Chapter 1: Chapter I

80E 25.X.78
06:23
Six years ago

A heart-rending scream cut through the cold silence of the mountain ranges and immediately drowned in the growing howl of another gust of wind. A body tumbled over the railing and rushed downwards, disappearing into the blizzard. The research station situated in the mountains of Arcturus-221 was destined to witness many more deaths that day, and this was just one of them.

"Excellent shot, kirie!" said the short Martian, addressing the sharpshooter with the generic Union honorificThe title Kirie is used as a respectful way to address a man of superior social status or military rank. .

"It seems that Heka got the first kill," supported the slightly slouching PataliputrianPataliputrians have a striking visual similarity to Earthlings, given that Earthlings are descended from them. with a note of irony in his voice.

"Thanks," replied the lead operator of Uranio ToxoUranio Toxo is an elite counter-terrorism unit that falls under direct control of the Galactic Union's Common Security Council. The unit was formed in 2043 to more effectively combat terrorism throughout the Galaxy by forming a unit consisting of elite special forces operatives from all corners of the Milky Way., Nemeyo Heka, a CentauriateCentauriates are visually similar to Pataliputrians, but tend to have extremely pale skin and unusal eye colours. of forty-two years of age. "As you can see, the vacation had absolutely no effects on my skills." He slung the marksman rifle over his back and picked up a submachine gun, then looked to see if there was any other path taking off of the L-shaped platform they were on. "What do we have ahead, Kalin?"

"If we’re doing everything according to plan," began the MartianMartians are visually similar to Earthlings, but tend to have reddish skin shades and dark, narrow eyes., Kalin Netev, "the Green squadIt is traditionally accepted in the Uranio Toxo forces to name teams as any of the seven colours of the rainbow instead of letters from the Cosmolingua alphabet. is advancing through the floor below. We are currently on the catwalk, in front of us is an entrance to the guard tower. Our task is to infiltrate the negotiations going on in the server rooms, using the backup exit, while the Green squad will ambush at the main entrance to the hall.”

The guard tower in question was a sad old thing made of concrete slabs crudely covered with plaster. Its overall shape resembled that of a traffic control tower, one that you usually see at an aeroport, save for the control room itself being connected to the platform at the upper part of a huge slope and the second floor of the other building. It seemed to be towering over the lower level, desperately holding onto the shoulders of the office structure from one side and the mountain from the other.

"Right. And what's the Red squad preoccupied with?"

"They are busy securing the area around the entire station. Even the Orange squad was dispatched."

"I see. So, they left the most interesting stuff to the Green and Yellow squads."

"I, on the contrary, even like it this way," the Pataliputrian said confidently. "More fighting for us."

"Gerontio, don't swear, don't promise," Heka said in a stern tone. "Our task is not to pick fights, but to quickly approach the position."

"Oh, come on, I was joking..."

The operators walked across the catwalk and stopped at the wall with a door in the middle and two tinted windows on the sides. From beyond the door, a slight hum was barely audible. Gerontio Dehos turned away, evidently demonstrating disinterest. Heka lowered himself closer to the keyhole of this old-fashioned hinged door and caught a bit out of someone's conversation:

"...Of course," one voice said in CosmolinguaCosmolingua is a universal language constructed by the Pataliputrian civilisation. It is used by most humanoid races for communication both in the Galactic Union and outside of it., "they put me here to keep watch from this tower, and yet I can't see a damn thing outside."

"But they gave us some very cool trinkets," the second voice, a little raspier, answered it, "can't miss with these."

"Eh, I wish I were dead rather than sitting here for only Cosmos knows what."

"We're going to die anyway if they don't drag us out before the explosion."

Heka tried to peek in through the keyhole, but it was covered from the inside with a flap meant to reduce draught. He nudged his partner in the shoulder and nodded at the door. Kalin cautiously looked in through the window and said quietly:

"I see two terrorists. Backs towards us. Yes, these guys are well equipped, but their lack of experience clearly shows, they’re not even holding their weapons properly."

