A Song of The Stars
TalesofNine
Eddie
"I got good news and bad news, my friends."
Eddie stood before his team of security contractors who had signed up to scare off pirates and make sure no poor scientists got eaten alive by alien wildlife during an expedition. The last several hours had drastically altered their working conditions yet their faces betrayed nothing of their thoughts as they stood before him. It broke his heart to look upon the crowd there had been forty of them before the attack now only eleven of the men and women of his team remained.
"Give us the bad news," Lance said. "Start us off in a good mood."
"All right," Eddie said. "First off, the shuttle is totaled. Took everything we had just to hit the ground without killing ourselves. Additionally, that fireball we saw last night… Was the Karlsefni, she's gone. That means the one hundred and fifty souls aboard are either dead or scattered across the planet. She was in a death spin when we evacuated meaning most of the rafts and shuttles got catapulted in every direction. We are in an unknown territory at the edge of the frontier, it will be weeks before we can expect any help to arrive."
"Are we in contact with any rafts or shuttles?"
"With the Karlsefni gone that means no signal relaying," he said. "The satellites we had up aren't built for communication just basic telemetry data and low detail imagery."
Eddie let that one sit in the air for a moment before he clapped his hands and tried to make himself look cheery. They all knew the game, looking scared and miserable, would be of service to no one.
"Good news is we got food, equipment, supplies, and vehicles," he said. "There was a Journeyman heavy duty, and an Explorer truck loaded into the back which survived the crash. Thanks to some quick thinking by Lance and Daisy over there we loaded plenty of guns and ammo."
"Hallelujah, amen!" One man shouted.
"I'm sure you all heard the score before we got attacked. Locals appear to be baseline humans, we breathe the same air and eat the same food. Civilization looks to be pre-industrial so that lowers the threat scale a bit but no slouching. A sword or arrow will kill you just as fast as any rifle if you start being stupid. We are outnumbered by a margin of fuck you until the cavalry arrives."
"So, what's the plan boss? Hunker down or rescue mission?"
"I am so very glad you asked."
Eddie produced his MoCom and clicked on a display of a rough terrain map that appeared not detailed but had enough information to work with for some level of guidance. He indicated an area roughly in the center of the large continent from the topographical data it was a forested region with large rivers cutting through the land. Eddie marked an area and noted several others before he continued.
"We crashed somewhere in this region according to our black box data and what the satellites can see," he said. "Going by our eyes the remnants of the Karlsefni and what are likely other rafts and shuttles mostly fell to the south of this continent. No doubt others fell in the opposite direction, but we'll focus on going south and hope anyone who went down elsewhere can get recovered by our rescue."
"And how do we plan on dealing with the locals? Not exactly a minimal contact situation, Boss."
Eddie glanced up at the speaker recognizing the voice of Kensuke Takamura the team sniper, a quiet yet pragmatic man.
"That would be the elephant in the room," he said. "We have extremely limited information about the indigenous population and their local politics. First contact protocols prioritize long-range observation and limited contact establishing communications before withdrawing to a safe location. Unfortunately, we have no time to do this slowly. Our priority is getting to as many of our people as possible and doing that without contacting the locals will be impossible. We will move fast and try to avoid unnecessary contact barring that we make peaceful contact and introduce ourselves, smile and wave nicely try to keep shooting to a minimum. Do not fire unless fired or swung upon. That sounds fair to everyone?"
He was not asking but the chorus of 'Yes Sirs' was still satisfying to hear. He nodded before looking them over.
"Any questions before we go?"
"Just one," Lance said. "We going to find the assholes that shot us down?"
"I'm working that out," Eddie said. "We're not exactly equipped for a military operation. Anyone who has weapons big enough to shoot down a ship as big as the Karlsefni has capital-level firepower and the people to match. I doubt they were locals, which means someone or something is hiding out on this planet. First things first, we find our people and save some lives but if you find anyone who looks out of place. Payback time.'
"Payback!" The room shouted.
"Alright check the back and start assembling your gear," he said. "Load up everything you can but do not overload your kit. Anything surplus goes in the vehicles, the shuttle is a goner, so we'll be scrapping her per quarantine protocol. Charges will go off as soon as we pull out."
