Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the UER.
Admiral Vasily Mikhailov waited patiently, watching the main view of the Batarian-Krogan fleet in front of him. Both halves of the 15th Fleet had rendezvoused not but ten minutes before, and Vasily had made sure to regain full, unimpeded command of the entire fleet. The 15th was his to command, and he would make sure that everything he ordered would ensure the best possible chances of survival for his fleet.
The 15th numbered 118 vessels, and was manned by experienced crewmen and battle-hardy marines. Yet, for all that, numbers would not be on Mikhailov's side if the two opposing fleets came to bouts. They had counted a full 142 ships belonging to either the krogan or the batarians—indeed, their vessels were generally smaller, ranging from corvette-sized to a few cruiser-weights, yet he had determined - from Shepard's reports and post-engagement evaluation data - that size did not matter with those ships that belonged to the either the Citadel, or the aliens in front of him. They packed quite a punch, and - much to Vasily's chagrin - he would have to modify standard UER naval engagement strategy quite a bit.
After decades of fighting amongst the stars against their own kind, the various UER tacticians and strategists had dictated that the best way to engage a hostile naval force was to slowly advance upon the enemy whilst continually firing off a vessel's main magnetic cannons, with the occasional broadside. Yet from what from Vasily had gathered, this strategy would take the UER nowhere, with these vessels that utilized the so-called "Element Zero," that the Citadel diplomats had touched briefly on with Hackett, and that the scientists from the RNS Affinity had discovered from the "mass relay."
No, Vasily had determined that such a regular strategy would only cause their destruction. Yes, their "mass accelerators" packed much smaller packages than did the UER's Magnetic Cannons, at a similar rate of fire. But, the problem lied in the fact that while the UER's main guns where stronger overall, the slugs they fired, whether it was a heavy, medium, or light, were much too slow for the standard distances at which Element-Zero vessels engaged. Their opposition could simply dodge their shots systematically while simultaneously peppering the UER vessels with their own slugs. That was, indeed, the reason Shepard's Battlegroup Autumn had lost an entire vessel, and had two others crippled, against a foe that was unprepared, relatively unshielded, and taken off-guard. Death by a thousand cuts, indeed.
Thus, Vasily had to think of another strategy—and in his brief endeavors, while waiting for any sign of contact from the Batarians or the Krogan, he had come to the conclusion that the UER needed to engage at a distance that they could, pound for pound, slaughter the enemy, while maintaining a solid defense.
The solution lied in engagement distances greater than knife-fighting ranges, yet slightly lesser than intermediate ranges. Another question lied in the how. How would they achieve such short distance engagements?
And, again, Vasily had an answer. The UER's vessels primarily used two different FTL drives—one for long-distance trips, the Steymer Gravitic Oscillation Drive—and one for short-distances—the Rausch Warp-Shock Drive. While the Steymer Drive needed long periods of time to recharge, the Warp-Shock Drive could recharge itself in a matter of minutes. Indeed, UER vessels could even engage their Warp-Shock Drives before the FTL drive itself was fully charged—albeit, for shorter distances. And, in this, the admiral had his solution.
If the krogan-batarian fleet turned out to be hostile, then Vasily would immediately give the order for a mass FTL jump, towards a respectable distance between themselves and the enemy. The fleet would jump in waves, so as to prevent any sort of unwanted coagulation, and would then break into smaller blocs, with goals similar to a Wolf Pack's—engage together, and remain as a singular entity, while still breaking the fleet into several elements to provide the most efficient manner of engagement, and prevent a singular wall for which the enemy for fire indiscriminately into.
Of course, this strategy would be much easier to pull off with smaller numbers—the size of such a fleet, undergoing such a maneuver, would likely prove to be a hindrance—but, Vasily had faith in the men and women of the 15th Fleet, that they would pull it off—the first example of such a naval maneuver.
He just hoped to death that it would work. The admiral shook his head, done with his contemplations, before looking around the bridge. The crewmembers hustled about with a sense of urgency, yet remained diligent and professional. Good.
"Sir!"
Mikhailov whipped his head around towards Sanderson, his Communications officer. "Yes, Lieutenant?"
"Sir, we've received a transmission - a voice recording. From one of those cruiser-analogues."
"Run it through the translator matrix the Citadel diplomats lent to us. Let's see what they want."
In a second Lieutenant Sanderson ran it through, and a voice rang through the bridge's intercoms. "Unknown fleet, you have illegally fired upon Hegemony vessels, thus declaring your hostility. You have five minutes to surrender, and we will consider taking prisoners. Fail to comply, and we will fire on you. The timer starts now."
Vasily did nothing for a few seconds after the transmission stopped, before his mouth curled into a smirk. "Tactical, what's the situation on our weapons systems?"
"Sir, both Heavy Magnetic Cannons are at 100% charge, and ready to fire, while our shields are raised and at full charge. All fourteen Raven missile pods are prepped with missiles loaded, and we have both torpedo bays on our starboard and port sides loaded. Torpedoes on the bow are not loaded yet, but are prepped." The crewman took a few moments, tapping on his console several times. "Point defense rifles are ready, and Colonel Rogers reports his marine detachment is ready for combat, whatever you need them to do."
