Well, here I am with another chapter! Gotta say, the amount of attention this story is receiving boggles my mind, but at least it's enjoyed! I guess the main problem is a majority of readers do have ideas which unfortunately, not all could be implemented. Some will, or parts of ideas. Others just wont work, but they all help because it keeps me thinking.
Anyway…MORE STORY!
Chapter 26: Invasion of Dagnes
Rothila System, 11th of Gale, 428 A.E.
Darkness of space was interrupted by the flares of engine drives, the vast expanse of the planetary system bracing for the coming conflict as the Seran warships spread out, the assault formation providing overlapping fields of fire. Staggered at numerous heights among the void, the vessels were 'stacked' comprising of blocks to bring about the maximum firepower upon the defenders.
Dagnes hung in the cold, the greenish blue orb rapidly approaching as the Salarians kept up their defensive posture. Most knew they couldn't stand up to the firepower of a Seran fleet, but the years after the last great war had given the Salarian Union enough time to implement several upgrades, including plasma weaponry. Used to great effect by the Toads, the Salarians knew that those weapons would at least give them a fighting chance against the Serans.
There was no need for orders toward subordinates or individual ship captains. Admiral Trescu knew the men and women under his command would do their jobs.
After all…the locust were on that planet and each crewman from the flagship Ephyra down to the smallest strike fighter knew that they needed to be eradicated.
"Admiral. The First and third squadrons will be in firing range in one minute" A fresh faced crewman relayed, the sailor having a look of fear and excitement for the coming battle. Barely nineteen years old, his training kept him steady as those around him continued to analyze data, the constant update of firing solutions fed by Von, the A.I.
"Very well" Clasping his fingers, the admiral leaned back in his chair as the seconds ticked downward. Realistically, he wasn't too worried about the outcome. The Salarians were trying to quell riots across half a dozen worlds, they were reeling from their loss of status, and were dealing with rumored border systems breaking away to seek refuge among the Council.
The last minute fell away, and in the moments after, space seemed to fill with the hell of war.
Destroyers launched their rapid fire fusion warheads, the torpedoes racing on flares of fuel. Thermic lances from the Cruisers Hellfire and Silence were the first to burn across the darkness, but not the last as dozens more of the munitions were fired. MAC shells staggered outward, their streaks of light leaving a blue trail toward the defenders.
Obviously, the Salarians didn't just sit there and wait to be pounded into scrap. They fired at nearly the same moment, a searing mixture of plasma warheads and MAC shells as their lighter, but nimbler vessels strode to evade the incoming fire. In turn, Seran Destroyers with accompanying BattleCruisers did the same, the vessels climbing, diving or pulling high velocity turns in attempts to avoid the incoming barrage.
Standard shells impacted among the lead Seran warships first, the rippling shields battered as defensive armaments sprung to life, the stabbing lasers knocking out more incoming shells as both sides began a constant bombardment of munitions. Right behind them, nearly five hundred plasma torpedoes burned toward the Coalition, the massed salvo a necessary employment by the Salarian Navy. Hundreds were hacked from the void, defensive batteries slicing them with precision aim. However, thirty eight of the plasma torpedoes broke through the defensive net, roaring inward to the front line warships.
Bursting upon the Seran shields and hulls, the boiling plasma bypassing the armor like bubbling cheese. Thirteen destroyers were immediately destroyed or grievously crippled from the high yield weapons, the glowing emerald wounds along their hulls disgorging gases and navy personnel.
Now equipped with emergency vac-suits, some would survive for rescue, but others…others had been half melted by the incoming plasma fire as their corpses floated among the maelstrom of war.
C.N.V. Javelin, a long shot cruiser took three hits along the lower decks, the heated plasma eating through the shields and hull to open the belly of the warship as bodies, half melted armor, and gases spilled outward. But still she fought on, her Thermic Lances burning through the hull of the Salarian Union Vessel. Grettin, a heavy cruiser in her own right. Impacting near the spine mounted gun, two rapid strikes disabled the weapon, reducing it to an ineffectual mess. However, Grettin had received several upgrades, including focused plasma beam weaponry, a direct copy from the Klor'vian's. The warship fired, a burning, deadly lance of emerald heat cutting another grievous wound into Javelin as both vessels staggered and bled among the chaos.
C.N.V. Ganil Sea fired her main weapon three seconds later, the singular beam of heated energy ripping through the hull of Grettin. Crewed by men and women hardened by some of the worst battles of the Contact Wars, the veteran warship unleashed hell, her Hammer of Dawn burning a swath of death among the Salarians. Bleeding air and gases among the heat blasted ruins of twisted hull plating and interior supports, Grettin finally came apart as a final Thermic Lance round burned into her interior, the Salarian warship splitting in half among the sterile silence.
Fusion suns flared like a ripple across eighty Salarian warships, the force of heat and energy easily beating any shields or hull. Flashing among multiple points of the fleet, dozens of lighter vessels died, others reduced to tombs of twisted bulkheads and opened vacuum as corpses tumbled.
Tolann flickered, barely clinging to life as half the crew had been killed from the warhead bursting along her hull. Twisted and gnarled, the ship tried to fall back, only to be claimed by an errant MAC shell. Ripping through the engines, the warship exploded, sealing the fate of all.
Strikefighters and Bombers from Azure Ocean swooped from the high elliptical of the planetary plane, the carrier craft flying between the nearby moon of Darrin toward the defending fleet. Unleashing their own sprint-fire torpedoes at a slew of targets hanging above the planet, they pulled away as several corvettes came to engage. The strikefighter pilots met them in battle, a new chaos of stabbing laser beams, exploding fusion warheads, and twisting vessels a sideshow to the horrendous pounding the Serans were beginning to visit upon the Salarians.
Ephyra vibrated slightly, an errant MAC shell from an enemy destroyer striking her heavy shields. Protected behind a near wall of defensive batteries, escorts, and her own defenses, the flagship of the fifth fleet was a monster that shrugged off the damage.
Glowing a searing red at the aperture, the Hammer of Dawn soon bloomed outward like a lance of death, wounding the enemy Dreadnaught. While not killing the vessel, the four beams of harsh light ripped along the Bolinn, opening her port side that spilled bodies like water.
The main gun of Bolinn fired, a thirty kilogram shell cutting through vacuum to strike the Ephyra. A titanic blow, the monitor's shields flared, dropping nearly twenty percent as numerous junction relays blew within the vessel.
Copied from the Klor'vian's, notably their unfinished dreadnaught before the Turians claimed it, the Bolinn had been fitted with a plasma beam focuser right below the bridge. While the energy constraints limited it to capital ships and the heaviest cruisers, the weapon had been tested and retested in the previous years of relative peace. Beginning to give an emerald glow, the opening crackled with flecks of building plasma.
Admiral Hitroni ignored the screaming alarms and bathing emergency lights, the flag officer bracing against the holo table centered among his bridge. Flickering for a moment, he lost the scope of battle, but it stabilized, painting a grim picture.
"Sir! We just lost the Nasheen, Hintra, and the heavy cruiser, Jornek! We cannot maintain our position against the Serans! They're firepower is drowning our defenses!" An officer yelled, his forehead leaking greenish blood as he winced from another blown relay.
"Order a retreat to Sur'kesh! But not before we wound that monster! Fire the Plasma Beam Cannon!" Snarling as he slammed his slender fist against the nearby railing, Hitroni vowed that the Serans would pay for declaring war on the Union.
