strode away from the man back towards the stairs. Reaching into her pocket Diana drew the Comm out again.
“Sek! Coming into a hospital to get to me? It’s nice to feel wanted. Although I suppose you think shooting all of the aliens in here is acceptable, they’re after all on the other side right?”
Diana of course no heard response, and turning continued going up the stairs, “You going to be cowardly enough to kill children? Cripples? The sick and injured? They’re not very tough targets! If you want an actual fight I’ll meet you on the roof!”
Diana still hearing nothing from below continued up to the last door on the stairwell. Pausing she for a half moment looked at where a doorknob would be and then looking at what was once again two needlessly complex sliding doors she raised the gun and fired into the center punching through the metal.
Stepping through the hole and onto the roof Diana got her first good look at the hospital, and what was going on.
The entire building was roughly horseshoe shaped, and she was on then end of one side looking inwards. The entire bottom floor of the other side was on fire, and people were streaming out of the base evacuating the building.
Another explosion went off and Diana winced as the second and third floors across from her were blown outwards glass, an bodies going in every direction.
Diana watched as several bodies hit the ground and burned. They were class A’s the same species that had destroyed Earth. One body was unmistakably a child. Diana stared at it for a moment .
Turning away from the carnage Diana scanned the air looking for her class B’s. At the moment the air was full of transports and emergency vehicles. Some of the largest transports Diana had ever seen, one that had to be at least half the length of the Canada were descending down on the hospital.
Already spewing large fire suppressents Diana watched as men jumped from the vehicles cald in thick armor and breathing masks. She watched as they hit the ground, apparently unperterbed by a ten meter drop and began to rush into the hospital.
A pulse of energy buzzed past Diana and she threw herself down onto the roof with a curse, the bolt hit the doorframe behind her and Diana winced as it dissolved away in a sparkling of light.
“Shit.”
She pulled out her own Comm again, “Where are you!?”
“I’m almost there! What did you do to the place!?”
“Not me! Sek!”
“Who the hell would attack a hospital?”
“He’s a class C. He doesn’t like the competition.”
“He’s class C too? [Hal]! Are you a class C? Is everyone a class C except me!?”
Diana chuckled, “[Hal] I’m going to need covering fire. The big gun.”
Their was a faint sound of fighting and more cursing before [Hal]’s voice came onto the line, “The big gun?”
“Yes. Don’t hit me.”
Rolling to her stomach and slowly looking up Diana spotted Sek and several others on the opposite side of the building, they were glowering across the expanse at her. Diana raising her gun let loose several shots making them scramble for cover.
“Also, shoot the trailing transport when you pick me up.”
“Already took care of it!”
“Really? How…”
Diana looked up as the sound of a transport’s engine screaming out of control became noticeable.
“They followed me up to the Transport ceiling, and I might have clipped them when we fell.”
Dian watched as the Transport shot past the emergency vehicles and personnel to slam itself into the ground right in the middle of the horseshoe. A massive conflagration went skyward from the impact and in those flames Diana saw the unstable interactions as the strange matter in the vehicle dissipated.
Another transport’s engine also screaming in protest but seemingly under more control dove down past the line of fire fighting vehicles and pulling up at the last moment levelled on the building next to Diana.
“God damn it! You’re an even bigger target!” shouted Diana as she laid down another barrage of fire across the horseshoe.
The doors on both sides of the transport opened, [Hal] now with a clear line of sight hefted his weapon up onto his shoulder and fired. The Empire’s version of a minigun, which like anything else they used spat concentrated plasma, in fact it was the same gun Diana held only with a massive shoulder mounted heat sink which took up a large amount of space.
The sizzling of the energy in the air was audible above the fire and emergency klaxons as [Hal] opened up.
Diana jumped up into the transport and grabbed onto [Hal]’s collar holding him in place.
“Go!”
[Orin] hit the accelerator.
[Hal] let out a shout as he continued to fire, and Diana looking down groaned as his shots went wide, and he poorly tracked with the movement of the vehicle.
“Enough!” said Diana as she pulled back on his armor.
“We’re hit, something’s wrong with navigation,” said [Orin] from the front seat.
“Great, get us far away.”
“Why?”
Diana watched as the class A police vehicle, or military transport leveled with the other side of the horseshoe, and as men began to pour out and try to contain the class C’s.”
“Sek’s got his own car now.”
“I’ve got nothing but altitude control, we can go up or down.”
Diana turned to look at where the vehicle was going. The trees and massive wilderness stretched out in front of her and she smiled.
