Chapter 11: Aftermath, Part 2
- Location
- Reynoldsville, Pa
Reykjavik Regional Airport
Prison Campsite
1500 Hours
December 7th, 2080
They thought they had seen it all. Those who were captured had thought they had seen all the United Nations had to offer. They had thought that for such a force to be made of so many countries, that no individual nation could stand against the Empire. They had thought that the force that was amassed that beat the Imperial army was all they could spare and all they had left. But all that changed once they were captured. They store down thousands upon thousands of soldiers, large armadas of ships, and hundreds of flying arrows and chariots, which continued to bring more and more troops into the country. For days after their capture, they were met by armies from all around this world. So many different weapons, but yet so similar. On the third day of their imprisonment, they thought they had seen all they had to offer, but it was not.
The same vessel that slain both the flame dragons had paraded over the prison, as a means of mocking those who were forced to surrender. But as the clouds above it had begun to part, even larger ones had appeared. Holes in the hull of the vessels had spat blue flame and they shook the earth by merely passing over them. If a vessel of much smaller size than the ones above them now could kill a flame dragon, what would these larger ones be capable of doing? For the surviving Imperial soldiers and nobles, they had lost all hope of a victory at that point. The demihumans, who had been wronged so badly by the Empire, had seen this as a further sign that the Empire had stepped on a Griffon's tail. Even as they watched the vessels sour back into the heavens at such ungodly speed, it only strengthened their goals to join those who the Empire made the grave mistake of attacking.
Yao couldn't take her eyes off of them as their blue flames intensified and pushed them further into the heavens, before disappearing before their eyes. This once again strengthened her resolve to join this war against the Empire and hopefully save what is left her people in the Schwarzt Forest, before the Empire killed off the remainder of her already weakened tribe. She found herself looking over at the crowd of demihumans who occupied one half of the prison.
They were scared by what they saw, but at the same time were hopeful. If a force like this could embarrass the Empire so easily, then maybe they had hope. Some of them said this rather loudly, which had gained the attention of Imperial troops in the prison, and they didn't take kindly to it. It angered them, to the point they began shouting and cursing at the various demihumans, which soon turned into a full blown prison brawl by some of the imprisoned nobles. Said noble began the fight by throwing a punch at a dark elf, who easily dodged the blow, and put the man on his back with a follow up.
Soon more men from both sides of the camp joined in the fray. Within mere seconds, the camp had become a mosh pit of violence as at least a thousand humans and demihumans traded blows to each other. The few guards that were within the makeshift courtyard were overwhelmed by the massive flood of bodies around them. Despite the superior weapons and armor of the guards, the sheer difference in numbers, and against some species, the strength, made it impossible to fight them without an Exo-suit.
But it didn't take long for snipers in the nearby guard towers to acquire targets and send round down range. Within a few minutes hundreds of other soldiers began to rush into the fray, carrying riot shields, nightsticks, rifles, and some in Goliath Armor. Vehicles began to screech into the courtyard and disembarked even more men, who quickly put themselves between the Saderans and the demihumans. However it took the guards opening fire into the mob of Saderans to finally make then kneel and surrender. Even a few Warbirds began to hover above and spoke in a loud voice that they could understand.
"Cease your hostilities or we will fire upon you! Get on your knees and interlace your fingers behind your head! You have five seconds to comply!"
Some were still stupid enough to charge UN forces, but were promptly gunned down for their trouble.
"Five, four, three, two-"
Upon realizing that they'd get nowhere with continued resistance, they dropped to their knees and interlaced their fingers behind their heads. The soldiers knew who started the fight and responded accordingly in dealing with it. They pointed their weapons at the mob of Saderans, daring them to attack. Other's threw swears at them and the the demihumans behind them.
"Worthless bastards!"
"Damn darkies can't be trusted to stay loyal!"
"I'll kill all of you traitorous scum!"
"Shut the fuck up you damn barbarians, you aren't in control here, we are." One of the guards shouted back at one of the prisoners. The man leapt towards the guard, but was met with a rifle butt to the face. The guard then pointed it down at the man and fired. A few more scattered shots were fired throughout the formation, but it soon subsided and the Saderans were being marched back to their section of the campsite, under heavy guard from UN personnel. Dozens of combat medics, mostly from the Scandinavian states, rushed over towards the demihuman section of the camp, administering aid to those injured. While most of the injuries weren't serious, some required immediate care and they were rushed away on stretchers to the nearby medical tents. Most of the serious injuries came from the Immortals, all of which were then executed shortly afterwards. The rest were from elves electrocuting guards who attempted to restrain them, for which they were shot. When all was said and done, over 200 Saderans had been killed or wounded, with roughly 100 UN troops requiring medical attention. A news chopper had been flying overhead and caught the entire incident on live television, which gave entertainment to millions of viewers across the world.
Yao soon felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was and she was met by Crow, the her second in command and one of the best fighters in her tribe. "Hard to believe it." He said as watched the prisoners being shackled and marched by armed guard. "After all that has happened and having been thrown in chains by a new empire, having been humiliated once again, the enemy continues to mock us." He said spitefully.
"I don't think it was meant as mockery to us." Yao was quick to reply back. "I think it was meant for the Saderans. Our captors know they started the war. And they wish to let them know just what they're capable of. Also, they aren't an empire, just a coalition of countries."
"Nevertheless, they still seem to pride themselves on their military power, just like all humans. It's the only thing they are good at doing. Feeling superior over us elves for living with nature. Calling us barbarians for our lifestyles." He just shook his head as he eyed the various war machines of UN forces. "They show no regard for nature if these weapons they possess are any indication. Just like the Empire, they march carelessly across the earth without care for those who live there. They may claim to be benevolent, but they are no different. They'll use their armies to crush all that lay in their wake."
"Do you truly believe that? After the mercy they've shown us? They didn't have to take any prisoners, not after what the legionaries did on their way through the city. After the treatment we've received? You should hope they are different than the Empire, because otherwise, we won't survive here very long." Yao reasoned with her close friend.
"Why should we care?" He shot back. "It's more than likely we'll never see our families again, so why should we care? We'll either rot in a dungeon for the rest of our lives, be executed, or left to freeze out in this cold. The only thing I can thank them for is getting rid of that dreadful flame dragon, but it matters not when there are more at the Empire's disposal, ones to use to terrorize our tribe. Our families will almost certainly be punished for our capture."
"All the more reason you should want them to go across the Gate. They have the power to slay a flame dragon, along with an entire army! They were the first to ever defeat an army of Immortals in combat and have forever shattered their namesake. They could help our people, we just need to help them."
"And just how we do that? They seem to have everything under control as it is. Even if we had asked them for their help, what makes you think they'll listen to what we have to say? Most seem to not want to be bothered by us?" He made a good point. Aside from helping those wounded or occasionally playing with one or two of the children, most of the guards and soldiers seemed to prefer a distance from them. Many looked at them with scorn when they passed by. So many flags and faces, yet most looked at them the same way. She had heard some rumors about how their world was at peace before they arrived. Having fought a bloody war that took countless of their people. They had faced an enemy from another world, and it took them years to finally defeat them. That's why there were so many different armies arriving continuously. For how much the Saderans call cowardly for how they fight, she could take one look at them and see the truth. They were no cowards, just a people sick of fighting, a people who wished to enjoy peace.
"Then why don't we start now. At the very least, we can tell them everything we know about the terrain they'll encounter and the various tribes. It'll help both them and us if they know where our tribe lives. That way they don't attack them by mistake."
"And if they choose to destroy our tribe as revenge for what the Empire's legions did? It would lead to the destruction of our people."
"If we sit back and do nothing, our people are dead anyway. We must act."
"Then you can go talk to them. I want nothing to do with this foolish plan of yours." Crow then walked away towards his quarters, leaving Yao in her thoughts. If she didn't do anything, the Empire would surely take revenge on her people or force even more of them into their ranks. If she told the guards all she knew, they might use it to attack her people. The fate of her people was resting on her shoulders. She looked around for the nearest guards and approached them with caution. They took notice of this and they raised their weapons at here slightly. The men had a flag on their shoulder she had yet to see. A vertical tricolor of green, white, and orange. Behind them sat an iron elephant, albeit one with a much smaller and thinner snout.
"What do you need ma'am?" The man she assumed was their leader asked her. The soldier store her down looking for any sign of hostility. When he finished going over her, he gave a hand signal and his men lowered their weapons, but the snout of the iron elephant was still trained on her. "
"I wish to help you people against the Empire! I have valuable information that could help you!" The man looked back at his soldiers, who looked back at him in confusion. "I just beg that you help save my tribe!" The man looked confused, as if he wasn't expecting one of the prisoners to ask him for help.
"Clancy, go find one of those spooks on the base, will ya?" He turned back to Yao, who's eyes were pleading with him to answer. "Now I may not be paying attention, but we already took care of those rowdy barbarians on the other side of the camp. And I've already seen plenty of your people here, so what exactly do you need help with?"
"There are more dragons!" The man's eyes went wide upon hearing that. He saw how large of a creature it was and how much damage it took before it finally went down at the hands of the American navy. "The Empire will use them against my tribe, they'll be wiped out! Please, you must help us!" Her eyes were begging and she was clinging to his vest. As she was on the verge of tears, she caught the soldier coming back with two strangely dressed individuals in tow. One man and one woman, who looked much like her, but without the pointed ears. The man was the one who addressed her directly.
"We heard you need our help and that you have information that'll be useful to us."
