By Archangel
[Ten]
Michaelson Strategic Base
Briefing Room
September 14, 3085
6:20 am
Slowly stepping into the Briefing Room, Merian realized he was late. Suddenly, all eyes focused onto him, as he slowly made his way down the aisle. He cursed himself for making that mistake.
// Stupid… Stupid… //
"About time, Merian." Anna commented, as he sat down into a chair away from everyone else. He rubbed his eyes, still showing signs that he was still not very awake.
"Yeah, ok." He shrugged her off and she slowly resumed her speech.
"Something very suspicious has occurred throughout the system over the last couple of hours. Revolts, assassinations of many people, along with information from reliable sources that the Tamanayu is beginning to fall apart." She pressed a couple of buttons, and a view screen came up beside her. Images of dead officers, piles of dead civilians, and crumbled buildings were just only some of those pictures. "What does this mean?" Questioned Tara, who was looking on confused.
"Peace, or probably temporary peace, for what it looks like."
Michaelson Strategic Base
Cafeteria
September 15, 3085
12:15 pm
As they went in the cafeteria to eat lunch, Merian pulled out a chair for Mena as she sat down in a chair.
"Thanks, Merian." In response, Merian looked up, and smiled.
"No problem." He paused to think about what happened the other day. "It looks like the news of peace is starting to get around," Said Merian, as he looked out the window to see a group of privates being punished.
"I think this war may come to an end…" Mena added, as she leaned back in the chair. Suddenly, Sean walked over and placed two cups of coffee on the table for the two. He smiled.
"Have fun, and don't go [too] far." Sean said, as he looked at Merian He smiled, and Merian returned the look. Soon after, Sean ran off to join a couple of other pilots. Looking over to Mena, he saw that she had no idea what Sean was talking about.
// Phew… //
Suddenly, a figure dashed into the room to join Merian and Mena. It was Amy. Panting, she came to a stop right at the table.
"Anna wants to talk to us! She says it's good news!" Merian exchanged a glance with Mena and they both ran off, chasing after Amy.
In the Briefing Room
Anna greeted them with a smile, as she held up a single paper.
"This, ladies and gentlemen, is the end of the war…." She passed a copy to Merian, whose eyes lit up with astonishment.
"Anna, this doesn't make sense. You can't let them ally with us, it doesn't feel right. Also, how can you trust them totally?"
"Peace comes before anything. That's what the EPO was established for, Merian."
"How can you trust them, after you've been at war with them for the past few months?" Merian paused. "What if something goes wrong, Anna? What can we do?" Anna stopped. She was cornered, she didn't know what to shoot back.
"Anna, if they get us with our backs turned we're gone. All of us. And then they'll have total control over the people we're trying to save now. I accept peace, but all I'm saying is, we should watch out."
Anna nodded in agreement, as she began to continue, but the silence was broken instead by the sound of the door opening.
"General Klein, we are receiving a transmission from the escaped Tamanayu Fleet." The young man said.
"Patch them in." She looked toward the soldier. "Thank you, cadet. Dismissed." He saluted, then walked off, leaving the door to shut again.
A legion of Votals stood within the comfort of a hidden base as a briefing came up within their flight helmets. A deep voice entered their heads as images came up upon the screens.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, General Amber. This is the Tamanayu Fleet. All orders from Head Command are to go and terminate the fleet under all costs. All five ships can be destroyed easily, by puncturing the engines. We will expect resistance after we attack the ship, so it will not be an easy mission. After the engines are destroyed, you will hold off any resistance until we can get men on the ship to disable all power. I have other information to see that there are bombs upon all ships in the fleet. I want several men to infiltrate each ship, exterminate the captains, crew, and all members on board- after, disarm the bombs, and return to space. After that everyone leaves the area. If any unknown Votals enter the area, do not, I repeat do not fire at the unknowns. Withdraw when I give the order. Good Hunting."
A flashing screen blared out from the projector, with the image of a young man in the view screen. Snow blazed across the screen as the signal was trying to pick up. Suddenly, it cleared.
"Madame Klein, we are on our way towards your headquarters with the rest of our remaining loyal soldiers and what we could gather of our equipment. Our ETA to arrival is 3 Hours and 10 Minutes. We are now passing through the outer belt." He then saluted.
"Thank you." Anna returned as the signal was cut off. Unexpectedly, the signal returned.
"We are under attack! Repeat, we are under attack by unknown bogeys! Request assistance immediately! Over! Mayday, Mayday! We are under attack by unknown bogeys!"
As quickly as it started, the transmission ended with the screen filled with snow.