"Thank you, Lieutenant." The admiral sighed, stretching his arms before turning his gaze back to the main view. "And now, we wait. I want all flights of F-41 Kestrels scrambled, now. As soon as they fire upon us, I want our Rausch drives prepped, and I want communications to send out an order to the rest of the fleet to make FTL jumps. We will, and I mean we will, show these aliens their mistake in engaging the United Earth Republic." Admiral Mikhailov stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath. "For the Republic!"
The rest of the bridge resounded with an echo, as crewmembers boldly yelled the UER's battlecry.
Staying true to his word, the batarian admiral at the head of the joint Krogan-Batarian fleet smirked viciously before giving the order for the entire fleet to fire at the miserable aliens before them. Watching as the slugs made their way towards the enemy, he thought that maybe, the Hegemony could make a slave race out of these insolent aliens, along with the rest of the Citadel member races.
Yet, he would never gain that satisfaction, as before the shots could find their marks, the enemy fleet before the Batarians and Krogan shined a bright blue, akin to some sort of electricity, before they disappeared altogether. And suddenly, the batarian admiral was gazing into the bows of an entire hostile fleet, only some fifty kilometers away from his own fleet.
The many bows of the UER fleet were alight with a red glare, before unloading their payloads into their enemy, focusing on key targets, before the 15th broke up into their various Wolf Packs and blocs. Within seconds, fifteen batarian and krogan vessels, ranging from frigates to cruisers, were eliminated, crushed, detonated, or vaporized. To their credit, the Krogan and Batarians responded with force and diligence, firing away with their mass accelerators, and launching waves and waves of disruptor torpedoes.
"Admiral, enemy cruiser twenty degrees to starboard!" The Viridian Green's Helmsman barked out, eyes darting across the viewport as he steered the vessel this way and that way.
"Hard to port, fire broadsides when ready. Tactical, get me a firing solution on that cruiser ahead of us, and fire when ready."
Lieutenant Sanderson's fingers raced across his console, fully alert as he kept tabs on the other vessels in the 15th Fleet. Suddenly, a red light pinged across his board, signaling the loss of communications with an allied vessel. "Sir, the RNS Say My Name is hit! Comms aren't responding."
Suddenly, a destroyer nearby the RNS Viridian Green seemed to stop all movement, before a bright light blinded their view. The RNS Say My Name, a Providence-Class destroyer, had imploded, its reactors compromised and its engineers vaporized.
"Damnit! Comms, give a report on the rest of the fleet!"
"We've lost seventeen, sir. I'm counting thirty-one casualties for the enemy, and rising!"
"Tactical, how are the cannons looking?"
The Viridian Green's Tactical officer, one Lieutenant Paul White, looked down at his console before responding. "Cannon 1 is at full charge, sir. 2 is at 76% and rising."
"Fire on that cruiser with Cannon 1 now! Helm, 30 degrees to port, lead the Wolf Pack into their center of mass."
"Aye aye, sir!"
The krogan cruiser the Viridian Green had targeted rocked from the blow, and slowly turned on its heel to face the Viridian Green. Yet, it would never achieve its goal, as a wayward shot from a nearby Courage-Class heavy cruiser knocked it off course. The heavy cruiser then headed straight for the krogan vessel itself, turned and launched a full salvo of Raven missiles into the krogan vessel. A second later, the cruiser lit ablaze in a fiery explosion, all hands lost to the abyss.
"New target, bearing 45 by 315! Fire full broadside!"
After a moment's hesitation, the Viridian-Class Battlecruiser aimed its broadside Light Gauss Cannons at the center of the Batarian cruiser. The first salvo impacted the cruiser, breaking its shields, and Vasily ordered a second salvo a moment later. The second round of 30 kg slugs seared through the vessel's decks, rendering the cruiser dead in the water. Many of its crewmen were still alive, yet they were helpless, unable to directly aid their forces.
Vasily gazed at the tactical interface, gauging the Viridian's next move as his Wolf Pack speared straight through the alien lines. His eyes widened when he saw a wounded, fiery batarian cruiser heading towards the RNS Velum, a vessel that was commanded by one of Vasily's closest friends.
"RNS Velum, RNS Viridian Green. Watch your starboard, enemy bogey on a heading straight for you!"
However, it was too late, and Admiral Mikhailov could only watch, helpless as the hostile ship, flaring with fire, screamed forwards towards the light-cruiser, spinal guns firing away blindly. The cruiser, desperate to escape, fired its emergency thrusters, yet it was to no avail—the batarian ship slammed into the UER vessel, breaking the light-cruiser into two halves. The wounded cruiser continued on its path, before crumpling altogether.
