NationStates Jolt Archive

Something went awry. Corporal Zzaag and his two-man team peered over the ridge with their telescopics attached to their Horde Suits. Silent signals to perform a flanking maneuver were given, and the other two Sakkrans made their respective moves. From what he could see, there were a goodly number of the enemy before them, picking through the debris of what remained of the 13th Armor Cavalry group. Probably looking for more food.

The enemy were once Sakkran civilians and soldiers on an outpost deep in the Unknown Territories. Years of isolation from the Empire, as well as unknown toxins in the soil and cosmic radiation seeping through the insufficient atmospheric barrier drove them quite mad as well as mutated their bodies to a degree. A small scouting group was sent there to check on things, and they were never heard from again. Several more were sent, and the same happened until a division of the Armor Cavalry was sent in.

It was found that these mutated denizens had taken to living underground. They had retained enough of their wits to know of technology and how to use it, but the tech they possessed looked nothing like how the Sakkrans made them, nor did they function as they should. Minion Suits found themselves melted down by what appeared to be rounds fired from grotesque-looking Chunk Projectors. But the rounds acted as an insanely strong acid and made short work of armor. The pilots inside didn't have a chance.

There was a massive ambush which took many of the division down, and the mutated enemy would feast on the bodies of the fallen during combat. Their dropships had been obliterated by the re-written orbital defenses, and several small craters where debris landed still sent smoke into the red-tinged air. Only Zzaag and his associates managed to retreat far enough to get a breather and form some kind of plan. Schematics popped up in their HUDs showing what was the last known maps for the area, and it was agreed that someone had to fire out a quick message and beat a retreat until help, wherever it would come from, came. In the meantime, in order to get to the comm station, they had to rely on instinct since this was a very unconventional, yet effective, foe.

They would have to keep it low and quiet. The whine of the jump-packs would have the whole area go wild, and it would be expected that there would be little to no chance of survival. The other two members skirted around the battle-site slowly and lowly while Zzaag kept an eye on their movements and coordinated them. Better set the recorder on in case this all goes to hell.

{continued soon}

While Zzaag kept watch, Rrees headed west in a wide circle, keeping his MassDriver rifle strapped on his back and swinging under his belly. He crawled on his knees and one elbow, keeping the other hand free in case he ran into something ugly. Quiet, whispered comms kept him abreast of when to deviate from his planned trajectory. Pliin did much the same heading in a circumventing easterly manner, while Zzaag loaded up a 90mm gelignite round and set his Projector up to act as a mortar. Just in case.

Rrees came upon what looked like an entry hole into what he calls the Vrelte's underground living areas. The temptation to look into it almost overcame him, but common sense prevailed as he gave it a wide berth. Pliin could see the Vrelte dragging large fragments of powered armor back into their holes, actuator tendons dragging on the red, sandy ground behind them. A low growl escaped her lips as she continued belly-crawling to the pre-assigned area she was given.

They both reached the target at roughly the same time, and made their insertion towards the comm station. Moving quickly and quietly, any and all cover was used. A broken section of a wall, some containers thrown about, piles of dirt and decaying debris. All were ducked behind or under as they got their bearings on their surroundings. The comm station had a heavy metallic door with numerous scratchmarks all over it, and Rrees could see it from his view. The others were apprised of this. 'Good. they're still sifting through the remains here. Rrees, you make for the door and see if it'll open. Pliin, keep him covered. I'll fire into the main body if I hear any shots or anything.'
'Copy.'
'Copy. Moving in.'

Rrees slowly crawled to the door while Pliin kept her MassDriver rifle aimed towards the closest Vrelte she could see. He raised up to a crouching position and felt the PalmIdent pad. 'Pad seems in one piece. trying it now.'
'Copy'
'Copy that.'

The door opened with a slight screeching sound, but it was enough to alert one of the vrelte just coming up from one of the burrows nearby. Its head snapped in the direction of the sound, and it crawled on all fours towards it. Pliin sounded the alert. 'Vrelte! We're made.' She hunkered down as she let an almost-silent round out of her MassDriver, which caught the approaching Vrelte on the side of the head. It let out a piercing 'REEEEEEEE' and collapsed, but it was enough to alert the rest of the groupings. As a mass they all let out a similar screech, and began running towards the pair.

