I did what anyone else would do if they possessed my training, had they been there at that time. It's my men who are the heroes. - SSG Breaker, Kra'at Systems Armed Forces - Army, Mar-gite Siege of Cygnus-Orion
"AHEAD FULL, ROLL TO ONE SIXTY EIGHT DEGREES BY STARBOARD, DOWN BY SIXTEEN DEGREES!" Vice-Tyrant Admiral Kra'akenwulf shouted. His helmet radio was full of static, chirps, the odd snatch of word or syllable.
None of that mattered.
Not the stench of burnt wiring and scorched flesh, not the painkiller coursing through his system, not even the half-empty pistol in his hand or the dead Mar-gite on the deck in front of him.
One of the Marines was using fast-dry epoxy to weld a repeater antenna to the deck. His armor was smeared with vac-dried fluids with gobbets of Mar-gite flesh embedded in the freeze dried gore.
"Aye aye, sir," the Multrik at the helm replied. His vac-suit was marred with Mar-gite fluids.
"DCC reports 58% of the point defense systems are on local control. Tyrant Bosun reports the Marines are filling in where necessary," the Multrik at DCC reported.
"Mar-gite Tetra-Construct in range," the midshipman at the fire control board shouted out. Kra'akenwulf didn't blame him, he knew the Puntimat was deaf from feedback across his suit speakers, but he'd been running what guns he could even when Kra'akenwulf had been laying on the floor in a stupor.
"You may fire when ready," Kra'akenwulf ordered.
He could feel the ship tremble.
HAVE GREAT FEAR sounded out again.
"Dark matter transit pool forming!" sensors called out.
"Stay on target," Kra'akenwulf ordered.
"Bogey Five is breaking up. Firing thermal obliteration cannons," the Puntimat yelled out. "Shifting targeting of the singularity cannons of array seven and nineteen to Bogey Sixty-two."
"Stay on them, Guns," Kra'akenwulf said.
MUSASHI IS HERE!
Again, the roar almost drove him to his knees. What appeared on the holotank was terrible. A massive vessel, made to look like human females bound by chains, twisted in agony, engines extending from their feet, their hands over their heads to hold a huge horned skull in their skeletal fingers. Pistons, machinery, filled in their torsos.
MOSHI MOSHI
The massive cannons opened up and it felt to Kra'akenwulf like his bone marrow was twisting up.
The tank flickered and a cartoon girl stood in the tank. She saluted, flicking her cat ears. She giggled and spun in place.
"Greetings, Admiral Kra'akenwulf," the cartoon girl said. "Kawaii Captain MacSato. I've been sent to assist you in repelling the Mar-gite," she looked around and gave a slight pout. "Odin doesn't like to talk. Well, that and he's printed a death Kawaii captain and you might find that a bit disconcerting."
She leaned forward slightly. "She's like that."
"Greetings, Captain MacSato," Kra'akenwulf answered.
"I need permission to send troops and support to the planets. Odin's printers were running hot when he was traveling deadspace, so he needs permission also," MacSato said.
"Granted."
MacSato's stuck her tongue out, panting for a moment.
She vanished from the holotank.
Part of Kra'akenwulf felt like he'd just sold his soul to the Devil.
But the three inhabited planets had a total population of 2.2 trillion.
"The Detainee take the Mar-gite."
0-0-0-0-0
Volunteer Az'zkykrmo'o dropped the scarred and pockmarked chest plate he was wearing, accepting a new one from Hut'chasen. He strapped it on, accepted the two pistols, putting them in the empty holsters, a new magac rifle (instead of the shitty laser rifle he was glad was gone) that went across his back, and then the Uncle 240 to replace the other one that had been broken.
Volunteer Digsona'an slapped the top of his flankspine. "All sewn up. Try not to get hit by any more of those darts, Azzy."
"Roger, Diggy," Azzy answered.
He moved over to where the ammunition was stacked up. He grabbed magazines, shoving them into the magazine pouches on his gear. He threw two belts of ammunition over his shoulder, threw a heavy ammo pack over his lower back, and then looked around.
The shelter entrance was being worked on by more than just Clicker. Clicker was sitting on the back of Count Trucula, one leg missing and replaced with a work frame.
Azzy moved over. "How's it going, Clicker."
--my flesh was weak and disgusted me so i now trust in mechanical-- the green mantid said, slapping the mechanical legs of the harness.
Azzy held up one hand.
It had only two fingers instead of three.
"Not even sure when it happened," he admitted.
--got exciting-- Clicker said.
There was the shriek of the Neko Marine hypervelocity autocannon guarding one of the streets as the Neko Marine manning it spotted something suspicious and recon'd it with a little 30mm.