Elsewhere, a batarian cruiser's thrusters were crippled by a precise series of shots from a heavy cruiser's cannons. Dead in the water, it could do nothing as a flight of B-63 Peregrine bombers flew in, unloading a series of bombs onto the vessel. Burning with fires all over the ship, the batarian vessel was, in effect, destroyed.
However, the battle was not going completely swimmingly for the UER. The 15th Fleet had lost only a little less than the Krogan and Batarians had, and were still losing ships at the same rate. Vasily could only watch as an entire Wolf Pack on the 15th's right flank was decimated, opening a clear path for the enemy for reach Antioch.
"Comms, get me a line to the RNS Somner now, get their Wolf Pack to plug that hole immediately!"
"Sir, I'm counting thirty hostile ships breaking off—they're heading for the colony!"
"Pursue them! We can't let them get to Antioch!"
Lieutenant Sanderson typed furiously, before attaining a helpless look on his face. "Too late, Admiral! They've engaged FTL, they'll be at Antioch soon."
"Then we have to hope that Perry's reserve can prevent them from landing troops onto Antioch. If not, then we'll have to depend on the ground-pounders to save the colony."
"Phoenix Actual, say again, I did not catch your last. You've got reports of hostile aliens landing forces at grid sector Aegyptus?"
"Roger, I say again—hostile x-rays are landing ground forces at grid sector Aegyptus. Foot-mobiles, victors, and columns of armor. I'm also reading flights of fighters and gunships circling sector Cyrenaica."
"Copy that, Phoenix Actual. Warchief out." With a heavy sigh, General Williams put down the radio, before looking at his aides. "So, it comes to this. Hostile aliens, landing on the colony." He turned to a nearby lieutenant, who was hastily reading a report. "Lieutenant, what's the progress on evacuation?"
"Sir, all of the colony's civilians have been evacuated to nearby bunkers. Able-bodied men, 40% of the civilians have been armed and armored, and are guarding their respective bunkers. Construction workers at sites SHIELD and HAMMER have been picked by Condor dropships, and all have been cleared as combat-capable. Seems that particular set of construction workers were former marines."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. What are our assets on the colony?"
"The colony's garrison is composed of the 33rd Infantry Division, detachments of the 88th Armored and the 51st Armored, the 151st Mechanized in sector Seleucia, and a unit of rangers patrolling sectors Cyrenaica, Aegyptus, and Arabia. Battlegroup Autumn was able to land their respective marine regiments, thirteen in total." The lieutenant rattled off the units. "We also have a detachment of the 13th Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division in the city."
"I didn't know we had Scarecrows on the colony. What are they here for?"
"Apparently, they were testing some new prototype heavy weapons. R821 Incendiary…Microwave Emitters?"
At that, General Williams shuddered—he had always been frightened by the heavy toys that the 13th H/HR Mechanized, or "Scarecrows," used. The heavy weapons were often either viciously cruel or extremely destructive. Or both.
"I want the 33rd holding the main bridge into the city, with the 51st Armored. I suspect the x-rays are going to attempt to use that as a secondary entrance, and the 33rd is relatively untested. Get the marines that landed to move their asses to the main road, and set up defenses along our side of the river. Get the 88th to support them, and have the 151st Mechanized back as a reserve."
"What about the special forces, sir?"
Williams, despite his reservations behind the brutal and vicious "Scarecrows," smirked. "We'll keep them as a secret weapon, in case any x-rays get into the city."
"Listen up, marines!" Corporal Kevin Bradley perked up, upon hearing Captain Cole's words. "Our host, the RNS Crusader, is up there right now, above Antioch, and we've just got reports that hostile x-rays are landing several klicks to the south-east, sector Aegyptus." Captain Cole took a moment to look down at the map at the table, before continuing. "Orders from above are to hold the main road into the city. Colonel Capet's ordered Winter Company to hold the road at grid-square bravo-delta 51, alongside Viper, Avenger, and Misfit. We've got the 88th Armored holding position behind us, and the 151st Mechanized are somewhere, fucking each other in the ass, in the city. Anything that gets past that wall over there is free game for us. Check weapons, check armor, and make sure you don't have a foot up your ass, and let's get moving. Oorah!"
Kevin responded with the traditional marine battlecry, before turning back to his three squadmates. Staff Sergeant Steve Gray led the small four-man squad, Winter 3-2, while Private Riley Cooper acted as the squad support gunner and Petty Officer Christian Alves, a Navy attaché acted as the squad EOD technician.
Kevin? Well, he was just a regular rifleman.
"Alright, Winter 3-2. Gear up, we're heading down to the road." Gray said, while turning around, grabbing a rifle propped against a crate. He tossed it to Kevin, smirking as he did so. "Here's your SCAR, Bradley. Don't lose it this time."
Kevin caught it with ease, pulling back the charging handle. "Thanks, sarge. Why don't you just worry about yours?"
The R8 Special Combat Assault Rifle, or SCAR, was the UER's standard issue rifle. Having gone through multiple iterations, the SCAR was tried and tested over several decades of combat. It resembled the 21st century's failed XM8, and fired a an MA-31 round, a cartridge that weighed in at about 31 grains. With a capacity of 35 rounds, and a high rate of fire, any human infantryman would fall in love with the rifle.
