Garrett Thorne
Garrett Thorne entered Taboo willingly, driven by a sense of duty and loyalty to Claye, under whom he had served before the general's retirement.
Claye’s work on this remote planet of the Fringe felt crucial for strengthening the colonies' security; a necessary buffer to prevent the festering resentments along the Augustine sector's border from erupting into conflict.
Garrett sighed heavily, regretting his decision to leave Corporal Malik alone, unaware of the Mĩýĩn'nävë's capabilities.
His ignorance had put his subordinate in grave danger.
Thankfully, the entity controlling the Mĩýĩn’nävë seemed to operate under a clear pattern: defending Vexx and attempting to communicate were its main concerns.
But it could’ve turned ugly very fast and so he was reflecting on his 133 years of service in the colony defense force; Garrett had never faced a situation quite like this.
Clad in his suit, he headed out to address the crisis: Arther had attacked Vexx’s shop, and intervention was necessary.
He hoped to avoid confrontation, he knew his suit was outmatched by the advanced technology Arther possessed.
Garrett left HQ with Sĩýĩx’xälà, Malik, and Kai, all in full battle gear.
They encountered a very confused Vexx being carried by one of his employed creatures.
The Mĩýĩn’nävë, seemingly unfazed by the natural light, stopped dead in its tracks, releasing Vexx and then lifting its arms in a gesture of human surrender, a stark contrast to the species' natural defensive reaction of expelling a foul-smelling liquid when startled.
Garrett assigned Malik to handle the immediate situation and rushed to the shop, only finding that the situation was way more dangerous than he thought as he returned to find both Vexx and the Mĩýĩn’nävë detained.
This was his mistake, yet he needed all available manpower to pacify the shop.
The Mĩýĩn’nävë could have easily killed Malik, given its capabilities, but it hadn’t; an action that added weight to the message it was signaling in Morse code.
Garrett thought about how Tessa’s excitement about dissecting the Mĩýĩn’nävë was palpable, eager to understand its workings.
Claye, however, tried to temper her enthusiasm, warning that such actions could escalate tensions.
They didn’t need another enemy, but whether or not it was a rogue agent or the Ceti Trade Pact alliance potentially operating on Taboo, that being was already posing a significant threat.
Garrett still marveled at the use of hard light technology.
It was top-of-the-line tech from the Galactic Council, typically seen in universal interfaces.
The tech officially required immense power, but it was a secret closely guarded by entities like CTP and Wessetec.
Seeing a Mĩýĩn’nävë wielding it as a weapon was unsettling, raising concerns about the origins and intentions of the controlling intelligence behind it.
As the Mĩýĩn’nävë was scrutinized, Garrett sought information from Vexx about who was in charge of the shop's operations.
Vexx suggested it might be an old empire machine, although Garrett doubted this, knowing from the war archives that such machines were mostly inoperable relics.
He could understand Vexx’s concern for Xyra; Garrett too shared the drive to protect those they cared about.
Under Dexton’s oppressive rule, the worst scum of the Fringe operated unchecked. Claye’s operation, though stretched thin, provided a glimmer of hope, creating an underground network of resistance.
They supplied freed individuals with provisions and weapons, a worthy but taxing endeavor. Garrett couldn’t shake the feeling that the enigmatic abomination controlling the Mĩýĩn’nävë was tied to whatever was terrorizing the city’s underbelly.
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the base's alarms blaring.
“Suit up, Dexton’s goons are trying to come in. Probably to take Arther and the general.”
The comm in his earpiece chirped.
Of course! Garrett thought bitterly as he dashed to the mark 1 exosuit.
The crazed knight was as high-priority a target as his boss. Having both in one place was bound to draw an attack.
He could only hope the chaos would distract both Arther and Tessa long enough for them to regroup.
ßÿñæptrâ Löckßhÿă Këßtræ
It was entertainment time, at long last.
The intel came along with the loss of maybe the best meat store that she had under her thumb so far on that planet forsaken by the tides.
The damned pesky knight and the old dog were together, the old dog was long due to being put down, and for the knight?
Oh, she would rip that armor out and see whatever creature was within, maybe even have a bite out of it just to enjoy its expression of surprise and pain!
To hell with the fact that her species didn’t consume the meat of sentients, but all was fair game in the field of emotions and warfare!
She would then parade the knight all around the 5,400 Lünpłïqüx that made the area of City 29 to display her victory to all.
