Here's the next chapter
[DATE: 4/9/2513. TIME: 1100]
[RIG: Brown, R. (Munitions Quartermaster)]
[SUBJECT: Requested munitions.]
The aptly named VANGUARD PLATOON is being prepped for insertion. We're on route to Kreemar. I've compiled a list as Lieutenant Arnolds has requested of required supplies from the armory and shuttle bay. These are to be ready by 1130.
3 Geneva-class armored shuttles
12 AEGIS Suits (Combat-4 preparations, please)
36 Energy cells (for arm cannons)
12 Security Suits (Request ones already assigned to each member of VANGUARD PLATOON)
24 Pulse Rifles
14,400 Pulse Rounds
288 Grenades
3 Seeker Rifles
150 Seeker Shells
6 Munitions Backpacks
6 H&T Keplar-12 Shotguns
240 .50 Rounds
3 PFM-100 Hydrazine Torches
9 Canisters of Hydrazine Fuel
24 5D Ration packs/Bed Rolls
[LOG ENDS]
April 9th, 2512
1200 Hours
"De-shocking in seven…six…five…"
"All hands brace for de-shock."
"…two…one…we have entered the Proxima Centauri system."
Captain White gripped the guard rail as the USM Jerusalem de-shocked into orbit around Kreemar. They were greeted by the orange-grey rock that was Kreemar. A ring of large asteroids circled the planet.
The ring wasn't a natural occurrence; Kreemar had been one of the first unsuccessful attempts of Planet Cracking. Untested technology and inexperienced crews led to the Kreemar Cataclysm. On the far side of the planet, it looked like someone had taken a pickaxe and hacked away at the surface. This came from the disastrous attempt to pull the section of the planet up into orbit. The gravity tethers failed. Instead of pulling one large section of rock, the USG Athena ripped apart the surface, flinging thousands of tons of rock into orbit. Three support vessels were destroyed by the wave of debris. The engines of the Athena were damaged, immobilizing it.
The section that the Athena did manage to secure was heavy enough that the crippled Planet Cracker was pulled down onto the mining colony of Wanat, destroying both. Over 9,000 CEC personnel were lost in the catastrophe. The disaster had created vast areas of seismic activity on Kreemar, meaning that another planet crack would result in the planet itself breaking apart. There was enough ore flung into orbit to warrant continued CEC operations in the area. Perseus Station was built to mine the asteroids and to serve as a research base and supply depot, but it had evolved to become the area's informal command center and had quite the number of civilians living onboard. A new colony was established below Perseus Station, connected via space elevator, to observe the seismic activity on Kreemar.
"All systems are in the green."
"Shields at 100% capacity."
"All weapon stations loaded and ready to fire."
"Corporal, keep us steady. Get me a visual of the Bellerophon."
"Hang on…there we go." An asteroid floated past them, revealing the warship. The bow section was a long rectangular block slightly tapered at one end; the center of that end was hollow, and the two main cannons of the vessel could be seen jutting out. On top of the block was a slight raised area; that was the bridge. A slightly-larger block made up the stern. Two levels of three engine nacelles, a total of six, lined the back of that block. Below it was the docking fin. On either side of the vessel were two brick-shaped modules: these were the main hangars.
"Vanguard Platoon is launched and heading towards the Bellerophon."
White turned to Hernandez, who was watching the afterburn of the three shuttles before glancing back at the warship.
"There's the barge that the O'Reilly's crew mentioned." Hernandez muttered. White nodded. The boxy-shaped supply vessel was lodged between the two port nacelles. Just ahead of the collision site, the hull had been torn open in several places.
"Mr. Weiss, can you give me a 200 percent magnification on the communications array?" White asked. The Chief Sensor Officer nodded and turned to one of his subordinates, who was already carrying out the command. A screen popped up next to White and Hernandez.
"There's no way that the barge was responsible for that." Weiss said, walking over "See where it hit the hull? It hit the side of the vessel and came nowhere near the comm array."
