Warpath's POV
I headed to the central citadel, where the governor wanted to talk to Alpha Team. I fell in step with Gideon and Mitchell and Gideon asked,
"So, what now? We have to take the fight to the Kingpin and to Zeus and his allies. How are we going to do that when all we have is a next-generation star-craft that does not have efficient tech?" I replied as I walked,
"We do what we always do best. We lay low for a while. Zeus and his allies do not know that we still have allies in the galaxy. Not even the Kingpin. I made sure that only that our surface allies have been hit and most of them I have already ensured that they are living peacefully off-planet. This is one of our safe havens. We will get new and advanced tech from Joseph once our meeting is adjourned." With that, I continue walking to the citadel. Once there, I saw Joseph observing the central relay comms. He look up and saw the Team. He smiled and said,
"Took you guys long enough to get here. I got news. Not sure if you want to hear them though." I said,
"What is it?" Joseph sighed and replied,
"The Slacurus galaxy is under threat by an inter-galactic terror organisation by the name of the Settlement Defence Front or Setdef. I suspect they are one of the Kingpin's major allies, along with the remaining Olympians." I nodded and replied,
"Do you have any tech or ships that we can use against them?" Joseph grinned and said,
"As a matter of fact, I have a present for you." With that, he pressed a button on the relay comms and the area in front of us open up. There, I saw a gigantic ship. Joseph grinned at my expression and said,
"This is the Olympus Mon, a supercarrier that we build based on the blueprints we captured when we hacked their systems. The original was destroyed when it crashed on Mars when a rebel group tried to assault their space bridge. We took their distraction and hacked into their system and obtain the blueprints. It's yours now." I grinned and said,
"Thanks man. I owe ya." He grinned and replied,
"Just make sure this doesn't blow up eh? Last I heard, your first ship The Harbringer blew up." I smiled sheepishly and turned to the team and said,
"Team, wheels up in thirty. Get all equipment from the Falcon and transfer them to the Olympus Mon. Dismissed." They nodded and filed out of the Citadel. Gideon however, stayed behind. He said,
"Boss, I got something to tell you." I nodded and replied,
"What is it Gideon?" He rubbed the back of his head and replied,
"Not sure how to tell you this but…." He was interrupted when a hand clamped over his mouth. I raised an eyebrow and look at my daughter. Behind her is Joseph's son, Christopher. I asked her,
"Anything that you wish to tell me Zoe?" Zoe smiled sheepishly and let go of Gideon and said,
"Sorry uncle Gideon but I want to tell dad on my own." Gideon pat her on her head and walk out of the room. Zoe continued,
"Um… dad. I'm not sure how to tell you but…" I grinned and replied,
"You and Chris have started dating. I know kiddo." Both of their mouth hang open. Zoe asked in shock,
"How long have you known?" I chuckled and pulled her into a hug and replied,
"Ever since I saw you talking to Chris, I knew." Zoe asked timidly,
"So you approve?" I chuckled and replied,
"Chris is a good kid. I approve." I look over to him and said,
"Take care of her Chris. You know what I will do if you break her heart." Chris nodded quickly and grabbed Zoe's hand. He said,
"Let's go Zoe." Both of them ran out of the room. I chuckled and went to my new ship. Once at the landing platform, I take in the sheer size of my new ship. The Olympus Mon, a supercarrier built by Joseph and his team of engineers. Standing at a height of 151 meters tall and a length of 927 meters, it is one of the most impressive ships I have ever seen. It has an impressive 128mm armour coating. Not even a blast from an ion cannon will be able to penetrate it. Its armaments are 50 high velocity cannons, capable of reaping through armour, 30 missile banks filled with 5 long range air to air missiles and 5 air to surface missiles. Finally, a central F-SPAR cannon, an energy weapon capable of obliterating a star-craft on its lowest energy level. On its highest, well from what I heard from Joseph, it can atomise an entire planet. All around me, people are making the final preparations for take-off. All of our equipment have been transported to the carrier and its well organised in the armoury. I look over and saw Thalia walking over to me. She stood beside me, lacing her fingers with mine. There is a comfortable silence between us for a while. She broke it, asking
