21XX PROJECT [IC | INVITE ONLY | FT/PMT]

by **Forest State** » Fri May 08, 2020 3:33 pm

STEP INTO THE YEAR 2137...

This is the IC thread for 21XX, a new setting which intends to cover both FT and PMT oriented content and tell a variety of stories within an interconnected universe.

In this alternate universe, the homeworld of humanity is Jarah, the core planet of the Avalon system - out of this planet, a variety of human factions have come forth. The Interstellar Union of States, or the Star Union as it is more commonly known, exemplifies what would today be considered western values, and holds humanity's homeworld as its capital planet, while its breakaway state, the Interstellar League, acts as a main challenger and embraces autocracy as an alternative to the slow and bureaucratic decision making processes relied upon by the Star Union. Within both of these powers, multiple settled worlds exist - some are average, some are utopian paradises for the rich or powerful, and others are industrial hellscapes focused on little more than production and efficiency.

Further outside of the inner sphere of humanity, further human settled states exist - the Astrian Empire intertwines business and politics with the rule of several powerful noble clans, who both elect an Emperor and draw their own power from their personal holdings and businesses across the nation. The Free Systems Government, meanwhile, fights for a goal of rule neither by the colonial powers of the Star Union or Interstellar League, or the private corporations of Jarah or the Astrians. This faction, however, has been placed in a position for war due to its location between the other three surrounding powers. And even further beyond humanity's original home, nonhuman races fight to achieve their own goals, to the dismay of some who believe alien life to be the largest threat to mankind...

The overall goal of this setting is to have a place for a number of multigenre stories to be played out - cyberpunk, military sci-fi, politics, and slice of life are all genres that can be found within this one universe.

Accepted Players
Forest State
Lunas Legion
Grand Britannia
Durmatagno
Castelia
Imperial--Japan
Nagakawa
Sarderia
Doughertania
Nachfolgia
Novia Soviet Socialist Republic
Faal Lot Himdah
Gigaverse

by **Lunas Legion** » Fri May 08, 2020 3:36 pm

CARINIAN STORM - PART ONE

West of humanity’s inner sphere, a interstellar conflict is growing - the Free Systems Government is a breakaway state of the Star Union which, in the past, declared independence from both political rule from Jarah and economic control by the corporations of larger factions. The state would go on to grow and come to control two systems, Azulea and Carinia, while putting together a military strong enough to keep control over its territory. This, however, may come to an end in the future. The Carinia system is contested with the Astrian Empire, one of the oldest human nations in the stars, and a monarchy where both noble clans and powerful businesses are interlinked with each other. Carinia has become the target of these networks, both because of the reasons of expansionism and for the resources in and around the system.

The banking clan of House Norvak has raised forces to seize the contested world of Carinia IV, but this has resulted in an invasion effort slowed down by fierce local resistance and a well developed defensive network on the world - which is regularly reinforced through FSG aligned blockade runners. As the battle on Carinia enters its sixth month, with a few cities still holding out under FSG rule, House Norvak has turned to an expensive new weapon to do the job… The extremely capable mercenaries of the Marsek Group, one of the largest biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the known galaxy.

January 4th, 2137
Above Qasier, Carinia IV, Carinia System
Collaborative post between Forest State & Lunas Legion

The scenery was speeding by - and below, the environment might as well have been a bowl of sand and dust. The environment here on Carinia IV wasn’t exactly hospitable - not out here, outside of the cities that had been built up to support settlements and agriculture, and outside of where most of the population on this planet lived. And yet, with the conflict that was going on right now, even the parts of the planet that weren’t hospitable saw plenty of traffic like this, of the military kind… The vehicle, in this case, that was speeding through the atmosphere was a transport, its twin engines carrying it at a low altitude through enemy territory.

In this case, ‘enemy’ referred to the Free Systems Government, the defenders of the planet in the current invasion that was entering its sixth month, and the transport was owned not by any nation but by the Marsek Group… On one hand one of the largest biotechnology corporations in the galaxy, as well as a force in the pharmaceutical industry, and on the other hand a company that was experimenting more and more with blending their usual specialties with defense, making for a terrifying combination… After all, supersoldiers were all the more terrifying if they had the right combination of things put into their body, and it was believed that Marsek was one of the leaders when it came to the ‘performance enhancers’ that were managed by the armor of the soldiers in the transport.

There were only two soldiers at the moment, sitting in the passenger section of the large plane, but it was believed that only two were actually needed. The mercenaries had gained the attention of House Norvak, the most powerful banking clan within the Astrian Empire, for a reason… They were a force multiplier, capable of dealing a great amount of damage to the enemy without great numbers. Just with their base gear, they had the help of powered armor, jet powered wing packs which made them far more mobile than the average soldier, and precision weaponry as well as all the training needed to perform well with it. When the cocktail of performance enhancing drugs that had been cooked up by the Marsek Group was thrown into the mix…

The Marsek M76 powered armor.

Well, it was safe to say that they were a force to be reckoned with, perfectly capable of holding their own in a pair like this. Especially against an enemy that was, rather than matching them, in a desperate fight for survival.

As the transport grew closer to the destination, Rosela Zuzek turned away from the window and looked back to the other armored figure within the back - she was the highest ranking of the two, herself. Specifically, she was Section Commander of the Eta Section of the 4th Commando Group, putting her in charge of a number of others that comprised one of the multiple teams, or sections, forming the group. For now, though, Rosela didn’t believe she needed anyone else other than her Assistant Section Commander for this assignment. Sometimes, it was better to move swiftly than in the largest numbers.

“We’re nearing the area of operations. Get ready to drop,” Rosela said, before she turned towards the doorway herself, folding her arms as she waited - her equipment and such was already prepared for the operation they were about to undergo… Her body was entirely covered by the powered armor, her laser rifle on her shoulder and her laser pistol and broadsword on her hip… With how mobile they were, and how they could easily end up in close quarters, they were even outfitted for melee combat if the situation needed it. Soon enough, she would be jumping out of this transport.

The operation, of course, was simple… Take out the primary gun battery in Qasier that was making things difficult on forces which were, currently, stuck in orbit. There was something to counter everything, and in this case, the counter to orbital attack was long range guns on the ground that could shoot that far - but these had their own weakness. They had to be protected from threats on the ground, and in this case, the mercenaries were that threat. Even if there were only a pair of them on this operation.

“Oh, finally.” Triana, Rosela’s second-in-command, said as she rolled her shoulders forwards, power armour letting out a low whine as she did do, walking towards the doorway as her eyes drifted across the armor’s HUD, checking everything was in order one last time. “Say whenever we’re green to jump.”

“The light will say when…” Rosela said, gesturing to the light in the back of the passenger area where they were located. When it was time to jump, it would turn green… For now, it was a red that cast that hue over the entire transport, including their dark green armor. “But I expect it to be soon…”

Her eyes turned back towards the door, waiting for it to open up. “OPFOR is just expected to be infantry for the most part, but don’t let that make you think this is going to well… Be an easy mission. Remember… The location of the guns hasn’t even been confirmed. We have a somewhat solid picture of the area based on drone recon, but… What we’re looking for has been moved around some and pretty well hidden. The guns are self propelled, making things harder, but they should be… Stored in this old rail station if intel is correct.”

“It’s more fun to say ‘jump’ than just to wait for the light to go green.” Triana said, glaring at the light. “And the if is a big one there, for all we know they might have moved the guns while we’re flying out, but, well, we can improvise if they have. Just better hope they don’t try turning them on us at point-blank, if they even can do that.”

“We’re faster than some large guns which take time to turn and move… I don’t think the guns are the worry as much as the people guarding them,” Rosela stated, rather confident in their chances here. “And in that regard, I don’t give the FSG a strong chance - their best chance of a victory is… Us simply not finding the target.”

“Which is why them moving them is the problem.” Triana said, shrugging. “Guess we’ll just have to go towards where we think they are as fast as we can so they don’t try moving them out of there, if they’re actually in there.” She turned her attention back to the light, armoured fingers tapping against the side of the aircraft.

The door in the back opened, and the light turned from red to green… “Now, we jump,” said Rosela. “Activate night vision,” she added - because, of course, it was dark right now. The city lights lit things up decently below them, but that wasn’t enough to rely on. Not if they wanted an advantage. But the night was the best time to carry out a strike like this, miles behind enemy lines, when there was an advantage to be had in not being spotted immediately. They were outnumbered… If they could get the jump on the other side, it would do them a great deal of good.

Rosela took a few steps forward and, ignoring the lurch that she felt as she dived out of the transport, allowed herself to fall free… It wasn’t quite time yet to use the wing pack which was mounted on her back - for now, they would have to fall further, the lower opening of the wing pack allowing them to avoid detection for a longer time… Especially when it was already hard to make them out in the night sky.

The world went green as Triana activated her night vision, stepping out into the darkness with a grin on her face beneath her helmet. It wasn’t quite as fun as it could have been, inside the armored suit there was no rush of air against her, no real feeling of falling, but it was still a hell of a thing to be in free fall.

Further down, Rosela counted mentally in her head - and then she hit the point where she was free to trigger the wing pack, flames erupting from the bottom of the device at the same time that a pair of wings popped out from the side, stabilizing her flight as she shifted her body and angled her feet towards the ground, slowed down by the jet of fire which would also serve as a beacon to any hostiles on the ground about their location. And, considering they were dropping over a hostile city with hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, there would surely be enough people spotting them to make a fuss.

The city of Qasier, on an ordinary night…

“Get ready to rock and roll…” Rosela said, her voice now transmitted over the radio link within the helmet of her partner. There was a chance, after all, that their first encounter would come as soon as they had their feet on the ground.

“I was ready as soon as I threw myself out.” Triana said, still grinning as flames spurted from her flight pack, guiding her descent downwards so she wouldn’t be a bloody splatter on the ground when they landed. She reached around while still in midair, retrieving her assault rifle from the magnetic clamps on the armor’s back while the grips in the armor’s hands activated so she wouldn’t drop the weapon while falling.

Rosela touched down on the ground - in the middle of a street actually, where there were a number of normal people walking about. Of course, after the mercenary supersoldier landed, most of these people simply dispersed as she raised her rifle, telling her that none of them had been combatants… Not directly, at least, from the way they ran. There was still a chance they would tell people that were more willing to come running towards them and not away from them.