Deep down, he knew this war was the direct result of Salarian foolishness, but to declare war against his people for something they had no notion about? It infuriated him as the high orbit of Dagnes burned with exploding fusion suns, rippling laser fire, and dying ships on both sides. Watching helplessly as a nearby frigate broke in half beyond the curved window of his bridge, he knew it would fall to the planet below, dooming all onboard.
"FIRING!" The warning rang out among the bridge crew as the copied weapon performed as promised.
Slicing through the void like a terrible, green lance, it cut through Ephyra's shields as the vessel made a slow, but saving turn to her starboard flank. Bubbling heated material against the direct hull plating, it ate and melted the armor while the main blast fizzled into the void beyond, the force dissipating. Numerous compartments were opened to the void, along with several dozen crew killed or wounded as the plasma glowed like diseased embers among the devasted sectors of the Monitor class warship.
The counter fire from the Ephyra's HOD would ensure that the Bolinn would suffer. Four reddish orange beams flared through the roiling maelstrom of battle, cutting into the wounded vessel like a knife through melted butter.
Struck by a dozen Thermal Lances along with five beams from the Dreadnaughts Hell Scape, Tollen and Ganil Sea, the Salarian flagship split apart at the middle even as fresh waves of Plasma warheads flared among the Seran's.
Another thirteen warships died, the vessels reduced to mangled scrap as the effects of the heated plasma ate through hull…and flesh without a care.
Boomshot batteries disgorged from several hundred Seran warships in a massed salvo, the fusion warheads a lighter yield, but still capable of drowning a ship's defense's in fire. Flooding the struggling defensive net of the Salarians, approximately eight hundred of the warheads swarmed into the teeth of laser batteries, the pulsing purples and greens cutting down hundreds…but even so, eighty seven managed to get through the opening gaps of coverage.
Renewed fusions suns flared among the battlescape over Dagnes, the force of one enough to destroy a small city yet were used against ships far smaller than that. In the span of five seconds, the warheads detonated, taking eighteen corvettes, twelve destroyers, nine frigates, and two light cruisers in roiling spheres of fire. Crews and ships were vaporized, a horrid loss of life even as the remaining destroyers fired new waves of Plasma torpedoes at the Serans.
Flaring inward, most were cut from the void, but several struck targets as fresh horrors of roiling, green plasma ate through shields, hull and Seran life. Ganil Sea was hit three times, impacts along the bottom three decks melting hull plating along with one hundred twelve crewmen who died horrifically before being sucked into the harsh cold of space. Shields flickered, the battleship taking more hits, but staying in the fight as her Hammer of Dawn battery burned another enemy warship from the high orbit of the colony below.
Coming under direct escort by the Cruisers Knotwood and Lancer, the two unscathed vessels fired a series of heated lances into wounded vessels, ensuring kills for the day. Supplemented by dozens of escorting destroyers, the smaller warships interlocked defensive fire for Ganil Sea.
But, despite their best efforts, the Salarian fleet simply didn't have the heavy firepower, nor the built in survivability of the Coalition warships. Yes, they had managed to kill forty three destroyers, seven battle cruisers, and two cruisers while damaging and crippling another eighty three vessels, but that paled to their own losses.
Rapidly disengaging and using the planet itself as a shield, the Salarian Union fleet was forced to abandon one hundred and twelve dead warships, and another seventy six so severely crippled that it would be a miracle if any of their crews survived. Coupled with the loss of Bolinn, and they had no choice but to retreat before a complete rout.
That didn't even include the damage dealt to nearly half the fleet. Repairable and survivable, those battered vessels made the first jump, leaving the critically damaged warships behind to face their fate.
It was their smaller frames and nimbleness that would save dozens more as they jumped into FTL, leaving Dagnes and tens of thousands of dead navy personnel behind.
Bathing crimson glowed among the bridge of Ephyra, the klaxons silenced for the moment as the crewmen scrambled with fresh data and reports flowing toward their stations.
"Admiral, approximately sixty eight percent of the Salarian fleet escaped. Should we pursue?" the pink haired woman at tactical informed, her voice a stark professionalism while Von floated at the holo-table.
"No. Our main goal is to destroy the locust now infesting Dagnes" His tone was harsh, his gaze hard, but it momentarily softened. "Losses?"
"Eighty six thousand dead confirmed. Another thirteen thousand wounded or missing" Von informed, the floating A.I. roiling with code as he floated. "For this vessel, one hundred twelve confirmed dead, two hundred and six wounded or unaccounted for. If this was a smaller vessel, the damage would be far worse. The plasma weapons they employed are known for their effectiveness in bypassing shields and armor, especially that beam weapon. It is capable of matching our own Hammer of Dawn"
"Damn Salarians" cursing the slender aliens for this new war…the revived locust and tens of thousands naval dead, his gaze grew cold. "Destroy all the crippled Salarian vessels. We have nothing to learn from them, and honestly, I have no desire to harbor captives. Once the system is secure, inform Admiral Carmine to escort the invasion forces above the planet. Also, have the second squadron begin scans of the surface for locust activity. If found, they are to commence bombardment immediately"
The bridge officers and crew carried out his orders, the communications traveling to the nearby fleet. In minutes, they began firing on the wounded, crippled vessels of the Salarians, then turned their attention to Dagnes.
Within the hour, plunging lances of fire from Hellscape and Tollen began targeting the major settlements of Dagnes, not that many of the inhabitants were still in the cities at this point.
Still…firestorms washed across Heloni…the capital of Porthea, Volkanna…
All were struck from orbit, the Hammer of Dawn turning the war ravaged ruins into a charred nightmare as surviving Salarians tried to run, but were simply reduced to standing pillars of ash. The centers of each city became craters while the forked river of Heloni steamed away from the terrible heat. Buildings damaged by war and explosives toppled, the strain turning them into skeletal ruins as roadways near the epicenter cracked with baked glass.
Of course, some locust were killed, hundreds in fact. But the vast majority had taken the orders of Carn seriously and had simply dug in among the sprawling networks of tunnels, bases, and chambers that entwined the crust of Dagnes.
For they knew the old enemy was coming, and would ensure the Seran's paid in blood.
Arcturus Station, 12th of Gale, 428 A.E.
A roiling blanket of stars twinkled beyond his window, a tapestry of tranquil beauty that Prime Minister Ackelson often took for granted. Several dozen vessels floated past, their distance making them appear as the size of models or children's toys. A dangerous misconception.
Jacob scoffed, the fifty two year old ruefully shaking his head at how the galaxy seemed to implode in the last few months. "It feels like just yesterday I was trying to broker a summit with the Coalition, to truly come to some understanding between our two peoples and respective governments. Now we're being asked to take a seat on the Council. The Salarian's are the new enemy, and Earth is still plagued by riots, fear and calls for the Alliance to stop the locust before they reach our territory" Slowly turning in his chair, he studied the advisors and military personnel that now inhabited his office. "Please tell me we have a response? A military strike or…or…SOMETHING!? Billions of humans are terrified the horde will reach Earth and turn it into a blood soaked nightmare straight from the Seran history books! We need a response! Now!" Slamming his palm against his desk, the clear material rattled while several of the advisors made startled jumps…including the minor holographic form of Ambassador Kojima.
A middle aged woman spoke, her skin tone a dark ebony while the rows of her black hair were finally showing the first signs of silver. A few minor wrinkles were appearing at the corner of her eyes, the iris's a deep blue. Wearing a purple dress with a decoration pattern of orange diamonds, Zara Jabari cleared her throat. "Jacob. The likelihood of the locust reaching Alliance space is minimal. First they would have to traverse Turian territory, and that's assuming they'll escape the Serans or even the Salarians at this point. I firmly believe the outer colonies have nothing to fear"
"Explain that to the millions affected by the riots, looting and panic across Earth. Sitting by and doing nothing is not an option. Especially with the very real possibility of being given a full seat of membership by the Asari and Turians" Turning his head to a few officers, he waited for the naval officer to speak.