"Shit! I want you all to scramble and get out there now, and help that fleet," she yelled. "I'll put a call into the Docking Bay 6 and tell them to get everything ready. Go now!" The pilots got up and in a flash, they were in the hallway, running down to Docking Bay 6.
The pilots stopped at an elevator as Merian grabbed Mena away from the sliding doors.
"We have to run, the elevator is too slow!" The others followed suit as they dashed up 2 flights of stairs. The docking bay door open, they jumped into the body suits and then were suddenly into their Votals.
"Ready guys?" Questioned Alec as the Bay Operator's voice sounded in their ears.
"We're putting all of you through a hyperspace transport to the area. Good luck, soldiers. Call for backup, and we'll be there. Don't hesitate to call."
"Let's go!" Merian yelled as his suit disappeared into the light.
Tamanayu Fleet Coordinates
Entering out of hyperspace, the pilots all pulled out some sort of weapon.
"Where's the fleet?" Asked Merian, confused.
"Searching last coordinates of the fleet." Said
Amy, as she looked upon the radar.
"Yo, I've got something." Sean's Votal took off.
"Sean, wait!" The other pilots followed him, taking off through the asteroid field. All of a sudden, the large, space-faring ships came into view, looming over the asteroids.
"Enemy Votals? Oh shit." Said Mena.
"Attack them. We have to get one to see why they're here."
Charging, the Enemy Votals backed off. Sean pulled out a beam rifle and opened fire on a Votal, bringing one down in smoke. An enemy Votal picked up its automatic beam rifle and fired once on Sean, knocking it back.
"Smith! Amber said to hold off fire upon any unknowns!"
"Shit. He's gonna have my ass this time."
"Smith, I saw that. All Votals, withdraw. Now." Amber said, in a very persistent voice.
"You bastard!" He charged after the Votal with his beam saber, slicing it in half. "Who wants some more?" All of a sudden, the Votals began to withdraw and they went into hyperspace.
"Shit. What the hell were they doing here?" thought Merian. "Amy, you picking any of those Votals up on radar?"
"Not one."
"Any of you?"
"Nope." Said Alec.
"Let's board some of the ships and see what the hell happened here." Splitting up, the pilots headed off toward the looming cargo ships that were floating among the asteroids. "Keep radio contact."
Looking into the abandoned craft, he luckily found an intact docking lock. Stepping into the dead ship, he walked around the docking area.
"You guys find anything yet?" he heard Alec say over the radio.
// Nothing but background chatter. Heh. //
Stepping through the halls, he found it peculiar that there was nothing within the cargo areas, except for a large pile of crates in one bay.
"If I'm right, the cockpit is up this flight of stairs." Walking up, he coincidentally found the cockpit. A pile of dead bodies were in the corner, all shot execution style.
"You guys check out the cockpits of the cargo ships
yet?" Merian asked.
"No, why?"
"You should. All the pilots of these ships have been executed. There are no troops, no evidence of a struggle, unless you count the engines being blasted out." He paused. "Something's wrong. Very wrong."
"Guys, check the Cargo Bays," said Tara.
"Why?" asked Mena.
"You know those piles of crates in that cargo bay?"
"Yeah…?"
"Those are disarmed thermo-nuclear bombs."
"Holy shit."
"Don't worry, if mine is disarmed, they all should be."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"I think those other Votals just saved our asses." A smirk formed upon Tara's face. "They did us a favor by disarming the bombs. Why else would they be here?"
"What if they were pirates?" said Alec.
"Don't start with the what if's." Her smirk disappeared.
"Let's get back to base and report this to Anna."
"Alright."
Michaelson Strategic Base
Briefing Room
September 15, 3085
11:23 pm
The pilots arrived, and the base was in total chaos. Nobody knew what was going on, everyone was confused, and seemed to be dazed.
"Anna…" said Hsu, when she interrupted him.
"Yes, I know." She looked at a couple of papers that were on her desk. "I heard about what happened. So I heard that there were disarmed Thermo-Nuclear bombs upon the ships. I've taken all precautions."
"What precautions?"
"I should pay more attention when we decide to ally." She looked at Merian, and gave him a smirk. "But that's beside the point. I got a transmission recorder to tap into communications that went through that entire area. They kept mentioning someone named Amber."
"A she?" Mena asked, not sure of what was happening.
"I'm not too sure. It seems that we were saved this time, and we were extremely lucky. But for some reason, I feel that we were being watched while the Tamanayu were offering a treaty, or willing to ally."
"I guess there is no more peace…"