"So what are we going to do now? We can't just go into the fray blind." I smiled and replied,
"Joseph has given us actionable intel that Setdef is launching an attack on the planet to take back the blueprints Joseph stole. Intel suggest it's the leader leading the assault. We will lay an ambush here and interrogate the leader on the enemy ship." I look to the assembled team and said,
"Load up!" With that, we boarded the Olympus Mon. If the exterior of the ship is impressive, the interior is way cool. High tech guidance systems and controls line the bridge. A transmission came in through the commlink and it was Joseph. He said,
"Olympus Mon, hope you are ready for a baptism of fire as Setdef has launched an assault. They will be here in 2 hours. Your elite guards have been transported here. They are your crew along with your team. Godspeed Warpath." With that, the transmission cut off. I said,
"Team, let's move." With that, we sprang into action. Gideon headed below deck to ready up the rescued elite guards, while Mitchell, Ilona and Joker took positions at the navigations, weapons and radar stations respectively. I look at Thalia and Zoe and said,
"Strap in you two." I continued,
"Olympus Mons, go flight." The ship hovered and angled to 90 degrees and the engines fired up, launching us into the atmosphere of Slacurus. While heading into space, I brief the team,
"Alright listen up. Setdef is one of the Kingpin's major allies. We take them out, we will be one step closer to finding out who the bastard is and winning this war. Setdef has launched an attack on the planet to recover the blueprints that Joseph stole under their noses. We are going to set an ambush using the asteroid belt near the planet. Clear?" The entire team replied,
"Yes sir." We entered space shortly after that. All around us, the Slacurus space fleet are preparing to enter slip-space to escape the oncoming assault. Joseph appeared on the holographic commlink and said,
"Olympus Mon, the last fleet has preparing to leave the area. My troops and I are on the Retribution providing cover for you should you need it. Ready to roll?" I replied,
"As ready as we ever be Retribution. Let's prep the ambush." With that, the hologram vanished. I said to the Team,
"Alright team, listen up. Joker, Mitchell and Zoe, you are Alpha. Provide overwatch from the ship. Thalia, Ilona, you are with me. The three of us will set explosives on the engine on the Setdef ships when they arrive. Prep up and meet me in the air lock in ten mikes." All of them nodded and I radioed Gideon,
"Gideon, you set?" Gideon replied,
"All of us are in the drop ships boss. Waiting on your go." I replied,
"Stand by mate." With that, I close the comm channel. I look over to the team and said,
"You have your orders. Let's get it done." With that, the Team followed me to the armoury to kit up. The armoury is tech out with high tech gear. There is even a guy in the armoury working. He saw us and said,
"Hey captain, I heard you're going out there. Got a loadout for you." My station lit up and the weapons screen appeared. He said,
"You need stealth on this mission. I took the liberty of selecting this energy rifle for you. An EBR-800 semi-auto rifle, equipped with a suppressor and a variable zoom scope. A shot from this baby can rip through someone without them knowing. Not only that, it functions as a hybrid weapon, allowing you to unleash hell should you be detected. Hope you like this captain." I nodded and place my hand on the weapons retrieval slot and it open up, revealing the weapon. I pick it up and said,
"Thanks mate." He nodded and said,
"Call me Mike captain. Kill some dudes for us out there." I nodded and flick the scope up into sniper mode and led the team out into the hanger bay. I said,
"Thalia, Ilona, on me. Mitchell, take point. Give us cover as we launch the ambush." Mitchell nodded and led Zoe and Joker onto the ship's deck to take up a sniping position. I led Thalia and Ilona to the Jackals and said,
