Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Nova’s Lessons

Morgo IV. Research Outpost Delta. Detention Center.

“You know, Nova…this is not the treatment I expected. I mean…deserter? Really? And here I thought Captain Hanson was a respectable veteran and not one of those arrogant officers who know nothing about real combat. Why would he do something so stupid?”

Athena sat in one of the cells in the facility’s detention center and sighed. She didn't expect to come home to feasts and celebrations, but there were much better places she could be than the detention center.

Needless to see, things didn't really go as planned. At all.

Athena returned to the base with a single Blackbuck MSV and the specimen collected by the squad in the back of the vehicle. She reported to Captain Hanson of the company and Sergeant Kincaid of the 4th Platoon. Her story was simple. Somehow, her squad caught the attention of a lot of local predators when they were on the way back. During the ensuing firefight, everyone else died. She was the only one who got back to the vehicles in one piece.

Sergeant Kincaid seemed to have accepted the explanation. Ever since being deployed here, the company has been no stranger to casualties. Even with power armors and automatic rifles, troopers die. A lot. Athena brought back the specimens. That was all that mattered. If anything, she should be rewarded for completing the objective against all odds.

Captain Hanson seemed to have a completely different idea. Instead of believing Athena’s story and settling with the fact that the mission was a success, he accused Athena of being a coward and a deserter who only survived by leaving her comrades behind. How else did she live while everyone else died?

The accusation itself was ridiculous and baseless, but Captain Hanson leveraged his position and ordered Athena be arrested for desertion and locked up in the detention block of the outpost. Given that the Captain was theoretically the highest-ranking officer in the base, no one could challenge this clearly unfair decision. Even those that had a say in this, like Sergeant Kincaid, wouldn’t go through all the trouble and risk getting on the wrong side of his superior for a random trooper.

Just like this, all the time Athena spent working on and practicing her story was wasted, and after finally making her way back to base, she got neither a warm meal nor a comfortable bed. Instead, she was stripped of her power armor and weapon and taken straight to a detention cell.

After having a discussion with Nova literally in the middle of the captain’s office while he was ordering her to be taken away, Athena didn't resist. It just wasn’t the right moment to fight. She needed time.

The only upside was that the moment she stepped back into the research outpost, Athena heard a cold mechanical voice telling her that she just unlocked her first terran building, the supply depot.

In Starcraft, supply depots were built to increase the amount of supplies of units a player could have. In Athena’s case, supply depots were small buildings that held everything a human being needed to survive theoretically forever. It had an enough supply of food, water, and oxygen that could last eight people forever. Athena wondered how that worked scientifically, but she quickly tossed that aside.

Supply depots could be lowered into the ground with people still inside to hide them from incoming attacks or just to preserve space. Once again, Athena didn't question how this physically worked. She could summon units from the game into reality. A depot with an infinite supply of food was the least of her concerns.

Supply depots cost 100 minerals and 0 vespene gas.

Actually, that was just one of the good news Athena received. The second good news was that the zerg hatchery was successfully morphed in the jungle. Ever since then, Athena has been seeing her mineral count grow as drones started returning biomass into that hatchery. She spent as much resources as she could, given the larvae production capability of the hatchery, on morphing more zerglings and queens at that hatchery and kept the rest in reserve. She had a feeling she would need them soon.

The research outpost was only recently built from scratch. It should be no surprise that the detention center was modest at best. There were four single-person cells along a corridor, with security cameras covering the entire area in and out of the cells.

Athena didn't enjoy being here whatsoever. For one thing, she was sure there were people behind the cameras constantly keeping an eye on her. The former Athena might be fine with this lack of privacy in the name of the greater good, but the new one wasn’t.

Nova remained quiet for a second before answering Athena. Instead of answering Athena immediately, she tried to guide Athena down the right path by asking Athena the right questions and forcing her to think. After all, it wasn’t like they were short on time.

“What do you know about Captain Hanson, commander? What made you think he should be too smart to do something like this?”