Zzaag yelled out 'Move inside move move!' as he fired off a gelignite round with a soft 'toomp'. Rrees and Pliin ran into the dark and dank Comm Station and secured the door. A moment later the sound of a loud THWOP could be heard as the gelignite round hit dirt and exploded, sending a shower of high-temperature chemical fire in a wide radius. Many Vreltes were caught in it, and were writhing and twisting on the ground as flames seared flesh off bone, and bone burned into ash.

Another round was fired, and Zzaag picked up his kit and used his jump-pack to make a swift get-a-way. 'Changing position. Hold them off until I can cover you again.' Multitudes of the Vrelte were pouring out of the burrows now. Some even seemed to be hatchlings. Pliin leaned out of an old turret window at the top of the comm station and began discharging her rounds at anything that was clawing at the door now. 'Hurry it up, Rrees. We don't have too much time here!'

'I'm hurrying as fast as I can!' The station's comm system was old, filthy and broken in places, especially the AV equipment. He jacked the comm relay into his Horde Suit's forearm console, and tried a diagnostic. The jack wound up smoking, then sizzling. 'Dammit all! This thing is crap! AV is not an option.'

Pliin let loose with a few rounds from her weapon. Screams, screeching and scratching could be heard outside the window, with the report of occasional weaponfire going off. 'So type it out then. Just hurry up!'

'Copy that.' A quick message was typed on an archaic keyboard, compiled and sent. 'Done. Let's get the hell out!' 'Copy that. We're heading in your direction, Corporal.'

'I read you. Bearing south southwest.' Pliin angled herself out the window and fired off her jumpjets, high over the heads of the assembled Vrelte below her. Rrees did much the same, but dropped a few grenades for good measure as small-arms fire ricocheted off his armor. Glad they haven't had time to get the heavier weapons out yet. The sound of grenades exploding behind him, mixed with some fresh screeching, brought the approximation of a grin to his face.

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Emergency Comm
Outpost [xyz] at coordinates [123] has been critically compromised. Populace is feral. 13th Armor Cavalry dispatch wiped out. 3 survivors. Use extreme caution if approaching. Orbital installations are active.

The message managed to loop and repeat a few times before the Vrelte finally smashed down the doors and destroyed the whole place.

The terrain was scratchy and rough. Scrub bushes could be seen in patches along the parched ground here and there. Fragments of civilization were evident, but in a severe form of disarray and neglect. The three gave a fairly wide berth to these areas. It didn't seem the Vrelte left their enclosures much during the 30 hour long day. None could blame them with how hot it was getting in the noontime sun.

Three whole days of walking found the trio facing what looked like, well, more hard scrabble. No other signs of life, save for the stray insect here and there, were visible since the last town they bypassed. Water seemed scarce if the rough and brittle plant-life was any indication. Corporal Zzaag and his companions just kept up their silent march, their suits sealed up and drawing energy from the sun to keep the power-supplies available.

Dusk approached, and the shadows of the bushes became long. The sky started turning a deep red that increased in its color as the minutes passed. In the distance, in front of the setting sun, Pliin saw a silhouette that was taller than the bushes. She pointed it out, and the three deviated from their path to investigate. As they came closer and the sky became darker, it could be discerned that it was a copse of trees of some sort. The pace was picked up, and they reached the outer ridge of the copse before it got too dark. They shed their armor and climbed up the tree in order to get some much-needed rest.

An hour into their rest, Rrees was awoken by a distant sound. He jumped down and put on his armor as quickly as he could, and activated the thermo-sensor. The HUD showed a group of six bipeds in the distance. Rrees kept watching, ready to wake the others if it seemed the beings were approaching their location. It didn't seem to be the case as they stopped and seemed to be crouching down on the ground on all fours. Then they scattered in all directions at top speed.

A vibration started running through the ground, and Rrees could make out small pebbles on the ground rattling about. A huge cloud of dust and debris exploded from the ground where the bipeds were standing as something seemed to breach like a whale from Sol III. At this point the ground was shaking like a 4 point seismic shockwave. In the moonlight an outline could be made out of something that looked like a massive serpent. Rrees kept staring at the creature through the thermo-sensor, recording it for future observation.

Pliin and Zzaag had fallen out of the tree and flat on their backs at this time, but said nothing as they watched the creature dive back into the ground with ease, engulfing three of the bipeds as it went. "By the Pantheon! Total length of that beast is .... 400 meters plus!" A low whistle escapes Pliin's lips. Zzaag climbs back up into the tree. 'It doesn't seem interested in us. Tomorrow we could investigate that area. Right now my body could care less about anything but sleep.'