Of course, while it resembled a traditional gunpowder-based weapon, small-arms had changed drastically since the days humanity was limited to its home planet. The UER's standard small-arms firearms utilized a modified gauss-system, christened the "Rivers-Gauss" system. The results were firearms that could pump tungsten rounds downrange at incredible velocities, and dish out punishing stopping power, while still maintaining accuracy, control, and rate of fire. Of course, the only downside to this system was that every round fired by a Rivers-Gauss weapon was a tracer—the electrical system used caused discharged rounds to glow a bright red after a certain distance, causing a dilemma in and of itself. There were methods, of course, to dimming this effect, but came with reduced velocity and range.
Kevin returned his thoughts to the present, attaching his R8 to his back, while grabbing his standard-issue R2 Crimson handgun, some fragmentation grenades, and his helmet. He slid the helmet over his head, and a moment later the helmet's HUD activated, showing his vitals, shields, and the status of his squad mates.
Sergeant Gray carried a heavily modified R8 SCAR and his traditional R71 Falx Heavy Pistol, while Cooper wielded an R260B Medium Machine Gun. Kevin raised an eyebrow when he saw Alves attaching an R76 Recoilless Rocket Accelerator alongside his own rifle. "Alves, you sure you can carry that thing without breaking your back?"
"Shut the fuck up, Bradley. I bet you wouldn't be saying that while a tank's bearing down on you and I've got this baby aimed at it."
"Alright, Alves, I'll give you that much. Just make sure to point it at the bad guys and not our own tanks, alright?"
In response, Alves simply smirked as the rest of the squad grabbed their helmets. They were about to start heading towards the defensive line, when Captain Cole gestured to them. "Winter 3-2, get over here!"
Upon reaching Captain Cole, the squad saluted. "At ease, Winter 3-2," Cole said. "I know you're about to head out towards the road, but I want you to do something for me, first. Sergeant Grays, I want your squad on the front—you've had a long history of getting things done for me, so if you can work your magic again, that'd be great." He looked behind himself, before gesturing to another man, who had several radios and devices strapped to himself and wore blue trims over his armor as opposed to the red of the Marine Corps. "This is Technical Sergeant Justin Ybarra. He's your resident ETAC from the Air Force. He'll be calling down the airstrikes and gun runs, so keep him alive and make sure to keep him posted."
"Roger, will do, Captain," Steve responded, nodding towards Ybarra. "What's the count on air support?"
"Three wings of A-15s, several Redcells, and a couple Hummingbirds. We couldn't get a hold of any fighters or bombers from the navy, so that's all we have at the moment, barring a few Condors they pinched off for transport. We do have a wing of Zeus' for recon, so we can always rely on them." Cole picked up a rifle at his feet, before walking away. "Alright, marines, let's get to the frontlines!"
"Oorah!"
"Watch the left flank, tangos advancing left!"
"Gray! Tango, hundred meters, rifle! I don't have a shot!"
"Copy, he's down. Bradley status on that marine?"
Corporal Kevin Bradley briefly looked up, before returning his focus to the downed marine at his feet. The marine coughed up blood as Kevin attempted to stabilize him. The man had been hit by shrapnel from a grenade, and had fallen immediately. "He's not in good shape, Sergeant! He's gonna need CASEVAC soon, or he's a goner."
The attack had been sudden, as before the marines could register it, a small group of hostile gunships had strafed the defensive line, taking down several marines before flying away. In the next few moments, the marines were suddenly alight from gunfire, before they responded with force. The M5S5 Phalanx tanks behind them occasionally barked with a sharp explosion, before gaseous red trails whisked overhead, streaking towards the aliens to their front. Their fellow marines were shouting over the madness, as they shot at targets to their front.
"Then leave him, Corporal! Focus on the fight!"
Bradley looked at the wounded marine one more time before turning and grabbing his rifle. To his left, Ybarra was firing away with his R64 Adaptive Combat Rifle, hitting targets left and right. Bradley left the wounded marine, returning to his cover. He leaned over, firing a few bursts, before getting back down as his shields flared several times. "Alves, target to your 30, take him down!"
Despite the surprise attack, the battle was going surprisingly well for the marines. They had quickly realized that the x-rays possessed common infantry shielding, as the UER marines did. It would take several shots from Bradley's R8 SCAR before their shields went down, and most of the time the enemy's armor wouldn't resist but a shot or two from their gauss rifles. Bradley got up once more, firing several bursts at a nearby alien. Its shields went down with the second burst, before he pegged it twice more in the stomach and once in the head with single shots. The alien went down, already dead, before a swarm of tracers came flying at Bradley.
Suddenly, hail of bullets came flying over Bradley's head, and he counted seven of the hostile aliens falling to the ground. Looking back, Bradley saw a new group of marines slide into cover nearby, along with Captain Cole himself.
