Ch.4 Sleeping Giants
—-
"We expected the Terran's to surrender days after the invasion, we had no understanding of the violence they were capable of; our arrogance cost so many lives. The fear that spread throughout our ranks from the clandestine actions of the United Forces of Earth was something we could never have accounted for." - Retired Vers General Marcus Allirus Optus excerpt from "The Planetary War" (2019)
—
US, Outside ruins of Beaumont Texas, 21Nov14, 0940 Zulu
War Crimes, they existed for a world and peoples who thought War should be conducted in a civil manner. Never once in anyone's life did the thought of total global warfare against a single target bounce off the minds of those who set the laws are Father's followed. Not once in the history of man have the nations of Earth been brought so closely to total annihilation than the months past.
War Crime is a cowards word.
"Line ready!" A voice called out, the sounds of charging handles slamming rounds home and muffled cries of captives radiated in James head. A Vers Marine fell down and started convulsing, he would choke on his on spittle. "Fire!" All at once 40 rifles fired in unison, followed by bodies thudding against the ground and an ever growing normal ring in James ears. "What about this one?" A Soldier called out, James looked at the man and tried to place a name to his face, he couldn't, his teams had been swapped out to many times. "Don't waste the ammo, use a knife Corporal." James told the soldier. "Why have a firing line in the first place..." a member said quietly, "Roger that Cap," The Corporal said without emotion as he unsheathed his bayonet and stabbed into the convulsing Vers Marines throat. Blood squirted onto the ground as the man jerked even more violently, then slowed until he expired.
The last month had been harsh on all UEGF forces, actuate BDA's and casualty information had trickled down the modified radio grape vine the comms personnel were able to set up. Hundreds of millions, if not billions dead. Nearly every single United Earth asset had been destroyed save for those secret enough to hide from the Vers. UE Command, or atleast UEEUROCOM had surrendered to the invading forces and now Vers propaganda was being played on all old UE Frequency's. Atleast that was the give away news, the real picture was far from the Vers idea of winning. What was left of UE Euro Command surrendered, but before throwing in the towel, every unit in theater had been ordered to go dark and conduct Guerrilla Warfare, the exact words being "Soak the ground in Martian blood."
And so the Euros did. Members belonging to the SAS, KSK, MOE, Special Brigade, NORSOF and countless others struck the Martians everywhere and anywhere they could. Reports came in of a nameless Scandinavian group using "Viking Like Weapons and Tactics" to bring down a rookie Kataphrakt pilot and kill its entourage of marines, intel suggested over 500 dead Reds.
While the civilian resistance assisted by UFE Forces continued to fight and prolong any Vers attempts at complete control, capitulation did exist throughout the world. Nations, cities, and towns all surrendered in the face of the mighty Vers Empire. Who could blame them though? Small arms and armor could only do so much against technology that allowed it uses to literally control gravity and even the elements themselves. The Human population of Earth had been totally decimated when the Landing Castles had touched down, alongside the initial loss of life followed economic collapse of the minor and major powers, then the famine started. Morale of UFE troops was the lowest it had been since the world unified, people fighting the Vers out in the wilds were starving, who wouldn't want to surrender to their new overlords?
"Captain Stone you good?" Major Homer ask from behind James.
"I'm fine Sir, just waiting for us to move out." James replied as he nudged Homer with his elbow, "Speaking of which, what's the status of the Alabama? We still on track with nuking New Orleans?"
"Anyone find it fucking funny that the Alabama is nuking Louisiana? Just me? Fuck, no I haven't heard shit from the Navy guys James." Homer said as he let out a sigh, "We have like a three hour window left before the Tridents launch off, but the Louisiana has been dark for a fucking week so we arnt even sure if the boomer is floating anymore."
Submarines were used EMCON though, and the SSBNs were one of the best things in the world at doing it as well, but the mission at hand had called for a 24hr followed by a one hour launch notice, neither of which had been transmitted by the Alabama. It was anyone's guess as to what happened to the Boomer but the lack of Satellites, Communication, and even Air assets delayed the UFE's ability to find out.
"Well we secured the telemetry spot for Guidance, but I'm pretty sure nukes don't work like that, atleast not the ones I remember, didn't they all have set Guidance?" Homer asked .
James shrugged, "Word I heard was some tomahawks had been modified, even fucking heard the Russian gave us their fucking old ass nuclear Torpedoes and we retrofitted them. I literally have no clue anymore."
"Well" Homer said as he pointed behind him, "This Vers Radio tower thing we just captured is suppose the jam everything and anything we want within like, three thousand fucking miles or some crazy shit.