"Thalia and Ilona take one of the Jackals and wait for my signal to take off. Load up." With that, I went to my own Jackal that is with the Olympus Mon when Joseph gave me the ship. It is a tri-positional-wing multi-role combat aerospacecraft, capable to fight in the air or in space. It has an armament of 2 20mm Dragonfly guns, 2 GAMP .385 Anvil cannons and 8 AGM missiles. Its armour is thick enough to withstand enemy fire from enemy jets, and looks like it will get a baptism by fire today. I climbed aboard and a maintenance crewman handed me a helmet. I nodded and my Exo-suit activated and a layer of air surrounded my entire body. I put on the helmet and the canopy closed. I radioed,
"Huntress and Renegade, do you copy?" Thalia replied,
"Warpath, we read you 5 by 5. Send mission instructions how copy?" I replied,
"Listen up, we will lay an ambush using cover at the asteroid belt near Slacurus. Once they appear, we will approach the ships in stealth and take out their engines with EMPs. Once their engines are fried, Gideon and the elite guards will storm the bridge and take the commander prisoner. Intel has it that it is one of the central Setdef leaders. Alpha team will provide us with overwatch as we make our final approach to the target. Clear?" Ilona replied,
"Copy that Warpath." I said to the ATC officer,
"Alright officer. Send it." The officer replied,
"Launching in 3, 2, 1" I primed my jackal and the engines burst to life, launching us into space. Once clear of the launch bay, the wings of the jackal flip open and I took control and lead Thalia and Ilona clear of the Olympus Mons. We activated our boosters and flew into the asteroid belt. After a while, we approached a large asteroid that is able to cover us sufficiently. I said,
"Ok, power down here. This is it." With that, I powered down my Jackal and the canopy opened up. I floated up in zero gravity with help of my boosters. I looked back and saw Thalia and Ilona doing the same. I radioed,
"Ok stay close to me. Do not do anything stupid. Let's move." I radioed,
"Alpha team, do you have our signature?"
Zoe's POV
I chambered a round into my sniper rifle and got into a sniping position. Beside me are my uncles Joker and Mitchell. Dad's voice came over the radio,
"Alpha team, do you have our signature?" Uncle Mitchell said to me,
"Zoe, look for their signature. They are marked with blue" I look into my scope and saw three distinct blue flares near the cover of an asteroid. I radioed,
"Alpha to Warpath, we see you. You are clear to proceed with caution." With that, they started to move from cover to cover. All around us, ships bearing the Setdef logo appeared through slip space. I said,
"Bravo be advised, Target have appeared. Advice that you take it slow." Mum's voice replied,
"Copy that Nighthawk." I continue to look around through my scope and saw a dropship launching from the central ship bearing the name Icarius. I said,
"Dropship launching from Icarius. What's our play?" Dad replied,
"Negative. Do not engage. Primary target is Icarius. Do not engage the dropship." I replied,
"Copy that Warpath." The three of us continue to provide overwatch for Bravo team until I picked up three heat signatures behind them. I said,
"Bravo be advised, three heat signatures on your six." I took aim and fired a suppressed round. The round blew up the head of the enemy soldier who was taking aim at my dad. Uncle Mitchell and Uncle Joker's shots took out the rest. I said,
"Tangos down. You're clear and under the radar." Dad replied,
"Copy. Approaching target."
Warpath's POV
The three of us approached the Icarius silently. After my daughter took out the three sentries behind us, we ensured that they are hidden behind sufficient cover and we boosted to the Icarius engines. We are now effectively covered by using the heat signatures of the engines. I planted my EMP charge on the engine while Thalia and Ilona did the same. When the charges are set, I said,
"Charges are set. Thalia, blow em up." Thalia activated the detonator and immediately, the engines powered down. The EMP pulse also deactivated the ship's weapons systems. I said,
"Cobra, launch the assault." Almost immediately, the Olympus Mons deactivated its cloak and 3 Raven dropships deployed out of the hanger and flew into the hanger of the Icarius.
