Chapter 5
Prison cell aboard the Khar'shan Might
"I spy with my little eye…something ugly." Ben Hislop said.
"Is it my face?" Jack Harper replied, trying not to murder his best friend.
"Not this time, you've got competition from ugly over there." He pointed at the Batarian guard.
They weren't the only ones in the cell. It was safe to say that the entirety of the surviving ship's crew was placed tightly inside. The cell was made of some sort of alien metal, with a hardened glass wall leading to the corridor. In the middle were doors which prisoners could be thrown in or taken out of.
All except for one Eva Core.
She was taken earlier by the guards without any reason what so ever, and since then there had been no word about her.
"You always knew how to cheer me up." Jack noted dryly, trying to massage his swollen face. That giant lizard got him good. A large hematoma was already spreading on his chest, not to mention the hand it bit was in bad shape too. The aliens did the very minimum to stop the bleeding, and wrapped it in some sort of bandage. But aside from that he was left without any medical attention.
'What I wouldn't give for some medi-gel.' He thought with a sigh. 'I hope Eva's okay.'
"Don't worry she'll be ok." Ben stated, making Jack shake his head. Harper always prided himself on being unreadable, but somehow his friend could always guess what he was thinking.
"I just hope so. She's been gone for hours, and who knows what those bastards are doing to her." He spat, gritting his teeth.
On cue the doors to their cell opened, a body was roughly tossed in. Both men gasped in shock when they recognized the mop of blonde hair.
"EVA!" Both exclaimed and rushed to her, or limped in Jack's case.
Ben got to her first and gently turned her on her back.
He hissed when he saw her face.
She had a nasty black eye, her right cheek was swollen and her lips were cut. Those were the least of the damages too. Her left shoulder was bleeding from tiny needle-like wounds, and her clothing was ripped apart, showing a good portion of her bruised skin.
Ben instantly took his shirt off and covered his friend.
That was when they noticed the collar around her neck. Both men exchanged a grim look.
"B-Ben?" Eva asked weakly.
"Yeah it's me, Jack's here too." He cradled her in his arms. He was about to ask what they did to her, but it suddenly clicked.
Ripped clothes.
Bruises on her legs and rear.
And a bite mark on her shoulder.
"God Eve…" Ben mumbled, hugging her closer. Jack took her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. He figured out what happened too.
Eva was raped by these aliens.
As if to confirm their suspicions she let out a quiet sob, but that was the best they would get from her in that department.
Even if it was barely above whisper, they could hear her muttering.
"I'll kill him. I'll kill him…" She chanted. Eva wasn't the kind of woman that something like this would break her. She was a merc, with years of experience, and she knew how to turn pain and fear into hate and fury.
But that would come later.
Now she needed the presence of her two best friends to comfort her.
And like always they never failed to deliver.
Main Deck
Admiral Tornak was very satisfied.
Just an hour ago he finished some pleasant exercises with his new slave. He had to admit that these human females were much more savage than Asari, but it wasn't a flaw. It would make the procedure of breaking them all the more fun.
Also he had taken a liking to the fur growing on their head. It felt way better than Asari's tendrils, and he could get firmer grip on it.
But that wasn't the main reason for his good mood. He was now currently going through reports from the invasion.
And things couldn't be going better.
Out of all four continents, only one was showing a resistance. Luckily it was the one that most of the drop troops were sent.
Out of the eight hundred thousand soldiers, he got over fifty percent on the ground. Most were involuntary conscripts from Earth Caste and slave warriors. He got specific orders from the top to spend as many as he could in this campaign.
The lower castes were getting restless, and no one needed an additional couple thousand with military experience. That would spell revolt all the way through the system.
From the one hundred thousand that were in the first wave, over half were already dead. Many hadn't even touched ground, just were simply blown out of the air, due to a slight miscalculation on his part.
Apparently these humans possessed directed energy weapons on the ground too.
Nevertheless the losses were still minimal for his armada, which was still over a thousand ships strong. Only a dozen frigates of regular Batarian army had gone down.
With this pace the invasion should be over in two to three days, maybe five if the aliens put up a fight.
His lips widened in a grin. The ticket to the Sun Caste was almost in his grasp, along with title of Grand Admiral. Not to mention he would have the rights to take as many slaves as he wanted first. He would root out the best of what the humans had to offer, and breed them into his elite troops.
If half of the reports he had on his display were true, the humans were almost as fierce as Krogans, yet as disciplined as Turians.
Arnak turned down the screen and looked through the window to the planet below. He closed all four of his eyes and let himself drown in fantasy. Unlike his previous ones, this one seemed too…calculated. Slowly pieces started to fall in together, forming a plan.
If he was appointed Supreme Commander of this system, he would have full control over the resources and alien population. With all the privileges that came with his status of Grand Admiral, such thing would be child's play.
With legions of loyal humans at his command he would be able to take the Hegemony by force, and become the Hegemon himself!