The first thing she did, however, after landing, was look down at the panel on her wrist and press the button to display the drone recon of the area on the inside of her helmet, the HUD being replaced by the makeshift map which had been put together with intel from the previous day. “We’re in the right district at least…” she said, observing their location relative to the rest of the city, which was marked on that map by two red diamonds. “Still a ways out from that rail station, though…”

She lowered her wrist and turned her attention back to her rifle, looking it over one more time before looking up, the HUD replacing the map on her visor. “Somehow, I got the feeling we’re going to run into trouble on the way.”

“If we don’t something bigger’s happened.” Triana said, having watched the street while Rosela looked up their location on the map. “Should get a move on, sooner we find and do our job less chance of too many poor bastards showing up trying to stop us.”

“We’ll head there on foot,” said Rosela, the wings on her back retracting into their original position as she chose to withdraw them for now, making it a bit easier to move through the city streets without them getting in the way. Of course, they would have to keep up a good pace like this on foot, unless they wanted to find themselves surrounded and embroiled in a fight that they weren’t at all looking for… They would have to fight eventually, but it was the kind of thing that was better to delay rather than take on immediately.

“Any reason we’re not flying? It’d be quicker.” Triana asked as her suit’s own wings retracted, following after Rosela with her rifle held up and ready. No telling where or when someone might shoot at them from here.

“And it’s also a beacon to anyone looking at the general area about exactly where we are… Better to go on the ground, have a better chance at catching them not knowing we’re coming, or rather, that we’re headed to that place in specific, and then get out ASAP,” Rosela explained, keeping up a good place. “As far as they know from what they’ve seen so far, we could have went in any direction.”

“We could also have gotten surprise with speed, since what else is there around here for us to even hit?” Triana said, her suit whining as she ran. “But same difference, we’re doing this so it’s too late to change tactics.”

Rosela was silent as they kept on going, moving through the district they had landed in as quickly as she could manage - they were headed through some kind of market, and local options like these tended to be some of the main shopping options with the supply chain hit hard by the invasion effort. However, it was night time, meaning there weren’t near as many people on the streets as there would be during the day… There were, however, some that were here for whatever reason, and they would get some looks, but they largely kept moving and ignored them.

The train station was only a few blocks away, after all, even if it had seemed far from their drop point on the map. It was further on foot, it seemed.

“We’re coming up on the station grounds ahead…” Rosela warned after they had navigated this patchwork of shops and residential areas for a bit, coming out on an avenue that was running across from them - and across the avenue, the buildings seemed to disappear to make way for one large one which they had their eyes on. The train station, which hadn’t functioned since a month or two into the invasion but was still a relevant organization because it was being used by the military. In this case, it was rumored by intel to be the storage place of the anti-space guns that they were after.

“And there’s the opposition…” she added, pointing out, through the darkness, the figures that were moving about on the outside of the building, likely responding to the fact that they had been sighted earlier… But there were less lights around right now, compared to the market, and the soldiers likely couldn’t see them through the darkness right now to know that they were standing right there.

“I see them.” Triana said, looking over the figures moving around outside the building. “We can try shooting from here given we have the night vision and then start moving in?” They had the night vision advantage, no reason not to use it.

“I count… Six of them,” said Rosela, taking a closer look - she also realized quickly that, if they hit, they would probably shred right through the lighter body armor that the FSG soldiers were wearing… No, in this case, they would burn through it considering their own laser weapons. It was also doubtful the body armor would save them too much against the broadswords wielded in reserve by the mercenaries, considering it consisted of thin vests and thinner cloaks… However, they did have the advantage of numbers.

And that couldn’t be understated entirely.

“Let’s move…”

With that statement, Rosela started to close to get a better range with the enemy as she raised the laser rifle and looked down the scope - it was, in specific, a Marsek Arms 39, which would deal a bit more damage than something on the average market… It was, so to speak, a higher grade of weapon. She fired a burst of seven shots quickly at the closest of the soldiers standing on the front steps of the station, five of those shots hitting the mark and alerting the others as their comrade went down hard… Leaving little warning about exactly where the attack had come from in the first place.

“One way to start things off.” Triana muttered to herself, starting to close in on the station quickly, figuring that the sooner they were in and out with the guns dealt with, the less risk of reinforcements showing up there’d be. She lined up a shot on the next closest of the soldiers after the one that had already been killed, firing off three shots as she continued to close in.

The burst for the most part hit around the soldier, briefly lighting up the area with sparks and flashes, but one of the rounds did find their way to the intended end point, going through the chest armor and dropping the second of the group… While by now, the four remaining were realizing that there was indeed something going on and something serious at that.

“Intruders!” was the shout that came from the soldier that, now that a couple of them had been taken down, seemed to be the lead one. The group began to spread out further, looking for the attackers in the darkness, but unfortunately for them, the area immediately around the station was better lit than the avenue itself across from it, which was still covered in darkness. The gunshots had given some indication of direction, but there was no telling if the intruders had moved since then…

In the darkness, they failed to see just where the mercenary attack was coming from, but Rosela kept on the move just to be safe while she searched for her next target.

Triana didn’t stop moving either, likewise still hunting for her next target as she moved forwards, rifle swaying from side to side as she scanned for another target. There were only four left now, which was not a fair fight by any stretch.

Rosela considered using her jet in this case to move closer, but she decided to maintain stealth until she could see the other side noticing where they actually were. She looked down the sight once again and fired off five shots, with a pair of them hitting the mark… Three soldiers remaining, after the one that was the closest to her dropped to the ground, dead from another shot to the chest. “Three to go…” Rosela said under her breath, more counting to herself than anything, while she pressed forward towards the train station building itself in the aims of not staying in one place. The light of each laser shot was an indication of their general location after all.

Triana kept moving forwards, figuring that getting to the train station itself was more important than dealing with the soldiers who from the lack of gunfire in their direction didn’t even know where they were and weren’t that much of a threat. They weren’t here to kill soldiers, they were here for the heavy artillery.

As they kept going towards the station, Rosela raised her rifle and fired on the move - the rounds hit the mark once again, or at least a decent amount of them did, but by now they were closing in on the heart of the formation of guards… They were close enough for Rosela to switch to using her rifle with one hand, drawing the broadsword with the other hand and setting her sights on the closest soldier to the one that she had just shot… By now, of course, their location had been determined and they were coming into the light where they could actually be seen.

“What the fuck-” started the other soldier, firing a burst in Rosela’s direction as she closed in, but the one round that made impact simply bounced off the hard surface of her armor as she took a swing with her blade, the edge cutting through the cloak and into the side of her opponent… Of course, that opponent was still armed, which meant there was still a danger there even if she had embedded her weapon into his side. She responded by letting go of the blade and taking aim with a gloved punch, the armor on her hand smashing her opponent’s face and allowing her to retrieve her weapon once the unconscious and bleeding out body dropped to the ground.

“This is our signal to kick the doors down already…” Rosela said on the radio channel. Now that they were in the courtyard in front of the front entrances, after all, there were lights shining down on them and anyone in the area would be able to see the fight that was happening as they spoke.

“Thought you’d never ask.” Triana said, shooting forwards as she flared her suit’s jets, the wings briefly extending as she smashed into the station’s doors, figuring that the time for stealth and subtlety had long since passed. Right now, getting in, seeing if the artillery was here as reported and then working from there was the most important thing.

She would, of course, smash through the doors quite easily to enter the grand main hall of the station. Or at least, a hall that had been grand before the war. These days, the place didn’t see much attention in a civilian use because the rail lines had been shut down, and the people around here right now were of the military type… There were a few of them on the floor of the station as they entered, and the guns in the main hall were immediately turned towards the disturbance. Triana would manage to come in, in fact, to the sight of someone stopping and taking aim to fire a machine gun now that there was enough lighting to actually aim… Plenty of rounds, of about eleven fired, would hit around here… Some of them, or three rounds to be more specific, would actually make impact with her armor. These rounds, actually, were strong enough to penetrate, even though the armor was able to shrug off some hits from intermediate caliber rounds.

Rosela, though, was bursting into the building around the same time that the second fight was starting, this time on the inside - she extended the wings on her back and jetted upwards, allowing herself to fall a bit as she took aim for the machine gun nest just ahead near the center of the station… Her next burst of three rounds sent the gunner sprawling to the ground, and her eyes swept the station for further targets as she made the drop to the ground, the jet triggering near the last second to slow her down a bit more as she hit with a thud and raised the rifle once more in case they were approached again.

Triana stood slowly, her heavy breathing deafening to her ears inside her armor’s helmet as she scanned the inside of the station, looking for any remaining enemies and any sign of the artillery that was their objective. Lines of text scrolled down the side of her armour’s HUD, listing the rough locations of bullet impacts and damage to the armour as tiny needles pierced her skin, injecting painkillers and adrenaline to keep her on her feet and fighting even if she’d need some medical attention after the mission.

“It’s about time to get a boost,” Rosela said, pressing the button on her wrist panel which would tell the armor’s computer management system to inject the performance enhancing serum which had been made up by the Marsek Group for its elite forces - they hadn’t needed it earlier, but now that things were heating up… It was about as good a time as any for it. She could feel herself focusing a bit more, her movements quicker and more precise as the liquid entered her bloodstream, the effects hitting instantly. It had been designed in the labs to be fast acting, after all, as there was little use for something like this if it didn’t work when it was really needed.

She turned her eyes to the train station floor once again, looking for more soldiers… It would be easier to find the targets if they weren’t being shot at. “Two snipers, top…” she announced - she was pointing out a pair that had just shown up on one of the balconies above them, aiming rifles at them. But, she was quicker on the draw and fired first, causing one of the snipers to fall down one story after a couple of her shots connected.

Triana was silent, her rifle jerking upwards as she sighted it on the other of the two snipers, firing off four shots towards the sole remaining sniper, focusing through her own deafening breathing and the cocktail of drugs coursing through her body. Not all of the shots hit but with the strength of the weapon, only one was enough against the lightly armored opposition they were facing. The second sniper slumped back, as Rosela started moving towards the back of the station where arriving trains would have went if the place was active right now.

“If there’s one place the artillery is going to be, it’s back here. This would be the spot with enough room to store some large self propelled guns,” Rosela informed, now that she was confident they weren’t about to be shot at again. Though, there was a chance definitely of reinforcements showing up. “Is this the worst you’ve been banged up on a mission?”

“Pretty sure.” Triana said, nodding slightly as she started heading towards the platforms of the station. “I can keep going, though, for a bit. At least until the armour stops keeping me up.”

