Chapter 13
Edited by a person of many names Blood Raven AKA TimedRaven117. Go check out his story Mass Effect: X-Com Theory!
~[==|==]~
Serpent Nebula, Citadel, Presidium, Dilinaga Concert Hall 2657GS July/7/2329 AD
Maghernus was nervous. While he had participated in many social and political events, he had never done so with such a varied group of people. He would have to balance the needs, expectations, and cultures of nearly a dozen species, while keeping his own ideas in line with the goals of his people.
Which in this case was simply to keep the Citadel happy, and to facilitate agreements between the two groups. Trade was not going to be acceptable currently, until the Federation Trade Committee has had a proper amount of time to test all the multitude of goods that would be traded in human space.
Which made the Volus a bit upset in the few conversations he had with them, but he hoped to buddy up with them tonight and possibly gain a bit more insight on their people. A necessity in this new day and age. Thankfully he had been studying hard to understand the Volus body language.
He knew the Hanar and Elcor were more isolationist, the Hanar due to their unique physiology, and culture. The Elcor with their very conservative culture, were unlikely to open up for a few years, but he was patient, and after observing the galactic advancements they had contributed other than art and culture, they were a very minor conservative people.
The Batarians, he had engaged in a few less than subtle meetings with them on territory. It was simple, don't bother us, and we won't bother you. They can slave and raid and pillage and colonize as much as they want. On their side of the blue line. If they captured any ships trespassing on their side of the line he had said quite publicly that it wouldn't be tolerated, and if they refused boarding, would be destroyed.
Thankfully someone would have to be either the dumbest navigator, or willfully trespassing to even reach one of their patrols, since they had specifically placed the entire line half way through a chasm of space called the Carthanen Gap, a length of space with only a few stars with asteroid belts but no planets to discharge a core on, making it very hard to traverse.
Then to round out the minor species there were the Gathens, a small burrowing species who didn't have many holdings beyond their solar system, the Vlat, a pre space flight species who had next to no impact on the galactic stage, and a few other minor species who had little interest in exploration, or were simply too isolated to care about them.
For now at least.
An apt comment from his junior assistant was that many of the other species simply were content with the status quo and did little to change anything. It's like they got hit with the idiot stick as soon as they got Mass Effect tech. Sure it advanced, but it was along a "narrow" technological front, and it seemed they lost the will to rapidly and ambitiously make changes as they got settled into the galactic community. The worst part was they were entirely at the mercy of Element Zero, an extremely rare atomic component that was next to impossible to get cheaply due to demand. And the last major technological innovation was a millennia ago with the invention of stealth drives, and even they were horribly dangerous and inefficient despite the exacting purity of the samples they needed to maintain such a drive.
Overall, a few centuries at the most and the Federation would have entirely outpaced the Council. In fact they may still do so if they decide to keep their best tech for themselves, a likely action. He was more than happy to keep his people on their side of the galaxy to do as they pleased, instead of joining a Council that would offer very little to the Humans.
"Why are there cameras attached to the stand?" Councilor Cenike asked as he fiddled with it idly.
"This is a scary movie after all, To get the reactions of you all as you view the movie would be priceless for the marketing campaign. Besides I'm sure you would find it very entertaining." Maghernus said as the Dilinaga Concert Hall filled with tens of thousands of people. He had learned that they had sold out within the first day of ticket sales. In fact they were booked playing the same movie for the next week 24/7.
The only breaks they would get was to clean up between every movie. Maghernus even had to hire a lot more cooking staff to keep the dinner theater going.
As everyone got to their seats and the previews and coming attractions began to play, Maghernus smiled as he quietly conversed with those around him, He enjoyed the wily gossip and rumors that the ambassadors shared between each other. When the movie began, they fell silent and watched on intently.
By the end of the movie, Maghernus was smiling wide as the Asari Councilor looked pale, especially after she almost vomited following the scene that had the alien chew its way out of the man in the dining room.
He knew he made a good choice for dinner: Spaghetti and meatballs.