The Major was right for the most part. The team of 25 men, including James and Homer, had been tasked with assaulting and capturing a Martian communications facility. UFE Code breakers and intel nerds had found a way to break into the Vers Military Freqs, thus allowing us to Jam all communications and even 'theoretically' jamming Vers Kataphrakt radar.
The two officers were quiet for several minutes as the rest of their team went about the process of conducting dead body checks, securing the small remote building, and setting up a perimeter. Major Fence Homer was 32 and was a Marine with a decent amount of Combat Experience from his time in Force Recon. The rest of the team was a hodgepodge of American Army and Marine special forces, with the exception of a single Japanese JTAC who was more of a code breaker at this point. Homer had selected James as his second right after James had been field promoted to Captain in August. Something about being "just fucked up enough to be good." Was all Homer had told him, though there was far more to it, probably.
"See that ISR shit from the Japs?" James asked, breaking the silence. "The uh, the one of them fucking smoking some civilians trying to farm rice or some shit?"
"Why the fuck do you think I have my...OUR men kill the ones who surrender? Yeah sure it's totally the fact we don't have the resources to house POWs but, it's definitely cause those technologically advanced fucks are slaughtering civis wholesale, then telling selling them propaganda about this and that, fuck this War."
"Fuck this war indeed" James concurred with a nod as a Sergeant First Class Louise approached them.
Louise gave off a quick salute to the Major and lowered it when Homer returned the gesture, "Major we are all set up on our end. Still got some boys placing IEDs around that main road east down hill but that is just extra stuff. Ise is inside with a couple of others monitoring Martian comms and is reading the special secret they've been working on." He paused as he took at a small, crudely drawn map out of a pouch in his plate carrier, "these are the current DFPs and FOFs for our dug in guys, we got a good map inside that will have more details whenever you wanna get out of this weather."
"Fucking outstanding Louise, let's go ahead and dig in more while we can to wait out the storm" Homer told the SFC, "Let's get out of the cold Captain."
James has almost totally ignored the Weather he was currently standing in. The world had entered a sub Nuclear Winter. Even Texas was in a current low of 15'f and a heavy snowfall. Projections stated this would last throughout the year and into the Summer before everything started to normalize again.
James was staring into the night sky, just the smallest hints of dawn starting to creep over the horizon. Snow fell on his face and bled through the face wrap he had been wearing, the snow and windchill, along with the sleet that had been going hard until two hours ago, hit James all at once and made him shiver.
"Fucking Christ Stone don't go brain dead on me now I still need you sorta." Homer said as he slapped James in the chest, bringing him back to reality.
James shook his head, attempting to force his body to ignore the cold for awhile longer. "My bad Sir," he looked at Louise, "Sergeant the building got heating?" he said as he nodded over in its general direction.
"Fucking Vers have the same room temperature as us it seems, so it's warmer in there than out here sir." Louise replied.
"Let's get the fuck in there then" Major Homer said, pushing the two towards the building, "Almost lost my fucking foot in the Arctic not gonna lose it here.
—
65k feet above the Cuba, 21Nov14, 1000 Zulu
A modified U-2 spy plane, call-sign "Skunk" flew high in the Earths Atmosphere, "Uh fuck" LTCol 'Pops' said to himself.
"Skunk we still need that confirmation" the radio crackled in his headset.
"Vader, be advised I'm still searching, but what I got doesn't look so good" Pops said back as he viewed a monitor in front of him. His 'Space Suit' made movement a bit hard for the pilot, so moving from flight controls to the hastily installed tablet took a moment. The tablet showed a real time view of the ocean below. The Q Sensor array in the nose of the plane was rigged up to the tablet and transmitted all the sensitive data.
"Vader, skunk," Pops keyd, "Be advised Visual on possible location of the Alabama, sensors showing high radiation levels and I'm picking up mixed messages from a possible distress buoy."
"Skunk we have received no hails on ENET, request continued flyover until hard conformation."
Pops sighed, the Gulf of Mexico was a big place and currently full of shipwrecks both military and civilian. Every second he stayed in the air increased the chance a Vers satellite picking him up and a fighter intercepting him. Air assets were hard to come by now, so much so as a single stealth plane having the same value as the SSBN it was searching for.
"Copy, could be looking at the wreckage of another boomer, know we lost most of them." Pops said as he adjusted his flight instruments to continue his current course.
—
850ft below the layer 5knts silent running, Gulf of Mexico, 21Nov14, 1020 Zulu
The UFE Alabama was being hunted and it's deadline was approaching. It's Target was several new Knight Kataphrakts that we're scheduled to undergo maintenance near a Landing Castle in New Orleans.
"Sonar reports multiple surface contacts still overhead on passive." The XO reported to the CO.
"Maintain silent running, tubes one and three flooded correct?" The CO whispered back, "Aye sir, tubes flooded and readied. We still need to be above 200 feet to launch sadly." The XO replied.