Cobra's POV
"Cobra, launch the assault." When I got the order, I said,
"Alright men, let's move!" A war cry was bellowed as we launch the assault on the Icarius. We flew into the hanger and enemy troops are waiting for us. The dropship doors open and we open fire, killing every enemy we see. I leapt out of the ship and deployed my exo-shield just in time. A barrage of bullets was deflected off as enemy troops converged on our position. We fought back and I yelled,
"Push forward men." We shoot our way through the ship, moving from cover to cover while pressing forward. Soon, we reached the ship's bridge. I deployed a mini drone and it flew in to assess the kill zone. From the drone's feed, all of them do not plan to be taken alive. I said,
"Throw stun grenades. We need them alive." I open the door slightly and all of us threw stun grenades into the room. I waited for a while and then kick open the door and entered the room. I yelled,
"On the fucking ground, all of you!" I bashed one of the soldiers and he drop to the ground, groaning. I yelled,
"I said, ON THE GROUND!" The effect is instantaneous. All of them dropped their weapons and surrendered. The leader, a balding man said with a tremor in his voice,
"Pl…. please. He needs help." He pointed at a man who is shaking on the ground, the effects of the stun grenades have not wear off. I said to one of my men,
"help him here." Two medics nodded and made their way to the shaking man. The rest of the soldiers pointed their weapons at the surrendered prisoners and I radioed,
"Cobra to Warpath. The Icarius is subdued. What should we do with the ship?" The radioed crackled as Warpath replied,
"Pilot it and order the dropship that was deployed just now to return to the ship and stand down. Well done all of you. I will see you back on the ship. Warpath out." With that, the radio chatter closed. I zip-tie the prisoners and said,
"Today's your lucky day mate. Normally, we kill our enemies. But you, my friends are wanted alive. Move it asswipes." I drag the leader to the brig, the elite guards following my example and dragging them to the brig. As the last prisoner was thrown into the brig, I shut the door and said, I want 10 soldiers guarding them at all times. Once Warpath gets here he will give us our orders." With that, I walk out of the brig and saw two Jackals approaching the Icarius. Warpath radioed,
"Cobra. Get all prisoners back to the Olympus Mons. We are leaving soon." I replied,
"Copy that." With that, the Jackals flew off back to the Olympus Mons, which is hovering beside the Icarius. I open the brig and drag them to the Raven dropships. Once all prisoners are secured, all of us boarded the dropship and we flew back into the hanger of the Olympus Mons. The dropships' doors open and armed soldiers escorted the prisoners to the brig. Warpath walked up to me and said,
"You have done well Gideon." I shrugged my shoulders and replied,
"Eh, it's nothing. Besides, we do our best out there eh?" He nodded his head and said,
"You have proven yourself time and again that you can lead your own crew. The Icarius is yours Giddy, you earned it." I saluted him and replied,
"Thank you Warpath." Settling back to a relaxed manner, I slapped his head and said,
"What did I say about using that nickname Perce?" He laughed and said,
"Well, you didn't tell me when to use it." I laughed with him and replied,
"Bloody wanker. I'm going up to wash up. Comin with?" He shook his head and replied,
"Nah, I still have to head up to the bridge to coordinate with Joseph on the Ret. Catch up later Giddy." With that, he jogged off to the armoury to return his weapons and to head to the bridge. I shook off the nickname that he said and head to my cabin to wash up. On the way there, I bumped into Zoe and Christopher making out. I crossed my arms and cleared my throat. Both of them jumped apart, blushing furiously. Zoe stammered,
"Uncle Gideon…. what are you doing here?" I raised my eyebrows and replied,
"I am on the way to my cabin, and I happen to chance upon my goddaughter making out with another kid that I have not interrogate." Christopher paled when he heard the word interrogate. Zoe said,
"Uncle, dad has already approved. Please don't kill him" I sighed and said,
"I have my eyes on you Chris. You hurt her…." My hidden blade shot out under my arm. He saw it and immediately know my meaning if he hurt her and paled even further. I subtlety sheath my hidden blade and said,
"Hope we have a mutual understanding. See you around kiddo." With that, I continued walking to my cabin. When I arrived at the door, I scanned in my code on my Exo-suit and entered. It's not much as compared to the Team room back on the Harbringer, but its home. A cosy space that I have for myself. My desk, which have my computer and radio is on standby, my dirty laundry tossed in a corner. Just about my type of room. I deactivated my Exo-suit and grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed to the bathroom to clean up.