"What do you suggest, Gerontio?" Heka asked.

"I suggest letting me in; I'll show you a masterclass.” 

"Kalin?"

"We could use this." Kalin took an explosive door breaching charge out of his pocket.

"Power?"

"Enough to break through this door and even more so."

"Now, then. What do we do as soon as we enter?" Heka asked in a teacher's tone.

"We shoot, of course!" Gerontio replied.

"We shoot, but we do it carefully. You never know if there are civilians in the room. Kalin, set the charge. Use ballistics, go silent."

Heka moved away from the door. Kalin laid the container directly against the keyhole and stuck it to the surface with two sticky lobes. He and Gerontio took up positions on both sides of the entrance; all three put suppressors on their submachine guns. The commanding operator suddenly raised a warning hand.

"EptaAlso "dispatcher", this is Heka," he said into the microphone.

"Epta speaking. Go ahead," immediately sounded on the radio.

"We overheard a conversation the terrorists were having here, they were talking about a possible explosion. Carefully search the entire perimeter for explosives, if possible.

"The Reds haven't found anything yet. The Greens are a little stuck: they are cautious of snipers."

"We'll figure it out. End of communication." Heka looked at his partners and pointed to the door with his palm. "Breach and clear."

Kalin took out the detonator and pressed the button. The contents of the container slammed noisily into the door, forcing it open. The stunned enemies shouted from inside the room. The operators each ran in. Quiet automatic bursts sounded one after another.

"Clear," the Martian reported.

Heka entered the room and saw the result: two bodies in black uniforms were lying motionless on the floor; handmade long-range blasters thrown about next to them.

"Nicely done," he said.

The earpiece rustled.

"Nemeyo?" sounded the excited voice of the Green squad’s leader. "Are you blowing up something up there?"

"We killed two snipers, I think. Were they the ones troubling you?”

"Seems like it, My squadmate saw something suspicious going on in the tower; one can’t be too careful... Forward!" Heka went to the window and saw three operators passing one by one under the watchtower, climbing the fire escape leading to another building. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Heka said with a chuckle, "we're just doing our job... Kalin," he turned to his partner, "check the station plans…"

 

 

Seated high above the clouds, the station’s observatory provided valuable astronomical data and had recently become a testing ground for new communications technology. Earlier this morning, the main headquarters of the counter-terrorist organisation Uranio Toxo received a call about a strange situation: Members of an unidentified force have seized the research station on Arcturus-221According to universal naming systems, an object in a system is represented by first writing the object's system, then three digits that indicate its position in the system. In this case, "Arcturus-221" means that the object is orbiting the star Arcturus and is also the first moon of the second planet in the star system. and demanded negotiations with government representatives. Almost all of the staff were taken hostage, however, the terrorists have not quite explained their intentions. The only thing they said was that "terrible, terrible things will happen if no one listens to us and agrees to our demands." Naturally, heavily armed men should be taken seriously under all circumstances, especially when they openly threaten to shoot their hostages.

Nemeyo Heka had just returned to the department a few hours before that from his month-long vacation, and was almost immediately assigned to the acting team for this operation. He was, of course, somewhat surprised, because he expected to continue working at the Uranio Toxo academy. He was the chief instructor there and trained operators extensively. To Heka's question, "Shouldn't I have remained at the Academy?" the deputy director answered ambiguously:

“We need individuals with the ability to assess the situation wisely and make the right decisions.”

“Why me? At least a quarter of all Uranio Toxo employees have this ability.”

“Heka, you were recommended and consistently elected by the Council General Security Council of the Galactic Union. That's all.”

“Since when does the Council decide how UT conducts its own operations? I thought our organisation is run by a collective of Sectors, not the Galactic Union.”

“Come on, don’t be so pedantic. You were offered the post of dispatcher for a very specific reason.”