"All right, men, circle up," Breaker said. Next to him stood Sergeant Grak'el, the Tukna'rn NCO looking like nothing had happened, his greenish skin bright with relaxation.
Azzy tried not to think about how out of the fifteen people there, he didn't know six of them.
And how the squad had been 12 volunteers strong not too long ago.
Cascin looked up and smiled at him, the Welkret had a patch over one eye as the regen did its work.
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"Command got a hold of me again. Turns out the Mar-gite have some new tricks. They're jamming the good stuff, so we're on magic band and point to point laser again," Breaker said. He looked around. "We're making a run for twelfth street and broadsword avenue. There's a logistics base being built there. The Mar-gite are landing in force and have backup by some creatures we've never seen."
Azzy just nodded.
Breaker pointed at Count Trucula. "Mount up."
"Uh, Staff Sergeant," one of the unfamiliar faces asked.
"What, Vee?" Breaker asked.
"Uh, what do we do?" the Hikken asked.
"Where's your NCO?" Breaker asked.
"Dead. Mar-gite got him."
Breaker nodded. "That makes you mine now. Get in the truck, Vee."
The Hikken nodded as Breaker looked at the others.
"If you lost your NCO, that makes you mine. Get in the truck."
Azzy's hoofs as he climbed into the back of the cargo truck. He put one hand on the sideboards and looked around.
One of the cat-girls waved at him, her helmet hanging off of the handle of the Mark Two Cutting Bar attached to her belt.
Azzy waved back as the truck was thrown into drive and the heavy electric motors got all three axles moving. The truck's cattleguard pushed the bodies out of the way. One of the cat-girls fired off a burst from her pom pom into the air and another fired off a pink and white flare.
As the truck moved down the street Azzy squinted.
"Sergeant Breaker! Sergeant Breaker!" Azzy yelled.
"What, Vee Azzy?" Breaker asked from where he was sitting with his back against the cab of the truck. There was a Hikken that Azzy didn't recognize on the ringmount gun.
Azzy pointed. "Something's happening!"
The others squinted.
More than one gasped.
Breaker looked around, then raised his rifle and pointed the barrel in the direction Azzy was pointing to see over the cab.
After a second Breaker lowered the rifle.
"What is it? Another weapon?" Vee Cascin asked. He pointed up. "It's affecting the buildings."
They were all staring at the silver light at the base of the horizon or up in the air at the silver and harsh red light painting the buildings.
Breaker started laughing.
The Vee's all looked at him.
"Sergeant, what is it?" Vee Yee asked.
"Another enemy attack?"
"Is the city burning?"
"Air strikes?"
"Orbital strikes?"
"Are we driving into a blast wave?"
--atmosphere thermal spiking--
--luminous profile suggests orbital bombardment of high impulse weaponry--
Breaker wiped his eyes, still laughing.
"It's sunrise."
0-0-0-0-0
TREANA'AD HIVE SYSTEMS
and so I says to Mertyle, I says
HARMONUS EMPIRE HAS LOGGED ON
HARMONOUS EMPIRE
We are officially activating the mutual defense clause of the treaties between the Kra'at Tyrannical Systems, the Harmonous Empire, and the Confederacy.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS--
BAH!
Dude, you can't just jump into the middle of stuff like that.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS--
HARMONOUS EMPIRE
You have been telling that story for three days.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
HAT WEARING AUNTIE
He's not wrong.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Yeah, but rude.
Anyway, what's up, kid?
What's going on? We already forwarded your requests.
Got someone coming out of the galactic core or something?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
HARMONOUS EMPIRE
No. The Mar-gite are attacking the Kra'at Systems.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
>Trea looks at a map
TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS
Are you positive?
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
HARMONOUS EMPIRE
I sent ships via hellspace flash gate.
They are already engaged in combat with Mar-gite clusters in the Petra and Tetra range.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
TELKAN FORGE WORLDS
Uh, that's pretty close to us. Only a few thousand light years.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
HARMONOUS EMPIRE
Yeah. They're coming for us.
All of us.
---NOTHING FOLLOWS---
0-0-0-0-0
Dhruv watched as Dee opened her eyes.
"What?" he asked.
"It's not good," Dee said. She shuddered for a moment, then lit a cigarette.
"I still can't understand how you can deal with the gestalt channel without filters," Dhruv said. He handed her an ashtray and leaned back against the couch, sipping his drink.
"I've been doing this a long time," Dee said. She exhaled smoke. "It's bad enough we need to start thinking about extreme measures."
"Explain," Dhruv said.
Dee tapped her ashes. "The Mar-gite are attacking spinward on the arm. They're coming from the other galactic arms."