He hadn't dared to utter such thoughts aloud, yet they were always present in his mind. The Moon or even Sun Castes weren't enough for him.
He would aim higher.
And with the help of these humans and their technology, Arnak Tornak would take all that was for taking. Humans, Batarians, even the council species.
All would belong to him.
Shanxi - Helghast side of the river.
Hector grunted, placing a heavy crate on the narrow alley, finishing the makeshift barricade. The narrow architecture style made it extremely easy to turn the whole eastern part of the city into a one big kill zone with the Black Raiders HQ as the very heart of said kill zone.
He would kill for the chance to wipe his forehead of sweat, but the order was to be in full battle readiness at all times. So that meant that he wouldn't be taking off his armor anytime soon.
Yet after the show he witnessed a few hours ago, he wouldn't dare to.
The alien's literally flooded the sky, and even after this stupid maneuver their numbers were staggering.
From what he heard the Ranger and Hawks were making alien's bleed for every millimeter of the jungle they gained, but he could already see clouds of smoke on the horizon.
Hector hoped that his friends were alright.
Especially Rick and Michelle.
They were sent to the Rangers, which meant that they were in the jungle already. Hector was oblivious to the fact that Hannah was with them too. So he lived in false hope that she would arrive here soon, in all her Helghast glory and save him from the ass of a lieutenant he was serving under.
His initial suspicion that Livia had a grudge against his bloodline, was proven correct when fortification began.
She was almost solely focused on him. Looking for even the tiniest mistakes, and scolding him accordingly in front of the whole squad. But she was careful enough to not insult his Mother, or even Father.
Just a quip here about his status as Son of the Chancellor, or a mocking concern of the state of his finger nails. And those were the mild ones.
He had to hold the urge to murder her every time she opened her mouth.
Luckily his squad mates had proven to be more understanding. They gave him a quick briefing on how the squad worked and basic tactics.
They weren't treating him like a celebrity, but they were polite enough towards him.
That suited Hector well.
He hated to be viewed through the deeds of his parents, and being punished for it.
"Stop day dreaming Private Visari! Or do you need a break? Not used to hard work I see." Livia commented sarcastically.
"No ma'am, just awaiting my next order." He said through his teeth, keeping his temper in check.
"Do I have to explain every little thing you can do here hmm? Or are you gonna show some initiative, Private Visari?"
"With all due respect ma'am." Hector uttered these famous words, that meant the exact opposite. "You ordered me to finish the barricade. Which I fulfilled to the letter, and now I'm awaiting more heroic tasks, oh glorious leader." He mock bowed to her.
By now the whole squad was watching. To them Visari was showing suicidal tendencies, but if Rick, Adrian, Nicko, Michelle, or Hannah were there they would sit and breakout the popcorn. Because Hector was about to show why he was the bane of every female in boot.
"Don't get cocky with me Private Visari!" Livia snapped, showing her perfectly white teeth. "I won't tolerate your disrespect!"
Hector took off his helmet, and flashed her a perfect grin.
"Forgive me your highness if I insulted you. Should I fall to my knees in apology?" His smile widened when he saw a shy red tint on her cheeks.
'Hook.' He thought with glee. "While I'm down there, should I do anything else for you? Foot massage? Pedicure? Or maybe you wish to be pleased in other ways…" To prove his point he licked his lips, causing her to gasp. 'Line.'
Helghast women are extremely prude, that was a fact. His Father once told him that he won his Mother over by being direct, and not bothering with protocol.
Lucas told him that every Helghast woman had fire in her, just waiting to be released. Not to mention a pretty strong taste for the forbidden.
"You dare!" She exclaimed, but he heard a waver in her voice.
"Don't tell me you wouldn't be pleased having a heir of the Visari bloodline at your feet, willing to fulfill your every... single... order." What Lucas omitted was the part that Maya beat him up a few times before accepting his advances…
"Whoa!" He jumped back to avoid a nasty swipe to his face, but that was just a beginning. Livia shot forward like a bullet with a murderous snarl.
Hector blocked her spinning kick using his forearm, instantly sending his left leg to undercut her, but Livia jumped up avoiding the hit.
While in the air she swung her leg and kicked Hector's chest, making him take a few steps back. The hit wasn't strong, but it showed the skill of the young Helghast woman.
Yet it wasn't even close to what General Obsman showed him. Not to mention that Hector was a child of parents who served in their faction's blacktops most of their life's, and who were considered some of the best.
So naturally Hector was trained in various forms of combat since he was able to walk. He felt a grin creep on his face, mildly startling Livia. She hadn't had time to dwell on the meaning of his smile, since the answer came with his fierce assault.
Hector charged in with a front kick that Livia simply sidestepped, but that was part of his plan. His arm shot to her throat, and as he predicted she dodged instead of blocking. Now she was behind him, having his back open to her. She lunged for the kill, but Hector was ready. His leg swung back, and only thanks to her top notch reflexes, did she managed to avoid taking full force of his blow. Hector's foot grazed her side, forcing her to back up a few steps.
