|Viraliv|[20-14]Sliue-Ececs|Ora’s Eye|Tepi|Tepi-3|

11,163,955,738cy

Terraformer Station ‘Favala’, Low Tepi-3 Orbit

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the future, the events that are happening aboard the Favala will be remembered as “The Night of the Ghosts''. It would also be remembered as the silent turning point of the planet, silent in nature because it took a long time for the results of what went on that day to show itself. Much of what is taught focuses on the main battle in the main reactor room and the operation to capture the officers. Specifically of the mysterious faction that intervened in the battle for the Favala and the long-lasting effects of such an event.

Although almost all people onboard the Favala at that point in time had no clue that the masked faction was even present in the battle. Sensory equipment reported no oddities and none of the security forces for that busy section were alerted. Or if they were, they didn’t say anything. Really this was an easy trick for the Medentis faction to pull off, playing simulated data using hidden datajackers and bribing or otherwise influencing the security. The hardest part was worming their faction into the Favala something that, unknowingly, the Captain had played a large part in. However that action is what saved the day, without Medentis present the situation could have resulted in a wide range of worse futures.

#Point of View of Saroxis Ghej, alias of “Tiny”

This battle is unlike any other that I’ve fought. From the jungle skirmishes of my homeworld during my youth to the invasion of the worlds in the Bricbac sector. Nothing has been quite as exhilarating. In the beginning it was quite boring, we were just shooting at a bunch of pitiful scampering people. Now the battle has certainly shifted in their favor, and I’ve never felt better. It might be a bit cold to those on my side who are dying beside me but I don’t really care about them, the fight is more important to me. At this point some of the more brave, or stupid, enemies are charging our lines. They get mowed down quickly but some of them get close enough to splash us with their blood. War trophies for me, horror for Egol on our side. Very few of them left, they’re put in safer positions, backline and admin stuff, but they get unlucky every now and then.

My armour, married with scorch marks, impact points, and now blood stands steady but it’s getting weaker. Small arms fire isn't much to my suit but eventually it just gets worn down. My brothers are fine. Mostly. Iskin moved over by us to give support after that behemoth of a construction vehicle got too dangerous. It’s still working as a tower but it lost all ability to move. Yinik took a shot in the leg, it looked pretty bad but some Egols took him right away so he should make it. It momentarily made my blood cool though, it's my job to protect them and I failed.

Honestly this situation isn’t looking good, too much fire is being poured on us. I’m fine but I’m worried more about my brothers. It might be time to look for an opportunity to escape or at least surrender. I doubt the enemy would allow that right now though, it’s simply too heated.

#Point of View of Echo-02

The situation has degraded to extreme levels. Although we haven’t checked the other side paths it’s safe to say that the spookies have us surrounded. Somehow they must be able to figure out where we are. They don’t seem to know exactly where we are though, at least I think they don’t. They haven’t started firing at us or otherwise attempting to engage with us. My only option is to hide. I have confidence that my team can beat them on an individual case but with the amount of spookies around us, and the lack of any real cover, we’d be put down before we even kill a dozen of them. The explosives I have in my kit could work but we’d gone down with them in that case; not really an option.

Suddenly the lights turned off, a big *shk* noise went with them. Now I understand their plan. Our suits have flaws and one of the major ones is that it doesn’t hide body heat, the other is that it doesn’t play well in dark environments when the enemy is using night-vision equipment. One look at the spookies would allow one to see the small light that accompanies night-vision gear. Although this wouldn’t give us away instantly it would make us more noticeable. Our only hope would be to pick the smallest group and somehow push through them. Since they resorted to that equipment it means that what they used to rack us previously only gives them a general location so escaping is our only way out of this mess.

Hurriedly looking around I see no good options, no small groups. They’ve gotten so close to us that they’ve melded into one big group. I overly-frantically pick a thin part of the line and push towards it, my team follows behind me. Too late it seems, out from the dark a large shield is slammed beside me. Not close enough to injure, it was just a way to slow us down. One of those heavy assault Thelsk, the kind that makes you shudder. Tarmon used to grow up hearing horror stories about these Thelskian soldiers, not anymore though, but seeing one up close is enough to dredge up those memories. But then life comes crashing back into you, this time literally. Another Thelsk was with the other and this one was not aiming to just slow us down but to start the fight.