Rrees shut off his armor and climbed back up into the tree behind Pliin. 'Alright, but i'm not going to sleep too soundly knowing that something like that is out there.'

Dawn came as it has always done and will continue to do. Zzaag wakes first as the sun begins to warm him. He hears the sound of profuse snoring coming from the prone figures of Rrees and Pliin, and snorts. So much for light sleeping. He climbs up the tree a bit higher and finds a good spot to warm himself, as well as get a good view of the area. Dirt, dust, dirt and dirt as far as the eye can see. Huh?

The tree shakes a bit as the sound of distant rumbling could be heard. Zzaag looks behind him with one eye and sees the ground undulate and shift near the area that last night's Dirt Devil (Zzaag's name for them) appeared. They didn't breach, although a couple of the creature's heads appeared briefly before sinking back into the ground. At this point, the other two roused up. 'Eesh, more of them. How many we looking at?'
Pliin peered at the undulations intently. 'I'd say four .... maybe six. None as big as last night's. Could be a family or a tribe?' Zzaag roused himself to a sitting position with his legs dangling. 'I'd lay odds it's a family. One bigger one and a clutch of smaller ones. Maybe the one from last night is the matriarch or something.....' His words trailed off as he watched them pass, seeming to follow the trail last night's Devil had left.

He hopped down to the ground and gathered up his kit, feeling inside his armor's pack. 'Maybe we should hop into one of the tunnels they left and see where it leads. It'd get us out of the sun for a bit if nothing else.' He produced a canteen and drank a little of it. Then a ration bar was chomped on and chewed for a bit while he though.

The other two followed suit. Rrees checked on the condition of their medical symbiotes in the capsule-like containers, and seemed satisfied. Pliin was grooming her dewlap with an oilrag at this point. 'Something that huge has to live on something. If we follow the trail, we might come up to a hunting area. We could get fresh food that way.' Rrees put on his armor, but kept the power on standby so it could replenish the solar battery. 'Don't look at me. I don't have any better ideas. I'm game for following the trail. But if any of those come up behind us, i'm jetting out real quick-like.'

Zzaag nodded his head and put on his armor. He snapped a small branch off the tree they were resting in, and placed it in a capsule for later investigation. Then he took the lead to the hole where the largest Devil had breached. Rrees was, of course, the first to offer up a critique when he stuck his head in the hole. 'Hoo man! It REEKS in here.'

The three descended into the hole. It was dark and littered with rubble of various sizes. 'Put on your helmets to filter out the air in here. The soil has shown to contain unknown toxins and we don't want to breathe in too much of that.' Pliin and Rrees did as told and fastened on their helmets.

In spite of his first assumptions, there was no slime in the tunnels. The bulk of the creatures seemed to press the loose soil and stones into the sides of it. There were numerous holes in the sides of it, though, from all angles. Seems they use a millipede-like locomotion, except it's not confined to their flanks. Once in a while a hole overhead appeared where the creatures would breach to breathe in the air. Zzaag popped his head through these now and then to get their bearings and check on the local landscape. As usual, it was all dust and rocks with scrub bushes and the same trees they had spent a night on.

During one survey, Zzaag noticed that the tunnels were always a certain distance from those trees. He signaled for them to go up to the surface, and the three did so. Rrees lifted up the faceplate of his helmet. 'What's cooking?' Zzaag activated the solar battery on his suit as he walked towards the trees. The twig he snapped off their arboreal motel was analyzed by his suit's sensors. 'Charge up your solar batteries for now, and rest up. I have a bit of a puzzle to ponder for a moment.' Pliin just shrugged her shoulders while Rees gave the corporal the 'fish-eye'. They set up their suits against the trunk of the tree and took in some shade.

On occasion a small reptile would appear from a burrow near a scrub bush and try to catch some local insects for a meal. The pair sat and stared at it for some time before Zzaag stood up and started feeling around the tree, scaring the creature back into its burrow. 'What's up?' Pliin looked at him with one eye, while the other looked at the tree from trunk to tip.

Zzaag took some soil near the trunk and put it through analysis. After a few moments, he removed the soil and replaced it where he got it. 'Damn.' He repeated this a couple of times until Rrees spoke up. 'Whatcha got?'

Zzaag looked at the surrounding landscape. 'The colonists didn't stand a chance from the start here. Whoever found this place and green-lighted it should be shot. These trees are the source of the unknown toxins that did what it did to them. It's concentrated in the sap, the bark and everything in this tree. It permeates through the roots into the soil for a good measure around each one. That's why those Dirt Devils stay a certain distance away from them when they tunnel. But if the roots of these trees manage to contact a running water source...'