"Perhaps debris from the impact hit the comm array?" Hernandez suggested. Weiss shook his head.
"From the damage to the aft port hull, I'd agree with the captain of the O'Reilly and say that the barge skidded across the side of the hull. As for the comm array…I'd say the array was ripped off the hull. Probably an asteroid. There seems to be something covering the secondary array. Looks like frozen sewage from that barge." Weiss said, squinting at the image.
"Have Squad Two make their way up there once they dock and burn it off." White said "I want the secondary array cleared so we can communicate with the squad and any survivors."
Owen fought the feeling of vertigo as he stood, magnetized to the side of the hull. Tech Specialist Jackson Lewis was attempting to hack open the airlock hatch. They had been dispatched to the aft hull. The sound of Staff Sergeant Beverly Acker's voice filled his helmet. "Airlock has been breached. We are entering the vessel."
"Copy Squad One." Sergeant Talia Riley said. In her AEGIS suit, she reminded Owen of a two-ton six-foot-tall gorilla. John and Roland Matthews, as the munitions experts, had backpacks strapped to their RIGs full of grenades and other devices. The shotguns they carried could pack quite the punch.
"Outer hatch opened." Jackson said. The door swung outward, a puff of oxygen coming after it "Pressure is still good." One by one, they made their way inside.
"Closing outer hatch." Jackson said.
Owen took in their surroundings. They were in a long corridor, its pristine white-panel walls dimly lit by the flickering emergency lights. But it was the stuff covering the walls that got the squad's attention. "What the hell…" Talia walked over to the wall and touched it.
"Smells like puke." John muttered. Ashley walked over and took a sample. As her knife pierced the surface, a plume of green gas shot out. Ashley recoiled, but her specialized suit's sensors didn't pick up anything lethal, so she activated her RIG and began a log.
[Science Log]
[Chen, Ashley (CPL, Science Division)]
[Vocals identified: Chen, Ashley/Kaufman, Roland/Nichols, Jackson]
[Chen: Science Log, Corporal Ashley Chen. We've just entered the vessel. No sign of survivors. There's…something covering the walls.
Kaufman: Jesus, is that stuff alive?
Chen: I think so. Okay, the substance appears organic in nature. It's sticky and soft to the touch. There's a rather foul odor surrounding it, probably due to the gas it emits. It's all over the place-walls, floor, ceiling. I just took a sample. It reacted when I cut into it. I'll need to run some more tests back onboard the ship, but I'm pretty sure this stuff is meant to act as a habitat transformer.
Nichols: Okay, take a few more samples and then I'll load the tubes into my RIG. Better take some thermals too. Dr. Lance will want the whole nine yards with this stuff. This stuff is going to be difficult to walk through.
Chen: The smell reminds me of vomit…like Jackson said, it's difficult to walk on. The substance clings to my boots. Okay, I think that's enough for now. Chen out.]
[Log ends.]
Owen made his way across a patch of the stuff before giving up. His boots clung to the patch and it took too much effort to move. "Ash, you got enough of this stuff?"
"Yeah."
"Good." Owen let loose with his flamethrower, dousing the flesh-like gunk with hydrazine. Slowly, he began to burn a path through the organic muck. Suddenly, he came to a halt.
"Noise. Supply closet." Sure enough, there was a faint scuffling noise from behind a door nearly overcome by the substance. Using their combat knives, Talia and Jackson carved a hole and removed the substance blocking the opening mechanism.
With Lena and Lindsey on either side of the door, Ashley and Owen moved in, rifles raised and the safeties off.
"Owen…" Ashley's voice whispered. Owen turned. Ashley was kneeling next to a huddled figure in the corner. As Owen joined them, he realized it was a teenage girl. She was shaking and sobbing. Beside her were two adults in crewman's jumpsuits. Blood trickled from their mouths, and both had received what looked to be stab wounds.
