Chapter Seven: From Above, Part 1
June 27, 2016.
Several of BAINE's soldiers gathered in Rhodes' research room, prepared for a briefing by Captain Bridge, who had been granted oversight of this particular assignment. All that was known was that there had been some sort of breakthrough regarding the strange visitors' motives, but even that was mostly rumors. The troops speculated amongst themselves what was going on.
"So," Lucas asked James, "You're the one who got the best look at it. What did it look like, exactly?"
"I told you, all I saw was a tail," James replied. "It was dark, I couldn't make out much."
"Then how do you know it was a tail?" said Lucas. "Maybe it was a tentacle. Hell, it could've been a ponytail, for all we know. Maybe they braid their hair really long, who are we to say?"
"It wasn't a braid," James grumbled.
To James' relief, Daniel soon made his appearance before the troops, quieting them down. "Alright," he said, "everyone listen up. I know you're all excited-for lack of a better word-so let's get things going." He nodded at Rhodes and Gina, prompting them to make their way over to him. He continued. "As it stands, these beings aren't known to be as big of a threat as SEEN or the Children of Homeworld were, but because we know so little about them, they have the potential to be even more dangerous. This is compounded by the fact that what little we do know suggests that their technology, while nowhere near as advanced as Gem tech, is a good deal more advanced than our own, and that they are willing to attack human beings if it comes to it. I'll let these two explain further."
Bridge stepped aside, letting Rhodes take the stage. "Thanks, Captain." He cleared his throat, addressing the soldiers. "Like Daniel says, we know very little about these invaders. We do know that while they prefer to avoid human contact when they can, they will not hesitate to fire on any humans that they do contact, as some among us know all too well."
"Got that right," a trooper to James' right muttered; he recognized him as a member of Fireteam Tango.
"Now, our informant inside Polaris has informed us that several incidents have resulted in a brief firefight with the invaders, much like has happened at the steel mill," he continued. "Fortunately, contact with civilians has been limited, and we have teams doing their best to cover up encounters. But more to the point: we've spent the last several days examining the sightings, and we believe we have found several patterns. Gina, you figured this out-want to take this one?"
"Sure," Gina said with a shrug, taking his spot. "Ahem... Sightings of lights in the skies are nothing new, and have been on BAINE's radar for decades. However, it wasn't until the start of this year that sightings of potential UFOs increased exponentially, many of them matching the description of the one seen by Fireteams Victor, Tango, and Romeo. Like Eddie said, we managed to pick out a few patterns."
She pressed a button on a remote, causing the screen behind her to display the same map of the world she and Rhodes had been studying, complete with dots to indicate recent sightings.
"We noticed a few very specific patterns," Gina continued. "First of all, you'll notice that Delmarva and surrounding states have far less sightings than everywhere else, despite the large number of people. Likewise, our informant in Beach City has informed us that very few residents, if any, even know about this phenomenon."
"Not even that conspiracy nut kid?" asked one of the soldiers.
"Not even him," said Gina. "This leads us to believe that the aliens somehow know about the Crystal Gems and where they're based, and are intentionally avoiding them. We don't yet know how they know this, but our best guess is that they have some method of scanning the planet from orbit. Which leads me into our next point..."
She turned towards the screen, pointing out the various dots.
"Each of these sightings was found to be near some sort of resource site. That is, some sort of foundry, mill, storage facility, mine, even farms. We finally figured out what they're after: Earth's resources. Only instead of taking them by force, usually, at least, they're taking them in secret, under the cover of night."
A quiet murmur was sent out through the soldiers again. "So...they're just thieves?" asked one of them. "That's why they're here?"
"I could understand if they were taking important stuff, like...I dunno, not stuff like farm animals," said another. "What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is, they're still stealing Earth's resources, and attacking humans when they get in their way," said Edmund. "And we still don't know what they are, or if they have an endgame. We do have an idea on where they'll strike next, though. Gina?"
"Our research has shown that there is another pattern in their strikes," Gina said. "Their hits on these resource-heavy centers go from west to east, and north to south. They're going in a roughly circular pattern around the globe. And one spot they haven't hit yet is right here." She pressed a button, and the screen zoomed in on the area in question. "This is Polaris Site Seventeen, an old warehouse in Lonestar. It was abandoned a few years ago, but we have reason to believe it still contains plenty of old Gem tech. The invaders are unlikely to pass up an opportunity like this one, given what we know about them. Given the path of their attacks, they'll reach this site in several days, which will give us plenty of time to set up our defenses."