“Up, we’re going to finish this. Once we’re in the wilderness, try and land.”
“I’m not in control of the accelerator, we’re going to crash.”
“Then we crash.”
“No other options?” asked [Hal].
Diana glanced down out of the still open door at the ruined city flashing by below, “Unless you want to jump?”
“Let’s crash.”
9 Years, 6 Months, 15 Days After Eridani Landing
Chront
“Honestly I’m surprised you didn’t ask earlier,” said Stagg.
Bitus raised an eyebrow at that, “Then you already have an answer?”
Stagg picked up the small saucer in front of her and took a sip of the alien tea. She let out a sigh.
“Yes, I do. I’ll allow it, but not one from each of your nations.”
The three world leaders looked at one another and then at Stagg, “Why not?” asked King Henswick his voice carefully level.
“Because I don’t feel like playing your politics, and if any one of the three you send up is separated for any amount of time you’re going to claim we provided them with additional information, I’ve also not got enough crew to babysit. I fee I must also mention that I’ll not tolerate any attempts to steal data or technology.”
President Renil glared at Stagg, “Reasonable, but I thought that was implied.”
Stagg shrugged, “I’ll allow two people, one of whom I have already selected to go up to the Canda.”
“You have already selected someone?” asked King Henswick.
“Anil Yunhin-Sel.”
Bitus’s eyes widened and he leaned back in his own chair, “My aide?”
“She’s been the one most in contact with Derrick, and to be frank she is not an engineer. She will not be able to steal information simply by looking at something we have constructed.”
“You seem to be adamant on not sharing any of your technology, but you want us to ally with you?” asked President Renil.
“I am adamant about it, If I simply hand you technology you’ll not have learned how and why you should not use it in certain ways. My single ship posses more destructive power than the militaries of your entire planet. Would you be willing to give a nuclear weapon to one of the leaders of your planet three hundred years ago? Would you be able to trust they know how dangerous it is?”
Bitus smiled slightly, “Perhaps not, but if you are to be believed we do not have time to develop. Hostile aliens intend to wipe us out soon. Not in 300 years.”
Stagg grimaced, “Correct. Which is why I am against my better judgement allowing you some access to less militarized technology. Your representatives will come down from my ship with a data module that contains information about computer technology and communication architecture that is 50 years ahead of anything you have.”
“You feel it is safe to give us this why?” asked Henswick.
“Your nations and governments have only barely begun to use computers, your engineers understand them however, and I am not giving you the programs for the computers. Your national secrets and classified documents are still on paper or physical mediums. You won’t be able to attack one another digitally.”
Stagg took another sip of her tea.
“I’ll have to hope you don’t try and use the computer technology in your weapons, but really do you need a nuclear missile to be accurate to within centimeters when your current technology makes them accurate to within a meter?”
Stagg put her cup down, “I’m also betting on the fact, that like humans you don’t take kindly to the idea that someone else is going to take a crack at killing you. If you’re race is going to die, it’ll be by your own hand and no one else’s.”
King Henswick let out a small chuckle took a sip of his drink, which as far as Stagg could tell was actually alcoholic. “You’ve got that right!”
Renil and Bitus glared at the man but he ignored them.
“Any stipulations for the second person?”
“A military officer, someone who understands why we do what we do. Humanity is at this point training every child to be an insurgent, a solider. My crew is young, few have grown up in any other environment and I fear a civilian like Anil is going to have a hard enough time relating. A military man though?”
King Henswick took another swig of his drink, “I’m beginning to like Humans. I’ve plenty of military officers who would…” he paused looking at Stagg as she held up a hand.
“What does that mean?” asked Renil.
“Sorry, that means stop. No officers, an enlisted member from any one of your armies.”
Bitus sat up straighter, “Enlisted?”
“They’ll not contest the orders on my ship. One second of hesitation in space can lead to death, from what Arik tells me you’re very much aware of that fact.”
“You mean the Unthil missions?” asked King Henswick.
“It’s reminiscent of our first space programs if that’s any consolation. We had more failures than you, and ours for the most part failed in the atmosphere.”
“I’ll abstain from trying to select someone in my own military if Anil is going up.” Said Bitus.
“King, President. I’ll give you some time to select someone…”
Stagg went silent as President Renil tapped the table, she turned to Henswick.
“Crewman Pankin.”
“He’s currently in prison awaiting trial. He’s not an option,” growled Henswick.
“He’s the only one I’ll trust to remain impartial.”
Stagg leaned over across the table to Bitus, “I’m missing something here.”
