Prologue

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Dr. Martin Luther King

 

^{Stardate 34, Year 2563}

^{Leopold IV}

Chief Warrant Officer Finnegan Pearce was sweating. His dark brown locks damp against his forehead, he scrubbed the sweat from his blue eyes. The large oval briefing room he was crammed into with hundreds of other pilots was stifling hot, its concentric rows of ringed seating depressed downwards into the middle of the room where a raised podium was staged. Blank holo screens floated around the room, ready to display vital information when called to. ‘I swear they do this shit as mental torture to make sure we’re "in the game" or some stupid shit like that,’ Finn thought to himself.

‘Leopold IV is a water planet with a dangerous atmosphere,’ an aide droned on from the podium. ‘Atmospheric lighting can be deadly if caught in, so stay away from large cloud structures. Heavy rain could be present, which will limit visibility and depending on the gasses present can freeze sections of your ship midflight, which could have disastrous consequences.’

From behind the droning aid, an officer stepped forward and raised a hand towards the aide, cutting them off. He was an imposing man with hawklike features upon skin as dark as coal with short cropped black hair that was kept neat by an officer’s beret. Five chevrons adorned each of his shoulders, along with many ranks, insignias, and medals shining as they caught light from around the room. ‘Thank you for the assessment of the alien surface. We have run out of time and must move on to tactical matters. Please have a seat.’ The officer paused briefly before continuing, waiting for the aide to reach their seat.

‘Aviators, my name is Admiral Ulysses Cain,’ he said as a gasp ran through the crowd. ‘I will be your Commanding Officer for this mission, leading all aerial and ground force attack elements. To be successful in this mission, we must work as a team, and we must work fast.’

The room went into a tizzy; Admiral Ulysses Cain was a man of myth and legend. ‘He served 4 tours in the Exodus Cluster during some of the most brutal conflict in the last several hundred years of human existence, they better be fucking impressed,’ Finn thought to himself. ‘He’s seen more direct combat and combat leadership operations than anyone else alive in the Terran High Command. The man is a myth to most, a walking and talking legend to everyone else.’

Straightening his broad shoulders, General Cain raised a hand to quiet the room. ‘Alright, let’s get started, we don’t have a lot of time. Leopold IV is a vital asset to the Terran High Command as well as to the Galactic National Command at large. It is one of the largest Hydrogen mining outposts supplying military operations in this sector of the galaxy and is only reachable from local space by wormhole due to how far away it is,’ he said in a strict no-bullshit tone. ‘As of 0400 yesterday morning, it is officially under insurgent control. Intel reports state that they have butchered the security forces protecting the main refinery complex and all its working inhabitants. High Command understands how big of an asset Leopold IV is to them, but also how dangerous it is in enemy hands. Our main mission objective is to regain control of the refinery at all costs. If the refinery cannot be disabled, as a last resort it is to be strategically imploded, keeping the damage isolated to the platform.’

The room was silent for several moments as Cain stopped talking, surveying the assembled pilots, squad leaders and officers. ‘This is a danger close mission. Diversions will be created by ground forces outside the refinery, giving drop ships time to get into position to deploy,’ Cain said. ‘Drop ships will be escorted by gunships, who will perform defensive roles unless called into action.’

 ‘Marine fireteams will jump from their respective drop ships and glide to their ping locations to place their explosives. Once completed, Fireteams are to get back airborne and redeploy as required. We will only blow the munitions as a last resort.’

‘What will our support be like Admiral?’ called out a pilot from across the room.

‘I’ll be honest, it won’t be great. This is a ground force operation only as intel shows the insurgents have no naval capability and the system is clear of any kind of additional naval threat. Due to this, we are travelling with only a light escort,’ replied General Cain. ‘We will have dropships and gunships as explained to provide air support planet side and that’s it.’

‘Are we expecting trouble from the habitat pods?’ asked another pilot nearer to the front rows.

‘That is a negative. We are not expecting resistance of any kind outside of the core refinery structure, which will be minor,’ General Cain said. ‘If a threat arises from outside of the refinery, Gunships will defend ground operations.’