"And that's our plan," said Bridge, retaking the spot in front of everyone. "The aliens always strike at night, which narrows our window pretty significantly. Luckily, this gives us a good idea of what to expect. Several teams will fly out to Lonestar, and set up a temporary base in the old crew quarters. Ideally, they won't be expecting us, and once they show up, we launch our ambush."
"But remember, this mission is more about the beings themselves than it is about defending the resources," said Rhodes. "Our primary concern is learning more about them, and unfortunately, they won't likely respond to us extending an olive branch. If possible, I'd like you to bring one of them back alive."
"Assuming we can stay alive," said one of the soldiers.
"And what about their big advantage over us?" said Roger Farroway. "Aside from their tech, I mean. The spaceship."
"Worry yourselves with ground combat," said Rhodes. "One of BAINE's fighter squadrons will watch the skies. Aided by one of my recent innovations, no less."
Those fighters were Falcon Squadron, who accompanied Director Mills down a hallway towards a hangar in a secret research base. They too had been informed of the plan to set up an ambush, but had not yet been informed of their means.
"Because of your commander's previous contact with one of these beings' crafts, you all have been chosen to take part in this operation," Mills explained, leading the five pilots to their destination. "We still aren't entirely sure what they are capable of, so I've decided to greenlight one of Dr. Rhodes' projects."
"And what sort of project would that be?" asked Sara. "'Cause you haven't exactly told us a lot here."
"Would you be patient for once?" said Oscar. "I think we'd all fare a lot better if you could just-"
Emett cut in before either of them could get too heated. "Alright, that's enough, both of you." The two of them went silent.
"Still, I'd like to know what the plan is," said Vladimir. "We aren't exactly going on a whole lot."
"Don't worry, all will be explained in time," Mills assured them, continuing down the hallway until they reached a door. "But first, I'd like you all to take a look at what's behind here."
Emett opened the door, and Mills and the rest of his team went through into the hangar. The dark room lit up as they walked in, in particular five spotlights shining on five futuristic jets. Immediately, the squadron knew what they were here for, examining the crafts with a sense of excitement.
Sara whistled. "New wings, huh? Yeah, that's pretty sexy. I could see myself flyin' one of those."
"You will be 'flyin' one of those,'" said Mills, grinning slightly. "I'd like to introduce you to the XA-9 Lightray, the latest in BAINE's aerial combat arsenal. When the time comes for you to engage the enemy, you will each be flying in one of these. Our opponents may have capabilities beyond our own, but I have confidence that in a Lightray, you will be able to handle them."
"You mean, because we're in a Lightray," said Leon. "You said you chose us for a reason, right?"
"Indeed I did," Mills said. "Now, I've ordered these planes shipped to your commanding officer. Take all the time you can to train, because we don't know just when our opponents will strike."
Mills was about to leave, but Emett stopped him. "Director, a moment? I appreciate that you chose us for this, but...like you said, we don't know when these things are attacking. We've never flown one of these spaceships before, and a few days seems like not enough time to practice."
The Director nodded. "I understand your concern, Mr. de Santis. But I assure you, the Lightray's control scheme is nearly identical to the Scorpios that you are accustomed to. Its capabilities are greatly increased, and its weapons systems are much more advanced, but you should have no difficulty in handling it. Still, always better to be sure. Take them for a test flight or two, but be ready for the attack." With that, he left the room, the door closing behind him.
Leon stepped up to Emett. "So, pretty sweet rides, huh? Space age! Honestly, I'm surprised they're trusting us with something this expensive-looking!"
"My thoughts exactly," said Vladimir. "Hey, try not to crash these, yeah?"
"Only for a good cause," Leon replied. He walked over to one before Emett could ask him what he meant. "Come on, let's take 'em for a test drive!"
June 28, 2016. Polaris Site Seventeen, Lonestar.
Daniel stepped out of the car, shielding his eyes from the midday sun. The concrete warehouse sat in the middle of the desert, far from civilization. Its two massive doors were rusty from years of disuse, and hung open slightly. He walked forwards as the rest of the soldiers filed out of the trucks.
