Starsiege: Enigma

Book 1 Chapter 1 "Blizzard Squad, this is Carter Flats. Possible contacts, bearing two-seven-wun at tree- ait-zero. Confirm, over." "Carter Flats, this is Blizzard Squad and that is affirmative. One hard targets descending with possible floating support. I say again, that is affirmative, I have the targets on sensors. Over." "Blizzard, you are to proceed to beacon alpha-tree and rendezvous with Devil Squad. Proceed to target LZ and confirm hostility. Over." "WILCO, Carter Flats. Out." The sand storm was one of the worst they had seen in recent months on the southern dunes. Sure there was a storm almost ever second sol, but none had been this bad. The window of the Liz's Apocalypse was just a mixing of red and brown as the wind blew the Martian dust across their path. It was lit up only by the lights in her cockpit since the sun had set over three hours ago. They were lucky that they had met up with Devil Squad at the beacon before the wind picked up or they might have walked into each other. Ice-Lizard, or Liz as she was called by everyone she knew, looked down at her sensor screen. It was clear except for the friendlies she was being trailed by. If this was the spot, there should be a large target pinging something back. Carter Flats had seen it and there were very few times that they were wrong. So the question still remained, where was the ship they had seen headed this way. Liz didn't like this. She would have said that things were too quite, except that the howling wind was the farthest thing from quite. She didn't mind the weather on this planet, except for the storms in Sinia Planum. It was where some of the strongest storms raged. It was also not the friendliest place for hercs. Missions like these that made her almost wish she was back on Earth, but from what she heard they weren't much better off. Liz was ready to break the emcon she had issued to keep the radio noise down, when they came to the crest of a large sand dune. She stopped he herc dead in it's tracks and all the following pilots behind here did the same. Through her cockpit windshield she could just see over the crest of the dune. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "It couldn't be. Not yet." Liz muttered to herself as she backed up her Herc so that it was concealed completely by the dune. She killed her sensors and lights, backed down the reactor, and minimized everything else that might signal their presence. She used the line-of-sight channel to call up her squad. It was a little scratchy, but worked. "Blizzard Team, move back to last dune at six-niner. Devil Team, all except Bronson and Coyote, the same. All hercs, emcon level four. Move." Liz watched as the lights on her sensor screen vanished as her team disappeared into the storm. The two members she asked to stay behind disappeared as well as they activate emissions control level four. She contacted the two members on a secure and private cannel. "Bron and Coyot, you two are the munitions experts in Devil Squad, confirm?" Liz paused for a moment thinking maybe this wasn't the best way to go about this. But two affirmatives from the Devil pair seemed to insure her it was. "It seems that our old friends didn't just head for earth? Right now we are less then two hundred meters from the an unidentified ship and from the markings and design I would say it's a Cybrid landing craft." Liz heard one of the two swear. "This is probably just a survey crew since the last we heard they were only interested in Prime. I'm sure they are going to report back that they have a beach head, the area is clear, and are ready for backup. Well I don't plan on letting that call go through. I don't think they've picked us up, it's probably the same reason that we almost walked into them. The sands around here are full of minerals and can reek havoc with some sensors. So here is the game plan." Liz explained that they were going to plant as many charges on the craft as possible, but at the first sign of movement and they blow the charges (whether or not they were a safe distance). The two member's from Devil squad were carrying mines that they had picked up from a rebel camp last night. Liz knew that the Cybrids weren't going to stay inside just because of a little sand. The wind was already starting to lighten. They had to make this quick. "Move out!" The herc came racing over the crest of the dune. She watched through her canopy as a disc shaped mine spun out of Bronson's herc and landed on the top of the ship. Even if these munitions grounded the ship, there was no way she was letting these tin cans on or off this rock. As she came up to the ship she move around to the from of the enormous drop ship. This might not be just the survey crew she thought. There was enough room