~[==|==]~
Southern Terran Federation, Southern Command Space Station, Wolf Run, 2657 July/15/2329 AD
Sky Marshal Richard Riverfield was running himself ragged trying to organize all the troops he was getting. He'd been pushing the border further and further south for years with the minimal troops the Federation Council could spare, as a result the logistics in the region were not well maintained. The secured shipping lanes were a mess, and were causing traffic jams from here to Rhohan. And to add to the trouble they couldn't get good communication to warn about these problems, so refueling stations were getting overcrowded.
There were five Guilder wave communication relays powerful enough to send messages in a timely manner in the south, two were directed to the west and east, but since most of the ships went to the central region before heading south they were no help. The other three should have been enough to handle the traffic control, but the one which had the best range was prone to accidents that would shut it down for a couple days and the other two didn't have the range, which was decayed by the gravity well of the sun they orbited.
This was a big problem that could not stand if they were going to push the war deep in the Hegemony territory, so he put an order for construction of more relays including a few space station born ones since they were often better than planet based ones, but who knew if the Federation Council would get off their lazy asses and and agree to funding the constructions. Probably not once they saw the estimated costs.
In Richard's opinion, the Federation Council was always too slow for the ongoing installer wars, and they needed to be done away until humanity's place was secured. But he kept that to himself, his job was too important to let his discontent with the government get him labeled a radical or traitor.
Sighing, he signed his name to the few orders that would bring in some bug war regiments as well as some green horns from the central region training camps. At the current rate it would be some time in october before they could begin the push and they probably would be well into next year that they start getting confirmed victories and territory out of the deal.
Of course his advisors suggested a defensive strategy until then, to hold their strategic objectives and keep what they can until they can bring an overwhelming force to smash the Skinnies.
Until then he sent the few special operators he had out to cause mayhem among the Skinnie border worlds to delay or outright halt any attacks or raids coming his way. He also had a reliable surveillance picket on the border to warn him of any incoming assaults.
He had learned long ago when he was just a lieutenant that the enemy was always up to something, the enemy may or may not be doing the smart thing, and that they were always in motion, even if they never went anywhere. So he always did his best to keep the fog of war unveiled. It was how and why he had taken so many worlds. But now the biggest component of his plan, the communication relays, were causing him to snag, with his overextended supply lines compounding his problems. He had been listening to suggestions on pulling the line back, and salting the earth so to speak as he did. If he couldn't defend it all, then he would only defend what needed defending.
Oh and they would get territory out of this deal, the damn xenos had had centuries to fight the bugs and they done nothing, it was right and proper for those who had finally taken the fight to the bugs, the greatest threat in the galaxy, to take the land of those who had failed and rolled over to die, 'Perhaps use them as canon folder and deny full citizenship?' He mused with a smile and he wrote up orders for fleet.
~[==|==]~
FedNet News
The Hegemony strikes!
All across the southern border the Hegemony is on the move, with dozen of raids happening daily some ask if this new war is winnable. The answer is a resounding Yes! Though the force in the south are overwhelmed at the moment, reinforcements are on the way from across the Federation and beyond. From the West comes the veterans of the Second bug war, units with proud histories such as Merrill's Marauders the jungle and tunnel fighters who seized Tarthis single handedly, and the Catachan Devils whose distinct flamethrowers have burned innumerable bugholes into smoking cinders. As well as the reformed Blackburn's Raiders, Klandathu veterans who have chosen to remain in service and have had their number replenished with volunteers from other units.
From the North, ships and unit who are versed in city fighting are heading south from small units like the Shanxi Defenders, and the Roku San Redeemers, to ships and captains like Carmen Ibanez and the John A. Warden, as well as SICON special service agents like Kypas Bain and pathfinders units whose mission and identities are kept secret for their own safety.
And from the East comes are our new allies the Turians, Edmund Tromblay the burner of Hinnom, and T'Phai's Tawns the unit that gave Shanxi the time it desperately needed for the Turians to save the planet. These heroes and more will join the boots already on the ground such as the Bernstein Zebra Defenders of Isa colony and Epsilon Kappa, but we need more than heroes, we need soldiers, and that's where you come in, yes you! We need soldiers to support our heroes, Join the federal armed services today, remember!