RAF Hereford, United Kingdom
1600 Hours
Squad Leader Room
"The United Nations Defense Fleet puts on a massive display of force as six destroyers of the Home Guard fleet descend into the atmosphere above Reykjavik regional airport as a further show of force for the 10,000 prisoners currently residing within the makeshift prison camp. The UNSS Eclipse, or otherwise known as the Yamato, is Japan's first built and controlled destroyer. The others that took part in the event were the Kirov, Yubai, Rajput, Virginia, and La Fayette. Each of these vessels representing a different nation in the UN Security Council."
This brings up the total of the Home Guard fleet to 15 destroyers, 14 frigates used for escorting our cargo carriers, alongside the one carrier used for carrying the security garrisons for our Lunar and Martian bases. However this doesn't include the UNSS Icarus 01, which was recently seen leaving it's home port in Halifax, for a classified assignment. While the ship carries only bare minimum armaments, it carries powerful surveillance equipment such as spectograph's, wide field cameras, and infrared sensors. There are many theories as to why it has left Earth, but many claim it is an attempt to spy on Phauthi forces beyond Jupiter. Meanwhile, the UNSS CVN-68 Nimitz, is scheduled to assist in the deployment of over 100 satellites into orbit over the next two days."
In news in the Caribbean, the nations of Jamaica, The Dominican Republic, and Haiti have finally set up stable governments and infrastructure has been repaired. This is all thanks to American rebuilding efforts since the war ended. Shortly before the Caribbean was occupied and used as a staging ground by Phauthi forces, the United States undertook the largest humanitarian operation the world had ever seen. 90% of the region was evacuated and moved into the Midwest and Texas while US military forces reinforced the island. While they ultimately fell, much of the population was saved from what would certainly have been genocide. Once the war had ended, roughly a quarter of the refugees became naturalized citizens, who would later take residency across the nation when the war ended. Much them settled down in the southern states hat were ravaged in the war, seeking to repay the nation that helped them in their time of need."
"This is Renee Syhan, in New Delhi"
Mitchell grabbed the remote and turned it off, seeking to get some peace and quiet in order to discuss the recent operation with the other squad leaders. The room was filled with the leaders of each individual team that fought in Reykjavik. Nearly 40 men in all, from every continent, and every major power. Here they sat enjoying their second day back from the field. When they and their teams made it back in the late night hours of December 5th, most of them flat out went straight to their quarters by orders of Perryman. He even told the squad leaders to rest as well, but they took the debriefing and then rested. Now that they were well rested, they were celebrating a job well done and mission accomplished. However many of them felt as if they should be back out in the field, fighting the enemy that had invaded their world.
"This is bullshit." Mitchell said as he shook his head. "We're back here celebrating while over 10,000 people are lost on the other side of that fucking portal in Iceland. We should be back out there trying to get them back. Not sending our fucking fleet to taunt some backward barbarians who were already scared shitless when we captured them."
"I agree, the longer we wait, the more people who get farther from our reach and deeper into enemy territory." The Swedish lieutenant on the other end of the room agreed while downing another beer. "What's the fucking point of doing this if we can't save them?
"Don't beat yourself up over it lads, there's nothing we can do right now." Price replied, trying to console them. "We still don't even know if we can breathe on the other end of that thing. They may look human, but we don't truly know if it's safe for us. We have to wait for drones on the other side to confirm if we need Hazmat suits or not."
"Besides, we can't just say we failed because they were captured before we even arrived." The Chinese Captain, Jiang Lee interjected. "I'm not trying to be a rude ass, but it was better for this have happened in Iceland than any of our capitals. Lord knows we'd see far more dead due to population density." He wasn't wrong. Cities in the northern hemisphere, specifically in the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, and China swelled by enormous amounts when the war ended. A combination of refugees and baby boom made cities that once only held only a few million, swell into the mid to high millions, depending on the region. In places such as Japan and Europe, where birthrates were rapidly declining, shot up massively in the wake of humanities victory.
"Well no offence man, but your country has something like 1.7 billion people in it. It may not seem big for a nation like yours or India, but for a nation as sparsely populated and small as Iceland, that's a big fucking blow." The Danish operator shot towards Lee. "Imagine if a 100 million Chinese died in an attack, that's how bad this was for Iceland."
"It's 1.9 billion and yes I'm well fucking aware of how bad it is for them. I'm just saying this would've been a hell of alot more difficult if this popped up in a mega city." Lee replied with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Calm it down, guys." Price ordered as he reached into the case of beer on the table and threw them both a bottle. "This'll help calm our nerves for now. Don't get to shitfaced, Commander wants us for a briefing at 2000 hours."
"Still, why us?" Harkov slurred as he reached for his bottle of vodka, took a swig, and proceeded to pass it over to Weber, who was sitting right beside him. "Why not those purple bastards? After all they did, they should be on the receiving end of this shit, not us."
"I still ask myself what the fuck we did to deserve this." Itami interrupted, after downing the rest of his beer. "After all we've been through, we get thrust into war once again. We could all be at hope right now. Spending time with our families and loved ones. Instead we're fighting an enemy straight out a fantasy novel." Itami more or less summed up how everyone was feeling since they got the call.
"Well you should be delighted Itami, after all, I've seen those magazines you read. Should be right up your alley." Nilsen insinuated.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Itami asked as he raised his eyebrow and glared at Nilsen. He proceeded to burst out laughing, which angered Itami a slight bit more.
"Oh cheer up wanker, everyone knows you look at those weird tentacle porn things." The voice was from Adam Gideon. In his hands were one 24 pack of beer and the other being soda. Commander Perryman had delayed his deployment last minute as his team was the only that was up to snuff with the equipment enough to show the others how to use it. He came in with the second wave when the fighting really kicked up. "And don't deny it either, I picked up one of your disgusting magazines and slid it under your barracks." The whole room burst out laughing at Itami's expense, who was looking thoroughly annoyed at the topic at hand.
"We all have our vice, so fuck off." Itami countered. "Speaking of which, where were you during the fight? Why did Price, no offence Price, show up instead of you?"
"None taken mate." Price said as he took a swig from his beer.
"My squad was the only ones that knew how to operate the new weapons, so the commander wanted me to go with the second wave that arrived shortly after. Me and my squad arrived the same time the Yank aircraft carrier did."
"Personally, I believe the timing was perfect. We were low on ammo and desperately needed reinforcements to take back the city." Dabiri spoke up. "Speaking of that, were any of your squads at the broadcast station during the first hour of our arrival? Because I saw some cloaked figures get the jump on an enemy patrol and drag them away before they found me." Everyone just shook their heads at the question.
"My team was securing the Indian embassy, so it wasn't mine." The Gurkha captain replied, looking over at the MARCOs team leader, who also shook his head.
"Me and my team were deployed near the docks at Suðurhöfn where we sunk the galleys docked there." The Czech captain responded.
"I don't know what to tell you man." Mitchell said as he cracked open a can of coke. "I hit the road for the embassy, so I don't know who could've been there. No one else was that close to your location besides my own. Perhaps we can review the footage later and see if there's anything we can distinguish from it. For now, let's just enjoy what time we have left before the briefing."
"Yeah, I guess it can wait. Just bugs me is all."
"Anyway, let's change the subject." Gideon said it an attempt to get their minds off of the mission. "Any of you catch that live footage of that prison fight? Shit was fucking hilarious."
"It was fucking badass when that AST grabbed that poor son of a bitch and tossed him 20 feet."
"Honestly, I was hoping the fighting got out of control so the Talon drones could've opened fire on them." The JTF2 leader laughed.
"I'm just glad that none of our men were killed in the fight."
"A couple seemed to have been injured by those Immortal cocksuckers. They got executed pretty fucking quickly though."
Anyone see how that fight even started?" The SASR operative asked? "Because I noticed the fighting began shortly after our navy flew overhead."
"I think I can help answer that." Gideon said as he tapped his wrist console and cast it to the TV in the room. The camera focused on the nonhuman section of the camp as the fleet flew over it. As they passed over it, a large number of them started to cheer them on. Just like the UN personnel in the camp, the operators were dumbstruck at why the hell they were cheering on the same force that captured them. "It seems these Saderans liked to treat nonhuman entities like shit, which is why they did that."
"Still, why the fuck would they cheer us on?" Lee questioned. "They aren't exactly being treated much better."
"From what we were told by the embassy staff in Reykjavik a few days back, those assholes made it their mission to genocide and conquer those people." Harkov managed to get off without much slurring, but he was still visibly wasted.
"So much for not being shitfaced." Gideon remarked, earning him a middle finger from Harkov. "It seems that quite a few of them have actively sought out our men to give us information on the Saderans. If I was the politicians and spooks in charge of gathering the information, I'd seriously consider using them as a third column. I mean the CIA, MSS, and FSB have already placed themselves inside the base and are already interrogating the prisoners, but this would make their jobs much easier."
"I'm pretty sure they realize that too, but what would the people think if we just let them go because of their history? Hell, how do you think the people of Iceland would feel about that? I'm not saying it shouldn't be considered, but this is fragile ground." Mitchell made a good point. After all the damage the Saderan Empire caused on their way into Iceland, it would be extremely difficult to sell such idea to the general public. But, this was the CIA after all. Coupled with it's Russian, European, Chinese, and Israeli counterparts, they could almost certainly pull of something like this.
"We also need to consider that they are trying to trick us into getting our guard down and try to backstab us. I'm not saying I'm not sympathetic, but we can't just flat out trust them." The Brazilian operator explained from the back of the room. "We can't let our guard down here. We should wait and see what more information can be taken from them before we consider pardoning alien invaders."
