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STARCRAFT: EVOLUTIONS
CHAPTER ONE
The Fall of the UED
12 hours prior to the events of the prologue
0609 Zulu, Solarian Standard Time (SST)
Solarian Sector, Earth orbit
The horrific ruin of the Behemoth class battlecruiser tumbled past, plasma fires licking across its massive hull as its spun end over end, the hammer head section of the bridge spewing air and personnel from its gaping wounds. The dual winged engine section was being slowly consumed by the bluish flames racing up from the exhaust ports, secondary explosions lighting up the night in a macabre display of destruction. From beneath it roared a squadron of the one man Wraith class fighters, their "T" shaped design glistening with laser cannons located at the tip of each wingtip and a pair of missile pods nestled beneath the canopy. The pilots leaned back in their cockpits at the apex of the "T", all twelve arcing through space like a flight of angry falcons. A rectangle of alternating red and white stripes and a blue field in the upper right corner with a golden starfield surrounded by golden laurels decorated the lower wing of each Wraith. Each of the fighters unleashed a pair of Gemini air-to-air missiles before pulling up and away, their engines flaring with power in order to propel the fighters away from their target. The missiles screamed as they slammed into another already wounded battlecruiser, explosions rippling across its armor plating and obliterating the shield of the UED emblazoned on its hull. Its numerous laser turrets responded with a fury of their own, a rapid staccato-pattern of laser bursts streaming out toward the offending fighters. Two of the rebel fighters exploded under the onslaught, sending fiery fragments into the other ships before they are able to pull away.
Lieutenant Commander Kim Yong, one of the youngest squadron commanders ever commissioned and Squadron Commander for Wraith Squadron Falcon Two, cursed softly beneath his breath through gritted teeth as explosions consume two of his squadron-mates. His eyes narrowed, intently studying the tactical readout on his Heads up Display (HUD) then widening in sudden surprise. From seemingly nowhere, a virtual cloud of tactical contacts are made by the Wraith's on board radar, coming up from beneath his formation and approaching so fast, they could only be…
"Falcon 2! Evasive maneu….." His order is cut off as the area fills with a storm of laser fire so sudden and intense that it blinds the pilots and confuses their radar. Three more wraiths explode and several take damage as the squadron splits up and tries to evade the sudden attack. From below them another wraith squadron, this one decorated with the UED shield suddenly deactivate their stealth system, its energy expended from the surprise attack. They shift their power to the engines as they angle into the surprised rebels, driving them away from the distressed UED battlecruiser.
"Falcon 2, anyone that's left, form up on my twelve…maximum acceleration, head for the frigate line!" Lt Cmdr. Young screamed into his headset, desperation creeping into his voice and sweat popping out all over his forehead.
"TACcom, TACcom! This is Falcon 2 with bandits on our six. Request a shift to the frigate line along our escape vector to draw them off!"
"Falcon 2, TACcom here, tactical is aware of your situation, frigate line has already shifted and is standing by, bring em on in."
"Roger, command. Here we come!"
The remaining seven wraiths of Falcon 2 arc back into a loose diamond formation even while trying to evade the enemy squadron's missile and laser fire, the ion trails from their engines tracing bright blue curves through space. The area all around them is lit with explosions as the pursuing squadron fires everything they have to bring them down, not even bothering with a weapons lock. So intent are UED forces on the fleeing wraiths, they fail to note a squadron of Valkyrie class frigates taking position along the rebel's escape vector. The boxy frigates turn languidly to bring their massive rocket launchers to bear at the pursuing Wraiths. Halo rockets, launched in massive salvos of twenty from each of the frigates begin their rain of destruction on the UED fighters, scattering and annihilating the offending forces. The once prey become the predator, as the rebels come about in a swift arc and engage the last of their tormentors.
Lt. Cmdr. Yong watched with intensity born of focused rage as the targeting computer calculated a firing solution, the red crosshairs on his HUD tracking around to follow the madly evading UED fighter. With his heart slamming in his chest, he releases his breath in a long slow exhale as the crosshairs line up with the fighter. His fingers clench on the missile launch control with a jerk, the missiles deploying from his fighter with a soft, "thump". The two Gemini's shoot forward from his wraith and track unerringly into the exhausts of his prey, the brief flash momentarily filling his canopy with a brilliant orange light before fading to reveal the bright dust motes from his victim.