‘If there’s no threat in space and little threat from the surface…’ muttered Finnegan, confused before raising his voice. ‘Pardon my frankness Sir, but this doesn’t seem an effective use of tactics. If we have the tactical advantage from orbit, why are we not launching a targeted missile strike from space? Why go through so much effort of a ground assault when the objective is to disable the refinery?’

There was a murmur through the crowd again and General Cain gave Finnegan a dark look, his brows furrowed.

‘If an orbital strike hits encounters variation in its descent trajectory somehow, there is a possibility that a stray munition could strike the hydrogen fuel storage. If this were to happen, it would set off a chain reaction that would end up incinerating the entire surface of Leopold IV, making it a huge financial and strategic waste of resources an endangering any life on the planet,’ a Troidactin officer interrupted from the side of the podium in a dry condescending tone. ‘Due to this, we are sending in Fireteam Bravo to gain access to the facilities control mainframe to blow the emergency release for the hydrogen storage facility, emptying their contents back into the ocean. Additionally, our intel is sound, from reliable and current sources, which are well trusted.’

‘We seem to be throwing bones on intel that seems shaky,’ Finn muttered under his breath. Pilots near him eyed him askance.

‘Listen here, Pilot,’ the officer said harshly. ‘This is the mission. If you need to be relieved of duty, see yourself to the brig. Otherwise, this is my ship and I make the calls.’

Cain’s mouth tightened. ‘Pilots, this is Rear Admiral Thibbeus Codec, Commander of the Dawn Corps Battlegroup and Captain of their flagship, the HMS Emissary.’ Finnegan groaned. ‘He is providing naval and transportation support for this mission,’ intervened Admiral Cain, giving Finnegan the eye. ‘The system has been scouted thoroughly by our own people. We know the system is empty and we know that there is no force on the surface that can do any effective damage against us in space.’

‘Sir-,’started Finnegan.

‘That’s enough, Chief Warrant Officer Pearce,’ Admiral Cain interrupted. Rear Admiral Codec’s eyes were locked on him, his gaze intense and scrutinizing. ‘We have our orders. Soldiers follow orders. Let’s get to work.’

Admiral Cain gave a salute to the assembled crowd and turned heel off the platform towards an exit door. Pilots belatedly saluted to Cain’s back and got up from their seats with speed. Finnegan rose to follow, perturbed. He knew was being obnoxious, but this didn’t sound right, and Cain had to be able to see that.

‘So why play blind?’ Finn thought to himself.

*

‘Gunship HAVOC, come in. I repeat, Gunship HAVOC, come in’ an urgent voice came over the comm’s system.

Finn started and grabbed at the mic. ‘This is HAVOC, I hear you loud and clear command. Orders?’ he asked expectantly. Drawing a breath, he depressed the button. He was anxious to get into things; he had been holding in the staging grounds waiting for further orders for what seemed like hours since the start of offensive operations.

‘HAVOC; This is General Ulysses Cain. We have a special operation mission that requires immediate attention; coordinates should be on your screen nav screen now. Bravo Teams Drop Ship was hit and knocked off course, crashing 10 klicks south of the original drop point. We need you to get in there, rescue Bravo Team and give them flight and fire support for their mission. This is of the utmost importance as Bravo team has explosives meant to destroy a nearby powerplant that powers the main shield generator network. Once the powerplant is destroyed you will escort, and aid Bravo Team as commanded to bring them home.’ Cain explained, his voice tight. There was none of the usual candor there, his words spoken without expression.

‘Something is wrong,’ Finn thought to himself. He surveyed the navigation screen on the dashboard in front of him.

‘I see the coordinates, Command. Orders received. Any other intel needed for the mission?’ Finnegan asked.

There was a pause before the radio ticked again. ‘Negative.’

‘Gunship HAVOC enroute, over,’ replied Finnegan and shook his head. ‘Don’t overthink it man, we got work to do,’ he told himself. ‘Time to do God’s work.’

Plugging in coordinate and entry information, Finn gave a hard twist on the stick and jammed the throttle forward, diving hard towards the planet below. His crew in the cockpit with him held onto their controls and gave him a unified dirty look. ‘A warning would have been nice, Chief,’ came their jeers.