Warpath POV
I headed to the bridge of the Olympus Mons. Thalia joined me on the way. She said,
"Not bad for our first mission in space." I smirked and replied,
"Well, you did good. I have been doing these missions ever since I joined Lord Chaos." She shoved me playfully and gave me a kiss. I smiled and continued,
"Keep this up and you will have a ship to command on your own. I'm pretty sure you will like it." Thalia replied,
"I pass. Prefer being here to keep your ass in check." I chuckled and replied,
"Heh I hear you." With that, I open the door to the bridge and walked in. Thalia said,
"Captain on the bridge." I groaned and said,
"You don't have to say that." She grinned and replied,
"I enjoy it." And she walked off. The comms officer said,
"Captain has the conn." My second in command on the ship, a man by the name of Gator, asked,
"Orders sir?" I replied,
"Hold here. We have to coordinate with Retribution for our next target." Gator replied,
"Aye sir" I said,
"Open a channel to the Ret." Gator nodded and said,
"Comms officer, Retribution, Captain Joseph." The doors to the bridge opened and the captain of the UNSA Eclipse stepped to the bridge. At once, the navigation officer said,
"Eclipse Captain on deck" I stepped up and nodded. I said,
"Captain." She nodded and said,
"Thanks for the assist Warpath. We were about to launch an assault when we heard the news." I replied,
"It's a team effort captain. The Olympus Mons is now on the side of the UNSA. Are your fleets being battered by the Setdef fleet?" Just then, the comms officer said,
"Sir, unknown transmission coming through. Source is from Earth." I said,
"Put it through." The holographic screen lit up to a middle aged man. I said,
"Who are you?" the man replied,
"My name is Fleet Admiral Moran. I have heard of you Warpath and your actions against the Olympians and the Settlement Defence Front. I have contacted you with an offer." I raised an eyebrow and said,
"What kind of offer?" He replied,
"Join the UNSA as an Admiral. Help us in the war against the Front. In return, we will help you in finding the man you call the Kingpin." I thought about it and replied,
"With all due respect, my crew and I have been already helping you against the Front. We have captured the Icarius and its crew and I have given the conn to one of my Team members. I cannot be under any command. My job here is the protection of the entire universe. I cannot join. I am sorry." Fleet Admiral Moran nodded and replied,
"It's a good thing to know there is men like you out there looking out for everyone. Nonetheless, we wish to help you as well. The UNSA has sent one of our fleet and its crew to assist you. I believe she is already there." I nodded and replied,
"Yes. The UNSA Eclipse has already arrived. Is there any mission for us to undertake to give us an edge over the Front?" He sighed and replied,
"There is, but we are missing one of our key players in this fight. Lieutenant Nick Reyes, acting commander of the original Retribution. Last we heard from him, he and his crew launched an assault on the Front's base on Mars. Turns out, it was only one of the many bases of the Front. Your mission, if you decide to help, is to undertake a search and rescue for Nick Reyes." I replied,
"Olympus Mons and Eclipse will move right away." I turned to the captain and said,
"We got a job to do. Godspeed." She nodded and replied,
"By the way, name's Ava." I nodded and replied,
"Let's rescue this SOB." With that, we saluted and she walked out of the bridge. I turned and said,
"Admiral, send the coordinates." He nodded and replied,
"Coordinates sent. Top cat out." With that the screen blanked out. I said,
"Alright Team, we have our next mission. Search and rescue. Navigations officer, set course for Mars." The Team strapped in and Thalia stood beside me. Gator said,
"We will commence on you Captain." I nodded and replied,
"Go for drop." Immediately, panels on the deck open up and charged up. Gator said,
"Drop in 3, 2, 1." And I pressed the button to enter hyper-speed. The jump was enough to cause us to lose our balance. I said,
"Evaluation?" Mitchell said,
"Accuracy .90. Hull is maintaining." Gator said,
"Exiting drop in 3, 2, 1" and with another jerk, we exited hyper-speed. I look out of the window and saw the devastation. I muttered,
"Jesus Christ." I said,
"Joker, any life out there?" He nodded and replied,
"Yes sir, but its faint. I managed to get a lock but its fading fast." I said,