“Average fuckin’ day from the Port of Marizan,” said Rosela as they moved through the building, snickering slightly. She was, of course, from the world of Marizan-2… And she was well familiar with the crime ridden port, one of the busiest ones within the Empire and a place where someone could metaphorically be eaten alive if they didn’t know what they were doing. She had found herself on the ropes a number of times before, although she fortunately hadn’t been shot with a machine gun. “Least after this you can say you’ve defied death…”
“I’d much rather not play dice with death in the first place.” Triana said, letting out a laugh. “Not seeing any signs of the big guns yet though.”

“I ain’t all about taking risks either… But sometimes when you want to move up and get things from the higher ups, you have to put something on the line,” Rosela said, before pausing. “And just wait. This is a big place… We might find something underground, perhaps. But there’s some problems with moving artillery underground to aboveground and back…”

“This is a train station.” Triana pointed out. “Where are they going to find somewhere underground to put the guns, unless…” She paused, turning towards the end of the platforms. “If there’s anywhere underground it’d be like a train-shed out there, probably, so we might want to look out there. Not like there’s any sign of the guns in here.”

“I think this place might be connected to the metro around here but I also don’t think there’s any openings big enough to move artillery back above ground… Don’t even know if the tunnels have the right diameter,” said Rosela, before she stopped and looked to her wrist device to tune the radio, intending to make a call to the group commander. “I’ll see what the orders are if we don’t find anything here, since it looks like the shit’s already been moved…”

And so, she stepped away, making the call within her helmet as she still kept her rifle in one hand in the event that they ran into any kind of trouble. “Might have to stay here for a bit longer than we expected.”

“Bloody brilliant…” Triana swore. “Not sure how long being a walking chemical mixer will keep me walking for, so hopefully it’s not longer than that.”

“Group commander says we’re to stay in the city for now and handle repairs and healing and such on our own,” stated Rosela, shrugging slightly and turning back to Triana, giving her a somewhat sarcastic thumbs up gesture. “But, we’ll have some air and artillery strikes disrupting the other side and helping us out, at least…”

She paused, starting to walk back towards the direction they had come, as sirens sounded within the city - she wasn’t quite sure if they were air raid sirens or some kind of other sirens. “Guess you’ll finally get a chance to see what it’s really like being on the edge, having to jack people to survive and shit… Kinda nostalgic for me,” she said, before stopping. “Question is, can you handle it?”

“Guess we’ll find out if I can handle it sooner or later.” Triana said, following after Rosela. “If I can’t, well, I guess I’ll lose at dice with death sooner rather than later, but… We’ll see about that, I’m not about to just lay down and die, even if being left out to dry sucks ass when you’ve got bullet wounds to patch up.”

by **Durmatagno** » Tue May 12, 2020 11:50 pm

CARINIAN STORM - PART TWO

While combat operations continue on in the cities in the war on Carinia-IV between the Free Systems Government and the Astrian Empire, the rolling deserts and countryside is the home of numerous clashes between local defending forces and the ‘mechanized cavalry’ mecha units deployed by the Astrian associated factions. One of these outfits, the Golden Suns Company of the Marsek Group, is set to rearm and redeploy into action on the developing Qasier front.

January 3rd, 2137
LZ 13, Ansour Region, Carinia-IV
Collaborative post between Forest State & Durmatagno

Carinia-IV was, at the moment, one of the main hot zones around the inner sphere of humanity… Not every story from this place would end up making it back to Jarah and the TV networks there, which broadcast news and events from across the planets that had been settled by humanity. Not everyone was aware of the depth of the conflict that was happening there right now, which saw cities in flames and unrestricted warfare on both land and in the air by both sides, all for the strategic value of the planet and over the subject of whether or not the Free Systems Government had a valid claim to exist and hold the worlds that it had settled at all. The numbers, even, weren’t entirely reported - it was a known fact that people were dying here, more so on the side of the defender than the attacker…

But the exact numbers, those were still a mystery to most. Even without them, however, the whispers of the conflict had been spreading since even the first month, with internet threads proclaiming that something big was happening on this world and with some images getting out displaying the planetary scale warfare that was happening here… Not a war in the usual sense of a national invasion, but a war of a different kind, perhaps a less common one, a nation invading through other actors. There was a lot to look through, for someone that was interested enough - some of the top Astrian weapons makers were testing their equipment out here, even things that hadn’t been put on sale officially yet… There were mercenary fighters both on the ground and in the air, bringing with them various levels of professionalism and various different kinds of equipment. And then there were the actual Astrian forces, battling for supremacy in space to support the invasion that was being spearheaded both by noble forces and mercenary ones.

Not everyone knew the full story. But just about everyone knew that this place wasn’t safe, and that at worst, it was one of the most dangerous places in the galaxies… At least, in the cities that statement held true. But what was there to do really outside of the cities? That was where everyone was, and for the most part, where the danger was also centered around…

The descending aerospace transport, which was acting as a shuttle between space and the planet below, wasn’t exactly headed to a city however. There was a tent city, sure, but it wasn’t quite the same thing as a real settlement - the name itself indicated that it was… Temporary. Landing Zone 13, the base of operations for the Marsek Group’s mechanized forces within the Ansour Region, the current contested area - even if it seemed like more of the opposition was coming from the city of Qasier rather than the metro area built up around it.

All things considered, the base was pretty unassuming compared to the nearest city - there were temporary buildings, there were tents, landing strips, and everything else that might be needed at such a facility… And there were also hardened hangars, the largest buildings on the site. To the untrained eye, they seemed like a strange addition. To someone in the know, it was clear that they were there to protect the heavy armor that was stationed here.

The transport continued its descent as the engines shifted, letting them hover straight in the air before the vehicle finally touched down on the ground with a soft thud… The doors slid open, more light becoming visible as the transport opened up for the first time since the last trip had begun. Ahead, there was a busy and, to an extent, confusing base… And for some, it was also a new start. Even if it probably would take some time to see where the right path was.

Justine stepped out, blinking as she looked around. She was searching for any sign of where to go, where to report in. She disliked the layout of the base, but not everything could be laid out perfectly. She decided to start moving in a bit, get a better look around. Eventually she’d see where she needed to go, but for now...well, the bustle didn’t help things. The hangers might be a good place to start, but then again, it was anyone's guess.

Walking there, however, would be a little more challenging than it seemed like from looking at things in the air… On the ground, it was more apparent how many people were moving out and about and carrying out various tasks around the place. The hangars, though, were easy to see at least - they seemed to have a way of towering over the rest of the buildings, both because the other buildings were small and because the hangars hosted the largest weapons in the arsenal of the Marsek Group… Outside of just the space forces in that regard.

Justine was patient, she knew that the hustle and bustle of an active base would slow anyone down. She wove her way through the people, slowly getting closer to the hanger. As she walked, she kept her eyes open for any sign of somewhere else to go. Things here were too busy for someone to have greeted her, she doubted it would be fast to report in and get situated. She wondered quietly what the cities were like right now. Probably just as chaotic, just in a….much different fashion.

Fortunately, someone had apparently decided to make things easier for her - there was a voice not far behind her as she moved, the voice of someone that was looking for her… A male voice that seemed to have a perfectly even tone to it, in a way that almost made it seem like an unnatural one. Though, everything indicated that there was nothing fake about the voice, it was simply strange in a way, or at the very least, it was uncommon. “Justine Noir?”

Justine turned to see who was talking to her.

“Yes sir, I’m Justine Noir.”

She was glad to have found someone at least, or rather, had been found. It’d save her time and let her get to work all the sooner. She looked for rank identification, trying to see if she needed to salute even as she spoke.

“Min-su Bahn…” the other soldier said in introduction, pausing slightly before noticing Justine looking for some kind of rank. “Assistant Company Commander. I was informed that you were arriving with the latest transport that just pulled in, and I was told by the Company Commander to bring you over to be introduced to the unit… So if you’ll come this way…”

Min-su gestured in the direction of the hangars, but the actual destination wasn’t around there but rather next to them, where there was another building… Not the longest walk, it seemed… And it was rather nondescript, with a plain prefabricated design and a couple of floors, with beige coloring. “That building over there, of course, is the command post where many of our plans come in pre-battle. I believe that is what the unit is working on right now.”

“Thank you sir.”

Justine said with a salute before falling in behind the officer. She’d at least been going generally the right way, even if not specifically. Didn’t surprise her that they were set up near the hangers, was common sense really. Didn’t want them halfway across the base and need to be deployed ASAP.

They would, of course, continue towards the building - but Min-su stopped momentarily before they would actually enter it, speaking once more without turning around. “The commander, in this case, is someone that you should tread carefully with - she’s a lot to handle… Talented behind the controls, driven, and everything else someone would say about an ace pilot… And on the other hand, struggling with a number of things. Nor is the commander always the nicest one but…” Min-su stated before pausing again. “Her competence can’t be questioned.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you sir.”

Justine disliked speaking formally as she had to with a superior, but she considered it best to maintain some decorum till she better knew her unit. SHe waited patiently for him to continue, she was a fairly patient person in general. Made sitting around waiting for a mission easier at least, and dealing with formalities more tolerable.

After they entered, it wouldn’t take long to navigate to the room where the platoon actually was - in this instance, they happened to be gathered around and looking at a holographic map projected on an electronic table, showing the positions of the other side. Or at least, what was believed to be those positions based on the latest recon, which had been conducted about an hour ago.

While the uniforms of this place, at least the pilot ones, weren’t too flashy and didn’t immediately give away rank at first glance without taking a look at the closer details, it was somewhat easy to see who was the leader of the company simply by seeing who had the presence of one - of the two others in the room, one of them distinctly appeared to be a leader and the other one just seemed to be more of a follower… The leader was the one that also happened to be physically larger, with broader shoulders but somehow… A look that was also obviously feminine - the woman seemed to combine softer traits with rougher ones, in a way that was almost contradictory, but in her case, just stood to make her more distinct.

She simply looked out of place sitting there in the same uniform as the others, like she was somehow above it, but she didn’t quite have a spoiled look to her like some would have because of having a higher status. Rather, she looked like someone with the eyes of a fighter, who was sizing up the person that had just walked in the room, with all of the experience of someone that had been in enough fights before to know what to look for. It was as if she was both a general and a noble, though what exactly her origin was… That would still be a mystery to Justine.