"Sergeant Gray, sitrep!" Cole demanded before replacing the current magazine in his rifle with a new one.
"Sitch is decent for now, Captain, but it could deteriorate quickly! We're outnumbered, but we're holding as much as we can."
"Composition of enemy troops?"
Gray fired off a few more rounds, before moving back down. "Most of them seem to be common troopers, similar in size and strength as a regular human. Others are worse, big lizards that take a hell of a lot of shots to go down—some of them even get back up. A pack of them nearly broke through the left flank, but our tanks took care of that."
"Does the enemy have any armor?"
"Negative at this point, sir. Seems all their armor is holding back—you'll want to talk to Ybarra for that, he knows the deal."
Captain Cole nodded, before shifting towards Ybarra, to his right. "Ybarra! What's the deal on enemy armor?"
Ybarra ducked down into cover, his shields nearly broken, and took a few breaths before responding. "Bulldog 2-2 is our man in the air, he's the leader of a flight of two F/A-51 Zeus Strike Fighters. Bulldog 2-2 reported IR signatures matching armor, light and heavy rolling in slowly. Seems they sent the infantry in first to soften us up."
"Good work, airman, marine. We've got the 151st Mechanized rolling in hot as well, they'll be aiding the boys in the armor." Cole nodded once more, before firing potshots at some advancing enemies. A couple went down, and Cole returned to his cover. Suddenly, Cole's radio crackled with sound.
Nearby, Bradley continued to fire at the incoming aliens. Crouching down as his shields flared violently, he replaced his magazine and waited for his shields to recharge. He glanced around the destroyed wall he was hunkered behind and spotted several aliens running towards his position. Taking a breath, Bradley snapped around the wall, and fired off his rifle, sending one sprawling to the ground, a gaping hole in his chest. The rest scattered before returning fire.
The marines continued to hold the main road into the city for as long as they could, as the Phalanx tanks behind them maneuvered into position to intercept the incoming alien armor. Minutes later, the UER tanks were in position as the batarian armored vehicles came into view, rushing past their infantry counterparts.
"New enemy contact, armor, two hundred meters! Load sabot!"
"Loaded!"
"Fire!"
The UER M5S5 tank was one of the newest iterations of the seasoned "Phalanx" series of tanks. Armed with a deadly 150mm railgun and a T91 Rhino "Spiker" that fired miniature rockets that could pierce heavy armor, the Phalanx was a lethal match for any of its counterparts. The heavy slug fired sliced through the air and slammed into the lead batarian tank's shields. The batarian vehicle stopped in its tracks, the pure kinetic energy from the railgun enough to nearly break through its shields. The rest of the UER armored column followed suit, and suddenly, the air was filled with the gaseous red trails of the 150mm slugs tearing through the air. The batarian tanks returned fire eagerly, responding with their own tanks
"Fall back! All callsigns Winter, fall back!"
Bradley looked up to see his fellow marines leaving their positions and running back, away from the battle. The aliens attempted to pursue, but were stopped when they realized that the UER tanks were not falling back with the marines, instead holding their ground.
"Bradley, c'mon, let's go!" Sergeant Gray grabbed Bradley, pulling him up, before the two started running with the rest of Winter Company.
"Sir, what's going on? We had them held off pretty good!"
"General Williams is ordering all forces at the main road to pull back into the city—the 33rd lost control of the bridge, they were outnumbered five to one." Gray stopped for a second to fire a few shots at an enemy chasing them, until it went down. "Priority is to hold the city now."
"Who the hell is gonna cover the 88th's retreat?"
"I wouldn't worry about that. They've got A-15s covering their asses."
"Shit, I wanna see that."
"Warchief, this is Cobra 4-6, checking in for mission confirmation: flight of three A-15s, holding sector Seleucia. Angels 8. 2 ISMs, 3000 rounds for this section. Ready for tasking."
"Roger, Cobra 4-6. I have Gridiron 6, column of M5S5s, on the ground requesting immediate CAS at map grid Bravo-Delta, how copy, over?"
"Solid copy, Warchief. Moving to Line Alpha: Gridiron 1, Cobra 4-6, flight of three A-15s at Angels 8. Need target designation, over."
"Roger that, Cobra 4-6. Lasing targets."
"We see it, Gridiron 6. Moving in for gun run now."
Colonel Harvey Woolsworth, commander of the resident detachment of the 88th Armored Division, put down the laser designator and watched the skies from the gunner's seat of his Phalanx tank. Within seconds, the aliens in front of the 88th Armored were torn apart by a sudden hailstorm of 40mm rounds fired at 5,000 rounds per minute. Both infantry and armor were shred to pieces as two of the three A-15 fighters soared overhead, hundreds of rounds spent in seconds. A moment later, one last A-15 speared through the air above the enemy positions, dropping its own payload as it did so. Two M294 Integrated Strike Missiles, or ISMs, were released by the final A-15, detonating on the ground. Instantly, a large portion of the initial survivors were vaporized, while more were disoriented or thrown through the air.