"Boss, we got two bodies and a survivor." The squad moved into the room, with Jackon and Roland guarding the entrance.
"What's your name?" She asked gently. The girl paused and glanced fearfully at her. She didn't speak. Her eyes flitted between the members of Squad 3 with growing terror.
"Sarge, I think seeing a bunch of armed soldiers is starting to freak her out." Lindsey whispered. As squad liaison, she was responsible for dealing with any shell-shocked crewmen that they might encounter or nervous marines. Talia nodded and shepherded the rest of the squad out, leaving Lindsey, Owen and Ashley with the girl.
"My name's Lindsey." Lindsey said gently "This is Owen and that over there is Ashley." Owen smiled at the girl. She was fingering the braid her filth-caked blonde hair was in. Ashley took in the intricate braid that it was in.
"Do you do your own hair?" The girl nodded "I could never get this in any working order to be able to do anything." Ashley gestured at her unruly mass of brown curls. The girl managed a faint smile.
"What's your name?" Owen asked. The girl hesitated.
"I promise, we're not going to hurt you. We're here to help." Lindsey reassured her. The girl gulped.
"Rebecca."
"Rebecca what?"
"Rebecca Bell-Marcus." Ashley turned a little and began scanning her RIG database to find Rebecca on the crew roster.
"Rebecca Bell-Marcus…your mother is Lieutenant Sandra Bell, correct?" Rebecca nodded "Your father is Sergeant Adam Marcus?" Rebecca nodded again. She jerked a finger at one of the bodies. Owen glanced at the ID tag on the suit. Sandra Bell. The other belonged to an Ensign whose ID tag had been ripped to pieces. Owen noticed an audio log lying next to Lieutenant Bell.
[ENGINEERING REPORT: LT. BELL, S. (ENGINEERING SPECIALIST)]
[TYPE: AUDIO]
[Bell: Engineering report, Lieutenant Sandra Bell. The attack came out of nowhere. We're adrift and without main power or communications. We were caught with our pants down, so to speak. The engine was shut down so we could focus on the problem of removing the waste carrier that careened into our hull. The barge lodged itself between the first and fourth engine nacelles, but it severed the fuel lines to the entire array. With that vessel still there, we can't get to the fuel lines and close the breach. A scout shuttle managed to locate the mining deck of the Athena a few hundred kilometers from us. Its gravity tethers are still operational, pending extensive repairs. If we can somehow power them up, perhaps we can use them to move the barge out of the way. Still, we have to figure out some way to get rid of the organic compound that's been infesting the engine room. If it gets into the spoke, then it won't matter if we can repair the engine.]
"She doesn't specify what the attack was." Owen said "Wish she did."
"No…" The trio glanced at Rebecca. She was eyeing them cautiously. When she realized they were staring at her, she lowered her head back down between her legs.
"Check her RIG." Ashley suggested "It might have some info on what happened after the 'attack'."
Owen synced his RIG with the dead Lieutenant's. A screen appeared in front of him and data began speeding across it as he downloaded. "There's a lot of engineering records…I'll store those. Wait, this was recorded two days ago. I'm playing it."
[STATUS REPORT: LT. BELL, S. (ENGINEERING SPECIALIST) TO BRIDGE/CDR WALLACE, J.]
[TYPE: VIDEO]
Wallace: Engineering, status report. Chief Blake, respond, goddamnit!
background sound of gunfire and screaming.
Engineer: What the hell is that?
Engineer 2: They're coming out of the walls!
Wallace: Blake, report!
Bell: This is Lieutenant Sandra Bell, sir. The Chief's dead. I'm in charge now. Where's the Captain?
Wallace: Good question. (To an offscreen officer) Find Captain Romanoff! (To Bell) Fifteen RIG signatures have just flatlined throughout the ship.
Bridge officer: Sir, another thirty just dropped into the red!
