Milky Way Galaxy
Approximately 28 lightyears inside Sector 1b
Redion Star System
Redion II
OBJ Alpha
Corporal Fumiko Sato – 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Batt., 2nd Marine Regiment
It took roughly fifteen minutes for the lift to reach the bottom, giving Fumiko and her squad mates the indication that they had gone very deep underground. Six minutes in they lost radio contact with Team 1 and Sergeant al-Faraj, not unlike reports from the Embercrest about the unit sent to OBJ Charlie. When they reached the bottom, the external elevator gate wouldn’t fully open, requiring the Marines to pry it open, suggesting the anti-rust maintenance coating hadn’t been kept up for decades at minimum.
Once they stopped, Romanov called over the radio to al-Faraj, “Alpha 1-5, Alpha 1 Actual. Radio check, over.”
“Alpha 1 Actual, Alpha 1-5 copy. Comms are clear.” al-Faraj came back. “Whatever affected Bravo 1 isn’t impacting us. Yet, over.”
“Don’t jinx us.” Romanov said, “Alpha 1 Actual out.”
Directly outside the elevator, the hallway was wide, with paths leading to the left and right. Fumiko moved left with Team 2 while Romanov went right with Team 3. Romanov came over the squad radio, “Standard sweep, minimum two-man groups, five-minute check intervals. If we lose contact, return to the elevator.” A series of clicks came back by way of response, showing as green acknowledgement lights in both Fumiko’s and Romanov’s HUDs.
Fumiko and Team 2 continued down the left hallway. Ten meters down, Fumiko gestured a knife hand at a door to the right as she stepped past, keeping her eyes and bravo aiming down the hallway. Andersen and Warsame stacked up on the door while Novak gave the door handle a tentative turn before stepping back and hammering the sole of his boot hard into the door. The impact landed near the handle and the door burst open inward, allowing Team 2 to make entry.
“Clear!” Novak said, “looks like a break room.”
Team 2 exited the room, indicated to Fumiko and Morales-Ali that they were ready, and the team continued down the hallway. At the end of the hallway it turned ninety degrees to the right. Fumiko pulled up inches short of the corner, waited for the team to line up behind her, then peaked the corner. It was another wide hallway, darkened several meters down, though her suit rectified that problem. Plenty of doors, but no sign of life.
Fumiko rounded the corner and Team 2 spread out again to give angles of fire. They continued down the hallway, checking doors as they found them. Living quarters, small labs, a cafeteria. Everything seemed pretty standard for any research facility, let alone one buried far underground. They collected data storage, scanned documents, and collected samples of anything that seemed to be tied to research on the Enemy. But nothing referencing Project Lucid.
As their path started to loop back around, PFC Khalid Andersen spoke up and Fumiko called a halt.
“What is it, Andersen?” Fumiko asked.
Andersen flipped his arm computer to holographic, “See this, Sato?” He pointed at the void space highlighted on the holographic map. “You know how it works. Every room is automatically scanned by our suits. The measurements don’t add up here.”
Fumiko studied the map and the highlighted space. Sure as hell, there was a decent-sized void hiding in the space between several rooms they checked. She looked at the members of Team 2 and asked, “Thoughts?”
Novak spoke up first, saying, “You don’t dig this far underground and waste space. There’s something in that void. We just need to find a way in.”
“Agreed,” Fumiko nodded then called out over the squad channel, “Alpha 1 Actual, Alpha 1-1, we might have a hidden lab or storage space. Don’t be surprised if you hear loud bangs, over.”
“Alpha 1 Actual, copy all,” Romanov said, “I look forward to hearing about what you find, out.”
“Alright, we’re re-checking the labs to look for some sort of passage.” Fumiko redirected her attention to Team 1.
Fifteen minutes later Fumiko and Team 2 were brainstorming alternate methods to get in. No entrance, no secret buttons, no sign of secret passageways.
“Breach charges might be too destructive,” Fumiko replied to Warsame’s suggestion, “Start with some burn cord, six-inch shape, and see if it can make a dent.”
Team 2 cleared space on the back wall of the lab they were in and then started prepping the prescribed burn cord. Conceptually it wasn’t that different from a similar breaching tool used for centuries by humans, but the modern stuff was capable of breaching bulkheads in naval ships. Once placed, Warsame took three steps back, and activated the cord from his arm computer. There was a flash, and the cord burned off quicker than it took for Warsame to activate it, leaving enough smoke to obfuscate that section of the wall for a moment.
