Chapter 7 Preperation

FOB Shangri La

Date 3 September 2562/ 3 September 1097

Private Klara Bennet

Moving her hand to the lower back of her head, Klara gently rubs the Neural Interface that was implanted. The Neural Interface will help Klara identify friend and foe on the battlefield. It also helps with aiming her rifle. She no longer needs to use the sights of her rifle. The neural Interface will do almost everything for her, she just has to aim where the interfaces tells her to and pull the trigger. The other soldiers says it is aim assist.

It's still uncomfortable having a damn computer attached to my brain and skull…at least I am not the only one here wearing one. Neural Implants are mandatory for every soldier of the UNSC. Heh still can't believe that I am part of an Alien military now.

Right, I need to head to the medical center, apparently, they need my help identifying something they found. First I need to go find Violet. Violet is the other Sarkaz that was attached to 1st platoon. Even though both me and Violet were slaves and never really talked to each other, we quickly became friends.

I also made more friends in 1st platoon. Corporal Tom who is apparently the platoon's clown is a funny person and kind person. Everyone likes him. Then there is Private Jessica, with long blonde hair and green eyes. She is the platoon's heavy weapon specialist and the person who me and Violet adore the most. She was the one who comforted us when we were slaves in the back of the truck. So yeah we like her more purely because she saved us. Everyone else in the platoon is also nice to me.

My only complaint is that they constantly touch my horns, tail and ears. Holy shit, when Violet and I were first introduced to them the first thing they asked was if they could touch our tails and horns. I tried so hard to explain to them that it is considered rude to touch them and only people we are close with are allowed to touch them…they ignored me…Saying stuff that we are part of their family now and that gives them the right to touch my horns and tails. Thankfully Violet wasn't spared. I had never seen a girl blush like that from being examined by marines out of pure curiosity.

Curiosity, that has to be this species' most dangerous trait. They aren't the strongest or fastest or have the best reaction times…but they are the most dangerous species on the planet. If mankind is curious about something they will do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to sate their curiosity even at the cost of their own lives. Countless other things about these humans make me afraid of them.

"Heyyy Klara!" a Voice shouts next to me causing me to jump and make strange noises. Turning around to find the source of the voice only to see it is Violet.

Did I walk to the barracks instinctively while in thought? "Dammit Violet! Don't scare me like that. I'll die of a heart attack." Seriously I shouldn't be lost in thought like that again. If Lieutenant Blackburn saw me like that he'll chew my ass.

Violet only giggles in response. "Hehe, you were so zoned out, I just had to jump on the opportunity to scare. But why were you so zoned out?"

"Don't scare me like that again, and I was zoned out because I was thinking about mankind." Violet stares at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Ohhhh, so who do you like huh? Is he pretty? What does he look like? Or is it a she!?" She starts nudging my shoulder with her elbow playfully while bombarding me with questions.

"You misunderstood Violet. I was thinking about their species as a whole and how dangerous they truly are." This girl I swear. She's way too friendly and naïve for her own good. That's probably why everyone warmed up to her so fast.

"Awwww man, you need to soften up Klara! We're not slaves anymore. We can enjoy freedom…errr well-limited freedom. But still, you need to find yourself a boyfriend. Sophia already found one." Yeah well just because everyone else is searching for a partner doesn't mean I am going to.

"No Violet. I don't want a partner at the moment. We are soldiers now and in the handbook that was given to us, it is recommended and advised to stay single during our military service. So that is what I am going to do." Shortly after firearm training, we were given a blue book with the UNSC logo on it. The contents of the book tell us the Do's and Don'ts. And being in a relationship while in military service is highly advised against.

Before Violet could respond, I interrupted her. "Shut up Violet, we can talk about your sexual desires later. We were called to the Medical Centre to help the staff identify something there. So come on let's go." I immediately begin to walk away from Violet towards the Medical Centre causing Violet to lightly jog to catch up to me."

"Heyy wait up! Don't just walk away without me." Jeez sorry slow-ass. "Klara, do you know why they want us there? Like can't they just ask for Brunhilde who is working there anyway." Good question. Can't believe you asked something smart.

"I don't know. All that I know is that it is related to a wounded soldier from the Catastrophe three months ago and that Colonel Eckart and Lieutenant Blackburn are there waiting for us. So it would be for the best if we haul ass, were already late because you wanted to chat about my relationship status." We both start jogging towards the Medical Centre with our hair buns bouncing slightly with each hop.

Entering through the medical doors we move to the receptionist's table where a military nurse is sitting behind the table. "Excuse me ma'am, we were sent here to meet with Colonel Eckart and Lieutenant Blackburn, would you please direct us to them."