USS Achilles, Rebel battlecruiser
The corrugated neo-steel deck beneath his feet gently rumbled with power as the captain stood calmly on the command island, its crescent deck rising above the main bridge to afford him an excellent view of all the various stations. His dark blue uniform was crisp and pressed, every button and accoutrement glistening gold with polish. His light grey eyes slowly tracked about the bridge, their clear depths taking in information and marking each movement of his crew. His face was composed of flat planes and sharp angles, giving a hard edge to a warrior born and bred in the deadly violence of space. His close cut graying hair was barely visible beneath his command cap, the lightning strokes of silver on the bill marking his mood as clearly as the scowl painted on his face. His eyes bore a fierce light, as he suddenly swept into motion and snapped his attention to the main viewscreen.
Explosions rippled across space as the USS Achilles, an honored veteran of many battles, bore down on the UED line, her hull armor shunting away the debris of the fallen. Her laser turrets danced a serenade of death amongst the hapless UED forces, whose support had dwindled and left an opening for the old battlecruiser to exploit. Captain Aidan Smith focused his considerable regard on the bridge crew, his eyes narrowing as the navigation officer squirmed beneath his imperious gaze.
"We're nearly through sir," the female ensign meekly replied to his raised eyebrow, "though we lack fighter support, the UED battlecruisers Battlecry and Immaculate have sustained considerable damage and have fallen back, taking their fighters with them. The way is open."
"Excellent work, Ensign Kelly. Helm, take us in for a tactical orbit of Earth, order all marine battalions to ready for surface deployment." The captain swung about and headed for his seat, the high backed chair dominating a command position in the center of the command island. He let his body fall into the seat, some of his tension melting through him into the chair as it molded to fit his body shape. He watched the unfolding scene intently on the viewscreen, the blue chevrons representing rebel forces slowly driving through the red line of the UED defensive perimeter.
"Have any other vessels broken through?" the captain asked, his gaze falling over the suddenly gaped mouth operations officer, a young man with reddish gold hair and pale skin.
"Erm, ah…no…I mean, yes sir, the USS Republic has established, ah…Earth orbit and is about to deploy ground forces. Um, sir? They appear to be taking fire from a squadron of Wraiths; I think they could use some assistance?"
Captain Smith sighed inwardly as he tried to adopt his most patient, father-like face, which twisted his face into a half grin, half scowl, "Lieutenant, relax and remember your training. Concentrate on your job and let me do mine."
"Um…ah, yes sir." The Lieutenant replied through fast breaths, his face going paler.
"Lieutenant?"
"Sir?"
"Relax."
"Yes sir."
USS Republic, rebel battlecruiser in Earth Orbit
The Republic was hurt, blasted and melted chunks of armor peeling away from her hull from the numerous strafing runs from the UED fighters. Nonetheless, her crew battled the damage and the fighters while docking ports opened in her bridge section, the scurrying of dropship crews and marines bustling about visible from space. She listed slightly to port, a large plume of exhaust gasses jetting from a massive rent in her starboard side. The scene on the bridge was no less chaotic, as Captain April Powers struggled with her dying ship to accomplish her mission. Her hands gripped the railing of the command island as the ship rocked with explosions, electrical sparks and flashes illuminating the bloody gash on her forehead. Her command cap was long lost in the pummeling her ship took while breaking through, her graying hair standing out wildly from her head.
"Shift to Z +10 degrees, come about and put our stern Earth. Laser batteries, standby for a port side barrage at point blank range!" She ran a hand through her hair while maintaining a grip on the rail, smearing the blood across her grey-blonde locks and in her fingers. Despite the furious chaos unfolding, her mature beauty was still evident, the confidence of having held a command for years lending to her stance an air of authority and confidence. Her tactical officer, an older man whose dark skin shone with the sheen of perspiration nodded to her, relaying the commands to the turret crews. Suddenly, the entire bridge shifted upward, slamming everyone inside toward the ceiling as the floor beneath them erupted with flame and shrapnel. The few lights remaining winked out as people and debris rained down from the ceiling, some falling into the massive crater that was once the operations center. Captain Powers, picked herself up from the twisted wreckage, a pitiful moan unconsciously escaping her lips as she grimaced in pain. Blood and ashes now coated her, her legs twisted beneath her barely recognizable. She twisted around with her arms and tried to pull herself into a position to see the main viewscreen with agonizing slowness, its image flickering in and out amidst static. She strained her eyes to make out the hazy image, her mind reeling and she fought for enough focus to realize what had happened. The image in the viewscreen began to take on an orange tint, to her horror the realization suddenly came that the image of Earth was rapidly expanding and that a huge chunk of the engine section of her once proud battlecruiser was somehow preceding her.