As the A-15s performed their gun run, Colonel Woolsworth returned to the inside of his tank, before transmitting to the rest of his armored detachment. "All callsigns Gridiron, pull back into the city. Eyes peeled, cannons hot, and shells loaded. Let's leave any pursuers to the Scarecrows."
Deeper in the city, two teams of the 13th Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division, also known as "Scarecrows," stood in the abandoned shadows of the urban population center, waiting for any signs of the incoming aliens. Sergeant Lee Johnson crept up to a ground-floor window, clutching his R821 Incendiary Microwave Emitter, lovingly nicknamed the Microwave. One would think that a man clad in a hulking, armored EOD/HAZMAT suit could not, by any possible means, be stealthy, yet Johnson, along with the rest of his team, nearly blended in with the shadows, ready to launch a devastating ambush.
"Bravo-4, eyes front. Enemy foot-mobiles, fifty meters, coming down the street. You got eyes on?"
Johnson looked back at one of his five squadmates, then back forward, raising the heavy weapon in his hands. "Affirmative, Bravo-2. Alert Bravo-6, and set positions for ambush. Mark: 2 o'clock, street sign, twenty meters."
"Copy. Bravo-6, Bravo-2. Enemy foot-mobiles advancing up the street, 2-4 has set ambush point at target—uploading to TacSight now."
"Acknowledged, Bravo-2. Alpha-1 also acknowledges ambush mark. All callsigns Bravo, sound off for ambush."
"Bravo-1 is green."
"Bravo-2 is green."
"Bravo-3 green."
"Bravo-4 green."
"5 is green. All callsigns ready."
"Ambush is a go. All callsigns Bravo, engage on my mark. 3…2…1…Mark!"
As soon as Johnson's team leader sounded off the beginning of the ambush, he aimed his IME at the nearest concentration of enemy troops. Pulling the trigger, the IME lit up a bright orange before emitting a concentrated cone of microwaves. Within seconds, the targeted group of aliens was lit alight, and their screams filled the air as their armor melted onto their skin and their flesh and bones melted into slime. Their blood coagulated, and eventually, the aliens were melted into a steaming pool of radiation. The R821 IME was definitely a cruel weapon, condemned by every single human rights organization in the UER, and would have broken every single clause of the Geneva Convention in the 21st Century.
It fit the needs of the sadistic H/HR Mechanized Division perfectly.
Elsewhere, his team leader, Bravo-6, engaged the aliens with his R260B Medium Machine Gun, tearing apart hostiles unfortunate enough to be caught in the open with 7.65x61mm rounds at 920 rounds per minute, and Bravo-2 opened up with his R14 Infantry Concussion Rifle. The ICR propelled large rounds at extreme velocities at the enemy, whereupon they would airburst, sending major shockwaves amongst the aliens. The rest of Bravo team also fired their respective weapons and heavy weapons, as did Alpha team across the street. Within seconds, the entirety of the batarian infantry column - numbering nearly a hundred troopers - were decimated to the last man, toxic residue, blasted body parts, and piles of ash littering the street where they once marched.
"All targets eliminated. Nice job, Bravo team. Setting waypoint on your TacSights. Check weapons, check ammo, check armor, and let's move. Break; Alpha-6, Bravo team is oscar mike. We'll rendezvous at the next ambush site."
Johnson took a moment to appreciate the devastation in front of him before hoisting his IME and jogging to the next spot where, hopefully, the H/HR Mechanized might get a bit of a bigger challenge.
Oh, it was an absolute joy to roast the enemies of the UER alive.
CODEX:
Battlecruiser: Backbone of the RAF Navy.
Viridian-Class Battlecruiser: 1,500 meters long, 385 meters wide.
Ship of the Line: RNS Viridian Green
Specialty: Capital Ship, Heavy Fire Support
Armaments:
Main Guns: 2 Spinal-Mounted HMCs
Broadsides: 250 LGCs
Missiles: 14 Raven Missile Pods—7 each side. 60 missiles each.
Torpedoes: 4 Fracture Torpedo Pods—2 front, 1 on each side. 4 torpedoes each.
Point Defense: 250 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles
Orbital Bombardment: 5 OB Mini MCs
Shielding: 45,000 kilotons
100 Spacecraft
3,000 Marines—One Regiment
Vector-Class Battlecruiser: 1,375 meters long, 365 meters wide.
Ship of the Line: RNS Vector
Specialty: Capital Ship, Mainstay Battlecruiser
Armaments:
Main Guns: 2 Spinal Mounted HMCs
Broadsides: 225 LGCs
Missiles: 15 Raven Missile Pods—7 each side, 1 front. 5 missiles each.