Without looking away from her tablet she throws her thumb back over her head pointing to a door. "Yeah, yeah just head through that door and you will find them in the third room to your right. Room 32. And please don't touch the patients."

"Thank you ma'am." Why the fuck would we touch the patients. Both Violet and I quickly walk through the sterile corridor until we reach our intended location. Entering the room, we immediately salute our superiors who are standing next to an unconscious soldier lying on a bed with life support systems hooked up to him. "Sirs! Private Karla and Private Violet reporting sir."

They both return the salute and Colonel Eckart is the one to speak up first. "Good, do you ladies know why we called the two of you here?" Me and Violet exchange glances with each other before looking back at Colonel Eckart. "No sir we don't."

"You two are familiar with Oripathy correct?" Ahh, so that is what this is about. That soldier hooked to the life support system has contracted Oripathy. There are no visible crystals on his skin so far, that's a good sign. "Yes sir we are."

The Colonel shifts his gaze back to the wounded soldiers before continuing. "Sergeant Bell here and a handful of other soldiers have contracted Oripathy. We already managed to cure the others of their Oripathy but Bell here is currently a special case." Cure…Oripathy….

"WHAT!" I suddenly shout causing everyone in the room to jump back in surprise with wide eyes. Quickly calming down I continue…" Err sorry for the outcry, but sir…how were the other soldiers cured? Oripathy is an incurable disease. This should be impossible."

My CO Lieutenant Blackburn responds this time. "Well you see Private, it was quite easy. We just simply flash-cloned their infected organs and body parts and replaced them with cloned ones. And just like that they are combat-ready again."

"Flash-cloned?" Violet asks the question that I wanted to ask first. "Yes cloned…you do know what that is correct?" Asks Blackburn back.

"We do…but it is normally only in science fiction." Oh yeah, advanced alien race. Pretty much Sci-fi. "But still sir, this is revolutionary! With the flash cloning technology, we can go and save thousands or even hundreds of thousands of infected lives!"

"Private, calm down and we are not going to share this technology with anyone." Responds Colonel Eckart. Right…the UNSC wants to be isolated for a while and gather intelligence before they start to interact with I can see the positives and negatives to being isolated…but with their technology, they can do so much good towards everyone on Terra.

"But you see Private, we unfortunately can't cure Sergeant Bell." They can't cure him? Why? They cured all the other soldiers. "Our scans indicated there is Originium in his bloodstream throughout his entire body." Oh…

"If we try to replace all of his blood he will simply die. And we are not going to let him die. He is going to be sent up to UNSC Monarch, one of the frigates inside UNSC Sol, where he will be put into Cryogenic stasis until we find a way to save him." Explains Colonel Eckhart. Ahhh so they are going to freeze. I am starting to like the UNSC more every day, rather than killing or exiling Sergeant Bell like most nations on Terra would do, they are doing everything in their power to save one single person.

"And this is where the two of you come in. Klara, Violet. I need you two to tell me everything regarding Oripathy, including possible medication to slow down the crystallization and where to obtain said medication. Please…we don't want to lose any soldiers, especially to this sick disease." They care about the lives of their soldiers, really making it hard for me to not like you.

"Well sirs, you already extracted all the information from that cunt Duncan, but I think I know about some places where he can get help. There exists a couple of organizations that study Oripathy in the hopes of finding a cure…but they only give treatment and sell the medication itself. I believe they will not sell the production rights and recipes for the medication." I carefully explain while trying to remember everything I could about the organizations that I learned in school decades ago.

Colonel Eckart responds with a smug look on his face. "Private do you really think we care about production rights? We'll take everything by force if it means saving our soldiers from this vile infection. Plus, we just need a couple of samples of the medicine and then we can reverse-engineer it and start producing our own version. And who knows, we might be able to produce a more effective version thanks to our technology."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I believe I have heard about an organization that specifically deals with Oripathy and helps the infected." Explains Violet. Hmmm, the only ones I could think of are the ummm Rhodes or something…

For the first time, a genuine smile appears on Eckart's face. "Well then Private Violet, would you please give us the name of this Organization and how to possibly contact them."

"Uhhh if I recall hearing correctly from one of the infected slaves months ago, it is called Rhodes Island. And I unfortunately do not know where their landship is or how to contact them. I was a slave since I was a child after all." Upon the mention of Rhodes Island, Eckart's eyes widen for a moment as if in shock.

"Violet…did you just say Rhodes Island?" The expression on his face is serious. I think there must be a thousand calculations and questions running through his mind right now. And you know it is serious when the hard ass doesn't refer to us by rank but by name.

Visibly startled, Eckart slowly speaks. "Rhodes Island…that is a medical organization…this can't be a coincidence. Or the universe is fucking with us." Damn, I have never seen someone so startled.

