I opened my eyes to see my command table in front of me, as I leaned gently against it. My own mining barge was half way back to the station, I let out a groan, briefly wishing Zeo hadn't left, and I could have just asked her to go back down to get more of my clan again. A new message from the Americans was blinking as it waited for me to answer. I ignored it and decided to shoot messages off to the star hawk team first.
[FLT. Kenna Mackenzie: just finished my… uplink meeting with Commander Lucas Winch. I was on mute the entire time, I didn't get to say a word. We have all been split up, you three have gone to three different platoons, and they are going to be using you as the platoon drop pilot. No one wanted me, so the commander has reassigned me to drop carrier, what ever that is.]
After sending the message I turned to look at the American one I had received, glancing at the marines still lying around on my hull I let out a huff of annoyance and hit play.
“You little usurping bitch, how dare you steal what is rightfully the property of the Baron Washington clan! I will have that station back and if you don't get the hell off it right now I will carve you out of it, you common piece of trash have no right to steal that station from your betters-”
I hit end not wanting to hear whatever else he had to say, my eyes shifted to the marines on the hull that were suddenly standing up. I let out a sigh as I pulled up the manual on the command table and began to skim through it. The manual had a lot of information, some of it was very detailed, including a step-by-step guide on how to complete the task. Other bits were just mere mentions as if it was possible, but the author didn't have the time to talk about it. I finally found the section that talked about defences and how the table allowed me to use them. Luckily it wasn't a mere mention, but it wasn't that detailed either.
“Well, looks like I'm about to find out what teeth this place has to deter intruders.”
I mentally activated the station defences and watched, waiting to see what would happen.
*******
A sergeant with the name patch on his chest reading Washington was standing on the hull of a station his clan leader had informed him rightfully belonged to their clan. Some common clan woman had somehow gotten inside the station and locked them out of it, and he was ordered to get inside and take it back. However, before he could, other noble clans had sent their own marines, so he had to play nice and wait. They were all gone now, and he had just received his orders to cut open the hull and get inside. He was about to ask for a tool from one of his men so he could begin the cut. However, something popped up out of the hull about a dozen feet in front of him, causing him to freeze in place and look at it. What he saw was a round disk about 3 to 5 inches in diameter, sitting on what he could only describe as a tiny gun barrel. A second later, the end of the barrel glowed blue then a bolt hit the man standing next to him, only for nothing to visually happen to the outside of his suit. The barrel, undeterred by this, continued to shoot its little light until half of the marines on the hull were hit by it. When it turned, he managed to take a step back before the light hit him in the chest, time seemed to just freeze for him. The barrel did not move away from him, and he found he couldn't speak or move. His mind was beginning to become sluggish, like he couldn't think properly, and his vision was beginning to dim. He had a weird thought that maybe he had died, and his body was slowly shutting down. ‘What an odd way to go’ he thought as his vision went black and he stopped.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
*******
My mouth fell open when the command table produced a window stating all hostile personal on the hull had been successfully put into stasis mode and could be revived once collected and placed inside the station's prison. Then it recommended I start construction of the prison. I also saw a cannon had risen out of the hull and was pointed at their rocket, it was broadcasting a message on repeat as it counted down roughly every thirty seconds.
Blossoming Terranova Orbital Station Defence Network has been activated, please remove your craft from Orbital Station Territory. You are in violation of Orbital Station Proximity laws if you do not begin the removal of your craft in five minutes, under Galactic Law you will be fired upon until only scrap remains. You have four minutes remaining. Have a nice day!
“Daaamn, this defence network is badass!” I declared to the room as I smiled mischievously.
A knock on the door, caused me to shift my attention away from the count-down. I slowly walked over to the door, opening it to give my cousin on the other side a confused look.
“Uh, sorry to disturb you, Kenna, but I found a huge room and there was a kiosk that gave me this card and said I needed the Game Overseer or a Guild Officer to activate it. I don't know if we have a game overseer, to be honest I don't even know what game it is referring to, but you are the only Guild Officer I know about, so I brought it to you”
I took the card from my cousin and turned it over a few times, looking at the silver metallic item that had the words ‘Guild Image Here’ on one side and the other had ‘Inactive Game Card’. As I was looking at this side of the card, a little screen appeared next to it. ‘Activate card. Y/N’ I mentally clicked yes and watched the surface of the card ripple as it changed from metallic silver to a metallic gold. The front of the card had new words on it ‘Guild Scion’ and under those was my cousin's name. ‘Ashley Mackenzie’ I flipped the card over and was surprised to see the star hawk logo on the back of the card. Ashley snatched it from my hand as she danced on the spot, excitedly looking the card over.
“O.M.G! I have to see what will happen when I plug this card in!” she screamed and turned, running off through the guild hall towards a metallic gold door on the west wall.
Curious, I decided to follow her. I stepped through the door and froze. I was standing in a room about the size of a football stadium, and in the middle was a large pillar going up to the ceiling. Around the pillar was a huge ornate ramp with bridges off it towards each of the eight floors. On each floor was what looked like over a thousand frosted glass doors. The sound of a door sliding closed drew my attention, causing me to turn to the door next to me as it rippled and changed from the frosted glass to a matte black. The words ‘IN USE’ appeared on the door in a bright red colour, under that was the star hawk emblem and ‘ASHLEY MACKENZIE’ was underneath. I stepped towards the door, only for a window to appear over the emblem. ‘Access Denied, rig occupied.’