As his team slowly filed out of their makeshift meeting room Eddie sighed throwing his MoCom into a backpack and resting it on one shoulder as he followed the herd into the snug vehicle bay. It was rather spacious but with a Starman Journeyman inside it felt cramped. The Journeyman was a long-range exploration vehicle intended for heavy-duty labor in rough alien terrain. It was practically an armored vehicle as it stood tall towering over most trucks with eight massive wheels connected to long metallic legs allowing the Journeyman to 'walk' over obstacles and adjust its height and weight distribution. Internally it had all the comforts of a mobile home with beds, a kitchen unit and a large 'computer' room typically used as a laboratory for scientists, but it would serve well enough as a headquarters. Finally, there was plenty of cargo space for all their gear.
The Starman Explorer was a much more traditional truck, nimble and heavy-duty designed for these exact conditions. It was an expedition model designed to sit four to six people with some space for equipment in the back. Eddie in this moment wished it was a military model with a mount for a gunner, but he decided to count what few blessings he had. The Explorer was comfortable enough but not suited for long-term living; they would have to cycle the assignments to keep everyone happy.
Eddie sighed and pinched his nose as he realized how pragmatic he was getting with his thoughts. Micro-managing his men, counting equipment, calculating the mission length and the odds of success, it was like he was back in the Army preparing for deployment and longed for easier days of waving politely at scientists and doing target practice in the simulators.
After a moment of temporary self-pity, Eddie approached the lockers and boxes where the others were loading up on their kit. Their uniforms were military in style rather than the jumpsuits of the crew and scientists they had black boots, police blue trousers, and a jacket of the same color with a tan undershirt beneath it. Eddie began loading himself into his 'Combat Gear' a series of armored plates, a vest, riggings for ammunition, gear, and weapons along with a small exoskeleton to support the weight and finally a helmet with an eyepiece. It was a lighter setup designed for mobility over armored protection and strength enhancement like the gear the military uses but for a paramilitary unit like his team, it did the job. He was unsure how well their gear would hold up against blades and arrows but with luck, they would not have to put that to the test.
He fully dressed himself with his gear attached a tactical pad to his arm and pressed a series of commands. As he completed the sequence there was a quiet chime as his uniform began to shift the colors moving and shifting going from a plain blue to a gentle forest green with black stripes. Automated camouflage was essential for the modern warrior, able to blend in anywhere at any time without the need for surplus.
Once his gear was comfortably assembled, he checked the weapons they had assembled a fine arsenal intended for more people than his host of twelve, but it meant they had plenty of ammunition and spare parts to rely on if it came down to it. He grabbed an MK2 Linear Pistol and an LR-1 Modular Service Rifle in standard configuration military surplus weapons he was quite familiar with. Electromagnetic coilguns used ammo, but their batteries lasted far longer than any laser weapon.
He looked over at Daisy a tall amazon of a woman who was humming a song happily to herself as she inspected and loaded her machine gun. She noticed Eddie looking at her and met his eyes.
"Damn, Daisy…Going a little heavy, aren't you?"
"There's a saying from Earth I always liked," she said. "Speak softly and carry a big stick."
Daisy smiled mischievously as she patted the weapon lovingly before slapping a large box magazine into the bottom.
"I plan on speaking very softly, Boss."
"You're the best, Daisy," Eddie said. "Carry on missy."
With everything in hand or on his body, he decided to leave the loading to the men as he approached the Explorer. As much as he would have liked to sit in the Journeyman, he wanted to take the lead for the initial drive. He tossed his backpack into the back of the Explorer and opened the passenger side door loading his rifle into a rack as he climbed inside. Lance entered the driver's seat after performing a similar maneuver.
"All set Lance?"
"All good, Boss," he said. "Journeyman is loaded and ready. Just waiting on Daisy, Rock, and Doc to load up."
"You use the potty first?"
Lance snorted before nodding. "Course I did, ma."
The doors opened as the rest of the party clambered into the Explorer. The spacious truck felt a little fuller when it was loaded with armed and armored people which made Eddie once again wish it was a military model before he sighed and tapped on his communications.
"Gunslingers check-in," he said. "This is Boss speaking. Sound off."
One by one his team checked in saying their codename and a positive sign of check indicating they were ready to depart.
"Daisy, Check.
"Rock, Check."
"Lance, Check."
"That's everyone," he said. 'Journeyman ready to roll?"
"Born ready, Boss. Let's tear some dirt."
"Excellent," Eddie said. "Ramp lowering!"