Slipping through the gap in the doors, Daniel turned on his flashlight to examine the interior. Canisters and shipping containers were scattered throughout, and the walls were covered with graffiti. He approached one of the crates near the door, lifting the lid to reveal several canisters of metal taken from Gem ships. He closed the box and made his way back outside.
Out in front of the warehouse, Ichigo was surveying the area. He turned towards Daniel once he stepped out. "What's it lookin' like in there, Danny Boy?" he asked. "We still in business?"
"The tech is still here," Daniel replied. "We know these guys weren't already here, now we just need to hope that Gina's calculations were correct."
"And that they don't vaporize us," said Luke, passing by on his way to the crew quarters.
"Yeah, that too," said Ichigo. "So, you think we're ready to fight some aliens?"
"We fight aliens every day, Ich," Daniel said.
"I know, but these aliens."
Daniel shrugged. "You're the one who got into the firefight, you tell me. You think we can handle them?"
"I…" Ichigo sighed, shrugging as well. "Who can say? I guess we'll just have to find out."
"That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence…" said Daniel.
July 1, 2016.
As the sky darkened and evening approached, the only sound in the recently reoccupied crew quarters was of a rubber ball being bounced against the wall. As Vargas repeatedly threw and caught the ball from his bunk, James stared out the window at the setting sun on the horizon.
"Could someone check on Rook?" said Vargas. "I think he's broken. At least pull him away before his corneas melt."
"What're you looking at?" asked Luke.
"What else?" he replied. "We don't know exactly when these things are coming, or even if they are. They're supposed to show up at night, so it could be any moment."
"James, there's no sense in sitting there waiting," said Hester. "Our people are watching the radar, so we'll know if anything shows up. You should-"
"Didn't you hear what that pilot said?" said James, turning around. "That ship didn't show up on radar. We won't know they're here until it's too late, and either we miss our opportunity to learn more about them, or they kill us all in our sleep."
"Sheesh, dramatic much?" said Ichigo. "They aren't supposed to know we're here, you know."
"And besides, our scouts are looking for anything unusual," Hester reminded him. "It'd be best to get some sleep while you can-you never know when they might show up."
Rook cast one last glance out the window: aside from some curious cloud formations, nothing was out of the ordinary. "Good point," he said. "I just don't want to be caught off-guard."
"We won't be," said Vargas. "We've been training for this. We'll be ready."
July 2, 2016.
Ichigo wiped the sweat from his brow as he stood guard outside the warehouse. "Phew! Hot one today, isn't it?"
"Well, it is Lonestar." Vargas leaned against the wall beside him, cleaning out his gun. "Wish we could've set up an ambush somewhere nicer, like Florida."
"Wouldn't it have been just as hot there?" asked Ichigo.
"Yeah, but there's nice hot, and harsh hot," said Vargas. "In one, you can kick back and catch some rays by the pool, in the other you die of thirst while drowning in your own sweat. Kind of like I'm doing right now."
"Hey, I bet you're just happy you get to shoot some aliens," Ichigo said.
Vargas grinned. "Got me there."
A brief silence. "So...you think we can handle these things?" Ichigo stared out into the desert. "Who's to say they don't have some sort of face-melting lasers, or projectile probes, or something like that? I mean, if these are the kind of aliens that abduct people, I'm starting to think we might be out of our league."
Vargas scoffed. "We're not out of our league. And you know why not? You were there last time, you know what happened. Once we started shooting back, they ran. I don't care what planet these things are from, if they're scared of bullets, it means bullets can kill 'em." He held up his gun. "That just makes my job easier."
Ichigo nodded, considering him. "Huh. You know, I never took you for an optimist, Vargas."
"Optimist, pessimist, I just go with whatever suits me at the moment," Vargas replied. "Go with the flow, that's my motto."
"Well, hopefully the flow doesn't lead us to death by ray guns," Ichigo said.
Vargas shot him a weird glance. "Were you even listening to me earlier?"
July 3, 2016.
"Luke. Luke, get up!"
As soon as James shook him, Luke jolted awake and shot out of bed. "I'm up! What's it?" Despite his response time, he was still half-asleep.
"The whole reason we're here," James responded. He and the others were already gearing up. He tossed Luke some armor. "They're here."
"Here?" Luke asked as he suited up. "Like, here here?"
"Close enough to alert the sensors," said Hester. "Come on, get downstairs with Bridge."
Once everyone was ready, the five of them left their quarters to meet up with the others. Several other troopers followed them, and more still were downstairs already. Daniel stood by the door, waiting to send them out.