The last few words were spiked with venom towards the prisoners. Of all the nations in the room, Brazil and Australia were beaten the hardest in the conflict. By the end of the five year conflict, Brazil had only 36% of its population left alive, while Australia had less than 20%. Even today both nations still reel from the devastating losses inflicted upon their countries. While that has not stopped them from being a member of the international community and helping in peacekeeping missions, neither nation is as powerful as they once were. It's understandable why both nations have not only a searing hatred for the Phauthi, but for the Saderans. Neither team took prisoners and their actions during the battle with ones they did capture are best left untold. With the opening of the portal in Iceland, they saw this as a chance save a country from a fate that theirs ultimately suffered. And with it being unknown if more of these can be opened in other cities, no one, especially not Brazilians or Australians wanted to take the chance of another force wreaking havoc on another city.
"I'm not saying we do pardon them." Gideon quickly said trying to rephrase what he said. "All I'm saying is that they have information that's valuable to us. Even more so if they happen to know where the captured civilians might be. The location of slave mines and camps would be of great use for us in getting back our people."
"Nevertheless though, I wouldn't put it past the spooks given their history of really fucked up shit. Speaking of that, have any of you heard about what they set up around the portal?" Price asked the group as he took the remote off the table and switched the internet on and opened an audio app. Everyone either gave a chorus of no's or they shook their heads. "Well then, you'll enjoy hearing this." He typed in "Ghost Tape 10" and clicked play. Strange music and distorted animal sounds emitted from the tv as everyone stood confused to why Price had them listen to it. They stood there listening for a few minutes before it dawned on them. Psychological Warfare.
"So they hooked up speakers right outside the portal and started blaring ghost sounds?" The Grom captain questioned.
"Yes and no." Price replied as he paused the recording. "They've dug up and utilized a cacophony of distorted animal sounds, ghosts, scream of men being tortured, and little mix of Russian Death Tango. The last of which is a song that the Russian utilized during the battle of Stalingrad, which had a distorted female voice saying "Every second seconds, a German dies in Stalingrad.", alongside a countdown. They just made some slight adjustments to put the audio in their language and replacing German with Saderan. They're blasting it loud enough so it can travel down the portal. If anyone tries coming through it, they'll be frightened away by the tape."
"Sounds like they had fun putting that one together." Gideon laughed.
"Sounds like overkill, don't you think?"
"No such thing as overkill. Overkill would be tossing a Davy Crockett through the portal and calling it a day. That'd teach the bastards!" Mitchell laughed.
"Well when you put it like that, I guess you are right. Still, it'd be better just to kill the bastards so we can all go home." Itami sighed and rubbed his stubble on his face. He hadn't expected a conversation like this today. Not when it was their first real day of relaxation, as they had spent virtually all day resting from the fighting. "Maybe you won't hate me as much anymore." Itami said jokingly.
"Maybe, maybe not. Although I'd imagine a certain member of your team will be happy that you'll start taking shit more seriously. On that note, rein in that sergeant of yours. She keeps popping in between me, Gideon's, Harkov's, Prices's, and Lee's and just about every squad barracks on base. It's getting annoying and you need to fix that."
"Which one are you referring to? My medic or hand to hand expert?"
"You know damn well which one." Lee stated in an unbelieving tone. "The one with the cow tits." The whole room burst into laughter upon hearing that. They knew who Lee and Mitchell was talking about. Sergeant Kuribayashi, despite having only met many of the operators a few days prior, already had the reputation of a deviant and tomboy. That's not to say most of them weren't deviants, because behind closed doors, they all did their own things. But Kuribayashi took things to another level. She had a habit of going around to every male member of each team trying to get them to fight her. If they could, 'Beat the crap out of her', she would date them. However the way she wanted the fight to end was not something any of the men would do. She had bounced from man to man, hoping someone would indulge her wishes. Some did agree to meet her in the sparring ring, but pinned her instead of beating her down. Round after round was met with her disappointment as no one would beat her down in the way she wanted.
"Oh, right." Itami sighed and stretched, knowing exactly what his sergeant had been up to lately. "I've tried to get her to listen to me, but she sees me as a disgrace to the uniform."
"Then use your rank and make her stubborn ass listen." Price interrupted. "For Christ sakes, take charge for once, Itami. I'm getting sick of her bugging my men. Hell, she even tried to get me to fight her. Me! Not only am I 40 years her senior, I'm happily married."
"Yeah, she keeps bugging Ramirez and Allen especially to fight her. All they're trying to do is relax, not beat the shit out of someone."
"And last I checked, she's near my teams barracks. And given how they're getting wasted right now, they might just piss her off." Davids informed them. "Quite frankly, if I were you Itami, I'd have beaten her ass myself for not obeying orders."
"Fine, I'll go find her and tell her to knock off her bullshit." With that Itami got up and began to walk out the door.
"I'm gonna get going as well, I'm gonna watch a movie with my squad before the briefing starts."
"Anything good?"
"Since it's December 7th, we'll be watching Tora! Tora! Tora!."
Itami cocked his head back when he heard the name of the film. All he could do what shoot Mitchell a glance he could only describe as "what the fuck?". "Of all the movies to watch, you watch that one?" Itami questioned.
"Well it's the 139th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. And there's also the fact that it fits pretty well with current events. An uppity empire launches an attack on an unsuspecting enemy, only to get a boot shoved up their ass as they strike back. Except the Saderans haven't done any real damage to our military and the UN will be the sleeping dragon that was awoken."
"It's the day when you Americans got off your arses and joined the bloody war." Price laughed, which Harkov and Lee joined in on.
"The day when we finally said fuck it and decided the Axis Powers needed a good ass kicking. Weber, itami, De Luca, ain't I right?" More laughs erupted as the German, Japanese, and Italian operators flipped Davids the bird as everyone else laughed at their expense. "Mind if me and my guys join you, Mitchell?"
"Why not, the more the merrier. We've got plenty of room in the movie room for y'all."
"Hell, since I can't drink anymore, I might as well join you." Harkov spoke while stumbling to get up. Soon a chorus of voices joined in agreement as they all began to pile out of the room. Some joining Mitchell in the movie room, others to the chow hall, while others went to the rec room to work out with their men. They still had a few hours to kill and they planned on using them.
Outer Orbit of Iapetus
1.5 million miles from Titan
Aphelion of Titan
1830 GMT
UNSS Icarus 01
This was a massive undertaking by the United Nations. To send a ship so far from Earth and so far past Jupiter was a dangerous mission. While the Phauthi were beaten, they never left the solar system, just relegated to Saturn and it's moons. For the Icarus, if they were seen, which given how stealth in space is practically impossible, was very likely, they would certainly be harassed by their old enemy. The Icarus had no weapons to defend itself. The only defensive system it had was it's electronic countermeasures to spoof missile systems. However that wouldn't help them against railguns or lasers. They'd have to stay outside of Phauthi territory, otherwise they'll elicit a response. Hat they did have however was a host of sensors used for not only observing the outer solar system for any more uninvited guests, but for observing other stars. A great many of Earth's space born telescopes and ground based observatories were destroyed in the war, so the Icarus was to fill that gap until such infrastructure could be rebuilt.
However they would no longer blast messages towards the stars. Since the first and only race to respond to them did not come in peace, the United Nations Security Council took direct control over SETI and no longer allowed them to do anything but listen to the stars. The ship was equipped with an array of spectographs, camera's, and infrared sensors designed to pick up even the slightest presence of heat in the cold background of space. Since any spacecraft gave off heat, no one could hide in the great vacuum. The UN was expecting a proverbial round two at some point. While the most of the remnants in the solar system had no intention of ever fighting humanity again, there was a small splinter faction that broke off and refused the peace. They were annihilated in short order by their own, but it became clear that ET phoned home. The various defectors and prisoners, while having agreed to help UN scientists during and after the war, never gave up the location of their home. It was clear however, that their home was within 50 light years.
But for now, their job wasn't watching the skies, but to investigate a rather strange movement of Phauthi military assets on Titan. Right now it was Captain Etajima Goro of the JMSDF who was in charge of completing this mission. The crew of the Icarus was a mixture of Japanese, Indian, Korean, Canadian, and various European crew members, who represented the four nations that built the ship. The ship may have been small, only being the length and twice the width of an old US navy Zumwalt destroyer, but it was fast. Goro hoped he wouldn't have to use his ships superior maneuverability in combat.
"We're within range of Titan, Captain. The sensors are booting up and will have eyes on the surface in a few minutes. Infrared sensors have picked up large heat signatures consistent with explosions." The words came from the main tech officer, Lukas Fischer. He, like most of the crew, weren't military. They were members of their respective countries space programs. Of the entire 170 man crew aboard, only captain Goro, a dozen officers who operated the flare system, and a squad of fourteen marines were the only military personnel aboard.
"That doesn't make sense. Titan doesn't have a breathable atmosphere for either of our species. Why would they be detonating explosive devices within their own habitats?" Goro asked as he looked towards the control panels, seeing the infrared screen lit up brightly.
"Unclear sir, the telescopes are still focusing on the moon. We should get an idea of what we're looking at soon enough." He replied as he focused on the screens in front of him. A television lowered from the ceiling and turned to footage of the moon. The camera's and sensors were zoomed in enough to make out the bright lights that littered the surface of the moon. The colonists they had brought with them had set up habitats before the war began, hoping for them to be temporary. With their dreams dashed however, the moon had become their largest colony. The sensors could also see what was left of their fleet in a holding pattern above the main habitat, with transport vessels heading down into the atmosphere.