Service Guarantees Citizenship!
Would you like to learn more? Continue.
~[==|==]~
(approved for Citadel viewing)
Tonight on Zegama Nights.
Officer Lorraine Ntawulikura has been searching for the man who murdered her partner in a terrorist attack on New California City.
"WHERE IS HE?"
And has become a thorn in the Zegama Cartel's side, "We can't let her continue to shake up our dust dealers boss!" But the Cartel won't stand for that much longer and has plans in place to deal with her.
"Hmm she want's to find her partners murderer? Lets help her find him!" Tonight we find out what their plans are
"Frank?! But you're dead!"
Would you like to learn more? Continue.
~[==|==]~
Shanxi rebuilding!
With the destruction that wracked Shanxi, most colonists would throw in the towel and go to a more established world. Not Shanxi, in order to rebuild the colony the Federation Council has passed the Commerce World Act and it stipulates that since Shanxi is to be the gateway to Citadel space, all efforts are to be made to make her a success.
To that end Morita Arms Company, Brunham Ballistics, and FedCom are being allowed to open factories on the small colony, Voight & Grohmann and Yini-Mina Precision Devices are also rumored to be looking into opening factories there, but due to their advances in plasma and laser tech respectively there are being refused until some Physical Rights Equipment is developed to keep the tech out of unwanted hands.
A branch the of the Daughters of Charity is being opened there to help those who lost their homes in the fighting and take in orphans. And monetary rewards are even being offered to those who would be willing to settle on Shanxi. There is also talk of opening a Grand Jumpball arena to draw in colonist, and to make sure the colony is protected SICON is placing a full division on the planet and planning to move a Ticonderoga class battle station in orbit above the planet as well as plans to build full shipyards in the system. One member of the Federation Council is quoted as saying, "Shanxi will become a shining city in the east that will rival Rhohan and Hesperus here in the central region in its power". Grand statement if ever there has been one. But will it come to pass? Or will the planet just become an armed camp for the military?
You can help sign up to be a colonist today and you will go to a world with enough money to establish yourself and your family and help create that shining city in the east.
However many economist note that if other Mass Relays were opened up that bypassed Shanxi, then the colony may lose out on the valuable trade, many have realized this and has slowed the flow of colonists who fear for the economic future of their children.
Would you like to know more? Continue
~[==|==]~
(approved for Citadel viewing)
Terror on the Border
On the north eastern frontier things are always tense, but today things are even more than normal, The Prophet of the Fourth ordered the colony of Clixis destroyed, claiming it was infringing on Fourth territory. The people on planet were mercilessly slaughtered, and the buildings were burned to ash.
The Federation agents in the region have demanded again for their to be some kind of recompense and have tried to get the Fourth Republic to stop the terrorist attacks of the Prophet, but the Republic forces denied any wrongdoing and prevented any Federation agents from trying to establish a dialogue with the Republic's leaders. Once again the Governors in the region are calling for military action against the Fourth, but with now two ongoing wars that seems very unlikely. As a result Colonies are putting out calls for mercenaries and ex soldiers along with Federation reinforcements.
Will They get the help they need to defend their homes? Only time will tell.
Would you like to know more? Continue
~[==|==]~
Batarian Hegemony, Khar'shan, Senate Building 2657GS August/30/2329 AD
Supreme Chancellor Dhanine Dhag'Renak looked at his advisors with contempt, they had failed in a plan to halt Terran expansion into the Skyllian Verge. After it had been discovered that they finally had competitors in the region they had begun attempts to try to force an expansion of the Hegemony.
At the moment they had two competing strategies in use, one was to map the verge as quickly as possible, which is how they come across the Terrans border on a narrow arable avenue of worlds. His advisers' had come up with the plan to try and force the Terrans back, they hired pirates, they weren't all pirates but the point was plausible deniability, and having ships that were not part of the Batarian military be involved in a border skirmish gave them that.
Unfortunately the god damned Terrans scared the pirates so much they had fled, and he doubted they'd ever return to Batarian space to return the good money his government had paid them.