Forty eight years old, the man boasted several aged lines across his facial features. His trimmed mustache matched his goatee, the hair a mixture of silver and fading black. A blue naval hat sat upon his head, the golden point with three stars the symbol sewn into the fabric. Matching the dark blues and trimmed gold of his uniform, the man's demeanor advertised service and discipline.
Admiral Hackett had greatly pushed for increasing the navy in the last few years, especially after the poor showings during the last war. While everybody knew that the sailors and soldiers had fought bravely, the battles of Vio'shelek had been a brutal eye opener…something the Terrans and the former Prime Minister had taken to heart.
While still building up their respective forces, the System Alliance could finally boast four full fleets, with a fifth in the works. Developed with captured Klor'vian weaponry, engine upgrades and with some Turian input, it was hoped that a Terran fleet could go toe to toe with the Serans.
Or at least not be completely thrashed in minutes.
"I agree with you on a response, Sir. We cannot just wait for those abominations to slip past and infest one of our colonies. Reports indicate that they have seized several warships and civilian vessels and fled Dagnes, which means the locust could have gone anywhere. The Serans know this, same with the Turians, but right now, they're focused on eliminating the threat on the Salarian colony" He paused, a momentary respite. "It's only a matter of days before the Hierarchy is on site. They're furious at the actions of the Salarians, the Serans even more so. We should be too, for the unleashing of such a genocidally hostile species upon the galaxy. I recommend sending a full battle squadron from the fourth fleet, including several divisions of soldiers to participate. Not only will it show our willingness to show our dedication to maintaining galactic stability to the council, but has the added benefit of impressing the Serans….possibly"
"Are you forgetting about the Batarians, Stephen? Those beasts are right across the border from us" Zara pointed out, only to receive a few scoffs from other officers.
"The Batarians can barely scrape enough ships together to fight themselves, let alone attack us. Even if some pirate was mad enough to try, the Alliance Navy would crush them. A proper vigilance of the border is enough" Returning his attention to Prime Minster Ackelson, Hackett grew serious. "The civilian populace requires action on our part, considering the historical facts about the locust. A military force would be an appropriate response"
"Do it. The Salarians have made a mess of things, but we'll clean it up. Now what the hell is this I hear about a series of bombings on Pandora?"
"Terrorists sir. From Earth. We're not exactly sure about their goals, but they managed to recruit several hundred to participate in illegal protests in New Haven during the day of those attacks. I've already had a word with Ambassador Almstead and ensured him that the System's Alliance condemns their actions. However the Seran's wish to punish those responsible, our government will support them. It's one thing to protest in the streets, it's another to blow up apartment buildings filled with innocents" the Japanese woman reported, her visage a miniscule upon the desk.
"How many died?"
"Several hundred, including the protesters. They seem to have forgotten that the COG is far less lenient with disturbing society. For the record, the local authorities did give them a chance to disperse…the rioters refused and paid for it"
Jacob Ackelson didn't like it. Protesting an issue was well within the rights of every Alliance citizen. But Pandora was Coalition territory, and they had their own way of dealing with it. But raising a stink about some terrorists would only damage relations which would be ill advised considering the state of the galaxy. "Understood. Please keep me up to date on any developments. Now, moving on, I need to select somebody to sit on the council once the approval comes through. Any recommendations?"
With that, the System's Alliance made their next moves among the galactic stage.
Rothila System, Porthea 14th of Gale, 428 A.E.
Dagnes was ruined. Ash and soot choked the air of the major cities, the pillars of ashen citizens frozen in time among the charred ruins. Buildings leaned at precarious angles, their exteriors burned by high heat and pressure waves. Glass twinkled in shards among the cracked and broken pavement, the Hammer Strikes not allowing any to remain in the towering structures of the former planetary capital.
Locust drones had been present, their own visages a burnt ember of pillared ash among the strewn rubble and clogged roadways of silent traffic.
Essentially, Dagnes was a tomb for the Salarians, the planetary population of over fifteen million reduced to barely thirty thousand, most of which had fled to the hills, mountains and forests in desperate attempts to escape. Seeking shelter in minor villages or at minor estates, some did survive the brutality of the locust invasion…not that the Serans gave much help.
Foregoing the use of drop pods simply due to the fact no enemy forces were currently topside, the troop transports began to land at predesignated zones. Primarily, geological areas where the locust would have difficulty digging.
Which is why for the city of Prothea, the Serans had landed on the Ortha Plateau, a hardened slab of rock that rose out of the land approximately twenty miles from the charred capital.
Four other landing sites had been identified, each with defense in mind. After all, the Serans knew the Locust…their strengths and weaknesses despite centuries of peace. The old wounds had been ripped open once more, and both sides were willing to butcher each other once again.
Obviously, to reach the locust below, the Serans would have to dig, and the city of Prothea was an acceptable site.
Repurposed excavation equipment would be used, the large, eight wheeled machines equipped with heavy rock cutting lasers that would allow Gears to enter the labyrinth of the locust below. Simply called Rock Cutters, the machines were ugly, drab, but tough and capable of taking a beating.
Equipped with large, multi-teethed boring drills, laser cutters, and thick plates to protect the inner machinery, the Rock Cutters had been designed to cut out mining tunnels either planet side, or in the bowels of asteroids large enough to warrant such use.
It was a stoke of good luck that the mining rig could be used by the military to cut into the crust of Dagnes, giving the Gears a proper avenue of reaching the locust below.
The 19th Sarfuthan Rifles would be tasked with the initial assault into the charred ruins, escorting the trio of Rock Cutters toward the commercial areas identified as the target sites.
One of the spear tips of the assaulting Gears was the 3rd Regiment, 1st Battalion of the Sarfuthan Rifles, the veteran unit spreading out in a wide, yet standard assault formation.
Specialist Anthony Wallace trudged along the former highway, loosely spread out from others in his squad. Sergeant Andrade was there, a veteran of the first contact war like many in the blooded division that had conducted numerous island assaults upon the former Toad planet, Glortha.
Echoes of marching boots were drowned out by the rumble of large, heavy terrain tires taller than a Seran as the Rock Diggers were escorted by Centaur Battle Tanks, air and orbital support. To the North and South, the division pushed into the outskirts of the ruined city along a broad front.
Several short apartment buildings and singular homes had collapsed, their ruination a morbid tone as the Gears continued forward past the initial suburban neighborhoods.
"Damn Salarians got the shit kicked out of them" Wallace commented, the helmeted gear not wanting to risk breathing in ash or who knows what. Keeping a tight grip on his Scorcher, the combat veteran unconsciously moved toward the right side of the street, his form hugging a house.
Sergeant Andrade snorted, the woman's face and features hidden behind the helmet and fully enclosed armor. "Slimy little bastards deserve it for reviving the locust. Stupidity and Hubris all rolled into one giant clusterfuck" Halting at the corner of another home, it was the last upon the street as the intersection beyond was littered with abandoned cars and the charred remains of the inhabitants. Moving across with the rest of the company, nothing seemed to move as the Serans advanced.
"Hey Sarge? How come we didn't just dig near the Orthea Plateau? Would've saved us miles of walking" A very green man straight from bootcamp asked.