"The activity is centered around on point within their largest city, so it can't be a military exercise." Goro's second in command, Tokushima Fuji stated as he took a closer look at the screen in front of them. "You think it could be infighting between the splinter factions?" He asked as he stood there perplexed.
"Doubtful, they already took care of the pro war faction shortly after the war ended. There could be a few still left who want to see us destroyed, but we already know they won't get far. The pro peace faction doesn't want war with us and I doubt most of their population would either. It wouldn't be profitable for them. What we need to worry about is what happens when their home finds out about their loss." Goro said as he turned to Fuji. "What do you think?"
"I'm thinking we should have driven these aliens out of the system after the war. That way we don't have to worry about them using our system's resources against us at a later date."
He just shook his head at his XO's shortsightedness. "Despite what you might think, we weren't at the most advantageous position by the end of the war. Even when the Americans and Russians launched the Orion Battleships towards the end of the war, they were quickly destroyed. They still had and still do have a larger naval presence than we do. There seems to be a general misunderstanding about how we won the war, so let me inform you." He said annoyed.
"It was because we-."
"Enough!" Goro snapped. "You will listen, so I may explain the situation to you. When they arrived here, every piece of equipment they had was newly produced. After they subjugated their last world, they built everything new. All their old equipment was left for occupation. They didn't have factories for vehicles or a large population to draw recruits from. Sure, they had munition factories on Titan when they arrived, but for every man, tank, or aircraft they lost, they couldn't replace. They had colonists with them, yes, but no training grounds to train them. We killed most of their soldiers and they had practically no reinforcements from their colonists."
He paused for a short moment to look at the screen, still another few minutes away from getting a clear picture.
"They realized we had both of those advantages and sought to cripple that. However those five years of preparation gave us enough time to build up an extremely large nuclear arsenal, capable of reaching orbit. When they got into low earth orbit to hit our cities, we could strike back with nukes. When they sought to capture the major population centers and industrial areas in the northern hemisphere, we shot down a multitude of their transport craft. The Americans alone shot down nearly two dozen transports, not including those shot down over Europe, Russia, China, Korea, or us. In all, we killed over half a million of them in the initial attacks. This isn't including the vehicles, both damaged and intact, that we got from them. It was that which allowed us a much better hand against the invaders. Coupled with prisoners, some of which who worked alongside us voluntarily, helped us win the war. It was us having our hands on their technology and their own people that let us win."
"It wasn't without losses though. Cities such as New York, Tokyo, London, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Seoul, Ottawa, Beijing, and many others took heavy damage from the fighting. We had lost millions in the first few days. But they realized they couldn't start their fight against the world's most powerful nations, so they went south. Australia, Argentina, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, were the first to fall. In just a few days, all resistance was swept aside and they landed without issue. For the next four years, until we finally gained the initiative, they swept over the southern hemisphere and eventually into the north. Even when we forced them on the back foot, we still needed 3-1 odds in our favor to win reliably."
"Why are you telling me something everyone here knows already?" Fuji asked confused as to why his commanding officer was giving him a history lesson.
"It takes three years to build a ship, but three centuries to build a tradition. We're still new at this game, Lieutenant. We have no experience fighting in space, despite what we were taught by the defectors and what we teach ourselves. No experience invading other worlds like they do. We must take our time. Despite what many like you think, we are in no position to throw them out of the solar system. If we sent our navy to attack them, they'd face near total destruction. Our focus is to rebuild back home and buildup our defenses around Earth, which includes establishing a much larger presence on Mars first. We will inevitably face another attack, which is why we are to prepare. We train, we learn, and we expand our presence. Our first and only priority should be defensive. I have no doubt that one day we'll be capable of expanding into the stars, but for now, we belong here."
"Thirty seconds to eyes on!" Fischer alerted them as the sensors finally began to focus on the city on the surface. Everyone on the bridge began to focus their attention at the screen as they could steadily make out more and more details on the surface. Below the clear dome that surrounded the habitat, they could make out fires burning in the city. "We should have an idea of what's going on now. Camera's are picking up fighting all around the city. What the hell is going on down there?"
As fires raged in the streets, VTOL aircraft could be seen in the airspace below the dome. At first it looked as if they were fighting other aircraft, but it wouldn't make sense for either side to be willing to fight like that with each other, not when they could very easily compromise the structure around them. No, they were fighting living creatures. Similar creatures to what had attacked Reykjavik.
"What the fuck?" One of the technicians whispered as the images became even clearer.
"How is this possible? This can't be real!" Fuji muttered to himself as he store unbelieving at the monitor. Men with swords were being slaughtered by a relentless hail of gunfire and light artillery. Vehicles crushed entire crowds of fleeing soldiers as they showed no mercy to their enemy. Creatures similar to those which had invaded Iceland were among those being effortlessly slaughtered by a far superior enemy. Explosions erupted throughout the city as holes in the dome had opened and more forces poured into the city. But for everything that had reminded the Empire, they weren't them. Different armor and flags gave that away. That both worried and relieved them. They knew they would launch an attack against the Saderans in retaliation for Reykjavik, and it eased their minds to know they wouldn't have another potential enemy to fight.
What did worry them however was where this army came from. If past events were anything to go by, they likely came from the same world. Soon however, they had their answer. The epicenter of the fighting had been focused on by the sensors. All the building within a radius of at least a mile had been destroyed, except for one. One that bore a striking resemblance to the very structure in Iceland. The architecture was different, but it was still tall, and they could make out forces retreating into it. It had the same properties as the one back home. They now know what the sudden movement of military assets was for. It wasn't a simple exercise or uprising like much of the UNSC had thought. It was much worse. Another portal had opened right at their enemy's doorstep, and they had to alert the UN.
However their focus on the situation was interrupted as klaxon blared and the ship took a sharp right maneuver. They were under attack.
"Incoming projectiles, 10,000 kilometers and closing sir!" The radar technician alerted. "They have us in a radar lock, activate ECM!" He shouted towards the officer manning the ECM suite, who rapidly began smashing the buttons in front of him, in an attempt to avoid another radar lock.
"Where the fuck is it coming from!" One of the officers on the bridge shouted as they saw bright flashes off in the distance, just barely visible to the naked eye.
"We've got contact in the asteroid fields! Radar has five smaller contacts emerging from the asteroids! They're Skelters!
"We're sitting ducks out here without any escorts!" Another yelled as the camera's caught focus of five small craft with variable-geometry wings accelerated towards their ship.
"We have to get back to Earth immediately. We have to alert them of the situation, go to general quarters and get us out of here!" Captain Goro ordered to those on the bridge. Word went to the engine room and the ion thrusters went to full power as the Icarus gunned it away from Saturn and back home. "Send word back mission control of what we found! They need to know in case we don't make it back." His last words sounded uncertain. He knew how bad the situation was. Without proper defenses, they'd get torn apart. That's why he ordered them to send all information back to Earth.
"Activating countermeasure!" Blue flares soon shot out of the sides of the Icarus as they desperately tried to avoid the forces trying to kill them. While the ship continued to accelerate, the projectiles still closed in faster. It would take them time for the reactor to transfer enough power to the engines in order to escape them. Assuming the Skelters kept to full speed, it would take them several minutes to reach their position once their Delta V was burned. While they had gotten out of the way of the railgun fire, they still had to worry about missiles if the Skelters got to close. But of all the things they had prepared for, one thing they couldn't dodge, were lasers.
"Temperature spike on the port side!" The ship suddenly shook violently to the right. A hole had just been blown clean into the side. The force of the explosion sent everyone flying off their feet. One technicians head slammed into the control panel in front of him, knocking him unconscious.
"STATUS REPORT!" Captain Goro yelled as he got back on to his feet, looking as the panels all in the bridge were flashing red with damage reports. He looked over towards the chief navigator as he picked himself up off the ground and rushed back to his station.
"Compartments 3-7 have been breached, captain!" An Fuji screamed as the crew did their damnedest to get the Icarus back on course after taking such a hit. "We're venting atmosphere, we have to seal the compartments now!" He watched out the port side as more flares popped out in an effort to jam the radars of any of the incoming craft. Captain Goro only had one chance to get out of here and he wasn't even sure it would work. His ship wasn't just a reconnaissance vessel, but a test bed for new technologies. One of which has been researched by the world's major powers since before the war. A method for easy and quick space travel. The Jump Drive was a system that would allow for an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, a wormhole in layman's terms, to be opened.
The ship lurched forward once more as another explosion rocked the ship. It was now or never. The captain had made his decision. "Activate the prototype and get us the fuck out of here!" He ordered. The crew looked at him with some uncertainty at first, but realized if they wanted to get out of this situation alive, they'd have to do it. "Time to see if this thing works." The navigator sent word down to the engine room and they redirected all power to it. The nav officer went to his control panel and began to type in the orbital coordinates for them to arrive at. Everyone on board didn't know it it would work. This wasn't supposed to be tested for another month. But it would soon have a trial by fire. To avoid further damage from attacks, the Icarus had to take cover behind a nearby asteroid, but that wouldn't protect them forever. The ship soon hum and a blue swirling vortex began to form in front of them. It couldn't have come sooner. The Skelters shot past them and began to double back on their position. The last of the flares were fired as more missiles began screaming in their direction. With the engines ahead full, they slowly made their way through the vortex, allowing them to escape what would've been certain death. Now they were safe. Damaged and limping home, but safe.
Prison Campsite
1500 Hours
December 7th, 2080
They thought they had seen it all. Those who were captured had thought they had seen all the United Nations had to offer. They had thought that for such a force to be made of so many countries, that no individual nation could stand against the Empire. They had thought that the force that was amassed that beat the Imperial army was all they could spare and all they had left. But all that changed once they were captured. They store down thousands upon thousands of soldiers, large armadas of ships, and hundreds of flying arrows and chariots, which continued to bring more and more troops into the country. For days after their capture, they were met by armies from all around this world. So many different weapons, but yet so similar. On the third day of their imprisonment, they thought they had seen all they had to offer, but it was not.
The same vessel that slain both the flame dragons had paraded over the prison, as a means of mocking those who were forced to surrender. But as the clouds above it had begun to part, even larger ones had appeared. Holes in the hull of the vessels had spat blue flame and they shook the earth by merely passing over them. If a vessel of much smaller size than the ones above them now could kill a flame dragon, what would these larger ones be capable of doing? For the surviving Imperial soldiers and nobles, they had lost all hope of a victory at that point. The demihumans, who had been wronged so badly by the Empire, had seen this as a further sign that the Empire had stepped on a Griffon's tail. Even as they watched the vessels sour back into the heavens at such ungodly speed, it only strengthened their goals to join those who the Empire made the grave mistake of attacking.
Yao couldn't take her eyes off of them as their blue flames intensified and pushed them further into the heavens, before disappearing before their eyes. This once again strengthened her resolve to join this war against the Empire and hopefully save what is left her people in the Schwarzt Forest, before the Empire killed off the remainder of her already weakened tribe. She found herself looking over at the crowd of demihumans who occupied one half of the prison.
They were scared by what they saw, but at the same time were hopeful. If a force like this could embarrass the Empire so easily, then maybe they had hope. Some of them said this rather loudly, which had gained the attention of Imperial troops in the prison, and they didn't take kindly to it. It angered them, to the point they began shouting and cursing at the various demihumans, which soon turned into a full blown prison brawl by some of the imprisoned nobles. Said noble began the fight by throwing a punch at a dark elf, who easily dodged the blow, and put the man on his back with a follow up.
Soon more men from both sides of the camp joined in the fray. Within mere seconds, the camp had become a mosh pit of violence as at least a thousand humans and demihumans traded blows to each other. The few guards that were within the makeshift courtyard were overwhelmed by the massive flood of bodies around them. Despite the superior weapons and armor of the guards, the sheer difference in numbers, and against some species, the strength, made it impossible to fight them without an Exo-suit.
But it didn't take long for snipers in the nearby guard towers to acquire targets and send round down range. Within a few minutes hundreds of other soldiers began to rush into the fray, carrying riot shields, nightsticks, rifles, and some in Goliath Armor. Vehicles began to screech into the courtyard and disembarked even more men, who quickly put themselves between the Saderans and the demihumans. However it took the guards opening fire into the mob of Saderans to finally make then kneel and surrender. Even a few Warbirds began to hover above and spoke in a loud voice that they could understand.
"Cease your hostilities or we will fire upon you! Get on your knees and interlace your fingers behind your head! You have five seconds to comply!"
Some were still stupid enough to charge UN forces, but were promptly gunned down for their trouble.
"Five, four, three, two-"
Upon realizing that they'd get nowhere with continued resistance, they dropped to their knees and interlaced their fingers behind their heads. The soldiers knew who started the fight and responded accordingly in dealing with it. They pointed their weapons at the mob of Saderans, daring them to attack. Other's threw swears at them and the the demihumans behind them.
"Worthless bastards!"
"Damn darkies can't be trusted to stay loyal!"
"I'll kill all of you traitorous scum!"
"Shut the fuck up you damn barbarians, you aren't in control here, we are." One of the guards shouted back at one of the prisoners. The man leapt towards the guard, but was met with a rifle butt to the face. The guard then pointed it down at the man and fired. A few more scattered shots were fired throughout the formation, but it soon subsided and the Saderans were being marched back to their section of the campsite, under heavy guard from UN personnel. Dozens of combat medics, mostly from the Scandinavian states, rushed over towards the demihuman section of the camp, administering aid to those injured. While most of the injuries weren't serious, some required immediate care and they were rushed away on stretchers to the nearby medical tents. Most of the serious injuries came from the Immortals, all of which were then executed shortly afterwards. The rest were from elves electrocuting guards who attempted to restrain them, for which they were shot. When all was said and done, over 200 Saderans had been killed or wounded, with roughly 100 UN troops requiring medical attention. A news chopper had been flying overhead and caught the entire incident on live television, which gave entertainment to millions of viewers across the world.
Yao soon felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see who it was and she was met by Crow, the her second in command and one of the best fighters in her tribe. "Hard to believe it." He said as watched the prisoners being shackled and marched by armed guard. "After all that has happened and having been thrown in chains by a new empire, having been humiliated once again, the enemy continues to mock us." He said spitefully.
"I don't think it was meant as mockery to us." Yao was quick to reply back. "I think it was meant for the Saderans. Our captors know they started the war. And they wish to let them know just what they're capable of. Also, they aren't an empire, just a coalition of countries."
"Nevertheless, they still seem to pride themselves on their military power, just like all humans. It's the only thing they are good at doing. Feeling superior over us elves for living with nature. Calling us barbarians for our lifestyles." He just shook his head as he eyed the various war machines of UN forces. "They show no regard for nature if these weapons they possess are any indication. Just like the Empire, they march carelessly across the earth without care for those who live there. They may claim to be benevolent, but they are no different. They'll use their armies to crush all that lay in their wake."
"Do you truly believe that? After the mercy they've shown us? They didn't have to take any prisoners, not after what the legionaries did on their way through the city. After the treatment we've received? You should hope they are different than the Empire, because otherwise, we won't survive here very long." Yao reasoned with her close friend.
"Why should we care?" He shot back. "It's more than likely we'll never see our families again, so why should we care? We'll either rot in a dungeon for the rest of our lives, be executed, or left to freeze out in this cold. The only thing I can thank them for is getting rid of that dreadful flame dragon, but it matters not when there are more at the Empire's disposal, ones to use to terrorize our tribe. Our families will almost certainly be punished for our capture."
"All the more reason you should want them to go across the Gate. They have the power to slay a flame dragon, along with an entire army! They were the first to ever defeat an army of Immortals in combat and have forever shattered their namesake. They could help our people, we just need to help them."
"And just how we do that? They seem to have everything under control as it is. Even if we had asked them for their help, what makes you think they'll listen to what we have to say? Most seem to not want to be bothered by us?" He made a good point. Aside from helping those wounded or occasionally playing with one or two of the children, most of the guards and soldiers seemed to prefer a distance from them. Many looked at them with scorn when they passed by. So many flags and faces, yet most looked at them the same way. She had heard some rumors about how their world was at peace before they arrived. Having fought a bloody war that took countless of their people. They had faced an enemy from another world, and it took them years to finally defeat them. That's why there were so many different armies arriving continuously. For how much the Saderans call cowardly for how they fight, she could take one look at them and see the truth. They were no cowards, just a people sick of fighting, a people who wished to enjoy peace.
"Then why don't we start now. At the very least, we can tell them everything we know about the terrain they'll encounter and the various tribes. It'll help both them and us if they know where our tribe lives. That way they don't attack them by mistake."
"And if they choose to destroy our tribe as revenge for what the Empire's legions did? It would lead to the destruction of our people."
"If we sit back and do nothing, our people are dead anyway. We must act."
"Then you can go talk to them. I want nothing to do with this foolish plan of yours." Crow then walked away towards his quarters, leaving Yao in her thoughts. If she didn't do anything, the Empire would surely take revenge on her people or force even more of them into their ranks. If she told the guards all she knew, they might use it to attack her people. The fate of her people was resting on her shoulders. She looked around for the nearest guards and approached them with caution. They took notice of this and they raised their weapons at here slightly. The men had a flag on their shoulder she had yet to see. A vertical tricolor of green, white, and orange. Behind them sat an iron elephant, albeit one with a much smaller and thinner snout.
"What do you need ma'am?" The man she assumed was their leader asked her. The soldier store her down looking for any sign of hostility. When he finished going over her, he gave a hand signal and his men lowered their weapons, but the snout of the iron elephant was still trained on her. "
"I wish to help you people against the Empire! I have valuable information that could help you!" The man looked back at his soldiers, who looked back at him in confusion. "I just beg that you help save my tribe!" The man looked confused, as if he wasn't expecting one of the prisoners to ask him for help.
"Clancy, go find one of those spooks on the base, will ya?" He turned back to Yao, who's eyes were pleading with him to answer. "Now I may not be paying attention, but we already took care of those rowdy barbarians on the other side of the camp. And I've already seen plenty of your people here, so what exactly do you need help with?"
"There are more dragons!" The man's eyes went wide upon hearing that. He saw how large of a creature it was and how much damage it took before it finally went down at the hands of the American navy. "The Empire will use them against my tribe, they'll be wiped out! Please, you must help us!" Her eyes were begging and she was clinging to his vest. As she was on the verge of tears, she caught the soldier coming back with two strangely dressed individuals in tow. One man and one woman, who looked much like her, but without the pointed ears. The man was the one who addressed her directly.
"We heard you need our help and that you have information that'll be useful to us."