for twenty large 'Brids, maybe more. This was bad and getting worse. Liz suddenly realized that there might have been more than one ship. She had picked up floating support, which could mean three things. Aero fighter support, orbitally dropped support, or another ship. If it was another ship that would be the end of Imperials and Rebels in Sinia Planum. It wasn't as if they would lose much other than sand and rock, but the 'Brids wouldn't stop there. The Cybrids would take control of this sector within a few sols and keep pushing. Liz wasn't about to let that happen. She parked in front of the main loading door and activated her cloak. The skin of the Apocalypse suddenly changed to that of the sand that was beating against it. She charged all her weapons, switched the safeties off, toggled her forward shield to max, but most importantly she ran her reactor to maximum levels. Just then the conditions report screen changed from red to yellow, showing the winds were falling fast.The storm was breaking. Suddenly there was a bright light from the ship. A glowing red line appeared where the doors were parting. The light from inside the ship was bright enough that she pulled her visor down. Liz lifted the cover over the safety limits and disengaged the reactor cooling system. The cockpit lights went red and a calm female voice began: "Warning. Heat levels exceeding safe levels. Engage the emergency coolant injection system and lower reactor levels." The voice paused as it waited for Liz to comply. She however was too busy watching the show before here. As the door moved farther apart and the unloading ramp lowered, she watched the Cybrids as they moved to deploy formation. They knew there were there and they were getting ready to fight. Last minute arming, fueling, and communication was going on as smaller service drones moved about the troops. Her herc's cockpit voice broke the silence. "DANGER! Reactor overload in 30 seconds." Well it's now or never Liz thought as she opened a radio channel to the rest of her squad. "Brons and Coyot, take cover. Set charges for 30 seconds. Blizzard and Devil squads take cover. FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!" With that Liz threw the throttle forward. She ramped a small cybrid herc that was coming down the ramp and knocked it right over. She lined up her cross hairs on the closest herc and just as she crossed the lip of the ramp opened fire. A Seeker took the first hit, as her cloak disengaged. The Cybrids were a mess as the Seeker fell on top of a crouched Goads. Liz keep the trigger down, not letting the weapons rest as she swung her sights to an Adjudicator. Most of the machines were still running through start up sequences and didn't have weapons working. It was like shooting Rats in a barrel, but the problem was, she was in it. She was about twenty meters inside when a Shepard's Particle Cannon caught her leg and her herc crashed on it side on the floor of the drop ship. Liz managed to swing her still exposed arm, slicing the Shepard down with her auto-cannons. That's when she saw the reactor heat levels. She looked up at an Executioner who was trying to keep balance in the rocking ship as his ELF took chunks out of her armor. She propped herself up on one control panel and looked it straight in the lens. "Game Over!" Liz grabbed the coolant dump handle and pulled. The drop ship was illuminated as a bright flash irrupted from inside. The reactor was so hot that the coolant caused the casing to rupture and explode. It set off a chain reaction as every piece of exposed ammunition in the cargo hold exploded. Just then the Devil's charges went off and ripping holes in the hull of the drop ship. The entire craft was illuminated in the early morning darkness as fire erupted from all over it. A shock wave of debris and fire pulsed outwards driving a fleeing Adjudicator a few feet down into the sand. When the dust and sand settled, the drop ship lay on the desert floor in shambles. The 'Brid units that were still functioning began to evacuate the craft. Most made it out and began running North into the dying storm. As Blizzard and Devil squad regrouped and moved in, they found only easy picking left. Units that had damaged legs, missing weapons, or killed pilots. They were expecting more of a fight, but the working units had just fled leaving the ship behind. All that was left now was a bunch of fried computers and a coffin to bury them in. Chapter 2 "Med team five report to topside, med team five." Java knew what that meant, inbound wounded. Being the Tech Commander of a Pennant of Imperial Knights had its advantages. He had heard about the cybrid attack from some of the senior Knights when he was in the officer's mess for lunch. He had heard about