The CO, Captain Lucas Winters, rubbed his face. His deadline was approaching for the strike, it didn't have to go through if the stakes were overwhelmingly against their favor. The fact his sub had been hunted for the past week wasn't helping him at all, "Atleast the reds don't have any worth a shit sonar," The XO said as he stepped away for a moment to relay information to the rest of the ship.
Winters started blankly into the CIC, his men went about their duties exceptionally well, he would have been proud to have them on his first command when the only reds he worried about were the Russians. But now was a different time with a different enemy. The new enemy was the Vers Empire, one that was extremely technologically advanced, but unlike the Russians he once readied himself for war with; his new foe was useless at naval warfare.
"Helm, XO, set depth two zero zero feet maintain five knots steady on the plains." Winters whispered to his helmsman, "Aye sir set depth two zero zero feet maintain five knots aye." The Helmsman replied back confirming his orders.
—
65k feet above the Cuba, 21Nov14, 1025 Zulu
Pops eyes squinted as red warning signs pinged across his Tablet. He had been flying west the past 10 minutes and his eyes had just acclimated to the darker side of Earth.
With a tap of his gloved finger the warnings went away, his heart skipped a beat for a moment.
"Vader, Skunk, confirmed launch 564 miles south south east of New Orleans, the Alabama is active."
"Skunk good copy we are dispersing information to ground teams now."
"Vader, Skunk, be advised multiple Vers aircraft strafing the launch area, 'Bama should be safe if she dives deep though."
There was a moment of silence, Pops didn't expect an answer though, he was mostly talking to himself.
"Skunk SIGNET confirms no known depth charges or water vehicles in Vers arsenal, if the Alabama clears 400 feet she should be free for awhile."
For the first time since the invasion, Pops smiled.
—
US, Outside ruins of Beaumont Texas, 21Nov14, 1028Zulu
"Fucking so how are they doing it? Modified Tridents? Tomahawks? Something else?"
"No idea bro but whatever it was it's fucking sent"
"Fucking reds won't see it coming, Ise you sure that shits working?"
The TOC went from a quiet warm shot out radio communications room to an uncomfortably hot room with no air flow within seconds after Homers team received information on the Alabama's launch. Ise, the Japanese JTAC who had been selected to activate the jamming equipment, flipped his switches as soon as they had been given the green light. Whatever concoction had been created was working because any Vers communication that was trying to be sent was going nowhere. Unfortunately for the UFE Team inside the building, the equipment and whatever it was doing turned the servers and hardware into small heaters. It was a going bet what would happen first, the Nukes hitting New Orleans or the building turning into a fire bomb. James was also fairly sure whatever was happening was going to sterilize them all, or atleast let them only have girls, if they ever made it that far.
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Major Homer cried, annoyed, "we've opened up every fucking door and window in this fucking building and it's still hotter than fucking shit fuck! Sweating my cock off in this-"
He was cut off by Ise, "Sir by my estimations the weapons payload should be delivered before the heat destroys this equipment. I recommend we leave hastily, I've gathered the necessary data for command to use so that we may-"
This time Ise was cut off by the Major, "Fucking that all I needed to hear Lieutenant!" Homer wiped some sweat off of his brow, "Captain! Round up the troops we ar G!"
"Rog sir!" James yelled out, he slapped Louise on the back, "Sarnt grab that old EOD guy and set up some dets on like a timer of your choice, sub one hour yeah? I'll go get the boys ready." Louise nodded in silent confirmation, he had probably already wanted to do that.
James sent orders to fallback and reform at the building, a question was brought up about the IEDs and other anti personal and armor mines left around the area. "Leave them for the reds, once this places goes God knows they will send someone to check it out."
—
US, Louisiana, New Orleans, 21Nov14, 1032Zulu
Octavia Luna laid in the hand of her Kataphrakt. She was going to spend the day relaxing for once, the harsh training her mentor made her go though would be on hold until her machine was optimized to sortie against the Terran's with her lord, Count Selkinas. Despite her hatred for her enemy, her father had taught her to study and learn what you can from them. So she did in a form she enjoyed, reading, everyday she devoted atleast three hours or more going over some Terran book of War. Part of her was disgusted to see she came from such people, but another part was afraid.
"Why haven't we won?" She whispered to herself as she flipped through a memoir of an old Terran Admiral named Isoroku Yamamoto. "We should have wiped them clean from this world months ago yet they still live, how?" She continued, "We are stronger, have superior intelligence, our weapons destructive potential far outweighs all of the weapons they hold."
