by Tom Chattle
- 12 -
2208.10.19 // 14:33
UVS Valiant, Nova Terra orbit
With a thunderous crack, the Valiant translated back into real space. Rift drives vented excess plasma into the cold, unforgiving void. It had been nearly four days since they had left Jupiter and its moons behind. Four days in which Chen had been forced to put up with Bennett's constant, overbearing presence. He still hadn't forgiven her for eating breakfast unsupervised with McCann. Tired of the constant surveillance and the short leash he kept her on, Chen had largely remained in her quarters. Only the brief visits to the mess hall—escorted, of course—and occasional guests to her cabin broke up the monotony. Arnesen had called her up to the bridge an hour's travel out from their destination, and she now sat at the rear of the command deck, Bennett looming to one side.
Boredom from the long flight had left Chen antsy to do something. A year ago, she would have loved nothing more than to cruise through the void in a starship, even if she'd feigned disgust at the quality of vessel she'd been given. Now, though, she itched to disembark, to leave the tight concentration of thoughts that threatened to overwhelm her.
At least the bridge wasn't too bad a place to be. Perched high on the Valiant's superstructure, it got her away from the bulk of the crew's turbulent emotions. A sudden drop in the general chatter in the room brought Chen's attention to the viewscreen that curved across the front of the bridge.
The planet that hovered in the distance was a gas giant—the pale blue of a winter sky; white and navy clouds streaked its upper atmosphere. A delicate system of rings cut across it at an angle, glittering in the light of the distant star.
No matter how many new planets she'd seen, Chen never ceased to be amazed at the individual beauty of each one. Although it seemed impossible to even match the stunning vista of the gas giant, its primary moon somehow managed to exceed it. Almost the size of Mars, the moon on which the human colony of Nova Terra sat was a verdant green tapestry—shallow, azure seas cut across the terraformed forests like a vast celestial beast had slashed at it in anger. Snow-capped peaks stood along mountain ridges that towered over the forests around them, and broad sheets of ice extended far from the poles.
"All right, what have we got?" Captain Arnesen straightened in his command chair. The bridge door opened, and Wilde entered, edging past the NI guards to stand next to Chen.
"Standard orbital beacons are offline, sir," Moreau replied from behind the tactical console, her comprehensive scans in progress from the moment they had entered sensor range. "Some debris fields. I have a constant tone on an emergency frequency, but it seems automated."
"Can you get us a visual on the colony, Ensign?" Arnesen asked.
Moreau nodded, and her fingers flew across her console screens. "Working on it now, sir."
Chen stared at the central viewscreen. Long-range visual sensors panned across the forest moon, blurring as the image zoomed rapidly. Suddenly, it stopped, and the picture resolved itself. A wide swathe of terraformed forest sat on the banks of a glacial mountain lake, much of it burnt to a crisp. Thick black smoke still poured into the atmosphere, muddying the sky for hundreds of kilometers around. The remains of the main Nova Terra colony, supposedly home to nearly ten thousand colonists, sat at the center. Ripples of shock and tension spread across the bridge, and Chen's skin prickled with their intensity.
"Jesus," Vega muttered from his seat up front.
Arnesen glanced at Moreau. "Any radioactive signatures?"
She shook her head, brow furrowed. "No, sir. Only particulate residue from the fires."
Chen exchanged glances with McCann. It would have taken a small fleet of human ships to cause such devastation without leaving an irradiated wasteland of nuclear fallout. Even then, they couldn't have done this much damage fast enough for the colony to barely get an emergency call out.
"Moreau, any indication of what caused this?" McCann moved to look over her shoulder at the raw data.
The young woman frowned while she parsed through the information on her screen. "Scans detect nothing in orbit and no significant power sources on the surface."
Arnesen shifted in his seat and exhaled. "Life signs?"
There was a long pause before Moreau responded. "Some...but that could just be surrounding animal life."
Silence fell over the bridge as everyone absorbed the impact of that statement.