“I refused to be an Epta member because I don't want to work an office job half the time. I want to do actual business. And pedantry, on the contrary, is actually necessary for any UT operator…”

 

 

Heka arrived at his destination much later than the other operators. He was dropped off on a transport vessel to the helipad at the aforementioned station. He immediately went down the bridge to the control room, where he met the members of the preparation platoon, as well as the acting squads. A Union police officer, Lieutenant Morios, studied the station plans with other UT operators and regularly communicated with the command office via a computer. The lieutenant was pretty much the only person here to be wearing an official suit and no military gear. As everyone exchanged greetings, Isio Alkmayon, a seasoned lead operator, began the briefing for the newcomer:

“So. Our boys up there are having a shouting match with one of the terrorists, and he seems really pushy about having a meeting with a representative as soon as possible. Now, that representative will be played by Lieutenant Morios here. You might already know what’s really going on. These negotiations are nothing more than a ruse. Doesn’t matter what they’re going to be discussing there, Kr.Same thing as 'kirie'. Anthimo Morios will try to stall them for as long as possible while we prepare for an assault at the main observatory building. I lead the Green squad, you lead the Yellow one. We will make our way through the front entrance while you sneak through the emergency exit. As soon as we receive a confirmation signal from the dispatcher — we act fast and rescue the hostages.”

“What if they suddenly decide to stop negotiating a little too early?”

“You can count on me,” the lieutenant said. “I’m one of the best negotiators the police force has to offer, I’ve got enough experience and rhetoric skills.”

“I believe you, kirie,” Heka said immediately and nodded.

    The Yellow squad moved down one floor under the main platform and used the small bridge to enter the maintenance rooms. At that moment lieutenant Morios exited the safezone onto the platform, was swiftly taken into custody (at gunpoint) by that shouty terrorist and escorted inside the facility. Taking advantage of the fact there was no one left to guard the platform, the Green squad quickly ran across to the cargo hangar     leading further into the building. That was when the two teams separated; after that they crossed paths at the aforementioned guard tower…

 

 

“Kalin," Heka turned to his partner, "check the station plans…"

“Passing along the corridor just ahead of us, we will get to the electrical maintenance department connected to the main office space. We'll have to go down outside in front of the observatory building, go around it and enter from the back door.”

“Alright. We are nearing our goal. Follow me. Keep your fire dampers on.”

The operators cautiously walked down the corridor, continuously aiming out the windows with their guns, until Heka pressed the handle at the opposite door. He stepped onto a metal staircase leading down into a tall, dark room, dimly lit by LEDs of electric panels and other devices. Gerontio, who was coming right after Heka, slipped off the top rung and fell onto his leader. Kalin grabbed his teammate by the collar of his vest, while Heka nearly fell down the stairs himself.

“Dehos!” the instructor called out in a constrained tone, miraculously managing to keep his balance. Having Heka call out someone by the last name never boded well. “Put on your night vision device! You’ll murder us before your favourite fights happen!”

The Pataliputrian huffed in response, but still lowered his NVD onto his eyes. The squad quietly moved down and came out into a small alleyway between the two buildings. The blizzard howled, wind gusts repeatedly reflecting off the concrete walls. Just ahead of them the path carved in the mountain curved to the right, ringing around the observatory building, with massive but smooth stone railings keeping everyone who passes safe.

Heka told his comrades to stand behind him and looked around the corner. As the thin path widened and eventually turned into some sort of a road that forked downward as well as forward, there was a turnpike put down a couple metres away from the fork. The turnpike had a big white banner attached to it with blue text in some Arcturian language that probably informed the drivers of “no entry”. Right behind that banner stood two terrorists with their weaponry on their backs. They were looking down at the beautiful scenery visible from the mountaintops, casually smoking and chit-chatting.

“If only they knew it would be their last,” the Pataliputrian whispered, taking a quick peek.

“Gerontio, surprise me with something novel,” Heka said.