'If I took that I would be down.' She held her sore side. Even in her armor it hurt like hell.
She glared at Hector and saw that smug smile on his face, which made her blood boil.
But before she had the chance to attack, a low wail sounded through the city. A sound that every solider knew by heart.
The warning sound of an oncoming bombardment.
"To the AA-Guns move!" Livia screamed and ran inside the building, followed by all her squad, including Hector who quickly threw his helmet on.
In record time they were on the roof, where five VC30 AA Cannons were localized. They were updated versions of the VC25, allowing continued rapid firing with even deadlier accuracy.
The moment the soldiers got to the room they froze at the image they were seeing. Chaos in the sky. Human air forces were desperately battling a far more numerous enemy. The whole sky was filled with fighters, every second one going down in a ball of flames. The city's AA defenses were cutting through the sky, be it conventional or the Helghast Arc Cannons, with their electric rays.
Yet the city was still taking heavy punishment from the alien bombardment. Dozens of building were in flames, and as many if not more were already in ruins.
Hector cringed when he saw the AA nest brutally attacked.
'Poor guys.' He shook his head. Since every seat in the AA guns were occupied, he just kept his head low, trying to not get killed.
"INCOMING!" A scream came out of nowhere. Hector lay down on the ground, cursing profoundly. Then he heard the infamous sound of fighter guns going off.
He felt pieces of the roof hit him, and heard the guttural screams. Not daring to lift his head for a few seconds, he squeezed his eyes shut in some delusional hopes that they would make him invisible.
After a minute he dared to open them, but quickly regretted it. Right in front of his was a headless corpse, blood oozing from its throat and neck. Holding bile back he scrambled away, wanting to be as far as possible from the gory mess.
When he stood Hector noticed that there were six more unlucky soldiers lying in pools of their own blood. A seventh was being desperately resuscitated by Livia. Yet the man wasn't going to make it. His whole left side was gone, leaving a gaping hole, his innards falling out.
"Come on you will make it! Give me some damn medi-gel!" Livia ordered, yet all of them knew that it was pointless. He needed a team of medics and a hospital.
"Please…" The man gurgled, blood coming out of his mouth. "It hurts…."
"You'll make it Victor! Hell you still have to outrank me!" Livia exclaimed. "Where the fuck is that medi-gel!" She snapped.
"Ma'am he's not going to make it." One of her soldiers finally said. "We have to put him out of his misery."
"I won't kill one of my own men!" She growled at the man, jumping into his face, starting a tirade.
Victor looked to the side, and his gaze met Hector's
"Please…" He breathed.
Hector felt his whole body go cold. It was not supposed to be like this. He was supposed to kill enemies, not his own brothers in arms…not his people.
"Please…"
Just like a machine he stiffly walked forward, and kneeled before the dying man. He took of his helmet and looking into Victor's dark eyes with his vibrant green ones. He was about Hector's age.
"Tell me your full name." Hector uttered, but felt like someone else said it.
"Victor…Octavius…Heintz…from New Phyrrus…I have a baby sister, Miri…sweet little thing…" He choked in delusion from blood loss.
"You served your people well Victor. You are a true son of Helghan…Your family will be taken care off by the Visari family…" Hector slowly pulled his gun. "I swear on my honor."
"Thank you…Lord Visari…" Victor uttered, and closed his eyes.
Hector aimed his gun at man's head, and his finger trembled on a trigger.
'My first kill…' He thought numbly, yet another flash of pain on Victors serene face convinced him to steel his resolve. "Forgive me."
He squeezed the trigger.
A single shot sounded through the roof, somehow being louder than any other noise. All heads turned toward Hector. With utter disbelief Victor, who had a peaceful look on his face, as if he was sleeping now had a bleeding bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.
Hector looked numbly around, and saw the shock and disbelief on the faces of his comrades. Or as much their helmeted heads allowed, so he took the emotions he saw on Livia's face as consistent.
He saw the Emplaced STA-3 Light Machine Gun post, which was previously used by Victor, before he got hit.
He marched to it and loaded a fresh magazine, then started shooting at the aliens.
He hadn't noticed the tears sliding down his face.
He hadn't heard the scream coming from his throat.
All he could see was red.
All he could hear was the rush of blood.
But to the rest he was roaring in fury, anger, and spite.
Most of all he was screaming in despair and agony.
New Honkong - Central Communication Tower
Benjamin Wiliams cursed, typing on his console with a speed that many would consider impossible for a human being. Yet the son of General Williams proved to many how wrong they were.
Like his Father, he had a midnight black hair, brown eyes, and a large nose. Yet his features were softer thanks to his Mother's genes. He stood one hundred eighty centimeters high, with an athletic build rarely identified with cyber warfare specialists.
He was now currently doing everything in his power to prevent the aliens from overtaking their whole communication network, and gaining access to their inner data bases. His technicians still hadn't finished the purge of the vital data, and if the aliens managed to get their hands on it this little charade would end.