Finn smiled slightly but kept his focus on the ship’s controls. ‘Private Jensen, open a secure channel to Bravo Team please,’ he called over his shoulder without looking behind him.

‘Bravo Team, this is Chief Warrant Officer Finnegan Pearce of Gunship Havoc. We are T-Minus 2 minutes until arrival at rendezvous point. Please advise on current engagement and landing capabilities,’ Finn called out over the comm system. Havoc was now entering the atmosphere, clouds streak past the cockpit windows. Far below were flashes and bright pops of light from the ground engagement, the details shrouded in hazy smoke from burning buildings.

The comm’s came back empty. ‘Jensen, are you sure you’ve contacted the correct ping?’ Finn asked impatiently.

‘Sir, yes Sir,’ came the response from Jensen. ‘I’m positive Sir. There is something in the atmosphere that is interfering with our radio communications; I’m still trying to reach them but it’s hitting a wall. It’s almost like we’re jammed, but we just got here so that’s impossible.’

‘Captain Adelard, this is Gunship Havoc, come in,’ Finn called over the comm system again. He was starting to get nervous.

There was a heavy static noise and a loud bang over the comm’s. ‘HAVOC, this is Lance Corporal Ohno, Captain Adelard is dead.’ Communication was cut out by another loud bang and the sound of falling dirt. ‘We are under heavy fire on the uppermost floors of the evac point. The enemy is attacking from an adjacent building, south-southwest of us. They have surface to air missiles within their armament, be wary.’

Swearing under this breath, Finn thought hard, stick still firmly pushed down. ‘Understood Lance Corporal. As we both know this is a limited time scope mission and we are running late to the party,’ Finnegan said. ‘We need to get creative.’ Behind him, his crew groaned. ‘If there is a large enough distraction, we can strafe the building as we pass in front and drop them a surprise. In doing so, we can lower the landing ramps for your team to drop down to and then bug out. It’s tricky, there’s a small chance of success, but given the circumstances we don’t have a lot of options right now, unless you have any suggestions?’

Finnegans comments and questions were met with brief silence before Ohno’s voice came back over then mic ‘I wish we had better options HAVOC, I don’t like your plan – it’s batshit crazy and likely to kill us all, but we’re pinned here and can’t move. We have wounded and one dead to transport. Have your crew ready to aid in loading and keep those cannons rolling. I can create a large enough distraction if I have cover. Ohno, over and out.’

HAVOC finally dropped through the cloud cover and the refinery community could be seen clearly below. Tall industrial buildings dominated the landscape inside the shield generator, wiring and communication arrays hanging between buildings everywhere.

Sighting the rendezvous point in the distance, Finnegan turned his head to the side. ‘Get ready ladies and gents’, we’re going in hot! Jensen, keep open lines with Bravo Team. Roberts, Yussuf keep those guns ready and watch for enemy contact. We don’t need rogue elements getting involved.’

‘Aye, Sir,’ came the unified response.

Havoc screamed down through the shield, winding adeptly through the buildings at speed. ‘Weapons Hot,’ Finn yelled as he jammed the throttle back and yanked the stick hard right as they swept around the side of their target building. Sections of wall on several floors had been blown open from crossfire and hastily thrown together defensive structures could be seen in several spots. Sudden movement alerted Finn to incoming fire and even as he moved to react, HAVOC’s rotary cannon turrets erupted in a flurry of fire, showering the front side of the building in a hail of bullets.

Suddenly the radar blipped, and a missile plume streaked past the cockpit windows and into the adjacent building. ‘A fucking RPG,' Finn thought to himself, his jaw falling open. ‘You crazy fuck!’ he yelled over the comms as several floors of the building collapsed. Frantically, Finnegan piloted the ship backwards, throwing the controls for the rear landing ramp.

‘Jensen, Yussuf – get back there to help! Roberts, you and I are on guns. These guys better hurry, we’re sitting ducks in front of a fucking falling building,’ he said as he wiped sweat from his brow. ‘And you guys thought I was crazy.’