"Prep the dropship. I'm going out there." With that, I ran out of the bridge and took the elevator to the armoury. I entered and Mike nodded. He activated the equipment slot and it opened. I grabbed my ERB-800 and dashed out. I leapt down and ran to the dropship. Imagine my surprise when I saw Gideon waiting there in full combat loadout. He said,
"Ain't nobody telling me to sit this one out. Besides, you need backup." I nodded and told the pilot,
"Let's move." And I strapped myself in. Gideon also strapped in. A medical team join us and the lead medic said,
"Sir, we will stabilise him once he is on board." I nodded and they strapped in as well. The pilot said,
"We are code 1 sir." I replied,
"Move out." With that, he contacted the ATC officer and we launched out of the Olympus and into the ruins of a space station. I took no notice of it as we approached the coordinates of the life signal. Once we reached, I unstrapped and said,
"Hold here." With that, I open the doors and boosted out into space alone. In front of me, there is a body of a man floating. His helmet is cracked and his space suit is torn. I boosted to him and said,
"You lucky SOB. Let's get you home." With that, I supported him back to the dropship. Gideon met me halfway and we supported him into the ship. At once, the ship turns and return to the Olympus. The medical team managed to stabilise him. I saw him open his eyes, but his eyes were glazed. I kneeled down beside him and said,
"Captain Reyes, can you hear me?" He blinked slowly and sat up. He asked,
"Who are you?" I replied,
"Who I am does not matter. We are getting you back to the Olympus Mons and transporting you back to Earth for recuperation." He stood up shakily and asked,
"My ship? My crew? Where are they?" I slowly shook my head and replied,
"The Retribution is destroyed sir. Only four made it out alive. The rest are KIA." He asked,
"Where is Nora Salt?" I shrugged and replied,
"I do not know." He nodded and sat down. We approached the Olympus Mons and escorted him to the med-bay. Before he received treatment, he asked me,
"Can you get in contact with Nora? I wish to speak to her." I nodded and headed to the bridge. I opened the door and said,
"Gator, open the comm to Nora Salt." He nodded and made the call. The screen lit up and a woman dressed in white dress uniform asked,
"Who are you?" I replied,
"Mdm I am the captain of the UNSA Olympus Mons 2.0. Someone wishes to speak to you." I look over to the door and Nick walked in with the support of two crutches. I stood over and Nick said,
"Hello Salt." Immediately, Nora's eyes teared up. She said shakily,
"R…raider? Is that you?" He nodded and she broke down. After a while, she calmed herself and asked me,
"Can you make the jump to Earth?" I nodded and said,
"Gator, make the jump." And I authorised it. We immediately flew into hyper-space. After a while, we exited and the familiar blue tint of Earth appeared. In orbit is the Retribution 2.0 and an unfamiliar ship. Behind me, UNSA Eclipse appeared out of hyper space. A dropship flew towards us. I said,
"Let it board." And the hanger bay opened. A few minutes later, I heard footsteps running to the bridge. The door opened and Nora Salt ran in and gave Nick Reyes a crushing hug. I smiled at the sight and motion the team to move out of the bridge, leaving me alone with the two of them. After a while they separated. I said,
"You are lucky to be alive Captain Reyes. We almost lost you." He nodded and said,
"From what I overheard when I was being treated, you needed help with the Olympians and someone named the Kingpin." I sighed and look out of the window. After a while, I said,
"Indeed I am Captain Reyes. For years, I have hunted and killed many criminals over the universe; all of them linked to the Kingpin. Now I find that the Kingpin has many allies and have taken over the Earth, enslaving everyone." Nick replied,
"Work the problem, respond. You got a problem now sir, time to clean it up." I nodded and said,
"We have to get out of here. The longer I stay, the risker the Olympians will detect me." With that, I walked to the command console and authorised the jump to Neptune. The UNSA Eclipse followed us as well. The unfamiliar ship also jumped to our coordinates. Nora said,
"That is my ship. The UNSA Trident. Not bad right?" Nick replied,
"Nah, not as good as Ret. Good ole girl is resting eternally now. Will miss her." I chuckled and said,
"All due respect captains, but I would wish to speak to Captain Reyes in private." With that, I headed into my operation office, Nick Reyes following me. When the door closed, he asked,
"What is it sir?" I replied,