RAF Hereford, United Kingdom
1600 Hours
Squad Leader Room
"The United Nations Defense Fleet puts on a massive display of force as six destroyers of the Home Guard fleet descend into the atmosphere above Reykjavik regional airport as a further show of force for the 10,000 prisoners currently residing within the makeshift prison camp. The UNSS Eclipse, or otherwise known as the Yamato, is Japan's first built and controlled destroyer. The others that took part in the event were the Kirov, Yubai, Rajput, Virginia, and La Fayette. Each of these vessels representing a different nation in the UN Security Council."
This brings up the total of the Home Guard fleet to 15 destroyers, 14 frigates used for escorting our cargo carriers, alongside the one carrier used for carrying the security garrisons for our Lunar and Martian bases. However this doesn't include the UNSS Icarus 01, which was recently seen leaving it's home port in Halifax, for a classified assignment. While the ship carries only bare minimum armaments, it carries powerful surveillance equipment such as spectograph's, wide field cameras, and infrared sensors. There are many theories as to why it has left Earth, but many claim it is an attempt to spy on Phauthi forces beyond Jupiter. Meanwhile, the UNSS CVN-68 Nimitz, is scheduled to assist in the deployment of over 100 satellites into orbit over the next two days."
In news in the Caribbean, the nations of Jamaica, The Dominican Republic, and Haiti have finally set up stable governments and infrastructure has been repaired. This is all thanks to American rebuilding efforts since the war ended. Shortly before the Caribbean was occupied and used as a staging ground by Phauthi forces, the United States undertook the largest humanitarian operation the world had ever seen. 90% of the region was evacuated and moved into the Midwest and Texas while US military forces reinforced the island. While they ultimately fell, much of the population was saved from what would certainly have been genocide. Once the war had ended, roughly a quarter of the refugees became naturalized citizens, who would later take residency across the nation when the war ended. Much them settled down in the southern states hat were ravaged in the war, seeking to repay the nation that helped them in their time of need."
"This is Renee Syhan, in New Delhi"
Mitchell grabbed the remote and turned it off, seeking to get some peace and quiet in order to discuss the recent operation with the other squad leaders. The room was filled with the leaders of each individual team that fought in Reykjavik. Nearly 40 men in all, from every continent, and every major power. Here they sat enjoying their second day back from the field. When they and their teams made it back in the late night hours of December 5th, most of them flat out went straight to their quarters by orders of Perryman. He even told the squad leaders to rest as well, but they took the debriefing and then rested. Now that they were well rested, they were celebrating a job well done and mission accomplished. However many of them felt as if they should be back out in the field, fighting the enemy that had invaded their world.
"This is bullshit." Mitchell said as he shook his head. "We're back here celebrating while over 10,000 people are lost on the other side of that fucking portal in Iceland. We should be back out there trying to get them back. Not sending our fucking fleet to taunt some backward barbarians who were already scared shitless when we captured them."
"I agree, the longer we wait, the more people who get farther from our reach and deeper into enemy territory." The Swedish lieutenant on the other end of the room agreed while downing another beer. "What's the fucking point of doing this if we can't save them?
"Don't beat yourself up over it lads, there's nothing we can do right now." Price replied, trying to console them. "We still don't even know if we can breathe on the other end of that thing. They may look human, but we don't truly know if it's safe for us. We have to wait for drones on the other side to confirm if we need Hazmat suits or not."
"Besides, we can't just say we failed because they were captured before we even arrived." The Chinese Captain, Jiang Lee interjected. "I'm not trying to be a rude ass, but it was better for this have happened in Iceland than any of our capitals. Lord knows we'd see far more dead due to population density." He wasn't wrong. Cities in the northern hemisphere, specifically in the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, and China swelled by enormous amounts when the war ended. A combination of refugees and baby boom made cities that once only held only a few million, swell into the mid to high millions, depending on the region. In places such as Japan and Europe, where birthrates were rapidly declining, shot up massively in the wake of humanities victory.
"Well no offence man, but your country has something like 1.7 billion people in it. It may not seem big for a nation like yours or India, but for a nation as sparsely populated and small as Iceland, that's a big fucking blow." The Danish operator shot towards Lee. "Imagine if a 100 million Chinese died in an attack, that's how bad this was for Iceland."
"It's 1.9 billion and yes I'm well fucking aware of how bad it is for them. I'm just saying this would've been a hell of alot more difficult if this popped up in a mega city." Lee replied with a hint of anger in his voice.
"Calm it down, guys." Price ordered as he reached into the case of beer on the table and threw them both a bottle. "This'll help calm our nerves for now. Don't get to shitfaced, Commander wants us for a briefing at 2000 hours."
"Still, why us?" Harkov slurred as he reached for his bottle of vodka, took a swig, and proceeded to pass it over to Weber, who was sitting right beside him. "Why not those purple bastards? After all they did, they should be on the receiving end of this shit, not us."
"I still ask myself what the fuck we did to deserve this." Itami interrupted, after downing the rest of his beer. "After all we've been through, we get thrust into war once again. We could all be at hope right now. Spending time with our families and loved ones. Instead we're fighting an enemy straight out a fantasy novel." Itami more or less summed up how everyone was feeling since they got the call.
"Well you should be delighted Itami, after all, I've seen those magazines you read. Should be right up your alley." Nilsen insinuated.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Itami asked as he raised his eyebrow and glared at Nilsen. He proceeded to burst out laughing, which angered Itami a slight bit more.
"Oh cheer up wanker, everyone knows you look at those weird tentacle porn things." The voice was from Adam Gideon. In his hands were one 24 pack of beer and the other being soda. Commander Perryman had delayed his deployment last minute as his team was the only that was up to snuff with the equipment enough to show the others how to use it. He came in with the second wave when the fighting really kicked up. "And don't deny it either, I picked up one of your disgusting magazines and slid it under your barracks." The whole room burst out laughing at Itami's expense, who was looking thoroughly annoyed at the topic at hand.
"We all have our vice, so fuck off." Itami countered. "Speaking of which, where were you during the fight? Why did Price, no offence Price, show up instead of you?"
"None taken mate." Price said as he took a swig from his beer.
"My squad was the only ones that knew how to operate the new weapons, so the commander wanted me to go with the second wave that arrived shortly after. Me and my squad arrived the same time the Yank aircraft carrier did."
"Personally, I believe the timing was perfect. We were low on ammo and desperately needed reinforcements to take back the city." Dabiri spoke up. "Speaking of that, were any of your squads at the broadcast station during the first hour of our arrival? Because I saw some cloaked figures get the jump on an enemy patrol and drag them away before they found me." Everyone just shook their heads at the question.
"My team was securing the Indian embassy, so it wasn't mine." The Gurkha captain replied, looking over at the MARCOs team leader, who also shook his head.
"Me and my team were deployed near the docks at Suðurhöfn where we sunk the galleys docked there." The Czech captain responded.
"I don't know what to tell you man." Mitchell said as he cracked open a can of coke. "I hit the road for the embassy, so I don't know who could've been there. No one else was that close to your location besides my own. Perhaps we can review the footage later and see if there's anything we can distinguish from it. For now, let's just enjoy what time we have left before the briefing."
"Yeah, I guess it can wait. Just bugs me is all."
"Anyway, let's change the subject." Gideon said it an attempt to get their minds off of the mission. "Any of you catch that live footage of that prison fight? Shit was fucking hilarious."
"It was fucking badass when that AST grabbed that poor son of a bitch and tossed him 20 feet."
"Honestly, I was hoping the fighting got out of control so the Talon drones could've opened fire on them." The JTF2 leader laughed.
"I'm just glad that none of our men were killed in the fight."
"A couple seemed to have been injured by those Immortal cocksuckers. They got executed pretty fucking quickly though."
Anyone see how that fight even started?" The SASR operative asked? "Because I noticed the fighting began shortly after our navy flew overhead."
"I think I can help answer that." Gideon said as he tapped his wrist console and cast it to the TV in the room. The camera focused on the nonhuman section of the camp as the fleet flew over it. As they passed over it, a large number of them started to cheer them on. Just like the UN personnel in the camp, the operators were dumbstruck at why the hell they were cheering on the same force that captured them. "It seems these Saderans liked to treat nonhuman entities like shit, which is why they did that."
"Still, why the fuck would they cheer us on?" Lee questioned. "They aren't exactly being treated much better."
"From what we were told by the embassy staff in Reykjavik a few days back, those assholes made it their mission to genocide and conquer those people." Harkov managed to get off without much slurring, but he was still visibly wasted.
"So much for not being shitfaced." Gideon remarked, earning him a middle finger from Harkov. "It seems that quite a few of them have actively sought out our men to give us information on the Saderans. If I was the politicians and spooks in charge of gathering the information, I'd seriously consider using them as a third column. I mean the CIA, MSS, and FSB have already placed themselves inside the base and are already interrogating the prisoners, but this would make their jobs much easier."
"I'm pretty sure they realize that too, but what would the people think if we just let them go because of their history? Hell, how do you think the people of Iceland would feel about that? I'm not saying it shouldn't be considered, but this is fragile ground." Mitchell made a good point. After all the damage the Saderan Empire caused on their way into Iceland, it would be extremely difficult to sell such idea to the general public. But, this was the CIA after all. Coupled with it's Russian, European, Chinese, and Israeli counterparts, they could almost certainly pull of something like this.
"We also need to consider that they are trying to trick us into getting our guard down and try to backstab us. I'm not saying I'm not sympathetic, but we can't just flat out trust them." The Brazilian operator explained from the back of the room. "We can't let our guard down here. We should wait and see what more information can be taken from them before we consider pardoning alien invaders."