"Don't you know your history, Nincolm? That's so the grubs can't get a foothold near base camp. They'll have to emerge in the open fields nearby to get blasted, or just not bother. Orthea Plateau is a giant slab, and risking that just to save you a little walk isn't gonna happen. Now watch your surroundings. We haven't fought the grubs in centuries, but once they show, they'll be tenacious bastards worse than the Toads" Taking her own advice, Sergeant Andrade kept her lancer ready as the advancing column diverted north due to several collapsed buildings blocking the main route.
Swirling ash became thicker…the frozen, screaming forms of Salarians in their final moments trying to find safety. Some were crawling…others trying to reach a structure. But the worst was the silence. The horrific silence of a city without life.
"Sera used to be like this…centuries ago" Wallace commented to nobody in particular, the flamethrower Gear reaching out to touch one of the ashen pillars of a Salarian. Crumbling to dust, nothing remained as the ash continued to flow among the wafts of dead air.
The division continued to move, bypassing several skeletal buildings as several regiments started to peel off in order to secure the surrounding city blocks.
Stepping onto the charred pavement of a wide intersection, parts of the roadway were clogged with snarled traffic, the drivers of the vehicles ash or simply dead somewhere else. Feeling a slight vibration through his boots, Wallace halted, his blue tinted lenses immediately looking downward as his instincts went into overdrive.
"E-HOLE! GRUBS INCOMING!"
"TAKE COVER! KILL THEM THE MOMENT THEY EMERGE!" Sergeant Andrade bellowed, the female gear rushing toward the gaping hole in a nearby building as Wallace and several other's Gears sprinted into the ruins. More of the company took defensive positions where they could as the Centaur Tanks rumbled, the heavy armor pointing their cannon at the presumed site of emergence.
The pavement across the intersection began to bow downward, then fully collapsed with a fresh wave of sound. Jutting, large limbs emerged before slamming into the roadway as the first Corpser began to emerge, the arachnid form unleashing a fresh roar of rage as spittle flew from its mouth. Below its frame, dozens of drones pulled themselves up, including several Grinders and Boomers to meet the Serans.
A Kantus emerged, the creature equipped with heavy armor, kinetic barriers and a stolen Scorpion SMG. "Groundwalkers!" Moving to a scorched ruin of a vehicle, the troop leader opened fire as dozens of drones did the same. Three were killed before making cover, the Gears unleashing a hellish staccato of bullets into the intersection.
Flashes of blue lights sundered the air as several drones fired, the reptilian creatures using numerous Salarian weapons against the Gears. A few soldiers were caught before reaching cover, their kinetic barriers failing under the onslaught of locust fire. Coalition troop armor saved one of the men, but the other was cut down, the accelerated slugs punching through his chest piece and left arm in a gruesome display.
The Centaur Tank on the left side of the street fired at the Corpser, the 155mm thermite slug tearing through three of the gargantuan limbs as the colossal beast roared. Red, gruesome blood spewed from the severed limbs as they fell, coating the ashen street in a paint of crimson as the Serans and Locust fought each other with an unforgotten hatred. Stumbling with unbalance, the large beast slewed sideways into a nearby building, its mass crumpling charred mortar and steel. Debris rained down like rain as the structure leaned precariously, not that it halted the raging combat engulfing the wide boulevard.
"Slaughter them!" laying down another harsh staccato of blue tinted rounds, the Kantus priest ducked behind cover in the middle of the intersection as more drones emerged.
"hehehe…BOOM!" Not missing an opportunity, one of the Boomers fired, sending a thermite grenade into a gaping front wall of a restaurant held by several gears. It exploded with fury, flinging burning shards that ripped past barriers and armor as several Serans were flung among the charred interior of the eatery. Two were killed instantly, the proximity and strength of the blast more than enough to bypass COG armors as the men were flayed. A female Gear howled, her left forearm severed by the flaying shards of heated metals while two more soldiers suffered from numerous shrapnel wounds among their legs and waistlines.
"Take out that Boomer!" Captain Vintralli yelled, the helmeted commander of the 3rd company huddled behind a fallen column of masonry from the closest building on the right hand side of the street. Joined by nearly a dozen Gears, the men and women fired at the lumbering beast, their bullets beating down the kinetic barriers and armor in a hellish fusillade. Staggering from the onslaught, the boomer fired just as two bullets smashed through his helmet, causing a nervous spasm. Spinning in a fall, the thermic grenade flew into a cluster of charred vehicles clogged among the northern road.
By misfortunes chance, it landed between a group of Gears and locust drones, spitting a deadly hail of shards that ripped through their armors. A Seran was killed and two wounded while the locust lost two in a case of friendly fire gone wrong.
It didn't stop those unharmed from trying to kill each other with extreme violence.
"Hiltrop! Ishikawa! Thermic Team upstairs! Wallace! The rest of Kilo three with me! Rest of you keep those grubs occupied!" Shouting her orders over the chaos of combat and screams, Sergeant Andrade crouched low and shifted along the store front while more flashes of blue light smashed into the exterior of the bombed out structure.
A grinder laughed insidiously, the large, multi-barrel weapon spinning up before spewing forth a hellish stream of crimson, laser light that burned through shields and armor with horrific ease. Cutting down three Gears huddled behind a burned out vehicle to the left of the intersection, the monster started to arc his fire, joining with the maelstrom of hate as his counterpart did the same.
Coming to a gaping wall wound on the third floor of the former commercial structure, the roof was open to the ashen choked sky as Specialist Ishikawa hefted the Thermic Lance Launcher upon his shoulder. Hilltrop rapidly painted the nearest Laser Grinder, the lumbering beast constantly laying down a terrible cacophony of burning, reddish light that cut through any Gears foolish enough to be in the open.
"Take em' out!"
Ishikawa needed no more prompting as he fired, the thermic lance flashing out of the launcher in the mere blink of an eye. Impacting the large locust directly in the chest, the heated lance burned at four thousand degrees, splashing nearby drones in a grotesque sphere of molten shards as it burned through the initial target.
Eight locust went down, the grubs suddenly screaming in hellish torment as they tried to pull the burning shards from their ruined flesh. A few unwounded, brave locust tried to retrieve their wounded brothers, but the Gears wouldn't have that.
"Kill the wounded!" A random Gear shouted from the charred ruins of a nearby store, the female firing at the thrashing burn victims. Ducking back into cover, she reloaded as the locust began to falter.
Several locust were rushing toward the right hand corner of the intersection, ducking low between cars as bullets cut through several ashen Salarians. Reaching the building's former display window, they leapt over the low wall, meeting Sergeant Andrade and her Gears.
"Fucking grubs! We killed you once, we can do it again!" Squeezing the trigger of his scorcher, Anthony Wallace unleashed a terrible plume of napalm at the grubs, two of which were equipped with lancers and their brutal bayonets. Washing over three of the drones, their kinetic barriers and armor did little to stop the terrible flames.
Screams erupted from the subterranean horrors, their flesh cooking while juices popped beneath bubbling skin while fire engulfed them in a hell. Ignoring the thrashing bodies of his victims, Wallace rushed toward the last drone, the monster's armor already having taken numerous bullet impacts.
"Time for a grub barbecue!" Jamming the tip of his weapon into the weakened plate at the stomach, Wallace felt the resistance give way as he snarled behind his helmet. "Burn…"
Flames erupted from the mouth and eyes, the fire racing up the esophagus to consume the beast from the inside. Yanking his weapon free as the body fell, Anthony Wallace was thankful his helmet filtered the scents and fumes.
"Nice one, Wallace!" Barely heard over the still raging firefight engulfing the street, Wallace gave a curt nod, then moved toward the ruined display wall. A boomer grenade burst against the exterior, flinging horrific shards of shrapnel.