Pain explodes out from the right half of my body, starting from the arm, to the other side. That giant slab of metal pushed into me with some force and I was sent flying. Painfully rebounding against the wall opposite to where I was before. I grab my side, it feels like a few bones were broken when the shield hit me. I look up and it seems like nobody is focusing on me. My team, however, isn’t as lucky. They’re being corralled apart by just the Thelsk, let alone if the other spookies join in. Their agility helps defend against the attacks but ultimately the large swings of the Thelsk glance them a few times. Eventually they’ll get caught or the wounds will build up and they’ll become slower. The Thelsk on the other hand aren’t taking any damage, our guns aren’t a large caliber and meant to deal with heavy assault Thelsk. If I don’t do anything they will eventually die.

Grunting in pain, I force myself to stand up. The spookies around me still aren’t paying attention to me, maybe they lost track of me when I was sent flying. The guns won’t work, the only other gear we have are sabotage grade explosives. Even to a Thelsk that would work, the station might feel some of the damage too. In a more normal situation, one would set the charges and then run to a safe distance. That’s not an option in this case though, and as much as I want to kill the spookies if I do something here it would affect my team as well.

I push my brains to the limit trying to think of something but they seem to be frozen with indecision, a weakness of the moment perhaps due to the pain. Pushing through my minds unwillingness to do anything I start to hurriedly ready the explosives. It’s quite quick with modern equipment. I only hope it’s quick enough to save my team. They are doing fine, luckily the other spookies don’t seem intent on joining the fray. A wise choice considering that they’d be more likely to be hit by those meaty Thelsk then even get a whiff of my teammates. This gives me time though.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Only a few seconds later and I have it set up, it was easier since I plan on using a short fuse. Now the only problem is figuring out how to get my team to leave the area. Picking myself off the floor through gritted teeth I turn off of the suit's cloaking device and shout. Eyes turn towards me, the Thelsk pay little attention though and keep fighting; too bad. I whistle sharply in a specific pattern and pitch, signaling to my allies to watch for an opening and to attempt escape. I hold up the explosive. Most seem to know what it means, some of them seem to look for their allies for answers. None of them charge at me though, perhaps knowing that it’s not worth the risk that I’ll blow me and my team to bits if they do. Even the Thelsk grow still, a stark contrast to their earlier rampage.

No communication is needed, I’m sure whoever is leading this operation is thinking of some way to untangle this puzzle. Until then though the momentum is entirely in my hands, literally. It feels quite good to have the spookies feel fear, the sharp pains of my body remind me not to underestimate them. One could almost hear the blinking of their eyes. Noticing the stand still one of my teammates takes the chance, rushing through to the thin part of the line we had tried to escape through earlier. It was a stretch, while the line was certainly thin the Thelsk were nearby too. One such Thelsk, upon noticing the movement, twitched out and clipped them. A yelp went through the area, luckily it seems like they’ve only been badly damaged and not outright killed. That will certainly ward off any more attempts to break through the line right there, at least not in such a straightforward manner. Although decisiveness is good, in this situation going first has the most risk; and the most reward. Hopefully the others will learn from this though. I doubt they’d be able to escape with an injured member holding them back and none of us would want to be the cause of death for another.

The spookies are getting restless, it’s quite obvious that whoever is commanding them is preparing for something. I’d be a great advantage if I could grab hold of that person but they all look the same. Chances are that person wouldn’t be directly in the field to begin with. Anyway, it just means that I have to decide what to do quickly. I need to create some sizable gap for my team, just getting everyone's attention is obviously not enough. The standstill is a good time to think, plus my ally who got clipped before will have a little time to recover.

Racking my brain I’ll have to come up with some way to create a big enough opening for them. An idea popped into my head. It should be known that we have more than one type of explosive in our kit, so I quickly pull out another one. These ones are not strong and not for demolitions, they’re meant for distraction and general mayhem. That’s exactly how I’ll use them in this situation, too bad only team leads get this stuff otherwise we’d have a better chance. The spookies let me grab a few, they can’t do anything under threat of the larger bomb going off and their commander hasn’t solidified a plan yet. With nothing left to do and with no hesitation I begin lobbing them out. Some are duds, especially those closest to my team but most are set to blow. Pandemonium broke out just when I finished throwing the first one, all of the spookies designated me as their target. With bombs beneath their feet they can do little else, their safest option is to be near me. The explosives would go off in a few seconds, usually they work on a set timer or activate with a signal but an emergency fuse can be used in situations like this.