Maybe she would have his body dangling from a shuttlecraft hovering above the streets for all to see and awe at her prowess.
With a feral gleam in her eyes, she surveyed the battlefield from a vantage point atop one of the city's towering spires.
The building that was once used by the law enforcement of that artificial world was the one where the knight and the old dog were holed.
She should be surveying from there, but she couldn’t, and knowing that humans once toppled over the rulers of this planet she felt that the old dog had occupied the place out of spite or whatever twisted sense of humor the humans had.
No matter, they would be but space dust, a footnote on the tale of her conquest.
Këßtræ had gathered all the forces she could muster, even those that would normally be dedicated to the protection of the ways into the city.
It was a formidable legion of followers, and using it she prepared to unleash her fury upon her enemies.
Ruthless riff-raffs, pirates, gang leaders, and their goons, all united but for one purpose: the pleasure she would gain by crushing her foes.
The sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows across the cityscape, as the artificial lighting of City 29 was coming to flickering life.
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The plebs had understood that something was afoot since she had seen them scatter and clear their dens like the cattle that they were.
Technically they could now use the old transportation pathways and the underground tunnels to escape their fate since she had redirected all her forces there.
No matter, those who would try to leave would be quickly caught and subdued again, it would even be fun to give them chase.
As for those that were foolish enough to try their luck with the depths of the city, if they even survived they would then be next.
With a thunderous roar, her forces surged forward, a tide of chaos sweeping through the streets toward the designated place.
Facing against humans and the knight she had them armed with the heaviest and most powerful ordinances she could get.
To hell with collateral damage, even if that building crumbled it would be worth it if it was to spell doom for the old dog and the pesky knight.
The avenues of City 29 were never safe but now they would become a full-fledged battleground, with the beaming of lasers and the roar of explosions echoing off the towering buildings in the middle of the ruined arcology.
As Këßtræ’s forces advanced, she could almost taste the victory that awaited her, a triumph that would solidify her rule over City 29.
At the same time, there was an undeniably nagging sense of unease creeping into her mind.
Her skin started displaying the oranges and yellow of doubt and fear; humans after all were resourceful adversaries, and she knew better than to underestimate their cunning.
The old dog had proven to be a thorn in her side, time and time again, as for the knight she was aware he was using top-of-the-line tech.
Maybe she would keep some weapons of his suit for practical purposes?
With a growl of frustration, Këßtræ pushed aside her doubts and focused on the task.
Her forces pressed onward, their weapons blazing as they tore unopposed through the streets towards their target.
It was about time her skin would no longer have to display the hues of frustration but could finally show the powerful hues of pride!
Tessa Eligah
Peek from the cover provided by one of the windows.
Rise when the moment is right.
Aim and shoot.
Duck again behind the frame.
Rinse, repeat.
Tessa Eligah believed she had honed this routine to perfection by now.
She was no soldier but she knew all too well that Taboo was a treacherous place, a world where the rule of law was tenuous at best.
It was once a crown jewel of the old empire, now known simply as City 29, a place where the grandeur of the past clashed with the chaos and decay of the present.
The city still bore the marks of its former glory, and the technology within still worked; like the anti-riot functions of the building they were in.
It erected energy shields that absorbed some of the blasts from the pirates' weapons, but the technology was centuries old, a relic of a toppled empire that had once been the galaxy's dominant force.
Today, what had been cutting-edge was now considered entry-level tech in the broader galactic context, and that meant that it provided little to no comfort against the pirates’ weapons.
Tessa sighed, glancing around the dimly lit room. She had hoped for more than a week's peace, but she had trained relentlessly for moments like this.
While her passion lay in studying and immersing herself in technology, she understood the necessity of being prepared for war.
Repeat and rinse.
A laser shot grazed her arm, and her nanites immediately sprang into action, healing the burn.
She couldn't help but scoff, bearing the pain, she might have been perfect in her mind but reality said otherwise and the enemy was just too numerous.
It had taken humanity two centuries, even with advanced technology and help from AI and allied species, to recover from the first contact war.
Her father, General Claye Eligah, had dedicated his life to preserving the fragile peace that followed, but he couldn't do it alone.
Every human was trained for military service, a testament to the scars of past conflicts.
While not everyone was a warrior, none would go quietly if hostilities erupted between the Hado Empire and the Federation.
Tessa looked at her arm, the wound already healed, but her favorite suit was now ruined.