Another Thermic Lance smashed into a clustered group of drones near the large emergence hole, the heated charge ripping through armor and flesh with barely a care.
"Retreat! Fall back, brothers!" Rasping his words, the Kantus commander laid down one last fusillade of fire at several Gears, the blue shafts of light managing to keep their heads down.
Gunfire continued to rage, the Serans determined to kill as many of the monsters as possible before they retreated into the Hollow of Dagnes.
Vaulting over the low wall, Sergenat Andrade was flanked by her Gears, the Seran intent on butchering these vile beasts.
A locust fired at her from a fallen block of debris in the road, his standard bullets leaving an arc of tracers in the ashen choked air as several other locust retreated into the emergence hole. Equipped with a lancer of his own, the gray skinned abomination snarled as Andrade approached.
They met in a clash of lancers, their respective bayonets screaming in a hellish howl of teeth and sparks.
"Eat shit and die!"
"Groundwalker…"
Grimacing as she pushed forward, Andrade won the chainsaw duel as the bladed teeth sparked against the locust barriers, then the armor that quickly turned from sparks to sprays of crimson gore. Cutting through the beast, ichor flew in a spray across the helmeted woman, her hatred of the revived race fueling her strength.
Falling in a collapse of rendered flesh, the corpse was forgotten as the Rock Digger rumbled forward, approaching the fresh Emergence Hole as its drills began to lift up and tilt. Spinning with increasing speed, they stabbed downward at a soft angle near the edge of the hole. Kicking up shattered pavement, the debris created a fresh choking of dust in the air as several Gears stepped back.
"Defensive positions, Third Company! Command has decided that right here is good enough since the locust were kind enough to give a path to their nest! So reload, gather the wounded and dead, and watch where you step! And somebody retrieve those laser grinders!" Captain Vintralli shouted, his voice barely heard above the grinding and spewing of pavement.
Gears thundered up several flights of stairs, the apartment building having several upper floors still intact further along the main road. Facing the built-up city center, Sergenat Andrade positioned several snipers along with her Thermic Team in several ruined apartments, the former inhabitants dead upon the floor or simply gone.
"Shoot anything that moves, Gears. We don't have any units in front of us, so it's all hostile" Slapping the shoulder of Specialist Ishikawa, the Sergeant moved out of the former bedroom to take up her own positions on the second and third floors with the rest of the squad.
"Still can't believe the Salarians were stupid enough to bring these pricks back from the dead" Hiltrop muttered, the second man of the firing team peering through the laser painter upon the rubble strewn roadway below. Magnification zoomed, giving the spotter a detailed viewscape and any potential hostiles.
"Well, they're paying for it. We beat their fleet, they lost their position on the council, and now they've lost what? Fifteen million dead? Probably won't be long until the Turians join in on this. Maybe even the Krogan or Terrans too"
"Fucking mess is what it is" Shifting his focus past several ashen remains of Salarians caught in the open of the Hammer strike, Hiltrop felt a sense of pity for the innocents caught up in this cluster fuck, but then, the Coalition hadn't revived a nightmarish monster race.
His pity diminished as he continued to scan the roadway, his efforts combining with the three snipers positioned on the floor above and below.
Cracks of gunfire and several explosions came from several sectors of the city, a constant reminder of conflict.
A ten story building further along the road rumbled, debris falling from the upper floors as exterior pieces began to break off. Starting to fall, the structure fell across the wide roadway, collapsing into the already leaning construct of another. Screams of twisting metal and billowing dust clouded the roadway, roiling over the dead as more vibrations shook.
Several drones emerged from the cloud of ash and soot, the beasts an escort for something large. Stepping upon a crashed air car, the six legged monstrosity emerged from the smoke, its mass a fully realized nightmare. Splotched brown hide with numerous areas covered in armor, the creature's large, but flat head had a locust pilot, steering with heavy stirrups while the gunner sat behind him. Large, black eyes stared out as the six legs marched forward, each a dull thud.
Ishikawa immediately used his helmet comms, the man speaking in a hard voice to the rest of the company. "Behemoth incoming with multiple drones! Directly from the East! Engaging now!"
The shoulder mounted cannons fired in unison, the harsh crack of heavy explosives colliding with the upper floors of the building the Gears occupied. Ripping through and killing one of the snipers above, the explosive blasts tore gaping holes in the apartment structure.
"Target painted! Hit it!" Hiltrop yelled out as dust rained down from the ceiling, the building still rumbling from damage as sniper fire snapped outward, taking a few drones down with headshots.
Specialist Ishikawa fired, the shoulder mounted weapon a sudden flare of a heated lance. Cutting through the ashen laden air, it bore into the Behemoth just as it fired again, the twin explosions ripping into a nearby building on the left hand side holding another squad of Gears.
Howls of wounded cries came from the structure, then the bellowing rage of the six legged monstrosity as it thrashed. Rushing into a nearby three story building, it caved in the front as it howled in uncontrolled agony and rage. Smashing its way inside, the building still managed to stand despite the ruin it had suffered.
Emerging a few moments later, the Behemoth was still uncontrolled as it stomped across the roadway, its bulk brushing away the brickwork of yet another six story structure. Debris rained down, falling into the street, not that the Gears or locust cared.
"Reload! We're hitting it again!" Ishikawa commanded.
Below, the locust had taken cover in several structures along the road, the heavily armored troops taking any position. Returning fire, tracers of blue, yellow and red filled the air as Gears and drones fired at each other in a crisscrossing of garrisoned buildings.
'RRRAAARRGGHHHH!' Flinging a city transport on its side, the Behomoth's gunner fired anyway, unleashing two fresh explosions that arched and fell near the dig site toward the rear. Landing among a few Serans, they were ripped apart by the unlucky roll of the dice while another four soldiers were wounded from the horrific blasts.
A frantic tap of his shoulder indicated the Thermic Lance was reloaded.
"RRROOOOARGHHH!' Still overcome with rage and agony from the gaping wound in the hide, the Behemoth trampled several drones before swiveling its large head into the exterior façade of an apartment building. More debris and material rained down upon the beast, the pilot and gunner still trying to regain control in desperation.
"Firing!" Squeezing the trigger once more, the Thermic Lance shot out on a plume of fire, the speed a mere eyeblink. Boring into the exposed wound seeping copious amounts of blood, the second lance burned through the beast, nearly cutting it in half as entrails and pieces of gore were flung outward. Falling further into the nearby building, the groan of steel was audible as the beast died, its mass crushing several ashen Salarians as more debris rained down from the first three floors.
That didn't stop the locust and Gears from still trying to kill each other as firefights erupted between buildings, the garrisoned structures already damaged by the orbital blast's mere days before.
Burnt, misting blood hovered in the air as Wallace pressed himself against a supporting wall, the Gear taking cover near the gaping hole. Beyond, the next building waited, held by several locust as they fired into the gap from the cover provided by a ruined lobby. Flashes of blue from Salarian rifles smashed into the wall, peppering the surfaces as the grubs snarled and started to work backward to a more defensible position.
Joined by several other Gears pressed against the wall, Private Mackrelson threw a flash grenade, the young woman barely exposing herself to harm.
It blew in the next room, a burning flash of light that instantly caused guttural cries.
Wallace didn't need prompting to move as he surged over the pile of rubble crossing the narrow alley, then shifted to the left as more of his comrades flowed into the ruined lobby of charred furniture, broken desks, and dead Salarians huddling in their final moments. Ash tinted with blood swirled as the first Gears fired, cutting down three of the locust in rapid efficiency.