"Oh my god, sir! The Republic, she's…." the helmsmen choked on her words as her eyes widening with horrified shock at what she was witnessing. Massive bolts of laser energy had lanced up from Earth itself, impaling the stricken Republic and rending her in two. The majority of the bridge section was engulfed by the flames erupting from the engine section that sped beneath it into the atmosphere. Abruptly, another salvo seared her vision, her head turning just before the engine section exploded in a bright white light, a wave of blue plasma racing out from it in an expanding ring. The wave of energy crashed against the falling bridge section, ramming it with fury and taking with it a large percentage of the neo-steel hull in a rain of burning metal, haloing the wreckage.
"April…" Captain Smith whispered, a sharp twinge of pain suddenly cracking his stony demeanor and sending him back to another place and time…
"Come on Aidan!" a younger April Powers called, "I know the perfect spot!"
Aidan couldn't help but smile in return, his hand leading his feet as he raced after her, the cool dew decked grass leaving silvery motes along the hems of his service dress uniform. The moon was gibbous, the stars slightly dimmed by its brightness, and the sounds of the raucous party being left behind as the two young people rushed up a light hill. April spun about, a light sheen of perspiration lighting her brow as she unashamedly smiled up at her friend. Aidan slowed as he caught up to her, his hand falling to his side just short of touching her, she let her eyes fall for a moment on his hands, now clasped about his champagne glass before looking back at Aidan and renewing her smile. They had fought hard for four years to finally arrive at this point; graduation day had been like a dream come true to both of them. As two young ensigns in the United Earth Directorate, they felt their dreams come to life in the bright evening sky. Aidan nervously licked his lips, his heart thudding in his chest as his gaze fell to his best friend and not for the first time noticing how beautiful she was.
There was an awkward silence between them as they watched the arcs of light ascend into the brightening sky, exploding in fantastic images of pyrotechnics. April eyed Aidan sideways, finally rolling her eyes with a loud sigh and grabbed a hold of his hand before he could object. He stiffened at first, his heart seeming to stop in his chest as he felt the warmth of her hand meld into his. His body felt as though it was deflating as he slowly let out a breath and squeezed her hand in return. He smiled slightly as he could feel her smiling beside him, and wondered to himself if there would ever be room in their lives for something more than their duty.
He came back to the present with a jolt, his eyes regaining focus on the viewscreen which showed the remains of the proud battlecruiser and her captain falling towards the Earth, trails of fiery light wending around the planet is it spun placidly beneath them. That was the sort of death he would have wished for himself…but not for her, never her. His eyes darkened and his jaw clenched, he strode with purpose to the weapon officer's station. Ignoring the man's questioning gaze he brushed him aside with his single mindedness. His eyes found his prey on the tactical screen, a view of Geneva from orbit, a quartet of huge laser batteries pointing skyward providing massive firepower to protect the capital. He flicked the clear cover aside and flipped the black and yellow striped flip cover, revealing the shiny metal of the Yamato cannon activation safety beneath. He flicked it almost disdainfully and stabbed his finger onto the firing protocols.
The Achilles began to shudder slightly, as a magnetic field formed in front of her bridge, the glow from her engines dimming as they began to feed plasma towards the bridge. The glow of nuclear fire began to fill the umbrella like enclosure of the magnetic field in pulses, a crackling noise reverberating throughout the ship. On the bridge the light dimmed as the viewscreen was dominated by the rapidly expanding reddish glow. Reaching critical mass, the flare of nuclear energy flattened into a teardrop as it streaked away from the ship, the clouds being burned or shunted away as it passed into the atmosphere.
Planetary Defense Battery Bravo, Geneva, Switzerland, Earth
"Sir, telemetry shows the primary target has been destroyed…we should have visual on the remains passing into the atmosphere now." A technician spoke, looking up from his station to the slowly pacing UED officer.
