Horde Battleship Hoscar
Deep Space
20 May 2017
It took four days to collect all the functioning data chips from shattered robots, physical evidence, and sensor reading from the entire length and breadth of the battlefield. Some of the early results had not been encouraging. One bright spot turned up hours before leaving the moon. An energy signature very similar to those recorded of the enemy suits was discovered in a tiny pyramid approximately fifteen hundred miles northwest of the battlefield.
Rongar's most trusted aid and friend, Sagan, contacted him about an incredible discovery. Not having the time to see it for himself, Rongar ordered Sagan to take the discovery up to his battleship and he would make time to see it later. That was four days ago. Now Rongar prowled the corridors reviewing the preliminary data as he made his way to Maintenance Bay 4. Horde Prime had give Rongar unprecedented clearance to sift through the highly restricted archives in order to carry his orders to discover what this new enemy was. The results of several days searching massive amounts of data, some of which predated the Horde, produced some shocking, even frightening results.
The blast doors to Maintenance Bay 4 parted at his approach. There was no activity anywhere in the bay except in the very back behind the repair bays hidden behind tanks, carriers and other vehicles under repair or overhaul. Sagan used his personal authority as Rongar's Second in Command to temporarily suspend all work in the bay. As the general stepped around a partially disassembled tank, Sagan's discovery abruptly came into full view.
It was a battle suit unlike anything Rongar had ever even remotely heard of. The thing stood ten feet in height painted white with all the joints and hands rendered in black. The helmet clutched in the right hand resembled that worn by Roman Centurions on ancient Earth. The helmet and faceplate were white and the metal wing on top, like the feathered plume of a Centurion commander's helmet, was painted red. Green lenses filled the eye sockets.
Rongar didn't let his emotionless mask slip on a regular basis, but this was a rare occasion. "Incredible. This looks bigger than the one which attacked Zarin's forces."
A tall humanoid with ruggedly handsome features stepped out from behind the battle suit. "Isn't it?" he replied, beaming. "From what I have been able to uncover this was supposed to have been the seventh member of a team called Guardians. This suit is bigger by about two feet. It had to be this size in order to maintain its power, but was deemed a little too big. Thus, it was never used. Your physical build should be no problem, maybe even ideal for this particular model."
Rongar eyed the formidable energy rifle mounted next to the right shoulder. "How powerful is it?"
Sagan blew out a breath as he speculated. "I'd say once you've mastered this you should easily be able to match that winged suit. These rocket thruster packs mounted at the shoulders will give you frightening speed and agility. The operating system is unlike anything I've ever seen even on drawing boards.
"My analysis team speculates the same type of operating system is loaded into those enemy suits. Our computers indicate the operators of those enemy suits could not have been human, but you and I both know it was Earthers using them. This would indicate-"
"-A high degree of adaptability in the suits to conform to the physical and mental structure of the user," Rongar interrupted.
Sagan nodded. "That can be a tremendous advantage in battle."
They had already seen the validity of that statement first hand. Rongar reviewed Sagan's notes on this suit as compared to the estimates of the enemy versions. This could give him the edge over all of them provided he was able to master the beast.
"How soon could you have this ready for trials?" Rongar asked, continuing to review Sagan's notes.
"Hmm," Sagan murmured rubbing his chin. "It's not as well preserved as those other battle suits seem to have been. The entire power distribution system has to be rebuilt. The thruster packs need refurbishment. That rifle needs careful study and will likely have to be built from scratch. The entire suit is not built from Etherium, but something remarkably similar. Say, three months to do the job right and give you something fully functional to master. Maybe four. Depends on whether or not my crew can be left alone to work at our own pace."
That was a bold demand on Sagan's part, but Rongar learned early on the man took those chances for a reason. Another commander would likely have had him executed for his bold, often demanding attitude when it came to doing this kind of work. Rongar gave him unprecedented latitude because he was so good at his job. Often times Sagan proved himself right in estimates of work needing to be done, evaluations of weapons potentials, or flaws in a particular system. Rongar took it as his personal responsibility to see to it nothing unfortunate happened to this gifted young man. Challenges like the one before them was exactly the kind Sagan lived for. Sagan's somewhat unorthodox way of doing things was more than made up for in the results he produced.
"Very well, Sagan," Rongar finally replied. "Whatever you need, you have but to ask."
"Thank you, sir," Sagan replied. He watched Rongar as the general took his leave to let Sagan's crew get to work for a few moments, and then turned to the motley collection of humanoids, aliens, and even few robots that made up his crew, and set to work.