The remaining four managed to fall behind the main desk, the gray skinned subterraneans having the fortune of wearing helmets to diminish the effects of blinding light and noise.
"Serans! You will all die here!" A drone taunted before firing a fusillade of rounds. It clipped a Gear, knocking down the kinetic barriers and boring through the upper shoulder after six shots. Making it to a supporting pillar in the room, the private grunted in pain.
Wallace moved forward, rushing toward the closest pillar as bullets zipped past him.
"Kill the flame carrier!" another drone shouted, the beast unclipping a fragmentation grenade from his belt. Ducking down into cover behind the desk, the other three drones kept up a steady stream…not that the Gears were just sitting around waiting to be shot.
"Frag out!" Sergeant Andrade howled over the din, the squad leader throwing the explosive toward the holdout position. Falling upon the desk itself, the handheld device exploded a second later, flinging shrapnel in a conical burst.
Wallace moved, rushing toward the left in a hunched run. Reaching the service desk, he simply squeezed the trigger of his scorcher, letting a wave of fire wash over the four locust beyond. At that proximity…not even the toughest Krogan could survive. It ate away the body shields…then the armor in moments, seeking out the vulnerable meat below.
Monstrous screams howled as the four thrashed and died, their skin and sinew charring from the terrible flames.
"Nothing like a locust barbeque to put me in a great mood" Breathing happily, Wallace lowered his weapon as the grubs finally stopped moving, their bodies simply burning among the ash and blood soaked air.
"Got that right, Wallace" Her voice carried the tone of a small smile, but it was short lived as Sergeant Andrade received new orders via comms. Waving her arm toward the rubble strewn doorway, the woman moved. "Let's mop up, Gears! Still a few grubs in the area!"
At the rear, the Rock Digger continued to fling debris as the laser cutters came into play, the machine starting to tilt forward into the gaping tunnel that had been carved into the roadway.
Soon, the Gears would be descending into the bowels of the planet, taking the war to the locust in a renewed conflict of extermination.
Rothila System, 17th of Gale, 428 A.E.
Arriving at the far reaches of the star system under the diminishing flares of FTL, the Turian eleventh fleet pulsed their sublight engines, moving toward the target planet, Dagnes. Led by the Dreadnaught, Vindictus, the fleet totaled nine hundred and fifty eight vessels, including thirty transports laden with supplies, ground vehicles, and a quarter million infantry.
Called up to assist in the eradication of the locust Nest, the Hierarchy's high command had considered it the best option to keep the dreaded beasts away from Council space.
Slinking through the void under the watchful gaze of numerous warships, the transport TH-19 contained the full strength of the 78th legion. Comprised of twelve thousand troops, they were under the command of General Antilus Tantrius, a seasoned veteran of the Great Eastern Galactic war. His facial plates were a light brown, marked by a blue tattoo declaring his home colony of Digeris which had seen horrific fighting during the Krogan Rebellions centuries ago.
Having fought the Batarians in numerous engagements, he had secured numerous victories with minimal losses. Caution was one of his strengths and while he would order risky attacks if necessary, Tantrius preferred to find ways to strike the enemy in ways that favored his troops.
Sitting at the edge of his bed in his very spartan quarters nested well withing the bowels of the transport, Antilus had read and re-read everything he could about the locust, Emergence Day, and the corresponding genocidal war the Serans undertook to secure victory centuries ago.
"Brutality in its purest form. Like facing the Rachni on your home planet" Muttering the words, he had no disillusions of what this new war would be like. Digging out the locust, cave by cave, beneath the charred ruins of Dagnes. Even now, there were reports that some of the locust had escaped on ships, heading spirts knows where into the vast galaxy. "Which means potential invasions of other worlds…more battles to come" Scowling as the plates moved around his mouth, the Turian's off silver eyes narrowed. "Damn Salarian fools. For such an intelligent species, they really stepped in varren shit"
He pushed the issue of the Salarians away for now. He needed to discuss the initial operation plan with his subordinates, including a viable landing site that would give his soldiers the best protection from attacks underground.
"Perhaps I should consult with one of the Seran general's planetside. There is no shame in gaining additional information against such a beastly enemy" Standing up, he knew the fleet would reach high orbit within the hour, and the troops would begin landing operations probably within half a day.
Standing, Tantrius left his quarters as the transport continued to cut through the void beyond.
Pandora, New Haven, 19th of Gale, 428 A.E.
The courthouse steps were awash with news reporters from across Pandora, the men and women following their coverage of the trail for the 'Butchers of New Haven'
Not to be outdone, a couple of Asari and Turian reporters, even a lone Salarian who had renounced his Union citizenship spoke, giving their viewers a constant update.
Beyond the police line manned by a resplendent police force keeping furious Serans, and no doubt, the affected families of half a dozen species, a throng of citizens called for the beast's immediate execution.
"FIRING SQUAD! KILL THOSE BASTARDS!" A man shouted, holding up a large portrait of his dead wife.
"TERRAN TRASH!" Another woman shouted with shrill hatred, her vitrol infectious.
"What did you say, Seran!? I'll have you know Terrans want these fiends dead too! I emigrated to this planet to get away from this kind of hate! My husband was wounded during those damned bombings!" Another woman shouted, her red hair a short crop as the two started to face off among the ongoing rabble.
A Turian in a somber, reserved blue suit stood near the line, his grayish plates decorated with a few marks of yellow as a camera drone floated before him. "Hello viewers of New Haven and the rest of the galaxy. I am Harid Maximus from Channel Nine News. Today is the trail against the Terrorists responsible for the heinous acts of the twenty sixth of Storm. Their leader, having been caught on the thirty second of the month, was arrested hiding in a refuse dumpster by one of our own, Sergeant Vilinius" Stepping to show off the officer, the second Turian was standing ramrod straight, his former life in the military evident. "Officer, you made the arrest of the terrorist leader. Is there anything you would like to say or comment on?"
"Only that I found Stephan Halquist hiding in a garbage dumpster, terrified and smelling like Varren feces. What he and his partners in terror have done is unforgivable"
"What of the insurrectionists from that night? Hundreds were killed in a vain attempt to overthrow the so called fascist government of Pandora, but dozens survived and fled"
"They were arrested and charged with civil disorder, assault, arson, and destruction of property along with another dozen crimes. As a group, they have been sentenced to twenty years hard labor on the Ice Slab on the planet of Vasgarniya. Frankly, most of the Terrans are relieved to be rid of such rabble, and so are we. Let them crush ore among the frozen ice sheets of that frigid world"
Slowly nodding his head in agreement, Harid spoke once more. "Officer, thank you for your time and for your dedication to maintaining law and order"
"It was a group effort of law enforcement and emergency personnel. I simply preformed my duty as an officer of the law" Giving a curt nod, the officer stepped away.
The courthouse was packed with victims of the families, a wide arrange of species seated behind the police officers standing guard over the six prisoners. To the right, a jury of peers sat among three rows of benches, a mixture of some Krogan, two Salarians, with a final mix of Seran, Terran, Asari and Turian.
There was even a lone Hanar floating at the end of the third row.
At the head of the courtroom was Judge Jornikson, the man draped in dark robes as he glanced between the persecutor and the defense team. With a thick, red beard and a flat nose, his green eyes glared at the six perpetrators dressed in orange, striped jumpsuits. They were all cuffed to the table, their faces solemn and downcast.
"How does the defense plead"
"Innocent by way of insanity your honor. After all, you would have to be crazy to travel across the galaxy to start a riot and plant explosives. On that ground, I propose returning them to Terra, with the sentence of psychiatric care"
"Hmph. Prosecutor La-shaeto?"