I can’t see well past the waves of spookies coming my way but I do see some snippets of my team running away. The Thelsk have rushed towards me as well so if anyone is in the area to stop them then I have full confidence in my team to be able to push through them. Really I don’t know why I’m so strangely calm, maybe it’s the adrenaline but that usually comes with a feeling of an intoxicating energy, which there is none. I knew that this plan would likely leave me dead, not to mention the failure of the operation as a whole and therefore everything I’ve been working towards going to smoke. I suppose this might be resignation. Oh well, nothing to do other than buy time for my team to escape. No feeling to sort out, nor family to say goodbye to, no dreams to give up either, just my team.

Perhaps that’s why I’m able to give my all in a fight, nothing else to worry about leaves my mind clear and focused. Although there’s no chance of me surviving this, at least I can take them all down with me.

There isn’t much room for any gunplay but the Cermig-9, a compact machine gun, allows me to suppress a large cone of them. In my main hand is a particularly wicked looking knife, meant for cutting through even the armour of our special forces. Although due to having both hands full, once the Cermig-9 is empty I won’t be able to reload it. At least not unless I can create some space first, unlikely in this sort of situation.

Holding the Cermig in one hand makes the recoil uncontrollable, most of the spookies down range of it are experienced enough and have dived towards the ground before I had even started firing. A few who couldn’t see me well enough to register the danger get shot, likely dead going by where they were shot. Some got lucky and the shots glanced at them or hit non-fatal parts. Still, the purpose was to suppress their movement more than kill them; of course I don’t mind if they died to it. The Cermig has ninety rounds in total; around a third of that was just used up. Just a small spray but I can’t focus on the exact number spent. Although the assault Thelsk are stuck in the back, the regular Tarmon spookies are enough of a threat to force my attention.

A bit of knife-play is no concern of mine, not against these anyway. They do seem to be normal soldiers, not up to the standards of the training I went through. Their only advantage is their numbers and that my armour is lacking for melee combat compared to theirs. Time is passing quickly in the throws of combat, a difference to how it usually is. I’ve already taken a few nicks, their standard blades doing a good job of slicing through my very light armour. Before the real fight began I turned on the active camo again, they can still see me but a slight blur around my character is a precious advantage to have.

By now, although it feels longer, sixty seconds have passed; probably. Not enough time for my teammates to reliably escape, especially so if they happened to meet any more spookies along the way. However, it’s enough time for the Thelsk to push everyone else out of the way. If the others were a warm up then these are the real fights. The Cermig isn’t enough to penetrate their armour so I light it up towards the Tarmon crowded up around me. This showers them with bullets and they quickly wither under the attention. The magazine runs dry rather quickly though, enough time for the nearest Thelsk to throw a probing swipe at me. It’s slow enough to dodge but it’s a swing that takes up a lot of space. My injuries grow stressed even more with the extra movements.

There aren’t many spookies that remain uninjured, most of the damage was done by the explosives I’d thrown out earlier. Some got run over by the Charging Thelsk, even though they wouldn’t be unaffected by the bombs. Still I have no chance, the group of heavily armoured Thelsk are enough to defeat the lone me. It doesn’t matter though, I’m not in it to win it and I’m willing to take whatever punishment they dish out to me so long as I can pull the trigger.

Some time passed, and I couldn't focus on it under the tyranny of the enemy. The Thelsk did a good job of it, I’m bruised and battered by the end of it. I managed to get in a few scratches, even through their armour; that would’ve made the instructors happy. It’s enough now, or rather it has to be. My body is breaking down around me, I have no energy left and it’s likely that nearly all of my blood has gushed out of my body. My body was given one last ride as I slam into the bulkhead, my body lazily slumped over. I think it’s best that I void whatever is in this part of the ship now, then the pain can stop; I’m just left hopeful that my team somehow escapes this nightmare that the station has turned into. If reincarnation is a thing, perhaps in my next life I’ll live a simpler and bloodless life. I stop resisting the pull of gravity and my finger applies enough pressure to trigger the ignition of the bomb. A large scale explosion with enough force to damage the station, the ai will surely have a meltdown over this. A soft *click* is heard and time seems to slow, it looks similar to entering hyperdrive except instead of streaks of light passing by you just see a darkness comparable to a blackhole at the end. My vision meets that black spot and-

#Point of View End

Though it was nighttime, if one were to be awake at such a time and just so happened to be looking the direction of the Favala than one would notice a particularly cherry-red colored firework.