Rongar prowled the corridors once more. His thoughts kept returning to the data uncovered in Horde Prime's most highly guarded archives. Those battle suits recovered by the Earthers were still untested to a point. According to his information they had not been in use for more than a few years when Horde Prime arrived. Those warriors enjoyed success after success for about a year before a way was found to destroy them. The method used was almost worse than the Guardians themselves. Horde Prime managed to put the abomination he had created to sleep, but he had created it so well that even he could not destroy it. If that thing should ever awaken…
Rongar shuddered at the thought. If it could be done once, it could be done again. The battle suit Sagan was about to refurbish would go a long way toward doing that. In the meantime, the potential damage those humans could cause had to be limited as much as possible. To do that Rongar had to think as they did in order to figure out what they were likely to do next. It was a big galaxy, after all. Plenty of places to choose from once they deciphered the data pirated from his ship's computers.
Returning to his quarters, Rongar reviewed the massive map of the galaxy displayed on a large viewing screen. There were a lot of choices, too many for even the massive Horde armada to cover effectively. The towering man sank into a plush leather chair as he gazed almost blankly at the display, lost in thought as the battleship continued to sail sedately through normal space.
Area 51
United States, Earth
22 May 2017
General Hammond moved his command from Cheyenne Mountain to the Area 51 facility to be closer to the action, as it were. Someone was promoted to take over the mountain facility, and would have a change of command ceremony in a few weeks. For now, he traveled back and forth.
Today, he headed up a meeting to get progress reports on crew replacements for the Eternia, new troops to bring Colonel Markson's platoons back up to full strength, and medical reports on the injured, and the Guardians.
In attendance were Colonel Markson, Eternia's Chief Surgeon Doctor Emilio Carter, base infirmary chief Doctor Susan Blanchard, who transferred from Cheyenne Mountain with the general, and Chief Scientist Blain Robards, who was in charge of the research and development wing. Captain Majourny rounded out the list to deliver her report on ship and crew.
"Thank you all for coming," General Hammond replied. "I know this is a difficult time with the funerals for our fallen comrades, my transfer of command to this facility, acclimating our replacements with this command, and analyzing the technology and data brought back from the mission to find the battle suits. So I won't keep you all any longer than necessary."
Jo-jo delivered her report first. While the Eternia herself just needed a paint job and extensive repairs to a few critical systems, and numerous sub-systems, the crew did not fair as well. Fifty-seven casualties was the final tally with seven fatalities. Ensign Anderson, the science specialist who manned the sensors during the battle, was badly injured when a punishing assault from a wing of Horde fighters overloaded his equipment. The consoles exploded grazing him with mostly flesh wounds from flying shrapnel. Burned as a result of the brief fires, Anderson came away with second and third degree burns. His current prognosis was cautiously optimistic for a full recovery, but it would be long and painful.
Eternia was expected to be space-worthy within a month. Jo-jo also expected to have some of the injured back on duty with the worst cases replaced with fresh personnel.
Colonel Markson's command, however, did not fair nearly as well. One dropship was lost with crew. Two full platoons had been wiped out during the desperate fighting even after the Guardian battle suits had been activated and brought into the fight. The injuries inflicted were polar opposites. Those who survived had merely minor wounds while the serious ones unanimously proved fatal. No in-between. Filling the ranks would be no easy task when the word got out about what really happened, but the colonel seemed optimistic he could put his command back together with time to spare before the next mission.
Both Captain Majourny and Colonel Markson looked like death warmed over – twice. General Hammond harbored no illusions it had nothing to do with anything but writing those letters to the next of kin. With so many to write, Jo-jo finished those for her seven dead, and pitched in to assist with the colonel's load without being asked. Together the pair finished the final letter last night, and the strain showed.
Replacements were coming in, but they were not what one could have hoped for. While many were competent and undoubtedly the best, most were young hotshots who thought they were indestructible. Much like the colonel's troops had been when the Eternia launched on its first mission a few weeks ago, Hammond thought. Now the survivors were seasoned, and well aware of what they had gotten themselves into, and those same survivors had to burst the swelled heads coming into the command any way they could.
Blain Robards delivered his report on the Guardian armor with all the hype and exuberance of a kid unleashed in the candy store of his dreams. Colonel Markson had to rein the man in to explain his 'techno-babble' in simple terms. Though Markson was quite intelligent, he preferred things put to him simply. Jonathan derived a perverse pleasure from interrupting the techno-geek when he was on a roll causing Blain to stop, gather his thoughts and start again.