“Crewman Pankin is infamous as either a traitor or hero depending on which side of the war you are on. As the public record report goes he was given orders to fire on a Fidelin Medical dirigible, intelligence had been gained suggesting that it was flying a false flag and was in fact a weapons transport. He was in formation with several other aircraft, at the point position in fact. When given orders to fire he refused, and instead radioed the transport and asked it to land for inspection, personally promising the captain they would not be fired on if they were indeed medical transportation.”
“As the story goes the Captain argued until Pankin fired a missile across his flight path and stated he had orders to shoot him down. The Captain acquiesced, and moved in to land. Another member of the flight squadron was given orders to fire on the transport, and Pankin turned and locked onto one of his own craft, again firing a missile, which detonated close enough to nearly knock the friendly craft from the air.”
“The result?” asked Stagg.
“Certus forces made it to the transport within an [hour] and performed a search. The intelligence was bad. The medical vessel was allowed to take flight again without further incident. It both damaged and improved relations for both sides. “
Stagg frowned, “So he was court marshalled.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure I would want such a man on my ship, but then I feel like he would fit right in.”
“Your crews are rebellious?” asked Bitus.
“I was only following orders is something that is frowned on in human militaries as a defense, and has been for some time. We committed far too many atrocities under the guise of blind obedience. Still, when given a mission soldiers are expected to carry it out.”
“So you won’t allow this man on your ship if they select him?”
Stagg reaching out picked up her cup again and quickly drained it.
“No, like you said they might not agree on anyone else.”
9 Years, 6 Months, 16 Days After Eridani Landing
Chront
“Why are you making me come with you?” asked Derrick annoyed.
“You know this species best. You’ve been on the ground longest, and you know Anil.”
“Captain the chief Engineer’s and my own time would be better spent on the planet!” said Arik her voice and image projected in the cockpit of the shuttle.
“I disagree. We need these people to start trusting us. Besides, you’re still in orbit. Keep working down here with the engineers.”
Derrick groaned and sat down in the seats on the side of the shuttle, “I’m playing enough politics getting engineers from three nations working together, and engineers as a whole hate politics!”
“Your most difficult argument besides which engineering standard to use was what types of stimulants would be stocked in the break room of the facility,” said Arik coolly.
“Stimulants?” asked Stagg.
“Coffee, and tea, or the equivalents, as well as something laced with caffeine I have to feed to the programmers. In the end I just ordered everything. Now they all love me.”
“Yes, although now you’ve got them trying to figure out how to duplicate human coffee now that you let them sample it. They’re planning to ask the diplomats to request it in trade.”
“I’m not giving up my own coffee,” growled Stagg.
A bang on the back of the shuttle interrupted the argument, “Oh, our abductee’s are here!”
Both Derrick and Stagg shot the AI a withering look. Moving over to the hatch Stagg hit the release.
The ramp slowly slid down and hit the tarmac.
“Anil!” Derrick raised a hand and waved at the alien. The atmospheric regulator in his suit beeped and dumped cold oxygen into his back. Derrick jumped in his seat and quickly turned to fix it.
Stagg looked at the guards who had escorted the two C1803’s to the ship.
“Anil, and Pankin?”
“My rank has been reinstated ma’am,” said the alien as he awkwardly stepped forwards and held his arm out ramrod straight to Stagg. Walking down the ramp she took it and shook his hand.
“I’ve been told why you were selected, as well as that turned out for you I’m not going to have any of it. This is my ship, my crew, and you will not understand enough to know if something is dangerous, foolish, or safe. You’re going to do exactly what I order understand?”
The larger specimen of C1803’s eyes widened slightly, “Completely sir! I simply didn’t want to kill a ship carrying wounded!”
“Why?” asked Stagg.
“I have some amount of honor Captain.”
Stagg’s eyes fell slightly, “Well hold onto it for as long as you can.”
He frowned slightly at that but Stagg turned and trudged back up the ramp before he could say anything else.
Anil and Pankin followed her up the ramp. Anil quickly moved over to sit next to Derrick, her eyes were wide taking in the interior of the shuttle again.
“It seemed smaller last time.”
“Last time you were sharing it with marines.”
“True.”
Pankin followed Stagg and sat down in the back of the shuttle as well, he looked at the straps and frowned.
“We don’t need suits?”
“We have spares on out ship and you’ll be issued those when we get there,” said Stagg as she sat down next to him.
Anil looked around and then up at the cockpit, “Where is the pilot?”