“Ah, our newest member,” said the woman, sliding from her seat at the edge of the table and standing straight, looking Justine in the eye, and just generally taking in her face. “Lifen Wei… Company commander. And the commander of this platoon in specific, too.”

“Reporting in as ordered ma’am.”

Justine saluted her commander, she was going to have to be careful about this one. She didn’t want to draw the ire of her commander, especially not during an operation like this. It was better to avoid making enemies where she had to, though she had a few she’d climbed over to get to where she is today. Not many, but a few.

Lifen took a moment to give Justine a longer look - an examining one… Before she moved slightly closer, pacing in a pattern that would take her around Justine as she looked at her a bit more from up close and spoke this time. “I can assume that you’ll be a loyal and hard working member of this platoon and get started immediately with filling the shadow that you’re standing in…” Lifen said, the sentence coming out as more of a definite statement than a question that left any room for an open answer.

“Yes ma’am, never balked at my duty before, not going to just because I’m somewhere new.”

Justine was waiting for an ‘at ease’, but could feel the eyes studying her. She was being sized up, her commander was trying to suss out what kind of soldier she was. Her time up to now spoke for itself, she was loyal and hardworking, it would be hard to fill her ambition if she wasn’t. What’s more, she was patient, more patient than many of those she’d trained alongside. She didn’t know if she’d get along with Lifen, but she intended to show her she was no slouch. That she wasn’t a poor soldier that would only bring the platoon down.

“Very well…” said Lifen. She seemed to be demanding at least, just from her tone, and she also seemed somewhat distrustful of others at that… But she didn’t speak more on the subject, stepping to the side and gesturing to the last of the pilots in the room. “I suppose you should meet the other pilot in your section. Actually, I believe she outranks you in it.”

The previously silent woman raised her hand with a slight smirk on her face. “I’m not the lowest ranking one now, yes,” she said, before introducing herself. “Daria Marmo… Hopefully working with me will be a bit more familiar for you considering the other two in this platoon are Yuzhenese.”

“Justine Noir. Maybe, can never tell how a unit will get on.”

“Yeah, well…” started Daria, turning back to the table and looking over the intel once again, her hand moving to her chin as she pondered the situation on the ground. “I’m kind of a hotshot. So just keep up and we’ll probably have a decent time together.”

“Like I said, I’m not one to slack off. No point putting me at the controls if I don’t do my job.”

“I’m just saying I’m not one to beat around the bush, you feel me? I like moving right into the thick of things,” said Daria, shrugging lightly. “Guess you’ll know what I mean when we’re in the field, anyay.”

“I doubt rushing into things is going to suit our current goals,” Lifen stated, looking back to the table herself and placing her hands on it as her eyes traveled towards the enemy formation displayed in the middle of it. “Enemy armor formation headed this way… Nothing like what we have, it’s just tanks and the like… But tanks can still be outfitted with dangerous missiles.”

She gestured, making one hand punch the other to symbolize a missile hitting the target. “Take some hits from those and you’re going to have a bad time… So I don’t think you want to rush into this one,” she said, before her eyes turned to Justine. “I don’t suppose you would be ready to deploy already.”

“Can deploy any time I’m needed, assuming my gear here is ready.”

Justine’s eyes remained on the table in front of them. She was thinking about how things looked for them in general right now. She was still young, didn’t have a lot of tactical training or experience, but trying to predict enemy movements, and seeing how Lifen handled things would be a good step to getting it. She scratched her head, biting the inside of her cheek slightly.

“If we get this mission we’re probably moving in about an hour or so, takes some time to load the ammo and such obviously and we’re not running on surge timing right now, but that’s still not long as far as the time since you’ve gotten here goes,” shrugged Lifen, stepping away from the table. “Just tell me what you intend to do… Though I hope you actually have experience in the Scimitar.”

“What do I intend to do? Get the techs loading my Scimitar up, get suited up, and work in looking at available details for the deployment zone. Enemy composition, terrain, and the like. Once the Scimitar is loaded up, run a systems check and assuming all green, let you know I’m ready for deployment.”

Justine stated her plan simply. Wasn’t much she could do while the techs were loading up her mech, so she’d focus on everything else till she could actually make the systems check. Once she was in the cockpit, he’d be on standby till the order was given, no time to explore the base or get to know the unit.

“But you do have experience?” questioned Lifen, settling her eyes on Justine while folding her arms. “I believe it’s a relevant question.”

“Yes, it’s not my first deployment.”

Justine pointed to the scar on her face. It wasn’t decorative nor was it particularly bad, but she had gotten it in the line of duty.

“Run a few ops in a Scimitar, got this in one of them. Wasn’t too bad, unit survived after all. Mission wasn’t a loss either, though I have to give the credit to the commander of that one, he pulled a few good moves out of his ass.”

“Fair enough,” Lifen said, turning to walk out of the door, stopping for a moment and nodding back towards Justine. “And I suppose this serves as your introduction to the platoon if you can keep up and hang with us during it.”

The AS37 ‘Scimitar’ armored combat suit.

More time would pass since the initial briefing, but eventually, the time would come for the actual mission. The time when everyone would head to the hangars, the actual ones, and climb the series of walkways and steps that led to the cockpits of the large armored suits which were waiting for them… Specifically, the AS37 Scimitar, a model that was produced by the Marsek Group and used both by their mercenaries and the state military as one of their mainstays… And in this case, they were already loaded up by the ground crew and were ready to move out, a set of missiles prepared for each of the four that made up the platoon. Now, as the actual pilots showed up in their piloting suits, the only thing left to do before moving out was get inside the cockpit and run through the last checks required before heading out.

Justine climbed into her mech, and started immediately running her checks. So long as there were no problems, she’d be ready to move out momentarily. She kept her attention on the task instead of letting herself get distracted by thoughts of her new unit. Appropriate and inappropriate both invaded her mind. Still, she was able to focus easily on the task at hand. The mission came before in other thoughts, regardless of what she may desire in life.

After the group had moved through the checks, they would finally reach the point towards the end where they would have to ensure the communications systems were working properly - rather than a simple radio panel, the communications were deemed worthy of a screen on the right side of the cockpit but below the main righthand screen, and for the pilots that were about to move out, those screens would come to life soon enough.

MARSEK GROUP - GOLDEN SUNS COMPANY, 1ST PLATOON
// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “CAVALIER”] CMP CMDR LIFEN WEI - “Communications check…”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “MADDOG”] ASST CMP CMDR MIN-SU BAHN - “Communications stable.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “Comms are crystal clear over here.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “No interference here.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “CAVALIER”] CMP CMDR LIFEN WEI - “We’ll move now, then. Ground crew, disengage locks…”

Moments after she had spoken, the locks holding the mechs in place within their spots in the hangar disengaged, leaving the pilots free to advance as the hangar doors began to slide open, the dusty environment of the Carinian deserts ahead of them - the view as the doors opened was just a reminder of what they were actually about to head into, hunting for a platoon or two of FSG armored units which had been spotted coming in this direction.

As those doors continued to open, the group started to move out in their usual formation - one and two taking the lead, three and four heading behind them as their own group, the platoon made of two sections overall. Each with two pilots tasked with watching the back of each other in a dangerous environment where things could go bad quickly…

Justine was somewhat more relaxed in the cockpit than she had been when meeting the commander. This unit was unknown to her, wildcards. She was comfortable in this cockpit, she’d deployed several times in this very same model. She wasn’t a slouch in combat, but she didn’t know the capabilities of her new unit, and they didn’t know hers. A straightforward combat mission like this would at least serve to familiarize her with them, and vice versa. Not instant, but a start, she couldn’t complain.

Departure from the camp was quick - the path leading out was pretty clear, even in the midst of all the busyness of the people in said camp, and they would indeed get plenty of looks as they moved through in their large armored suits, towering over the relatively small buildings and trailers that made up most of the facilities at this temporary base… At least, the base was temporary in name. It had been here for a while, and there was a good chance they would remain there for a while longer before getting anywhere more developed. With that being said, however, it wasn’t the worst place in the world.

But for now, they were leaving it behind.

Beyond the boundaries of that base, there was more sand, more rolling hills and mountains, and it was in this terrain that they were embarking on the hunt for the armor formation they had heard about…

There were drones continuing to sweep the area as they spoke, sending back images and footage, though they hadn’t gotten eyes on that specific formation again. Maybe they would find them from the air, maybe they wouldn’t. The job of the mech unit to patrol for the threat didn’t change either way. It would just be easier on them if they didn’t have to find the position on their own.

MARSEK GROUP - GOLDEN SUNS COMPANY, 1ST PLATOON
// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “So, Yellowjacket. We’re going to have to walk around these deserts for a bit, find the target and all that. You usually talk when you’re on missions, or…?”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Depends on the mission, some are too intense for much chatter, this one...not so much. Straightforward mission, assuming no surprises this should be relatively fast. Still, I’m keeping my eyes peeled, people can be tricky.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “Yeah well, this makes it a good time for you to tell us your life story, preferences in bed, and anything else you feel like sharing. I mean, we’re stuck together for a bit so we’re all going to find out all that stuff anyway, eh?”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Life story is fairly boring. Familial infighting for money, signed up to get away from it all and now I’m some paragon my mother is propping up for social reasons. As for in bed, I’m not too picky. I give and take pretty much where I can get it.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “Good, ‘cause everyone else in this platoon is too hardassed about that kinda stuff. Got to have someone around here that knows how to have fun. Me, I lived it up a bit on Fucina… But you can only live it up so much when there’s about a hundred factories for every nightclub you see.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Duty comes first, but if you can’t destress it’ll break most people eventually. I grew up on Kranica, plenty to do there but lemme tell you, it’s expensive and people are predatory if they think they can use you for a leg up at all.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “You think it’s any different in the not so rich places? Pfft. Knew a bunch of people that went the normal route and worked in factories and such… But half the ones that didn’t ended up going into smuggling or dealing drugs or working with street bio mods and shit… Lot of different ways to try to get enough of a living to get off the rock. I just happened to be good enough with these controls to do it a lil’ differently.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Different kinda predatory on average, but there’s plenty of black market shit circulating through Kranica if you know where to look. People think you're safe because it’s a nice shiny city, that just means they’re better at hiding from you. I’m glad to be away from it mostly. Few of my sisters and cousins were decent enough, and I can’t say I don’t miss the nice sides of things, but I’m more comfortable in this cockpit than about anywhere else.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “CAVALIER”] CMP CMDR LIFEN WEI - “I consider it a mistake to place trust in people regardless… Of whether the surroundings are of high worth or low worth.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “If someone places their faith in me, I return it in kind unless they stab me in the back. True loyalty is all too rare these days, and it’s kinda...depressing at times.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “CAVALIER”] CMP CMDR LIFEN WEI - “I’m less wary of those who admit their unfaithfulness than those who proclaim otherwise… It’s often the loudest proclaiming their loyalty who are the quickest to betray. But perhaps that’s just my own view…”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Maybe, but actions speak louder than words. Anyone got any sign of the enemy armor, I don’t like how quiet it’s been.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “MADDOG”] ASST CMP CMDR MIN-SU BAHN - “Nothing… But it’s a vast place out here.”