“Well,” Athena bit her lips as she organized her words. “Most men in the company know a thing or two about Captain Hanson. Supposedly, he joined the Imperial Army as a volunteer and slowly worked his way up to the rank of Captain over the span of twenty plus years. It is rare for troopers and NCOs to survive so much time in service.”

“The old Athena worshiped this man. She saw him as the perfect soldier. Brave. Loyal. Skilled. Empathetic to the fellow Imperial soldiers but cruel and merciless to the enemies of the Imperium. Cared for his men but willing to sacrifice them and himself if needed.”

“A veteran like him should know there is not nearly enough evidence to prove that I deserted. Even if I did desert, arresting a lone survivor who completed her mission despite losing her entire squad was a bad move. It’s uncharacteristically foolish for the Captain.”

Nova nodded. “In that case, what makes you think he had an uncharacteristic lack of judgment? What convinces you he didn't do this on purpose for a reason of his own?”

Athena raised her eyebrows as she understood what her advisor was suggesting. “You are saying he turned traitor as well? That he may be the leader of the rebels in this unit? But…it can’t be! I mean…he’s as loyal as the old Athena! Someone this brainwashed will die a thousand times before he turns against the Imperium!”

“And what makes you think that, commander?”

“I…” Athena’s voice trailed off. Indeed, what made her think that? Mostly the old Athena’s memories, but even that was heavily influenced by rumors and legends. Was it really wise for her to base her decisions on this unreliable information?

If she ignored the bias from the memories of the old Athena, then the captain’s decision was starting to make sense. He wasn’t being stupid. On the contrary, he was being extremely smart.

“Commander, unless you have the forces to overwhelm any opposition, warfare and combat is more than just the fighting itself. It is about many different things. Logistics. Technologies. Tactics. Intelligence. One important factor you must take into consideration is the other players you are going against. They are people too, with their own goals and histories and emotions and aspirations. Understand what they want and predict their next move, and you have much better odds at seizing victory.”

Athena nodded gently. She could tell Nova was training her to be a better leader and commander, and she appreciated it. The better she could get at this, the more she could achieve with the help of the units from the three races, and the easier it would be for her to get what she wanted.

You are reading story The Starcraft System in the Far Future at novel35.com

“So let’s assume Captain Hanson is a rebel and he ordered you to be imprisoned.” Nova continued pushing Athena to think. “Why?”

“Well…” Athena bit her lips and gave voice to her thoughts. “He didn't have me killed the moment I got back, which means he isn’t ready to take over the outpost yet. Maybe there are still too many loyalists left. Maybe he is worried about the squad from the Imperial Security Corps. There is no way the Wolves have been corrupted. So to keep me from talking, he just found an excuse and threw me in a cell.”

“Go on, commander.”

“Is there anything more to this?”

“Yes. Look around you, commander. There are only four cells in the detention center, and you are the only prisoner here. This is a remote facility on an inhospitable planet with hundreds of troopers who spend most of their time being bored out of their mind. There are no distractions or entertainment here. How long do you think it will take before the entire facility hears about how you were treated by Captain Hanson? And if you can tell what the Captain did is strange, then so can the others.”

Athena tapped her chin thoughtfully as Nova continued.

“After that, all it will take is for a curious individual to look into this obviously unfair treatment of a loyal trooper. Maybe it’s a loyalist sergeant. Maybe it’s one of the bodyguards from the Corps. What if they start digging? Can the rebels assassinate them inside the facility? If not, then what if they talk to you? Regardless of what they do, their plans will be at risk of being exposed.”

“You told me this planet is in the heart of an Imperial sector. Unless the FTL travel works significantly differently in this world, then it will not take long for Imperial reinforcements to arrive. Even just the marine complement on an Imperial light cruiser can completely ruin the rebel’s day.”

“This all points to a single conclusion. Captain Hanson didn't lock you up to permanently silence you. He did it to get you out of the way for a very brief while. By the time someone important realizes what is going on, it will be way too late to stop them.”

“Most likely, the rebels already have sufficient resources and manpower to take over the base, as well as an exit strategy to secure their survival after fleeing this planet. It will not be long before they make a move.”