“When our view of the target is obstructed,” Dehos started, as if reading out of a textbook, “we may approximate its shape, location and fire, penetrating through thin materials such as wood, metal sheets, cardboard, plaster and so on.”

“Correct. Ninety-two points for memory.”

As the operators snickered, Heka took out his sidearm, attached a suppressor to it and quickly delivered the final verdict to both enemies using just his left hand, being himself right-handed.

“Fascinating work, mate!” Kalin exclaimed in surprise.

“I amaze myself sometimes, too. Come on, come on, there’s no time to lose.”

The Yellow squad immediately ran forward. Passing under the arch, they entered a small garage, where there was a door leading to the storage room. The door was also, like all the others, an old-fashioned hinge-door.

“There's a gap here," Gerontio whispered, running his finger along the door frame. There was a visible distance between the frame and the door.

Heka removed a portable camera from his helmet. Each operator had such a camera: It was, in essence, a small tube, usually attached to the helmet at the left temple, connecting to the team members’ visor displays via radio waves. So the operators knew when and where their partners were and what they were seeing..

“Right,” said the leader of the squad, “I’m going to assign you targets, if there are any.”

Heka pushed the camera through the aforementioned gap between the door and the frame. The storage was a relatively small square-shaped room filled with shelves full of crates and cardboard boxes. Turning the camera tube left and right, Heka found that three terrorists were patrolling the area.

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“Three enemies,” he stated to his partners, “poorly equipped, but armed with blasters. Entering, disperse to the sides. Aim carefully, it’s dark.” Attaching the camera back to the helmet, he gave out the order: “Breach and clear.”

The charge tore the door off the hinges, knocking down a terrorist passing in front of it. The operators, taking advantage of the moment, slipped inside one by one and began shooting at their opponents..

“Clear,” Kalin reported, as usual.

“Flawless, right?”  Gerontio said with pathos, carelessly throwing an empty magazine into the corner.

"You can always do better…" Heka began.

“I did it perfectly!” the operator interrupted. “I’m in the zone, I can feel it.”

“Good. Remember what I taught you. This is your team. In the field, we are all family. Trust each other above all else. We work together and protect each other. Let everything else go.”

“Aye, kirie!” the Martian blurted out.

The Centauriate peered cautiously out into the corridor the storage room connected to. On the right, the path ended with a reinforced metal door, two wooden ones on either side of it. On the left was a staircase leading up. There was also a sign on the wall with an arrow pointing exactly there. The sign itself depicted rectangles with a radio signal sign above them. Since no one in the team knew any Arcturian languages, Heka just assumed that the stairs led to the server rooms. He called up his squadmates over and moved up the metal steps. Going upstairs, the squad found themselves in front of a double door. The only thing that somewhat discouraged the leader was an improvised explosive installed in the place where the doors touched.

“Bloody hell, door’s wired," Heka exclaimed. “Gerontio, neutralise the bomb.”

The operator went to the explosive, but suddenly looked at his instructor:

"I'd rather you two didn't look over my shoulder, I need to concentrate.”

"Great," the leading operator replied, slightly annoyed, but still took a couple of steps back.

Gerontio worked around with the bomb's wires, casually dropping a comment on how poorly assembled it was, and then removed it from the doors. He put his ear to the gap and said:

“I hear voices. I think we're here.”

“Epta, this is Heka,” the leader immediately reported on the radio. “We're at our destination. Getting into position. Waiting for your signal.”

"Excellent," the dispatcher’s voice replied. “The Green squad is still moving. The server room is located higher relative to the observatory; nobody will see you through the windows from below. Take your firing positions, wait and don’t act out. End of communication.”

"We enter quietly and wait for command," Heka told his partners, even though they could hear everything themselves.

"Why don't we do it all ourselves?"  Gerontio asked.

