Tai'Tanu was happier than she had been in a long time. The siege on the Terran soldiers was going well, the mercenary group they had been in contact with, the *Steel Wolves* was not scheduled to arrive for some time and the defenders were using every ounce of their strength just to keep the probing attacks at bay. At this rate, the reinforcements the defenders were so eagerly waiting for, would be a few hours too late to make a difference.
The defenders had stumbled upon a large factory complex they had taken control over and they were using this defensive strongpoint to its fullest potential. Constant ambushes from shifting positions on the Kloxna soldiers along the perimeter of the factory complex, accurate and steady sniper fire that had already claimed the lives of a dozen officers and even a high caste. The young idiot was foolish enough to posture within view of the Terran fortifications, no doubt to instill fervor in her troops, but all she had gotten for her trouble was a sizeable chunk of her head blown off.
Tai'Tanu had been tempted to end this battle by calling in armor support, but she wanted prisoners, and tanks would make that impossible. It was hard to torture a being that was crushed to paste.
Her duel with Eirik had left Tai'Tanu a resentful and bitter individual, constantly in pain from the mangled tail and under constant political attack by her rivals, led by Sai'Lonis. Unfortunately, she could not have the annoying bitch killed, her family was old blood and the time would be a little too convenient for Tai'Tanu for anyone to believe it was a coincidence.
Furthermore, they had somehow uncovered her plans to have Terran diseases genetically altered and released on their civilian colony worlds. Unlike most of her fellow Kloxna, she had studied Terran history, at least some of it, and knew of the danger the civilian population represented. Every time Terra had been at war, with others or themselves, something would eventually happen that would outrage the civilians. When this happened, support for the war skyrocketed and the number of volunteers for the armed forces would explode to the point where recruitment centers would not be able to keep up with the influx of new people.
She had planned to prevent the civilian uprising by killing them off before they had the chance. But the other high caste members had stopped her plans completely, expanding the supervision she was under to include her personal correspondence. So, she had to settle for crushing Terrans the old-fashioned way.
Sighing contently, she surveyed the battlefield. Whoever these *Steel Wolves* mercenaries were, they would not be able to arrive in time.
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Knud was tired. He was getting older and working on battlefield injuries was grueling work. The usual injuries he treated all bore signs of someone not wanting to get hurt or injured, in that the subconsciousness tried to move the body out of the way before the conscious mind registered that something was going wrong.
Injuries from the battlefield, however, bore signs of intent to cause harm. As much damage was done as was possible and a few of the surgeries had been touch-and-go but all his patients had pulled through ok. Now they just needed to rest and heal, something only time could do for them. A single soldier had lost an arm to a lucky Plyxii pirate that managed to cut it off with a clean swipe from its claws. Knud had treated the wound as best he could and attached a simple prosthetic arm that would serve well enough until they could get him a proper arm.
As he dragged himself down the corridors towards the cantina, all he could think about was getting a hot cup of tea to take back to his room. He needed rest, but he slept the best when he had a cup of green tea and he liked to think he had earned that little boon today.
Sure, it was bad for his heart before bedtime and he DID have some issues in that department. But as a physician, he saw no issue with doing it every once in a while. And after a day like today, he had most certainly earned the right to spoil himself. He hummed a little tune to himself as he continued on his way.
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Jesper was happy, for once. The plyxii on the ship he was boarding had put up a great fight. The kloxna had not been an issue, they lacked the numbers to present a real danger. The Ymsaar had surrendered, so only Terrans and Plyxii had fought back The Terrans had been your standard run-of-the-mill pirates, but they put up a good fight. The Plyxii had not recognized him and he had been able to actually enjoy some proper fights with them. He loved seeing their shocked expressions as they got defeated by a creature that was smaller and weaker than them. Despite their loss in the last war, they had still not learned that size and aggression were not everything in battle.
His only problem was the lack of a woman he could call his own. Most of the women on the ship were not interesting to him, and those that were, worked in security, as his subordinates. Sleeping with them would not do, they might think they could have special treatment or privileges. But he needed to get rid of the excess energy, Perhaps... He grabbed his datapad and went through the contact list until he found the right name,
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"I can't believe I'm doing this," He thought to himself as he pressed *send message*.
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Jeanette was meditating in the temple room. Eirik had given her a copy of the key, making her the only other person on the ship with access to the room. She had taken people there under her supervision, being careful to be the first to enter and last to leave. Despite Eirik's fear of another incident, he understood the need the religious fulfillment and as long as she took great care of the room, he was, maybe not happy, but resigned with her doing her thing.