everything, including something he wasn't expecting and didn't want to hear about: the casualties. If what he had heard was true, then it would be a long day. Java started down from the Herc cockpit where he had been hiding for the last hour, checking the machines systems. It had worked well, but the second he started down the ladder it was back to reality. "Sir! Tech Commander McKilion!" A young voice called off to one side. A tall technician ran up to him as he got to the bottom of the ladder. "Sir, I was wondering if you could tell me... well... where to put that ammunition you wanted from the warehouse... sir?" "Which ammunition?" Java asked as he looked around the busy herc bay. "The two hundred runs of depleted uranium." The tech motioned to the creates that were in the arms of a cargo loader. "Station Sixteen!" Java yelled at the loader pilot. The robot turned and headed down the bay. It had been over a week since they had last seen battle against the rebels and they were still a mess. Things were all mixed up, they were under staffed, and to top if off (Java looked around) his blasters were missing. "Where did my blasters go?" "You mean the ones that station five have." "Oh shhh..." Java trailed off as he hopped on the buggy that was sitting in his station. He looked over at the young tech. "Get on!" He jumped on and Java hit the accelerator. Java felt the tech grab on as the small buggy jerked out of the work station. They pulled out into the main tarmac and raced down toward station five. The bay was a long tunnel just taller than the biggest herc. It was a simple design that dated back to the early days of the Empire. A long strip of pavement like road lined with work station for hercs. This bay was just big enough to fit there entire Pennant. There was a group of yellow vests reversing a Basilisk out of one of the work stations. Java normally would have stopped and waited, but he didn't have time for this. He beeped the horn as he raced between the legs of the enormous beast. "How many safety rules did we break there sir?" The tech asked from the back seat, still gripping on to Java for dear life. They came to a screeching stop in front of work station five. Java got off and walked swiftly over to the Talon that was being worked on. "Who's in charge of this one?" Java's voice echoed through the concrete cavern. The five techs around the herc looked at each other and then over to a tech leaning on one of the blasters Java was looking for. "You?" "Yes, Tech Commander, Sir!" The tech snapped to attention. "Rachet-first-class Nivra." Java began in a low but strict voice. "When did you get the idea that you were special? Because everyone else in this base has to scan there parts. Did you scan these blasters?" "Well, sir, I-" "No, you didn't, because if you had..." Java ran his scan glove over the blasters bar codes. "...you would have seen that they were to be installed on the Gorgon in Station Ten this afternoon." Java showed the screen on his wrist. There were bright red letters printed across the top of the screen: *STATION TEN* "We only have four of those thing on loan from the rebs for the entire Pennant. So please tell me why you thought they should go on this herc?" Java saw the sweat roll down the tech's forehead as he waited for an answer. "The Knight Prime that pilots this vehicle said that he wanted them on his vehicle within the next hour. He was quit assertive and I thought that he would challenge me to a duel if I didn't." "A Knight Prime, eh?" Java had been finding that the Knights had been getting more pushy with his techs ever since they had heard that earth was under siege again. He calmed himself down and even told the tech to relax. "If that Knight Prime come back here looking for his blasters, tell him that he'll find them on the Knight-Captain's Gorgon in Station Ten. And you," Java said turning back to the young tech. "You better make sure that is where he finds them. I want you to get a cargo loader and get these thing back there for installation." Java walked back to the buggy that was still idling. It looked like he wasn't going to get to topside after all. He was ready to hit someone. "Rough day?" The calm voice came from behind Java. He turned to find one of the senior techs and good female friend of his holding out a cup of coffee. The cup he usually carried was how he had gotten the nick name "Java". Tech Commander Hiran McKilion was too much for the tongue any ways. "Howdy, Angel. Well, we've got the Pennant up to 85%, the Knights are getting pushy, and to top it off, the Big-Sir stuck me with this FNG." Java motioned to the new tech or fucking new guy as they knew them. "If that wasn't enough they just announced that the wounded are incoming from the attack this morning." It took a