Point Defense: 300 60mm Gauss Gatling Rifles
Orbital Bombardment: 3 OB Mini MCs
Shielding: 45,000 kilotons
100 Spacecraft
3,000 Marines—One Regiment
13th Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division: H/HR Mechanized, Scarecrows. Delta Group
The only true mechanized Special Forces unit in the UER, the Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized Division, or H/HR Mechanized for short, specializes in elite battlefield operations where fast moving armor and infantry support are required. However, their main duties lay in operations that are either extremely hazardous to normal units, have a very high risk, or present an extreme challenge that requires elite mechanized finesse. The H/HR Mechanized are thus equipped with state-of-the-art heavy armor, EOD/HAZMAT-suits, and weapons with on-board life-support and environmental protection suites, while their armored vehicles are similarly protected. However, members of the H/HR Mechanized are known for their sadistic tendencies.
R821 Incendiary Microwave Emitter (R821 IME)
Range: 20m/30m/50m/70m/90m
A new UER weapon, straight out of Research and Development, the R821 IME, christened the "Microwave" by active combat forces, is a heavy DEW weapon utilized by heavy UER forces. It emits a concentrated cone of microwaves, designed to burn, incapacitate, and flush out hostile infantry. It has a rather gruesome effect, having a tendency to burn the skin off of those affected at close to medium range. It can be used as a direct support or combat weapon, or can be used to suppress and flush out enemies from behind cover, depending on the mode in which it is used. Prolonged usage, approximately two minutes of sustained use, will overheat the weapon, causing the need for a lengthy period of cooling (45 seconds to fully cool after 2 minutes of use). The range can be adjusted for wide, short range waves or narrow, long range waves.
R8 Special Combat Assault Rifle (R8 SCAR)
(Republic-8 Series 5)
Muzzle Velocity: 2,500 meters per second.
Uses MA-31 Rounds.
RoF: 825 RPM
Capacity: 35 Rounds per Magazine
Force: 2401.00 ft-lbf
RAF's Standard Issue Rifle
R2 Crimson
(Republic-2 Crimson)
Muzzle Velocity: 1650 meters per second.
Uses MA-20 Rounds.
RoF: 460 RPM
Capacity: 20 rounds
Force: 674.76 ft-lbf
UER and RAF's standard issue handgun/sidearm.
R260B Medium Machine Gun (R265B MMG)
Muzzle Velocity: 2720 meters per second.
Uses MA-49 Rounds.
RoF: 920 RPM
Capacity: 250 rounds per belt
Force: 4492.46 ft-lbf
Standard Issue RAF MMG, for platoon-based medium fire support.
R71 Falx
(Republic-71 Falx)
Muzzle Velocity: 1750 meters per second
Uses MA-90 Rounds.
RoF: 225 RPM
Capacity: 12 rounds
Force: 3415.62 ft-lbf
High-powered sidearm, comparable to 21st century Desert Eagle. Optional Standard Issue for officers.
R64 Adaptive Combat Rifle
(Republic-64 ACR)
Muzzle Velocity: 2400 meters per second
Uses MA-49
RoF: 620 RPM
Capacity: 28 Rounds, eight to twelve magazines.
Force: 3497.59 ft-lbf
Specialized Burst Battle Rifle. Can quickly put two rounds down long ranges with extreme accuracy.
R76 Recoilless Rocket Accelerator (R76 RRA)
Range: 700m
RoF: 150 RPM
30mm Compact Anti-Vehicle Rockets
Capacity: 7 rockets per magazine.
The R76 is a favorite weapon amongst UER military forces, suitable for engagements against hostile armor, vehicles, buildings, and infantry alike. Utilizing a small, compact rocket, the R76 is fired from the shoulder, to be aimed at suitable hostile targets. Using a chained gauss system, the rockets are fired at high velocities, and emit a bright red glow when traveling through the air. They do moderate damage against armor, and at most five shots in a concentrated location will pierce heavy armor. The rockets can be configured for high-explosive capabilities meant for anti-infantry roles, but will do minimal damage against armor. On a typical UER battlefield, it is common to see scores of the familiar red streaks flying across towards enemy targets and locations.
R14 Infantry Concussion Rifle (ICR)
Range: Up to 650m
Capacity: 10 rounds per magazine.
The R14 Concussion Rifle is a downsizing of the concussion weapons generally found on UER vehicles. It uses the same principle of utilizing a gauss-system to magnetically propel a round at extreme velocities at a target, upon which it detonates or airbursts, causing a lethal, near-lethal, or incapacitating concussion shockwave. Used as a platoon, or squad, support weapon, the R14 is best used for suppression, crowd control, or other scenarios where enemies are bunched together in even slightly exposed areas.
M5S5 Phalanx—Primary Tank
Mark 5-Series 5
Primary: R87 150mm Heavy Railgun
Secondary: .60 Gauss Heavy Machine Gun
Gunner: T91 Rhino Multi-Repeating Spiker (Rhino MRS)
Shaped like NC Vanguard from Planetside 2.
Four Man Crew—Commander, Driver, Main Gunner, Second Gunner
Automatic (AI) Loading
Tracked
A-15 Hippeus
20.4 meters long
A true close-air support attack fighter, the Hippeus is primarily used in conjunction with ground forces for assaults, sometimes danger-close, against enemy formations, structures, etc. It is not used for space-based operations.