Not that it would keep for long. He gave the aliens three days, a week if they're really stupid, before they discover the truth.
And it was not because of the lack of roads, ancient buildings, or even the small population.
No, the reason was probably the biggest screw up in HSA's short history.
That was not taking into consideration entire civilian data-bases systems while forming the Rug Protocol.
All data about Start Systems, number of population, planets, etc were in the first library the aliens intercepted. Since it appeared that they already had their language, the rest would be a piece of cake.
"Come to Shanxi, you can raise your family in peace, with a good non-demanding job, he said." John cursed the moment he accepted his Father's offer, and moved from Mars. Now he was in the middle of a literal SF shitstorm.
"Sir?" One of his technicians snapped him out of his grumbling.
"What?!" He snapped. "Unless you want to tell me that you're done with the purge, which I know you aren't, don't bother me!"
"But sir, your wife is calling." He squeaked, making John pause for a second, but he instantly returned to his furious typing. He was aware that he wasn't fighting against an organic being. The speed this hacker was penetrating his defenses, and the methods he used, were to mechanical, to precise.
He was certain that he was facing an A.I., or at the least something extremely close to one. He wasn't one of the best specialists in the HSA for nothing.
Using the one thing that a machine couldn't, he managed to fool his opponent every time it got close for comfort.
He used his creativity to outsmart the enemy. What machines lacked was imagination, and were easily fooled with fake access ways, leading them to dead ends. Still he was getting tired, and the other specialists were assigned to purging or maintaining the comms. So that basically made him a one man cyber army.
"Tell her I'll call later." He replied with a heavy heart. He felt the tremors from the explosions, and hoped that his wife and daughter were okay. "She should be safe in the bunker."
The technician licked his dry lips, not that John saw, since his eyes were glued to the screen.
"But sir…that's why your wife is calling, she's not in the bunker…" The tech choked.
"Put her on screen! Dismissed!" Ben said shortly. Not even a second later his wife's face appeared on the left corner of the screen. "Jessica what the hell?!"
Jessica was a petty blonde, with green eyes, and a lithe build.
"The bunkers were full John. They closed it right in our faces." She uttered, fear evident in her voice.
"How is that possible? They should be able to fit a number way higher than the current population!" He exclaimed.
"I don't know hun….we're now in the jungle…Ben..." Her voice broke slightly. "Ashley is not taking it well…"
Ben wanted to scream. Why he hell he decided to live in a settlement twenty kilometers from New Honkong , was beyond him.
"Listen…does Ashely have the necklace I gave her?" He wanted to wipe his forehead so much right now.
"Yes, why do you ask?" His wife furrowed her brows.
"It has a localizing device built in. I gave it to her in case she got lost in the jungle. I'll call Dad, and he will send a rescue team for you."
"We have fifty more people here John…" Jessica looked at him, pleadingly. "They're our neighbors."
"I'll arrange something… Stay safe, I love you and Ashley." Ben's voice cracked a bit. "Help will be on its way." He promised.
"I love you Ben." She disconnected.
Williams opened another window and made a call to his Father, labeling it Omega Level, which in short meant drop everything pick up now.
"General Will- Ben what do you want, I'-" Henry started.
"Jess and Ashley are outside the bunkers." Ben interrupted him. "What the fuck Dad? Why there isn't enough space for them!?"
"Manuel Gomez of the Settlement Department, that's why." Henry growled. "The bunker on this continent managed to only fit about seventy percent of the population… He made an error, and now the bunkers on the other continents are empty, while the ones here are already filled to the brim."
"I'll murder that bastard! You're telling me that we have over ten million people just running around?!"
"Get in line and yes, but that's not important right now. What about Jess and Ash?" He asked, his voice laced with worry.
"They're safe, but need a pick up along with fifty other people. I'm sending you the coordinates, and adjusting your sensors to the localizer." He typed a few commands quickly, and returned to battling alien's A.I., or whatever they used.
"Understood. I'll arrange a rescue team immediately." General Williams said, and was about to cut the transmission, but his Son opened his mouth again.
"When this's all over I'm punching you right in the face Dad." Ben warned.
"Add to that a kick to a gut, after we survive." Henry added cracking a smile, and cutting the connection.
Yet both men were well aware that their survival wasn't a matter of when, but rather if, and that chilled them to the very core.
"Soooo you don't reproduce by inserting your fast growing fetus, inside an unfortunate host's mouth. Then said fetus exits the host's body through his or her chest?" Rick asked another question he was dying to get off his chest.
"…I can't even tell if you're mocking me, or being serious." Tulius's mandibles spread in exasperation. Yet he preferred this to the silent treatment he got from the rest of the squad. Not surprising since he was basically an invader.
The group was currently resting from their forced march, using the cover of the night as respite. They managed to cover a lot of the ground, and were about thirty kilometers from New Wien. With this pace they should reach the city by dawn.
That is if they didn't encounter any surprises along the way. Aside from taking down Tulius' drop ship crew, Hannah's squad was blessed with a lack of alien ground forces. Yet every few minutes they heard the hum of an alien's engines, and very rarely human built ones.