second before Angel realized who Java was talking about. "Go on. I'll handle these nodes until you get back." She said giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Are you sure?" "Do you want me to change my mind?" Java didn't even answer, he just hit the pedal and raced off down the bay. He would have waved as he raced off but with those FNGs around, he was pretty sure that she was already busy with something and wouldn't have seen it. The buggy raced up to the surface of the red planet. The natural sun light was harsh on the eyes, even with full spectrum lights in the bay. Java put on sun glasses as he reached the surface. Noble Point wasn't that big. It was just a small town that convoys sometimes stopped in on their way through Sanai Planum. There wasn't much to the town on the surface. A twenty meter tall wall that ran around the rectangular town to protect from most of the wind and there were just a few small bunker-like-buildings. But what was underground was what had kept this town alive. What had been a mine for lichen-crystal, was now the only Imperial Legion Base in the storm lands. Lucky for Java, there wasn't much wind blowing now. He was pulling up to the main gate just as the search and rescue Osprey was shutting down its engines. The hovercraft settled on the ground as the medical staff raced up to the craft. They lowered the pods off the hovercraft and placed them on service vehicles, just like the buggy he had been riding. The doctors jumped on as it sped off to the med. bay. As the pods wheeled by, Java could see much through the blood smeared window, but he didn't recognize either of the two pilots. He was glad that he hadn't become a herc pilot. It was rare to hear about a herc technician being killed in battle. He walked over to the Osprey pilot, who was waiting for the craft to be fueled. He recognized the pilot, but could remember his name. He wasn't from Noble Point that was sure, Java would have seen him around more often if he was. "So who caused all the commotion?" Java asked as the pilot looked up from the cockpit. "Devil and Blizzard. The hit a grounded ship in the north of Sinia Planum. The ship was carrying an assault force, twenty to thirty Cybrids. They landed in a nasty storm and were forced to stay indoors until it died down. It seems we caught them off guard, or I should say Ice-Lizard did. The explosion she cause, took out a hand full of 'Brids and made easy picking for most of the rest. The Rebels are keeping an eye on the rest of the 'Brids. It seems that the dust bunnies have a second ship pinned down, possibly even grounded. The 'Brids seem to be camping out for now, setting up a makeshift base." "I take it the C&C isn't taking this well?" "Damn straight! The comm lines are buzzing. Command wasn't expecting these guys here for another few months." The pilot turned up the volume on the radio. The channels that were normally quite, were now a frenzy of orders for the units on patrol. Just then there was a call for Oz-25. "Well that's me. I gotta get back out there to bring in the rest of the downed Knights." "So when is Ice-Liz getting back here?" Java asked. Liz was from Noble Point so the pilot wasn't surprised by the question. The Osprey pilot sat silent for a minute and then replied. "Sorry boy, but she's walking with hunter now. She took the worst of it, saving her squad. She might have saved us all. You should be proud to have known her." The pilot gave Java a pat on the back, and then jumped in the hovercraft and closed the canopy. "I am." Java mumbled to himself as he walked away. So what he had heard was true, she was dead. Java walked quietly back to the buggy as the hovercraft kicked up dust as he sped back out of the main gates. Java was left on the concrete alone, feeling as if he had just lost a piece of himself. Status: Unfinished Total Pages: 37 Total Word Count: 22,864 Creation Date: 9/5/98 Outline: Set in the distant future, in a time when civil war divides humanity, and computers called Cybrids threaten its existence, Java, a young technician, find himself with puzzle. As an empire falls and the flames of war burn again, Java discovers that what he has may save humanity... or destroy it. Future Plans and Notes: This story is based in the Starsiege Universe. It was created by some computer games programers, with such titles as Earthsiege, Starsiege, Tribes, and Cyberstorm. I was a membre of the Starsiege Writers' Collective (SSWC) for a couple of years, but as interest in the game died so did my fiction based on it. This is the longest story I have written even though it is not finished. It was also the first of a trilogy. The two other stories are not more then notes right now, but the idea is that each one would complete a piece of the enigma.