Derrick glanced up, “Oh, Arik’s flying. We’re still waiting for your governments on the synthesis of fuel for our atmospheric craft. We’re going to need to save as much as possible for taking the satellites up. So we’re doing weight reduction measures, meaning no pilot when Arik can fly.”
“You can’t?”
“I could, she’s the better pilot though.”
“Yes, last time you flew what happened?” asked Arik her image on the monitors of the cockpit.
Derrick ignored her and turned away, “Pankin, you’re a fighter pilot?”
“I am; I fly a G9-Falin the most advanced fighter jet on the planet.”
Derrick nodded, “I’d love to get a look at one.”
“Really? Your own technology is decades ahead, why would you want to look at some outdated craft?”
“I want to see what you did like Humans, and what you did differently. Just a matter of curiosity to be honest”
“I’ll see what I can do, although I really want to fly this thing! I’ve only been high enough to see a slight curve of the planet.”
“You are not flying my shuttle,” growled Arik.
“Your shuttle?” asked Stagg raising an eyebrow.
“My shuttle.”
The craft jolted up moving, and everyone in the back of the vessel was thrown to the side of their seats as Arik angled the craft up and poured on the speed.
“Arik!” shouted Derrick.
“What?”
“Stop showing off!”
“Keep showing off!” shouted Pankin a wild grin on his face.
The acceleration forces started to die down as the vessel climbed up into the air, and out of the atmosphere of the planet.
9 Years, 6 Months, 15 Days After Eridani Landing
Deep Space, The [Singer]
Sitting up [Vann] grunted in pain as he hit the bulkhead above him. Groaning and rubbing at it he slowly turned and put his feet down on the metal floor of the captain’s quarters of the old ship.
“Lights!”
The room remained dark.
“Lights!” repeated [Vann] as he stood.
The lights in the room slowly flickered on. Vann once again looked around the small quarters, in the past it might have been luxurious, and indeed some ancient ancestor of his lineage had commanded the ship at one point. That had been only just after the Empire have moves on towards the stars though, and now the ship was small and clunky in most respects.
The only upgraders were in her power production, shields, weapons and support systems. As well as her cloaking system, which was unique to her. The [Singer] had been serving as the testbed for most systems for generations, but never in the way of personal accommodations.
Going over to his wardrobe [Vann] pulled the simple uniform from the rack and yawning began to slowly strip out of his nightclothes to put it on.
“FULL ALERT!” was shouted through the ship.
The klaxon in his quarters began to sound and swearing [Vann] pulled on his uniform and stumbling over himself scrambled out of the cramped quarters into an even more cramped hallway. One advantage he had to admit was that the captain’s quarters were on the same deck as the bridge, so he was never far away.
The doors of the bridge were already beginning to roll shut for combat conditions, and hopping past them before they completely closed [Vann] looked around the bridge.
“Report!” barked [Vann].
“Three enemy contacts, all of them just jumped into the system. They have fired missiles, and performed a blink! They have not been detected again!” shouted the man at tactical.
“Shield’s to full for projected impact section, prepare and seal all other stations and compartments. Prepare to reinforce armor. When we lose shields divert the power to inertial systems.”
[Vann] strode over to tactical, “When you get a fix fire at their trajectory, and then I want you to fire all point defense batteries in rotating arcs into space, they’re going to blink again.”
“Yes sir!”
[Vann] turned and moved back to the center of the ship, [Syn] held out a cup of tea and [Vann] carefully took it.
“Thank you.”
“Your welcome. Want to status report now?”
[Vann] looked over at the tactical hologram in the middle of the bridge and shook his head, “No we got some surprises last time I’m thinking we’ll have more this time. Best to stay on my toes for them.”
“You’re trying to predict them?” asked [Syn].
“I’m trying yes, although…” he trailed off looking at the tactical readout.
“Sensors, what’s going on with the star?”
“I’m not sure, the readings are odd. The magnetic field is going haywire.”
“Guess, have those ships shown up yet?” barked [Vann] turning back to tactical.
“No sir!”
“The readings for the star, they line up with models for a star going supernova sir!” shouted the sensor officer.
“What?!”
“If the models are correct, we have a wall of plasma heading right for us!”
“Helm, prepare us for a jump any beacon!”
“We cannot get a lock sir! The stars throwing out far too many tachyons! I can’t get anything!”
Vann looked out of the main display and watched as the star exploded, flinging matter and energy in every direction.
“We’re dead,” he muttered dejected as he sat back down in his seat and took a sip of his tea calmly waiting for the explosion to hit.