Pliin took on a dazed look in her eyes. 'Like through irrigation.' Rrees nodded his head. 'Yes, like that, the toxins can spread farther and wider. I need to do a thorough analysis, but with what we have here, i'll never be able to find the nature of this toxin; what it does and how.' Rrees looked toward the sky. 'I just hope that message we sent gets heard by someone.'

Coordinates [124], somewhere in the vicinity of Outpost [xyz]

" Adjust course for Planetary Body [abc], I want you to scan it for any existing life forms intelligent or not. Also, check for maps, resources, et cetera. "

" Will do, " replied an officer in the ship's navigation section. " Changing course for the Planetary Body as labeled [abc]. "

As the officer fed his order's into the ship's navigation system, Vengeance Keep began to groan somewhat as the somewhat aging hull adjusted itself according to the trajectory it was set. Manufactured quite early in comparison to a lot of the Unione of Capitalizt States Military Forces, it had been designated to be used for national interests such as exploration in far-off systems otherwise undocumented by the private industry. Commanding a fleet of seven, Commodore Banaramia was surprisingly an experienced officer on what was relatively a mission set aside for those new in command. His experience would not go to waste in the meanwhile, as the fleet formerly minding its own business received a transmission from a source not picked up for one reason or another.

" Commodore, " announced Second-in-Command Xena Senilagakali from one of the other vessels. " Comm's have received the following transmission coming from Outpost [xyz] at these coordinates. I'm patching it through to you now. "

Commodore Josaia Banaramia glanced over it with brief interest. " Protocol of the Austarian Military Forces demands that we respond to requests for help, Lieutenant, do you have any reasons why we shouldn't? "

Senilagakali paused thinking, then slowly shook her head.

" Then we shall order that the primary mission of this fleet to be temporarily suspended until I say so, and make course for Outpost [xyz]. I will make contact with Headquarters and advise them of our situation. Also, I want you to activate the fleet to battle-ready and broadcast a looping message to advise of our approach, and to respond if they are able to do so. " Banaramia's eyes grew darker. " Approach with caution. See to it that the security of our own vessels remains first priority, Lieutenant. "

Re: Emergency Comm
Outpost [xyz], this is Commodore Josaia Banaramia of the Unione of Capitalizt States Military Vessel Vengeance Keep. Please be advised that I have picked up an emergency transmission from you, and have adjusted my fleet's trajectory to meet with yours. Please respond, if you are able.

Night came, went and came again. The three survivors continued following the trail left by the Dirt Devils during the day, and opted to take their sleep on rocky outcrops or at a midpoint between the toxic trees and the trail they were on. Hardly anything that could be called 'life' could be seen in their entire time, except for Devil activity and the odd reptile snatching an insect here and there.

Tonight found the three taking shelter in a rather large outcrop of rocks forming a small hill. A table of stone above them afforded a rudimentary lean-to with Zzaag and Pliin laid out, absorbing the warmth of the stone heated by the sun. Rrees was a bit less restful, though. Something in the air kept nagging at him; a faint scent in the wind. It almost smells familiar. Like the springbok back on Sol III. His nostrils kept high in the air while his eyes scanned around for whatever it was he sensed.

Dawn began to creep in, casting long shadows on the flat terrain. Off far in the distance, Rrees caught a faint outline of something on the horizon. It shimmered in reflection and sparkled teasingly. A pair of macro-specs was produced from Rrees's kit and he brought it into focus. For all intents and purposes it looked like a pool of something wet surrounded by a wide rocky table. Several tall trees swayed in the breeze, with leaves only on the tops of the immense stalks. Signs of life were apparent around the rocky area, which meant animals. And animals meant meat!

Rrees could scarcely control the saliva running down his mouth as he lowered the specs. 'MEAT!' His shout awoke the other two who started with a snort and 'What! WHAT?' Rrees pointed towards the area he was surveying. 'Trees! Water! MEAT!' Zzaag leaned up against the rocks and took up the specs. He looked through it, also scanning the surrounding area. 'It's an oasis alright. Chances are there's predators around as well, if this planet has those other than the Dirt Devils. We'll head towards it and investigate, but keep your eyes and ears sharp.'