"There were thousands of colonists registered in the Union database..." Wilde whispered, her voice shocked. "They can't all be gone."
Half-remembered visions of alien exterminations that had plagued her since their return swam to the fore of Chen's mind. "It wouldn't be the first time they've done it."
Arnesen rotated his chair to face her. "They? You believe what you encountered in the Arcturus system could be responsible for this?"
Conscious of Bennett standing behind her, Chen stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Yes, sir. The Syrax are easily capable of doing something like this."
"Even without provocation? An agricultural colony with no significant armaments is hardly a threat to anyone."
"That wouldn't stop them. They don't think like we do." Chen shivered—the cool, metallic air flowing from the atmo-cyclers suddenly felt that much colder.
The captain frowned and turned back to the screen. "If that's the case, the question is, how did they get here in the first place?" He stood and clasped his hands behind him. "Moreau, still quiet on the scanners?"
"Yes, sir. Nothing's changed since we arrived."
"All right." Arnesen faced Chen. "We'll send a shuttle down to investigate, and I want you down there to tell me if it really was these things or not."
His hand raised in objection, and Bennett stepped forward. "Now hold on a minute, Captain. Lieutenant Chen is in no condition to go on such a mission."
Arnesen's chin raised ever so slightly. "Scans have detected nothing hostile remaining in the area. Surely, you and your two subordinates are more than capable enough to escort a single, unarmed woman down to the surface and back?"
Bennett's jaw ground together while he seemed to fight for a response that didn't paint him in a bad light. "Of course, sir."
Arnesen nodded. "Then, it's settled. McCann, let Scott know of the plan and have him get a landing party together."
Before he could settle back in his seat, Wilde stepped forward. "I would like to go as well, Captain."
"Out of the question," Bennett snapped. "You are a civilian and have no place on this mission, no matter who your father may be."
Clearing his throat, Arnesen's eyes narrowed. "Lieutenant Commander Bennett, Ms. Wilde is not under your purview, and, quite frankly, she has one hundred percent more experience than you with these things." He nodded toward Wilde. "I see no problem with her going along as an observer and adviser."
"Thank you, Captain." Wilde smiled.
"Well," Arnesen gestured to the door, "you best all get ready. Be safe down there."
***
By the time the Marine shuttle bounced through the atmosphere on its way to the surface, Bennett was still in a stew. The anger that flowed off him was almost palpable, more than any other emotion Chen had ever felt from him. The man definitely didn't like to be made a fool of, especially in front of others. Wilde shifted position in her jump seat across the shuttle and winked when she caught Chen's eye. Chen swallowed uncomfortably. She couldn't help but be nervous. The last time she had been about to make planetfall in a shuttle full of Marines, a lot of things had ended up going very badly.
This time, at least everything felt a step up in preparedness. Instead of the light exo-suits the Marines had worn last time, this group was set up in bulky combat armor, significantly more powerful. Inset into quick-drop harnesses that extruded from each side of the shuttle were hulking personal combat mechs, their arms tucked tightly into their sides.
Three-meter armored suits that hefted heavy cannons on each limb and rocket pods on the shoulders, the mechs were a
powerful force-multiplier for the Marine contingent. The Marine pilot of each metal beast clambered in through the rear hatches when they neared the landing zone.
The shuttle did a tight, final turn then flared for landing. Engines whined, and it eased to the ground. The moment it was settled, the Marines were up, their helmets locked down, and rifles at the ready. The moment the hatch dropped open at the nose of the craft, they stormed out, weapons raised. Cool air flooded into the cabin, and metallic clanks from beside her made Chen jump. Heavy clamps released and dropped the two mechs outward, the gaps they left behind automatically sealing with hatches when they stomped away.
Chen fumbled to unbuckle her harness and stood, taking a moment to get used to the gravity. She hadn't set foot on a planet with a proper gravity well in many months, and so, the sensation was a little odd. Starships always kept their artificial gravity as low as normal human movement would allow. With Wilde at her side, Chen followed Bennett and the guards down the hatch.