The mechanical whine of the rotary cannon increased as Finnegan depressed the trigger on the stick. Like a hailstorm of lead, HAVOC’s cannon fire finished tearing open the holes in the wall of the building in front of them, blowing away any cover the insurgents had.

The ship jumped as something impacted the rear, dragging it down. ‘What the fuck was that?’ yelled Finn, reefing on the controls as he tried to right the ship.

‘Sir, the Marines have started arriving. Uhm, Sir? … You should come here,’ Jensen said breathlessly.

Damnit. ‘I’ll be right there. Do we have the team and the payload on board yet?’ Finn asked. There was a split second delay before an affirmative answer came back. ‘Good, hold on to your knickers, we’re getting out of here.’ Finn pulled up on the controls, setting a course for the next drop point. ‘Roberts, keep us out of sight on our way. I don’t want any more surprises today.’

‘Aye, Chief,’ came the typical response.

Finnegan unbuckled and got up from the seat, stretching his body as he went. He had been sitting for hours in the cockpit waiting for orders and his body was restless. He grabbed his uniform jacket and threw it on before heading through the bulkhead doors and into the cargo hold.

Jensen was at the far end of the hold helping with the wounded, the ramp door finally closed. There were few people with enough strength to stand upright, with many of the marines either dead or gravely wounded. Noticing that he was there, Jensen hopped up and walked over.

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‘Chief, this team is torn apart. Only their second in command is in combat fighting shape. Ohno is a real beast, but he can’t do this alone,’ Jensen said. ‘Respectfully Sir, I think we need to rethink our course of action. We can’t send a solo man to do a team’s work, it would be suicide.’

Ohno got up from the floor and stood up, his seven foot tall frame, orange skin and curved ears setting him apart from his human companions. ‘Beast indeed. A Hobgoblin!’ Finn thought to himself. ‘You’re not what I expected Lance Corporal, but welcome aboard none-the-less’ as he reached out an arm.

Clasping wrists, Ohno shook his head in disbelief. ‘That was some damn good flying, Chief. Thanks for the assist on this. Lance Corporal Nobu Ohno of the 152^nd Regiment at your service. Everyone calls me Dapper’ he said smiling. He wore ornate combat armor, styled after his hobgoblin heritage, and carried an assortment of weapons that were both traditional and absurd. His jump pack harness lay discarded on the floor beside him, making popping noises as it cooled. ‘As you could see we couldn’t get them off our ass long enough to use that rocket until we had a big enough distraction. The captain didn’t believe that and didn’t want to wait for help to arrive, so he kept running guys downstairs to ferret out poke holes and weed out the enemy.’

He shook his head angrily, ‘When nobody came back, we collapsed the stairwell to protect the munitions. He lost his mind and ran to the edge of the floor firing at anything moving across the way in the other building. He lasted seconds before a bullet took him in the chest and he toppled over the edge.’

Finnegan grimaced. That was bad business.

‘My apologies for your losses Dapper. I hate to be blunt, but shouldn’t this area be largely militant free?’ Finnegan said, thinking back to the briefing with his lips pursed in confusion. ‘You make it sound like the enemy was prepared for you to be here.’

Dapper shrugged his massive shoulders. ‘It seemed that way, yes. There shouldn’t have been anyone here, with the civilians having fled when the attack first happened. We ourselves weren’t even supposed to be here, that’s what makes this the most fucked up.’

‘Alright. We have a problem, and then we have more problems. But we can only deal with one at a time and the most important one is blowing up that powerplant. Instead of a full team, we have you. Now what?’ Finnegan asked, pacing the cargo room floor.

‘Chief, I think I have an idea actually,’ Jensen said as she walked over to a workstation alongside the wall. She input a string of commands and up came a view of the generator station on the display screen. ‘We know that we are going deeper into hostile territory, so instead of trying to not get noticed, why not do the exact opposite? Why not go full speed in, guns blazing? As soon as we get there, Dapper can jump down just as he jumped on, and we can fly a sortie around the building if there are defensive emplacements. If we have to bug out and change attack patterns, we can because we’re moving with speed. It’s getting Lance Corporal Ohno back on board again that I’m worried about.’