Stepping up to wall Warsame waved his hand to clear some of the smoke, and assessed the damage. “Fuck me, Sato, that’s not a normal wall.” Warsame shook his head in surprise and frustration, “The cord barely dug an inch deep.”
Fumiko didn’t hesitate, “Six-foot burn cord door to weaken, then breach charge. We’ll be in the hallway.”
The rest of Team 2 followed Fumiko into the hallway to allow Warsame to work. He set the burn cord for a six-foot door, and placed a breaching charge in the middle. Setting an activation order, he joined his team in the hall and closed the door. Giving them a second to brace, he hit the activation on his arm computer and waited for the muted wump sound of the breach charge going off.
Three-seconds after Warsame hit the activation, the breaching charge went off and the door bowed out slightly. Team 2 entered the lab once again, picking their way around damaged and dislodged equipment. The smoke and dust hadn’t cleared yet, but Warsame knew his trade. “There’s too much damage to the room, we don’t have a complete breach.”
Sure enough, Fumiko could see small holes punched through, but a large chunk of the wall appeared intact, if damaged. “What do you think, Warsame? One last burn around the edges?”.
“We don’t have enough left to go all the way around,” Warsame held up the last of the burn cord, “but if we weaken enough of it, we can probably kick the leftovers in.”
Warsame went about strategically placing the last of the burn cord to weaken the wall. He set it off, more holes appeared along the perimeter, and once done Warsame braced on the sides of the hole and started booting the damaged portion with the kind of aggression that would make any Marine proud. Half a minute later, the damaged piece of wall was bent in and to the right, allowing a path for the team.
Warsame peeked the hole to check for a place to jump down. Seeing a table below the hole, he sat on the ledge, then slid off, reducing the fall to just over a meter. Fumiko went next, followed by the rest of Team 2.
“There’s bound to be good intel here,” Fumiko said, “Don’t overlook anything. Get a good look with your bucket optics, fit anything we can in rucks, prioritize digital storage devices.”
The team spread out in the large rectangular space and started reviewing and collecting intel.
Milky Way Galaxy
Edge of Sector 1b
Redion II, Objective Alpha
Lieutenant Natalia Romanov – 1st Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Batt., 2nd Marine Regiment
Romanov, along with Team 3 and First Squad’s corpsman, Amara Okafor, couldn’t have had a more boring search through their side of the facility. If it weren’t for labels on the doors, she would have believed they were going in circles. The offices and labs were as cookie cutter as they come.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
When she received a radio call from Corporal Sato, it almost got her hopes up that something more exciting was happening. She supposed the need to blow a wall in order to access a secret lab could be exciting, but it could still be a dry hole.
Several minutes after the radio call, her HUD flashed an icon in the corner. It blinked red twice, then yellow twice, then settled on green, before going black in time with a muted explosion carrying through the halls. The icon was similar to an IFF, or Identify Friend or Foe, system. When a friendly unit prepped explosives they would ping any suits on the same network and confirm risk. Team 3 was far enough away that the explosion wouldn’t be a concern, but the system checked anyway.
Fifteen minutes later, Romanov got the excitement she had been hoping for, but she wanted to kick herself the moment she heard the call over the radio.
“Alpha 1 Actual, this is Alpha 1-2-1, something is wrong with Alpha 1-1. Repeat, Corporal Sato is down, over.” The voice was recognizable as Lance Corporal Novak. His normally firm voice carried a note of concern.
“Alpha 1-2-1, Alpha 1 Actual. Are you in contact, over?” Romanov needed to know what to expect, and if she had to search for them, or if they could meet her team halfway.
Novak responded with near zero delay, “Alpha 1 Actual, Alpha 1-2-1, negative on contact. We’re mobile. Heading for the elevator, out.”
“Alpha 1-2-1, Alpha 1 Actual, copy all. We’ll meet you there, out.” Romanov and Team 3 were already on the move. Without knowing what happened to Sato, they had to be fast but tactical.
With no signs of an OpFor, or opposing force, on the return path, Romanov’s team made it to the elevator in a few long minutes. