MARS: 19 - Reaper - TITAN Contractors
02 Dec 2022Aurora Adair-Levine
NOTE: This story contains themes of violence and strong language.
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DATE: 5th of November, 3308 [19:00 UGT]
LOCATION: T.O.C. Azure Star H7V-BXH, Hyades Sector JO-P b6-3CPT. Meddley Faust, Guardian 1-1
"Captain on deck!"
The shout filled the confines of the briefing room, everything falling silent as a figure entered the room, squeezing through the crowd of CSF operatives, militarized crew and a few unique individuals, all silent. Minding his way through, Faust approached the holographic table at the very center of the room, smoothing back his hair as he stepped into the light, and glanced at the individuals around him - his presence almost commanding absolute silence.
All eyes fixed on him as he noted appearances for a moment - recognizing Aurora and Isabella almost instantly to his side, as well as a tall man clad in a dark suit, his chest covered with a bandolier and the brim of his hat obscuring his crossed visor. They stood there quietly as his gaze travelled around the room, landing on new faces he didn't all fully recognize. They were Commanders, evidently... as the gear they wore varied distinctly from the CSF operatives and militia soldiers that filled the remainder of the room.
He had the short pleasure of meeting all eight of them in preparation, each distinct in their own way. A disgraced Federal black-ops soldier, an intrepid man with a particular attachment to the colour orange, a grunt-turned-Commander, a spirited Scottish lady, a fiery search and rescue operative, an ambassador away from their kin, an eccentric young man with exceptional mechanical skills, and finally - a stoic duke.
Acknowledging their presence, Faust turned his attention to the task at hand, leaning forward onto the holographic table, and spoke, his gruff voice filling the quiet room.
"Finally, we are here. After months of struggling against the EMBER Syndicate, there is an end in sight for all of us. One that finally lets us bring down the enemy that has killed thousands of innocent people - our people. An enemy that has tried to bring ruin to our home, and crush us with a horrific superweapon."
"But, you all know this already. And you are here today, because we are on the cusp of annihilating our enemy. We need all the help we can get to ensure that this happens. From militia team leaders, to our Centurion soldiers, everyone will be crucial in ensuring we take down EMBER for good. So... listen carefully. I'm only explaining this once."
"Let's recap quickly. Thanks to the efforts of independent Commanders, they were able to crack an encrypted databank that has remained in our possession for a significant time. It belonged to Admiral Isaiah Adair, the father of Commander Adair here by my side. It is thanks to her efforts that we were able to even recover the databank in the first place."
"It has been a long struggle to obtain all the necessary passcodes, and apply them to the databank. Commander Adair has had to dive into the heart of the Federation to ensure this was possible for all of us. Before we move along, I would like to thank her once again, right here, right now. She is a better leader than I could ever hope to be. Because of her, we can finally take revenge on EMBER for the thousands of lives they have taken."
Glancing at Aurora, Faust chuckled internally as she hid her embarrassed face from the eyes that inevitably landed on her, shaking her head slightly at Faust as he turned back to continue.
"Alright. Let's get to it. The databank, now that it has been unlocked, contains a plethora of information that we have been able to use to expose the EMBER Syndicate, and how they operate."
"There is a lot of information to dive into here, but essentially... we have a more accurate estimate on the enemy's strength, size, and operations. Most crucially, however, is accurate schematics and information regarding the enemy's powerful prototype weapon - the MARS Device. This device is responsible for almost destroying the Solaris by causing its most catastrophic disaster yet - a failed jump at the end of expedition trip Omega."
"Additionally, it has proven its capability in psychologically attacking people, inflicting violent psychosis when overexposed. A little over a thousand individuals were affected by this, significantly increasing an already massive death toll during this disaster. In a week, the squadron had collapsed on top of itself. Thousands of innocent lives were lost. To this day, only four hundred personnel remain of the original Solaris crew."
"Since then, SOF Tethys has been tasked with counter-operations against the EMBER Syndicate. We have devoted everything to figuring out the function of the enemy's weapon, and ways to counter it. Although we cannot bring back those we lost, we can prevent EMBER from making anyone suffer the same way we have."
"With the repair of the Solaris and the commissioning of the Azure Star by Commander Levine, we have developed effective countermeasures to the MARS Device, negating all of the psychological effects caused by the weapon. While the electromagnetic attacks remain an issue, we can now shield our carriers and their crew."
"This has forced EMBER to continue their brutal attacks head-on. In recent weeks, we have faced siege by the military forces of this syndicate. Make no mistake - they may shy away into the shadows... but our enemy has a significant bite. Unfortunately, CSF has lost much of its personnel and equipment. In a head-on fight, we would most certainly lose."
"However, we don't need to go it alone. Not anymore. The generous assistance provided by the Commanders that stand in front of me have enabled us to band together our forces. We have formed militia teams trained by Centurion advisors. We have equipped them with surplus gear, allowing us to stand a fighting chance against our foe."
"These Commanders have volunteered their carriers for this defence effort. It only seems fit to welcome them into our operations, as we take our final stand against EMBER. It is also only right to introduce the faces that have been behind these valiant efforts. They will fight by your side in our coming operation, which I will get to shortly."
Faust gestured to the first individual in line - a man with a jacket covering the top of his flight suit, and combat armour adorning his legs. A bracer was secured around his left arm, two pistols attached to their holsters as the Commander stood there, fairly relaxed and with his arms folded as he remained quiet and listened.
"Commander Sharales Kryik, codenamed 'Spectre'. For those who are not aware... Commander Kryik has been our Federal point of contact throughout this entire conflict. However, with the complication on our operation at the Anvil Academy, he has been discharged from the Federal Navy. Regardless, he arrives with a plethora of high-grade military technology and vessels, which we intend to use in our fight against EMBER. Just like the rest of us, he here's to ensure this enemy gets what's coming to them... and as such, he'll lead our primary flight combat group."
Faust's hand soon gestured to the next in line - a man sporting a neatly-kept beard and an orange outfit over the top of his suit.
"Commander Davis Lutz, simply known as 'Dave'. After volunteering the T.O.C. Baroness Onrald to bolster our defence, he has been responsible for providing several militia teams who join our ranks today. Following the attacks on his carrier, it goes without saying that he will be fighting along your side, with a vengeance."
Shifting to the following individual, Faust nodded at a grizzled man, likely in his 50's, a distinct scar crossing his left eye vertically, wearing a brown Maverick suit.
"Commander Jack Macneary, codenamed 'Rinark'. Providing the T.O.C. Lady Evelyn as a support carrier for the Azure Star and the Solaris, Macneary's expertise finds itself in ground warfare as well - a valuable skillset that I'm sure will complement our boarding teams easily."
The attention turned to a middle-aged woman, wearing black-framed glasses and green hair tied back into a low bun. A yellow leather jacket covered her polished green suit, her hand fidgeting with a button on one of the pouches clipped to her belt.
"Commander Sam Pseudowoodo, codenamed 'Mouse'. Although the name of her carrier has certainly become somewhat of a... frequently discussed topic in CSF, the T.O.C. Mom's Kitchen operated by her has been nothing short of providing yet another incredible boost to our efforts. With her expertise, we'll be able to run field logistics for our combat vessels, negating the need for them to return and dock to our carriers for some time."
Next followed a Commander with red, short hair, dark lipstick upon her lips and a deep scar crossing her face from her left eyebrow to her left upper lip. If one could get a closer look, her cybernetic left eye became rather distinct, and a characteristic smell of heavy mechanical grease betrayed the presence of her cybernetic arm and both mechanical leg prostheses, although her red and black outfit covered it up well.
"Commander Sharleen Hoktomt, simply known as 'Sha'. While her carrier has served BLUSTAR Operations extensively in the past, she herself is also no stranger to ship combat, and will be fearsomely leading one of the flight groups that will be instrumental to our coming mission."
Faust's gaze shifted to a man with a well-kept thick beard, their left eye glowing a soft red. With a rust-colored flight jacket covering a slightly emissive flight suit beneath, the man took a sip from a sealed thermos... probably containing coffee, judging by their tired look.
"Commander Vidal Fallharbor, known as 'Fallharbor' for short. With the vital work of his 'Void Kin' associates during the Solaris disaster, and the assistance of the Hecate's Rest, many innocent lives were saved. It's a pleasure to see you returning to lead us into this final fight - a favour that we hope to return in the future."
Turning to a younger individual, Faust pointed to a man clad in a Dominator suit, with modified connections across the entirety of it. His lower face was covered by a half-mask linked into an air tank on his suit, his arms folded and displaying an array of customized weaponry attached to the suit - ranging from a snubnosed Intimidator and a dismantled, transportable anti-materiel rifle, to a minimalist C-44 submachinegun, with all... 'extraneous' parts removed.
"Commander Lance Tumer, codenamed 'Novus'. This young man... well... the technology he can create is nothing short of impressive. With another version of his experimental powersuit, the 'Kaiju', it'll give us the much needed force in the field. Let's just say EMBER might regret fucking around with us when they see this thing."
Finally, eyes fell onto a bald man at the end of the line, his sunken, wrinkly face carefully examining the room before it settled on Faust. Despite the bags under his eyes, he never seemed to blink, focused intently on the briefing as he cleared his chest with a deep cough once the attention had shifted to him.
"... Then, we have Commander Sirius Kilmister, codenamed 'Duke'. While I'm certain I heard some 'old man' jokes floating around, well... appearances can be deceiving too. You know what they say... beware of an old man in a profession where men die young..."
Faust chuckled, which seemed to travel around the room as some started to smile.
"Right. Lastly... we of course have Commander Aurora Adair and Commander Isabella Levine with us here. I'm sure you are well aware of who they are. They will be joining this operation personally alongside all of you."
Now... let's get to why we're all here today. With the databank unlocked, the information at our disposal, we have attempted to expose EMBER. Naturally, the Federation has denied all evidence publicly, but we know it has piqued their interest. Unfortunately, before they do anything about it, it will be too late."
"We need to take action now, and our scouts have already continued to try track the enemy's carrier - known as The Black Edge. We're actively investigating a report in a system nearby, HIP 2131. Some independent mining group spotted an unregistered fleet carrier, likely mining Tritium in the rich rings of a gas giant. We aim to verify this report."
"In the meantime, with our preparations in place, we can brief you on our plan. For the next few days, we will be readying ourselves for our final fight against EMBER. We are organizing individual teams, tasked with specific objectives. We are pouring every resource into this, and failure is simply not an option."
"We must eliminate the EMBER Syndicate at all costs, but our strategy must be sound. We cannot afford to suffer losses before we even get close to their carrier. It is vital to break the enemy's defences, and gain access to their fleet carrier. Disabling the MARS superweapon is a high priority. Fortunately for us..."
Faust tapped on the holographic console, bringing up a projection of the superweapon's schematic displayed from the surface of the holotable.
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"We have a schematic of the device. We could use this to determine its location on the carrier, but right now, we understand its functions, and its disadvantages, and we know for sure that the weapon incorporates a significant level of Thargoid technology. It is unclear how the enemy has harnessed it so well, but the infrasonic and electromagnetic emissions from the Thargoid tech is what produces psychosis in several individuals."
"However, reportedly, the psychotic effect is wildly inconsistent. Based off our own observations, and now confirmed by this databank, a large majority of individuals may experience hallucinations and nightmares, but only 38% exhibit extremely violent tendencies. This would explain why many of us still alive are not affected, however the exact cause of this 'immunity' is unclear."
"Additionally, the device is poorly armoured, powerful but power-hungry, and heat inefficient. Installation is only possible aboard a capital-class vessel as a result, as it ideally needs to be mobile but requires significant infrastructure to operate. And, while the device has extremely powerful electronic warfare capabilities, counter-jamming it is possible, much like normal military-grade EW suites."
"Our specialists are working with Mantis now to develop solutions that could render our ships impervious to the MARS Device, or at least able to mostly function. After all... if we want to stop this enemy, we need to get in close. Whatever exterior nodes or arrays the device uses to project its effects could be damaged, so we only have to focus about getting past that."
"It stands to reason that the device is not functional inside the carrier, but the enemy may be desperate, now that they have nothing left to lose. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do to proof the suits with protection that can withstand the enemy's weapon. Any team boarding their carrier will have to move fast, and exercise extreme caution."
"And... since I mentioned boarding, that leads us to our operation. Now's the time to take mental notes, as here's the plan. You have all already been arranged into teams and been issued equipment or vice versa. Each team will collaborate and serve a crucial part in our upcoming plan. There is a part to play for everyone."
"Capturing the enemy carrier and disabling their superweapon is a high priority, but first we must break the enemy defences. This enemy is highly unlikely to yield even if we did capture their base, so... they must be neutralized at any cost. We cannot afford to have any spaceborne forces biting us in the back."
"So... this is how it's going to go, assuming we locate the enemy carrier and all proceeds according to plan. Here's the high-level outline. We've split our space forces into seven elements, and our boarding teams into ten. Callsign Leviathan 1, led by Commander Spectre and Commander Duke, will run CAP operations, focusing on disrupting and eliminating all enemy vessels when they inevitably launch to try stop us."
"Leviathan 1 will be supported by Leviathan 2, led by Commander Fallharbor and Commander Sha. Both elements share the same objective, and will have an attachment of six Eclipse spec-ops and twelve militia pilots attached to them each. Additional spec-ops wings, codenamed Eclipse 1 through to 3, will sport two spec-ops pilots and four additional militia pilots."
"The smaller wings will focus on primarily hit-and-run tactics, while the bigger Leviathan elements will hammer the hardest targets, and sweep up the rest. Since we don't want the enemy slipping through and damaging our carriers, we'll keep them distant and instead have Faros 1-1, operated by Commander Mouse, hanging back to provide logistics support. Rearm, refuel, the works."
"Scimitar 1-1, our last specialized recon team, will remain nearby and provide tactical overwatch, communicating with CENTCOM. Once the airspace is relatively clear, Spectre, Duke and Fallharbor will detach and follow our boarding teams in. They will attach to 'Avalanche 1-1', led by Sergeant Kato. The rest of our vessels will hold a secure zone around the enemy carrier and keep it clear."
"As for the boarding teams... well... the job's a lot more complicated. With a typical Drake-class carrier layout, we already have several entry points in mind. But, we have no intel on the interior layout or schematic of the enemy's carrier. There's no telling where the device may be, where their command centre is, or vice versa. We can, however, make some educated guesses based off pre-existing layouts. Those maps have already been provided to you, so make sure to study them and keep them handy."
"Insertion to the enemy carrier will be accomplished by some specialized charges we've rigged together. To get our boarding teams inside, three dropships, codenamed 'Oracle', 'Phoenix' and 'Spitfire', will proceed to designated entry points on the carrier. There are weaknesses at the front and rear of the carrier that we can exploit to gain entry. Of course, this'll only be possible once we clear the airspace enough to give our dropships a path."
"Once aboard, there are several major control points we need to seize from the enemy. Obviously, we need to gain control of the superweapon and shut it down whichever way possible. Secondary objectives include us seizing the enemy's navigation centre, or capture the engine room to prevent the carrier from jumping. We also need to capture any armouries, hangars, research centres or medbays to cut the enemy's access off to crucial facilities."
"However, with our limited manpower, we're not going to be able to hold every area simultaneously. Instead, teams tasked with capturing the carrier's secondary objectives will cycle through their objectives. They will sweep, move on, then cycle back. This will be handled at the discretion of the squad leaders and CENTCOM's advisement when suitable."
"Again, we can't predict what might happen. It's important to understand what we're doing here, as one's own initiative and instinct will be key. With those objectives outlined, these are the teams that will undertake them."
"Callsign 'Reaper' will spearhead the boarding operation, led by Squadron Commander Aurora Adair herself. She will be supported by her partner, Commander Levine, 'Predator', and the entirety of the 'Sabre' and 'Tanto' teams. Their objective is to locate the enemy superweapon as fast as possible, and either disable the weapon, or plant strategic explosive charges to compromise it entirely. That'll be up to them."
"Callsign 'Avalanche' will focus on disabling critical enemy facilities, like their navigation centre and armouries. They will be led by Sergeant Kato, who will be joined by the entirety of assault team 'Dagger', Commander Dave, Rinark and Novus. Commander Novus's experimental powersuit will be useful in ensuring maximum damage and keeping this smaller team alive."
"Should shit hit the fan anyway - which it most likely will - CSF and militia forces will be backing up teams as necessary. There are four CSF squads - Guardian, Ironsword, Fox and Falchion. Then, there are another four militia squads - Stalker 1 and 2, and Volcano 1 and 2. My squad, Guardian, will operate with Fox to secure the engine room aboard the carrier."
"Ironsword and Falchion will link up with Avalanche and prioritize capturing the navigation centre, armouries as well as any non-critical facilities. Both Stalker squads will follow loosely, mopping up any EMBER remainders and vice versa. Volcano squads will focus on shutting down primary access corridors, forcing the enemy into certain directions, ambushes, and vice versa."
"Of course... no offence is complete without its defence plan. Armed crew members aboard this carrier will remain behind with a small CSF group, which will be primarily supported by a favour called in by Commander Kryik... a Federal spec-ops group codenamed 'Valkyrie'. I understand the Federation isn't on great terms with us right now, but Valkyrie is his personal team."
"For appearances, they're here to only keep the physical databank safe, along with the Azure Star. They will not be joining us on the operation, nor will they be serving as any emergency backup if we fail. Their job is to keep that data protected. If we fail... well... we can only hope they'll be able to go and make use of what we've uncovered. And, if we do fail, they'll do their best to get the remaining crew of the squadron out to safety. Not much else they can do about our carriers, however."
"And, of course... naturally... no plan survives first contact. This is no walk in the park, and this operation will demand the very best from all of us. All of us will have to work together, and cooperate to see this through. And we will. No matter what, we will come out on top. EMBER cannot be allowed to escape... not after all they have done to us."
"So... if you're not clear on the plan, I suggest you come speak to me. We don't have a lot of time to continue preparing, so go and double-check your notes, check your maps, study and learn our enemy. Train. Practice if you need to. I hope everyone is clear on this... because we only have one shot at this. Any questions?"
The room responded with silence.
"... Right. Let's make sure that we don't miss. Good luck to you all."
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DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [18:58 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Sharales "Spectre" Kryik, Leviathan 1-1
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "All wings, this is CENTCOM. Go for launch, I repeat - go for launch!"
With a hiss as the helmet sealed to his suit, Sharales broke into a jog as he slipped through the hangar lobby, stepping out onto the large landing pad. He watched as ground crew scattered away from the massive ship that sat atop the pad with a silver sheen, the shutter doors ahead groaning as they began to part and unveil the dark, speckled abyss.
Double-checking all of his gear, he continued his jog towards the forward lift of the Federal Corvette, which was already extended. With a hop, he landed solidly on the lift and allowed it to start retracting, pulling him into the vessel. Soon, he came face-to-face with an airlock, quickly making his way through as he began to jog down the winding corridors of the ship, moving to the deck lifts that would allow him to access the bridge.
Coming to a halt near a lift, he bumped the console with his fist and called it, stepping into the small personnel lift shortly after as he tapped the console for the bridge. While he waited, he adjusted his helmet, glancing up at a camera in the lift.
"How we looking, bud?"
Although alone in the lift, Sharales was accompanied by someone. A familiar, smooth voice came from within his helmet, with enough clarity that made it possibly sound like it was in his head. It was a friend.
"The Aesir is running at full capacity. It is ready for you to assume control. Also, Centurion forces are now mobilizing from the T.O.C. Solaris. I predict an enemy engagement in approximately five minutes. It appears that the squadron has finally managed to intercept the enemy successfully during this long pursuit."
"Great. Time to take the fight to these fucking bastards."
The lift jerked to a stop, the doors hissing open as it revealed one of the bridge access doors. Moving forward, Sharales swiftly authorized himself at the door console and stepped into the large bridge of the Corvette, the canopy overlooking the nose of the vessel. Moving forward towards the chair, he promptly sat himself down.
Adjusting his right arm as he glanced at the cybernetic prosthetic, he spent a second examining the vastly different, custom flight interface that surrounded him. Leaning back into the chair as he rested his arm into a slot on the chair where the joystick would typically be, Sharales closed his eyes and felt the ship's systems probe at his implants, interfacing swiftly.
There was no time wasted getting used to the sensation, the pad began to surface at his command, lifting the Aesir from within the safety of the Azure Star. The communications channel had already linked automatically, allowing him to hear the background chatter of all the wings already over the non-priority channel.
Without physical input to the controls, Sharales simply opened the comms channel to his specific wing, the link oddly quiet despite the task that laid before them.
"Duke, this is Spectre. You there?"
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-2} "Go for Duke."
"I'm launching now. Let's get it."
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-2} "Copy."
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-3} "Leviathan Actual, this is 3. We're wings up and proceeding to the objective, over."
"Copy. Leviathan elements, this is Commander Kryik. Listen up. Our objectives today are clear. We're here to make sure EMBER does not leave this system. We're going to send them back to the void they crawled out of, but I don't want to see any heroes today. Everyone makes it home. Clear?"
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-3} "Copy that, Actual."
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-9} "You got it, boss."
With a loud clunk, the ship's thrusters flashed to life and the gear detached from the pad, the Aesir smoothly lifting with ease. Punching it, the ship's drives let out a deep, guttural roar as the Corvette boosted, rapidly increasing distance from the carrier. The radar was filled with contacts that began to depart the local area, prompting Sharales to engage the FSD.
As the voice in his helmet began to steadily count down, the tunnel began to form ahead of the ship, rapidly whisking it away into supercruise. The radar flooded with even more contacts. He glanced at it, noticing the target signal ahead. The Black Edge, ident T4J-64F. The source of all of their problems.
"Got the Black Edge locked in! Leviathan, move to intercept!"
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-3} "Copy that! Fangs out!"
Sharales increased the throttle, keeping an eye on the radar for any of the dozens of hostile ships that would be interested in interdicting them. However, it seemed like most were circling back. The squadron's interception did, in fact, finally work. But, there was an evident time limit.
No matter what happened... they had to do everything they could to stop the enemy carrier. Sharales had pledged to that, for all the pain and suffering EMBER had caused. For the lives they had ruined, and the atrocities they committed. For what they had taken from them all. Only, this time there was no Federation backing him up in this battle. This was all they had left. Nobody would come and save them if this went south.
Only they could ensure EMBER's annihilation - alone.
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DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:06 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Sirius "Duke" Kilmister, Leviathan 1-2
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-1} "Got the Black Edge locked in! Leviathan, move to intercept!"
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-3} "Copy that! Fangs out!"
Scratching the stubble of his barely-shaven grizzled beard, Duke maintained the intent gaze on his radar, pushing the throttle forward as he began to accelerate and follow the wing leader. His keen ear caught the chaos picking up amongst the local radio chatter, although it was still a struggle to make out exact words. Whatever it was, they were now getting engaged by the enemy.
Keeping a firm hand on the controls, he watched as the distance to The Black Edge's signal slowly ticked down as they edged closer and closer, the drumming of the FSD audible as the supercruise bubble shrank. His thumb hovered over the master safe on the joystick, carefully resting beneath it.
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "All wings, we are engaged with the enemy. Do not stop until you get to that carrier! We cannot afford to lose any time here - push through and break them!"
IDENT: {Eclipse 1-1} "CENTCOM, Leviathan 1-1 here. We're pushing through to the enemy, ETA ten seconds to drop."
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "Copy that. No enemy force will leave this system. Get it done, Commander."
Flicking the mastersafe up, Duke's thumb hovered over the button to deploy hardpoints as the distance ticked down... and down. His finger hovered over the FSD disengage button, pulling back the throttle carefully as the FSD slowly whirred. He'd done this hundreds, if not thousands of times before.
But... this time couldn't help but feel different. He was certainly no stranger to playing mercenary in military operations... only this was a fight for survival. A last stand to make things right again. He recalled the briefing several days prior, a cold smile emerging on his face as he remembered the comment made by Captain Faust.
One thing was certain... this was a far cry from hunting pirates. Yet, the thrill was no different... as his index finger depressed the disengage button.
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DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:08 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Sam "Mouse" Pseudowoodo, Faros 1-1
Sitting plainly in the flight seat of her ASP Explorer, Sam listened to the chaotic radio chatter as her ship idled with barely a sound. In the space around her, eleven other similar support ships hovered at varying distances, the only sign of their presence being the occasional glint of metallic hull as they floated in the void.
Anxiously glancing at the readouts of her ship, she took in a breath and began to count backwards in her head, arranging the thoughts that sped through her mind as she listened to the combat chatter.
10, 9...
She was worried about her friends, the people she cared about. This operation was of a significant scale… who knew how many fault points there were? And here she was, just a civilian pretending to be a soldier, like a child struggling to sit up at the adults’ table.
8, 7...
Her eyes shifted to the panel to her right, triple... no, quadruple-checking her stock of limpets aboard. They'd be imperative to provide ammo, repairs and fuel to any of the combat ships.
6, 5...
What about Isaac? Her son’s wedding was only two months away. But… things were complicated now. Here they were, hundreds of lightyears from the bubble, fighting a conflict nobody really knew about. In fact, for all Isaac knew, Sam’s place at his wedding would be in a picture with her husband and daughter, placed upon a table next to a flower and a candle. Just a memory of a happy family.
4, 3...
EMBER. There was nothing she wanted more than to rid of them right now, a very common sentiment naturally shared among the squadron. These people she had met... they didn't deserve this - nobody did. But, at last... they had managed to intercept the enemy carrier.
2, 1...
This was the end of it, and Sam was looking forward to the crates of alcohol that were sitting securely in her carrier’s cargo hold, just waiting to be cracked in celebration.
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-1} "CENTCOM, Spectre here. Is the support position up?"
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "Wait one, Commander. Faros 1-1, this is CENTCOM. SITREP, over."
Returning her focus to the comms panel as she unmuted her side, Sam shifted in her chair and spoke.
“Aye, CENTCOM. Got me tea, got me limpets, got me snashters fer if'n I get peckish durin' the dancin'.”
She pauses as the silence on the other end draws out for two seconds... three…
“I mean, aye CENTCOM, support's in place an' ready fer the brawl.”
IDENT: {Phalanx 1-1} "Hope Mom packed us snacks!"
Sam chuckled at the interjection...
"Aye, an' ye've got yer favorite juice boxes to-..."
... only for the voice of CENTCOM to interrupt the light-hearted moment.
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "Stay focused, you two. Faros 1-1, roger. Expect allied vessels to mobilize to your position for field servicing when necessary. Our wings will do their best to prevent any hostiles slipping through, but in the event that you are compromised - expedite to ERV Epsilon or Omicron and update accordingly. Out to you."
With a quiet sigh as the line closed, Sam relaxed in her chair and stared out of the canopy, waiting patiently for whatever happened next.
All she could do now, was wait.
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DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:11 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Vidal Fallharbor, Leviathan 2-1
Now, the time had come.
Vidal stared through the canopy as the Arbmos travelled calmly through supercruise. The radar was the exact opposite - flooding with contacts as the enemy clashed with Centurion and militia vessels. This was it, he thought. Much had happened in these few months...
His thoughts crossed the eight rogue signal sources approaching the bubble, the fiercest believers of the Void Kin praying endlessly back at the Hecate's Rest... to something that made the more secular members uneasy. It was far from an ideal time to be away... but they were too close to the enemy now.
They were possibly moments away from taking down EMBER, once and for all. Moments away from removing one more variable to worry about. One less enemy to endanger not only his allies - but his friends. These attacks had still affected the Hecate's Rest. Widowers and orphans left behind by their atrocious acts. This revenge was necessary.
These thoughts were almost in slow motion... as if in a state of extreme focus. Whether it was the onionhead-dosed coffee consumed moments prior, or the severity of the situation... it didn't matter. All that did matter was coming out of this alive... and making EMBER pay for what they had done.
Disrupted by a voice through the speakers of the ship, Vidal's focus turned to the rapidly decreasing distance indicator of The Black Edge's transponder signal, watching contacts disappear from the radar as they began to drop in.
"Vidal, we are ready to disengage."
"Disengage."
As the FSD of the ship whirred, Fallharbor rocked in their chair upon disengaging into local space, the silhouette of a dark, Drake-class fleet carrier immediately appearing ahead. The thrusters of the Arbmos crackled alive, the canopy filling with golden flashes and flaring thrusters that dotted the Void ahead.
Slamming the throttle forward, Vidal began to close in, the ship lurching and the hull groaning as it manoeuvred. With the flick of the master safe and a press of a button, the medium hardpoints on each side of the Krait's cockpit slid open, swiftly deploying two beam lasers. Trying to keep focused, the ship pivoted as they locked onto the closest enemy target, watching the radar fill with contacts.
With the ship connected to the local comms, the background ambience flooded with the sound of chaotic combat chatter from the allied side. The enemy was quiet - surgical even, as military ships danced across the starry sky, locked in lethal warfare as one side battled to emerge victorious. There were dozens of contacts, as Vidal cycled through the chaos and tried to settle on the closest enemy ship.
Resolving a lock, the Arbmos trailed at high speed, laser fire and kinetic projectiles spitting from its five hardpoints as a hostile Vulture found itself in the center of Vidal's HUD. As several of the shots landed, the enemy's ship suddenly rolled violently and broke away, a manoeuvre the Commander almost struggled to keep up with. The Arbmos groaned under the stress, the ship's thrusters firing to keep it steady as it stayed on the hostile ship's tail.
IDENT: {Eclipse 2-1} "...-e're getting fucking hammered! Where's our backup?!"
The panicked voice over the priority comms broke Fallharbor's focus for just a moment, the enemy ship managing to flip around as lasers flashed across the canopy, forcing the Arbmos to break away.
IDENT: {Eclipse 2-1} "The rest of our wings are only a few minutes out, Eclipse 2. Stand your ground!"
As the Krait tried to avoid the incoming enemy fire, the COVAS blared warnings, the shields steadily decreasing under the pressure of the enemy ship that had managed to turn things around for itself.
IDENT: {Leviathan 1-1} "Eclipse 2, this is Leviathan 1-1, couple of us are moving to you now! Hang on!"
Glancing up at his wing display, Vidal observed the first few members of his element dropping into the local area. The enemy ship pursuing him seemed locked in. The Arbmos roared as it boosted into a flip, trying to circle around in the dance of death with the enemy...
... but it was no use. A few shots landed before the enemy broke off, popping chaff as it confused the gimbal locking systems of the weapons aboard the Arbmos. Cursing inwardly, Vidal unmuted himself on the wing comms, and spoke plainly, a sense of urgency behind his words as the throttle was slammed forward once more, pursing the hostile ship.
"Could use a little help here, Sha..."
It only took a few seconds for the response to arrive over the background chatter, with a voice filled with zest and valiance. The accent was... 'exotic'... like a mixture he couldn't quite place his finger on exactly.
IDENT: {Leviathan 2-2} "Copy that, mate. Don't give up!"
He watched as a few blue radar contacts began to close in, departing from the bulk of the fighting as the Arbmos had trailed further than expected. His laser focus returned to the dogfight he had engaged in, watching the Vulture retreat as it spat chaff from its one wing. The Arbmos thundered as it pursued, guided by Vidal's careful hand as he closed in, and hovered his finger over the trigger...
"Not planning on it..."
========================================================
DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:14 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Sharleen Hoktomt, Leviathan 2-2
The 'Robuste' soared across the sky as it broke away from the main formation, the light of its beam lasers cutting across the black abyss, multicannons spitting fire and lead. The enemy Vulture it had honed in on attempted to roll to evade, only for its shields to collapse under the punishment from the vessels that pursued it.
Muting her comms, the pilot returned her focus to the hostile ship, watching the lasers cut away at the Vulture's outer plating, only for the multicannon rounds to follow up and punch through. Sharleen watched as the monitored hull integrity of the enemy vessel gradually ticked down, the pilot trying to turn it around as her front canopy sparked, the shields absorbing the incoming rounds.
It made no difference, the last few multicannon rounds ripping through the loose plating, cracking hardpoint mounts and two manoeuvring thrusters, and shattering the canopy into dozens of thick fragments. Being so fixated on the task of annihilating the enemy before her, the only thing that finally disrupted her was the enemy ship engulfing in a cloud of fire and debris as it catastrophically detonated.
"That one was for Kylah, you BASTARDS!"
Her unrestrained scream echoed in the confines of her Krait canopy, before she took in a slow breath and settled back in her chair. There was an odd satisfaction in the Robuste ploughing through the remaining debris of the enemy Vulture, circling back to the main formation as the flashes of the conflict continued in the distance. The enemy carrier laid just ahead.
But... despite the short satisfaction she gained from that one kill, that slightly empty feeling returned. This was it - their final push to wipe out the EMBER Syndicate for good. But... nothing they could do would bring back those they lost. Nothing could bring back the person she loved. All they could do was... ensure that no more lives were needlessly lost.
Kylah would want that.
IDENT: {Leviathan 2-1} "Thanks for the assist, Sha. Now, regroup. We're rejoining the main attack."
"You got it, mate..."
Calming her nerves as she muted her comms once again after the response, Sharleen aimed her ship true to the next target, locking on. The ship's scanners resolved the information of her target, the sensor suite confirming a firing solution as the gimballed weaponry pivoted to get ready.
With her finger on the trigger, she quietly exhaled to herself. It was almost ironic taking lives after spending so much time saving them, but they had to make EMBER pay for all they had done, and she couldn't stomach the squadron suffering any more losses. Everybody had to come home from this.
"Mortal Dictata sends her regards, fuckers."
========================================================
DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:16 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Davis Lutz, Avalanche 1-9
"Okay. Everyone listen up! Combat wings are currently engaged. We're only a few minutes away for our time to shine now, so pay attention."
Lifting his head as he looked away from the magazines in his hand, Davis glanced at the source of the voice - a woman standing at the head of the table, her eyes carefully studying those who surrounded it. Within the hangar they stood in, a small briefing center and equipment cache had been set up off to the side, close to one of the maintenance lobbies.
While it was mostly CSF soldiers around the table, he recognized several of the Commanders and squad leaders from their short interactions. By his side stood Commander Rinark and Novus, although the younger man was encapsulated in a powerful exosuit, idling just off to the side of the briefing area.
At the end of the table, stood Commander Adair, and her partner, Levine. For the entire time they had been in this hangar, she'd kept to herself. No words were exchanged, nor were there any speeches. One might consider it strange, what with her being the Squadron Commander, but... they did have a job to do, and time was running short.
"Just to make sure we're all on the same page - we are seperated into two elements. Sergeant Kato is in command of 'Avalanche'. Commanders 'Novus', 'Rinark' and 'Dave' will go with him and Dagger team, first prioritizing the enemy's navigation center. Once located and secured, your objectives will be to cut off the enemy from other important facilities - but how that plays out is dependent on what happens. Keep your ears and eyes open."
"I - Sergeant Laurier - and my team, Tanto, will be attached to Sergeant Locke's team, Sabre. Both teams will be encompassed under the 'Reaper' element, which will be led by Commander Adair, Commander Levine, and assisted by a mercenary who calls himself 'Predator'. Their objective will be to locate the enemy superweapon, and destroy it via any means necessary, either with the provided explosives or via any controls to the device."
"Both of our elements will insert via a dropship, codenamed 'Oracle', at a vulnerable airlock close to the enemy carrier's midsection, on the underside. We'll split off from there. Everything else will be handled by the initiative of your squad leader, and CENTCOM's orders. Any questions?"
"We'll be back in time for tea, yeah?"
Slapping the back of the loaded magazine in his hand, Davis looked around at the group, a smirk rising to his face from the comment he made. A chuckle came from some of the personnel around the table, the comment warranting a quiet, certain look from others.
"Alright. You're all dismissed."
Looking down as he picked up another magazine, he began to load it as the group began to disperse, his fingers working deftly to slot rounds into the AR-50 magazine. Some soldiers stopped by, picking up freshly-loaded munitions and equipment from the cache, a few providing nods and 'thanks' as Davis finished up the last few mags.
He listened as the loud clunk of the mechsuit proceeded towards the dropship behind him, a figure pausing by his side and resting a gloved, golden hand atop the table nearby. He glanced up, but it was not Sergeant Laurier. Although the visor obscured the man's face, he recognized the voice from previous exchanges. It was Sergeant Kato.
"We good to go, Commander?"
"Yep. All done here. When we setting off?"
"When we get the go ahead. So... give or take a few minutes, if all goes well. Let's get ready and aboard the ship meanwhile."
With a nod, the two turned and began to walk towards the dropship, watching the forward cargo hatch opened as the powered exosuit piloted by Novus carefully slipped beneath, and began to secure itself within the bay. He watched as soldiers prepared themselves near the ramp, starting to board slowly via an extended ramp that lead into a retrofitted troop bay.
The Sergeant ascended, but the Commander remained behind as he checked his gear, glancing down at his kit. The left side of his belt held a white Tormentor, his right hand brushing over a sheath that secured a weathered bowie knife, a neon-green handle being the only thing visible while it was stowed. Held by the magnetic holsters of his suit pack, he sported the AR-50 and Aphelion rifles.
With everything looking good, he carefully proceeded up the ramp, and moved to sit down on whichever seat was available, deeper within the left side of the bay. He watched as the other soldiers followed, assuming their own seats and securing themselves for the flight.
It gave Davis a moment to think. There were worries that, maybe, just maybe, this might not work out. But, there was little point in stressing over it, truthfully. To him, there was hardly a bad outcome - either they'd come home alive, meaning they'd have succeeded, or if they didn't... well...
It wouldn't be their problem anymore.
========================================================
DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:28 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Jack "Rinark" Macneary, Avalanche 1-8
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Approaching drop point Bravo! Get ready!"
The hull of the ship groaned under stress, the ship lurching as it abruptly rolled. Macneary gripped onto his harness tighter, trying to keep his breathing steady with the pressure of the ship's constant maneuvers. He'd been on many dropship rides before... but none came close to this one.
"Feels like we're on a... damned... rollercoaster."
He spoke through gritted teeth as the ship shook once again, the muffled rumble of the thrusters audible from within the troop bay. The CSF soldiers that sat in seats across and alongside him were quiet - almost completely still. It seemed like this wasn't the first time... and that much was confirmed when the operative right next to him chuckled and spoke.
"First time, Commander?"
"No... far from it, actually. Seems like your pilot's a bit... fucking crazy, though..."
"Gotta be a little crazy to be all the way out here, I guess!"
Now it was Macneary's turn to chuckle. Resting his head against the back of his seat, he exhaled quietly through his nose and let the ride play out, his grip firmly secured around the handles of the rigid harness. Maybe this dropship ride wasn't so different after all. He'd spent his life playing soldier, fighting for a cause.
Not much had changed here. It was only more senseless killing... and fighting desperately for survival. Like the hundreds of times before... it was also about protecting his team. Fighting for what he perceived was right. He had that choice now, after all, since becoming a Commander.
Only, it felt... exhausting. Rather than seeing the galaxy, and being in the comfort of his home carrier, he was riding a deathtrap with a pilot that seemed more likely to kill them than the enemy. Alas... here they were. This was what they had set out to do, and their objectives were laid out before them clearly. It differed little from every other time. They were here to neutralize the enemy...
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Thirty seconds!"
... and there was no going back now.
========================================================
DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:31 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Lance "Novus" Tumer, Avalanche 1-7
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Breaching explosive deployed! Detonation imminent!"
The cargo bay lights flickered on as Lance raised his head, the powered suit of armour encompassing his body following his movements exactly. He listened, feeling the ship turn under the power of its thrusters before it suddenly jerked, the hull reverberating as a loud impact hit them. The exosuit swayed slightly in the cargo arms that held it, its occupant waiting patiently as the ship started to manoeuvre once more, much more slowly.
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Breach successful! Boarding teams, it's your time to shine. Commander Novus, I'm opening the cargo bay. Good luck!"
"Got it. Hope I'll fit through that breach you made!"
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Ha! I'm sure you will."
Watching the bay doors part beneath the armoured feet of the exosuit, Novus carefully unlocked and extended his legs, the suit responding without delay. Although it was difficult to look down past the thick armour that protected the exosuit, the smoldering, black hole in the grey hull plating beneath was apparent, the dropship coming to a still hover above it.
With a clunk, the robotic arms released and began to lower the exosuit out. Stars filled the reinforced visor as laser and projectile fire flashed in the dark sky overhead, the dropship's shields shimmering as a few stray lasers struck. With a sudden push, the exosuit launched downwards, travelling only a few meters before it clunked against the hull, the magnetic underside of the heavy-duty legs locking it down.
Carefully turning towards the breached section of the carrier hull, Novus watched as soldiers and operatives flowed from the back ramp of Oracle, their jetpacks helping them guide themselves over as they settled atop the hull, their spacesuits assisting them in walking on the exterior.
Loaded for bear, the Kaiju trudged forward, the sound of its heavy steps carrying through the plating beneath its feet. It was a force to be reckoned with, after all - what with it mounting a retrofitted multicannon on one arm, and a flamethrower on the other. Call it a pocket warcrime, but...
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "All ground teams, this is CENTCOM! You have your objectives. Get this done right. We're counting on you to take down the enemy. Good luck. Out."
... some things were just necessary to make sure they came out on top. This squadron was home - something his loyalty had committed him to... rather than the past. This was a future worth fighting for, in a galaxy where some things were better left forgotten. Once they had finished EMBER... maybe they could move on and grow stronger...
IDENT: {Avalanche 1-1} "Commander Novus, this is Sergeant Kato. Go ahead and take point. Let's show EMBER we ain't fucking around."
The Kaiju pushed on, stepping onto the scorched, thick plating encircling the breached hole. The exosuit's floodlights cut through the dark, revealing the blackened hallway interior beyond, as severed electrical wiring sparked and ignited from the breaching explosive. He took a step forward, the barrel of the multicannon spinning as his allies followed.
'Move on and grow stronger'. Well... that was the hope, at the very least.
========================================================
DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:20 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Isabella Levine, Reaper 1-2
"You're all dismissed."
As the crowd around the table began to slowly disperse, Isabella stood there, carefully reaching forward to pick up the helmet to her tan and brown Maverick suit. It was a lot to take in, and Isabella knew they were close to finally ending it... or so she hoped. It'd been a very long process with this elusive enemy... a process she became involved in when she first joined TITAN Contractors.
They were always jumping from one enemy to another... always something to struggle and fight against. But it was what allowed her to meet someone truly special. It was when she fell in love with Aurora, after getting to know her more and finding a deep love that she didn't realize was there... until she had let go of what she had lost herself.
It was when she learnt of a dark past that had haunted her partner, but her deep love never faltered for a second. They shared such a special connection she could never put a finger on, even to this very day. Turning to look at the exact person on her mind, Isabella gazed at Aurora and studied her reaction to the briefing, watching her brush a hand back through her black hair and close her eyes with an anxious sigh.
She was quiet for a moment, her eyes studying her lover's physique for just a second, exploring the black, armoured Maverick suit that covered the entirety of her body, with the matching helmet held underneath her arm. She caught herself to avoid spending too much time admiring Aurora, opting to break the silence instead.
"So... we're finally... here. At the end of all of this. Well... almost. I'm... actually really... anxious. This is a... first - relatively speaking."
As she spoke, Isa watched Aurora quietly grab her own helmet in both hands and turn it around to face her, her own reflection staring back at her in the dark visor as her hands fidgeted. She frowned slightly, lifting her head to gaze at the bustling hangar past them before she finally responded.
"... yeah... finally..."
... and she felt quiet again, unmoving from where she stood as she once again looked into the visor of her helmet. Isabella quietly stepped closer and put an arm around her, watching her stare at her own reflection. She had the slightest idea of what was going on inside Aurora's head, but she knew whatever it was... it was hard.
She'd been at this longer than anyone, and Isa knew that. She'd suffered the most, and was hurt the most. She'd been beaten down and had to fight her way back to her feet. Isabella just wished she could have been there from the start.
As the two continued to gaze into the visor, she looked at Aurora, noticing a spill of emotions as she audibly cleared her throat, brushing a hand back through her hair and wiping her face. She gestured to the dropship that sat atop the pad, speaking softly to Isa as she took a step away.
"Let's go~..."
She knew Aurora was dwelling on the 'what if's', and... in a way, so was Isa. Her thoughts echoed the same fear of losing someone she cared about, during the riskiest operation they had ever undertaken together, to strike back right into the heart of the enemy. But... she tried not to think about it too much, instead distracting herself with something random.
"Hey... you wanna know something really interesting, hun? Back like... several thousand years ago, when humans of the Old World occupied Earth, there was a world conflict. Two, actually. But... I remember reading about this great operation that was conducted by allied forces to crush their enemy at the time."
"I... forgot the name of it, but it was a massive invasion force onto the shores of enemy land. It seemed like all the odds were against them, but they landed their crafts onto the beaches and hit the enemy straight on. The only thing to get them through was each other."
Her hand moved to Aurora's shoulder, holding her gently as she gazed into those deep blue, shimmering eyes that had focused on her intently.
"We will be with each other on this. We'll fight next to one another and get this done, no matter what it takes, okay? We'll... kinda be like them today. All of us."
Aurora tilted her head slightly, a soft but gentle frown on her face.
"... ha... where do you even... find this stuff~...? You're like a little encyclopedia, you~..."
The sentence seemed to prompt a flicker of emotions across Aurora's face all of a sudden, her hand coming up to grasp Isa's hand firmly as she choked up for a moment.
"... ugh... I... I love y-you so much Isabella~... I'm... I'm so scared... I..."
"Hey... I'm scared too. I know. But... I can't dwell on the thoughts because... it'll kill me, hun. I want us to get through this, and we will. Just... we need to focus on the mission and protect each other."
Isa paused, offering a gentle smile as she rubbed Aurora's hand.
"And... yes. I'm your walking encyclopedia. Too much time alone with... relatively unlimited access to information as a kid."
Aurora chuckled softly, wiping away a tear as she took in a breath and sighed softly.
"... I... d-don't know how you do it... h-how you... manage. W-we're not even ready to go yet and I'm... a-already falling to pieces... ha~..."
"One foot in front of the other, hun. I mean... I try to not think about how dangerous this is. Only that we'll... get on board, and we'll disable that horrible machine."
Truthfully... the thought of it scared her. What the 'machine' made her do. The people she hurt again. She regretted all of what had happened. Sometimes... there were still nightmares about it... about all the people she killed in her past. Now, they were headed into the lion's den to fight the same beast.
It terrified her when she allowed herself to overthink it, so Isabella pushed the thoughts aside and focused on Aurora, nodding at her slowly.
"... They lose today, Aurora. Then we get to go home."
With her free hand after she clipped her helmet to her belt, Aurora clumsily wiped her face with the back of her hand, sighing heavily as she nodded slowly.
"... I g-guess so... just... feels s-so... daunting. I'm... n-not who I... I used to be. I can't... fight. I... have you now... a-and... I just wanted a... a normal life. Not d-doing the fucking Federation's job for t-them... once again. Guess it's... almost ironic..."
"I know. Wish we could have a quiet life, too. We will... or... well, as quiet as Commanders can be. But, I need that fighting Aurora. It's our best shot. We can't back down or show weakness. We'll kill them all for what they did to us... to all of us."
Aurora took in a deep breath through her nose, lowering her head a bit. What Isa said seemed to prompt her to think, the silence lasting a few moments before she let out a tired sigh and rubbed her face, looking back up at Isa with a softened expression.
"... y-yeah. You're right. We can do this... we have to."
Feeling her partner's arm come around her lower back, Isabella gently held her and smiled softly, acknowledging the restored confidence Aurora seemed to have. They exchanged a soft look, spending the moment looking into each other's eyes, even though the dropship was getting things ready for departure. At the very least, they didn't have to set off right this minute... and Isabella didn't want this to be the last time she held her lover.
"... I k-know we're like... around a ton of people but... j-just... y'know what, come here~..."
Isa felt Aurora suddenly pull her in, her eyes fluttering closed as their lips met to exchange a soft, sweet kiss, just for a moment while they embraced each other, a gloved hand cupping Isa's cheek. A second kiss followed after breaking away for a short breath, not caring for anyone who might be observing them.
But, with a hum, Aurora soon broke away and hugged her partner gently, a relaxed exhale escaping through her nose as she rested her head on her shoulder.
"... I love you, Isabella~..."
"I love you too, Aurora..."
With a soft squeeze as they hugged, Aurora carefully leant back to gaze at her lover, her thumb brushing along her cheek as her hand returned to cup her face.
"We should... go now, I guess~..."
"Yeah... let's go. Ha..."
Isa's anxiety built at the prospect of heading out, but she looked at her lover, finding that it brought her a new level of confidence. A confidence to fight for her. Aurora came first... and then the people of the squadron, second. Maybe it was selfish... but Aurora was her everything. She'd do anything for her.
Not expecting for Aurora to place a third, final kiss on her lips, Isabella smiled softly and allowed herself to be led along to the dropship, their hands releasing as they grabbed their helmets and slid them on over their heads, sealing them to her suit. She watched as Aurora struggled with her helmet a little, cursing softly as she twisted her helmet to get it on a bit further.
"... f... fucking curls... ugh... should learn how to tie my hair..."
"Awe, hun. You ever think of tying back your hair? I have. Into a little ponytail like Violet's. It's a cute look and helps with the hair a bit, honestly..."
"I uh... I don't know how to... tie my hair. But... I'm good now. You can show me some other time?"
"Oh, sure."
Isa hummed contentedly, but her attention shifted as they approached the dropship, noticing Aurora gazing off towards an individual that distinctly stood out from all of the others with their different suits and armour. After all... Predator wasn't hard to miss with the bandolier that crossed his chest, along with that wide-brimmed hat. He seemed to be talking to a CSF soldier, clad in typical Centurion armour - although his armour specifically had silver and orange highlights.
"Oh... look who it is. Wanna say hi?"
Looking over at Isa for a moment, she soon turned her attention to the figures once more, letting out a soft sigh as they dawdled closer.
"... Right. Yeah... guess we have to..."
"You sound very enthusiastic about it. We don't have to if you really don't want to."
"Don't really... have much of a choice in all this... ha~... Might as well..."
Aurora slowly started to walk towards them, with Isabella minding the CSF soldiers and Commanders that were moving up into the ship via its lowered ramp. As they ventured closer, the conversation became clearer. She recognized the individuals, noting the CSF soldier as Sergeant Locke, who had been present in several of the briefings Isa was apart of.
"... -o, you some kind of... bounty hunter? Mercenary? What's with the outfit?"
"Something like that. I have a... 'unique taste'."
"What brings a random merc all the way out here?"
Predator shrugged plainly.
"I'm a friend. I've been around here for a while."
Locke chuckled, shaking his head.
"Oh, now that's encouraging..."
The two paused as Aurora and Isa stepped close enough, the first one to glance over at them being the Sergeant. His posture subtly straightened and he placed his hands behind his back at ease, prompting Predator to glance at the duo as he folded his arms and responded first.
"Ah. Commander Adair and Levine. Good to see you both again."
Isabella nodded, looking between the two men.
"Heya, how's it going... uh... Predator. All set? Big day..."
"As ready as one could be, I suppose."
Aurora nodded a bit as she turned her attention to Locke.
"Yeah... Sergeant... we good to go?"
"All set, Commander. Sergeant Laurier's getting her team on the dropship now, they're carrying the charges."
"Okay..."
Aurora went quiet a bit as Isa watched her look into the dropship, observing the soldiers while they took their seats.
"So, when do w-..."
Aurora was cut off by a sudden shout from inside the dropship, catching Isabella off-guard a bit. She turned and watched the pace of the boarding soldiers rapidly pick up, getting to their seats as quick as they could.
"EVERYBODY ON BOARD! TIME TO GO, LET'S MOVE!"
With the shout prompting them, Isa swiftly looked at Aurora and took her nearest hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"Together. I have your back, hun."
Aurora quietly watched as Locke quickly turned and ran off, rallying his team as they proceeded up the ramp to the ship. Predator remained near the duo, unmoving as Aurora looked back at Isa, gazing at her for a moment.
"Yeah... and I have yours. I love y-you Isa..."
"I love you too..."
Gently exchanging a quick hug with Aurora, Isa was released and began to move over to the dropship, breaking into a jog as she ascended the ramp with Aurora. While CSF soldiers and Commanders alike began to settle into their seats on the opposite side of the bay, Isa's partner took the first seat on the right side of the troop bay, allowing Predator to skip a seat and sat on the third one, leaving Isabella a space between them.
She followed quickly, jogging up the ramp and sitting herself in the seat that was next to Aurora. Taking in a deep breath as she sat down, she began to flex her hands, her anxiety slowly rise. This was it now. This was a ride she couldn't go back on. Once that door closed... they were officially off.
The ramp began to whirr as it slowly closed, blocking out the dim light from the hangar. Those who were seated swiftly pulled the harnesses down over them to secure them, Aurora and Predator following suit as they locked in and felt the ship hum to life. Isabella did the same, locking the rigid harness down over her as her leg bounced subtly, her nerves getting to her slightly.
She glanced at Aurora by her side, checking on her... but she couldn't see her face through the visor. All she could do was reach over and gently take her hand, the two holding onto each other firmly. There was another shout from within the bay as the red lights flickered on, the ship lurching as the pad began to ascend and the muffled sound of the thrusters spooled up.
"Check your seals! We're depressurizing the bay now!"
"Here we go.... whew..."
Aurora didn't respond for a moment, but she did look over at Isa as the ship lurched again slightly, the pad coming to a stop. Soon, the engines of the ship began to roar, prompting Isa to grimace slightly as she felt the force of the thrusters push them towards the back of the ship, the harnesses keeping them secure.
"... m-mhm..."
As the ship started to stabilize but continued its powerful flight, Aurora continued to hold Isa's hand, squeezing it firmly. It was the only move that gave away the noticable tremble of her hand, before she held her firm grip and suppressed it. She finally spoke, her voice audible even over the noises of the ship, what with her being right next to Isa and the suit speakers amplifying it.
"Hey, Isa... make sure you're... linked to the command channel. Since you're... second in command and all that... you'll wanna hear what's going on if needed..."
Isabella paused a bit. She forgot she played an important part here, being Aurora's partner. Second in command was a big deal for her, and that felt like it raised the stakes even more.
"Wow... second in command... that's... wow."
Aurora just gently squeezed her lover's hand in response, allowing her to link into the command channel via the instructions they received before. Immediately, background chatter filled her ears from within her helmet, but not loud enough to block out any other sounds, or to hear precisely what was being said. But, as the channel tuned in to the priority command channel, words slowly became clearer.
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "... -ļ̴̶͢ ̡̧͝b̶̷̨ò̸̢̕͞a͞r̶̷͞d̵̨͟͟͡i̷͜͜͡n̴̷̸g͜ ̴̨̕͢t̕͘e̵̛a̵̛͘͘͏m̡͡͝s̷͡,̸͢ ̢͜͢ơ̧͏̵p̛̀͝eration is a go. You have your objectives, and you are clear to mobilize on the enemy carrier."
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "Make us proud, and go give them hell. CENTCOM, out."
Exhaling quietly, Isabella held onto her partner's hand firmly and waited. She felt the dropship steadily traverse supercruise, trying to ease her nerves. This really was it. Their final stand against the enemy...
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Dropping in 15 seconds!"
No matter what, they had to destroy that weapon. She only hoped it wouldn't be at the expense of everything she loved and held dear. EMBER would pay for what they had done.
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Dropping in 3... 2... 1!"
========================================================
DATE: 16th of November, 3308 [19:35 UGT]
LOCATION: 85 Iota HerculisCMDR Aurora Adair, Reaper 1-1
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Breaching explosive deployed! Detonation imminent!"
Aurora clutched her harness tightly, exhaling softly as she held her partner's hand firmly in response to the radio callout, hearing the hull reverberate with the sound of a launcher firing. All that could be heard for a moment was the hum of the thrusters, before the ship jerked again suddenly, the hull thundering as a loud impact hit them. Aurora tensed up slightly, closing her eyes as she felt the dropship slowly move once again, coming to a stop as the radio called out again.
IDENT: {Oracle 1-1} "Breach successful! Boarding teams, it's your time to shine!"
"EVERYBODY, UP!"
As the shout rang out through the bay, Aurora practically threw her harness up off of her, getting to her feet very swiftly as she turned to face the ramp, her hand hovering back by the handguard of her rifle. The CSF soldiers followed suit, the bay filling with the sounds of harnesses unlocking and boots clunking as the lights flashed green, and the ramp began to open, bright light flooding into the bay.
The dropship was right next to the enemy carrier, debris slowly floating nearby as flashes of laser fire spat overhead from the carrier. Thankfully, it seemed they were outside the firing arc of the turret emplacements. As per the plan, the breach point was roughly between the carrier's landing pads and the flight control tower, with the breaching explosive penetrating several layers of plating to get them into a hallway segment on its side.
Whatever happened next was... anyone's guess, really. They had little idea of the interior layout - only a rough guideline off usual Drake-class carrier layouts. Aurora took a few steps forward, peering over the edge of the ramp at the blanket of stars below, and the scorched, plated hull with a new hole within it. That would be their entry point.
Despite the lack of atmosphere, she heard Isabella's silky Imperial accent behind her, amplified by the suit's systems.
"... Holy shit... that's how that works..."
"Yeah... ha..."
Exhaling quietly, Aurora looked across and watched as the line of CSF soldiers moved forward. With barely any hesitation, their squad leader stepped off the ramp and kicked off the bay's frame, propelling himself towards the hull below. His element followed suit one by one, using their suit packs to guide them carefully to the carrier's hull where they landed below.
Psyching herself up, Aurora turned to Isa with empty hands, extending one gently as she offered to help her partner. She was oddly focused now... different from the anxiety she displayed before.
"Well... time to EVA. Just like before, yeah...? I'll help you... but we need to move..."
Isabella cursed softly, taking Isabella's hand as she peered beyond the ramp, watching the soldiers and Commanders jump for the breach point below, and beginning to surround it.
"Haaa.... I hate this so much..."
With that one, final comment, Aurora remained silent and grabbed Isa's hand tightly, pulling her partner closer. Without much further hesitation, she slowly stepped off the ramp with Isa, holding her hand tightly as she gently kicked off and pulled Isabella along. With nothing to attach to, they now freely floated between the dropship and the carrier, the rest of the troops still following suit as they slowly descended upon the plating below.
Above them, the sky filled with laser fire and projectiles, the dropship's shields flashing occasionally as it covered them from any stray rounds. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the duo to land, as Aurora's boots gently clunked against the hull of the carrier and locked in, helping her partner do the same.
She took a moment to glance up, her breathing echoing inside her helmet as she took in the massive dogfight above them. It was chaos... dozens of pilots fighting to hold the line and clear the way for them. Each individual - fighting tooth and nail for this final moment. She only hoped they would be successful... that this all wouldn't be for nothing.
Turning her focus back to the task at hand now that they stood atop the exterior of the carrier, she turned to the hole that the CSF team had surrounded, grabbing her rifle and shouldering it as she watched a large, powered exosuit descend from the cargo bay of the dropship, touching down. It was heavily armed, sporting what appeared to be a multicannon and even a flamethrower, and covered in thick, armoured plating. The heavy-duty legs sent a low rumble through the hull with each step as it began to approach the smoldering, black hole, its floodlights cutting through the darkness.
Isabella moved to Aurora's side, grabbing her rifle as well as she looked on at the exosuit, watching it approach.
"I think I might know who that is..."
"Yeah..."
Aurora exhaled quietly after her simple reply, watching the CSF soldiers gather around the breached section as the Kaiju took its slow, rhythmic steps forward. She remained close, her rifle at a low-ready as she heard a voice picked up by the suit speakers. It was from a CSF soldier in golden-highlighted armour, which she knew to be one of the few SOF Tethys operatives that were assisting them.
"Commander Novus, this is Sergeant Kato. Go ahead and take point. Let's show EMBER we ain't fucking around."
With silent agreement, the exosuit took its last few steps, the scorched, shattered plating creaking beneath its feet as it smoothly stepped forward and went down into the entry point, the barrel of its multicannon slowly whirring as it began to spool up. The CSF soldiers followed a formation - along with the Commanders behind them - carefully trailing the exosuit through the multiple layers of steadily cooling hull that had been blasted apart with the breaching explosive.
Going first in front of Isa, Aurora followed behind the CSF team, her rifle pressed against her shoulder as they minded their step through the shredded breach, the exosuit's floodlights illuminating a blackened corridor ahead. It pushed on, the walls groaning with each step of the powered machine, until it stepped into the hallway, looking left.
The CSF soldiers pushed forward after the exosuit, several of them entering the hallway first and moving across to the opposite side, covering both directions as they took cover near several structural arches. The interior was quiet, save for the dull groan of the carrier's klaxons echoing through the hallways, and the electrical sputter of the damaged lights and electronics near the breach.
Gripping her rifle tightly, Aurora hopped through and landed squarely on her feet, making sure her partner made it through as well. The lights of the carrier were all off, save for several emergency lights that were unusually dim...
Proceeding through the breach to the right and following the wall, Aurora took a knee at the closest pillar and reached up, pressing the side of her helmet to activate the night-vision modification in her visor. She watched as the wireframe highlighted the structure of the corridor. It seemed to be a sort of maintenance access where they were in - which made sense considering they came through an emergency airlock.
She frowned, her eyes coming to focus on a set of stacked boxes and oddly-shaped canisters further down the corridor. She glanced back over her shoulder to see what went left, only for it to appear as yet another winding maintenance corridor, turning into an abrupt corner leading deeper into the carrier. She hated how it was always a labyrinth to navigate these vessels... especially considering that this wasn't their domain anymore.
With a sigh, Aurora turned forward once more and looked at the boxes and canisters she noted before... before one of them shifted. She raised her rifle, levelling her sight to her eye, before she finally saw it. Those weren't just any boxes and canisters... that was an emplacement.
"Oh, sh-..."
"INCOMING! GET DOWN!"
The corridor filled with incoherent shouts and yells from their allies before a yellow flash erupted from the barricade ahead. Aurora ducked in close to the pillar, the rest of the element seeking cover as the trail of a rocket screamed through the hallway, whistling past the soldiers as it found its true target in the center of the exosuit behind them.
A deafening, resounding boom flooded their ears as the Kaiju recoiled from the impact, its armour managing to absorb most of the explosive force as it stumbled, before gunfire immediately broke out, tracers and golden beams chipping and pinging off their cover nearby. The shockwave disoriented her slightly, but Aurora managed to get control over her rifle, bracing it against the pillar as she flicked the safety off and returned fire, quickly turning her suit shields online.
As the Kaiju got its footing again, the revolving barrel of its multicannon began to spool faster, before it erupted in a piercing cacophony of lead, the hallway filling with blinding bursts of light as its tracers filled the corridor ahead. Although not extremely accurate, it was terrifying enough to be right near it... let alone on the receiving end.
Focused on the imminent threat ahead of them, Aurora squeezed off small bursts as precisely as she could, her adrenaline pumping as she tried to keep her breathing steady. Flashes of laser fire and tracers were exchanged by both sides, and it was difficult to train on the small silhouettes she could see.
Not that it mattered much, as a slight adjustment of the Kaiju's minigun instantly shredded through the barricade, sending them into disarray as several of the cloaked mercenaries dived for cover. One was unfortunate to falter for just a second, the minigun practically cutting him in half as his shields collapsed and his body crumpled.
It didn't last forever, unfortunately, the Kaiju's barrel hissing with heat and glowing red hot. The weapon would jam if it was fired excessively for too long, turning the exosuit into a very expensive, mobile piece of cover right now... not that it was a wise decision to stand near it.
Getting back into cover to reload, Aurora took the moment to glance back at her lover, seeing her dazed and on a knee. She yelled out over the gunfire, her voice cracking a bit with panic.
"ISA! SHIELDS!"
With a grunt, Isabella scrambled against the wall behind Aurora, her suit flashing a soft blue as shields enveloped her body, grabbing her rifle and taking cover behind the same pillar. Slotting in her new magazine and slapping the latch closed, Aurora went to peek the corner of the pillar once more, only to flinch back into cover slightly as a kinetic round slammed into her cover, ricocheting narrowly past her.
She swapped her rifle to her left hand quickly, bracing her right shoulder against the pillar as she crouched and exposed as little of her profile as she could, taking aim carefully. The barricades ahead were as clear as day now, most of it falling to pieces from the Kaiju's hail of lead moments ago.
The mercenaries that had been scrambled were visible, moving for cover and disappearing behind whatever could shield them, adopting similar, fortified positions to return fire. Aurora continued to squeeze off precise bursts, trying to focus on hostiles that had their shields stripped by the CSF soldiers armed with laser weapons, although her opportunities were far and few between. She knew this wouldn't be a cakewalk... but EMBER was good. They weren't outnumbered right now... but how long would that last?
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "Reaper Actual, this is CENTCOM. Radio check, over."
Aurora's focus broke as the radio caught her at a bad moment, ducking back behind cover. She cursed softly, but proceeded to quickly respond on the radio as if it was second nature.
"Loud and clear, Command! We're... Avalanche and Reaper teams are aboard now, we got hostile contacts securing the access corridor. We're clearing now!"
IDENT: {CENTCOM} "Copy that, SC. Operation's yours from here on out. You know what to do. Go give them hell. Out."
Aurora let out a stressed sigh, not responding as she grabbed her rifle once more, and paused for just a moment to gather herself. This really was happening...
Her partner broke away from the fighting for a moment to reload, glancing at Aurora as she slotted in a new magazine for her rifle, flinching slightly as tracers zipped by them, dangerously close.
"Shit... really isn't a lot of cover, is there? Aurora, there's cover ahead. Maybe if we push?"
Peeking the pillar and firing another burst to try keep the enemy down, Aurora ducked back into cover and glanced back at her partner, nodding slightly.
"Y-yeah... they're... they're starting to... lock us in so maybe we should move. Risky... there's really not m-..."
Aurora flinched and ducked her head as the corridor flooded with the deafening sound of the Kaiju firing once again, lighting up the dark hallway with dozens of tracers. She watched as the exosuit slowly advanced, managing to cut down three extra hostiles that remained out of cover for just a second too long.
Aurora glanced back at Isa and shrugged quietly, watching as the Kaiju pushed forward. The CSF soldiers followed slightly, only to observe the remaining enemy suddenly fleeing as they took off down the corridor, disappearing through a junction further ahead. The gunfire soon died down, the echoes travelling through the corridor. Soon, it was silent again, save for the rumble of the enemy carrier's weapons firing at the conflict outside.
"Well... there's our chance to advance..."
Lowering her rifle slightly as Isabella spoke behind her, Aurora slowly started to advance without a word, the Kaiju stopping in its tracks as the CSF teams slowly began to advance, stepping past shattered barricades and bodies. It was a gruesome sight even for an enemy that had committed such atrocious acts against them. Half-shredded bodies laid there, blood oozing from cracks in their armour. Aurora forced herself to look away, making sure it was all clear before she paused by the junction, interrupted by a voice nearby.
"... Commander Adair? What's the play here? Are we going after them?"
Recognizing the voice, Aurora lowered her rifle completely and turned to the source, her eyes landing upon a figure wearing an armored CSF suit with golden highlights. It was Sergeant Kato. She watched as the other soldiers gathered around, along with silent Commanders. One could almost miss Predator as well, hanging back in the shadows behind the group with an Executioner marksman rifle in hand.
She frowned to herself, pausing sheepishly. She forgot she was supposed to actually lead here. This might've very well been the first time she was placed in complete control of an operation and the people within it. Lives were at stake if she made one wrong decision, lives she cared deeply for.
"... u-uh... no. No, we won't be going after them. We don't have... a lot of time. Sergeant Kato, take your team as intended and... locate the enemy's nav center. Try take out as many as you can on the way with Novus's help, and... stop this carrier from jumping. We'll push on and locate the enemy weapon..."
The Sergeant simply nodded.
"You got it, ma'am."
Swiftly turning away, the Sergeant rallied his troops and the Commanders following him, jogging off down the corridor they came from as the only people that remained were Isabella, Predator, and the entirety of Sabre and Tanto teams. But, Aurora just stood there, glancing back where the enemy fled. She didn't have a clue where to start looking for the enemy weapon... and time was ticking.
As Sergeant Kato departed, Isabella moved up to Aurora's side, glancing at the remainder of the soldiers that surrounded them before she spoke.
"... hey... so our objective to take out that... device. Do you think they maybe have it at the bow of the ship? Wish we had a bit more intel but... we take what we get. I say we aim there..."
"No... I think the bow's too far..."
Aurora glanced at Isa as the group of soldiers gathered around them, Predator stepping closer. The two squad leaders for Sabre and Tanto listened quietly, the rest of their element setting up temporary security as they began to plot it out.
"The... the databank said it uses exterior nodes to... project the effects outside the carrier, right?"
Sergeant Locke interrupted Aurora, resting his hand atop his rifle as he glanced between her and Isabella.
"Wouldn't that mean it could be anywhere aboard the carrier, as long as it's linked to these nodes? We'd have to search kilometers of hallways, Commander. We don't have time for that."
"... y-yeah but... it explicitly stated the weapon needs a lot of power and coolant, including its own reactor. It'd be easier and... less exposed if the... if the device was closer towards the source of the coolant. So it... it has to be somewhere in the midsection, near the carrier's own reactor and coolant systems."
Isabella shrugged.
"Well... I suppose we start with that, then. But... there's a lot of 'carrier' to cover, so we should get moving."
Another figure piped up, a woman in a golden suit who Aurora knew to be the other Sergeant who issued the short briefing in the hangar earlier aboard the Azure Star before they departed. Sergeant Laurier glanced at Isa, before focusing back on Aurora.
"She's right. Even with the area narrowed down, it's a big carrier... crawling with enemy forces..."
Aurora sighed softly, fidgeting with her rifle as she thought.
"... o-okay, uhm... then we... we'll go through the corridors, try avoid as much enemy contact as we can... and find a terminal. If we crack the terminal, maybe we can... access a facility map of the vessel. Something that can... show us where the most power is being drawn... or... any extra rooms that were added. That could... indicate where the device is...?"
It was quiet for a moment, before Predator chuckled and gestured loosely towards Isabella and Aurora.
"... See... they're naturals at this."
Isabella nodded towards Aurora at Predator's comment, glancing at him as she shrugged her shoulders, before turning her focus to Aurora.
"Might not be... the most 'legal' thing, but I... have a... well... an E-breach with me. Not just a normal one but... one from... well, you know who. She's been working on some prototypes and... well... we should expect anything with it, but yeah. She wanted to... obviously help, and this misison was way too dangerous, so she gave me the breach tool that should be good for several uses. If it... works..."
"Well... moment of truth, I guess..."
Aurora looked at Isabella and smiled, although Isa couldn't see her face through the visor. She soon turned to face Locke and Laurier, gesturing towards the junction as she placed her hands back on her rifle.
"... Okay. Let's go. Clear the hallways, avoid contact and find a central terminal or... security access port."
Locke nodded, taking a step away as he grabbed his rifle once more.
"Got it, Commander."
She watched as the CSF soldiers turned away and began to form up again, stepping over bodies and debris carefully as they approached the junction. Some peered past the corner, calling out that it was clear as they began to advance. Although she wanted to go first, Aurora followed slowly, shouldering her rifle as Predator watched their flank, proceeding after them.
As they proceeded down the dark corridors, the team seemed to split in half, with one element on the opposite side of the hallway, carefully spaced out as they continued down the corridor. It was eerily silent, save for the occasional alarm and thunder of distant weapon fire. It wasn't fully clear whether it was aboard or not, but it could be either, now that the rest of the allied elements had landed.
Aurora just continued forward, breathing softly in the confines of her helmet. This entire section was still depressurized, but just up ahead appeared to be an airlock bulkhead door. It seemed like the only way through out of this area, so they had to take it.
She paused as the rest of the element halted, watching Sgt. Locke up ahead tap one of his men on the shoulder. With a nod, the technician promptly proceeded to the door console, prying it open and plugging in. Aurora quietly looked around the corridor, the tension starting to get to her. This carrier was supposedly filled with enemies... but it was so empty, even with the firefight they had moments ago.
"Shouldn't we...worry about explosive decompression?"
With the silence, Isa's voice was the only soft noise in the corridor, Aurora glancing at her. It didn't take long for a reply to come from the technician himself, as he tapped away at the door console.
"Looks like the life support shield is still on for the door, on the other side. We should be good, but... just in case..."
Tapping on the console, it beeped softly, the door suddenly clunking as it unlocked and began to whirr, the heavy motors parting the doors. Aurora winced, waiting for the sound of rushing air ripping past them... but nothing came, a soft, blue shield visible through the growing gap in the door.
"Ha. See-..."
A deafening boom filled the corridor as a yellow, high-powered tracer cracked past through the door. The CSF element quickly ducked, taking a knee as several moved up and took cover by the reinforced frame of the airlock door. Several shots followed, the high caliber rounds getting dangerously the more the door opened, prompting a yell from a CSF soldier.
"CONTACT! ANOTHER EMPLACEMENT!"
Isabella tried to peek out, stepping away from the wall as she took aim, only to be yanked back by Aurora as a round narrowly missed her, nicking her shields as her suit flashed. Pulling Isa down with her, Aurora ducked behind the pillar, yelling out over the gunfire as she readied her rifle.
"Isa, careful! It's a fucking sniper!"
"Fuckers! Ugh... wish we had Novus's... exosuit thing... shit..."
Letting out a stressed sigh, Aurora looked back at the CSF team, watching them keep their heads down. It was as if everyone was thinking of a way to deal with the sniper, but nothing occurred just yet, before the shots ceased. She wasn't sure if the sniper had to reload, or if it was waiting. It was a risky chance...
She heard the CSF soldiers suddenly yell as one got up and darted across the corridor, a loud shot echoing through the corridor as one of the tracers narrowly missed him. That confirmed that suspicion... but he managed to make it across. With the doors now open, the barricades further ahead could be seen, the muzzle flash giving away the sniper slightly and prompting a callout from Sergeant Locke.
"THERE! Right side, gap between the crates!"
Crouching down behind Aurora, Isabella shook her head and tightened her grip on her rifle, the duo thinking as they heard the callout from the Sergeant.
"Okay... shield projector, two people to provide rotating cover fire to keep the sniper continuously pinned, and we have the rest push up? That, or if anyone has good aim and... wants to try to counter snipe while we push. Extremely risky... but... yeah..."
Looking at Isabella as she spoke, Aurora quickly turned back and looked down the corridor at the CSF soldiers only a few metres ahead.
"Sergeant Locke! Drop some shield projectors, and push up! Tanto, suppressive fire!"
Watching the plan play out immediately, Aurora observed two individuals of Locke's team quickly leaning out and chucking some shield projectors forward - one close, and one a bit further. The magnetic legs of the projectors quickly locked them to the ground as they popped open, the tops bursting out with a beam of energy that quickly dispersed into a bubble, forming two shields of cover.
The closest one was quickly garrisoned by two soldiers in golden armour, who immediately opened fire from within the shield, laser bolts and kinetic rounds pinging at the barricade ahead. Using the bubbles as cover, four individuals - including Sergeant Locke himself - bounded forward to the next piece of cover.
A shot rang out, slamming into the bubble shield and almost ricocheting through the gap in temporary cover as they ran across. Aurora gripped her rifle and stood up slightly, still hidden behind the pillar. She watched as the CSF soldiers assumed their new position further ahead, closer to the barricade, only for several hostile mercenaries to pop their heads out, and open fire.
Absolute gunfire filled the corridor as the bubble shields slowly collapsed, although the allied forces held their suppressive fire and managed to keep the enemy down. Predator crossed the corridor from behind Isa and Aurora, taking a knee as he shouldered his marksman rifle and took aim.
Returning fire in bursts as usual, Aurora watched as her partner suddenly got up and pushed forward. It frustrated her, a tinge of panic hitting Aurora as she saw how Isabella put herself at risk, even if it was somewhat necessary. She quickly followed, jumping to her feet and pushing up rapidly through the door and its life support shield as she focused on the same mercenary Isa did, watching them duck behind cover under the concentrated fire.
Cursing, Aurora quickly seeked cover as her shields flashed when a stray laser bolt impacted them, with both sides exchanging heavy fire. The hostile mercs had the advantage here... with their barricade effectively cutting off the entire corridor. They had to push through and break them if they wanted to make it through.
She braced behind another pillar nearby, lowering her rifle as she reached for her belt and grabbed a frag grenade, yanking the pin and calling out as she peered around the corner.
"Throwing a frag!"
With a quick gauge of distance, she chucked it underhand, letting the grenade soar overhead in the low gravity before it pinged directly down and landed right behind the barricade, the fuse beeping and flashing rapidly before it went off in seconds.
The corridor shook as it detonated, filling the corridor with a flash as it knocked some of the mercenaries from their cover, disorienting them and shattering shields of a few. The CSF soldiers began to pick off whoever they could, dropping two, although five still remained standing, trying to return fire and move for cover again to stand their ground.
Isabella followed suit, grabbing a frag grenade from her belt as she ripped the pin out and chucked it directly over the barricade. Her shields flashed as a hostile mercenary tried to stop her, but it was too late. Isa ducked back into cover, the second grenade going off directly after, sending a disorienting shockwave through the tight corridor as shrapnel could be heard pinging around.
The second and final grenade had truly finished off the barricade, the gunfire ceasing as the haze from all the debris began to clear. With her rifle levelled as she left her cover and advanced towards the barricade with the others, Isabella trained it on an EMBER merc desperately crawling for his weapon as blood oozed from his suit, only for him to not make it as her two rounds found their place in his helmet, his body going limp.
Cutting across swiftly, Aurora steadied her breathing and approached with the CSF soldiers, who pushed forward, some vaulting over the barricades and checking behind. It seemed all clear... but who knew how long that would last now?
"S-so much for... avoiding contact..."
She looked at her partner, who lowered her rifle and turned to Aurora with a shrug.
"Honestly... I want the fight. Give them what they want. What they deserve."
"... yeah b-but... bigger picture, Isa. Doesn't help if we get overrun before we get to taking down the weapon and... stopping this carrier. We can... deal with the rest later."
Catching her breath, Aurora looked around the corridor, only to see the winding, dark hallways continue. She sighed, shaking her head as Sergeant Locke approached her with Predator in tow, looking up at the signs of the corridor.
"Which way, Commander? Signs seem to lead to more connecting corridors..."
"... I... don't know. We need a terminal..."
She watched as Isabella gazed down at the body at her feet, the blood pooling beneath them. Aurora frowned to herself, gazing at her lover silently for a moment before she watched her take in a deep breath and look up, responding to the group.
"M-maybe at some junction? Where the corridors split. Bound to find a terminal... so let's keep going..."
Nodding at Isa, Aurora glanced around at the others around them, gesturing ahead.
"Yeah... let's... push on..."
Turning to Locke, Aurora watched as he acknowledged and began to move on, the rest of the CSF soldiers climbing the barricade and advancing down the long corridor, moving slowly. Aurora began to follow, raising her rifle as she stuck to the right side of the corridor. It was back to the eerie silence once more, and at least this time the rest of the corridor seemed clear of any emplacements.
Predator followed their flank as they moved through each segment of the corridor, carefully following the bend that led them deeper within, a t-junction in the corridor ahead. Each footstep took them further along, and there was definitely no going back now. She hated it, being in the depths of the enemy carrier. What if they couldn't make it out?
Aurora's thoughts were interrupted by distant yelling, prompting the element to an abrupt stop as they arrived at the junction. It was close - perhaps just around the corner. Taking a knee near the corner, Aurora raised her rifle and stuck to the shadows, the rest of the CSF team following suit.
Once again... it fell silent. She knelt there, practically holding her breath in anticipation of what came next. But... when nothing happened, Aurora scooted forward quietly and peered around the corner, checking both ways of the corridor. It was clear - nobody to be seen. Above them hung a few signs - a few went to the right, pointing out maintenance areas and hangar accesses, while some went left, leading to subsystem controls, access lifts, deck stairs and vice versa.
Aurora sighed quietly and looked back at those behind her, gesturing at the junction as she kept her voice low.
"... getting somewhere... left it is, I guess?"
"Any progression is good, right?"
Her partner replied softly as they arrived at the junction, coming to a stop. Aurora glanced at her, shrugging slightly.
"... only problem is we don't know where we're going exactly..."
She turned her attention to the Sergeant that followed, gesturing to the junction while she continued to speak softly.
"Sergeant Locke, cover our rear. Let's have guns up front with Tanto's team. We're going to head left and see if we have any terminals along the way..."
"Understood."
Slowly getting to her feet, Aurora checked both ways once more. Verifying that it was clear, she carefully stepped around the corner and followed the wall, starting to advance down the left corridor. She listened keenly for any footsteps or callouts as they advanced into the darkness, searching for any doors or accesses that could lead them to a terminal or network port.
Despite the time-sensitive nature of their mission, the element continued at a steady pace, opting not to rush as they traversed the corridor with Aurora in the lead, tied with the CSF team moving along the opposite side of the corridor. There was no telling what laid ahead, or what they might encounter.
Soon, however, Aurora spotted a soft glow against one of the corridor walls, located in an indent in the wall. It was a wall-mounted terminal - exactly what they needed.
"There... there's a termin-..."
"Stop!"
Although he had tried to keep his voice down, Predator's hushed callout echoed within the corridor, as Aurora abruptly froze. She shouldered her rifle, trying to figure out what she was stopping for until Predator spoke again, carefully moving past Isabella.
"Look. Tripwire..."
Aurora looked down at her feet, narrowing her eyes slightly before she finally saw it - a faint red laser projecting across the corridor only a metre in front of her. She peered forward slightly, and there it was... an explosive charge rigged behind a pillar. She exhaled slowly, steadying her nerves as she glanced back at Isa and the others.
"... s-shit... that... was a little close..."
Reaching up to press the side of her helmet, Isabella glanced at the laser and shook her head.
"... Bastards. That's how I'd defend. Good eye... should've expected this from them, so I guess we have to keep our eyes peeled. We need to take this slow, Aurora. We can't rush this... even if it's time sensitive."
"... I know, I know... I'm not... rushing. Just... didn't see it..."
Shaking her head at herself, Aurora suppressed her frustration and gathered her nerves again. She checked the explosive charge once more, before glancing back at the CSF soldiers, her partner and Predator.
"... no point trying to disarm it. Just... carefully step over it..."
Turning back around, Aurora sighed and took in a breath, slowly stepping forward as she hopped over the tripwire, not disturbing the red laser as she moved forward, glancing back and watching. The CSF soldiers and Predator followed suit, rather swiftly stepping over the tripwire to join up with Aurora while their rear was covered by the remaining soldiers.
Advancing forward after she had hopped the tripwire, Aurora spotted the terminal mounted to the wall, the screen still online as the soldiers who had passed the tripwire thus far paused near it. She glanced back at her partner, frowning slightly as she saw her pausing for just a moment to check out the tripwire.
"... Hey. Isa...?"
She watched as her partner looked up once again, quickly moving forward as she hopped over the wire and met up with Aurora. She wasn't quite sure what might be going through Isa's head right now... although she had her guesses.
"Yeah?"
"... all good? Got that... tool?"
Aurora slowly started to move over to the terminal, watching the rear CSF guard follow over the tripwire carefully as the element gathered around the terminal and set up a perimeter to cover the duo near it. Her partner followed, reaching into a small pouch on the side of her pack and opening it. She pulled out a device, which looked like a standard e-breach with an additional PDA-esque device hooked into it, several of the electronic components and wires left exposed.
"It... looks wonky but..."
Isabella looked up at Aurora, and shrugged.
"Violet said it will work. I don't know how... but... yeah..."
"... should we be worried about... how she learnt this...?"
Aurora chuckled, standing by Isa's side as she watched her slot the device into an access port for the terminal. Immediately, the screen flickered and switched off for a moment, before it eventually came back to life and displayed a home screen. Some information on the carrier was present, as well as a facility map. Unfortunately, the hacked authorization didn't seem to give much more control, unless...
"Yeaaah... this is where Violet would know what's up. She told me but I can't remember. Ha..."
As Isabella looked at the screen and gave a quizzical hum, Aurora looked over at the CSF team guarding their rear nearby, keeping her voice down as she called out.
"Sergeant... need a technician over here."
She watched as Sergeant Locke glanced over, before promptly tapping the shoulder of an operative sporting a Maverick suit, their backpack mounting some extra electronics and modifications. They got to their feet, making their way to Aurora and Isa swiftly. She looked at him, stepping back a bit to give him access to the terminal as she gestured to it.
"... Specialist, can you... use the hacked authorization and see what you can pull from the network backend?"
"Will do, Commander."
Lowering his rifle to his pack, the technician pulled out his own rugged tablet, and grabbed a cable which he dragged out and plugged into a second access port. The screen went blank once more, and he began to carefully tap away, working at accessing the deeper information hidden within.
Aurora just stepped away and let him work as she remained near cover and turned her shields off for a moment, waiting.
The corridor was in dead silence once again, save for the occasional rumble of the carrier and the echo of distant gunfire that was carried through the corridors. It was unsettling for Aurora. Part of her wished the enemy would just attack them head on... at least then she wouldn't have to wonder when they'd be ambushed.
"Got something. Power readouts..."
Turning her focus to the technician, Aurora walked over and peered over his shoulder at the screen, watching him carefully swipe through diagnostics data, overlaid over a wireframe map of the carrier.
"Looks like there's significant power and coolant infrastructure linked to... a large room near the Frame Shift Drive and carrier reactor, closer to the underside. Nestled between that, and access to the hangars..."
"So... that must be it... where are we?"
The technician tapped his finger on the side of his tablet, seemingly thinking as he gazed at the map on his screen.
"Uhhh... here... somewhere on the spine of the carrier, behind the hangars."
Aurora almost exhaled a sigh of relief, nodding as she glanced over at Isabella and the team surrounding them.
"... so we're not that far. See if you can-..."
"... whoa..."
The technician paused. Aurora turned to see what had happened, only to see a garbled screen. It appeared like it was supposed to be flight and navigation data, only the telemetry readout was heavily corrupted. No matter what, however, the same three letters were consistent throughout the corrupt data, repeating again and again...
DIE.Isabella reached up to the terminal and quickly removed the E-breach, appearing a bit unsettled as she stowed the device.
"Right... let's not get compromised. Because that wasn't creepy at all... ugh. Let's go turn this thing off for good."
The screen promptly powered off as the e-breach was removed, the technician unplugging and stowing his table as he looked at Isabella. Aurora just stood there, quiet for a bit before she nodded, turning her attention to the technician.
"... Sorry, can I... have a look at the map?"
Taking his tablet out again, he handed it to Aurora and allowed her to swipe through, looking at the map on the screen.
"... so we need to go down two decks, either via a lift or a maintenance tunnel, then take a hallway down towards the bow, turn before the pads and... hope it's..."
Aurora paused as a loud, muffled groan caught her ears, echoing throughout the carrier. Her heart stopped. It was the jump horn. The carrier was about to jump.
"... no... no-no-no... fuck..."
She quickly handed the tablet back to the technician, turning to face the rest of the group as she shook her head.
"The carrier's gonna jump, where's Captain Faust's team?"
Sergeant Locke turned to her and interjected.
"Commander, we have our task. We can handle a jump, but we need to disable that weapon."
"Sergeant, we'll be cut off! The enemy..."
"Commander, nobody's coming for us! It's all up to-..."
"CONTACT!"
The yell from one of the CSF soldiers was cut off by an ear-piecing crack as a yellow tracer zipped by from further down the corridor, finding a spot in the center of a CSF soldier that stood near the front of the element. Their armour practically shattered, the round cutting through like butter. Their limp body crumpled, thrown to the floor as they landed face down, unmoving.
Blue shields flared to life as the CSF soldiers rapidly moved to take cover and return fire. Looking down the corridor as she ran for cover, Aurora shouldered her rifle and froze. It was an entire squad... if not two squads. They couldn't take this alone.
As the firefight erupted and tracers cut through the darkness of the corridor, Aurora started to squeeze off bursts, trying to fixate on any enemy that remained out of cover too long... but it was little use. The mercenaries had effectively locked down the way ahead, deploying portable shields and sealing it off with superior firepower. The CSF team was struggling, and Aurora wasn't sure who they had lost just yet.
As Isabella let loose with her rifle and emptied an entire magazine down the corridor, Aurora ducked back into cover to reload and quickly dumped her magazine, beginning to slot in a new one. The tremble in her hand caused her to fumble a bit as she yelled across at one of the Sergeants, her voice cracking with panic.
"WE NEED TO FALL BACK!"
Some of the soldiers ducked back into cover as their shields flashed, Predator picking his precise shots with his Marksman rifle... although even he was struggling to land any meaningful hits from this range. There was no way forward, not anymore.
Under the intense fire, the CSF team began to move back, those at the rear quickly hopping over the tripwire where they came from as they took cover down the corridor, trying to protect those who gradually began their retreat. The sheer fire forced Aurora down into cover as she watched her partner take several kinetic rounds, knocking out of her kneeling position as she settled on her rear, squeezing off rounds until her gun was empty.
In the chaos, it was hard to focus on exactly what was happening, but through the flashes of tracers and the flicker of shields, Isabella watched as her target went down under the hail of fire... only for more to arise and begin their advance down the corridor as they pushed with portable ballistic shields.
Aurora jumped to her feet, quickly dashing across the corridor to her partner as she watched the CSF soldiers quickly hop the tripwire one by one. She yelled, trying to pull Isa to her feet as her shields flashed under laser and kinetic fire.
"Isa! We need to go! Come on, we-..."
The corridor suddenly filled with an overpowering boom behind them as a tracer zipped by. It sent Aurora careening into Isa and tumbling to the floor as her shields shattered, the tripwire bursting into shrapnel and flame as a chain reaction occurred in the pillar it was mounted next to. A loud, metallic groan carried through the hallway as the pillar suddenly collapsed, a secondary explosive detonating from above. Metal panels and structural elements caved in on one another, the hallway filling with the sound of raucous metal.
Her ears rang being so close to the explosion, a sharp pain travelling up her left side as Aurora groaned and tried to get her bearings. The gunfire had ceased, low-hanging smoke filling the corridor as she heard muffled yells she couldn't quite recognize, her hand scrambling to grab her rifle nearby.
Soon, the corridor fell into relative silence, the collapsed metal and caved-in structure settling behind them as the duo laid there. Managing to grab her rifle that she was practically laying on, Aurora carefully rolled over onto her side facing Isabella, a soft whimper escaping her as pain shot through her body again. She struggled to speak, wincing as she tried to lift her head, reaching out a hand to grab her partner's shoulder as she nudged her.
"... I-... Isa..."
Looking over her shoulder as she glanced back behind them... she realized the tripwire had caused the corridor to collapse, cutting them off from the CSF team that had fallen back. The night-vision struggled with the smoke, but she saw the highlight of a limp, gloved hand protruding from beneath the collapsed, twisted metal. It appeared not everyone made it through...
"... f-fuckkk... a... agh..."
With a groan, Isabella lifted herself carefully, pushing herself up onto a knee as she looked at Aurora, trying to take in a breath as she ripped off her helmet.
"Wh... what the hell..."
She looked back at the collapsed corridor, shock crossing her face as she took in a breath of smoky haze, prompting a cough. Gunfire suddenly rang out as Isabella's cough echoed through the corridor slightly, tracers cutting through the smoky haze and impacting the pile of debris behind them. Although it wasn't very accurate, it was enough to force Aurora to duck her head down, cursing quietly as she winced and pulled herself into cover near Isabella, propping her back up against the wall.
She struggled to see through the settling smoke and the darkness, but soon the gunfire ceased, the hallway going quiet again.
"... w-we need to... move... we..."
She paused, looking across as she heard the groan of the metal again, panels falling to the floor noisily as a crouched figure dragged something out from beneath the debris. With a grunt, they turned and carefully moved ahead slightly, shouldering a long plasma rifle and peering down the optic from beneath the brim of his hat.
"We... can't go back that way..."
As Isabella whispered, she leaned back against the wall and tried to keep her head down. Taking her helmet, she placed it back on her head and sealed it before grabbing her rifle that laid on the ground nearby. As Isabella put her helmet back on, Aurora tried to get herself together, her hands trembling as she pulled herself up into a kneeling position, gritting her teeth as she felt the same pain from before shoot up her side. Shrugging it off for now, she shouldered her rifle and stayed low, the haze starting to clear. Further ahead, she could see silhouettes in the corridor, holding their ground. They were boxed in, with nowhere to go...
"... can't... go forward either..."
Looking around, her eyes settled on Predator once again across the corridor, watching him as he pulled out a shield projector, stowing his plasma rifle onto his suit pack. Aurora watched curiously as he peered beyond the pillar he took cover behind, seemingly gauging... something.
Before she could figure it out, gunfire echoed through the corridor as Isabella sent several rounds towards the silhouettes, forcing them down into cover... only for the remainder to open up, peppering the corridor with lasers and kinetic rounds. She wasn't sure why Isabella had opened fire, only that it had aggravated the enemy and gave them away in the low haze.
It seemed to catch Predator off-guard slightly, as he slapped the top of whatever was in his hand and chucked it forward. The shield projector tumbled ahead, managing to land roughly between them and the enemy as it righted itself, and burst into a brilliant blue shield. The dull light from the shield highlighted what might be their only escape route now... a grate nestled between two pillars.
Aurora winced, the corridor echoing with a shout from Predator as he looked over at them, his voice filled with surprising power and rage as he looked over at the duo.
"GET UP! NOW!"
Yanking his plasma rifle from his suit pack, the assassin got to his feet and slipped forward past the pillar, his shields flashing as they took a stray round. He rapidly pushed the bubble shield that had formed, entering the safety it provided as he turned to the grate, pressing the muzzle of his rifle against one of the security bolts which secured it over the vent.
Struggling to her feet, Aurora whimpered and holstered her rifle onto her suit pack, forcing herself to her feet as her side screamed in pain. She wasn't sure where she was hit, and how bad it was, but now wasn't the time. They had to escape. Isabella grabbed Aurora's arm and took off, crossing the corridor through tracers and golden beams.
Quickly following Isabella as they dashed across the corridor, Aurora stopped within the bubble shield, hearing it crackle as the last bit of energy was pumped into it. Squeezing the trigger, the vent burst into sparks as the plasma bolt seared and melted the one security bolt. Promptly grabbing the grate with his glove, Predator yanked it violently and tore it from its mount, throwing the twisted piece of metal aside.
"IN! GO!"
With his rifle in hand as he yelled out, Predator moved aside and braced against the pillar nearby, putting down precise fire down the corridor towards the enemy. The shield began to dissipate, the projector failing as Aurora fell to her knees and laid down, pulling herself into the vent as she entered a crawl. It was barely enough room to fit them in their suits with their weapons... but there was little other choice.
Predator continued to hold the line, exchanging plasma cartridges as he reloaded his Executioner swiftly. Aurora's boots soon disappeared as she pulled herself further into the vent, making room for Isabella to follow right behind her. Her partner paused, glancing back at Predator as she slid into the vent, entering its dark confines.
"Pred, you're on my six as soon as I'm in! No one's getting left behind!"
No reply came as the duo crawled into the vent. Struggling to pull herself along, Aurora groaned and tried to crawl within the confines of the vent as best as she could, the tight metal walls closing around them as they continued down. The vent dropped slightly, leading them down a small incline before her night-vision highlighted a corner up ahead.
The fatigue was already hitting her, exacerbated by the pain, but she tried to push on, whimpering as her gloves gripped at whatever she could to pull herself along. The echoes of gunfire continued outside as the duo continued to crawl, but it didn't sound like Predator was following just yet. They just had to push on. They couldn't stop, not in here.
"Fuck... he's... not going to make it..."
Aurora flinched as she heard Isa slam her fist into the vent, the echo travelling through the metal as they continued to struggle through. She grit her teeth, pulling herself up to the corner and twisting to try get around it. Her side screamed again, prompting a pained cry from Aurora as she stopped, trying to gather herself.
"... f-... fuck c-... come... onnn... h-haaa... gh..."
Grabbing the edge of the corner tightly, Aurora tried to pull herself forward harder, powering through the pain as she twisted around the corner and pushed off the wall with her foot. She whimpered feebly as she crawled and crawled, the vent going down a slight decline again and continuing on for a stretch before she could finally see a grate ahead.
"... It's okay, hun. K-... keep... going."
Trying her best to keep going, Aurora pushed and pushed, before the vent finally flattened out and she stopped at the grate. Then... the gunfire ceased, followed by an abrupt, echoing boom that carried through the vent. She laid there for a second, trying to catch her breath as she pushed at the vent, trying to put as much force as she could behind it.
"... c-c'mon... just... f-... fucking... OPEN goddamnit!"
With a final slam of her aching fist, the vent gave way and fell off, clattering to the floor as it revealed a dark room. Aurora pulled herself forward, pushing out of the vent... and with little choice, she promptly tumbled out and fell to the floor with a loud thud. She yelped, having landed on one of her sides as she writhed on the floor, shakily propping herself up on an arm while she surveyed the room, making sure it was clear.
Isabella followed her, having no choice but to clumsily let herself fall out of the vent, managing to land on her side. Quickly getting up, she drew her laser pistol and scanned the room, standing next to Aurora who remained on the floor.
"Looks clear. Clear?"
"... t-think so..."
Aurora nodded slowly as she looked around, struggling to get up as she rolled over onto her knees, supporting herself on the nearby wall as she tried to straighten up.
Her mind immediately turned to those that got left behind, and... whether or not they survived the collapse of the corridor. She recalled the bodies of the CSF soldiers in her mind, tears gathering in her eyes as her fears and pain hit her head-on. She hated being a soldier... she hated the odds of this mission. She hated losing... when they were so, so damn close.
Although she tried her best to keep it together, Aurora gave up and broke down into tears, letting out a single, broken sob as she whined in pain and clutched her right side. She shook her head at herself and sniffled as tears rolled down her cheeks, her emotions only making her more angry and upset at herself and the situation. All she could do was clench her fists as she slumped against the wall, mumbling as she tried to hold the tidal wave of emotions back.
"... u-... ughhh... fuck..."
Walking over swiftly, Isabella carefully crouched down in front of her partner, a hand resting on her shoulder as she patted softly, trying to comfort Aurora as she struggled.
"Hey, hey. Come on now, hun... it's... it's... we can make it through this... okay? Where are you hit, hun?"
Slowly getting up, Isabella activated her suit torch and illuminated the vent they came from, hoping Predator was following. But... no sound or voices came anymore.
Sniffling as she shook her head, Aurora tried to ease her breathing and calm herself down as she gestured to her right side, sitting back against the wall.
"... m-my... right side... h-ha... think I got... shot..."
Closing her eyes for a moment, Aurora exhaled slowly to try calm and reassure herself... but it didn't help all that much. All she could do was try hide her emotions inside, looking up at Isabella.
"I'm o-okay, I just... I... I need a sec... I..."
"I'm so sorry, hun. I have a stim booster in my pack but I need to take it off to get to my kit. But there's..."
The two went quiet as Aurora heard a clang, her right hand instinctively resting atop the plasma pistol on her right thigh. She waited... hearing it again. It came from within the vent they had traversed, the sound of soft, echoey clanging travelling through it, getting louder and louder...
The clanging continued, slowly but surely, the duo intently watching the vent before suddenly a glove came through and grasped the edge of the vent, a wide-brimmed hat peeking through as the man grunted. He abruptly tossed his suit pack out the vent, pulling himself forward and gripping the bottom of the vent as he rolled out and let go, tumbling to the floor and promptly landing on his rear.
Slowly getting up after his very graceful landing, Predator grabbed his suit pack and quietly put it on once more, getting to his feet as he stood up straight. He looked between Aurora and Isabella silently, before he eventually spoke, a bit out of breath.
"... Well... you two alright...?"
Relaxing slowly, Isabella gently nudged Predator on his shoulder, to which he barely moved. His attention turned to Aurora as Isabella continued to speak, taking a knee near her as she began to open her pack.
"You're still in one piece. Thank god you're okay. Aurora's in bad shape... she's been hit on her right side. Going to give her a temporary stim, then we need to keep moving. Hopefully this'll stop any bleeding and numb the pain."
Aurora shook her head, waving it off as her lover tried to help her.
"I... Isa... I'm fine... w-we should save what we can until we... really need it..."
"Okay... I mean... I just don't want it getting worse, so it isn't a bigger issue to treat later. If you're losing blood... that's not good, hun."
"The suit... sealed... just... hurts like hell..."
Taking in a stuffy breath through her nose, Aurora carefully strugged to wobbly feet, using her partner and the wall to help her as she got up. Shaking off the pain, Aurora turned her attention to the machinery in the room, looking at the life support devices and pressurized tanks deeper within the room.
"... s-so where... are we?"
"We went one deck down, looks like. Other than that... I don't know."
Sighing softly at Predator's response, Aurora looked between the two of them as Isabella spoke.
"Looks like we're closer to our mission. This might be... some air filtration or... whatever room. Not sure... I'm not a carrier designer. But... there should be an exit."
"... w-what about the others...?"
Predator paused.
"Cut off. Some... didn't make it through as the corridor collapsed. Can you try raise them over the radio?"
"... you think they would h-have... called out by now..."
Aurora paused, frowning as she looked at the HUD. She realized now that they weren't connected to any radio channel. It was only now that she took note of the absolute silence on the other end, only slight static audible as she adjusted frequency.
"F-... fuuuck... we're... we're jammed or... s-something. Come on..."
Aurora let out a weak, stressed sigh, shaking her head slightly as she went quiet. Isabella echoed her disappointment, cursing as she checked her own suit.
"Shit... we're flying completely blind now."
Isabella reached her rifle, checking her ammo and her pouches as she continued.
"Right. Well... we don't have a rally point or anything. Trying to find them while they find us is pointless so... guess we... continue the mission. Hope we bump into the rest. I... don't know anymore."
"J-... just the three of us? We can't ev... even... win as an element... h-how..."
Aurora went quiet again, her emotions getting the better of her once more. She tried to stifle it, but she was so scared. They were so close to taking down EMBER... but now, they were stuck deep behind enemy territory... and they weren't getting out of this one. Turning to Aurora, Predator folded his arms and gestured to a large pouch on her belt.
"We have to do something. You have explosives, so it might as well be taking down that device before it can activate and hurt anyone else. So, let's move...?"
Isabella stepped forward, placing a hand on Aurora's shoulder as she slowly rubbed, trying to soothe her.
"We can still do it, Aurora. We just need to... keep going. One step at a time. Once we are able to complete the objective, then we worry about an escape. I... don't know if we jumped or not. But, I heard the horn that we were."
"N-not yet... we would f... feel it..."
Gazing at Isa as her hand rested on her shoulder, Aurora sniffled slightly before she suddenly, but slowly, stepped in and wrapped her arms around Isabella. She hugged her tightly, whimpering as she rested the chin of her helmet on her lover's shoulder, her body trembling in her arms.
After a moment, Aurora slowly broke away, even though she wanted to hold on and never let go. She wasn't sure what happened next or what they might face... she just didn't want it to be the last time they could be together. Looking sheepishly over at Predator, Aurora shook off her pain and looked back at Isa, gesturing to the exit of the room as she reached back to grab her rifle.
"... s-sorry... u... uhm... we should go, yeah..."
"It's okay... but we should, yeah."
With Isabella turning and taking lead, Aurora followed, pulling her rifle forward into her hands as Predator did the same, trailing behind them. As they navigated through machinery and equipment, Isa came to a stop at the left of the doorframe, right next to a door console. Aurora stacked up on the right side of the door, nodding at Isa as she paused at the console and waited.
"I'll go f... first... left... Predator clears right..."
Coming to a stop by her flank, Predator shouldered his Executioner and waited patiently, his grip steady. Isabella simply shook her head, gesturing Aurora's injury on her right side.
"It's okay. I can cover left. Just be my back up, okay?"
Aurora didn't respond, but she just nodded hesitantly, letting Isabella go first. She hated it, not wanting to put her in direct danger, but... there was no point arguing. All she could do was be right behind her, and protect what she held dear.
As the door slid open, Isabella stepped out into a dark corridor, much like the ones they had traversed before, the hallway eventually meeting another junction. It was a labyrinth all over again, but at least the hallway was clear of enemy forces... for now. With Predator clearing the right, Aurora followed directly behind Isabella, trying to keep her focus as the dull pain in her side throbbed through her body.
She exhaled slowly, steadying her rifle as she moved to Isa's side and aimed down the corridor.
"... okay... which way? Still need to go down one deck..."
"Guess this way. We find a lift then... make our way to the next deck."
"Maybe... n-not a lift. They could... lock it down..."
Aurora followed Isa's gaze as she looked back, observing the corridor at their rear as she watched Predator slowly survey it. It was yet another winding corridor, eventually turning a corner a few dozen metres down.
Aurora looked forward again and slowly started to advance to the junction ahead, going first as she shouldered her rifle. Predator turned and followed, keeping an eye on their flank as they slowly moved forward.
"... need to... find a maintenance tunnel. I don't know what deck we're on... looks... maintenancey... ha..."
"Yeah. Maintenance tunnel is a good idea... but I don't know where one is."
As they slowly advanced, Isa looked up and spotted some signs hanging in the junction ahead. Although the etching was all abbreviated, the signs seemed to point down another corridor leading to several maintenance accesses. Aurora carefully rounded the corner, glancing back at Isa as she spoke.
"... any ideas? Where do w-..."
Aurora flinched as a shot echoed through the corridor, a tracer whizzing by them as she quickly backtracked, stumbling into the corner of the wall as she moved back into cover. She cursed, turning her suit shields on as she peered around the corner, spotting a squad of cloaked mercenaries moving towards them rapidly via the maintenance corridor.
"... ughhh fuck... they... they FUCKING found us..."
She felt her partner grab her arm, tugging her back as Isabella turned and began to run, Predator quickly backing up as well.
"Too many. We need to fall back. Go the other way and figure out another way to a maintenance tunnel. Come!"
Taking Isabella's hand tightly, Aurora held on and quickly ran with her, grimacing as she powered through. Predator quickly turned and ran with them, heading down the corridor to their rear as they heard yells behind them.
Aurora tried to keep her breathing steady, panting and wincing as they skidded around the corner, coming to yet another long maintenance corridor. The signs didn't make sense, and there were so many doors... it...
She froze slightly, her steps faltering as a rumble travelled through the carrier. The hull began to groan and reverberate with the sound of the Frame Shift Drive spooling up, her heart pounding in her chest. It was going to jump. Why hadn't they stopped it?
Aurora started to panic, not knowing where to go. There were so many doors... so many ways. The mercenaries were closing in. They could take them, couldn't they? They had to. They had to stand and fight. Her head was spinning, the dizziness getting to her as she stumbled into a pillar. It was as if the world was turning, every sense overloading.
Everything was echoing, her ears ringing. Why... what was happening? Her suit HUD was glitching, flickering. Predator stumbled as well, quickly pulling himself behind a pillar nearby as he took cover and clutched his head. That's when Aurora realized what was happening to all of them.
"... n-no... no-no-no oh god no... no, FUCK! F-..."
Aurora stumbled and fell to her knees, clutching her helmet as the drone of the carrier's FSD grew louder... but something in the background pierced their heads. Her helmet speakers were feedbacking, tears streaming down her face as she curled up, groaning in pain. She wanted to scream, clenching her jaw as she sobbed and cried out desperately for her lover.
They failed to stop the weapon.
Aurora heard her partner yell in pain, her own body aching with pain and a splitting headache slamming into her as her own body fought against her. She couldn't make out anything, falling back against the nearby wall as she pulled herself against what felt like a pillar. She squirmed in the corner, her world starting to darken as she failed to fight it back.
Soon, she went limp, slumping against the pillar with little more than a broken whimper. Her eyes closed, but the screaming remained in her ears, every sense hurting as if her mind was tearing itself apart. Words did not manifest as she tried to scream for help, locked away inside her own head as she laid there, flooded with incomprehensible thoughts and indistinct images.
Then... the pain faded.
She sat there in the darkness, alone. It was silent now, but it was still out there... somewhere. She could sense it, like it was reaching out, calling out for her... no... for help.
It was suffering.
Aurora heard her name called, but it sounded so distant... a whisper deep within the dark abyss. Was this how it ended? It couldn't be... not like that.
It wasn't fair.
"... -urora, wake up!"
Stirring at the sudden shout in her ears as she felt hands grasp her shoulders and roll her onto her back, Aurora took in a short gasp, immediately releasing a weak groan as pain shot up her side again. Ripped back into reality, her eyes opened weakily, revealing the dark corridor in which she had curled up against a pillar, her lover tugging on her helmet. Aurora could hear the FSD of the carrier spooling down, rumbling through the carrier as Isabella knelt next to her.
"Hey... hey... you okay? You... you passed out. Are you okay?"
Her curls sprung out from beneath her helmet as Isa removed her helmet and exposed Aurora's face, her cheeks flushed and glossy with the hint of tears, the edges of her eyes red as she weakly looked up at her lover. Her eyes managed to focus on her hazel-eyed partner, seeing her panicked face right before her studying her intently.
"... m-my... head hurts..."
Starting to tear up, Aurora burst into sobs as her mind finally caught up, and her worst fears finally hit her. Their one opportunity to win... and it was squandered. Now, they were stuck on the enemy carrier... and who knew if anyone was coming for them? It was only a matter of time before they were found and killed... like the others.
"... o-oh g... god I... Isaaa... w-we... lost..."
"No no no. It's okay. We're okay. Just... come. We should get out of here, hun. I don't know... what happened... but... we did end up jumping somewhere. We need to find a spot that's safe, and hidden, and reassess. Figure out what to do next. Mission's fucked now..."
Her partner's thumb gently wiped her tears away as she tried to carefully sit Aurora up, comforting her.
"I know your head hurts. Mine does too. But... we can't stay here in the open."
She listened to Isa, sniffling slightly as she averted her eyes, her lover wiping her tears away. She felt ashamed of herself and her sudden breakdown, trying to get herself together all over again as she shook her head. It felt as if she had failed those she tried to protect. They failed their mission... and now there was no telling what happened.
Sitting up slowly, Aurora coughed slightly and groaned at the pain in her side, visibly wincing as she looked over at Predator, who was crouched near them, resting against a pillar across.
"... w-where can we even... go? They'll... they'll find us, Isa. I don't..."
Aurora stopped herself, choked up slightly as she grabbed her helmet from her lover and wiped her face with her forearm, taking in a breath as she flipped her helmet around and moved to slide it over her head. Isabella frowned, the slightest hint of her tearing up at Aurora's defeated attitude visible as she watched her slide her helmet on.
"We can't stay here. We'll move and find somewhere. Anywhere out of these corridors. There's got to be rooms or something back the other way. Come on, Aurora."
"... w-... what about the weapon? What about e... everyone else?"
Aurora paused, hesitating before she promptly slid her helmet on and sealed it to her suit, hiding her face again as she sat there. She didn't move, lowering her head as her shoulders sagged and she sniffled.
"... w-we were... so close..."
The corridor was silent, and as was the carrier. Nobody seemed to be coming down the hallway as Predator covered them, peering down the optic of his Executioner.
"Aurora, we don't know where they are. We have zero communication. We have no ability to roam corridors and get into firefights. We... I don't know what to do. But... if we sit here and they come. We're screwed..."
Clenching her fists tightly, Aurora gritted her teeth as her anger rose at the situation. She shook her head, breaking down into sobs again as her frustration matched her hopelessness. Without another word, she clumsily grabbed her rifle nearby and slotted it onto her suit pack, getting up as she got to her knees and stood up without protest, despite the pain that shot up her side.
Predator got up, looking over at Aurora as she turned and walked off down the corridor, steadying a trembling hand as she tried to see the signs of each door in the dim emergency lighting that lined the corridor. Tears streamed down her face as she desperately tried to come up with a solution, her anger rising again as she flicked back and forth through strong emotions.
She wanted to kill EMBER for all they had done. For how they made her and the people she cared about suffer. For the thousands they had killed. All she wanted to do was wipe them out, but her fears mixed with her deep rage as she thought about her love for Isabella. She didn't want to lose her. It should've been her sacrifice alone. She just wanted her partner to be happy and safe.
"Hey. We're going to figure this out, okay. We'll... find their weapon and destroy it. If it were me, and nukes were obtainable... I'd blow this fucking ship up with nuclear fire. But... it can't happen."
Aurora felt her partner try to grab her hand to slow her down after she caught up, prompting her to snatch her hand away, immediately realizing her mistake. She stopped and glanced over at her partner, regret hitting her as she stood and gazed at her quietly for a moment.
"... s-sorry... ugh. Fuck. I just... I'm s-so fucking tired of losing... we have to find the weapon and des... destroy it. Even if we're... m-maybe the last people still standing. I don't k-know..."
Predator followed quietly, Aurora cursing under her breath. Her suit still hadn't booted up, only adding to her frustration as she tapped her PDA quickly, trying to get something to happen.
"Come onnnn... fucking... suit..."
"Honey... just... maybe we need some rest. You're hurt."
She sighed, shaking her head as she adamantly continued to check the signs of each door that was spread out a fair bit, trying to find a maintenance tunnel that led down to the next deck. Predator continued to follow the both of them, not bothering to intervene.
"No... no, we need to f-finish this. We can't rest... not here. They'll h-hunt us down... we need to... find a maintenance tunnel and... g-go down. Destroy the weapon... try find the o-others..."
For a split second... she questioned if there were any others to still link up with. She didn't want the thoughts to dwell. There had to be, right? They couldn't have failed so easily...
"Okay. But you're not doing so good and I don't want you to make a mistake that could get you even more hurt. So I say we rest, I use this stim to heal you a bit and numb that pain, then we figure out what's next."
Grabbing her own helmet, Isabella slid it over her head, looking at Aurora who continued to try find a maintenance door that could lead them down to the next deck.
"J-just... give me the stim then and... let's go..."
After being quiet for some time, Predator finally spoke as he stood by Aurora and Isa's flank.
"Hate to say it but... she's right. We can't really rest anywhere. Sooner or later they'll box us in and... well, it's better if we keep moving."
No response came from either of the duo as Aurora continued to move down the corridor in silence. Eventually, she stopped as they finally reached midway, relative to the start and end of the hallway. She looked up at a sign, reading
MAINT.TNL04 above the door. This was it, she figured."... h-here... this one..."
She gestured loosely to the door, approaching the console as she tried to tap on it, only to promptly be declined by the authorization lock. Aurora sighed, a hand resting against the wall to support herself as she lowered her head and shook it.
"... of... fucking course..."
"... maybe the e-breach can get through this thing. Here, let's try."
Aurora stood aside as she watched Isabella reach back into a pouch and grab the device, plugging it into the console. The e-breach flickered to life, the door console turning off abruptly as the tablet got to work. In seconds, the console came alive once more and flashed green, unlocking.
"... maybe Mantis s-should... hire Violet... ha~..."
Reaching over, Aurora pressed the console, the door sliding open with a hiss as it revealed a tight corridor, which immediately bent down into a tunnel that went straight downwards, with a ladder to assist movement. She took in a breath as she peered down, although she struggled to see without her suit night-vision working.
With a shrug, she turned back and wearily glanced at Isa, gesturing to her pack.
"... down we go. C-can you... hit me with the stim, please... Isa?"
"Oh... you... ah... never mind. Yeah, here."
Taking off her pack quickly, Isabella crouched and placed it on the ground, popping open the top and reaching inside for her medical kit. Taking it, she opened it and removed a stim-pen, holding it out towards her partner. Naturally trusting Isabella, Aurora nodded and let her do it instead.
"... you can... thanks~..."
As Isabella removed the cap of the stim and moved closer, Aurora watched over her shoulder as Predator covered the doorway behind them, glancing back the direction they came from.
"Commanders... not to distract or anything... but, where did that squad go? One would think they'd be bearing down on us right about now..."
"One sec, hun... this will feel uncomfortable..."
Aurora stood there as Isabella pushed the stimpen against her suit, groaning as the pressure was applied on her wound a bit. She tried to remain as still as she could, gritting her teeth as the pen injected through the suit. Once she was done, Aurora exhaled slowly and looked down at the suit, watching the material self-heal.
"... thank you..."
She looked up at Isabella, holding her gaze for a moment as she felt the medication quickly start to take effect, numbing her wound. Putting away the pen so as to not leave any trace, Isabella stood up and put her pack on, turning to Predator.
"Huh.... not sure... but now that you mentioned it.... I already don't like it."
Aurora shrugged.
"... Maybe the weapon... threw them off? Or... I don't know. Let's just get moving..."
Slowly crouching down, Aurora grabbed the ladder and carefully lowered herself down into the tunnel, making sure she had all she needed - including her rifle - as she began to descend the ladder, moving fairly swiftly down into the darkness.
As the duo descended down the ladder, Predator followed shortly after. The darkness enveloped them, making it hard to see as barely any lights were on down here. Aurora minded her footing, feeling her way with the ladder before she put a boot down on the floor below. Carefully stepping off, she moved aside and let her lover descend with her.
"... could really use my night-vision right now... can't see shit..."
Sighing as she looked around, Aurora tried to feel her way to the exit, going past the ladder as her hand ran along the wall slowly, her right hand hovering back by her hip just in case. She heard Isabella land behind her, carefully following as she spoke.
"Do torches... work? What's with our suits?"
Aurora tried to turn on the torch of her suit pack to no avail, sighing as she glanced back towards the voice of her partner.
"... nope... doesn't work. Guess the weapon really did hit hard... but... why did it have an effect inside? Thought they... projected it outside the carrier..."
Turning back towards the door, Aurora continued to feel her way before her hand landed on the outline of a console. She tapped gently, trying to find the button before she pressed and slid the door open with a simple hiss. Dim light flooded into the small tunnel, lighting the way for them as Aurora glanced back at Isa.
"See... piece of ca-..."
Aurora trailed off and went quiet all of a sudden as she heard static in her helmet. For a moment, she froze, her heart stopping as she remembered what they had to endure moments earlier. But no feedback came... just intermittent static before it suddenly ceased again. Isabella seemed to hear it too, pausing as she looked at Aurora.
"What... was that?"
"I... I don't..."
She was cut off as their HUDs suddenly flickered to life, the suit rebooting with a garbled initialization voice as it all came back online. The intermittent static came back again, but as it slowly became clearer... it sounded like someone talking, just barely.
Aurora breathed a sigh of relief, her night-vision booting up as she looked at Isabella. Their HUD had reconnected to the global command channel, and although it was filled with static... at least they were getting somewhere. Landing behind them, Predator grabbed his Executioner and glanced between the duo, shrugging.
"Suits are back... at least."
"... y-yeah... thank god."
Unmuting herself on the radio, Aurora stood there in the corner near the door console and spoke, trying to communicate with whoever was on the other end.
"If anyone can hear me, this is Aur-... uhm... Reaper 1-1. If you're there, please respond."
Only static responded as Isabella took up position by the door, grabbing her rifle off of her back and covering Aurora as she tried to make contact.
"Hello? Anyone... plea-..."
Aurora went quiet as the static returned, but a voice became more prominent now as she listened, managing to break through over the interference as her suit systems slowly came back to full functionality.
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "...-ommander Adair?! Fucking hell... we lost you in the corridor collapse. It's Sergeant Locke. Where are you?!"
"Sergeant... thank god. Uhm... we're... we're two decks down from where we had to split off. The enemy's crawling everywhere I..."
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "Are you injured? Is Commander Levine with you?"
"Y-yeah... she is... Predator is as well. We're all fine..."
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "Okay, listen. If you're two decks down, we can't get to you right now. Little preoccupied with the enemy. Commander... we need you to continue. We're going to try our best to push to you and secure the enemy weapon, alright? If you still have your explosives, destroy the weapon!"
"Okay... yeah. But... aren't the enemy garrisoning the weapon?"
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "That'll be something you'll have to deal with, if we don't make it in time. I'll coordinate with the other elements and make sure no enemy forces slip through to you."
"... okay. Uhm... Sergeant... how... how many have we lost...?"
A pause came, allowing the gunfire in the background to seep through the radio for a moment before the response came.
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "... Focus on the mission, Commander. We'll pick up the pieces when we're done. Good luck."
The line went quiet on Locke's end, Aurora muting herself as she released her PTT button and sighed, looking at Predator and Isabella.
"Well hun... we know they're alive, right? That's good news. Guess the bad news is potentially dealing with a enemy garrison around the weapon. That'll be fun..."
"... nothing we can't handle, right...?"
With a sheepish chuckle, Aurora grabbed her rifle off her suit pack and swiftly turned, stepping out of the tunnel access corridor. As she carefully moved into the corridor, she shouldered her weapon and peered down her sight, following along the wall. Predator followed behind Isabella, entering the dimly lit hallway that once again became a labyrinth.
"... so... guess we're looking for... a well-defended room..."
Predator grunted slightly, continuing carefully with his Executioner held at a low-ready.
"I hope we know what we're doing, Commanders... or what we're walking into..."
"We should first locate, then analyze how we move on this thing. Just wish we didn't have to improvise all the time for this. If we knew where the weapon was for starters... maybe we'd have done this already..."
"... doesn't help that this place is a fucking maze..."
Aurora continued down the corridor slowly after her response, minding her steps as she listened carefully. There was hardly any sound, except for the rattle and general ambience of the carrier, their footsteps quietly echoing through the hallway. Predator just followed without a word, watching their flank periodically.
As the corridor soon turned into a tight bend, Aurora slowed near the corner, and peeked it carefully. All she could see was another dimly lit stretch of hallway, illuminated by her night-vision as a connecting four-way junction could be seen not too far ahead. Following the wall as she slipped around, she lowered her profile a bit and walked a bit slower, each step bringing them closer to the junction.
Looking up at the signs, it appeared they had emerged from
MAINT.ACCESS on DECK E... while the other signs led to the CARGO BAYS directly ahead, SUBSYS.ACCESS to the left, and STORAGE HANGARS to the right. Could the weapon be fitted in an entire cargo bay... or maybe a storage hangar? Maybe it had an entire, unlisted room of its own. She wasn't sure... pausing at the junction as she tried to figure out which way to go.Pausing by Aurora's side, Isabella looked up at the signs as she sighed, trying to figure out which way to go as well.
"So... think maybe they put this thing in one of the storage hangars? Seems like it would have the room..."
"I don't know... maybe they even... refitted an entire room or something. Then it could be anywhere... down... here..."
Aurora paused a bit, thinking of their position in the carrier. The reactor should have been somewhere to their rear, as well as the FSD. Maybe the hangars and cargo bays were too obvious.
Turning back to face Isabella and Predator, she took in a breath and gestured to where they came from.
"Let's... let's go back. I don't think it's here..."
Predator looked at them curiously, resting a hand atop of his Executioner as he held it against his chest.
"... Why not?"
"... t-think about it... the... the hangars and the bays aren't really the most... 'secure' spot on the carrier. It's obvious and... they could be breached and they're not that close to the reactor. If the weapon is linked right into the carrier's reactor... it'd... have to be close... right? Like in a separate, reinforced room, something added later that wouldn't show up on the carrier map..."
"Huh. Yeah... that's actually... that's good thinking, hun. It's not necessarily vulnerable and it feeds off the power so it wouldn't be far from that. We get a map readout from that terminal we hacked?"
"... I... ha... the technician on Sergeant Locke's team has it. Should've asked him to... send it to me..."
Aurora began to walk back towards the maintenance access, thinking carefully as she slowly moved past Isabella and Predator.
"If I... remember right... he said it was... significant infrastructure linked to some kind of large room near the FSD and reactor, but nestled between that and the hangars. So... it... must be bordering the reactor. Maybe it is on this deck but... right behind us... since the hangars are here."
Predator followed close, continuing his queries as Aurora led the way.
"So, how do we get to it?"
"... maybe via the maintenance access. Let's check the other way?"
"Well... don't know exactly what we're dealing with on enemy defenders by this... machine."
"... Probably even more mercs..."
Predator followed as the duo began to head down the corridor they came from, turning the corner once more. Paying more attention to her surroundings, she carefully continued on, soon passing the maintenance tunnel they had emerged from initially.
The corridor continued on for a dozen or so more metres before it turned into a right bend, much like the other one. She paused at the corner, carefully peeking it as she verified it was clear, before advancing. Yet another junction laid before them, except this one seemed to lead to
REACT.ACCESS and FSD.ACCESS to their left, and to MAINT.LIFTS directly across."Bingo..."
Pausing at the corner, Aurora carefully peeked it, only to suddenly recoil as she braced against the pillar with a hushed curse.
"... shit..."
"How many...?"
Coming to a stop behind Aurora, Isabella whispered in response as she held her rifle low, carefully edging closer to the corner to take a look herself.
"... a whole squad I think..."
As Aurora peered past the corner down the stretch of corridor, she could see lights at the end, the section beyond seemingly having full power. Mercenaries wearing dark cloaks and helmets with skulls etched on them stood guard, a few deployable turrets watching the hallway. It seemed like a large maintenance door sat at the end... presumably to access the FSD and reactor.
Aurora thought for a bit, noting how heavy the garrison was. Surely the FSD and reactor was further back, or maybe lower or above them? Why was their defence so strong here?
"... I think it's here... the... the weapon... they have... turrets and... a lot of guards..."
"Shit... like... a lot a lot...?"
As Aurora braced against the pillar, trying to keep her peeking discreet, she allowed Isabella to get a look herself. It was as Aurora said, the corridor ahead filled with at least nine or so mercenaries guarding all the way along up to the large maintenance door. They were beyond two turrets that sat atop a metal barricade that segmented off the hallway, facing their direction.
Predator paused behind them, sighing softly as he looked between the two of them.
"Guess that back-up's not coming in time, huh...?"
Pulling back, Isabella shook her head, glancing between Aurora and Predator.
"Shit... those turrets... ugh. They're the real threat. My suit's not even necessarily combat rated... they'll rip us apart. Wish we had a... rocket or something..."
"... m-maybe... a uh... well-placed grenade? Disruptor or frag could work... or we just... try stay out of fire, and move up along the pillars?"
Leaning back against the pillar, Aurora looked between Isabella and Predator, sighing softly as she checked her ammo and her gear. She still had one extra frag grenade in her kit, plus a shield projector and disruptor.
"... could drop a projector and push up so we get out of their firing arc?"
"Those mercs are going to be an issue, then."
Predator gestured towards the junction, his Executioner held low as Isabella took in a deep breath and sighed.
"I... I mean... I guess. Highly risky and if they push... we can't really fall back. We'll be committed."
"... y-yeah. You're right. Maybe we can try... take them on from here. Predator, maybe you can... try snipe the turrets. They're armoured but... can always hit the targeting camera or control system..."
Predator nodded. Taking a knee, Aurora crouched behind the pillar and shouldered her rifle, bracing it against the corner as she aimed down the sight and trained on the turrets. Although they appeared to be offline... that wouldn't be the case forever.
"... okay... guess we're doing this then. Predator, move across the hallway when we open fire. Isa and I will cover here..."
"Will do."
Taking a knee by Aurora's side, Isabella shouldered her rifle and nodded, ready to go as the duo peered past the pillar. With Predator ready behind them, Aurora steadied her aim as she held her rifle firmly and trained on the closest guard she could see. Her thumb flicked the safety of her rifle off, slowly exhaling as her finger carefully began to depress the trigger, as she counted in quietly.
"3... 2... 1..."
Pulling the trigger back all the way, the muzzle of Aurora's AR-50 erupted in a controlled burst of tracers that soared through the dark corridor, colliding with her intended target. With no shields, the mercenary's visor visibly shattered as their body crumpled, the sound audible even from the distance they were at before the rest of the soldiers abruptly reacted.
Shields flared online with blue auras encapsulating the suits of the hostiles, as Aurora toggled her own and switched targets. Another burst left her weapon at a target quickly moving for cover near the turrets, but the shields stopped it as they ducked down. In seconds, the automated turrets came online, projecting red targeting lasers as they immediately settled on Aurora's head.
"F-..."
She quickly pulled back, ducking behind the pillar as the thunder of the multicannon rang out through the hallway loud enough to suppress her voice, multiple high calibre rounds tearing away at the edge of her cover. As the shots ceased, Predator suddenly got up and dashed across the corridor, sprinting through weapons fire that tried to stop him as he quickly skidded into cover at a pillar on the other side, grabbing his Executioner.
Ducking her head down, Aurora heard her partner curse as her shields fizzled, struck by a high calibre round from one of the turrets and forcing her to abruptly stumble back, being a bit overzealous with how long she remained out of cover. Panic hit Aurora as she saw Isabella fall to the floor slightly, quickly reaching out to help pull her back into cover as she scrambled.
"I'm okay... I'm good..."
Getting to her knee once more, Isabella shook it off and dumped the magazine from her weapon, grabbing a new one from a pouch. Once Aurora had let go and her partner began to reload her weapon, she let out a stressed sigh, nodding.
"Fuckers... ugh. Just... k-keep it that way, please..."
Shouldering her rifle again, Aurora peeked out just barely for a second, focusing on a target that had deployed on the barricade next to the turret. She let out a longer burst, sweeping both across the turret and the target next to it, but the rounds only pinged off the armour and shields of both.
Ducking back in, she watched as Predator leant out with a low profile, raising his Executioner. It only took mere milliseconds for him to sight in, a bolt of controlled, superheated plasma flashing from the barrel as it shot through the corridor. Hitting one of the turrets, the machine flashed and burst into sparks as its FCS system melted with a precision hit.
Slipping back into cover as the focus turned to him, Predator tucked in and waited, prompting Aurora to peer out once more as she returned fire at the enemy. It was hard to break their shields with only kinetics, but any overconfident merc was sure to get a hail of lead if they stayed out of cover for too long. The only problem was, they were burning ammo with their primaries... and fast.
With one more mercenary dropped, Aurora quickly ducked back into cover and dumped her magazine, starting to reload as she steadied the tremble in her hand. With the firefight continuing and one turret still back online, she noticed her partner reach for her belt, grabbing a disruptor grenade as she twisted the cap and leant out slightly, quickly gauging the distance before she carefully chucked it.
"Come on..."
Slotting in her magazine as she closed the latch of her AR-50, Aurora paused and let Isabella finish throwing her grenade, peering past as she watched it ping through the corridor. The throw sent it straight over the barricades, beeping rapidly before it suddenly discharged in a visible, blue pulse.
The shields of the nearby mercenaries shattered, throwing the hostiles off as the second turret instantly shut down directly after. Quickly shouldering her rifle, Aurora trained it down the hallway once more, and fired off a burst, dropping a hostile disoriented by the pulse.
Predator followed suit, levelling his plasma rifle as he focused on an enemy that began to try and suppress Aurora, the subsequent plasma bolt melting through the hostile's helmet and bringing their attempt to an end as they squirmed and writhed, collapsing to the floor behind the barricade. Aurora chuckled in surprise at the accurate throw of her partner, moving back into cover as she glanced back at Isabella.
"Nice throw, hun... don't think I could do better. Think we should push? Both turrets are down."
"Yeah, I can cover you. Move to the next pillar and maybe use a projector if need be."
With Isabella bracing her rifle on the edge of the corner, Aurora moved aside to let her take up position as she readied herself for the dash.
"Predator!"
Aurora called out, getting Predator's attention as she gestured forward down the corridor, receiving an affirmative nod in return.
"Okay... here goes. Crossing now!"
Waiting for a gap in Isabella's fire, Aurora quickly slipped around the corner and her partner, breaking into a sprint as she crossed Isa's line of fire, swiftly moving out of it as she ran directly to the next pillar ahead, following the wall. Her shields flashed as stray rounds impacted her, but Isabella's accurate fire kept the enemy down as their shields regenerated.
On his side, Predator pushed up as well, keeping his profile low as he weaved through to the next pillar in line, level with Aurora as he took cover and scoped in, firing a precise shot at a mercenary who just peeked out of cover. Their shields shattered, sending them stumbling back slightly as they switched targets, their laser rifle spitting golden beams that chipped away at his pillar.
Rounds from behind Aurora spat out towards the target suppressing Predator, two bursts landing on their upper body and putting them down. With their determined, coordinated push, the trio had managed to diminish the enemy down to three or four guards. Aurora continued to hold the line, targeting those that peered past the barricade before she noticed one of the mercenaries breaking away into a sprint, running for the large maintenance door.
She cursed quietly, opting to clear the immediate threat first as her kinetic rounds smashed into one merc braced behind the barricade, allowing Isa's precise shots to finish him off. Predator followed up with a bolt of plasma, shattering the shields of the last hostile at the barricade, before Isa and Aurora's next few rounds peppered his helmet before he had time to duck.
The barricade was clear, but as Aurora stood up, she saw the maintenance door opening at the end of the hallway, revealing nothing but darkness beyond. By now, the escaping enemy had slipped through in time, and soon the heavy bulkhead began to slowly close as they entered. Aurora didn't know where it led... but if EMBER was running, it had to be important.
"Shit, the door's closing!"
Spotting the door, Isabella wasted little time in jumping to her feet as she broke into a rapid sprint, moving past Aurora and Predator. Vaulting the barricade, she began to move down the corridor as quickly as she could, the door slowly closing ahead. Taking off after Isabella, Aurora followed over the barricade as she dashed as quickly as she could, right on Isa's tail.
The gap between the door and the floor was getting smaller and smaller, but they could make it. They had to. They were only a few metres away, the door more than halfway closed as Aurora quickly dropped down and slid beneath the door, narrowly missing getting hooked on any edges as she tumbled through into the dark room beyond.
Isabella did the same, coming to a sliding stop into the darkness as she drew her pistol and activated her suit torch. As for Aurora, she tucked her legs in and pulled herself into the dark room, before swiftly turning back, reaching out to help Predator too... but it was too late. She cursed as she saw Predator try get under - but the gap was too small now.
"PREDATOR!"
"Shit!"
He quickly withdrew his leg to avoid getting crushed by the door, the heavy duty bulkhead slamming shut and blocking out all the light in the room. Cursing softly, Aurora got up and looked around, gazing at where Isa's light illuminated. It seemed like a maintenance corridor, initially quite wide near the door before it abruptly became more narrow, with a junction a dozen or so metres ahead. Nobody else was in here with them, thankfully...
"Ugh! God dammit! Come on!"
Isabella started to pace around the dark room as she cursed, trying to find a console they could use to open the door... but there seemed to be no panel - at least none that was functional. The only panel seemed to be shattered, broken by a gunshot. That... and the door was too large. It'd need a lot more power to open it, and that was a commodity they didn't have a luxury of.
Aurora sighed, getting to her feet slowly as she tried her radio, shouldering her rifle as she turned and looked down the dark corridor.
"Fuck... Predator? Sergeant Locke? Anyone there?"
There was a bit of static, before Predator responded first.
IDENT: {Reaper 1-3} "Go on, Commanders. I'll find a way to you!"
"... Predator, we can't-..."
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "... -mmande-... -arrier alm-... -ecur-... -he weapon-..."
Aurora paused at the garbled comms that came over, recognizing the ident as she frowned and glanced at Isabella.
"Sergeant? Sergeant, repeat last. I can't... understand..."
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "...-estroy i-... -p to you no-..."
Aurora's frown grew, but there wasn't much time to figure out what was said before the comms suddenly fizzled out, the HUD glitching out slightly. The mere thought sent a chill down Aurora's spine, her breathing picking up as she instinctively wanted to try shield herself and her partner from what might happen.
"We're... we're jammed again..."
"Fuck. Nothing's gone right for us since we got here. Been running on luck and now it's running out..."
Sighing in frustration, Isabella switched to her rifle and reached for a pouch, loading in her last magazine.
"Last mag too..."
"Here... take my last two mags. I'll... use my sidearm..."
Opening a magazine pouch, Aurora withdrew two AR-50 magazines and held them out towards Isabella, glancing down the corridor as she drew her Tormentor sidearm, sighing.
"S-sounds like the... uh... the fighting is still going on. Guess it's... f-fucking up to us alone now to destroy the weapon... so it... doesn't activate again. Ugh..."
Hesitating for a moment, Isabella carefully grabbed the two magazines and placed them in her magazine pouch, looking up at Aurora.
"Yeah... guess it is. How you holding up, hun? I know this is... difficult but... just want to make sure you're okay..."
Aurora held her Tormentor close in both hands and looked down the maintenance corridor, sighing inwardly as her partner queried her. She paused for a bit, looking back at Isa as she kept her pistol and pointed down the corridor.
"... u-uhm... I'm... okay. Just... we need to solve this... and I'm... not really looking forward to the moment the... stims wear off... ha..."
Chuckling slightly, Aurora shrugged it off and moved on, starting head down the dark maintenance corridor. She recognized her answer was lackluster, but figured there wasn't much time left to discuss how she truly felt... they could spend all the time they wanted discussing it when the job was done.
That was if they even made it out of this one. The thought still hung in the back of her mind.
As the duo stepped into the darkness, Isabella was quiet for a moment before she spoke again, only their soft footsteps visible as they traversed the tight maintenance corridor with only their suits to light their way.
"Swear I saw a guy run in... he has to be here."
Moving quietly as she turned her own torch on to light the way, Aurora paused at the junction, raising her pistol and taking aim as she carefully peeked the left corner, before she looked down the right. Both seemed clear, but stretched a significant distance, maybe 20 or 30 metres, as if the corridors were moving around a much larger room.
"... Yeah... probably... ran off. Which way should we go, Isa...? Don't know if it matters but... not sure where we are either. Can't really hear much..."
"... Let's go left, I guess? Gotta be something, right?"
"Okay..."
With a slow exhale, Aurora stepped around the corner and began her walk, moving carefully as she kept her pistol raised and trained on the end of the hallway. The two slowly proceeded to the bend, where Aurora paused and peeked around, observing the stretch of corridor that was dimly lit by red emergency lights.
Although it was hard to see exactly in the darkness, it seemed like the hallway opened up midway slightly, forming a junction. That was their best bet, so it seemed... and as such Aurora carefully stepped around and began to approach, keeping her weapon at the ready as she followed the length of the wall.
The HUD interference started to become more apparent, and occurred more consistently as a soft, almost distant hum could be heard... but it was as if it was right next to them. It was hard to tell, but something was near...
"... ugh... fuck thisss..."
"... What's wrong?"
Isabella continued to follow Aurora's six, occasionally checking their rear as they moved along the dark stretch of hallway.
"... don't you hear that...? F-... fucking creepy... just this... humming... like a machine hum..."
Aurora continued on, her breathing steady as she slowly moved over to the left side of the corridor, as they approached the junction. It appeared to split off to the right, her torch highlighting the corner as she continued to carefully move around, her pistol at the front.
Stepping into the junction carefully, the light provided by Aurora's suit highlighted a wide rugged bulkhead door directly to the right. Nothing of interest seemed to continue on past the junction - just more corridor.
"Door here... should w-we... give it a go?"
"Hmmm... guess we should. These doors can't be here for looks."
Aurora chuckled softly at Isabella's retort.
"Ha... g-guess not. Can you take a look with that... uhm... tool?"
Moving slowly into the junction, she verified it was clear before she exhaled slowly, waiting for Isabella. With her partner moving past and grabbing a device from her pouch, she holstered her rifle and brought out the modified e-breach they had been using, carefully plugging it into a small door console to the left of the bulkhead.
With it plugged it in, the small display flashed to life and promptly switched off again as the hacking tool worked its magic. In a few seconds, the console flashed green and unlocked. Aurora glanced over at her partner, her sidearm pointed at the door as she took a crouched position at the right frame of the bulkhead. The humming was a bit more audible here... as if it came through the door itself.
"Okay... ready...?"
"Not really... but as ready as I can be..."
As Isabella tapped on the console and carefully moved back, holstering her rifle, the duo watched intently as it began to work, the slight audible hint of the mechanism working before the door unlocked with a clunk, and its motors started to whirr as it began to lift up. As the gap in the door grew, warm light flooded into the corridor, prompting Aurora to turn off her suit light as she let her eyes adapt to the sudden brightness.
The hum became a more clear, echoey rumble from within the room ahead... and that's when she saw it. The door began to steadily unveil a massive, black machine, visible through a room filled with hazy smoke that swirled in the air, seeping through the door.
It looked like a massive, hexagonal dome sat atop a blue-ringed base - hot, accelerated plasma visibly spinning through coils beyond the transparent, protective shield. The dome had to be at least 10 metres in height with two pylons protruding from its sides, and fire shimmered through the smoke, predominantly behind the dome and through a large crack in one of the pylons, the device hissing as it leaked pressurized coolant, frosting over the black plating.
The scale and appearance was almost impressive... but Aurora remembered all that it had done to them.
"... holy shit..."
"My... look at that thing."
Taking a slight, cautious step forward, Isabella glanced into the large room, looking around at what she could see through the dark haze as her rifle swept the area ahead.
"What's... with all the smoke...?"
Aurora stepped forward with Isa, her ears filling with the sound of crackling fire, and the low groan of the machine as their HUD interference grew. She carefully looked around, and although it was hard to see through the haze... nobody was around...
"... it... it's on fire. Looks... damaged..."
She slowly moved forward into the room, keeping her Tormentor close as her suit filtered out the heavy smoke in the air. Three large pipelines emerged from the floor and connected directly to the front of the device, presumably to what appeared to be a fusion reactor at its base. Despite that, Aurora could see significant power conduits running along the floor, encased in shielded, thick cabling. That had to be the connection to the carrier's reactor as well.
"... That's... a lot of power... h-ha..."
"Where the hell is... anyone? And who... why is the machine damaged?"
"... I... I don't know. Think it... maybe failed? Overloaded? Guess it... m-makes our job easier... ha..."
Aurora shrugged, slowly moving closer as she kept her profile low and her shields online, her partner copying her as they moved forward together. Isa's questions remained in the back of her mind... and she was right. Where was everyone? What happened to the device?
Although the interference on their suits was significant, it did not seem to increase the closer they got. Debris, crates and equipment littered the area closest to the device, as Aurora looked around, trying to make sense of it all.
"Maybe we should... hurry up... and destroy this thing..."
"I don't even know where to start. Got to find a good spot. Make sure this thing can't be turned back on or rebuilt ever again. But whatever happened... it helped us. Maybe the jump messed it all up?"
"... maybe. I could... set a charge on the reactor. Should make a big enough boom to... destroy it..."
Stepping around the pipelines, Aurora moved to a gap between the pylons and the pipes, along the curved wall of the dome, before she abruptly stopped. Turning her suit light on to illuminate the dark plating of the device, she froze.
That's when she saw that two explosive charges were already set, right on the side of the device.
"... what the f-..."
The room filled with a piercing sonic crack from deeper within as a tracer cut through the haze. There was barely any time to react, the round hitting the side of Aurora's helmet just as she moved, overloading her shields, shattering them. A sharp crack splintered up the side of her visor as the round luckily ricocheted off the angle of her helmet, her head abruptly whipping to the side as she yelped and lost her footing, causing her to tumble into the side of the device and fall to the floor.
The ricochet buried itself in the plating of the device, but another shot rang out that narrowly missed the duo as Aurora tried to scramble for cover, a pain shooting through her neck.
"AURORA!"
She heard Isabella call out as she scrambled for cover, laboriously crawling to a large crate near her partner as she tried to gather her bearings, her vision a bit disoriented from the sudden whiplash.
"... s-sh... shittt... h-h... aaa..."
"Shit... what the fuck. Aurora! You okay?!"
Pulling herself behind the crate, Aurora propped herself back against it and squeezed her trembling hands, her breathing picking up slightly as she noted the significant crack in the left side of her helmet, splintering up through the visor. She knew that was a close dance with death.
"... I'm... o-... oka... y..."
Grabbing her sidearm as she clutched it tightly to try steady her shakiness, Aurora heard yells echo throughout the large room as a third, high caliber shot flew overhead, the crack sending a shock through the air as the tracer disappeared in the smoke deeper within the room. Her partner grimaced, quickly peeking over her cover as she squeezed off several rounds from her rifle, before taking cover once more.
"Can you still fight? Not seeing double, are we?"
"... y-yeah... fuck..."
Groaning a bit as she got up onto a knee, Aurora held her pistol close as she peeked the crate for just a moment. She spotted numerous silhouettes approaching from deeper within the room, past the device's left pylon. The enemy began to take cover by several crates, forcing Aurora down again as several rounds impacted her cover, drumming uselessly against the crates.
"... shit, Isa... there's... a f-few coming... and there's... already charges on... on the device!"
"Yeah, I... I don't know. Fuck!"
"... i-it's a fucking trap! W-we... we need to..."
Taking a breath in, Aurora paused as she heard the charges behind them beep, starting to tick down. Her heart stopped, her panic soaring as she turned to Isabella, before she then glanced back where they came from. The bulkhead door. It was closed... but maybe they could make it out. Otherwise, their only choice was to push through.
"... u-use your sidearm or take mine. We have to run-..."
Aurora was cut off as the room fell into silence, a singular voice piercing through as the gunfire ceased. It was a woman's voice, sharp but heavily modulated and muffled, although the slight hint of Federal accent was something she could recognize distinctly.
"There's nowhere to run, Commanders! This carrier is where you die. It's where we all die now. Do you have any idea what you have wasted?!"
Aurora remained crouched behind the crate, her breathing steady but slightly frantic as she looked at Isa, holding her pistol close. She didn't dare peek, knowing the enemy had eyes right on where they were. Isabella just cursed under her breath, shaking her head as she returned the look towards her partner.
"I... I don't know where to go. We're... literally trapped. I..."
Gazing at Isabella, Aurora shared her feeling of helplessness as the charges continued to beep behind them. They were running out of time, and they barely had any options... if at all.
"... w-we either... have to push through or... move back to the bulkhead... get some cover t-there and e-breach it open... I-..."
"STAND UP AND FIGHT!"
The sudden scream from the figure deeper within the room made Aurora flinch, clutching her pistol slightly as she looked to Isabella for some kind of way out of this. There had to be a way...
"... or go ahead and die like the cowards you are. Time's running out for the both of you anyway... and there's no place else to go."
"Hun, take my e-breach and run to the bulkhead door. I'll try to pin them with everything I've got. I have one frag and one projector left. Take my projector for cover. I'll be right behind you when it opens."
Aurora shook her head, speaking softly as her fear and her emotions started to take over. She holstered her sidearm as Isa took out the shield projector and e-breach to hand over to her, hesitating.
"... p-please promise you'll... b-be right behind me, o... okay...?"
Quickly peering up past the crate to see where they went, Aurora ducked as a round narrowly missed her head... but at the very least she could see the path to the bulkhead was still somewhat clear. The mercenaries hadn't moved much... but why?
"Don't worry, babe. Right behind you. Ready?"
Aurora nodded quietly, grabbing the e-breach and the projector grenade from her partner as she gazed at her. There was so much to say... what if this was the last time? What if they couldn't get out of this one?
Taking in a soft, sniffly breath as she clutched the items in her hand tightly, Aurora readied herself and waited just a moment, before she gauged the distance ahead to the bulkhead. Isabella grabbed her rifle, and waited, nodding at her partner.
"... Going..."
Jumping to her feet as she broke into a sprint, Aurora heard yells break out before gunfire erupted, her shields flashing as she ducked and weaved, moving through random cover here and there while she beelined straight for the bulkhead.
The strength of her shields were rapidly decreasing, and the distance was too much. Breaking into a slide, she tumbled behind one of the crates a little more than half-way, panting heavily as she got back into cover and waited for a gap in the fire.
Gunfire rang out as Isabella traded fire with the mercenaries, trying to suppress the enemy and buy Aurora time to get the door open. Using the little break that Isabella afforded her, Aurora got to her feet and dashed for the bulkhead door.
Her shields flashed as one of the mercenaries focused on her while the rest of the attention was on Isabella, struggling under the pressure before they suddenly shattered, prompting a yelp from Aurora as she felt the uncomfortable heat from the laser bolts that thudded against the exterior of her armour.
She stumbled slightly, quickly dropping herself down to the floor behind cover near the door to avoid the incoming fire. She crawled up to the bulkhead, reaching up to the console and exposing herself slightly as she plugged the e-breach in. What appeared next on the console made her blood run cold.
"... no... no-no-no... NO! COME ON!"
They were out of time. The authorization was actively resisting them and the e-breach wasn't working. The room filled with the sound of the charges beeping constantly as the mercenaries abruptly sought cover, retreating deeper into the room. Trying everything she could to get the door open, Aurora hit the controls, her fingers trying to pry off the panel.
"Shit! What... what happened?!"
She heard her partner call out as she quickly followed, but Aurora couldn't get the door open. She heard the sound of shields shattering as Isabella yelled out, stumbling right behind her partner as she got low.
"Where's the projector!? Give it to me!"
Ducking down to avoid the incoming fire in her exposed position by the bulkhead, Aurora turned back and chucked the projector over to Isabella.
"... t-the door won't open. We're... s-stuck... we're..."
Aurora found herself starting to cry, feeling the sheer hopelessness of being stuck in a room with an entire reactor about to go off. Could they even survive that? She had to try the door. She had to.
Powering through as her voice cracked, Aurora yelled out at Isabella behind her, gesturing to a nearby set of crates a few metres to her right, which could provide some cover between them, the enemy and the device.
"ISA! Take cover behind those crates, a-and use the projector to block their fire! I just need a moment to open this door! GO!"
Isabella caught the projector as Aurora clumsily chucked it over to her. She quickly dashed to the crates to the right, throwing the projector to the floor as she deployed it and stood up. The blue shield burst to life and hummed, deploying a protective bubble covering the crates and Isabella, allowing her to fire out.
Some of the mercenaries started to flee, but others started returning fire at Isabella as they retreated. With the shield blocking any stray rounds from getting to Aurora, she continued her work, ripping the panel off as she started to grab wires, trying to focus and rewire the door's power circuit.
She tried her best to put it together in her head, trying to remember what she was trained to do... but it was so long ago. The tempest of emotions and thoughts that flooded her mind made it hard to focus, the rapid beeping in the back of her mind as it started to pick up. Maybe in the end... there really wasn't any time for them to escape...
The room filled with the final scream of the charges as Aurora quickly jumped to her feet, trying to dive for the shield projector. But it all happened so fast... and too late. The room filled with a blinding blue and yellow light as the charges suddenly detonated, causing a chain reaction in the device's reactor.
Their helmets overloaded with feedback from both the deafening detonation, and an overpowering, alien scream that escaped the MARS weapon before the shockwave hit them, spitting debris and shrapnel through the room. A sickening crack came as Aurora faltered mid-step, a jagged piece of shrapnel hitting her as she was thrown into the wall next to the bulkhead, pieces of the machine pinging around them.
All she felt was an excruiating pain fire through her body before everything went dark, and her body gave in.
<<<====================>>>
Isabella Levine
Yelling out, Isabella was sent tumbling after she watched the visor of her lover shatter, Aurora's body thrown into the wall and deforming the left frame of her helmet as she crumpled. Small fragments rained down on her as Isa went tumbling with her cover, the crates pressing against her while broken pieces pinged against the hard crates.
She soon hit the wall too, the crates landing on top of her hard as she was shielded in the darkness by the debris on top of her. For what felt like ages, it was a deafening cacophony of metal failing and white-hot rain falling down around them, Isabella shielded in the darkness provided by the several crates on top of her.
But... soon... the room finally settled, a loud ring in her ears as the helmet only managed to absorb some of the sound. The relative weight of the crates could be felt on top of her, a dull pain in her lower left leg, and the ambience of the burning room just barely audible alongside her tinnitus.
Everything had happened so fast. Her head throbbed and her body ached. The ringing in her ears was so loud, it made her head hurt even more. The only thing she could think about was the pain she felt. The dull throbbing pain in her left leg. She was dizzy and disoriented for what seemed like forever before the first clear thought entered her head.
'The explosives on the machine', she thought. She cursed as her hands pushed on the crates on top of her. A jolting pain shot up her leg and through her body which made her yelp. It was as if all her pain had doubled now. It wasn't just her head and leg, she felt a sharp-stabbing pain in her left shoulder.
She turned to the source, her eyes coming across a small metal fragment stuck into her shoulder. She panicked slightly, trying to keep her breathing steady as she brought a shaky hand up to it and tried to pull it out. She twitched, the jolt of pain from her leg shooting up her body again, which made her wince in agony but filled her with rage.
She gritted her teeth and screamed, pushing the crates off her and getting on her hands where she looked around the devastated room of fire and debris. Aurora was nowhere in sight.
"A-... Au-..."
She tried to take in a breath, but struggled, so she promptly removed her helmet and dropped it to the ground. Her head throbbed as she felt a warm liquid run down the side of her temple and over her cheek. She only imagined she looked like hell. She felt like it.
"Aurora... Aurora!?"
Isabella mustered every bit of strength she had to try to stand on both feet. She managed halfway before she collapsed, that shooting dulling pain that ran up her leg constantly. That's when she realized... her leg was broken. Knowing this, she slowly got to her feet and shifted her weight to one leg as she looked around the room and spoke out.
"Au... Aurora!"
As Isabella rose to her feet, albeit with some struggle, she was able to take in the scorched room. Where the device once sat, a shattered dome remained, its pylons burst in half. The walls were covered in fragments and sharp debris, with a singular, melted hole blown into the roof which was still glowing from the reactor's residual plasma.
She continued to survey the room for Aurora, only managing to catch two figures limping out from the room, leaving hastily through a wide open bulkhead that had just barely sustained the force of the explosion. Those figures belonged to the enemy. The individuals who did this to them. But... before anything could be done about it, they promptly slipped out the bulkhead, disappearing in the haze.
As the debris settled and the room creaked and groaned, Isabella's call filled the room. It was silent, the floor now a minefield of jagged panels and broken structures. She was just about to call once more, before a sudden, blood-curdling and broken scream came, muffled from within a pile of debris closest to the dented bulkhead they initially entered in from. The pure fear and pain behind the scream was almost unrecognizable, before her mind finally made sense of it.
It was Aurora.
In horror, Isabella turned to the scream and ran, forgetting her leg. She collapsed instantly in pain, groaning as she started to crawl to make it to Aurora. She was desperate, and the scream could only remind her of one thing - Aurora could be dying. She forced herself back up, running on pure adrenaline as she limped on her broken leg.
Her advance brought her to the pile where Aurora would be, hearing agonizing and inconsolable sobbing muffled by the debris atop her. It was hard to see beneath the pile of warped metal plating, even when Isa dropped to her knees, and all Isabella could make out right now was a trembling gloved hand and two black boots protruding out from beneath a panel that laid on top, obscuring the majority of Aurora's body.
With no hesitation, she fell to her knees and began to remove the debris atop of Aurora, calling her name. Her eyes burned and filled with tears, not knowing how bad it was or... if they would maybe die here...
"Au-... Aurora... it's okay... we're... okay..."
No response came as Isabella began to remove the debris as quickly as she could, the adrenaline carrying her through lifting the plating and throwing it aside. Little by little, she began to remove the weight atop the black suit that laid beneath it, before she finally grabbed the last panel, and threw it aside.
Her eyes fell onto Aurora, who laid face down on the floor. Her arms were down by her side, her body laying there limply as her helmet was turned to the side, facing Isa. Her visor was cracked open in half, partially revealing her head... and although the helmet took a significant portion of the impact, small fragments of her visor had embedded themselves into her face, predominantly by her left temple and cheek.
Dark, red liquid oozed down the side of Aurora's soft face, matting her disheveled, raven curls with her own blood as tears streamed down her cheeks from closed eyes. But a few scratches and cuts weren't the issue. Isabella's attention turned to the rest of her body... and that's when she saw it.
A thin, broken piece of black plating - likely no more than half a metre in length and a little bit less in width - was lodged diagonally into her lower back. Judging by how much stuck out, a significant portion of one of the edges went straight through her suit, having broken through her armour.
She whimpered softly, bursting into uncontrolled sobs again as she let out an harrowing, pained cry, hyperventilating as she gasped and struggled through shaky breaths.
"... g-ghh... hh... gh..."
Panic hit Isabella at the sight of the object, trying to catch herself as she quickly took off her pack, opening it for her medkit as she tried to soothe Aurora.
"Hey, hey, hey. Breathe... breathe. Just focus... on me. It's not that bad. Ju-... just... hurts..."
She examined the piece of metal, trying to figure out the damage it had caused. The worst seemed to come true. Although it was impossible to tell the full extent of it, it seemed incredibly likely the piece of metal had hit her spine at its current depth, and had created an extensive wound.
Even without the prospect of damage to her spinal cord, removing the piece of metal would result in Aurora bleeding out and dying. The suit would likely not be able to effectively seal over a larger wound, and had instead sealed around the metal. But... it wouldn't last forever.
"You're okay, babe. It's okay..."
Isa's voice shook as a horrible feeling of guilt and regret hit her. She hated lying when she truly didn't know. She couldn't see the love of her life like this. It broke her with sadness and... anger. She was overwhelmed with emotions and every whimper or sob hurt more than her own pain. All of her focus was on Aurora.
But she could do was sit there as her partner cried. Aurora tried to talk, only for her voice to croak and break from all the sobbing and the scream she let out moments prior. Her whimpers got weaker and more feeble as she laid there helplessly, struggling to talk to Isa.
"... I c-... c... an... 't... f-... feel... m..."
"Aurora... it's..."
She paused, struggling to figure out what to say or what her partner said through her sobs.
"I can... give you a stim... it's the only thing I can do without... doing more damage..."
Aurora let out a shaky sob at that response, sniffling as she felt her body starting to give in to her fatigue. She felt so exhausted already, a feeble whimper coming from her as she laid there and let Isabella do whatever, as she couldn't move... and that was apparent to her partner too.
"... I... l-... lo..."
The radio on Isa's suit suddenly came to life after a bit of interference, before a familar voice came through crystal clear via the earpiece she had in her ear.
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "... -ea-... -eaper 1... -ease respond. Commander Adair, do you copy? Is the weapon destroyed? Fuck... hello?!"
Isa sat there, hearing the transmission as blood and tears mixed on her cheek, while she carefully held Aurora's hand. She took in a breath and reached up to her earpiece, pressing it as she tried to speak clearly.
"Th-... Reaper 1-2... to... it's... Aurora... she's d-down. We're inside where t-... the machine was..."
She released her comms as she quietly sobbed, her hands trembling as she took out the stim from her pack... but what difference could it make? There was a pause on the radio as Isabella sat there with the stim in her hand, before another response came.
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "Okay... we're trying to push to you but this place is a fucking labyrinth. How bad's the injuries? Are you hurt?"
"R-really bad. Aurora needs serious medical. I can't help besides k-keeping her stable with a stim pen... s-... she's... p-please hurry..."
Taking the pen, she put it against Aurora's arm and carefully injected her, hoping it would at least numb the pain. She sniffled, trying to breathe in slowly as she cried.
"Locke is coming. You're going to be okay. I l-... love y-... you..."
Aurora barely made a noise as Isa injected her with the stim, and barely moved either. She sniffled, her eyes weakly opening as she laid there. Isa watched as her deep, shimmering blues focused on her, blood dripping down her cheek.
"... I... love y-you s... s... o m... muc... h..."
Aurora broke down into weak sobs again, her voice wavering as she gazed at Isa slightly.
"... y-... yo... u'll b-be o... okay... w-... we did... it r-rig... ht...? S-... saved t... the..."
Isabella shook her head and dropped the stim, taking Aurora's hand again and squeezing it hard.
"No. Don't give up. You're okay. They're coming a-and we're going to figure this all out. Okay? Aurora. Just... hold on... hold on for m-me... please..."
Isa turned and tried to see if anyone was coming to save them. She couldn't let her die here. There was no way, not like this. It enraged her that this happened to Aurora. It wasn't fair.
Aurora's hand didn't squeeze back very firmly, but it was there as she sniffled, her eyes losing focus a bit as she slowly started to close them.
"... j-... just f... funny how li... fe... w-wo... rks..."
She let out a soft, sad whine again, a broken, quiet sob escaping her as she just laid there, closing her eyes completely.
"... I ju-... ghh... hhg... I j-just wan... wanted to b-... be... w... wit.... th y-y... you..."
Aurora gave a broken, soft laugh as she cried. The sound shattered Isa's heart as she held her hand and listened to her, tears rolling down her face.
"... t-... that w... was all I w-wanted i-in... my l... life. I d-d... don't wanna sa... say g-... goodbye... b-... but... th... thank y-y... you... f... for eve... everything I-Is... Isabella... i-if t... this i-is it..."
Isa gritted her teeth and shook her head, letting out a half-laugh, half-sob as she squeezed Aurora's hand a bit more gently.
"It's not! It's... no... you're not leaving me. I... I swear to God, Aurora. If there even is one, I'll kill them..."
Aurora laughed again weakly at Isabella's response, breaking down into sobs as she felt for her hand and held it gently. Isa hoped, prayed for Aurora's survival. How cruel could a galaxy be to take her away. To rob her right at the final step. It was frankly bullshit. She reached up to her earpiece and activated her radio, hoping Locke would hear as she spoke.
"W-where are you guys? I need a medic or something. I'm... l-losing Aurora..."
IDENT: {Reaper 1-4} "Just moving down to Deck E now, Commander! We're coming, hold on."
It was silent again, safe for Aurora's occasional sniffing and weak groans as she laid there. She just held onto Isa's hand with what strength she had left, indicating that she was still holding on for Isabella. She needed to focus on her, her deep blue eyes slowly opening again to gaze at Isa as she tried to focus, keeping herself awake.
"... d-did w... we at least w... win...?"
Isabella went quiet, looking up around the room as she observed the shattered device. It was quiet, only a few fires raging on deeper within the room as the barely functional atmospheric systems slowly removed the hazardous smoke. She sat there, taking it all in as she listened to the rumble of the carrier.
The weapon was destroyed. With that... maybe they could win. Maybe they could retake the carrier and win over the EMBER Syndicate. Maybe after all this pain and suffering... they would emerge victorious
Isabella looked back down at Aurora, fixating on those blue eyes she loved. She felt pain for Aurora, knowing the suffering she had been through with all this. The things she had sacrificed that nobody knew the extent of. The years she spent running from this, only to be forced to face it no matter the cost... to save a squadron she never founded.
Her partner was so brave and strong. It broke her to see her like this. She refused to let it end like this... when she wanted a future with her lover. One that they could only have together because of the sacrifices made by Aurora herself, and the others she had gathered to their cause.
Isabella nodded, tears streaming down her face as she squeezed Aurora's hand.
"We did..."
"We won, hun..."
========================================================
Credit:
This story is only possible thanks to our squadron and community. Join TITAN Contractors, a diverse and talented squadron, and experience our custom lore and events. This logbook/short story as well as other associated images and story is property of TITAN Contractors, CMDR Radiumio. A massive thank you to CMDRs Isabella Levine, Davewheeltalk, Fallharbor, Novus, Pseudowoodo, Rinark, Shaterthomkolen, Sir-Duke and SpectreKryik for their involvement in the story. Thank you so much for reading!
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