They would, of course, continue their trek onwards - the armored unit hadn’t been spotted by the drones yet, but considering the terrain and the vast distance between here and the nearest city they had likely originated from, that was somewhat understandable… The trek continued for about a half hour after it had started, leading the group further away from the camp and further north, in the direction of Qasier. Not that Qasier was actually close, however, to their location. It was far, and while it was the closest major settlement on the map, that had more to do with the lay of the planet… Carinia-IV wasn’t as widely colonized as some places, with the cities that were important enough to actually be on the map being the ones that were, for the most part, government strongholds and economic centers.

Which made their task a bit harder, especially with their sensors disrupted at times by the sands that blew through the winds at times. However, eventually, they would get a sign of what they were looking for… Something stood out on the horizon, and switching to IR sensors would display a clearer picture and reveal that, in the distance on the incline up ahead, there were indeed at least a couple of tanks positioned there, stopped for the moment.

“Two contacts…” Lifen announced into the communications channel as she set her eyes back on the screen in front of her, which displayed the imagery from the sensors, the tanks displayed in black against the white surroundings. She pushed forward on the throttle once again, starting to move in that direction. “We’ll get a bit closer and let ‘em have it… Keep your heads up, there may be more. Probably is more.”

The scenery around Qasier.

“Might be baiting us, if they spotted us to.”

Justine said as she followed after Lifen, maintaining decent distance to stick with her paired pilot in Daria. She scratched at the scar on her face, and kept her eyes out, looking for a glint or cloud of dust to confirm her suspicions. They had to know someone was going to come after them, having two alone like this seemed like a trap to Justine. Could just be interference, but Justine had an itch telling her to stay wary.

The armored group remained in position for now, while the group of mechs pushed forwards towards them, the two sections only keeping a moderate distance between each other - Lifen continued to close the gap but stopped once the tanks were within range of the medium ranged missiles they were carrying for this engagement… Ten of them on each mech, in fact.

As the mechs approached, the tanks seemed to pick up on their presence through the dust that was blowing through the battlefield at the moment, not moving significantly but zeroing in on the approaching group and seemingly preparing to fire… The order came from Lifen first, however. “Group… Engage,” she said to her own unit, the covers on her mech’s missile launchers pulling back as she herself prepared to lock on and attack.

Justine locked onto a target of her own, her own covers receding to give her missiles a shot. Once she had the lock, she’d fire, the order to engage had been given. She wanted to fire before the tank had a chance to shoot at them, she’d rather avoid damage on her first outing with this group if she could manage it. Once the lock was confirmed, she launched her missiles at the target, moving to the side a bit to keep herself a moving target, and avoid crossfire or allow shots targeting her a chance to hit one of the others.

The missiles hit the target - and it became apparent immediately, as even through the dust, the fires spitting from the destroyed tank could be seen… In specific, the jet of fire came from the top of the hatch after the impact, and the damages made it clear that the attack had disabled that tank. But there was still another one.

Within her own cockpit, Lifen turned her attention to the remaining one that was on the advance, locking onto it as a target as her other hand shifted on the control stick… After a moment of judging the distance, she fired off a single MK30 mid ranged missile of her own, watching it streak high before taking a downwards course towards the second tank of the group. The missile slammed into the tank and went through the front of it, the resulting explosion afterwards taking it out entirely and sending another smoke plume into the air above them.

She pressed forward with the other hand, easing the throttle ahead as she tentatively headed towards the incline that the two tanks had been descending.

MARSEK GROUP - GOLDEN SUNS COMPANY, 1ST PLATOON
// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “CAVALIER”] CMP CMDR LIFEN WEI - “We’re looking for a platoon rather than just two tanks… Keep it moving, there’s more in the area.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “MADDOG”] ASST CMP CMDR MIN-SU BAHN - “Affirmative.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Copy that.”

Justine fell back into pace with the rest of the unit, glad the tanks hadn’t gotten a shot off at their group. Maybe she would have been fine with only one missile, but she didn’t want to take the risk. She silently scolded herself for it, she had to be better about ammo conservation. It was perhaps the area she most needed to improve in, especially if they were going to be in longer engagements.

The Interstellar League’s model T-601 hovertank.

The group continued past the wreckage of the tanks, hovertanks apparently, and they would be able to see that they were the T-601 model that was used by the Interstellar League. Not that it was actually uncommon to see them in other places… The inner regions of the galaxy were leaders in development, and oftentimes, it was simply cheaper to buy from there than develop a new model. Additionally, for a ‘pirate state’ such as the Free Systems Government, advanced research and development wasn’t always an option… Not during the stressful time of war, at least.

Eventually they would reach a higher elevation than they had been at before, giving them an overlooking view of the desert plains ahead - though, it didn’t seem like any potential threats stood out right away. That didn’t necessarily mean, however, that there weren’t any. The tanks had been camouflaged in desert colors, after all. It was possible for that to result in some missed contacts.

Before the unit could switch to IR vision, however, there was an interruption.

MARSEK GROUP - GOLDEN SUNS COMPANY, 1ST PLATOON
// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “Hearing the sound of… Jet engines.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “MADDOG”] ASST CMP CMDR MIN-SU BAHN - “Possible enemy air activity…”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Anyone got a visual yet?”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “No… But it’s coming from ahead of us.”

Indeed, the sound of jet engines were coming from ahead. Better than an ambush from behind, at least, but knowing that still didn’t help them that much. After all, there was little they could do if they couldn’t see the enemy in the first place. But after a few more moments passed, something did emerge from the clouds, or rather a pair of things, two fighters which were flying low and painted in desert colors - not the most expensive or the best, and they wouldn’t hold up against the best in an air to air fight, but that didn’t mean they weren’t carrying plenty of deadly ammunitions for targets on the ground… In fact, based on the bombs and missiles loaded under their wings, it looked like ground attack was their main task right now.

Lifen didn’t waste time getting the group moving again, sending them forward… But even that was still putting them in danger as the two planes, which based on the design seemed affiliated with the enemy rather than any friendly forces, closed in on them from a distance. They would be moving targets, but still targets, unless they managed to take those fighters down from the ground. Not impossible to do, but not the easiest to do without pilot error enabling it to happen.

Justine moved as Lifen directed, she wanted to try and shoot the things down, but without the right missiles loaded up, it was impractical. She had been right, or at least, had been lucky enough at guessing, that those two tanks had been bait. It seemed like they had been drawn out here to cripple or destroy their mechs. A smart tactic, but only if it succeeded. If it failed, they’d have lost units and munitions for nothing.

The pair of fighters came low, becoming more visible as they approached, and there was indeed a chance to fire back… But not a large window to do so - perhaps the only weapon that these mechs were equipped with at the moment that could deal with the threat was the rifles, and those obviously weren’t guided… It would be a shot that had to be calculated and aimed by the pilot, even if the sensors could help with figuring out how much deflection the shots needed.

But the planes, as the attackers that were coming in quickly from a high angle, had the first shots… The first of the planes released a pair of bombs, dropping them towards the second mech in the formation, Maddog, and the resulting explosion managed to deal more damage than the tanks had been able to in their brief encounter with the platoon… This time, there was an actual attack that resulted in penetration, and that penetration was enough to set off a magazine explosion which, while it didn’t take the mech down completely, would leave that member of the platoon out of the rest of the fight…

The second plane, however, was still incoming - and still determined to make an attack. Diving in, the second of the attacks went towards the same target… Except, this time, the bombs hitting the mark nearby wasn’t enough to break through the armored layer of the combat suit, the fragmentations and shockwave rolling off of it as the Scimitar held under the second attack.

These attacks did, of course, provide a quick window for the rest of the platoon now that their enemy was flying low.

Daria took aim to use the rifle for the first time this operation, firing off three rounds in quick succession with a couple of them hitting the mark, one of them tearing the wing off the fighter and the other one striking a fuel line and causing a quick eruption while the fighter was still in the air, before it would take a steep dive downwards and crash into the ground in a fireball… There still was a second plane approaching on a similar path, however.

Justine raised her rifle much as Daria did, and fired her own three round burst. It was hard to tell how many hit, but at least one round found its mark. The damage fighter spun out of control, spiraling into the ground and exploding, a fourth plume of smoke now visible in the desert landscape. Justine lowered her rifle and relaxed her tight grip on her controls, though she wasn’t foolish enough to let go.

The threat seemed to be over for now although there was no telling whether or not there would be more danger in the coming moments. With that being said, the attention of the platoon was more on their one member that had been actually hit with the attacks.

MARSEK GROUP - GOLDEN SUNS COMPANY, 1ST PLATOON
// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “MADDOG”] ASST CMP CMDR MIN-SU BAHN - “It appears most of the systems are still functioning… But weapons is failed. Close call back there.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “CAVALIER”] CMP CMDR LIFEN WEI - “Too close, if you ask me. Be more careful… You can move to the back, since you can still use the rifle. Everyone else, switch to IR and let’s see if we can find the rest of this formation.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Copy that, switching to IR.”

Justine swapped over, using the switch as a chance to take a deep breath. The bombing run had been way to close a call. Maddog had come very close to death, and there wasn’t yet any sign of the rest of the tanks they were after. She was glad the fighters had only gotten one pass, but they needed better AA support than this. She understood not every operation could go perfectly, but it still irked her when things like this happened.

As they made the switch to IR vision, the last two tanks that they were looking for would become clear further down the way along the path they were traveling, blending into the terrain with their desert color scheme and attempting to spring an ambush. However, that wouldn’t exactly work for them once the pilots had switched to viewing the surroundings in IR, with the tanks displayed in black and contrasting against the white of the surroundings in the background.

