Manditory Leave
30 Nov 2021Ember Kurokishi
CMDR Phoenix Sonne Current Location: Payne Scott - Mudhrid
There we were, defending one of the ground installations that had come under attack by NMLA forces. Wave after wave they sent and it got so bad, I was picking up magazines off the enemy corpses just to stay in the fight ammo wise. I had managed to upgrade my suit before this conflict started to a full grade five, giving it more resistance and shields than it had before. For the past four days we have been here dug in and repelling the enemy. The rifles I had did the job and alongside imperial troops I took out squad after squad sometimes as soon as they hit the ground. Thats not to say that the Neo Marlinists were weak. I watched as the imperial troops I dropped in with engaged I'd hear the radio chatter of people getting taken out or overwhelmed. I'd turn just in time to see allies fall only to take revenge moments later. We won every battle from an objective standpoint however I'd argue to say we also lost our fair share of people. Such is the cost of a war like this.
Not all of my time would be spent on the ground as before the ground deployment I took to space with fellow commanders Cayce and Madden also part of DPHS, and we took the fight to the NMLA in space. Morgana's Might took part in the conflict, and with the help of Luther's Folly as well as Burning Singularity, she brought down quite a few NMLA Spec Ops and Captains. For so long we waited for a chance like this to strike the NMLA hard and fast. We finally got to, and working together achieved several victories in this war. Morgana would be both happy, and proud. We came into this fight looking to put the NMLA down, there is no denying that for me it was also a desire for revenge. The cowardly assassination of Harold, the multiple attempts at Hadrian's life, the wars that started because of these attacks, as well as the loss of members of the Emperor's own family, and that says nothing of the losses the Federation took with Kepler Orbital and Alliance took as well in the Nine Martyrs attack. All because they dared hope for a more peaceful solution than all-out war between two of the superpowers.
However, back on the ground as the gunfire slowed down, and we noticed the enemy starting to pull back, the word comes in. We've won. The Empire has dealt a telling blow to the NMLAs forces and our own conflict at this installation Gupta Industrial had taken the lives of over 14000 Neo-Marlinists, we were ordered to mop up the rest of the enemy and then return back to the Starport for a debrief. Thats when my luck ran out, as we searched the area for the remaining NMLA forces an explosion throws me off balance and to the ground. I try to recover and an enemy sniper manages to get a shot off on me that strikes me in the leg, the wound is bad and my immediate thought was "Get to cover, drag yourself if you have too!" As I look for cover, I see gunfire coming from the opposite direction and a squad of Imperial troops rushing to my position. Two of them grab me and drag me behind some crates firing their weapons one handed, keeping the enemy from returning fire with the sheer number of rounds being put out. A third trooper who strangely didn't sound Imperial at all, calls for a medical ship to pick me up. The battle above the installation had ceased, making it easy for the medical ship to land. The three troopers that worked to get me out of there stayed with me the entire time and with the help of the other troops they got me out of there. As I was loaded onto the ship, they came with I don't know if it was to ensure I lived or what. I fell unconscious not too long after.
When I woke, I was in a med bay at Payne Scott, my leg was bandaged. "You got lucky you know, if those troops hadn't acted as swiftly as they did to get you out of there, you may have very well died there!" I inquire about how bad it was and am informed I lost a fair bit of blood and the wound also had really bad burns. "We got it cleaned up and bandaged, you'll probably be here a while. We need to keep an eye on you Commander. These kinds of wounds always have a risk of infection. You may not be able to fly a ship for a little while, and once you're out I'd advise against going back out on the battlefield. Another hit like that and you might not be so lucky next time." I acknowledge the doctors' comments, and decide to inquire about the three soldiers that saved me. "Oh, those weren't soldiers, they were mercenaries fighting for the Empire, like you, but less Imperial... well save for that Anderson fellow. He used to be Imperial Navy. I remember treating him too." I chuckle a bit, and relax.
Later in the day the three soldiers visit to see how I am doing, they introduce themselves as Rueben Anderson, Talya Berger and Marisol Simon. We chat about the battle; I thank them for saving me and Rueben in particular thanks me for fighting so hard against the NMLA. The two women share a bit of their pasts with me recognizing the Elite patch on my jacket when they rescued me. One of them, Talya was a former Imperial Slave, she had earned her freedom and decided to take up mercenary work the other was Marisol a former passenger liner pilot who quit her job after her father lost his life to a disease aboard one of those ships. She ultimately decided she wanted to protect others and started taking up protection work. It makes sense she'd be drawn to this conflict, the NMLA were no longer just a threat to the Empire, but human occupied space as a whole. It's not long into my discussion that my squadron commander Cayce bursts into the room. "Goddamnit Phoenix! I am sitting here trying to get ammunition aboard the Folly and I get a call that YOU'VE BEEN INJURED .... AGAIN!"
I reply: "It wasn't like I planned to be injured Cayce and besides, I wanted to personally make sure these terrorists paid with blood."
Cayce: "From what I hear you did, but you also nearly got yourself killed! You've got a fleet to look after as well as a carrier. Last thing we need is to figure out what to do with all of that because you went and got yourself shot up!"
Me: "I know, and you know how important this fight was to me. I am sorry if I scared you. I wasn't alone down there and these people saved me. Two of them are imperials not unlike you and I and the third has a good reason to be here.
Cayce: "You know what I am going to say next right?"
Me: Maybe
Cayce: "Once you're outta here. I am ordering you to take some time off. Take a break from the fighting for a while. You work too damn hard and push yourself way too much. I am not going to let you work yourself to death. Take a trip, explore the stars, admire the view from Ember. I don't care what you do, so long as you don't put on that damn dominator suit or ANY suit for that matter with the intent of getting in a fight. Understood?"
Me: Yeah, I understand. Now do you mind not yelling so much? I am trying to recover here ya know.