The young captain nodded to the technician, his gaze drifting upward and out from the glass enclosure of the planetary gun's control tower. He smiled to himself in satisfaction as the streaking lights heralded the death of a battlecruiser and a victory in an ambitious officer's career. A much larger orange light broke through the clouds just then, his eyebrows creasing in puzzlement at the much larger fragment.
"Miller, that large piece there…will it present a danger to the city…" He waited a moment for the answer and turned around to face the man, his mouth opening to ask again, "Miller…." He stopped as he saw the look on Miller's face, the technician's face having gone ghostly white and his mouth working ineffectually. He turned back to the glass, the orange light filling the room and outlining his shadow starkly onto the floor. His eyes widened as realization turned to horror and at the pit of his soul…anguished disappointment.
The nuclear energy slammed into ground between one of the cannons and the control tower, the rising nimbus of cresting energy sweeping away the two structures and sending heat and fragments into the other three. The three remaining cannons darkened as the metal burned and bent away from the apocalyptic blast, the rising dust cloud mixing with the roaring flames to obscure what was left of the planetary guns. A sudden gust whipped the dust, smoke and ash in a huge spiral, as sirens began to blare throughout the city, a fitting herald to the hundreds of dropships breaking through the cloud cover.
0716 Zulu Solarian Standard Time
Geneva, Switzerland, Earth
The early morning sun should have shone brightly by this hour, the golden rays of dawn's light dancing on the waters of Lake Geneva and illuminating the spires of St. Peter's Cathedral. Instead the waters were dually illuminated by the fires along its shores and the flashes of explosions ripping throughout the "City of Peace". Massive columns of smoke rose from buildings hundreds of years old, while modern structures were no more than haphazard roadblocks to the advancing rebels. Fully armored marines crouched in craters ringed with asphalt alongside men and women in business attire and ragged vagabonds; virtually every facet of human existence was represented. From rich to poor, across the full spectrum of social classes, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, total strangers. Their clothes were dirty and disheveled, torn aside to reveal wicked wounds or hastily bandaged limbs. But their faces, despite the wide variety of color and form, were all defined by a common courage, their jaws set and eyes alight with the righteousness of their cause and aflame with the depth of their anger. They meant to see the Directorate fall, if they had to tear it down with their bare hands.
Echo Company, 331st Marine Battalion
"Watch that left flank damnit!" He ducked as a mushroom of shrapnel and pavement exploded upward just a few meters from where he crouched, the remainder of the marine contingent spread out around him. The black and orange CMC-300 power armor he wore was markedly different from the other marines, besides the striding Greek warrior emblem on his chest that identified him and the other marines as being part of the 331st Marine Battalion attached to the USS Achilles, a pair of black bars on his collars and helmet identified him as the commander of this company. The wind suddenly whipped up around him as the dropships that had just delivered his company suddenly roared up and away from the scattered artillery fire. He flipped on the combat channel in his suit's HUD
"Echo Company, listen up… We have a lot of non combatants around here so watch your field of fire and identify your targets before shooting. Remember the ROE. (Rules of Engagement)"
Joseph looked around at the eager faces of the young men and women around him, seventy volunteers who were rushed through combat training simulators and thrown into the mix to fight oppression. And they were happy to be here, where the valor of men was defined with tears and bloodshed. The screams of exultation competed with the cries of the fallen between the heart shattering silences hammered in by the earth erupting artillery. Here on the streets where the fighting would be fiercest, where the metal meets the meat. Nodding to his platoon leaders, he stood up to do the tactical shuffle, a sort of hunched zigzag jog to close the distance between them and the first line of UED troops. Blood splashed onto his visor followed a micro second later by a rifle retort, his mouth worked silently as he tried to understand why his vision was painted with red. Something jostled him from the right, looking he saw a medic, her white armor now sprayed with red, her arms flailing for purchase as she fell away from him. The only sound was a high pitched keening wail that filled the space between his suddenly loud heartbeats. He crouched down again and rolled the medic over, the sharp fragments of the shattered visor haloing the brown and red crater where her face should have been. The keening wail suddenly grew louder and ended with a large shower of bricks and refuse that slammed him in the back and sent him sprawling to the ground.
"Captain Griffiss! Are you alright, sir?"
Armored hands reached under his armpits and heaved him back to his feet, the other marines closing in around him, milling somewhat in confusion.