As the one in the front of the formation, Lifen moved immediately, taking aim with another missile about as soon as she had spotted the threat ahead, and causing another quick eruption of flames as another overmatched ground vehicle was hit with a missile that was just too powerful for its armor to counter… Another T-601 seemingly, but while the model held up against other tanks, it wasn’t a match for the mech opponents. Not in this situation, anyway.

Justine took aim, and fired a missile of her own at the last tank standing. She sighed with relief as it went up in flames. She turned and scanned the area looking to make sure no other surprises were lurking for them. She doubted there would be, but it was always a good idea to check, especially given they’d already thrown two fighters at them and damaged one of their unit.

Lifen pushed forward and kept the group moving north following the destruction of the remainder of the enemy armored unit they had been sent to hunt in the first place, though… There were odd signs seemingly. More jet engines, except these planes didn’t stop, rather continuing on their path ahead and streaking by, headed to some other location closer to the route they had come from… Off in the distance, a flight of helicopters seemingly went past, too, following a similar route and not paying attention to the group of mechs, instead favoring heading southwards for now.

Whatever was happening right now… Involved more than just one armored formation.

MARSEK GROUP - GOLDEN SUNS COMPANY, 1ST PLATOON
// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “That’s a lot of active units, they come at us we might not be able to repel them.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “CAVALIER”] CMP CMDR LIFEN WEI - “They’re not coming for us… They’re passing by and heading further south.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “I did have an implied if there. Still, they’re doing something big.”

// [MARSEK] - [ANSOUR REGION COMMAND] - “Intelligence reports from the surrounding area to your current location have revealed that the Free Systems Government is engaging in a renewed offensive in the Ansour region, targeting a number of locations… Due to increased opposition which has been discovered ahead, you are advised to turn around and return to base.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “CAVALIER”] CMP CMDR LIFEN WEI - “Affirmative… Platoon, let’s move.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “Huh… No more action today.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “YELLOW JACKET”] PLT JUSTINE NOIR - “Probably for the best, we have one person damaged with no missiles, and with the amount of air power around, it wouldn’t be hard for them to target us with more than we can handle.”

// [MARSEK] - [AS37 SCIMITAR “FREAK”] PLT DARIA MARMO - “Fair enough… Still seems like no fun.”

And so, after receiving the order, the platoon turned around and started on the same path they had come from, set for a trek in the same direction that the enemy seemed to be headed right now - for whatever reason. Perhaps because south was the location of their base, perhaps because of something else… Either way, something was happening, and it wasn’t in the realm of the usual.

by **Nagakawa** » Wed May 13, 2020 10:18 pm

Malvina-VI
Malvina Planetary Group
Oceanus System, Star Union

It’s always stormy on Malvina-VI - so the saying went. Not a downpour sort of storm; those were rare, and tended to be acidic enough that standing in the rain for anything longer than ten minutes would cause rashes and skin problems. Most people were wary enough to hide indoors in such scenarios.

But the true storms of Malvina-VI were of a different sort.

...

District 18F “Mazan”
Northwest Water Treatment Plant III

“Oi, who’s that over there?”

The intruders pulled up their balaclavas and turned to face the policeman as he seized his pistol and pointed it at the dark figures. In the background, the slow whirring of the water treatment filters continued to hum, even as the third intruder standing directly over the large reservoir continued emptying bottle after bottle of powder into the water.

“All three of you, put your hands up, and get down on both knees!” As the two in front hastily got down and obeyed the policeman, he raised his pistol and aimed at the one still emptying bottles of powder into the water. “You! I said, stop what you’re doing, and get on your knees.”

The sound of the policeman’s voice echoed eerily through the vast chamber.

“This is Inspector Jethro Mertz. It seems... I’ve caught some of our water spikers in the act.”

As the policeman inched forward, he was about to apprehend the three intruders, when a shadowy figure crept round the back and skunk through the shadows.

“The three of you are under- khhhh”

A knife had entered the policeman’s back. A fourth assailant had appeared.

He gasped as his breath escaped his body, the blade having punctured his lung. And then the other three sprang to their feet.

...

MURKY WATER, INKY SKY

Controlled for several decades by an uneasy balance of power between several powerful corporations and a coalition of organised crime clans, the former mining moon of Malvina-VI has long been a thorn in the side of the Star Union, in a strategic enough location to generate much appreciated economic boons, but also lawless and opaque enough to warrant concern, especially given the central Union government's only partial control over the moon.

Following the death of Inspector Jethro Reinhard Mertz, killed in the line of duty after having uncovered a plot to spike the civilian water supply of Malvina-VI's major cities with highly addictive black market narcotic substances, the long-understaffed Police Department finally sees help coming from Central HQ, in the form of several new squads posted to Malvina-VI to assist in law enforcement and peacekeeping. What these greenhorns will uncover, only time can tell...

District 27 “Heliopolis"
Police Post 11B

02/01/2137 (MONDAY)
1400h

“Constable Hoang Thuy Kieu, sex female, ethnicity Huenese, DOB 11 March 2117, age 19, height 162cm, weight 47kg, blood type O+...”

Sweet Jesus, please, can he not read all of that shit out loud...

Visibly unnerved by the senior inspector’s tic of reading out all his interviewees’ personal information, Kieu shifted about nervously in her seat and focused her eyes on all the things in the small, overly-air-conditioned office that were not the senior inspector’s tired grey eyes: the potted monstera in the corner, the rather lonely-looking chintz ottoman in the other corner wedges awkwardly between two emotionless, postmodern bookcases, the senior inspector’s receding hairline.

“Ms Kieu, your application to transfer to the Malvina-VI PD has been approved by our manpower office.” The senior inspector’s voice was a smooth yet entirely uninteresting monotone that sounded like an LP vinyl of aircraft noises. “I understand your uncle is a senior inspector who has been working here for eleven years already. I have thus taken the liberty of placing you under his detachment.”

N-no way...

“Um... thank you, sir.” Kieu forced a smile.

I suppose it’s better than nothing, getting to work under Uncle. Makes the dreariness of my next two years seem a little less... well... dreary.

“Alright, if you‘ve got no other heart-burning questions or queries, you may leave and go home for the day. Tomorrow, be at the main office by 0900, and report to your uncle... I mean... Senior Inspector Dominic Vu. Bring your standard-issue kit and any other comfort items you wish to carry with you. Expect to stay in for at least five days.”

...

“Hey. Kieu.”

“Oh, hello Uncle Dom.”

Putting down her dumbbells, Kieu looked up at the imposing figure of her uncle, glowering over her, his cruelly-muscular body silhouetted against the evening sun and made even more imposing by the beige trench coat that he wore over his work clothes. The great figure of Malvina hung heavily in the sky, her terrifying hydrogen storms visible even against the light of Oceanus’ star. Soon, the Ninth Rotation would come, and Malvina would blot out the sky, obscuring the other moons from view and conjuring every manner of strange weather pattern over the little moon Malvina-VI.

“I heard about your posting from Giuseppe... I mean... Senior Inspector Valeschi. The guy who interviewed you earlier this afternoon.” Dom took a seat on the ground beside where his niece lay after a set of 30x4 flutter kicks, loosening his tie. “Looks like we’ll be working together more closely now.”

Uncle’s never been one for tact, Kieu thought to herself, wiping her brow and catching her breath. She seized her bottle and drank 500ml in a single gulp.

“I know you’re disappointed that you didn’t manage to get into the special forces”, Dom continued, “but hey, such is life. After all... you just need the scholarship, don’t you?”

“Meh... I suppose you’re right, Uncle Dom.” Half-smiling, Kieu stood up briskly (as did her uncle), wiping the sweat from her brow and looking out into the distance.

An air of uneasiness hung over the city skyline in the distance. As if there was something...

“Say, Uncle... do you ever feel like there’s something out there that you just need to see one day? Like it’s just meant for you to see... you know what I’m saying?”

Uncle Dom sighed.

“I did feel that way once”, he replied, almost dreamily, his weather-worn face suddenly taking on a youthful idealism to it. “A very close friend of mine did, too. It was almost as if he could read my mind and I could read his. The two of us, we were... well... never mind that.”

Turning back to face his niece, he chuckled sheepishly. His quiet, gentle voice did not at all match his physique and his demeanour.

“I bought some kebabs for you. You don’t have to go out for dinner tonight.

...

District 07, Government Quarter
Ministry of the Interior

There was an unusually tense atmosphere inside the Ministry of the Interior as the bureaucrats went about their work.

Word had quickly gotten round of Inspector Jethro R. Mertz’s death in the line of duty. Even prior to that, the Ministry had already requested for increased manpower in the MPD, but Central HQ had been and still was unwilling to dispatch more officers to a small world like Malvina-VI. Assistant Commissioner Hovhannes Artashesian, Commander of Malvina-VI's police department, had spent night after night hunched over his desk and making an endless stream of calls to Central HQ, but to no avail.

At least, that was until a veteran police officer was killed in the line of duty while investigating the suspicious water about which Artashesian had complained to Central HQ for so long.

"Gentlemen, it would seem that Central Headquarters has finally relented, and will thusly be dispatching more officers to Malvina-VI shortly." This was the first conference that Asst. Commissioner Artashesian was chairing in a long time, and the weariness in his voice was evident to all in the room. "I have contacted Governor-general Gwak and Commander of the Malvina-VI 881st Guards Battalion Lieut. Colonel Theophilus. They have agreed to provide us with the necessary support for our operations against the crime lords. I'm too tired to fill you all in on the details, so everything is inside the in-dep-sum that I had my secretary download onto your datapads."

Taking a shot of his triple-espresso, the tired-looking police chief of Malvina-VI stood up, attempting to straighten out his hunched back, before then collapsing back into his curved, mildly-scoliotic posture, as he shuffled to the door.

"Good day to you all, gentlemen", he said. "Let's hope that Inspector Mertz's death will not be in vain."

...

District 07 “Main City”
Headquarters, Malvina-VI Police Department

03/01/2137 (TUESDAY)
0830h

Though it was already close to office hours, the morning of the third of January on Malvina-VI was still a dark and hazy one, the streets covered in an impenetrable, moderately noxious chemical smog of sorts. Rain was coming.

Having made her way to central headquarters as per the senior inspector's instructions, and then subsequently following the instructions of the "welcome party", Kieu found herself standing inside a large auditorium. The close proximity of the fuzzy navy-blue cinema seats suggested that whoever had planned the in-processing for the newly-posted folks hadn't thought through the process; she struggled a bit with her kit bag, more than half her size, before somehow managing to squeeze it under her seat with no small amount of wriggling about, relenting and then leaving her load-bearing vest on her lap.