"Colonel…why does the name Rhodes Island have you so upset?" Lieutenant Blackburn asks. He beat me to the question.

"Well Blackburn, I took history as my primary subject in school and in college. And thanks to my Neural Implants I remember everything I was taught. And Rhodes Island is a name I have heard 3 times in human space. The first being that Rhodes Island, an island in Greece back on Earth was believed to be the island of Helios, the god of the sun…simply ancient human legends."

"The second time I learned of Rhodes Island is a state of the United States of America, a 21st Century country that doesn't exist anymore. But it was more commonly known as Rhode Island and not Rhodes Island. And the third…is the fact that one of the frigates in UNSC Sol is called UNSC Rhodes Island…and now we have a pharmaceutical organization with the very same name. This can't be a coincidence…this needs to be investigated ASAP."

Hmmm, the Colonel isn't wrong. This definitely isn't normal. The chances for something like this to happen are non-existent. He's right this needs to be investigated.

"Ahhh Jesus Colonel, I swear this planet is a fucked in the head parody of Earth" Blackburn complains while rubbing his eyes with his hand… probably out of frustration.

"Okay, you three don't need to worry about this, I will inform The Admiral about this and we will handle this later, we will also try to figure out a way to contact this Rhodes Island without drawing to much attention our way. And if I am not mistaken you three have an operation to prepare for that will be carried out early tomorrow morning." Operation?

Ohhhhh yeah. Operation Emancipation. How the hell did I almost forget about this Operation? We have been training for this Operation for the past 2 months. Simple really. Free the slaves, kill the slavers, gather intel and blow the miniature landship up. Simple…hopefully.

"Sorry to ask this Colonel, but what happened to the Sankta slave that came with us? I haven't seen her anywhere around the base for the past 2 months." Violet asks nervously. The Sankta slave that was with us…Hellen I believe her name was. I didn't like the bitch. She was racist and fanatical like all the Sankta.

"The angle looking girl? Oh she refused the Admiral's generous offer. So don't worry about her in the future again." After saying that, Colonel Eckart simply looks over at the wounded soldier again.

Ahhhh so she's no longer with us. Join us or die…I thought they were joking. And judging by Violet's shocked expression she thought the same. Luckily Blackburn noticed her state of shock and took matters into his own hands.

"Come on ladies, that isn't our problem. We need to go back to the rest of the platoon at the barracks and get some shut-eye. We have a huge day ahead of us tomorrow morning, come on." Grabbing Violet by her shoulders, I gently drag her with me out of the Medical Centre towards our barracks with our CO following close behind us.

I could do with some sleep.

05:00 AM/ 4 September 2562/ 4 September 1097

"UP! Everyone get up!" Who the hell is screaming like that. Slowly waking up I look around the barracks as the lights are turned on and everyone jumping out of their beds and getting dressed. Oh shit! Operation Emancipation. Jumping out of the lower part of the bunkbed I reach up to wake Violet up. "Violet, wake up and get dressed. The operation is about to get started."

"Yeah I know Klara." Yawning before jumping off the top part of the bunkbed, Violet moves to her locker to get dressed. Guess I better get dressed fast. "I want you all assembled in the armory in 5 minutes!" Five minutes to get dressed…I can do this.

Quickly putting my combat uniform and combat boots on I turn to my bed to tidy it up. "Violet you almost finished?" I turn around to see Violet leaning against the wall fully dressed with a smirk on her face. "How the hell were you faster than everyone here!?" Everyone else is still making their beds and getting dressed.

"Well, I practiced beforehand these couple of months." Of course she did. Tucking my blanket into the side of the bed I am finally finished. "Come on Klara, we gotta form up outside." Rushing outside we quickly join the rest of the formations with the other soldiers of 1st Platoon with us. Looking around towards the other barracks, I see roughly about 4 other platoons forming up outside. That's around 80 soldiers that are gonna take part in this operation.

"Platoon listen up! We are on a time limit here. We're gonna march to the Armory where you all have roughly ten minutes to get your gear, guns, and ammo. We are to then move to the helipads and wait for the other platoons to get their gear. 1st Platoon Move out." After we received Lieutenant Blackburn's orders we started marching in formation towards the armory with 2nd platoon following behind us.

Entering the armory, me and Violet move to our respective lockers which are conveniently right next to each other. Opening my door I start putting on my olive-green combat armor which was custom-made to fit my extra body parts. "Hey Klara, you nervous?" a Soldier asked me…his name is Jeffrey I believe.

"Uhhh yeah I am a little bit nervous." I answer him while putting my combat chest piece over my shoulders. My rank, ID number and blood type are underneath the UNSC logo on the right side of the chest piece. "Any advice to help me calm down?"