“Orders. We shoot only on command…"

Pushing open the doors, they entered. The L-shaped server room was indeed situated about five metres above the observatory floor, having a foldable staircase that was conveniently lowered at the moment. The room didn’t look like anything spectacular, simply supercomputers put in rows one after another with a small corridor of space near the windows. Said windows were also angled. The lights were off, so the squad found it easier to sneak around. Heka carefully raised his head just enough to see the interrogation scene in progress.

    There were four terrorists sitting in the shady corners of the observatory, obstructed from view by the giant telescope in the middle of the room. Two other criminals stood in front of the windows, just a little below where the Yellow squad was positioned. One of the terrorists periodically aimed his ballistic rifle menacingly at the hostages lying on the floor with their hands behind on their heads. The other was in an active discussion with none other than “the best negotiator” of the police force. The terrorists seemed pretty relaxed, barely holding their weapons on guard — perfect setup for the assault.

 

“...But now,” Lieutenant Morios spoke in a very calming tone, “the Union knows you’re here and knows what you’ve been trying to solve…”

 

“Permission to fire?” Gerontio asked nervously.

“Negative. Wait for the Greens,” Heka answered, starting to grow increasingly more irritated at his squadmate.

 

“...You’re forcing them to make changes,” the negotiator went on. “That’s why you’re here, right?”

“Yes!” replied one of the criminals in an unusually high-pitched voice.

“So right now, you’ve got the upper hand. You’ve got a valid reason to be angry! You can still be seen as the good guys here. I want you to be the good guys!”

“We are!” the ‘good guy’ in question said.

“Exactly. If you hurt these people — all that changes. Why don’t we…”

 

“Fuck it!” Gerontio uttered and cocked his gun.

80E 25.X.78
17:48

“...Then the terrorist panicked and he shot the lieutenant in the chest. By the time we took them all out and rescued the hostages, Morios had bled out… I should have acted quicker, I know.”

“It’s not your fault, Instructor. You’ve done a great job.”

Heka was surprised to hear this from Stelara Polia, the director of Uranio Toxo, knowing how stern she usually was about completing every assignment with utmost precision.

“How could I have done a great job when a civilian… a police officer died because of my recklessness?”

Polia walked to her desk, opened a drawer and took out two ceramic cups. She head over to a table in the corner of the office with a coffee maker and other utensils, then looked at Heka and spoke in a calm tone:

“Look, there’s nothing wrong with your work, Nemeyo. You don’t have to worry about it, although it sure is a damn shame… actually, that’s an understatement, it’s terrible that a Union officer had to go. Seeing how much you despise the police, I’ll assume you had a close connection with Anthimo at some point... Right? Have some coffee.”

“It’s not a matter of who’s my friend or not. I did not know this man before today and I don’t care who he was, what I cared for is protecting his life, just like the lives of the personnel taken hostage.”

 

“You know, I really like your… pizzazz, maybe?” Polia made an uncertain gesture with her hand before pouring herself and Heka a cup. “You’re repeating my exact thoughts. Because it is our job, after all, to, you know… we’re a shield, we’re supposed to keep peace… and the rest of that patriotic and humanistic crap.”

 

“You can not be so…”

 

“Apathetic, I know. I’m just too sick to care about anything right now. When’s the last time you saw me in public instead of my deputy?” The director stopped to drink her coffee. Heka put his cup away entirely.

 

He looked at Polia and recalled how she suffered several strokes just days after being first appointed director. It’s been three years since then, and she hasn’t engaged in the UT work save for checking office reports periodically so as not to risk relapsing. She was a completely different person now compared to the woman he worked with when he first joined the force. Her face was white and thin. Once pretty and wavy, her brown hair now looked badly unkempt, constantly tied in a ponytail. If Heka didn’t know better, he’d have assumed she suddenly turned sixty, even though Polia was barely in her mid-forties.

“I’m worried for your health,” he said. “Why do you persist in keeping this kind of job? Stelara, you could retire any time, you have a valid medical reason.”

"Because nobody else is either willing or qualified enough to sit in an office all day and coordinate the work of the department."