The last few words were spiked with venom towards the prisoners. Of all the nations in the room, Brazil and Australia were beaten the hardest in the conflict. By the end of the five year conflict, Brazil had only 36% of its population left alive, while Australia had less than 20%. Even today both nations still reel from the devastating losses inflicted upon their countries. While that has not stopped them from being a member of the international community and helping in peacekeeping missions, neither nation is as powerful as they once were. It's understandable why both nations have not only a searing hatred for the Phauthi, but for the Saderans. Neither team took prisoners and their actions during the battle with ones they did capture are best left untold. With the opening of the portal in Iceland, they saw this as a chance save a country from a fate that theirs ultimately suffered. And with it being unknown if more of these can be opened in other cities, no one, especially not Brazilians or Australians wanted to take the chance of another force wreaking havoc on another city.
"I'm not saying we do pardon them." Gideon quickly said trying to rephrase what he said. "All I'm saying is that they have information that's valuable to us. Even more so if they happen to know where the captured civilians might be. The location of slave mines and camps would be of great use for us in getting back our people."
"Nevertheless though, I wouldn't put it past the spooks given their history of really fucked up shit. Speaking of that, have any of you heard about what they set up around the portal?" Price asked the group as he took the remote off the table and switched the internet on and opened an audio app. Everyone either gave a chorus of no's or they shook their heads. "Well then, you'll enjoy hearing this." He typed in "Ghost Tape 10" and clicked play. Strange music and distorted animal sounds emitted from the tv as everyone stood confused to why Price had them listen to it. They stood there listening for a few minutes before it dawned on them. Psychological Warfare.
"So they hooked up speakers right outside the portal and started blaring ghost sounds?" The Grom captain questioned.
"Yes and no." Price replied as he paused the recording. "They've dug up and utilized a cacophony of distorted animal sounds, ghosts, scream of men being tortured, and little mix of Russian Death Tango. The last of which is a song that the Russian utilized during the battle of Stalingrad, which had a distorted female voice saying "Every second seconds, a German dies in Stalingrad.", alongside a countdown. They just made some slight adjustments to put the audio in their language and replacing German with Saderan. They're blasting it loud enough so it can travel down the portal. If anyone tries coming through it, they'll be frightened away by the tape."
"Sounds like they had fun putting that one together." Gideon laughed.
"Sounds like overkill, don't you think?"
"No such thing as overkill. Overkill would be tossing a Davy Crockett through the portal and calling it a day. That'd teach the bastards!" Mitchell laughed.
"Well when you put it like that, I guess you are right. Still, it'd be better just to kill the bastards so we can all go home." Itami sighed and rubbed his stubble on his face. He hadn't expected a conversation like this today. Not when it was their first real day of relaxation, as they had spent virtually all day resting from the fighting. "Maybe you won't hate me as much anymore." Itami said jokingly.
"Maybe, maybe not. Although I'd imagine a certain member of your team will be happy that you'll start taking shit more seriously. On that note, rein in that sergeant of yours. She keeps popping in between me, Gideon's, Harkov's, Prices's, and Lee's and just about every squad barracks on base. It's getting annoying and you need to fix that."
"Which one are you referring to? My medic or hand to hand expert?"
"You know damn well which one." Lee stated in an unbelieving tone. "The one with the cow tits." The whole room burst into laughter upon hearing that. They knew who Lee and Mitchell was talking about. Sergeant Kuribayashi, despite having only met many of the operators a few days prior, already had the reputation of a deviant and tomboy. That's not to say most of them weren't deviants, because behind closed doors, they all did their own things. But Kuribayashi took things to another level. She had a habit of going around to every male member of each team trying to get them to fight her. If they could, 'Beat the crap out of her', she would date them. However the way she wanted the fight to end was not something any of the men would do. She had bounced from man to man, hoping someone would indulge her wishes. Some did agree to meet her in the sparring ring, but pinned her instead of beating her down. Round after round was met with her disappointment as no one would beat her down in the way she wanted.
"Oh, right." Itami sighed and stretched, knowing exactly what his sergeant had been up to lately. "I've tried to get her to listen to me, but she sees me as a disgrace to the uniform."
"Then use your rank and make her stubborn ass listen." Price interrupted. "For Christ sakes, take charge for once, Itami. I'm getting sick of her bugging my men. Hell, she even tried to get me to fight her. Me! Not only am I 40 years her senior, I'm happily married."
"Yeah, she keeps bugging Ramirez and Allen especially to fight her. All they're trying to do is relax, not beat the shit out of someone."
"And last I checked, she's near my teams barracks. And given how they're getting wasted right now, they might just piss her off." Davids informed them. "Quite frankly, if I were you Itami, I'd have beaten her ass myself for not obeying orders."
"Fine, I'll go find her and tell her to knock off her bullshit." With that Itami got up and began to walk out the door.
"I'm gonna get going as well, I'm gonna watch a movie with my squad before the briefing starts."
"Anything good?"
"Since it's December 7th, we'll be watching Tora! Tora! Tora!."
Itami cocked his head back when he heard the name of the film. All he could do what shoot Mitchell a glance he could only describe as "what the fuck?". "Of all the movies to watch, you watch that one?" Itami questioned.
"Well it's the 139th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. And there's also the fact that it fits pretty well with current events. An uppity empire launches an attack on an unsuspecting enemy, only to get a boot shoved up their ass as they strike back. Except the Saderans haven't done any real damage to our military and the UN will be the sleeping dragon that was awoken."
"It's the day when you Americans got off your arses and joined the bloody war." Price laughed, which Harkov and Lee joined in on.
"The day when we finally said fuck it and decided the Axis Powers needed a good ass kicking. Weber, itami, De Luca, ain't I right?" More laughs erupted as the German, Japanese, and Italian operators flipped Davids the bird as everyone else laughed at their expense. "Mind if me and my guys join you, Mitchell?"
"Why not, the more the merrier. We've got plenty of room in the movie room for y'all."
"Hell, since I can't drink anymore, I might as well join you." Harkov spoke while stumbling to get up. Soon a chorus of voices joined in agreement as they all began to pile out of the room. Some joining Mitchell in the movie room, others to the chow hall, while others went to the rec room to work out with their men. They still had a few hours to kill and they planned on using them.
Outer Orbit of Iapetus
1.5 million miles from Titan
Aphelion of Titan
1830 GMT
UNSS Icarus 01
This was a massive undertaking by the United Nations. To send a ship so far from Earth and so far past Jupiter was a dangerous mission. While the Phauthi were beaten, they never left the solar system, just relegated to Saturn and it's moons. For the Icarus, if they were seen, which given how stealth in space is practically impossible, was very likely, they would certainly be harassed by their old enemy. The Icarus had no weapons to defend itself. The only defensive system it had was it's electronic countermeasures to spoof missile systems. However that wouldn't help them against railguns or lasers. They'd have to stay outside of Phauthi territory, otherwise they'll elicit a response. Hat they did have however was a host of sensors used for not only observing the outer solar system for any more uninvited guests, but for observing other stars. A great many of Earth's space born telescopes and ground based observatories were destroyed in the war, so the Icarus was to fill that gap until such infrastructure could be rebuilt.
However they would no longer blast messages towards the stars. Since the first and only race to respond to them did not come in peace, the United Nations Security Council took direct control over SETI and no longer allowed them to do anything but listen to the stars. The ship was equipped with an array of spectographs, camera's, and infrared sensors designed to pick up even the slightest presence of heat in the cold background of space. Since any spacecraft gave off heat, no one could hide in the great vacuum. The UN was expecting a proverbial round two at some point. While the most of the remnants in the solar system had no intention of ever fighting humanity again, there was a small splinter faction that broke off and refused the peace. They were annihilated in short order by their own, but it became clear that ET phoned home. The various defectors and prisoners, while having agreed to help UN scientists during and after the war, never gave up the location of their home. It was clear however, that their home was within 50 light years.
But for now, their job wasn't watching the skies, but to investigate a rather strange movement of Phauthi military assets on Titan. Right now it was Captain Etajima Goro of the JMSDF who was in charge of completing this mission. The crew of the Icarus was a mixture of Japanese, Indian, Korean, Canadian, and various European crew members, who represented the four nations that built the ship. The ship may have been small, only being the length and twice the width of an old US navy Zumwalt destroyer, but it was fast. Goro hoped he wouldn't have to use his ships superior maneuverability in combat.
"We're within range of Titan, Captain. The sensors are booting up and will have eyes on the surface in a few minutes. Infrared sensors have picked up large heat signatures consistent with explosions." The words came from the main tech officer, Lukas Fischer. He, like most of the crew, weren't military. They were members of their respective countries space programs. Of the entire 170 man crew aboard, only captain Goro, a dozen officers who operated the flare system, and a squad of fourteen marines were the only military personnel aboard.
"That doesn't make sense. Titan doesn't have a breathable atmosphere for either of our species. Why would they be detonating explosive devices within their own habitats?" Goro asked as he looked towards the control panels, seeing the infrared screen lit up brightly.
"Unclear sir, the telescopes are still focusing on the moon. We should get an idea of what we're looking at soon enough." He replied as he focused on the screens in front of him. A television lowered from the ceiling and turned to footage of the moon. The camera's and sensors were zoomed in enough to make out the bright lights that littered the surface of the moon. The colonists they had brought with them had set up habitats before the war began, hoping for them to be temporary. With their dreams dashed however, the moon had become their largest colony. The sensors could also see what was left of their fleet in a holding pattern above the main habitat, with transport vessels heading down into the atmosphere.