The woman was tall, stunning and beautiful with falling purple hair. Dressed in a black suit that showed off her trim figure, Arin La'shaeto would have to forget everything about law to lose this case. But with her merciless demeanor in the courtroom, she was already assured of victory.
"With the irrefutable evidence presented to this court and the jury, the only acceptable sentence is the death penalty. Especially in this time of renewed conflict against our ancient enemy, the locust. We cannot spare mercy for those willing to kill our people for some extremist ideology that burnt out on Terra a hundred years ago. Guilty is the only acceptable recourse here"
"Very well. Let the jury deliberate and—"
"Pardon me, your honor, but we have already come to a conclusion" Standing up, an Asari spoke with a bowed respect. "We find the defendants guilty on all charges"
"Well, this makes this day easier" Pointing his gavel as the six criminals stood, the judge gave his sentencing. "Nancy Cartwright. Since you did the right thing and refrained from actually carrying out an attack, along with your assistance in bringing in these…criminals, you will only be charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism. You will serve ten years with the possibility of parole at the Timberhole on the planet of Fenix" Moving on as the woman gasped and fell with relief, Nancy didn't dare look at Wilma or the others.
"You…YOU BITCH! You sold us out!" Stephan roared, only to be wrestled to the ground by several officers despite his restraints.
"Stephan Halquist, Chen Wang…all of you will be executed by firing squad immediately!" Slamming down his gavel, the sentence would be carried out.
"Wait! What about revisiting a trail!? Anything to stave off sentencing!?" Chen asked with a yell, but the judge ignored the terrorist as the five were escorted out of the room by numerous officers.
Five posts had been erected at the edge of the city near the jungles edge, the thick foliage a vibrant green mixed with oranges, blue and yellows while snarls and cries came from within.
News crews were recording as the five prisoners were tied to the posts, some like Stephan struggling. "Our cause is just! The Coalition is the grand enemy of liberalism! You're nothing but traitorous pigs!" nearly hysterical at the rapidity of his sentencing, the pudgy man continued to struggle as he was bound.
Five officers were waiting, each with a loaded rifle. Representing each species due to the fact most of them were targeted by these insane fools, they stepped up.
Officer Vilinius shouted, the Turian selected to lead the execution. "Ready!"
"Wait…wait! I'm sorry alright!" Stephan begged, while Wilma started to cry.
"Aim!"
"No…YOU FUCKING BASTA-"
"FIRE!"
The cracks of gunshots reverberated through the air, the bullets entering the chests of each criminal with horrific ease as their bodies jumped from the impacts. Stephan and Chen still wheezed and struggled, but a secondary volley finished them off.
"Do we bury them?" An Asari officer asked, only to get a rapid shake of the head from a short, blue haired officer named Levi. "Nah. Let the wildlife have a free meal. They were garbage anyway" Turning, the gathering rapidly dispersed, leaving the five corpses hanging against the posts near the jungles edge.
Several Vociraptors and other predators would eat well that night.
Pandora, Town of New Miami, 22nd of Gale, 428 A.E.
Located in the same continental basin as New Lima, the town of New Miami was predominantly Terran with a minority of Serans and Asari. Several lakes were in the area, along with smaller tributaries of rivers that cut through the more humid parts of the endless jungles. North of New Haven, the small town boasted fifteen hundred residents.
Ashley Williams looked out the window of the large truck, watching the fields of sugarcane, oranges, and banana groves rush by under the warmth of the local sun, which seemed a little off to her.
The vehicle jounced a bit, making her three younger sisters cry out in the back seat.
"Sorry about that. The roads are new, but some were built pretty hastily" Benjamin Williams apologized, the former general and retired C.A.G. officer said with a small smile. With graying hair more populated than his youthful brown, the elder Williams had wrinkles around his eyes as he watched the road.
"It's alright, grandpa" Ashley said in a hollow voice, the death of her parents still a raw, brutal nerve. Looking backward, Abby, Lynn, and Sarah were pointing at the sprawling farmlands as they approached New Miami.
"I know it's not like Sirona, but there are good people here, and the worse we get are tropical rainstorms this far inland"
Ashley simply nodded as the scenery changed from farmlands to large yards of homes and small apartment buildings and shops.
Benjamin pointed toward a squat, gray structure to the south, surrounded by equally dull buildings. "See that. The new canning factory. With all the oranges and banana's this town grows, canning is a joint industry. Still, I prefer the fresh taste from my own orange grove" Smiling, the grandfather then turned north at the main street, heading toward some outlaying farms and low hills covered by jungle.
In another ten minutes they arrived, the fresh pavement of the driveway crawling up another low hill toward a white, sprawling home. Groves of trees hanging with oranges were lined in neat rows, while a barrier of blue, crackling fencing lined the entire property that pushed up toward the nearby jungle.
Finally coming to a stop near the house underneath a garage awning, Benjamin cut the engine of the large truck. "Let's get your things, then get you girls situated…uh, sorry, you'll have to double up since I only have two spare bedrooms, but enough beds for you all"
Lynn smiled, the youngest of the sisters at age seven. "I get to pick the room!" Jumping out of the truck, the youngest rushed toward the house, the youthful energy practically infectious.
"Help with the bags, first!" Sarah lectured, the next oldest at nine clearly trying to be mature.
A warm laugh came from Benjamin as he unlocked the door moments later, the four young women carrying in their surviving belongings.
It was quite an open home with the living room, dining room and kitchen all connected. The kitchen even had a central island, including two stools to sit at while sunlight poured through a large bay window that looked out toward the orange trees beyond. To the left, a hallway led to the bedrooms and bathroom, which was where Lynn rushed off to in moments.
"Settle in. I'll get started on lunch"
"Alright" Still somber, Ashley simply went to the living room couch and sat down in front of the large flat screen. She missed her parents terribly, but it could have been so much worse.
Her sisters had been at school too, but had been led to a different shelter. It had taken days to find them, but the relief was genuine, especially when the news of her parents deaths had reached them all. Authorities had contacted her grandfather, and he had been more than willing to take care of them here on Pandora.
A far sight better than being some orphans.
Turning on the television, Ashley watched the unfolding news report. Delivered by a beautiful woman with flowing, red hair, she sat behind a desk while a business suit of light blue seemed to mesh with her scarlet locks. Warm, Hazel eyes sat above a soft nose and pleasant cheeks, leading to a pair of attractive lips and a lightly dimpled chin.