Wallace: Will someone tell me what is going on?
Bell: Sir we-Ensign, get those shelves in place-sorry, sir; they're everywhere. We can't hold them off!
Engineer 2: Get those shelves over there! Get the-…ARGH!
more gunfire. Bell grabs an arc welder and fires at something offscreen.
Wallace: I want a situation report.
Bell: We're under attack, that's the situation!
sound of bridge door opening
Romanoff: Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?!
Wallace: Sir, we're losing crew throughout the ship. So far seventy-six…make that eighty-four RIGs have flatlined.
Romanoff: Lieutenant Bell, I assume that the Chief is dead?
Bell: Affirmative. They grabbed the Chief and pulled him into the vents. He had his service weapon, sir, but at our rate of success, I have no hopes for his survival.
Wallace: Sir, what do we do?
Romanoff: Commander…pull all remaining marines back to the command module, and prepare to jettison. I'm initiating the self-destruct system. Prepare a-…
Wallace: Sir, are you mad?! There are hundreds of people still trapped down there! This is insane!
sounds of scuffle. Two bridge security officers run into view
Romanoff: Get your hands off me, Commander!
Wallace: Don't let him get back to the-!
link erupts in static. The last identifiable noises are gunshots
Bell: Wallace? Wallace come in, damnit! Alright…everyone, pull back! We're getting out of here. Rebecca, stay close. You hear me? Stay close!
Rebecca: They won't die! They just won't die!
Bell: Everyone, follow-Oh my god…"
sound of something roaring
[Log ends]
Owen took Rebecca's hands and placed them at her side. Gently, he lifted her head. "Rebecca, I need to know what did this to your mom. More people could die, and we need to know what happened. Can you tell me?"
Rebecca's eyes widened with terror as she recalled whatever had happened to her mother. Very slowly, she focused on Owen and then laughed a little. It wasn't a happy laugh, more of a 'we're all dead oh shit' laugh. "They came out of the walls…"
"Who, the Unitologists?" Lindsey asked. Rebecca shook her head.
"They shocked into the system a few hours after we left Perseus Station. The next thing we knew, there was a bright flash of light-I think someone said it was an EMP-and then everything went crazy." Rebecca shuddered, her eyes glazing over as she recalled the horrific events.
"The vessel lurched under our feet as systems overloaded. That's when the barge hit us. Every single vessel that was near the station got hit. The barge just slammed into us."
"So it was an accident?" Owen asked.
"The captain thought that at first. But Mom was too busy trying to fix the engine, and deal with that…stuff growing all over the ship. The Unitologists attacked us then. The crew was so busy trying to fight them off that most of the personnel working on the barge left. That's when a group of Unis broke their way out of the barge and sabotaged our engine and weapons systems. Allowed a bunch more to board the ship. They slaughtered everyone, and just left their bodies in the hallways. Bunch of them were killed right outside this door." Owen glanced at Lindsey and Ashley, who shared his concerned look.
"Rebecca, are you sure they were killed here? We didn't come across any bodies when we entered this ship except for those two." Rebecca glanced at them in stark terror. Then she jumped up. Before Owen could stop her, she grabbed his pistol and shoved him aside before tearing out the door.
Owen dashed after her, stopping only when she shoved John into him. Roland brought his rifle up to bear, but Talia shoved it back down. "Are you crazy? She's a civilian!" She hissed. Roland glanced at the figure racing away from them down the corridor before turning a corner and vanishing.
"A civilian who just assaulted an Earthgov officer." Owen grunted, nursing his head. Rebecca had shoved him into a shelf, and his skull had a large lump on the back of it.
"Whatever the reason, she was terrified." Lindsey commented "And not just of the Unitologists."
"I guess we can assume that there was something else other than the Unis." Owen said "I mean, they have that weird fetish with preserving the dead, but I don't see them taking people who aren't members of their church."
"Speaking of which…" Talia keyed open a link to the Jerusalem. "Captain, what's the Church's official statement on this?"