"Eternia held better than expected, all things considered," Robards went on. "The weapons proved more powerful than the simulations predicted."
"We also got lucky," Jo-jo pointed out. These scientists irritated her because luck was not scientifically provable, so they tended to ignore it.
"The armor, on the other hand, is…incredibly complex." Robards seemed at a loss for words here. A miracle, considering he could talk one's ear off about anything in his field. "Rebuilding the starship is child's play compared to trying to reverse-engineer those battle suits."
"Sorceress did indicate magic played heavily in their construction," General Hammond replied. He referred to the after-action reports filed by all six Guardians. "We suspected it based on the information recovered from the starship prior to rebuilding it, and she confirmed it after the battle to recover said armor."
"Well, the armor does have a kind of rudimentary intelligence that is anything but rudimentary. They act like living beings. You don't just don them and use them in battle. Based on the information we've acquired so far, the operator interacts with the suit." Blain paused to let that fact sink in. "They can be temperamental, too. Adrian's suit still will not let us examine it." Blain shook his head.
"Has Adrian indicated why his suit won't cooperate?" General Hammond asked.
Blain scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Something about not having a name."
"Did it ever occur to you that while it may not be important to you, it is to the artificial intelligence in the suit?" Colonel Markson countered. The look in the scientist's eyes answered his question. "You people never cease to amaze me."
"It's a machine, colonel. Nothing more, nothing less. I'm amazed to hear a confirmed skeptic like you think otherwise," Blain retorted.
Markson opened his mouth to retaliate, but General Hammond cut him off. "Gentlemen," he replied in his warning tone signaling then to back down. To Blain, he said, "Leave Adrian's armor alone." He held up a hand to stave of the scientist's complaint. "I realize the technological boon each of the suits represents, but we have to be mindful of the intelligences within them; artificial or otherwise. If the suit won't cooperate, and won't allow anyone but Adrian to work on it for the time being, leave it alone." Blain nodded his understanding under the general's penetrating stare.
Hammond turned his attention to the two doctors. "What is the status of all the Guardians?"
Carter and Blanchard exchanged glances, and Blanchard cleared her throat. "All six of them have been subjected to a thorough physical exam to include MRI scans. Their brain scans show increased activity probably as a result of the transference from their respective suits. The last scans taken a few hours ago shows the activity settling down, but still elevated when compared to the images taken before they were cleared for space travel."
"Is there any permanent damage?"
"That depends on your idea of damage, sir," Doctor Carter supplied. "They now have the knowledge and experiences from people who lives over a thousand years ago. Sorting through it all is just now starting to get easier for them. In time I expect we can, if nothing else, get an insight into what life was like before the Horde."
"And maybe find a way to stop them?" Colonel Markson suggested, and Carter nodded in agreement.
Blanchard hesitated a moment before continuing with the down side to this particular part of their brief. "While the Sorceress was healed somewhat by her armor, which is primarily some kind of amplifier for a creature of magic such as her, it appears to be a one-time deal. Already she is starting to show increased degeneration in her nervous system. We still have no idea what's causing it or how to slow it down, much less stop it."
General Hammond mulled over the obvious dire implications. "She is still convinced she can find something of use in Castle Grayskull?"
Blanchard nodded.
The screen on the wall opposite General Hammond came to life. In moments, the image resolved into Hohiro Takamora, Adrian Cobretti, and the Sorceress standing in a bland room. The camera operator caught the trio already in the process of exploring Adrian's metamorphing ability. Sorceress, now dressed in the costume of her position as Guardian of Castle Grayskull, raised her arms spreading the feather cape, and underwent the startling transformation into Zoar the Falcon. Zoar flapped her wings to stay aloft, and darted about the room.
The hidden camera did not have sound, but it could fallow her movements to a limited degree. It tracked the falcon around the room to where she finally settled on a metal table set near the door. Both men eyed the falcon as it stood serenely and stared back at them. While the observers could see lips move, they could not know what Sorceress told the men telepathically. Adrian stepped away, body language indicating he was attempting something.
Everyone in the room knew of his transformation during a sparing session with Hohiro using powered down energy sabers. Adrian had been unable to repeat the feat since. Even Sorceress was at a loss to explain why. He should have been able to once the ability manifested. Try as he might, Adrian just couldn't seem to do it again. Hohiro theorized it may only work in the heat of battle, and at the time, Hohiro had pressed pretty hard.