"Rick stop pissing off the extraterrestrial being." Hannah sat down next to him, and the opposite Tulius. She extended a ration bar toward the alien. "Hungry?"
"I've got my own food supply, unless you're a dextro-amino, your food will be indigestible or poisonous at worst." He replied. "But thanks for the consideration."
"Hmm, I'm pretty sure we're levo-amino based." Hannah took a bite from her bar. "So Tulius, where are you from?"
"I'm from Palaven, home world of my species." He replied. "It's quite dry, due to strong solar radiation, but it's beautiful…" He fell silent, immersing himself in memory.
"When was the last time you saw it?" Rick asked with a frown. Even if Tulius's face was completely alien, he could see the longing on it.
"Too long. Telling you that I've been a slave for seven years wouldn't probably meant much to you. We probably count time differently." He sighed. "But still way too long…my children are probably adults by now…"
An awkward silence fell after this, since neither humans knew what to say. They exchanged uneasy looks, feeling pity for the alien before them.
"But it's not healthy to dwell on the past too much." He shook his head, chasing the memories away. "What about you two?"
"Rick and I were born on Vekta, but I consider myself from Helghan." Hannah said.
"So you have two more planets? Spirits I was worried that those idiot Batarians attacked a large galactic empire, spanning dozens of worlds…" He paused when he saw the blank expressions on their faces. "You're not a galactic empire are you?"
"Well…it depends by what you consider an empire." Rick rubbed his neck awkwardly. "But yeah we have fifteen more planets like this one, only much more developed. This colony is quite young actually, ten years or so."
"You have seventeen garden words?!" Tulius exclaimed, drawing attention from the squad. "That's just six less than the Salarians!"
"You mean those horned big eyed ones?" Rick clarified. "While we're on the subject, can you tell me more about those…blue skinned women?" Rick grinned, feeling Hannah heated glare on his face.
"The Asari come from Thessia, and were the first species to discover the Citadel." Tulius said.
"The what?" Hannah interjected.
"Who cares, tell me more about them. Like why're they blue, or how their males look." Rick rubbed his hands in excitement.
"I believe that it's due to the Eezo rich planet. There is so much of it that it actually affected their biology, making them most powerful Biotic's, and they don't have males, that we know of."
"What? Care to repeat that?" Rick uttered in disbelief.
"Asari are monogamous, they don't have a males." He repeated.
"You're telling me that there's a whole planet of hot alien blue chicks?! With no men! God I know where I'll spend my leave." He cheered, but suddenly stopped. "Wait this sounds too good, how the hell do they even reproduce…and do they have dicks?"
"Spirits no!" Tulius uttered horrified. "Albeit some of my people were concerned about that too, when we first met them. Also to explain how Asari reproduce would take me an entire night... let's just say it's complicated."
"Tell me more about this Citadel, since you satisfied the idiot's curiosity." Hannah muttered, glaring at Rick and daring him to keep going.
"The Citadel is a relic from the times when the Protheans were around. It's the seat of our galactic government, made up of several species. There are three leading species, mine, Salarians, and Asari. Together we form a Citadel Council, the lesser species have their embassies on the Citadel, and are under our protection." Tulius explained. "Turians are the peacekeepers and the protectors of the Citadel. Asari are the diplomats, and the Salarians are responsible for all espionage."
"So how many ships do you have?" Hannah asked.
"You would like to know that eh?" Tulius replied making her blush at being caught. "But it's no secret, it's all on the Extranet. We have around thirty five thousand war ships, ready at all times, but if the need ever arises we can refit civilian vessels, bolstering our numbers."
Rick and Hannah's jaws dropped.
"You got to be fucking kidding me." Rick uttered, paling. If the Citadel ever decided to attack them...
"Don't worry. Turians won't attack you. What's more, as soon as the council catches wind of what the Batarian's are doing, help will be sent and they will get these fools off your back." He reassured them.
"You said Turians, you mean that your people alone have that many ships?" Hannah asked carefully.
"Yes. The Asari have around twenty thousand, including the largest dreadnought in galaxy, and Salarian's have around ten thousand."
"Sixty five thousand …." Hannah mumbled, shaking her head. "Just what the hell have we gotten ourselves into…"
"Like I said you don't need to worry about the Citadels fleets. They are mostly for defense, and only react when directly attacked." He rose his finger.
"Are the Batarians members of the Citadel?" Rick asked somberly.
"Yes?" Tulius replied carefully.
"Then they're not gonna be happy with us, because as soon as our command gets the message, the Batarians will have all our might knocking at their doorstep. Ergo we'll be at war with the Citadel." He sighed.
"It's not that simple. You see the Batarians are clearly in wrong here, so the Council most likely will not side with them." He stated.
"Then I don't get how your system works." Rick folded his arms. "Aren't those who are a part of the Citadel under your protection, or not?"