She had to shield her eyes from the bright light that greeted them. Even with so much smoke obscuring the sky, the sun here was intense. Chen took a deep breath. The gentle wind that flowed down from the surrounding snow-capped peaks was crisp, although tainted with the distinct smell of burning wood.
Turning to take in the stunning scenery, Chen tried to get her bearings. The Marines had fanned out to secure the landing zone, and their mechs scanned the tree line with powerful sensors, searching for targets for their heavy cannons. One of the Marines headed back toward them.
"All right, everyone," Lieutenant Scott—the Marine commander—called, brown eyes constantly scanning their surroundings. "LZ is secure, no sign of hostiles. Let's move out."
He left one squad behind to guard the shuttle, and the rest of the Marines reorganized. They scaled the gentle hill before them in loose groups, their rifles raised and at the ready.
Bennett started after them, turning when Chen and Wilde didn't immediately follow. "What's the wait, ladies? I thought you wanted to play soldier."
"Shut the hell up, asshole," Wilde snapped, leaving a furious snarl on Bennett's face. She grabbed Chen's arm and led her forward. "Come on, Auri, let's see what we're dealing with."
It was a short climb up the rolling, grass-covered mound, and the beautiful surroundings did their best to lull Chen into a false sense of security. As unfortunate as their reason for being on this world was, it still felt incredibly peaceful to Chen. There were few thoughts to bombard her mind in the wide, open space. The view from the peak remorselessly shattered that peace.
"Fuck..." Chen muttered.
The broad valley below them was blackened with the after-effects of destruction. Simple defensive walls—made to protect against wildlife and weather, not alien invasions—were ripped apart. Squat, preformed hab-blocks were gutted and burnt out, and towering agri-domes had their glazing cracked and shattered. Thick black smoke columns poured from what must have been power generators, flames still flickering away in several locations.
"It's even worse than it seemed from orbit," Wilde gasped softly.
"I don't think it's going to get any better up close." Chen set off after the Marines once again.
It didn't. On the approach to the outskirts of the colony, they started to find the bodies. The first of them was a young male strewn in a tangled heap near an upturned, burned-out piece of farming machinery. His dull eyes stared to the heavens from the cratered remains of a crop field.
Vibrations from one of the mechs stomping past pulled Chen's attention from the man. The Marines had deployed carefully along the corrugated metal wall that enclosed the majority of the colony's buildings. Gathered on both sides of the main gate—which hung loosely open on hinges that looked to be partially melted—they awaited their signal. On a silent command from Scott, they charged through the gate, weapons up and scanning for either hostiles or survivors.
A tense few minutes later, one of them jogged back out and waved to the others that it was safe to enter.
Chen patted Wilde on the shoulder and moved forward. "That's our cue, I guess."
- 13 -
2208.10.19 // 16:08
Nova Terra Colony
"This is terrible," Wilde murmured, brow creased with sadness. She and Chen picked their way through the ruins of the colony's decimated main street. With the number of people listed as living in the colony and the surrounding foothills, no doubt the shops and eateries that lined each side of the broad boulevard had been bustling with normal, day-to-day life recently.
Although Chen was no stranger to death, to see so many bodies was a jarring sensation. It looked like the colony's attackers had fired indiscriminately, butchering all who came across their murderous paths. Even the Marines milled about with expressions that ranged from shock to rage, no immediate threats to keep them distracted from the utter destruction.
They passed a wrecked vehicle, and a pile of charred corpses confronted them. Blackened skin and exposed bones sprawled across the roadway; whatever inferno had overtaken them had melded them together in a terrible heap. Chen winced when one of the NI guards vomited behind her, barely having ripped his face mask off in time.
She forced her gaze away from the scene. On the other side of the street, Chen spotted a figure of a different kind. Jogging across the road, she crouched down and gingerly turned over the rigid body. Still largely intact—and not burnt like the others—it was tall and seemed vaguely human but was gaunt and emaciated. Its clothing was nonexistent and strange, mottled skin covered its skeletal features. The teeth were sharp and blackened, and the mouth oozed a dark, congealed mucus. The head was what caught Chen's eye, though. Strange, bony protuberances extended from the temples. They curled around the side of the skull where ears should be and met up at the nape of the creature's neck.