Several other members of her new squad had already begun to file in, though Kieu paid no attention to them, instead squinting and focusing her eyes on the slide being projected holographically at the front of the auditorium; it was skewed ever so slightly to the left. Mildly infuriating indeed.

"So these guys are my new squad, huh..." Kieu mused to herself, leaning forward and resting her chin in her hand, pulling her attention away from the askew slide and looking around at the others who were slowly coming into the auditorium. Her uncle, Senior Inspector Dom, emerged from one of the front doors of the auditorium, wearing his dress uniform, resplendent with ribbons, badges, and a military Special Forces tab to boot. Unlike the sleepy bear he was in his civvies, Dominic Vu was a grizzly old warrior in his uniform.

Kieu cast a demure smile at her uncle, who nodded back surreptitiously, his face stony. They both knew well enough to keep their familial relationship separate from their careers.

"Surely there must be more of you?" Senior Inspector Dom murmured to himself, picking up a microphone and tapping into it. "Testing. Testing. Một, hai, ba, bốn."

...

by **Forest State** » Mon May 18, 2020 5:14 am

Arran Moon
Murky Water, Inky Sky
March 1st, 2037

Oceanus was, out of the systems of the Star Union, perhaps the most far flung one…

And a far cry from life on Jarah it was. Lightyears and lightyears away from the bustling cities that covered much of humanity’s home planet, things were a bit different - no, not a bit different, but distinctly different. Not even fully under the control of the government, the corporations, or any other faction for that matter. On Jarah, one could go through their days entirely with the help of automated processes if they so chose - dress, transportation, many tasks at work, and even recreation could be managed by programs and low level artificial intelligences…

But out here, that wasn’t even an option. Things weren’t quite that developed to provide that level of comfort. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing for the people of the Oceanus system remained to be seen.

Someone that was finding out the differences between the places firsthand was Arran Moon, who found herself on a different world with a new assignment - one that, allegedly, could involve some more action that the kind of run of the mill stuff that she was more used to in Jarah, dealing with petty criminals and gangs and the like - with a group of unfamiliar people.

Arran Moon.

It could have been worse. She could have been sent here on a similarly new assignment but for something more run of the mill. Then again… If this wasn’t some kind of big case, they probably wouldn’t have bothered telling her she should come all the way out to Malvina-VI in the first place. No, something was, as people said, up right now. Even if she hardly knew what that was and why this place was worth the attention.

Regardless of what she thought about it, however, she was here right now. Here with a couple other people that had ended up working on the same thing. Of course, she anticipated differences between herself and them. Really, they were most likely not from the same department as her when it came to role. This was something more investigative rather than a pressing issue that needed to be responded to with force, and soon. Arran, on the other hand, was someone that was usually placed in SWAT.

Kicking doors, she could do. Asking questions and following leads… That was a bit more unnatural, even if she didn’t have a problem doing it for the sake of the job.

As long as there’s something more interesting down the line, it will be fine… And if not, this seems like the kind of place where finding other action isn’t hard…

She would get restless if there wasn’t any action. On tasks as important as this one, though, it was rare that something didn’t happen. It was just a matter of when, really, and whether or nor they would be prepared when things did start happening beyond leads being thrown to them for investigation.

“Well, I’d like to think I’m worth more than one person,” Arran said at the remark about how there had to be more of them here - it indeed wasn’t a large gathering, not unless a bunch of people walked in at the last minute, which she didn’t rule out. But for some reason, it didn’t seem like the case.

Rolling with a small group wasn’t the worst thing in the world, however. They would probably be able to work together better than if a large number of people had to coordinate things across multiple departments and such. “Arran Moon,” she continued in introducion. “Previously working with the police back in Highburrow, in Salem… Apparently, this is more important though.Oh, and I specialize in SWAT activities. My gear’s right here in my bag in case it’s needed.”

Now to hope they don’t just see you as another upper class Salemite from Jarah traipsing around the frontier because of having too much time and money to burn…

by **Castelia** » Mon May 18, 2020 8:01 am

Lewis Stanton
March 1st, 2037

I expected worse, but this still isn't fine at all.

That day was perhaps the worst of his life. Coming into work one fine Monday morning, a certain young constable found himself in front of his boss, being told to vacate his desk which was now occupied by a handsome youth with a punchable face he had never seen before, and to depart with haste for the Oceanus system, more specifically the colony at Malvinus-VI.

He hadn't exactly been expecting a promotion, but the sudden order to depart for some far-off moon still took Lewis Stanton by surprise. Manpower shortages in the more distant quadrants of the Star Union wasn't a secret to anyone in the force, but usually this was solved by sending some idealistic greenhorns fresh off the Academy, or problematic officers who found themselves in trouble with the higher-ups for one reason or another.

In contrast, he was neither of these. As far as Lewis knew, his work in the records department within Central HQ was more than satisfactory to his bosses, and never had he earned the angry gaze of any of the brass at Central. A career advancement was never in the cards for him with this type of hand, but still it was better service than most of his "co-workers" were doing.

But maybe, Lewis sarcastically thought, it was to be expected. According to a nosy co-worker he had talked to, the guy who had replaced him was a posh daddy's boy, a son of a high-ranking politician who wanted to play cop. The higher-ups would catch trouble if anything happened to Police Constable Nepotism, so they decided to send someone who they could afford to lose, who was apparently Lewis.

That was some time ago. Now, he found himself standing inside the large auditorium together with the people he was to work with, assigned to a case he had no experience with aside from rudimentary classes at the Academy. It wasn't the worst thing that could happen as he could have been assigned as a beat cop in a criminal neighborhood, but the dreary atmosphere of Malvinus-VI and the reality of being so far from home made the situation all the more unbearable.

Better get this over with.

"Lewis Stanton, previously assigned to the Records Department of Central Headquarters. I have no experience in the field, but I'm good enough with office work and documents if it's needed. Looking forward to working with the rest of you."

by **Durmatagno** » Fri May 22, 2020 4:07 am

CARINIAN STORM - PART THREE

Following a quiet couple of days in the conflict on Carinia-IV, a new announcement from the Free Systems Government reveals rising stakes…

January 6th, 2137
LZ 13, Ansour Region, Carinia-IV
Collaborative post between Forest State & Durmatagno

The days following the recent engagement in the deserts of the Ansour Region, on Carinia-IV, went about as expected - repairs had been done on damaged equipment, further intel was gathered on the movements of the enemy side as the offensive picked up in intensity, and prep started for the next operations out here in the desert. There was, however, something of a feeling that things weren’t exactly the same as they always were… That this time, the push from the other side wasn’t just going to die down and the offensive from before had just been the start of a change.

It would, perhaps, be more difficult for the side that was pushing to take control of the planet.

As another day began, the third day after the change had been noticed and the first battle of the new offensive had been fought, both in the deserts and in the area surrounding the base, the facilities at the Marsek Group landing zone would once again come alive with personnel moving to and from their assigned jobs and getting to work quickly on getting the companies based there ready for action once again, as soon as possible… After all, they were expected to see more action in the coming days.

But for those who had the luxury of being pilots, things were a bit… Slower. No real rush to get up for now, because the fact of the matter was that they didn’t have something they needed to do right now. There was a general knowledge that things were a little different… But that hadn’t yet translated into the mission assignment that was presumably coming up. For now, it was almost a calm before the storm.

On one hand, Justine appreciated the calm as it gave them time to think, get to know each other, and relax before another big battle. On the other hand she missed the feeling of being in the cockpit, and of engaging the enemy with her unit. Her hands felt empty without the controls, something she often had to distract herself from lest she cause problems. She wasn’t prone to causing problems among her fellow soldiers, she didn’t even usually get involved in the gambling rings that tended to crop up. She just relaxed, talked with her unit when they were interested, and kept her mind ready to deploy as soon as the order came in. She was getting a little...restless from the waiting, but not from lack of combat.

There would soon enough be at least something of interest to her, however - after getting up, there was a knock on Justine’s door, the quick knocking of someone that was… Either angrily trying to get in, or just hyperactive. Given the context of the situation, it was perhaps more likely that it was just the latter. It did seem characteristic of her fellow pilot, Daria. “You in there? It’s plenty late enough to get up.”

“I’m up, I’m up. Was just relaxing a bit.”

Justine was indeed fully dressed and ready to go. She got up and opened the door for Daria, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

“What’s up?”

Justine leaned against the door frame, arms folded and she fought a yawn. Mostly because she was bored, not because she was actually tired. Funny how things worked out like that.

“News conference is supposed to happen soon and it might have to do with what we’re working on. You know, the whole thing with taking over Carinia. Lifen said we should be gathered up for when it happens ‘cause it’s probably going to be relevant,” Daria said, before taking a step away. “And as far as I know, there’s food also.”

“I could eat, hope the conference is actually worth the time.”

Justine stepped out of her room and closed the door behind her. This time she did yawn, adding a stretch for good measure. Just ‘cause she was awake didn’t mean she wanted to be. Just because she was dressed and ready to didn’t mean the bed didn’t still beckon her. There were some perks of civilian life she missed, like being able to sleep basically whenever she wanted.

“Hope it’s not just finger food, that just makes me snacky.”

“Don’t know, but I know the news conference has to do with the other side this time,” Daria said as she started walking down the corridor, which at the moment was mildly busy with the usual traffic and with personnel getting ready for the next missions. “Conference is supposed to involve Yadira Ruiz… The one that’s currently the most powerful figure in this shithole. Don’t know all the details, don’t think anyone does, but it’s almost definitely going to be about this war in some kinda way…”

“Well wonder how much of it is going to be propaganda, and how much if it is useful.”

Justine couldn’t say she was particularly interested in this conference from the sound of things, but one way or another she was going to have to be there. Might as well get there early, maybe then she wouldn’t be bored all the time. Who knows, she was good at understanding the political side of things, but that didn’t mean she had to enjoy it. Some remnant of her upbringing that still reared it’s head even in the military.

“We’ll see what it’s all about soon enough I suppose.”

Daria continued on her way through the halls, heading in the direction of the conference room where they were set to gather. “They don’t call everyone to see the big boss talk if it’s just propaganda… This is a bit higher level than that,” she stated. “Then again, what do I know?”

“Probably right, but I’m bored so I’m going to complain. Not big on gambling, and there’s fuck all to do round here besides that.”