“I…I don’t understand.” Athena frowned. “How do you know Captain Hanson anticipated someone would investigate this? Maybe locking me up is the only option he had of keeping me from exposing his plan?”

“Maybe, but that is unlikely.” Nova explained. “You said it yourself. Captain Hanson is a veteran who spent decades in the military. He should know there are better ways to approach this if he wished. Maybe he can pretend to let you go, only to have you monitored until you encounter an accident at one of the weekly live fire drills. Or maybe he can have a life support system malfunction in your room when you’re alone. There are many ways to kill a single trooper inside the base that will draw a lot less attention than publicly throwing you in a cell on trumped up charges.”

“Wouldn’t that just catch more attention? An accident?”

“Accidents happen all the time. You said it yourself. The Imperium doesn’t care about its men. Given the amount of influence he has, falsifying a few after-accident reports wouldn’t be too difficult. It’s not like anyone will personally look into the accidental death of a single trooper.”

“So the fact that he didn't bother with these safer measures means he doesn’t need to.” Athena finally came to the same conclusion Nova did. She suddenly had a good idea. “So…what should I do now? If I can strike now with my zerg units, then…then maybe I can make this look like a xenomorph invasion of the base! If I can attack before the rebels show themselves, then I may stop them from exposing their treacheries! This way, I will not have to worry about being purged after the betrayal.”

Nova didn't immediately offer her opinion. Rather, she simply looked at Athena and waited for her to go over the plan in her head.

“But…there should still be at least three quarters of the company left. I can only summon units around myself…so inside the detention center. The zerg units in the jungle are way too far away from here to play a role in this. If I summon the units in my close proximity, the guys behind the surveillance camera will be able to connect me to the zerg. By the time my zerg overwhelms the defenders, everyone will likely know about this. Unless I kill everyone, my secret will be exposed and the Imperium will hunt me with its full might. But if I do kill all witnesses…that will make everything I did pointless.”

“This means I have to make a move after the rebels show themselves. After that, I not only have to fight off the zerg but also prove my loyalty to someone who will have a say in my fate after we get back into Imperial control. This also means I can’t demonstrate my control over the zerg in front of them…shit!” She cursed. She was learning a lot, but ultimately, she was still an amateur in all this.

Finally, seeing that Athena had already made plenty of progress, Nova stepped in and returned to her role as an advisor.

“Commander, given what we know about the forces at play here in this facility, here is what you can do…”

After chatting with Nova for god knows how long in the game, Athena closed the game screen and rested in her cell. She was waiting for Captain Hanson and his men to make a move. Once the firefight started, she would get the chance to act as well.

Buzz.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of the mechanized door of the detention center opening. There were footsteps. Athena froze. Who was this? One of Hanson’s assassins here to silence her? Her entire body tensed up as she prepared her own countermeasures.

Slowly, the figure stopped in front of Athena’s cell door, a steel gate that prevented Athena from seeing anything in the hallway. There was another buzz as the figure swiped his security card and was confirmed to have access to the door. The next second, the door to Athena’s cell slid open, revealing a man Athena recognized but didn't expect to see.

It was a man in his forties. He was wearing a black uniform that was common to Imperial soldiers, but the symbol on the left chest, rather than displaying a golden blade that represented the Imperial Army, instead showed the head of a roaring wolf. He wore a black eye-patch that covered his left eye. There was a sidearm strapped to his belt.

He was Corporal Kendrick, head of the ISC squad that was here to serve as the bodyguards of the IRA scientist.

A small smile climbed onto Athena’s face. She wasn’t too sure what brought the corporal here, but his presence was great news for the plan Nova and her just came up with.

You can find story with these keywords: The Starcraft System in the Far Future, Read The Starcraft System in the Far Future, The Starcraft System in the Far Future novel, The Starcraft System in the Far Future book, The Starcraft System in the Far Future story, The Starcraft System in the Far Future full, The Starcraft System in the Far Future Latest Chapter