"What the hell is that?" Wilde asked when she caught up.
Chen straightened, eyes still locked on the corpse. "That's a very good question."
Wilde frowned and stared at the corpse's face. "You know, it somewhat matches parts of the evidence I was gathering about ancient aliens." She glanced at Chen. "The stuff that got me to the Arcturus system in the first place."
"Well, what are they doing here? It doesn't seem armed. I don't see how it could have done most of this damage." She squinted at the thing's hands. Long and thin, the fingers extended into rough, black claws. They may not have been able to blow things up, but they certainly looked like they could cause serious damage to an enemy.
A tug on Chen's shoulder turned her to face Wilde. "What is it?"
Wilde nodded further down the street. "There's a lot more of them."
Chen turned to see Bennett standing in the middle of the road. Even he seemed shaken by the destruction—his focus was not on Chen for once. Both guards were occupied, as well. One wiped away vomit from her mouth, while the other was staring aimlessly at a burnt-out building. Chen had suspected before that none of them had seen any kind of combat, but their current states reinforced that assumption as correct.
She took advantage of their distraction and pulled Wilde along the street. They passed more bodies at the entrance to what must have been the main square. A squat civilian shuttle sat near the middle, one side completely obliterated with twisted spars of metal spread across the remains of neatly trimmed grass.
"They must have been hit while they were loading it for evacuation." Wilde picked her way through the rubble around it. "Oh, no..."
Chen followed up behind her and saw what had stopped Wilde in her tracks. The sight tugged at her heart. A small child, flower-patterned bag still draped over her shoulder, lay face down in the debris, ashen skin covered in scorch marks. "Damnit."
"How could anyone, anything do this?" Wilde asked quietly.
Chen placed a hand on her upper arm and guided her away from the scene. "I don't think the Syrax have much of a conscious or concept of innocent casualties." Chen sighed. "But then humanity doesn't exactly have a great track reco
rd in that regard, either."
"But what were these people even doing to threaten them?" Wilde ran a hand through her hair and turned to Chen. "All they were trying to do was make a life for themselves, a new civilization."
The pain in Wilde's eyes was uncomfortable to Chen. She had never been good at dealing with her own emotions, let alone other people's, but something about Wilde just had Chen wanting to comfort her. "Nothing, nothing at all. My guess is their very existence was all the reason needed to obliterate them."
Wilde's emerald gaze locked on Chen. "We need to stop them."
Chen placed a hand on the charred corner of the shuttle to check its stability then leaned against it, tired already. "That requires others actually believing us."
"They have to!" Wilde hammered a fist against a loose wing spar, causing it to shift with a groan of tortured metal.
Chen ducked away from the unstable object and glanced around the other side of the shuttle, unable to contain a surprised yelp at what was there.
"What, what is it? Wilde asked, scrambling to see what caused the reaction.
Chen's heart rate increased, and the blood pounded in her chest. Even badly damaged, the Syrax warrior was unmistakable, its blue-gray armor plating scuffed and burned.
Wilde sucked a sharp, nervous breath in through her teeth. "Is it dead?"
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Chen edged toward it. She picked up a jagged piece of shrapnel and tossed it at the beast. It clattered off the head plate with no response from the hulking body. "I think it's fairly safe to say so."
"I was hoping I'd never have to see one of those again." Wilde folded her arms, wary gaze not leaving the corpse.
Chen had hoped something similar. Just the sight of the creature's fang-filled jaw and skeletal third arm made her skin prickle with anxiety. It was strange; the Syrax warrior seemed so out of place in the bright sunshine of the colony moon—so different than the dim, gray wastelands where she'd battled them before, but no less fearsome. Part of her wanted to turn and run—to get as far away from the memories as she could.