The Terrans we're going to be a problem, but right now they didn't know how to deal with them, so he was gonna focus on what he could do to get the rest of the Skyllian Verge firmly in Batarian hands. This is where the other strategy was being put in place, as soon as they found a planet with their scouting force it was going on the open market within Hegemony space, there were not many industrial giants who wanted planets like these though so most would either be bought by the farmers looking to set up plantations, or colonies would be set up by quasi-legal organizations.
The former would require either slaves to work the land, or more likely just purchase the needed equipment. Slaves were something that was hard to do in this day and age thanks to a lack of demand for slaves. It didn't matter how hard you pushed them, they still worked significantly slower than machines, it was simple psychology.
The latter quasi-legal organizations was just a fancy term for not so desirables. Pirates, mercenary gangs, borderline criminal organizations. They would just use the planets as places to store their loot and try to skip out on their taxes. Which made having them completely pointless, since if a real fight ever came mercenaries were the last bunch of thugs you wanted at your side.
When one got down to it there wasn't much point in rushing, but DAMN IT! They were here first, and they had been developing the region for decades!
He had already dismissed several ideas to form an alliance with the Terrans, and just take what they could comfortably take, and believe the word of the newcomers. But he wasn't desperate enough to consider that. Someone had to be the superior, he could hardly tolerate another "Equal".
Sitting back in his chair and looking at the group of advisers who were turning out to be no better than yes men in this problem. An infuriating thought that made him almost angry enough to reduce them all as slaves, and bring the slaves up as his new advisors. It worked for Julan'Tha the Wise. He wished the last few supreme chancellors had extended the reach of the Batarian Hegemony already and hadn't taken a leisurely view of the whole situation. As he sat there, a thought occurred to him a way to both hurt the Terrans and help the Hegemony grow.
"Commander Gothala you need to devote some of our fleet into locating a passage into the Petolemaic space, something that'll get us around the Terrans, and make peaceful contact, I believe this is the best course of action for now."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend?" Commander Gothala asked.
"And possible trading partner." Dhanine replied, cruel smile on his face.
Gothala left to inform his simulations experts and theorists to start cooking up a plan. Personally Gothala thought the plan stupid. The Petolemaic's were a third world group at best, and offered nothing the Terrans couldn't. But he lived to serve his superior, and maybe if the simulationists came up with some good results, it would indeed by the answer they were looking for.
He remembered his old mentor's wise words, "Fail faster. You save time and money the sooner you find the faults."
~[==|==]~
Southern Terran Federation, Cassandra. Communication relay 2657GS September /15/2329 AD
Ensign Savika Boonpracong span around on his swivel chair like a child, bored out of his mind. The last few days he had been relaying menial massages until last night when they got the auto relayer mechanism working. He was really regretting coming to this damn planet, if they didn't have mind breaking boredom they had insane stress that made him wish he had joined the Mobile Infantry.
…...Nah! He liked his odds of living here too much to give it up. The last death related to military service here was a small nuclear explosion that had forced the colony to move for the fourth time. Wondering he picked up his pad and checked out the planet's history.
Cassandra was cursed, no one was quite sure why, but disasters were more common than any other colony in Terran space. If it wasn't for the unique gravitational tides of the local sun that allowed faster communications with the south, the Federation would have called it a failure and pulled out.
"Let's see, we moved the colony the first time because a volcano came up in the middle of town, second time because the dam broke and flooded the city," Savika spoke a loud, 'thank god for hermetically sealed buildings.' he mentally added.
"Third time because the local giant apes attacked with spears and torches, then the nuke, and the last time was because a giant fucking sinkhole." He muttered as he went down the list of things that had forced them to move, that did not include any of the times they didn't have to move the colony, which was about three times that number.
"Christ, I should write a book, it'd be a best seller. Well at least SICON will probably cook up ideas on how to lighten prefab structures for quick relocation. Hmm, maybe I should start getting to writing down some ideas on that….. Nah! Too much work." Savika mused as he continued to spin around while staring right at the ceiling.