Finnegan stood in shock. ‘Wait. That’s your idea? That’s always my idea. That’s the idea you always say no to,’ he said in exasperation. He looked at Dapper ‘You tell her too! This is crazy.’

‘I think it’s great! I’m as crazy as they come, so with your permission Chief… Chop chop?’ Dapper chuckled.

‘For the love of…’ Finnegan muttered under his breath. ‘OKAY, for fuck sakes. Let’s do this. Be ready to go, we’re going to be pushing the limits on this flyby,’ he said as he turned around and headed back for the bulkhead doors. The ship jerked hard, and he lost his balance. Loud explosive bangs could be heard rocking outside of the ship. Swearing again, he ran through the bulkhead doors towards the cockpit.

‘What the hell is going on up here, Roberts?’ he yelled.

‘Sir, evasive maneuvers! Buckle in, we’re under attack. We are under a klick away from the generator and the radar screen was clear. Then these guys came out of nowhere. We haven’t been hit yet, but they seem to have SAM support from the ground as well,’ Roberts yelled at him hurriedly, pulling on the controls as the ship canted from side to side as he dodged incoming attacks. ‘Fuuuuucck! Launching Chaff!’

Loud explosions could be heard outside the ship again as Finn jumped down into his chair, buckling in. He took a moment to observe the viewscreen and orient himself. ‘Status report!’ he said as he took control of the stick and dove to the surface.

‘Weapons nominal. Defensive systems nominal. Low chaff ammunition,’ came the reply from Roberts.

Seconds later, Yussuf piped in ‘Structural integrity good, we haven’t taken any major damage, but it won’t take long for a direct hit with this much traffic against us. We need something to draw their attention off us.’

‘Open a comm link to Command,’ ordered Finnegan.

‘Sir, we currently have no communication with command. The interference is growing heavier the closer we get to the generator station. We are flying blind,’ Jensen said she came back to the cockpit. She wiped her hands on a bloody towel as she sat down at her station.

‘Sir, the powerplant is in view now. Under a klick away,’ came the call from Roberts.

Finnegan looked up through the cockpit windows. Ahead and closing fast stood the powerplant, its large central tower laden with large antenna arrays connected by wires from the generator tower to collecting buildings scattered around the base. There was heavy activity on the ground and within seconds of being seen, the thump of surface to air missile arrays could be felt through the hull.

‘Launching chaff,’ yelled Roberts again.

‘Fuck! Ok. Change in plans, we’re blowing the tip off the array itself but we’re going to be wide open. Prepare missile tubes one through four!’ ordered Finnegan. ‘What the fuck are missile installations doing here? Those were definitely NOT in the briefing.’

‘Preparing missile tubes one through four,’ came the unanimous response.

Dapper came through the bulkhead doors, sitting in an unoccupied seat that barely fit him. ‘Chief, why aren’t we,’– the words got cut off as the ship twisted and rolled in evasive maneuvers.

‘Two bogeys on our six,’ Roberts screamed out.

‘What can I do?’ asked Dapper as he sat down and buckled in.

‘Sit down and let me work,’ Finnegan shouted as he jammed the controls left and right. The central tower was almost within firing range. ‘Almost there.’

‘Sir, I’m getting some really messed up readings right now. There is a huge energy surge coming from space,’ Jensen said as HAVOC entered firing range.

‘MISSION ABORT! All ships are to fall back to the HMS Emissary at once. Launch all fighters and prepare for imminent attack,’ could be heard over com’s, coming from The Emissary. It was General Cain.

‘Fuck, fuck, fuck,’ yelled Finnegan as he yanked the stick again, pulling off course. ‘Jensen, engage scramjet and get us the fuck out of here! Everyone strap in!’

‘Sir, we’re still within the city limits!’ Jensen warned.

‘NOW!’ yelled Finnegan.

With a loud sonic boom, the scramjet kicked in, hurtling the Havoc towards space, leaving their pursuers and approaching missiles in the dust that billowed behind them as they climbed through the air. Minutes passed with little communication coming from the team as everyone held on to the shaking ship. It was dangerous to engage a fusion drive in atmosphere as low as they did, but it was their only chance to escape the incoming surface to air missiles with the chaff ammo so low.