Primary: L35 40mm Gauss High-Explosive/Armor-Piercing Gatling Cannon (L35 HE/AP GC)
Secondary: M294 Integrated Strike Missiles (M294 ISM) (8 missiles)
Crew: 1, Pilot
Tier 1AV Shields
AM-31 Redcell Rapid Reaction Gunship
21.1 meters long
The UER and RAF's mainline gunship, specialized for heavy close air support, overwatch, and limited troop transport. Heavily armed and armored.
Primary: SE-2 25mm Gauss Canister Repeater (SE-2 GCR)
Secondary: K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM
Tertiary: M23 Heavy Canister/Concussion Rifle (M23 HC/C)
Quaternary: 6 Havoc Missile Pods, 20 missiles each
Crew: 3, Pilot, Co-Pilot, Gunner
Passengers: 6
Tier 2AV Shields
Limited Cargo
UT-441 Condor Multirole Dropship
22.5 meters long
The UER and RAF's main troop transport, is also used in MEDEVAC, CASEVAC, gunship, specialized variants based on specific roles.
Primary: K/L-67 Mongoose High Explosive/Armor Piercing Gauss Minigun (K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM)
Secondary: K112 .308 Anti-Personnel Deck Gun (K112 .308 AP)
Crew: 4, Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator, Door Gunner
Passengers: 14
Tier 2AV Shields
Cargo
F/A-51 Zeus Armored Strike Fighter
19.4 meters long
More of a space/air version of a shock-trooper or tank, the UER and RAF utilize the heavily armed and armored Zeus for high-risk assaults against enemy targets.
Primary: L28 50mm Rotary Gauss Cannon
Secondary: L78 95mm Swivel-Laser Assisted Assault Gun (S-LAAG)
Tertiary: M421 Multirole Swivel Missile (6 magazines, 12 missiles each)
Crew: 3, Pilot, Gunner, Technician
Tier 1AV Shields
AM-9 Hummingbird Multi-Mission Gunship
A small gunship, fitted with mush less weapons than the Redcell, the Hummingbird is a small multi-mission gunship primarily used for special operations. It is extremely fast and agile, true to the name of Hummingbird, but cannot hold up in long, extended firefights with larger gunships. It can be likened to the 21st century MH-6 Littlebird in role and ability.
Primary: 2 K/L-67 Mongoose High Explosive/Armor Piercing Gauss Miniguns (K/L-67 M-HE/AP GM)
Secondary: 2 Havoc Missile Pods, 6 missiles each
Crew: 2, Pilot, Co-Pilot
Passengers: 4
Tier 2AV Shields
No Cargo
TacSight Helmet-Mounted Suites
TacSight Sentry: Shows the user the paths of incoming projectiles.
TacSight Overwatch: A tactical suite that allows the user to mark important hostiles, objects, places, coordinates, targets, etc. on the battlefield and relay the information to the rest of his/her squad, platoon, etc.
TacSight Vision: Features many optics, such as infrared, night vision, thermal, sonar, magnetic, and element zero vision.
IRNV—Infrared Night Vision
NV—Night Vision
FLIR—Forward Looking Infrared
SNRI—Sonar Imaging
MGVS—Magnetic Vision System
EZOV—Element Zero Vision
TacSight Marker: Used predominantly by grenadiers, demolitions, and heavy weapons, this utility gives those who use it detailed information on many things pertaining to their fields of expertise.
Author's Note:
Boy, those Hazardous/High Risk Mechanized guys are absolutely vicious, huh? It's almost as if the UER isn't the "good" faction!"
Oh, wait, they aren't. No one is.
Despite that, I hope you guys enjoyed the fourth chapter of The Inheritance of Man. Make sure to review, and leave some constructive criticism for me. Lord knows I could use it.
Also, I want you guys to give a warm welcome to Archangel1207. He's my new beta, and has helped me immensely on this chapter, and developing the story as a whole, not just on writing itself, but on plot development, and military/technological specifics. I might as well name him a co-writer at this point, heh heh…heh…
One thing: I have completely overhauled some of the codex information in the first three chapters. Be sure to take a look at those again.
Another thing: I realize when you look at the codex entries for the vehicles, there's a lot of weapons and weapon names. Do you guys want codex entries for the vehicle weapons as well? Cause that's gonna be a lot of stuff in the codex. I could also do what Archangel did, and make a separate forum for Mass Effect for a The Inheritance of Man codex.
Also, I realized I forgot to add some Codex entries to the last chapter. So, they've been added to this chapter.
Individual Replies:
Szierera: Thanks for the good words. And I wouldn't worry—humanity definitely isn't the cookie-cutter "good guys," as you'll probably see in this story, most likely with ORI. I've also completely overhauled the magnetic cannons along with my new beta, Archangel. Thanks for introducing him to me, by the way.
Haywire Eagle: Thank you too for the feedback. Like I said with Szierera, I've completely overhauled the magnetic cannons with the help of my new beta, so hopefully that isn't as "hard to swallow" no mo'.