The planet had one benefit though; there was a huge betting pool based around guessing the next disasters, and there were more than a few rich folks thanks to that by betting the long odds. He knew a guy who would have been the richest man on the planet... if one of those giant apes hadn't ripped off his arms and beat him to death with them. He was in on the pool himself and used his friends method, he kept betting the Skinnie would invade, a long odd thing since this planet was top secret, non military ships weren't allowed here, so dangerous that no sane military leader would conduct an offensive, out in the ass end of nowhere, and very few captains were given the exact course to this planet anyways. So it was unlikely to ever happen, but if it did he could buy his own island paradise, hopefully without giant apes or volcanoes…. Or Skinnies.
At that exact moment the alarm indicating something was jamming signals went off. He jumped from his seat in surprise falling right over in his swivel chair. After a thorough check to make sure it wasn't a malfunction, he checked the satellites. What he saw made him both happy and scared out of his mind, a massive Skinnie fleet had appeared at the edge of the system and was making good time towered Cassandra.
He was going to be rich! But first he hit the raid alarm button, grabbed his power suit, and began loading both survival and office supplies into his car next to the relay station, he was going to do the smart thing and go camping at the rendezvous point until Mobile Infantry and fleet cleared out this threat. One he was going to be rich, but two, against even a modest raiding force the general rule of thumb was duck and cover until some real forces came to take back the planet.
But first things first. Activating the radio on his suit he said to the general channel, "Guess who's a fucking billionaire!?" Which was met by the annoyed groans of anyone else on the channel.
Southern Terran Federation, Cassandra, orbit 2657GS September /15/2329 AD
General La'Mon, leader of Cassandra spear head and commander of the unified forces of Republic of Hammon, watched his fleet clear out the Terran space station. He had been tasked by the Grand Admiral to take this communication hub and hold it. And to do this he been given an awe inspiring portion of the fleet. While his force held here, bringing the Terran to the slaughter there would be raids on every planet they knew about in the south, they were going to cripple the industry and supplies the Federation would need to prosecute the war before they could get their forces here from the bug front.
It would significantly delay the Terrans for sure, and force the Terrans on the defensive and push them in disarray. With the taking of this communication hub they could hope for months perhaps even a year of disarray if their wildest speculations were met.
Simple plan and one that should work well, even if the Terrans took this relay planet back which would cost them many lives and resources, they would be forced to withdraw back to the core region and hopefully sign a peace treaty that would give Hegemony most if not all of the south, as a barrier against their expansion. As he watched, the Terran station went up in flames and began to fall toward the planet, leaving him a broad smile at how well his fleet was doing.
Although he knew it wasn't that much of a victory, reports were that as soon as they entered the system they received a message of mixed disbelief and resignation and the station's small staff had evacuated in escape pods that rocketed towards the planet. Indeed the general comm chatter was one of not terror, but annoyance and orderly movement. One human even went so far as to tell him that they could keep the planet for all the he cared. It was a strange psychological war, and even as his troops landed on the planet they found a much smaller colony than expected and it was completely deserted, not a human to be found. They had all left towards the wilderness. It was estimated that the numbers could not exceed ten thousand souls, not even close enough a force to give minor resistance to his million strong host.
There were several of every kind of ship and forces from all over the Hegemony feudal and tribal raiders, feudal and Tribal Transport ships, Four republic dreadnoughts, and the pride of his planet, the Republic cruisers, the next generation spacecraft created by melding captured Terran tech and their own.
At 400 meters it was the largest ship created besides the dreadnought, but much faster, it was angular and could be compared to a floating blade like the transports, but her guns were bigger and with her front facing weapons configuration, she was meant to rip the heart out of the enemy's formation, it was to act as the tip of the spear.
He loved them as they had proven themselves against Terrans in battles before unlike the dreadnaughts whose last major victory had been against the minor race Libertatem. Speaking of them, the Libertatem League had also contributed some of their Fast Attack Vessels, their ships always looked to fancy for war, like some kind of cruise vessel with their smooth lines and white halls.