"Officially? They say that it's a rogue faction. Something called 'the Circle'. Personally, I think that's a bunch of shit."
"Well, Circle or not, we have a case of disappearing bodies." Talia said. She motioned for John to approach her. "Lance Corporal, I want you to take Private Haines and Corporal Chen to the Morgue. Maybe the ship's crew cleaned up and they're all just too scared to come out with the Unitologists around. There's got to be someone there. If not, take the lift up to the Medical Deck and check for survivors. The rest of you, follow me to the Engineering Deck."
"Right. Follow me guys." John ordered Ashley and Owen. The trio set off.
[MEDICAL LOG]
[DR. PALLAS, S. SENIOR MEDICAL OFFICER]
[CONCERNING THE INTAKE OF BODIES]
Medical log, Dr. Sandra Pallas, 2100 hours. Since we left Perseus Station, the Medical Deck's been getting patients with complaints of insomnia and headaches. That was the beginning. Then it was the crewmembers going insane. Just after that, the power went out. We still had our backups for medical purposes, and we needed them for the influx of casualties from that collision. At 1715 hours, the first death was reported. Engineer 3rd Class Rachel Farid was found dead in her quarters with a close-range gunshot wound to the forehead. Within fifteen minutes, seventeen more personnel were discovered with the same COD. At approximately 1800 hours, marines in full gear began rushing in with wounded comrades. They wouldn't give me a straight answer as to what happened. I tried getting through to Captain Romanoff, but he wouldn't say anything either. But every single patient we had in that span of time be they military or not, were all suffering from gunshot or stab wounds. At 2000 hours, the last marine came in, with severe lacerations to his abdomen. The marines accompanying him weren't in much better condition, and seemed scared out of their minds. They just dropped him at the door and ran off. We were unable to save him. I've sent his body, along with the other hundred or so down to the Morgue. God knows what happened. I'm just glad we have a morgue big enough to accommodate this many bodies. Sad but useful facts about serving on warships. But six more casualties by lacerations are coming in, all unconscious from the blood loss or DOA. Chief Medical Officer Boland had to step down after he began complaining of hearing noises in the walls and started drawing strange symbols. We're all happy that he realized what was happening and decided to remove himself from the trauma center. I have sedatives, and I will use them on him or anyone else that snaps in the middle of surgery. It's going to be a long night.
[LOG ENDS]
The elevator doors opened. Three flashlight beams lit up the darkness beyond the elevator. A hulking behemoth stepped out, Pulse Rifle raised and ready, motioning forward the two smaller figures behind him. The flashlights on their helmets clicked on. The lights flickered on briefly, the automated system sensing movement, but then they shut out.
"Power's fried all over the ship. We're lucky life support hasn't given out." Ashley muttered. On either side of them were medical labs, usually visible through the glass windows that ran the length of the corridor. Now however, they presented an eerie darkness that brought dread to all three.
"Quiet, back there," John whispered "Morgue's just down the hall. Owen, see if you can kickstart the lights. This blackout is giving me the creeps."
Owen removed a maintenance panel from the wall and began fidgeting with the wires inside. After a few tense seconds, there was a spark and the lights went on. If they hoped that bringing the lights on would ease their growing dread, they were horribly mistaken.
"What the…" John took a step back from the window he was looking into. It was splattered with blood. As they peered through the window, they saw the body of a scientist, ripped to pieces. Lab equipment lay scattered and smashed, and more bodies could be seen lying behind upturned tables and chairs.
"Same on this side." Ashley said, glancing across the hall. John opened a RIG link to Talia.
"Sarge, you're not going to believe this. We have bodies."
"Great, LC. It's a morgue, correct?"
"No, I mean, of course there's bodies in the morgue. We were on our way, and we found bodies in the science labs."
"Can you determine COD?"
"If I had to guess…I'd say something ripped them apart."