Zoar launched from the table, and transformed back into her human form. The three discussed the matter further for a minute or two with Adrian becoming agitated. Clearly Adrian disagreed with the Sorceress on what the problem was. Adrian turned away from the pair, and the camera. Hohiro wanted to follow, but Sorceress held up a hand to stop him. She was reading Adrian's body language, which warned her what was coming.
Moments passed uneventfully when suddenly the young man's form distorted, limbs elongated, and in an instant an alien stood in the space Adrian once occupied. The tail swished back and forth as the monster turned to regard the humans. Translucent lips peeled back from a mouth full of razor teeth. Outer and inner jaws parted followed by a very feline hiss.
Sorceress nodded in understanding. Where she had to think change or transformation Adrian evidently just had to clear his mind and picture what form he wanted to take. She nodded again and telepathically asked him to take another form.
A moment of thought preceded another stunning transformation. This form Hohiro found eerie because he'd seen the movie this came from a couple months ago. It turns out Private Frost has an affinity for old 'B' movies, movies whose budgets were not that large, but managed to make something with it. The form Adrian adopted came from a movie called CHUD, an acronym for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller. Cords of muscle strung like thick cables wound through the arms and legs. Large glowing green eyes regarded Sorceress stuck in a vaguely reminiscent rat's face. The creature sniffed the air experimentally. Green lips parted revealing yellowed razor teeth, and it approached the woman who stood rooted in place.
"Amazing," Hohiro breathed. "His sense of smell has been heightened."
Sorceress nodded. "The alien has speed, agility, and high endurance. This form is strong, not as agile, but has heightened senses like the alien, and can see in ways different from the first form." The woman held her ground as the rat-faced creature approached, sniffing the air.
Bemused, Hohiro replied, "It appears he likes your scent."
Trying hard to keep the smile from her face at the attention, she brushed the face away with the back of her left hand. One more, if you please, she sent telepathically.
Hohiro was familiar with the last form Adrian took. This came from another movie in Frost's collection about a synthesized creature design for fighting in desert conditions. Its weakness was it could be destroyed with water.
Though she did not care much for monsters, Sorceress raised an eyebrow at this one. Standing a full three feet taller than she, it had an oversized head, box-like jaw full of razor teeth, and a powerful body whose limbs were segmented with armored carapace pieces. The brackish color would allow it to blend into the shadows until it was too late for an enemy to realize it was there. Both jumped as twin bone claws snapped out from under the forearm carapace plates.
"That wasn't in the movie," Hohiro hissed. The creature chuckled – if it could be called that – and would probably have grinned it that horrid mouth accommodated lips.
Sorceress moved off to the right as the conference room watched. Though she intended to end this session for the day, Adrian had one last surprise. Sudden gasps echoed in the conference room as the carapace creature shrank to an adult male form. The fire-scarred visage straight out of a nightmare turned directly into the hidden camera. The twisted features of Freddy Kruger grinned at them as he waggled the long razor blades on his right hand in 'Hello.'
"Okay," Colonel Markson replied recovering his wits. "Now that's creepy."
"Yeah, but he'd be great at Halloween parties," Blain quipped.
Markson pegged the man with a look that could kill on contact while General Hammond coughed to cover up a laugh.
"I though you concealed that camera, Mister Robards," Hammond replied when he got himself in order.
"I did," the scientist replied defensively. "There is no way he could know it was there."
"After being 'court-marshaled' for cowardice in the face of the enemy after the battle at Edwards Air Force Base, I'd be a little paranoid, too," Jo-jo supplied. "I guess he just doesn't trust us."
"Adrian Cobretti doesn't trust anyone," General Hammond supplied. "Just give him time."
Hammond watched as Adrian approached the Sorceress, now leaning back against the table with arms crossed beneath her breasts, feather cape concealing shapely legs. She held up a warning finger as the man approached, razors poised to strike. Adrian stopped and deflated all at once like a balloon suddenly have its air released, paused long enough to say something, and walked away morphing back to his real self. Sorceress and Hohiro exchanged a brief knowing look.
If there is one person who can bring him around, it's Sorceress, Hammond mused. I don't know why, but watching these two together just seems right somehow. A challenge like Cobretti seems to be good therapy for her as well, yet they avoid each other since returning from their first mission.
The general shook himself back to the present. He filed the development between Sorceress and Adrian away for another time and got back to finishing the meeting so they could get on with the business of getting ready for their next mission.