If it wasn't for the black war stripes they painted on to break up the lines of their ship he would say they weren't trying. The Libertatem normally stayed out of the great interstellar wars. Their planet was more core ward and surrounded by Hegemony planets, but the Grand Admiral had forced them at gunpoint to honor the three hundred year old peace treaty of Molk which stated they would contribute to the defense of the Hegemony. He was sure they weren't happy about it, but they were here and launching their munitions satellites, ready to rain death down on the planet.
As he watched, ground forces began to deploy to the planet in real numbers now, once there they would begin looting the surfaces of the planet and taking slaves to send to the Hegemony. However that was only the secondary mission though he knew they would treat it as the primary, the real primary was to gain access to the planetary defenses, he assumed there would be a few of their ground to space guns on the planet and that would give the edge when the Terrans came back in a large group.
~[==|==]~
Southern Terran Federation, Cassandra, 60 miles north of New, New, New Cassy city, 2657GS september /20/2329 AD
Lieutenant Luke Garrett watched the Skinnie column with a bored expression, waiting for the right moment. There was an art to ambush, and he had found over the last five days he was a master at it.
"Wait until the heavy chariot is at alpha position, all squads you will have a go. Remember the basics, front and rear vehicles first." He ordered in a monotone voice, the Skinnie were trudging down a muddy road and if it hadn't been for their hovercraft they would not have gotten this far, as they would never catch up to the civilians who were moving north toward Old Cassy City in hopes of grabbing the emergency supplies that had been left there when the city sank underground.
He watched the chariot waiting for the right moment, then tapped the side of his helmet to activate the comms "Activate Pee-Wee-nuke." He confirmed in monotone. The heavy chariot and the Skinnies around it vanished, reduced to atoms on the wind in the face of the millisecond long sun, permanently blinding anyone who was not looking away with eye protection.
Not even a moment later his troopers let loose, raining gunfire down on the Skinnies from the jungle woods around the road. The Skinnie were nothing more than on again off again raiders so they were quickly slain like the other patrols, though he doubted that would continue. Sooner or later they would put better trained conscripts after them, and then the fighting would get tougher as their more experienced brethren would keep a keener eye out. But best get practice in now.
The past five days went by like this one; successful massacre after another and from what he was hearing, other units that had mounted up in time and survived that first hour, and had not been vaporized when Fort Ericson was hit from orbit, were doing just as well. a surprised considering this planet was cursed.
Or maybe because the planet was cursed, after all ever since that volcano and sinkhole, the colonel decided to fuck it and kept most of the regiment spread out across the entire colony so ONE calamity wouldn't kill them all. Like that volcano, or the sinkhole. That would be embarrassing, all of Fort Ericson just falls right in a sinkhole volcano. That thought actually brought a smile to his face.
He surmised the curse applies to anyone who came to the planet as the second hour had shown them and since they wished the Skinnie harm they were now the agent of the curse. In the first hour when things looked problematic and the Skinnies were readying for the final charge that would take them into New, New, New Cassy City an earthquake had hit. Now Luke had put his bet on the Skinnies getting the boost they needed and swarming over the rearguard defenses, but Cassy threw them a bone and opened a ravine right through the Skinnie landing zone so violently that what ships weren't swallowed up by the earth were thrown like toys into the Skinnies who had been assaulting the city. That respite had given the civilians and rearguard the chance to get out of the city with all of their emergency supplies. All without a shot exchanged.
You know, Luke wouldn't be surprised if that ravine was in the exact shape of a giant middle finger. Wouldn't surprise him, he may even win back that 100 credits he betted on getting overrun.
The Skinnie air power was a big worry, when they began the trek north, but the commanders had agreed the massive hundred foot tall trees and their canopies gave them some protection. At least that's what they assumed they got help from. On the second day of fighting, a monsoon rolled in bringing visibility down even more, less than a hundred meters, and reducing the roads to muck. Grounding the fliers, it stalled the Skinnie advance as they refitted their patrols with survival gear and more rations, and slowed the civilians, but with their jump jets, preparation for even the most absolute and comical malfunctions, training, and "training", the troopers were able to run circles around the Skinnies.