"It's complicated. You see, the Batarians have been a pain in the ass ever since they joined the Citadel. They call slavery exercising their cultural rights." Tulius spat in anger. "Many in the Hierarchy want to simply raid them and overthrown their government, but the Asari always say that they need time to adjust and we have to be patient." He said in a mocking voice.
"The amount of info I've just got is gonna make my head blow, but that's so awesome!" Rick grinned nudging Hannah.
"What do you mean? War isn't awesome." She chastised him.
"No no no no, I didn't mean war, but you!" He pointed at Tulius. "A whole new galaxy to see. So much to learn and experience…" His face turned dreamy. "Imagine just getting to know so many civilizations. Colonel we're not alone in this universe anymore."
"I see your point, but is that a good thing? Look how much misery those aliens brought in just one day." She said sadly.
"For all it's worth, I'm sorry that your first contact had to be like this." Tulius said with genuine remorse. "I hope it won't taint your view on the rest of the galaxy."
"It probably will. We barely tolerate ourselves." Rick chuckled bitterly. "And after what these Batarians pulled off, I can bet that there will be a literal flood of human supremacists."
"That's sad to hear." Tulius looked at the ground in shame.
Before anyone else managed to say anything, they all heard the roar of a human aircraft. It was accompanied by the characteristic rumbling sound of objects falling to the ground with way too much speed.
A few seconds later the whole jungle was illuminated in the blink of an eye, as the falling craft passed over them.
Then they heard a loud crash.
"Michelle, Rick, go to the crash site and search for survivors. The rest of you gear up the break's over. We're moving in thirty!" Hannah exclaimed.
Both scouts nodded and activated their cloaking devices, silently running towards the crash site. If the impact was any indication, the plane was far away.
After ten minutes of jogging, they reached the fallen craft. It was the newest toy the HSA scientist produced recently.
The H7 Scorpion.
The machine was a result of mixing a ISA Fighter Bomber, Helghast Strike Fighter, and UCN F-101 Fighter.
The constructors utilized the best of each type of craft offered, creating a truly deadly machine. The H7 Scorpion quickly become the pride of the HSA Air Force. The jet was also capable of space fight, which only added to its usefulness. It is said that in about two decades it would push out the other models, and become a standard for all human forces.
But now the technical marvel was lying in between broken trees broken and burning. The cockpit, by some miracle, survived the crash, meaning that the pilot might have too.
But seeing that the machine was burning it, was only a matter of time before it exploded.
Both scouts ran towards the plane. They found the emergency switch, and opened the cockpit.
The pilot was unconscious, his head hanging limply. Not wanting to waste time, Michelle cut the belts with her knife, while Rick pulled the man out and threw him over his shoulder.
Then as fast as possible they distanced themselves from the plane.
As soon as they were out of range, the fire reached a canister, turning the jet into a spectacular ball of flame.
"Hell I've just aged a decade." Rick mumbled, feeling sweat sliding down his back. Both from stress and additional weight he was carrying. "Damn this bastard is heavy!"
"Stop whining. We have to hurry up and return to the squad. The explosion might draw attention." Michelle replied with a shrug.
They reached the squad just in time to see the backs of the last soldiers leaving their make shift camp.
They got instantly chastised by Hannah for not checking if the pilot was even alive. After the helmet was removed, a mass of blood leaked from it. Apparently when the machine crashed the pilot's nose broke on impact.
Few minutes longer and he would have drown in his own blood. After the man was tended too, Hannah resumed the march, with the pilot being carried piggy back by an unfortunate solider.
She was eagerly awaited his awakening. She wanted to question him about the current situation. Since they were stuck in the jungle for two days, with basically no outside communication.
To her luck the man came around about an hour later.
The pilot reached Hannah on his own,
"Ma'am." The man saluted. "Senior Airman Hassan Abbi, at your command."
"At ease. Now what can you tell me what is going on? How's the situation on the front?" Hannah asked.
"I don't know what's happening on the ground, but Ma'am, if I can be frank,…if it's as bad as the skies, then we're fucked."
Flashback - Four Hours Earlier - Air Space
Air Commander: Break formation, and use maneuver 72!
The five H7 Scorpion jets spread out, dividing the group of thirty pursuers. Predictably every jet got four tango's on it's tail
Maneuver 72, was also known as Who's Got The Bigger Balls. In essence the maneuver was to spread out and basically made a collision run with the other squad members, only to avoid impact at the very last moment.
Normally such maneuvers would be too risky, giving minimal reward since none of the pursuers would be so stupid to fall for that old parade trick… That is if they were humans.
These aliens were a completely different case.
From the first clash of respective air forces, it was plainly obvious that the aliens had little experience in atmospheric combat. While they could cause untold problems in space, in Shanxi's atmosphere they had basic problems like resisting wind. While it didn't applied to all, there were some amazingly skilled individuals, most were rather mediocre in comparison to the human pilots.
Their ships while faster and more agile, but again more suited to space combat, and had serious problems adapting to an atmosphere.