"Hello. I'm Tifa Nestralli with channel six in the city of Sinno Bay and this is the current news" With a rich feminine voice, her tone was somber, but professional. "The House of Sovereigns has approved Salarian Statehood, allowing Daltress Dor Mulin and her community to settle among the Galapan Archipelago. Offering an oath of loyalty to the Coalition, nearly fifty thousand Salarians have renounced their former government to pursue a life of peaceful coexistence" Taking a short breath, the woman continued. "Reconstruction in New Haven continues following the aftermath of the terrorists and their followers, their message of hatred and socialism vastly lost amongst the majority of Terrans and the overall population. No doubt, nobody will remember their names within the year due to how unimportant they were. Of course, Governor Timberwolfe has promised to increase the screening process of immigrants. When asked about banning the emigration of Terrans, the Governor had this to say. "If we can allow Salarians whom we are war to live here in peace, then we can allow the same for Terrans. Evil comes in all shapes and sizes. To judge a whole race based on the actions of individuals with no common sense or respect of their neighbors is a poor habit to embrace"
The newswoman brushed a few scarlet bangs from her right eye, her demeanor shifting to a darker mood. "In war news, reported naval losses at the battle of Dagnes are said to be approximately eighty six thousand. Of course, enemy estimates nearly one hundred sixty thousand war dead, along with the slaughter of fifteen million colonists by the hands of the locust horde. The Salarian Union has essentially abandoned the system in order to deal with internal strife, giving the Coalition and our brave Gears the essential duty to exterminate the old scourge. Meanwhile, the Turian and Terran ambassadors on Sera have informed Chairman Diaz and her administration of military support in cleansing the galaxy of the revived horde. Already, Turian troops have made planetfall to join in the eradication of pure evil while Terran troops are expected by the end of the month"
The camera view slightly panned, allowing the red headed woman to clasp her hands and rest them upon the desk. "News from the Citadel has confirmed that the Systems Alliance, Volus Protectorate and the Illuminated Primacy of the Hanar have been asked to take up the three new seats of the Council. Of course, this is primarily due to the power vacuum of the Salarian Union. And while no new councilors have been confirmed as of yet, many could see Ambassador Kojima of Earth becoming the first Terran Councilor"
Ashley turned the channel to some cartoons, knowing that her younger sisters would want to watch those over the news. It was the animated ghostbusters from the twenty first century, the characters fighting some specter as laser lights flashed across the screen.
"Seems like the whole galaxy is falling apart again"
Benjamin cut up some fruits, pouring the variety of slices into a bowl. Wearing a loose t-shirt, his arms had become more muscular from his service in the C.A.G. and now, working the land. Tanned from many hours in the sun over the past few years, the shock of how her grandfather had transformed from a broken officer to a man reclaiming his honor was still amazing to Ashley.
"I'm worried how the Coalition will react to that. They do have a pretty good relationship with the Turians and Asari, but seeing the galaxy form a new power block of five species will make Diaz and her government worried" Moving to the stove as some chicken roasted in a pan, Benjamin flipped them to a fresh sizzle.
"I think the Krogan will end up joining the COG. At this point, it seems almost inevitable" Ashley shrugged.
"Hah! Look at you, predicting the future events of the galaxy. Bet a million credits a bunch of experts will come to the same conclusion" Smiling, the grandfather hid the loss of his own son and daughter in law as he flipped the chicken once more. "I'll be going over the rules with you girls after lunch. I'll try not to be too much of a hardass, but you're all going to school at the start of next week. That, and rules to stay out of the jungle. Some of the stuff in there can rip a Krogan apart"
"I know, grandpa" Watching Benjamin cook some more, Ashley was pulled away as her younger siblings wanted to show off the house. Relenting, the young woman went with, wondering how her life would turn out living in the Coalition.
Unknown Star System, 26th of Gale, 428 A.E.
The roiling, pulsating red giant was a cauldron of stellar fire, its light and radiation diminished by the technology of the space station in orbit of the star.
Sitting in his chair while piercing blue eyes watched a sudden stellar flare of material, Jack Harper…often known as the Illusive Man, took another drag of the cigarette. Dressed in a dark blue suit with the collar of a white undershirt left open, he took another drag.
The door chimed, prompting him to swivel his chair toward the entrance.
"Enter"
A young woman strode into the expansive room, the holographic emitters powered down as she stepped with hasty purpose. Brunette, slim and genetically perfect, Miranda Lawson was the newest member of Cerberus, and damn intelligent.
"Miss Lawson. How's progress?"
She came to a stop before him, the tablet in her hand quickly brought to chest level. Hitting a few keys with rapidity, she spoke crisply. "Our technicians have made a substantial breakthrough, forming a stable slip space window for nineteen point four seconds. Stability is key of course to allow ships through, but I am pleased to say we are further ahead than the System Alliance"
Jack Harper didn't smile, he just took another drag from his cigarette before exhaling a puff of smoke. "Humanity will need that technology if we are to survive. Relying on handouts from the council is no way to gain our rightful place in the galaxy. The Serans understand this. Everything they've achieved is through their own hard work while we simply found the leftovers from the Protheans. The Alliance may be pleased with the coming seat on the Council, but I am not. Keep me informed of all progress, no matter how miniscule"
"Yes sir"
Tapping the ashen ends of the half burned cigarette into an ash tray, the Illusive man crossed his legs. "The Salarian's are facing numerous problems and no longer have the backing of the Council. Finding and securing research outposts would no doubt benefit our organization. See to it"
"Yes sir" Turning, Miranda left the room, leaving Jack Harper to turn once again to the roiling star. Taking another drag of his cigarette, he watched as the massive star roiled and flared with crimson light.
"A few dead Salarian's will be a small price to pay for advancing humanity's knowledge. Let the Alliance play at war. We'll be the ones to bring about a new age" Talking to himself, Jack lit another cigarette, the Illusive Man determined to bring about an equal footing between humanity and Serans.
System SU-1459-LH, 34th of Gale, 428 A.E.
The star system was located at the fringes of the Mass Relay network, the floating construct located in a desolate, uninhabited cluster right at the border of Salarian Space and the cauldron of the galactic center. Beyond the systems boundaries laid unexplored, hazardous space and the vast unknowns beyond.
Senoquol was the closest colony by far, and that was located nearly five hundred light years away at the end of a secondary relay line.
Two months of constant travel and cautionary avoidance had finally brought Karn and his brethren to this place. Entering the stellar system from a higher plane, the twenty ships of the locust burned their engines, the flares a minor light as they scanned for any signs of habitation.
Four of the vessels had split off midway through the journey at the last relay, the locust heading toward the Pylos Nebula. Specifically, the Kriseroi system that bordered Salarian and Asari space. Uninhabited, barely explored, and the perfect place to set up another nest to grow their species, the entire cluster would soon be part of the horde.
Sitting upon his command chair of the Varn, Carn waited, the gray skinned locust waiting as the lower crew gathered information.
"Report" Nearly hissing the words, the warmaster expected information.
"Warmaster. Hundreds of abandoned transports, obsolete warships, and other classes of stellar craft are within the system near the second planet. A dumping ground for the Salarians over several centuries after the collapse of the local mining industry. There are no settlements. There are five planets, two of them gaseous while the remaining three are small terrestrial worlds. The second could be considered hospitable, but is extremely cold. There are abandoned facilities across the surface, most likely research or mining outposts from several centuries ago"
"Resources?"
"Abundant, but very common. The Salarians most likely didn't see the point of maintaining a presence here while closer worlds provided the same elements for minor costs" Snarling, the crewman turned to the Karn. "What are your orders?"
"We will inhabit all three of the planets, creating new nests to burrow into the crust. This will protect us from orbital bombardment and allow us to increase our numbers with ease. All the abandoned ships will be scavenged for parts as we build our own navy. Priority to warships" Smiling with a hungry grin, Carn would ensure that the locust grew…that they would become a new empire.
The locust vessels bore inward to the three worlds as the stellar furnace pulsed with harsh, red light, bathing the incoming ships a blood red. The formation soon divided to establish three new colonies below the planetary crusts of these harsh, abandoned worlds. Passing the floating ship graveyard rife with possibilities, the Locust Horded would grow among the dark corners of the galaxy…building their strength.
So I think that's a good place to leave off.
First, I'd like to say sorry it took so long. I rewrote the entirety of the first battles, chopping 3500 words and restarting. Then I was working 70 hours a week, then another 55 hours, and so on. Been shortstaffed, overworked and just exhausted when I get home. Days off weren't better as errands, shit to take care of took priority. It's finally getting better, but damn, I'm sure some of you readers can relate.
Also, my knowledge of courtroom proceedings is bare minimum at best so if its bad, sorry
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and leave some positive reviews!