"I would like to offer you a place on the Olympus Mons. I know you wish to be part of the Retribution, but you will be a valuable asset on this ship. I know next to nothing on the SDF. You fought against them and nearly died in the process. I need intel on them. Can I count on you?" Nick is silent for a moment and then he replied,
"Truth be told; you don't need me here. From what I heard, you and your crew fought your first battle against Setdef and won. You don't need me here. You have a fire in you kid; just got to know how to direct it. Just remember, hesitation is a hole in the head. The Icarius should hold key intel on the Setdef leadership. Just got to know where to look I guess." With that, he walked out of the room. I sighed and look out to the bluish glow that is coming from the planet Neptune. Weird way of putting it, but the blue glow reminded me of the seas back on Earth; where I was happy and carefree, before I was betrayed and forgotten. Now, I have a family, friends who respect me for who I am, not what I do. I sighed and walked out of my office and took my place at the command console. Gideon, Mitchell, Joker and Ilona take their place at the command console; Gideon on my left, Mitchell on my right, Joker on the radar and Ilona on the weapons. I said,
"After the skirmish we had with the Icarius, we managed to hack into Setdef systems, and this is what we found." I pulled up the plans that we got from the Icarius. I pointed to the three blue dots on the plans and said,
"This is the UNSA Olympus Mons, Eclipse and Trident; the rest are Setdef targets." And I pointed to the red targets that are scattered around the galaxy. I continued,
"Setdef knows that we are the new players in this. They will be hunting us to tip the scales back into their favour. We cannot let that happen. Gideon." He nodded. I continued,
"Get the captain of the UNSA Eclipse on the line." He nodded and said,
"Comms officer, Eclipse, Captain Ava." He nodded and the screen lit up to Captain Ava of the UNSA Eclipse. I said,
"Captain. It's good to see you." She replied,
"Likewise captain." I continued,
"Let me make myself clear. Setdef knows we are the tipping point for the UNSA and they will do everything to take us out. Let's take the fight to them first. Gideon, you and Ava will assault a critical fuel port on Saturn's moon Titan. Do whatever you need to do to ensure that fuelling port is under UNSA control. Mitchell, you, Thalia, Joker and Ilona will take marines with you to assist the UNSA Trident captain Nora Salt. Salt, you and Captain Reyes will assault the damaged Setdef ship orbiting Venus. I will launch an attack on the scrap yard at Pluto." Captain Ava said,
"All due respect Captain, but we have not received our official orders from the Admiral yet. Launching these assaults will result in us being blacklisted." I replied,
"All respects to the Admiral, captain Ava, but the desk is not the deck. They are one of the Kingpin's key allies and I want the Kingpin's head. So it's time to raise the black flag and start cutting throats." She nodded and said,
"Gideon, you with me?" He nodded and I said,
"Alright. You have your orders. Do whatever it takes to end the Settlement and return home safe." With that, the screen dimmed and all of us went ahead to carry out the preparations for the various assaults. Thalia gave me a kiss and said,
"Stay safe my love." I nodded and squeezed her hand and replied,
"I will love. Fly safe ok?" She nodded and went to pack her things. Zoe walked up to me and said,
"Dad, what do we do now?" I replied,
"Now, you are going to train with me in the VR training system. Let's go." With that, I walked out of the bridge and headed to the armoury, Zoe following me behind." We took the lift down and headed to the armoury. I opened the door and Griff saw us. He grinned and said,
"Well, looky here. Ain't the boss-man and her daughter. What can I do for ya boss?" I grinned and replied,
"Took my daughter here to practice with some of the guns we have in the VR training facility. Have to keep in top shape eh" He grinned and replied,
"Got that right." He said to Zoe,
"Step right up to the terminal girl. I'll show ya how to get your guns." Zoe rolled her eyes and stepped up to the terminal. I stepped up to my terminal and activated it, chose my loadout and the gun slot slid up, revealing my trusty SN6 sub-machine gun, equipped with a flash hider, a red-dot sight and a stock. I grabbed it and look over and saw Zoe equipping an EBR-800 sniper rifle. I nodded and entered the VR-training simulation, Zoe following my example. When both of us are in the simulation, red targets appeared. I cocked my submachine gun and Zoe chambered a bullet and with that, we started training.