Overall the aliens were paying a heavy price for their miscalculation.
Still if the odds were six to seven alien craft per one human, they could to afford it. With each human jet down the fight was getting that much more desperate.
BOOOOM!
The aliens jets crashed into each other, going down in a spectacular rain of parts and flames. Out of thirty fighters, twelve paid the price for their lack of imagination.
Hassan did a classic barrel roll and fell onto the regrouping fighters like a hawk on doves. He pulled the trigger, making two deadly Gatling Guns spin.
Soon a rain of 25mm bullets hit the aliens. Their shields flashed and held for about fifteen seconds, before they shattered. Which was about eight seconds longer than human made ones.
Yet another funny fact about alien jets. Their plating was ridiculously thin.
With a smile on his face, Hassan witnessed the demise of yet another enemy. The Gatling fire literally ripped the jet apart, making it fall to the ground in hundreds of parts. He moved his attention to another one, but a desperate cry from his teammate made him abandon it.
Pilot Two: My shields are down! We have another pro here I SHIT! My left engine is down! I'm losing attitude!
Hassan/Pilot Three: On it.
They moved to aid their team mate, shooting down two more enemy jets while avoiding the hazardous fire of mass accelerated weapons, which did an ungodly amount of damage to their shields.
Then they saw the so called pro.
His/hers/its plane looked like a work of art. While human jets screamed aggression, this one sang of beauty and harmony. It's curves were sleek and slender, added with the blue light coming from the engine, the jet seemed other worldly.
Pilot Three: It's so beautiful that it actually piss me off.
Hassan: Agreed. It makes our poor Scorpions look ugly…. Let's shoot this bastard down!
Pilot Three: Hell yeah!
Both pilots dove and opened fire on the alien jet. That was the moment that reality stopped making sense.
The alien fighter made a spin, avoiding every single bullet shot at it. An impossible feat by human pilot's opinions. But that was not all. The jet started to glow blue, and then was suddenly halted midair, as if some invisible giant caught it. The human jets passed by, just looking dumbstruck.
Hassan: No fucking way.
Pilot Three: But that should be impossible.
Pilot Four: I'm hit! I'm hit! I nee- *Static*
Hassan: Ron respond! Fuck!
Pilot Two: My left engine just exploded! I'm ejecting!
They all saw the man launching from his falling plane…and then mercilessly ripped apart by alien fire.
Air Commander: I'm ordering a full retreat! We're going back to base! We have- What?! Attention, from now on we're not allowed to leave New Wien air space. Our task is to defend it at all costs!
Pilot Three: That's bullshit! What about the other settlements and the dam!?
Air Commander: Eighty percent of our birds were shot down, we lost the sky…
They all heard the finality in his voice.
The three surviving planes regrouped, and changed its course to New Wien. All the while a swarm of enemy fighters pursued them, with the seemingly magic jet in front and quickly gaining.
Air Commander: Release the magnetic mines!
This was the newest innovation of the human military. Each jet was equipped with hundreds of small magnetic balls, no larger than half a centimeter, filled with an explosive mixture. Perfect for dumping on tailgaters.
In an instant the sky was filled with thousands of little balls. The timer in each was two seconds…
BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM
Thousands of tiny explosions filled the sky, obscuring their pursuers. Some even fell, probably due to confusion caused by the bombs.
Yet the three pilots weren't celebrating, because another impossible feat occurred.
The fighter that was causing them so much trouble came out of the smoke, surrounded by a ball of blue energy, which didn't look like ordinary shields.
Air Commander: Fuck me sideways.
Pilot Three: Sir yes Sir…We're doom aren't we?
The enemy jet was already shooting at them. It was obvious that it was much faster than the Scorpions.
Hassan gripped the rod, closing his eyes for a second. Out of his squad mates he was the worst one, and if the situation was so dire that they needed every pilot available.
So if he could by buy some time for them…
Hassan: It was an honor gentlemen. I hope the winds will always blow in your favor.
He pulled the rod, moving his jet to do a barrel roll, shooting at the enemy jets.
Air Commander: What the hell you're doing Abbi? Are you out of your fucking mind?! Come back to the formation, that's an order!
Pilot Three: Don't play the hero, you idiot!
Hassan: Sorry guys, but this is it for me… Use the time I buy for you, farewell.
Abbi cut the transmission and focused on the enemy. Out of their thirty pursuers, sixteen were still on their tail.
He pushed the button sending a volley of missiles he was saving into the enemy, while shooting the shit out of them. Their only options were die from Gatling gun or rocket.
Three more jets fell prey to the suicide tactic.
Suddenly aliens broke formation, and took off in multiple directions. At the same time the magical jet started to press hard on him, making his shields flare a few times.
Hassan noticed that whole alien squad already went back to formation, continuing their pursuit of his teammates, leaving him behind.
'So you want a duel? You got it you cocky bastard!' Hassan gritted his teeth, and pushed the engine to its very limits. He noticed the other pilot was doing the same, and now both of them were flying up at top speed, air blooming in rings behind them.