The other two nodded as they had already begun putting on their suits. Zzaag shrugged into his and checked around for Devils before leaving the outcrop they were on. It took roughly an hour of more hot, dry marching before they reached the edge of the oasis. Zzaag scratched around in the soil around it, sniffing the ground and checking on tracks which were profuse in the area. Pliin took samples of the watery liquid and had them analyzed for toxins. 'This place smells of sulfur. Has anyone noticed anything like volcanic rocks around here?'

Rrees took to investigating the trees. The trunk of the smalles one was three meters in diameter and reached up 16 meters with what appeared to be broad, flat leaves fringed with something resembling puffs. 'All we've seen are rocks, although I can't remember if any were volcanic. If sulfur is about, then it stands that there's been volcanic activity somewhere abouts.' Pliin went back to her analysis. 'Hmmm....maybe. I'd like to know why the water is surfacing here. Where's it coming from? And how?'

Far above their heads in orbit, one of the compromised CommSats picks up a remote signal. Outpost [xyz], this is Commodore Josaia Banaramia of the Unione of Capitalizt States Military Vessel Vengeance Keep. Please be advised that I have picked up an emergency transmission from you, and have adjusted my fleet's trajectory to meet with yours. Please respond, if you are able. The CommSat relayed and bounced the message through the SattNet in orbit. DefSats performed system checks and used maneuvering thrusters to align themselves for an efficient firing arc, depending on their nature, against outside threats that may or may not be incoming.

" T minus seventeen and counting, " called the leading navigation officer on board the Vengeance Keep. " It's risky, but it might just work. "

Movements within Planet [abc]'s orbital range had been indeed noticed by the staff on board, and recognized systems taking a defensive posture if they ever saw it. Commodore Banaramia had been advised of the change-in-situation, on which information he ordered an approach to within the Planet's atmosphere in an all but usual trajectory.

" T minus eight. "

The fleet's on board weapons systems had fired up and prepared to fire defensively against incoming lasers and ballistics. Since orbital installations had been found the property of the Sakkran military, Banaramia wanted to avoid engaging them if possible. Those chartered by the fleet's crew would be quickly disabled nevertheless with the fleet's electromagnetic dazzler systems; weapons designed to directly fire contained but extremely powerful bursts of energy for the purpose of 'dazzling' the sensors of a particular hostile vehicle, of in this case, defensive satellites. No permanent damage would be done in this scenario, but it would allow some seven seconds for the fleet to pass from their range and into the atmosphere on an arc not expected by the system's intelligence.

Such was the plan, anyway.

" T minus three, two, one... DEPLOY! "

Within less than milliseconds, dazzlers were deployed and the various crews of the fleet followed on with their second-phase step according to plan. The vessels jerked suddenly, adjusting trajectory to an almost opposite course to the one they were embarking on. Activating a burst of an unnatural amount of acceleration, vessels of the fleet spiraled outwards from each other and made for the atmosphere at neck-breaking speeds.

" One, one-point-five, two, two-point-five... "

Meanwhile, the Department of Foriegn Affairs and Trade contacted its counterpart in Sakkra.

-{ Open Transmission }--
-{ Transmission Type: Confidential/Military Matters, Secured Encryption }--
--{ Source: Office of the Advisory, Department of Foriegn Affairs and Trade, the Unione of Capitalizt States of Austar Union }---
--{ Destination: To Whom It May Concern, the Apathetic Empire of Sakkra }---
--{ Concerning: HIGH SECURITY CLEARANCE REQUIRED TO VIEW THIS MESSAGE }---

To Whom This Matter Concerns,

I am writing to advise you that Exploration Patrol 'Alpha-D' of the Austarian Military has received a message of grave concern, somewhere near the Planet [abc] and from an Outpost identifying themselves as Outpost [xyz]. [Attachment: 001a]. In accordance with Article Six of the Statutory Policy of the Austarian Space Forces [Attachment: 002a], the fleet, led by Commodore Josaia Banaramia, has responded to such a request for assistance on an appropriate mission classification. While every attempt will be made not to engage with 'rogue' or otherwise automated defensive systems of the Sakkran Military, we cannot rule out the some things may be damaged or otherwise destroyed in the process.

Please be reassured however, that the Unione of Capitalizt States is interested in maintaining a healthy relationship with the Apathetic Empire of Sakkra, and will make reparations if requested by your government as compensation for goods lost or otherwise damaged as a result of our mission.

Signed,

Office of The Advisory
Department of Foriegn Affairs and Trade
Unione of Capitalizt States of Austar Union
-{ End Transmission }--