She was broken out of her trance by her twin brother, Cadius. "Octavia I've told you to stop reading those filthy books, your brain will turn to mush this I know." Octavia looked up to see her brother standing above her, either she was deaf or he had been practicing his stealthily movements. "We should know our enemy brother, remember what father sai-" Cadius snapped, he kicked the book out of his sisters hand and sent it flying, "Father was a traitor to our Empire, we only need to listen to Count Selkinas now!"
Octavia was caught off guard by her brothers actions, so much so she flinched when he kicked the book out of her hands. A moment of silence passed between the two, "Do not speak ill of him brother please."
The past several days had been like this, Cadius would find Octavia and berate her on whatever he could. She was unsure why, he had always disliked their father for what he did but this was completely uncalled for, atleast she thought that. The two had been moved out of the landing castle to a new maintenance facility for their machines. Count Selkinas stated it was for 'quick field test' and several other things Octavia had forgotten, but I'd made sense to her, maybe her brother thought something differently.
An alert alarm sounded throughout the facility. In the distance the landing castle began to spew missiles and belch flak fire into the air at an alarming rate. Marines stationed around the large hanger seemed to panic. Octavia had noticed the communications for everyone had not been working the past several minutes, there was word of a Solar flare happening soon but she was sure it wasn't today.
"My lord and lady please!" A Marine Captain called up to the two, his name long lost as Octavia didn't have time to meet all the lesser members of the Empire. "What do you want!" Cadius yelled at the man, "What is happening!" The Captains face was pale and somehow drenched with sweat despite the cold temperatures, "Please we must go to the Bunker at once!" Cadius laughed at the man, "For what Coward?" Nothing can harm us here, it's probably some last stand from the Terran's! Let them come!"
Something pained inside of Octavia, deep inside her brain a primal sensor went off, a will to live, something that wrought death was coming she could feel it. "Brother we need to go." She said quietly as she slipped off of her Kataphrakts hand and onto the ground. "This was please!" The Captain practically cried as he ran for a hardened shelter, Octavia followed after him quickly. "Brother!" She yelled you Cadius who was too busy staring into the weapons fire being shot into the sky by the landing castle, in the moments the Captain has come to them smaller weapons and anti air vehicles started to fire upwards as well.
"Brother now!" Was the last thing Octavia said to him as she was jerked into the bunker. A blast door started to seal itself, "Wha! Wait he's still out-" her words were cut short by a blinding light. The bunker was lined up directly with an outside view of the hanger and the distance landing castle. A searing white light blinded her one eye that saw it though the gap of the doors before they closed, her skin felt like it was melting. The Captain that had pulled her back started to collapse from screaming, the smell of burnt flesh started to tingle her noise as the first shockwave hit. Nothing could compare to what she felt, a billion atmospheric reentries were nothing compared to this. Within the span of five seconds, she felt three shockwaves pound through her body even though the bunker. She began to blackout, the pain from her blind eye and burnt flesh subsiding as she lost all normal bodily functions. A piece of rubble from the roof above fell and smacked her head, she could feel the warm blood pouring down the side of her face that wasn't burnt, it hurt but she couldn't scream.
The seconds felt endless, she knew she was being pulled back deeper into the bunker by someone but she didn't have the strength to look behind her. "How long had it been?" She thought,she could still feel the impacts of whatever was attacking them. Her body continued to fade into unconsciousness, was she going to die? She didn't want to die, she had never killed anyone before, is that what it felt like to die? What about her brother? Where was he? The adrenaline spiked into her bloodstream, "I don't want to die.." she said quietly as tears began to roll down her face. The dragging continued with the shockwaves it was hard to speak but she kept trying to tell whoever was pulling her to stop, they didn't. As the moments of hell continued on the outside Octavia Luna remembered something, something she had just read. "I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." The words of that Terran Admiral, was this what he meant? If it was she knew then and there, as her skin peeled off and blood poured down her head, that the Vers would not win this war.
—
In Advance everyone in sorry for the lack of posting as well as the delivery of the chapter, I know it's not an action oriented one or deep in following the MC and his "gang." Due to the lack of general Aldnoah Lore, and from this point on, ill twist events that are in blank spaces to make them fun and something easier to write about. The timeline that has fucked me for so long will no longer be a problem.
With this Chapter I've added in a good team for James and a new Vers OC who may or may not live yeah? The next chapter will take place 2-3 months after this one and should be completed within Q1 of 2020. This one was made in the span of a fucking week and I think that's easily noticeable.
This is the way the rest of the story will go just so everyone knows. It will be filled with dark humor and questionable decisions, i'm going to make it as close as possible to the "real thing," or as much as I can with my Military Experience. It should make you feel uncomfortable sometimes, assuming I can write it well enough.
To those of you that enjoy my work thank you, I'll strive to bring you content on a more regular basis and do my best to make sure it doesn't seem rushed
Your humble scribe,
ChappyJames