Hassan realized they would reach the higher part of the stratosphere soon, and it was at the moment he decided to cut power completely from the engines.
The moment alien jet whizzed past him, and Hassan opened fire making the enemy's shields flare, but they held. The shortcoming of this little trick was that the machine would start falling, and by the laws of aerodynamics, the jet would spin and expose it's belly.
The moment it happened, Hassan kicked the engine on and shot like a bullet, attempting to make some distance from the alien pilot.
It was all for naught as the other jet had already caught up to him, and was lying directly above him, only upside down so he could see who was in the cockpit.
It was a blue female, with probably the most beautiful face he had ever seen. His mouth hung agape at the sight. If not for his helmet, she would probably be laughing at his expression.
The Asari lowered her jet even more, so the fighters were almost touching.
Then she winked, glowing blue…
Hassan felt his whole jet being violently yanked down, making him momentarily lose control over it. This was the exact moment the fight ended.
His Scorpion's shields flashed, being hit by volley of bullets and broke after a few seconds, letting the vulnerable parts fell prey to enemy fire.
In an instant his two engines were burning, and he was falling.
"Fuckfruckfuckfuckfuck…." He swore, trying to stabilize the machine. Looking out he saw that the enemy pilot flying next to him again, close enough that he could see her face.
This time she blew him a raspberry.
Hassan, in return, showed her his middle finger, not that she would understand this gesture. He noticed her lips spreading into a smile, then she waved him goodbye and flew away, leaving him to his fate.
He desperately tried to stabilize his machine, but it was all in vain. The only thing he managed to do was to change the angle of his fall so it would be somewhat straight forwards, slowing his speed a bit.
"Fucking perfect time to be an atheist." He chuckled humorlessly, watching the ground getting closer at frightening speeds. "I hope you guys made it…"
Was his last thought as he hit the ground, and knew no more…
Back to Present
"Damn… How can we even fight something like that?" Hannah commented. "And eighty percent of our Air Force gone already? It was supposed to be one of the larger ones."
"At the beginning we had about three hundred jets capable of aerial combat, now we probably have around seventy or less. Our air force is now mostly drop ships…" Hassan shook his head. "I just hope that the ground war is faring better, because we just lost the sky." Actual pain could be heard in his voice.
"Don't worry. We'll make them pay, you'll see." Hannah said with more conviction that she felt.
"Thank you Ma'am, I needed that." Hassan smiled.
Hannah returned the smile, not that he saw, and marched forward silently. She hoped beyond hope that New Wien would be more than just a pile of smoking ruins by the time they arrived.
Codex
Human Systems Alliance: An interstellar organization created in the 2401 fallout of discovering the Protheans ruins on Mars. For the first time in history, humanity united under one banner making the creation of HSA. The first government to rule humanity as a whole. The four main entity's making up the HSA are the UCN, ISA, ICSA, and Helghan Empire. Yet those are not the only ones, as there are a few independent worlds not affliliated with any organization.
Each of the big four have the right to veto, and can halt any bill they deem harmful to their interests. This solution was the condition of the Helghan Empire to join the HSA, since they would have been obviously out voted by the rest.
The Human System Alliance works under the modified rule of a separation of powers. Legislative power belongs to a two tier parliament, with a lower and higher house. The lower numbering one thousand and one deputies, the higher with five hundred and five. The number of deputies from each planet varies based on their population and the class of world. For more information see World Classification.
The executive branch is represented by a council of four, namely the leaders of the largest organizations within the HAS. In comparison to the classic executive powers, they have much more freedom, since the legislative and judicial branches were severely limited in their influence over the council. Some say their competences were borderline authorial, yet the very idea of the HSA was a unification in case of war. So a strong executive power was mandatory. Yet the council isn't above the law, and can be overthrown in case of drastic violation of the HSA constitution.
The judicial branch is represented by Interstellar Court, as the highest tier of judiciary system. The court has twenty one members, chosen from all planets, with two assigned by each of big four and one from the lesser members.
Worlds Classification
There are four classes of habitable worlds:
A-Class Worlds- The planets that are near Earth-like, able to support large populations, with comfortable conditions for humans to thrive. Examples: Vekta and Shanxi.
B-Class Worlds- Worlds of lesser class. yet still able to house sizable populations, yet either too cold or too arid to match the A-Class standard. Examples: Hope and Sorin
C-Class Worlds- Planets with thin atmosphere, harsh weather conditions, and hostile fauna and flora. Preventing rapid colonization due to the need to adapt to these conditions. Prime example, Helghan, albeit after extensive terraforming the planted is considered a better place to live than before Terradice, for more information see the Second Extrasolar War.
D-Class Worlds- Planets that are barely habitable by humans, due to its extreme weather conditions or amino incapability to human metabolism. An example is the larger garden world of Hades. For more see Living-Dead Worlds. D-Class Worlds are mostly mining worlds, with colonies set for sole purpose of extracting resources.
A/N
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