Another marine opened his mouth to speak only to be suddenly snapped forward, the metal fragments of his armor flying off from his back in seeming slow motion as the marine screamed in agony.
"Spread out and get under some cover! There're snipers here and they're calling in coordinates for the artillery, break up by platoon and get your asses moving!" He screamed raggedly, futilely trying to wipe the blood from his visor as he hefted his rifle and started forward.
Echo Company moved out from the killing zone, dodging the occasional sharp retorts of sniper fire and the sporadic 120mm shock rounds from the Arclite Siege Tanks scattered throughout the capital area. The UED defensive forces had not yet had time to organize or consolidate their defense of the capital against ground assault; as Intelligence had uncovered that the belief held by the UED Admiralty was that the orbital defenses could not be breached by a few rebel ships. In orbit, the Rebel forces were exploiting the breach made by the battlecruisers Achilles and the late Republic, driving a wedge through the heart of the UED defense fleet and deploying their complements of marines, armored divisions and air corps to reinforce the rising numbers of civilians taking up arms against their oppressors. On the streets, the first of the marine battalions were paving the way for additional reinforcements to land and giving the civilian combatants a rallying point to organize their efforts. Echo Company's assignment was unique, for in each marine's field pack was a carefully rolled 9' by 6' embroidered flag, a flag for the new beginning they all hoped to forge this day.
"1st Platoon, you're on point, I want to see a good spread this time… move out and keep me updated."
A non-descript marine with a single black bar on his collar nodded to Captain Griffiss and gestured sharply with his hand open, his fingers splayed as he gestured forward. About thirty marines broke away and spread out into a heavy forward tactical diamond formation, 15 marines in the lead with 5 marines taking up each cardinal point with the lieutenant in the middle. As they moved out Captain Griffiss nodded in approval and turned his attention to the remainder of his company.
"2nd Platoon, wide dispersal pattern. Cover our flanks and support 1st platoon. 3rd Platoon is with me."
He waited for the corresponding affirmatives from his other 2 platoon leaders before gesturing forward with his rifle.
"Stay frosty ladies… We're in the UED's backyard and they sure as hell know that we're here. Watch those windows and any defilade for enemy movement."
Echo Company slowly made their way to the capital building, passing under and over the twisted remains of smashed vehicles, buildings and bodies and trying to avoid major engagements as their supporting infantry and armored battalions battled with the UED defense forces. Day was quickly turning to night as the once lightly clouded sky was choked with ash and smoke from the instruments of war playing their deadly serenade. They approached a slight hill that afforded them a clear view of the capital a few miles away, the dark building starkly contrasted against the garishly orange light of the struggling noon sun. Bright flashes of tracer fire arced out in a spreading ring around the hastily made fortress of the capital building. Entire battalions of marines supported by Goliath walkers and Siege tanks milled about behind the concrete slabs pulled up from the street to serve as walls. Above them, a sudden boom announced a flight of wraiths screaming into the fray, missiles thumping from their pods in small clusters to slam into the thick walls, blasting holes in the thick concrete. They lifted up and tried to veer away even as jagged lines of molten death converged on them, the impacts raining metal and wreckage onto the street below. A salvo of missiles soared up from behind the walls and slammed into the trailing wraiths, consuming two of them in rapidly expanding balls of yellow flame and oily smoke. The last of the fighters tried to evade the horrific screen of the anti-air barrage, passing so low over Echo Company that to a man, they were blasted low by the power of its engines. The sudden retort and flattening blast of wind and burnt remnants from behind them testified to the pilot's failure. Captain Griffiss turned around and grimaced at the sight of the tall apartment building with a fire fringed blackened hole blasted into its side. He spat to the side and scanned the area as his comm. link crackled to life.
"Echo 1, Echo 1, this is 1st Platoon. We've reached the inside of the artillery curtain and have started taking 12mm and gauss fire. We're primed to execute, sir."
"Roger that Point," He raised his voice as he flipped his comm. link to open a channel on the Company net, "alright, listen up people, point has reached the objective. Whatever happens from this point on, just keep going forward and don't you dare frickin stop for anything!" At this he slammed a fresh clip into his gauss rifle and stood tall, his tall armored frame outlined by the hell being unleashed on both sides of the line.
"For Freedom!"