Dhruv sat silently for a long second.
"They're coming at us from both sides and the core," he said slowly.
"It explains why there has been exactly one being who has come back from the core," Dee said.
"And what the Devestators were running from before we planet cracked them," Dhruv said. He sighed and shook his head again. "Of course. High energy, massive radiation, black holes, white holes, quasars, everything in that tangled mess we call the core. Perfect for the Mar-gite."
"Perfect for our retarded beetle too," Dee said.
"The starfield was completely alien. We're talking, no points of reference," Dhruv tapped his knee with his fingertips. "Yeah, it could have been the core. That would be why I couldn't see the core," he closed his eyes. "Yeah. Give me a little bit, maybe a nap, and I'll know where it was."
Dee stood up. "Doesn't matter," she paced back and forth.
Finally she stopped, stubbing out her cigarette and sitting on a stool next to the bar that separated the kitchen from the frontroom. "I edited a bit out of the Avenge-Us dot dock," she heaved a sigh. "Looks like it might not matter."
"Why?" Dhruv asked.
He stared at her for a second as she looked away.
"Dee, what are you planning?" Dhruv asked.
"Making contingencies, that's all," Dee said, still looking away.
Dhruv got up. "I've been dealing with Wee the last few days, I know a liar when I see one. Tell me, what's the plan? What's the contingency?"
Dee stared at him a moment, her gunmetal gray eyes cold and dead.
"Fine."
She told him.
Dhruv stood there for a long moment.
"Fuck."
0-0-0-0-0
Admiral Breakheader knew that a lot of officers would have tried to interfere, would have stopped what could easily be called abuse. Would have tried to stop was happening on the bridge of his flagship.
But he knew better than to get into the business of Immortals.
Especially when one was The Devil herself.
The Lady Lord of Hell held Sacajawea's head still by a handful of hair. The younger woman writhed, held in place by two of Legion, with a third holding her in a modified headlock, one hand holding the top of her head. They were all down on their knees, Sacajawea's body twisting as she tried to fight.
Legion held her head still.
Sacajawea was sweating, her teeth gritted, as she stared into the Lady Lord of Hell, the Matron of the Damned's eyes.
"Show the path, slut," The Matron of the Damned hissed. "Show us the way, or I'll take us there through Hell with you strapped to the prow of this junkheap like a mermaid on Blackbeard's wooden tub."
Sacajawea struggled them stopped, her muscles going slack.
The two greenies on the floor leaned forward.
Sacajawea's mouth opened and there was three bonging sound, then some loud electronic pings.
Then a burst of static.
Then the young woman's eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed.
"I'm done with her for now. Don't airlock her, I might need her and bringing her back from the dead would be a bitch," the Matron of the Damn snapped, turning away. She looked at the two green mantids. "You two foot stomp dodgers catch that."
--yes yes yes-- the one of the left said.
"As... you... com... mand..." the other grated out.
"Good. Get to work before I summon up a big bird," she snapped, making a circle with a finger.
Admiral Breakheart could see a tree in the middle of a burning forest. One it sat a bedraggled looking vulture with smoldering feathers, razor sharp teeth in its beak, and eyes of green fire.
The Matron of Hell snapped her fingers and the circle vanished.
The green mantids rushed over to one of the navigation holotanks.
Legion had picked up Sacajawea and left with her.
The Matron of Hell grabbed one of his ears, yanking his head around. "Don't fuck her unconscious body, either, you pervert. Don't feel her up, either."
She let go of Legion and turned back to Admiral Breakheart.
"The time has come, Admiral, to talk of terrible things. If we cannot stop the Mar-gite here, there is only one final choice to save the other galaxies and maybe others," the Matron of Hell said, walking toward him. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes, the pack white with a red circle on them. She stopped in front of Captain N'Skrek, holding out her hand.
The Treana'ad naval officer handed her his lighter.
She lit one and handed the lighter back.
Taking a long drag she walked over and stopped, looking up at the Admiral.
"We may have to kill the galaxy to save the galaxy," she smiled, smoke leaking out from between her sharp interlocked triangular teeth.
"How? What do you mean?" he asked.
She smiled wider.
"A long time ago, I implemented my final laughing bit of possible revenge upon this galaxy. Upon those who sought to contain me. Who sought to bind me," she said. She turned and walked slowly toward one of the holotanks. "I created a weapon."
She turned and faced him.
"Mutually Assured Destruction, Admiral. I spent my life with a trigger in my hand. It is familiar to me, like an old lover, or a comfortable brassiere," she smiled.
"But how?" Captain N'Skrek asked.
"Easy," she smiled.
She exhaled smoke.
"Hellspiking Sag-A."