"Nah, nothing really you can do about it. My advice is just to take deep breaths and go with the flow. Hell everyone here in this room are Veterans from the Great War, so consider yourself lucky we are here to guide you two through your first operation." Jeffrey responds while putting on his combat gloves. "I'll see you two Sarkaz beauties at the helipads." He said while walking towards the gun lockers.

"Did he really just flirt with us? With Sarkaz?" Violet whispers into my ear. Turning around I see she is already fully geared up in armor.

"Yeah, I think he just did. Feels weird honestly. Come on, let's go grab our guns Violet." With that, the two of us walk across the locker room toward the weapon lockers that are across the room.

Upon arriving there, the quartermaster immediately gave us our rifles, sidearms and 4 magazines of ammo for each. We were also given a fragmentation grenade and two flashbangs. Mankind really is the most powerful military force on Terra at the moment. Being able to supply every soldier with so many weapons and ammo. And I am now part of said military force.

As I attach my sidearm to my waist and stored the magazines in the pouches on my armor, second platoon already started entering the armory to get equipped themselves. "Violet you finished?" Violet nods her head in return. "Let's go to the helipads." We exit the armory and move with the rest of 1st platoon towards the helipads.

Once we arrived at the helipads I couldn't help but stare in awe at the vehicles in front of me. A Dozen tilt-rotor aircraft stood in front of me. Only very rich nations and individuals on Terra could afford to operate aerial vehicles due to them being powered by Originium, and yet here is the UNSC with more than a dozen lined up in front of me. We are a force to be reckoned with.

"The UH-144 Falcon, the underdog of the UNSC Marines and Army. They are some of our cheapest and most effective air units ever produced. They are compared to the ancient UH-1 Iroquois due to their versatility. I prefer them over the Pelicans." Turning my head to find the owner of the voice I lock eyes with our Platoon Leader, Lieutenant Blackburn. "And they are also the workforce of our ground forces. They look beautiful don't they?"

"Yes Lieutenant…I never really saw aircraft up close before, due to how rare they are here on Terra." Turning my head back to the now-named Falcon, I stare at the cockpit. "But up close, they look magnificent and powerful. Makes me wonder how easily your species managed to rule the sky and space."

"Yeah I know. Wait till you see our spaceships and then your mind will be blown." Oh right, I forgot about the fact that they have spaceships here. "Private Violet! Come over here for a second!" Blackburn calls Violet to us who was talking to some other marines a second ago. She comes to a halt next to me and salutes. "You called Lieutenant?"

"Yes I did. Listen…I know it wasn't easy adjusting to from being a slave to joining an alien military in 2 months…But you two made me and many others proud so far. And you also showed us that maybe we can trust the other species and races of Terra." Great. I love getting praised. "But you two adjusted fast. Learned squad and platoon-based tactics faster than most others did. You two are great marksmen and follow orders to the letter. Displaying all the qualities of being a Marine."

Blackburn looks down at the ground before looking back up at us. "But this is going to be your first combat mission. You are going to kill people. You are going to watch your fellow soldiers die. And you are going to avenge them." The gravity of his words slowly starts to sink into us.

"You two are going to help us kill slavers and unfortunately any slaves that refuse to join us. I know it's wrong. But we have to maintain our secrecy no matter the cost. I am not going to blame you if you do not fire on the slaves who refuse to join us. The rest of us will execute them." Huh, the UNSC is serious about the whole join us or die stuff. I don't know if I will be able to kill them…maybe I can convince them to join us…

"All you two need to do is follow orders, shoot at the enemy and complete your objective. But enough prep talk, the other platoons are here, so get your asses in your bird now!" After Blackburn's prep talk, me and Violet rush to our assigned squad.

Grabbing the handle at the door frame, I lift myself up into the Falcon with Violet following suit. Sitting down next to a marine I look at the Falcon's left propeller starts to slowly spin and the engine of the helicopter starts to hum. This is really happening…I am going to fly in an aircraft! I can't help but feel excited at experiencing something that only a select few on Terra could ever experience.

As the Falcon lifts up, me and Violet let out a small gasp at the feeling of being lifted up. The Falcon after gaining some altitude starts moving in the opposite direction of the FOB. Looking out the door I see the other 11 Falcons trailing behind us. It truly is a sight to behold.

The 12 aircraft start moving to their next destination. The Slaver landship.

"The wonder of flight never ceases to amaze me. The reality of soaring above the clouds is a constant reminder of human ingenuity."

Author Notes

Sorry, this one took so long. Got distracted and played Stellaris instead of writing this chapter. BTW this is my longest chapter so far. Would have been a lot longer but I decided to split it.

Don't know when the next update is going to be.

Until next time.