The silence in this part of the ship made it easy to meditate, but she got a feeling she was being watched. She knew from experience, that showing any behavior change was the best way to trigger an ambush. She peeked through her closed eyes but saw nothing until she spied the edge of the door. a face was peaking around the corner, but with the way she was sitting, she could not identify the face. A moment later, it disappeared, and she quickly got up and waited for whoever it was to come around the corner.
After a minute, she approached the doorway with her heart pounding in her chest. She turned the corner and... Nothing. The corridor was empty. It was an impressive feat, walking silently on steel floors littered with debris. Jeanette felt like a bad feeling hung in the air and decided to not come here alone anymore. Someone on this ship had ill intent and she was not willing to make herself a target.
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Jimmie observed Jeanette as she was sitting in that damn temple room the Captain insisted on having. His jaw was still wired shut, but it was healing well. Not being able to speak had given him a lot of time to discover exactly how much a silent man could learn from simply being present around other people, a skill he had never had the patience to learn.
He had messaged Dalle after his beating by Eirik, desperate for retribution. He had begged, threatened, and pleaded with Dalle to move forward with the plan, but he had adamantly refused. Claiming that things were going according to plan, he had ordered Jimmie to stay on board and keep reporting back on Eirik.
Jimmie had been boiling with rage but could do nothing. He had to obey. So instead he laid plans to terrorize the ship and the crew, preferably without getting caught in the process. Getting rid of Jeanette was his first plan, knowing it would hit Eirik hard, losing his spiritual guide. He just had to figure out the best way to do it.
He sensed the air change and he thought he saw her eyelids flutter for a moment. He decided to slink away, withdrawing to his room to plan in peace and nurture his hatred towards Eirik.
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David was relaxing in his room when he heard a knock on the door. "COME IN" He called out. Trasti entered the sparsely decorated room. The only thing besides the furniture and the practical items that you used every day, only a single potted plant adorned the room.
"What can I do for you, Trasti?" David asked with a smile as he put his datapad down.
"You told me to come to tell you if there was ever sent a message to a certain person..." Trasti trailed off.
"Ah, yes, thank you. I will take it from here" David said with a smile that was growing by the second.
"While the subject matter is indeed as you predicted, the person that sent the message is not the one you thought..." Trasti continued.
David almost jumped to his feet. "WHAT?!? Take me to your station, now!" He was practically skipping on the way to Trasti's console. Trasti did not understand why, but he had learned that sooner or later, things tended to unfold when it came to Terrans.
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Las'Tai was relaxing in the jacuzzi when Freja entered from the pool area. She joined Las'Tai without hesitation and enjoyed the hot, bubbling water.
"May I ask a question?" Las'Tai said
"You just did, but you may ask another," Freja answered, chuckling at her own joke.
"The way you and the Captain act together. It's obvious to everyone you are made for each other. My question is this. Why do you hesitate to carry his offspring?" Las'Tai said bluntly. The question took Freja by surprise, and she shot into an upright position.
"I fail to see how that is any of your business!" She replied coldly as she fixed Las'Tai with a glare.
"Apologies, I meant no disrespect." Las'Tai tried to mend the situation. "I merely ask because I have come to value the Captain, as a leader and as a friend. And as a female myself, I understand the wish to settle down and make a family. So I just wonder what makes you hesitate? He is a good man, at least from what I can tell."
Freja became perplexed at this and became defensive. "How do you even know about that?"
Las'Tai stretched a little. "The soldiers on this ship gossips as much as any other group of soldiers I have met. Rumors travel fast. Are you going to answer, or did I overstep?"
Freja sighed heavily. "Alright, I guess it will be good to tell someone."
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Signe put down her wrench. She had done it. She had created a working prototype with the m134 mounted directly unto the arm, controlled by a few buttons on top of the minigun. the entire armor could be locked up to create a stable firing platform, all but eliminating the effects of the recoil. It did however take a couple of seconds, leaving the wearer vulnerable while it was deploying and during the time it was deployed.
She didn't care. This would cement her name in the history books of engineering. Sure, it was a prototype, but it was still a new concept for the Terran military to use. Combined with the orbital insertion of individual troopers, she just made it possible to insert enough firepower to level a medium-sized town, without ever landing a ship on the planet. She needed to finish her notes and find Eirik.
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