If only she could convince the nanites to repair clothing as well; she would be a hero to all the women on the battlefield who shared her predicament.
Her father had reassured her that such battles typically resolved within an hour, once Dexton’s forces had sustained enough casualties.
But this skirmish had dragged on for four hours without end.
Arther, or to be precise his suit, was capable of mowing down enemies with ease. Yet, he seemed reluctant to engage, saying he didn’t like to end sentient life.
Bullshit, considering his track record with slavers and the like, but perhaps he feared damaging his suit, the enemy's firepower giving him pause.
She couldn’t blame him, without a suit and with virtually no water in sight, Arther would suffocate within minutes.
The Mark 1 suit on the other hand was a museum piece, designed to protect soldiers on planets vastly different from Earth.
It was a symbol of resilience and technological ingenuity from a bygone era, rather than being something to be used nowadays, even considering Garrett’s prowess with it.
Tessa wondered why Dexton was throwing everything he had at them now.
Did he sense an opportunity amidst the chaos, aiming to clear the field for his gain?
She glanced out the window again, her thoughts racing.
The energy shields held for now, but they wouldn't last forever. It was a sheer miracle they had lasted that far.
Tessa knew they had to outlast the assault, to protect the fragile peace her father had fought so hard to maintain.
If they survived this, she vowed to find a way to make her nanites repair her clothes too.
As she prepared to rise and fire again, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger was at play. Dexton’s apparent desperation hinted at a deeper scheme, was he trying to strike a deal with the one that called itself Uncle Sam?
After all, according to Vexx, Uncle Sam used what once was Dexton’s merchandise, it used those that once were men and women under his command. No! She couldn’t allow this to happen!
She had to at least try it and if her dad scolded her for it, no matter.
Tessa rose again, sprinting away from the fight this time, she made her way through the dimly lit corridors, her heart pounding with fear and determination.
Taboo was a place where danger lurked around every corner, the stakes were high, and she knew that this was a huge gamble that could either save them or doom them.
Her enhanced and trained body allowed her to cover the distance in a few minutes, but as approached the cell, a shiver ran down her spine.
The Mĩýĩn’nävë stood in the center, immobile under the light even as the sound of battle echoed in the room, its appearance barely different from any other of its kind.
Tessa knew what was beneath, a grotesque fusion of technology and biology. It was a nightmare brought to life.
The creature’s skin, mottled with iridescent blues and greens, had a metallic sheen that barely masked the fact that it was teeming with nanites.
Its eight eyes, each hiding cameras behind large black pupils, gave it an unsettling, lifeless stare.
Tessa took a deep breath and closed the comms with the cell from outside, excluding her dad. She opened the comm link to the cell.
-Uncle Sam, can you hear me?- she asked, her voice steady despite the unease gnawing at her.
The Mĩýĩn’nävë's head tilted slightly, remaining silent and otherwise motionless; it had probably followed all of her movements in the security room.
Tessa's mind raced as she chose her words carefully.
-We need your help. Dexton's forces are attacking us, and we can't hold them off much longer. I believe you can turn the tide of this battle. We need you to help us.-
There was a long, tense silence.
The creature’s stillness was unnerving, starkly contrasting to any normal living being. When it finally decided to move, it began tapping; the message was clear.
“You are not General Claye Eligah."
The heck?! It was obvious she wasn’t, but the implication was clear; she had no bargaining power in the creature’s eyes.
-I am his daughter!- Tessa replied urgently. Receiving silence again, she pressed the argument.
-Look, we’re not the enemy. We’re trying to protect the people here! We want to maintain some semblance of order and peace. Help us! We can work together to build something better!-
The room fell silent again as the Mĩýĩn’nävë became motionless once more, probably processing her words. Tessa felt the weight of her decision bearing down on her.
This was more than just a tactical choice; it was a leap of faith in an entity that defied her current understanding. Finally, the Morse code resumed, slower and more deliberate.
“Help is coming.”
She managed to understand before the translator kicked in, translating "Always faithful, Never out of the fight.”
Tessa nodded, relief mixed with apprehension. Never out of the fight? Semper Fi?
It had such old references to the Human military.
She couldn’t delve into the answer and its implications as the thing looked up directly at the cameras in the room.
“Help is coming. Do not be alarmed.”
The connection with the entity calling itself with that old moniker was seamless, instantaneous. She could only hope that her gamble would pay off and that this alliance with this Uncle Sam would turn the tide in their favor.