Justine said with a shrug. She used to be better at relaxing, but her last deployment had been more active than this, so maybe she’d just forgotten how. Either that or she was getting less patient as she got older, who knews. A shrink maybe, but Justine wasn’t talking to one of those right now. She was talking to someone her senior in the unit, same rank otherwise. Could be a bit more relaxed with Daria.

“There’s always screwing,” chuckled Daria, never one to shy away from such subjects. “But yes, out here in the desert, you figure out things to do… Kinda have to. You don’t want to lose your mind by the time you make it back home from this, after all.”

“Everyone round here is too busy when I’m in the mood, so there hasn’t been any of that.”

Justine growled slightly, in a playfully angry kind of way, not a truly angry one. She was antsy sure, but she was used to that, pretty rare that there was enough spare time with the people she was interested in. Plus she hadn’t found herself a new toy, and while she could be content with just normal playing around, she wanted a toy. Not many military types were good for such things.

“Hmmm… I, for one, think that you have a certain charm to you,” Daria said as they entered the conference room finally, the rest of the unit and some of the other pilots and military personnel already gathered - it wasn’t just their own unit, and it was a fairly large amount that had been brought within the confines of the room. Her words were perhaps slightly suggestive - but it was hard to tell one way or the other. Daria was, after all, someone that wasn’t afraid to play around.

As they entered, Daria’s eyes scanned the room slightly and then settled on Lifen in specific, her hand raising to offer a waive to their commanding officer as they walked in… She could see clearly that Lifen was returning the look. “I don’t think the CO agrees with me, though… She doesn’t trust you. Doesn’t trust must people, but not you specifically.”

“Trust takes time to earn, haven’t had a lot of that. My record speaks for itself, she just doesn’t trust that either.”

Justine said with a shrug. She’d been distrusted by people all her life for various different reasons, usually them thinking she was just waiting to pull the rug out from under them. This was no different, maybe a little hurtful considering she’d hoped things would be different here, but she was used to disappointment.

“Either she will in time, or she never will. Going out of my way to prove it will just make things worse, so I just gotta keep doing my job.”

Justine avoided commenting about Daria saying she had charm, it was a statement she quite disagreed with but people’s opinions were her own. Since her face got cut up she hadn’t gotten many second glances, and didn’t expect Daria to be any different.

“I don’t know what goes on inside her head sometimes. She doesn’t really trust anyone except for Min-su. But then again, Min-su is from the same place. I believe they’ve known each other since they were children - the rest of us are just outsiders to her. At least, that’s what I think. She’s probably the smartest one here, too… But she keeps that knowledge of hers to herself,” Daria continued, hanging around the edge of the room and not sitting down yet, her eyes glancing to the side, and to Justine. “As for you, I don’t know why you’re on her radar.”

“Probably the talk while we were deployed, at least in part. Plus my family lives for manipulating things, it’s practically their hobby, work, and life. Doesn’t exactly look good for me. As for her, everyone has their secrets. I won’t pry if she doesn’t, and if she’s ready to open up she will. No sense forcing people to open up, just makes them resent you. What family I have that aren’t pieces of shit can tell you that first hand, most of us have been disowned, and those like me that haven’t only haven’t because we’re still viewed as useful.”

“Don’t know much about the CO’s family… She seems high class but I don’t know details, never heard her say much at all about it, never… Found anything looking into her. Never found anything on her, really, family details or not. Maybe I just care too much about looking into this shit instead of letting it be,” Daria said, walking slightly further into the room. “And her eyes are on you right now…”

“Trying to ignore that, came here to get away from problems, not cause them.”

Justine followed Daria, and scratched at her scar. It was an anxious tic, when things were making her anxious she’d start scratching it. She didn’t know why Lifen was so...locked on her, but she suspected it wasn’t good. She’d had enough being accused of shit, and being treated like a liar. She just wanted to do her job, and not worry about such things. Looks like it wasn’t her fate.

“I for one won’t go digging, if you never found anything it was lost or buried anyway.”

“Suppose so,” Daria settled, eventually moving to one of the empty seats and sitting down. They still had a little bit of time before the conference was going to start. In the middle of the table, there was indeed food - though, considering the location and the fact that logistics weren’t the easiest thing around here, it was of debatable quality. But, sometimes, something like bad pizza was preferable to some of the more boring same old options that could be found at a facility like this one.

Justine grabbed herself a few slices of pizza and sat down next to Daria. She took a bite, and spoke only after finishing it.

“Curious I suppose, but if it’s like that then digging will only cause problems. Probably easier to ask yourself, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get an answer.”

“I doubt it,” Daria shrugged, falling silent as Lifen’s gaze remained on them for a bit longer before moving to other things. It was somewhat unnerving to be under that gaze, but at least, it was over for now… Lifen seemed to have shifted her attention elsewhere, though she still remained silent and gave little indication of what she was thinking, while the rest of the room was largely waiting… And talking, since they didn’t yet have anything better to do.

“Besides… I’m scared of her and that Dao she carries on her hip,” she added, chuckling slightly as her eyes glanced up to the clock and to the dark television screens.

“She does have an intense gaze, and probably knows how to handle the sword. Don’t get in her way and you should be fine...I hope. Don’t meet many people I like, hate to see one of them get hurt.”

Soon enough, there was something else to draw their attention. The screens has turned on, the channel set to a news broadcast that was seemingly being sent throughout the planet… Possibly, beyond. If what was being said was relevant, it would reach beyond this place anyway. It was just a matter of time, really. Standing in front of the cameras was Yadira Ruiz - claim to fame, being the daughter of the strongest leader the country had seen in past years, and now the de facto leader of the Free Systems Government some years after her father’s exile at the hands of civil conflict.

Right now, those internal conflicts didn’t seem relevant… Because for the Free Systems Government, there were much bigger things to worry about.

“Years ago, peoples from multiple systems came to Azulea and later Carinia in the hopes of escaping the things keeping them down… The rule from Jarah in the Star Union and the corporate control found both there and elsewhere… The authoritarian rule of the Interstellar League and the the inherent danger of the wilds beyond. Through the years, these people have come together under one identity - the Free Systems Government - to become as much of a new nation state as any other that exists in this galaxy. However… As of now, the Carinia system and the planet of Carinia-IV are being invaded by a threat without the morals of a nation, in a conflict backed by greed and expansionism… This way of life that has been created is threatened by the Marsek Group and other invading factions from the Astrian Empire, whose government backs these actions and stands to benefit from it,” Ruiz started, not wasting time getting underway with the speech.

“The Astrian Empire does not seek to uplift the region, but to exploit it for their own ends - their campaign shows as much. Already, Carinia-IV has suffered under indiscriminate bombardment, orbital or otherwise, resulting in the deaths of countless civilians at this point in the war. The invasion seeks not to fight for the will of the people but rather to integrate Carinia-IV into a government framework where nobles and corporate executives make the decisions, backing their actions by force rather than democracy. The nation invading our own is one where slavery is still a part of life, and where the same freedoms that all of us have here are exclusive to a select upper class…”

“For these reasons, I believe that the defense of Carinia-IV is essential to our nation and to the galaxy as a whole. I am announcing a renewed January Offensive to counteract the arrival of further Astrian forces on our planet, involving the full force of our military presence on Carinia-IV as well as our military presence in the surrounding area and additional forces from the Azulea system - assuming they can break through the Astrian blockade on the world, which has had devastating effects for the local population. It is my hope that through these military efforts, the people of Carinia-IV can continue to enjoy their current freedoms…”

She paused for a moment before picking back up, looking into the camera. “However, a smaller nation like our own waging a war against a regional power is a difficult task. Making that task more difficult is the fact that our nation only has partial recognition from most of the galaxy. My one request to the wider galaxy is for our plight to be noticed, to be taken seriously, for our nation to be… Treated as a nation rather than a mining backwater. To the people that make up the nation, the Free Systems Government is much more than that. And with the current invasion and lack of recognition, may not exist in that way for much longer. Thank you, and I hope for your understanding.”

With that, it seemed the conference was done… It was less directed at their own people, more directed at the wider galaxy. It could make things more complicated for the Marsek forces, possibly. They did have to deal with the effects of renewed attention being put into an offensive in the Ansour region, after all… And it would mean more opposition in their main goal in this area, taking the city of Qasier, which was quickly turning into one of the top strongholds.

“Color me unsurprised, they’re begging for help because they can’t stand against us on their own. Wonder if anyone will actually back them, or if it’s just a bid to motivate their own forces more.”

Justine was partially talking to Daria, partially just speculating to herself. Still, she didn’t imagine the closest neighbors interfering. Nokoribi Concordant had pretty much stayed out of it, the Star Union and Interstellar League were probably too busy with each other to care. There were other powers that might crop up, mercs, bandits, and pirates looking for a quick buck to. She didn’t know, there were just too many wildcards in play.

“We’ll see,” said Daria as the screens went dark once again, a brief silence setting over the room before it was replaced by the sound of talking as the various people within started to discuss what they had just heard. “She’s pretty charismatic, don’t think too many people are going to put their money where their mouth is and follow her though…”

“We won’t be intimidated by this,” said Lifen, standing up and speaking to the entire group for the first time since they had entered the room, her face otherwise not looking changed from how it normally was. She was definitely one of the more resilient ones among them when it came to things like this. She was ready, it seemed, to look the challenge in the face rather than doubting. “Our equipment and training is still far superior to what a ragtag nation such as this one can manage. And importing from the Interstellar League can only go so far. I want everyone to keep faith in their training, and keep ready for the next set of operations… From the looks of things, that will be very soon.”

Justine nodded at this, Lifen was right. They had better training and for the most part, equipment. Unless anyone intervened directly, this was just going to drag the conflict out, not change the outcome. She didn’t open her mouth though, instead taking another bite of pizza and scratching at her scar. She wondered if this would dredge up more numbers for them to deal with, enough people could be a good roadblock against even the mech units. SHe didn’t know, none of them would till time had passed. She finished her piece and looked up.

“We’ll send 'em scurrying back soon enough.”

“Yeah… Just a matter of seeing how long we’re out here,” Daria said, standing up and stretching as the meeting seemed to finish up. They hadn’t been assigned a mission quite yet but at least, they knew what the situation was right now… The conference had been as meaningful as they had expected. Because really, it seemed to be the first step in a growing storm - one they would have to ride out.

21XX PROJECT [IC | INVITE ONLY | FT/PMT]

21XX PROJECT [IC | INVITE ONLY | FT/PMT]

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