"The activity is centered around on point within their largest city, so it can't be a military exercise." Goro's second in command, Tokushima Fuji stated as he took a closer look at the screen in front of them. "You think it could be infighting between the splinter factions?" He asked as he stood there perplexed.
"Doubtful, they already took care of the pro war faction shortly after the war ended. There could be a few still left who want to see us destroyed, but we already know they won't get far. The pro peace faction doesn't want war with us and I doubt most of their population would either. It wouldn't be profitable for them. What we need to worry about is what happens when their home finds out about their loss." Goro said as he turned to Fuji. "What do you think?"
"I'm thinking we should have driven these aliens out of the system after the war. That way we don't have to worry about them using our system's resources against us at a later date."
He just shook his head at his XO's shortsightedness. "Despite what you might think, we weren't at the most advantageous position by the end of the war. Even when the Americans and Russians launched the Orion Battleships towards the end of the war, they were quickly destroyed. They still had and still do have a larger naval presence than we do. There seems to be a general misunderstanding about how we won the war, so let me inform you." He said annoyed.
"It was because we-."
"Enough!" Goro snapped. "You will listen, so I may explain the situation to you. When they arrived here, every piece of equipment they had was newly produced. After they subjugated their last world, they built everything new. All their old equipment was left for occupation. They didn't have factories for vehicles or a large population to draw recruits from. Sure, they had munition factories on Titan when they arrived, but for every man, tank, or aircraft they lost, they couldn't replace. They had colonists with them, yes, but no training grounds to train them. We killed most of their soldiers and they had practically no reinforcements from their colonists."
He paused for a short moment to look at the screen, still another few minutes away from getting a clear picture.
"They realized we had both of those advantages and sought to cripple that. However those five years of preparation gave us enough time to build up an extremely large nuclear arsenal, capable of reaching orbit. When they got into low earth orbit to hit our cities, we could strike back with nukes. When they sought to capture the major population centers and industrial areas in the northern hemisphere, we shot down a multitude of their transport craft. The Americans alone shot down nearly two dozen transports, not including those shot down over Europe, Russia, China, Korea, or us. In all, we killed over half a million of them in the initial attacks. This isn't including the vehicles, both damaged and intact, that we got from them. It was that which allowed us a much better hand against the invaders. Coupled with prisoners, some of which who worked alongside us voluntarily, helped us win the war. It was us having our hands on their technology and their own people that let us win."
"It wasn't without losses though. Cities such as New York, Tokyo, London, Moscow, Paris, Berlin, Seoul, Ottawa, Beijing, and many others took heavy damage from the fighting. We had lost millions in the first few days. But they realized they couldn't start their fight against the world's most powerful nations, so they went south. Australia, Argentina, South Africa, Papua New Guinea, were the first to fall. In just a few days, all resistance was swept aside and they landed without issue. For the next four years, until we finally gained the initiative, they swept over the southern hemisphere and eventually into the north. Even when we forced them on the back foot, we still needed 3-1 odds in our favor to win reliably."
"Why are you telling me something everyone here knows already?" Fuji asked confused as to why his commanding officer was giving him a history lesson.
"It takes three years to build a ship, but three centuries to build a tradition. We're still new at this game, Lieutenant. We have no experience fighting in space, despite what we were taught by the defectors and what we teach ourselves. No experience invading other worlds like they do. We must take our time. Despite what many like you think, we are in no position to throw them out of the solar system. If we sent our navy to attack them, they'd face near total destruction. Our focus is to rebuild back home and buildup our defenses around Earth, which includes establishing a much larger presence on Mars first. We will inevitably face another attack, which is why we are to prepare. We train, we learn, and we expand our presence. Our first and only priority should be defensive. I have no doubt that one day we'll be capable of expanding into the stars, but for now, we belong here."
"Thirty seconds to eyes on!" Fischer alerted them as the sensors finally began to focus on the city on the surface. Everyone on the bridge began to focus their attention at the screen as they could steadily make out more and more details on the surface. Below the clear dome that surrounded the habitat, they could make out fires burning in the city. "We should have an idea of what's going on now. Camera's are picking up fighting all around the city. What the hell is going on down there?"
As fires raged in the streets, VTOL aircraft could be seen in the airspace below the dome. At first it looked as if they were fighting other aircraft, but it wouldn't make sense for either side to be willing to fight like that with each other, not when they could very easily compromise the structure around them. No, they were fighting living creatures. Similar creatures to what had attacked Reykjavik.
"What the fuck?" One of the technicians whispered as the images became even clearer.
"How is this possible? This can't be real!" Fuji muttered to himself as he store unbelieving at the monitor. Men with swords were being slaughtered by a relentless hail of gunfire and light artillery. Vehicles crushed entire crowds of fleeing soldiers as they showed no mercy to their enemy. Creatures similar to those which had invaded Iceland were among those being effortlessly slaughtered by a far superior enemy. Explosions erupted throughout the city as holes in the dome had opened and more forces poured into the city. But for everything that had reminded the Empire, they weren't them. Different armor and flags gave that away. That both worried and relieved them. They knew they would launch an attack against the Saderans in retaliation for Reykjavik, and it eased their minds to know they wouldn't have another potential enemy to fight.
What did worry them however was where this army came from. If past events were anything to go by, they likely came from the same world. Soon however, they had their answer. The epicenter of the fighting had been focused on by the sensors. All the building within a radius of at least a mile had been destroyed, except for one. One that bore a striking resemblance to the very structure in Iceland. The architecture was different, but it was still tall, and they could make out forces retreating into it. It had the same properties as the one back home. They now know what the sudden movement of military assets was for. It wasn't a simple exercise or uprising like much of the UNSC had thought. It was much worse. Another portal had opened right at their enemy's doorstep, and they had to alert the UN.
However their focus on the situation was interrupted as klaxon blared and the ship took a sharp right maneuver. They were under attack.
"Incoming projectiles, 10,000 kilometers and closing sir!" The radar technician alerted. "They have us in a radar lock, activate ECM!" He shouted towards the officer manning the ECM suite, who rapidly began smashing the buttons in front of him, in an attempt to avoid another radar lock.
"Where the fuck is it coming from!" One of the officers on the bridge shouted as they saw bright flashes off in the distance, just barely visible to the naked eye.
"We've got contact in the asteroid fields! Radar has five smaller contacts emerging from the asteroids! They're Skelters!
"We're sitting ducks out here without any escorts!" Another yelled as the camera's caught focus of five small craft with variable-geometry wings accelerated towards their ship.
"We have to get back to Earth immediately. We have to alert them of the situation, go to general quarters and get us out of here!" Captain Goro ordered to those on the bridge. Word went to the engine room and the ion thrusters went to full power as the Icarus gunned it away from Saturn and back home. "Send word back mission control of what we found! They need to know in case we don't make it back." His last words sounded uncertain. He knew how bad the situation was. Without proper defenses, they'd get torn apart. That's why he ordered them to send all information back to Earth.
"Activating countermeasure!" Blue flares soon shot out of the sides of the Icarus as they desperately tried to avoid the forces trying to kill them. While the ship continued to accelerate, the projectiles still closed in faster. It would take them time for the reactor to transfer enough power to the engines in order to escape them. Assuming the Skelters kept to full speed, it would take them several minutes to reach their position once their Delta V was burned. While they had gotten out of the way of the railgun fire, they still had to worry about missiles if the Skelters got to close. But of all the things they had prepared for, one thing they couldn't dodge, were lasers.
"Temperature spike on the port side!" The ship suddenly shook violently to the right. A hole had just been blown clean into the side. The force of the explosion sent everyone flying off their feet. One technicians head slammed into the control panel in front of him, knocking him unconscious.
"STATUS REPORT!" Captain Goro yelled as he got back on to his feet, looking as the panels all in the bridge were flashing red with damage reports. He looked over towards the chief navigator as he picked himself up off the ground and rushed back to his station.
"Compartments 3-7 have been breached, captain!" An Fuji screamed as the crew did their damnedest to get the Icarus back on course after taking such a hit. "We're venting atmosphere, we have to seal the compartments now!" He watched out the port side as more flares popped out in an effort to jam the radars of any of the incoming craft. Captain Goro only had one chance to get out of here and he wasn't even sure it would work. His ship wasn't just a reconnaissance vessel, but a test bed for new technologies. One of which has been researched by the world's major powers since before the war. A method for easy and quick space travel. The Jump Drive was a system that would allow for an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, a wormhole in layman's terms, to be opened.
The ship lurched forward once more as another explosion rocked the ship. It was now or never. The captain had made his decision. "Activate the prototype and get us the fuck out of here!" He ordered. The crew looked at him with some uncertainty at first, but realized if they wanted to get out of this situation alive, they'd have to do it. "Time to see if this thing works." The navigator sent word down to the engine room and they redirected all power to it. The nav officer went to his control panel and began to type in the orbital coordinates for them to arrive at. Everyone on board didn't know it it would work. This wasn't supposed to be tested for another month. But it would soon have a trial by fire. To avoid further damage from attacks, the Icarus had to take cover behind a nearby asteroid, but that wouldn't protect them forever. The ship soon hum and a blue swirling vortex began to form in front of them. It couldn't have come sooner. The Skelters shot past them and began to double back on their position. The last of the flares were fired as more missiles began screaming in their direction. With the engines ahead full, they slowly made their way through the vortex, allowing them to escape what would've been certain death. Now they were safe. Damaged and limping home, but safe.