As he shouted out the warning, he tapped the command into the tactical pad on his arm connected with the shuttle. There was a groan and electronic whine as the ramp slowly cranked down to the ground at a slightly awkward angle due to the shuttle slamming into the ground but there was enough clearance for the vehicles. Lance tapped on the Explorer as its micro-fusion engine hummed to life spinning up the electric drive as it suddenly kicked forward down the ramp rolling onto a bed of burnt disturbed soil in the middle of a forest.
The Journeyman rumbled out behind them a heavy whine filling the air as its fusion engine rushed power to its massive eight wheels, moving with a surprising grace and speed as it slowly rumbled its way into the forest ground and began trudging behind the explorer. Eddie lowered a window leaning out of the Explorer as he watched the Journeyman roll forward once they were a decent few meters away from the shuttle, he began a countdown in his mind before raising a hand for the final five seconds.
"Three…two…one…Okay, we are clear. Blowing the shuttle!"
He raised a button and tapped, and the Explorer rumbled as a large explosion shook the forest, metallic pieces rained down harmlessly bouncing off the roof. Looking back at the crash site there was a decent fireball as the explosive ignited the remaining fuel in the shuttle which would hopefully burn away anything of value or potentially harmful. Eddie glanced back into the mirror noticing the massive plume of smoke rising into the distance.
"Damn that's a bonfire," Lance said. "The locals are going to notice."
"Indeed," Eddie said. "I'm counting on it, pal."
"What happened to no unnecessary contact?" Daisy said more playfully than with any concern.
"I call this necessary contact. All vehicles once we clear the tree line full stop we'll be hitting farmland."
The Explorer bounced as it cleared a line of bushes crossing a sharp hill resting as the Journeyman soon rumbled out from behind it pushing trees aside and crushing a few smaller ones as they rolled onto a barren field that had lone been dug out and stripped of anything of worth. The scent of soil, wet plants, and something far more unpleasant filled the air as Eddie opened the door and stepped outside looking around.
"Hey Boss, are we waiting for something?"
"Yep," Eddie said. "Any minute now."
As if on cue there was a loud rumbling in the air from the distance across the hill came horsemen racing forward as fast as their animal mounts would allow. A horn sounded in the distance as they raised banners. Eddie pulled out binoculars for a closer look spotting several of the dancing banners some bore a wolf symbol on a white background, another bore red and blue with a grey fishtail upturned, others still appeared one bearing a blue bridge, a black banner with a white star, a particularly disturbing one that showed a skinless man upside down on a fleshy pink color and more than Eddie could keep up with. The sight was almost overstimulating from the sheer number of colors the approaching horses were a dancing array of almost every color in the rainbow joined by armor.
In the Explorer, the others were grabbing their guns, but Eddie put up a hand and motioned for them to stand down.
"Keep it cool guys," Eddie said. "I know what I'm doing."
"Which is boss?" Lance said his voice with a near whisper.
"Making first contact."
Eddie stepped forward as the first horsemen neared, they pulled at the reigns slowing down as they fought to ease their mounts. They circled with their mounts with an aggressive posture, the horses letting out steaming breaths as they produced weapons and leveled spears at Eddie.
"Who are you!?" A man called before he stared at the Explorer and Journeyman. "What…what are you?"
A spotlight activated on the Journeyman and Lance flashed the lights on the Explorer which startled the horses they whined and nearly tossed their riders who fought for control. Eddie raised his hands and reached one forward doing an open palm before closing his hands and opening them again repeating the gesture three times before turning his hands sideways.
"Gentlemen," he said. "I am Eddie Martinez, a security contractor with Hammer Interstellar Industries. I come in peace."
"Whom do you serve!?" A knight shouted.
"I serve the Union Aerospace Administration currently. I'm a contractor, a mercenary if you will."
"Mercenary?" The man repeated. "You serve under contract…a sellsword?"
"You could say."
The horsemen nervously gathered sharing a quiet exchange between each other. Eddie watched, keeping his expression a calm smile as they looked back.
"Come with us and bring your cart and the wheelhouse…" The Knight said. "The King of the North would have words with you sellsword."
"There we go," Eddie said. "Peaceful first contact. Gentlemen…take me to your leader."
Notes:
Hello,
Managed to get another chapter done. This will be the end of the most 'introductory chapters' after this we'll be getting into some more interesting meat of the story. Please enjoy and hopefully look forward to more.