‘I thought there was supposed to be light resistance – not goddamn SAM arrays, enemy gunships and a naval battle’, Finnegan growled, his mind racing as he tried to piece invisible puzzle pieces together, none of it making any sense. ‘What the hell is going on? None of this was in the mission briefing.’

The scramjets stopped their exit burn and the ship stopped shaking as the blackness of space appeared through the cockpit windows. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they scanned space ahead of them for their escort and ride home. The HMS Emissary resembled an angry beehive, with hundreds of fighters surrounding it and more pouring out of the hangar bays that dotted its entire surface. It’s escort, comprised of two destroyers, flanked either side.

From behind the naval blockade, a massive white light exploded from the nothingness of space, streaking into the HMS Emissary. It ripped into the capital ship, sending explosions across the length of its hull. Alarm bells swam over HAVOC’s cockpit as the crew cried out in shock.

Space and time seemed to halt.

‘This is acting Rear Admiral Thomas Brown. I authorize all personnel on board the HMS Emissary to abandon ship. All ships retreat to rendezvous point ZULU,’ came a patchy transmission over the radio.

As the explosions intensified, the HMS Emissary broke apart in orbit above Leopold IV.

* *

^{Stardate 197, Year 2563}

^{Arlington, Virginia. Earth}

Fields of green grass swayed in the gentle breeze, stretching as far as the eye could see in every direction. Rows of tombstones lay in precise order, hemmed in by clusters of massive trees that dotted the landscape, organizing the greenery into columns and giving visitors a chance of shade on warmer days. Far in the distance, burial tombs and memorials stood out in recognition of their intombed while the Potomac River surged beyond.

Ahead of him was a sealed tomb meant to honor General Ulysses Cain, Rear Admiral Thibbeus Codec and the crew of the HMS Emissary. It rose several meters in the air, with ornate carvings detailing the names of those it was memorizing. It had been weeks since the event that took place in space around Leopold IV and he still shook with confusion. And anger. ‘There was something wrong, and they knew it. I could see it in his eyes! Why didn’t he say something? Why?’

Finnegan took a deep calming breath, the smell of dirt, of wet grass and real oxygen tickling at his nose. It had been seven years since he had been to Earth and although he missed it, he didn’t want to be here. He shuffled his feet in his dress uniform boots and adjusted his cap. ‘Nobody wants to be here right now,’ he thought to himself. ‘Nobody at all. This never should have happened.’

The taps sounded, the bugling sending shivers through his entire body. The mournful tones echoed amongst the still bodies of the soldiers standing at attention, their polished medals gleaming in the sunlight.

Silence stretched.

Marines stepped forward to stand in front of Finnegan, arms outstretched, offering him a ceremonial flag of commemoration. ‘On behalf of the President of the Terran High Command and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a symbol of our appreciation for the life of service given by General Ulysses Cain,’ the marines said in unison their right arms snapping to strict attention. ‘As one of the most distinguished soldiers in the history of the Terran High Command, General Cain dedicated his entire life to selfless service in the defense of freedom,’ intoned one marine, his voice tight with emotion. ‘He was the living embodiment of the code to which he so eloquently expressed-duty-honor-country.’

‘In his honor, we instead recognize him for the man he was, rather than the deeds he performed. We will forever be indebted to him for his integrity, his courage, and his brilliant accomplishments as a soldier and as a citizen. We will never forget that his ultimate goal was peace amongst men.’

The taps sounded again, tears openly falling down soldiers faces. The bugle sounded one more lonely time before resting to silence.

Above, the sky a blazing backdrop, roared a squadron of fighters flying in formation, wingtips nearly touching as they swooped low for their flyby. White smoke trailed from their tails as they flew over the monument site before they roared back vertical and disappeared from site.

Finnegan stood there silently; his face wet while gripping the tightly wrapped flag in both hands. ‘You’re not dead, I know it. We didn’t recover a body, so where did you go, and why? Why now?’

 

 

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