*30 minutes later*
Zoe's POV
I fired one final round from the EBR-800 and took out a red target a distance away. Beside me, my dad emptied his last magazine and a robotic voice said,
"Simulation completed" and we were pulled back into the real world. I said,
"Wow, that is some training." Dad nodded and replied,
"Not bad on your first go. You are a natural with long range weapons. We will continue tomorrow with close quarters weapons. Return the EBR and let's go to the bridge." With that, the gun slot slid up and he placed his SN6 on the rack and it slid back down. He exited the terminal and waited patiently. I smiled and followed his actions. I exited the terminal and we walked to the bridge to prep for the jump to Pluto. While walking, dad said,
"Zoe, do you wish that sometimes you don't have to be involved in stuff like these?" I raised an eyebrow and replied,
"Nope, not even once. Dad, I know you want to keep me out of this life, but I have already made that choice. I want to help." He chuckled and was about to reply when a voice behind us said,
"Haha, pardon your old man kiddo. He is worried about you." We turned back and saw the Delta force and Taskforce 141 members behind us. Sandman walked up to us and placed a hand on my shoulder and said,
"You have a good kid Perce. She has a strong moral compass. She will be a great asset in the field." Dad sighed and replied,
"I know Sandman I know." Sandman chuckled and gave dad a friendly punch and went about his way. The rest of them soon followed, after chatting with us for a short while. After they left, we continued walking to the bridge. After a while, we reached the bridge and Dad opened the door and pushed it open and walked in, with me mimicking his actions. Gator said,
"Sir, no offense but I don't think your daughter is cleared to see classified material." I narrowed my eyes and replied,
"Hey, I'm standing right here." Dad replied,
"Stow it both of you. Gator, she is more than capable of seeing it. Zoe, you may be my daughter, but on the bridge, I am the ship's captain and I will not stand by seeing any of my officers being disrespected." I nodded and said,
"I'm sorry Gator." He nodded and gave me a genuine smile and replied,
"It's alright kiddo." And with that, I walked up to the terminal and observed. Dad said,
"Alright, we are go for Operation Grave Robber. Setdef has commandeered a scrap yard above Pluto as its own. If we take that scrap yard, UNSA can bolster its scrap resources from it. Note that we are flying in Jackals, and there will be heavy enemy resistance. Any questions?" No one answered. Dad continued,
"Gator, you have the conn. Zoe, you are with me." With that, dad said,
"Gator, make the jump." And dad authorised it. Gator said,
"Away in 3, 2, 1." And we jerked as the ship entered the fast-travel drop. After a while, Gator said,
"Influx in 3, 2, 1" And the ship exited the drop. Dad said,
"Activate cloaking field. Setdef must not know we are here." I nodded and punched in the keys to activated the cloaking field. A ripple outside shows that the ship is now completely cloaked. No one knows we are here. I said,
"Dad, ready?" He replied,
"Let's go." With that, we walked out of the bridge. None of us spoke a word to each other. Both of us know what's at stake. We headed to the armoury, confirmed the loadout for the Jackals and headed to the hanger bay. I climbed into the back of the Jackal while dad is seating in front. Dad controls the Jackal and locking on to targets while I control the weapons. A crew member handed both of us helmets and we put them on. Dad said,
"ATC, this is Warpath. Launching from the Olympus. How's it like out there?" The ATC officer replied,
"1-1 be advised, tower has detected multiple enemy targets in the AO. Good luck out there." Dad said,
"Alright, we'll keep it on a swivel. Send it." The officer replied,
"Launch in 3,2, 1" And with the engines primed, we launched out of the Olympus and into the dogfight of our lives.