Ichigo made his way over to their captain. "What's the sitch, Danny Boy?" he asked, whispering just in case.
"Unidentified object three minutes from our location, heading in from above," Daniel replied. "Falcon Squadron is scrambling as we speak. Alright, move out, and stick to the shadows!"
In pairs, the troopers crept out the door and made their way towards the warehouse. Entering through the back, they spread out to cover all positions, taking cover from any possible means of entry. Nobody was entirely sure what to expect, which made preparing even harder. These beings could attack from anywhere, at any time, meaning tensions were high for this engagement. Corrupted Gems were driven by instinct, and SEEN and the Children were humans. This was a different beast entirely.
"Do not engage until I give the signal," Bridge announced over comms. "And do not open fire unless they fire first."
The next two minutes felt like two hours. The warehouse was quiet enough that it seemed like breathing was making too much noise; every creak and groan made by the foundation settling almost made the troops jump. Hearts pounded as fingers hovered just above triggers.
When a quiet hum sounded out in the distance, steadily growing louder, there was almost a feeling of relief. Almost. Bright orange lights shone in through the windows of the warehouse and the hum grew louder as the ship approached. Soon, the building itself began to vibrate as the ship hovered directly above it, and then it was quiet once again.
Suddenly, a dim light came from the roof of the building. Nowhere near bright enough to be a spotlight of any kind, it instead seemed to be burning away the metal. Indeed, a black powder was falling from the ceiling and onto the floor-they were dissolving the roof into dust.
Moonlight shined in through a sizable hole, and several large figures dropped in. They didn't need any sort of ropes or the like, simply landing from the height unscathed. Despite the moonlight, it was still difficult to make out many details. A general silhouette could be made out: the beings were heavily-built, and would have likely been around eight feet tall if they weren't hunched over. Each of them possessed a tail, just like the one James had seen.
One last figure dropped in through the hole in the roof, landing hard enough to leave cracks in the concrete. This figure stood up to its full height, and seemed to look around the room. All of a sudden, a beam of light shone from this figure's face, blinding the soldiers. The beam looked around the room, most likely checking if they were alone. After a brief scan of the area, after which the beings hadn't seen any of the troops, the big one ordered the others in that same guttural language. A pair of the beings made their way up to a storage container, severing the lock in a flash of light. The doors creaked open, and the same two walked inside.
"Engage," Daniel whispered.
The captain going first, the troopers leapt out from cover, aiming their weapons at the beings. Light from the soldiers' flashlights filled the room, finally giving them a good look at the invaders. Each one appeared to be wearing a set of high-tech armor, though there appeared to be no cohesion between them; each one looked almost entirely different. Where they weren't covered in armor, they appeared to have green scaly skin.
The one in the center had the most elaborate armor, which was colored bright red, adorned with what seemed to be skulls. It held up an arm to shield its eyes from the light, revealing a row of spines down its back. Once it lowered its arm, it could be seen to have a flat face with slitted eyes and numerous sharp teeth, with crests of bone on the sides of its head. It regarded the soldiers with what seemed to be curiosity, or perhaps confusion.
For a moment, nobody moved. BAINE troopers aimed their weapons at the aliens, who stood in place, either side waiting for the other to make the first move. "Bridge," James said quietly, "what's our plan of engagement?"
"I'll handle this," Daniel answered. "Keep your guns on them, I'll try and approach." Making sure that their attention was on him, he holstered his weapon, holding up both hands to appear non-threatening. The being in red, apparently the commander, regarded him strangely, cocking his head to the side. Slowly, Daniel began walking towards them. "Can you understand us?"
The lead being looked from Daniel to the rest of the soldiers surrounding him and the others. Turning back to Daniel, he said something in his language, seeming to be a question.
"I-I don't understand," Daniel said. "We don't mean to harm you, we just want to make sure we're safe. We aren't your enemy."
Their leader bared his teeth in what appeared to be a smile. He raised his arm, and when he clenched his fist, a blade shot out from a device on his forearm. Daniel staggered back slightly at this display. The being pointed this blade towards Daniel, growling out a command. The other beings lifted their weapons and opened fire.
AN: Finally, we get a good look at the invaders! Trivia: this isn't the first time this species has appeared in the Elsewhere Saga. Let's see if anyone can find it...