She laughed and went back to her desk.

“You need to stop worrying about things too much, Heka. You’re turning grey from all the stress.”

Heka nervously looked into the rectangular mirror on the wall beside him and saw small silver strands beginning to fade into his hair and beard.

“Fucking hell…” he breathed out.

“Yeah, it’ll soon be the colour of your skin.”

Heka turned back to look at Polia and felt weirdly disconnected from her. Thinking that he should not remain here any longer, he pressed a button on the wall, opening the sliding glass door of the director’s office.

“Alright. If you don’t need me here anymore, I’ll probably… head back to the Academy... Our young operators have some exams to pass.”

“Actually, I’m gonna ask you to stay, Heka. There’s something else.”

“I’m listening.” The instructor pushed the button again as the door closed again.

“Isio Alkmayon is preparing to head out to the Sol system. There has been a great deal of contraband smuggling and trading between the planets of Sol-311Sol-311 is the universal name of planet Earth. and Sol-411Sol-411 is the universal name of planet Mars., leading further into the rest of Sector 8. Apparently, these contrabandists are taking advantage of the fact that Earth has only recently entered the Galactic Union and isn’t too stocked with, you know, the usual Union security measures. At least that’s what Alkmayon got from his reconnaissance team. Before you ask why we don’t plan to notify the Union police, we suspect it might be connected to Ankarama Oseye…”

“And the reason a terrorist ringleader from Sector 2 wants to do something in Sector 8 is because it’s too far away from the main area of influence.”

“Yes, precisely, and…”

“And the contraband is likely illegal firearm trade, drugs or weapons of mass destruction. Do you think it’s connected with the rise of extreme nationalist activity in the Malion system? Kalin Netev has been studying that for a while.”

“You’re damn smart as ever, Nemeyo. That’s exactly what Alkmayon’s men suspect. And so do we. I’ll have them prepare one big coherent report and you’ll read it tomorrow. The infiltration is planned for next week. Do you think you can pick and form a proper operation squad by then?”

Heka lowered his eyebrows and nodded.

“I’m on it.”

 

When Heka left the office, he encountered Gerontio Dehos in the hall. He looked worried, and as he saw Heka his eyes fired up with aspiration. The instructor looked around the empty, dimly-lit hall and said:

“Wow, Gerontio. I didn’t know you started doing night shifts, you usually get home by an hour ago. What’s your deal?”

“So, am I… relieved of duty? Because, like… the lieutenant died, because of my…”

“I’ve had a conversation with the director and seven other Epta members. It was hard, but we managed to convince Polia to give you another chance.”

“Oh, thank Cosmos…”

“You do realise that your behaviour is way over the top, right? I’m tired right now, but I really hope you will analyse what went wrong today and draw some conclusions so that a similar situation never happens again. You endangered the lives of everyone in that room, and having one casualty in this case was nothing short of a miracle. So, for now, I’m telling you: please follow orders. You must. We always work as a team, and your squad leader knows best what to do. Do not act out, you shouldn’t have to prove anything to anyone, much less yourself. Nobody is better or worse than you. Gerontio, seriously, have some sense of duty, or you will be relieved of it.”

“I will, I’m sorry… Tell me, did the hag truly want me out, or was it just for show?”

Heka looked at Gerontio for a long time, before lashing out:

“Stand up straight! Who do you think you’re speaking to like that? I may be always informal and friendly with you, but you need to know your fucking limits, Dehos! This is how you talk about your superiors after they’ve spent hours deciding whether to kick you out or keep you in the trash disposal facility?! You seem to not have enough respect for anybody, so why do you imagine you deserve it?! Now piss off and go home already, cause some trouble to your family, since you don’t see anyone even as a colleague, much less a friend. Worthless fucking showoff.”

The instructor shoved the operator out of the way and went about his business, leaving the latter looking after him in shock, disbelief and with a faint sense of betrayal somewhere deep within.

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