This was one of the reasons for his new theory on the planet: Cassy hated everybody, but she hates new people so much more she would help people she knows on accident….
Hmm, maybe the planet is actually a living entity, and we're like germs on her surface? That would explain the almost unbelievable catastrophes that regularly plagued their settlement, and their settlement only. Like those whacko sci fi books that get reprinted.
His second in command waddled up, knee high in muck from where he was, "Sir we got another column coming up the road." His sergeant major was in a forward scouting position around the bend of the road, he had moved on foot around that bend to make sure the signal got through.
"Damn, they're going to be expect us, no way they didn't hear the nuke."Luke contemplated plainly, looking at the Skinnie bodies on the road, he hit his comms for his sergeant major and asked with monotone, "What're we facing Terry?"
"Not sure sir they... they're not Skinnies?" The line was dead for a moment and then a panicked voice shouted in genuine alarm "Oh fuck, INCOMING! BRACE!" Luke and everyone else heard the warning for orbital bombardment coming so he looked up while everyone was flying around and waddling about to cover and protection.
Coming straight down from orbit and breaking the sound barrier, a missile shot from the cloudy sky and hit about where his sergeant major had been. "Terry? Report." Luke said getting up from his position and signaling the nearest squad to come with him.
He jump jetted up to a tree then traversed slippery branch to slippery branch until he was looking down at the enemy. What he saw was lightly armored soldiers that looked like a strange combination of man and bugs. there were about ten of them around the crater from the missiles looking over the remnant of his soldiers.
Thankfully it appeared to be for learning and not eating as the bugs did. The bug men were wearing forest pattern armor and carried rifles that appeared to be made up of iron and wood.
The "bugs" themselves reminded him of grasshoppers, their legs being overly long for their bodies, and their knees facing backwards. their skin, if it was skin, was not the same color between each individual's. They had two eyes, a mouth and nose holes on their face, he guessed from the placement of holes on their helmet that their face and their arms were long as well not as much as their legs but still notable and they had four fingered hands.
The rest of his trooper arrived to either side of him and he didn't bother thinking this over anymore. "Kill them." His troopers rained gunfire down killing three before the new guys could respond, and wounding one with an overly large backpack. Two of the bug like creatures moved to get their downed comrade but Luke was already putting something together, there was no way for aircraft to have given the location for the attack and if it had come from orbit as the velocity of the missile suggested then they needed something to communicate with their ships in orbit, and that pack looked a lot like the ones used by the light infantry for planetary communication.
He designated that pack a priority and moved to bring his gun to fire at four remaining targets, but they were moving fast, as they were jumping up the trees without aid from any jump jet or tech. Two were killed on the way up, the third tackled him right of the tree branch and as he and the alien fell to earth fighting he had no idea where the fourth went.
He made sure to mark to capture the wounded one and another one for good measure even as he grappled with his attacker.
As they fell, Luke knew it was not good for him to be on the bottom when the landed so he used his jump jet and a few good right hooks to get free and let the bug crash to the earth below. He landed on top of the bug ready to kill it like a Skinnie, when it threw its gun away and put it's hands up.
He was so surprised he nearly pulled the trigger and killed the bug... he kept his eye on the bug as he called out over comms, "Report." And soon found out that they had captured three of the bugs in total, one was the wounded comms carrier.
He wasn't sure what to do, they were bugs, but not the arachnid bugs, they were with the Skinnie, but had surrendered with hardly a fight once it realized it was good as dead. It was an unprecedented situation, a funny thing since humans used to surrender all the time, and he was tempted to say it never happen and just shoot them so they wouldn't get slowed down, but then he got an idea.
A nasty evil idea that would really fuck with the Skinnies plan if he did this right. If these bug were willing to surrender, that might mean they didn't want to be part of this war, because it offered them nothing personally, so what if we offered them something? "You speak any Terran?" He asked the bug, the bug responded in its own language then something in what he recognized as broken Skinnie, good enough for my idea. "Someone get on the horn and get someone who knows Skinnie down here. We got a prisoner willing to talk."
To Be Continued.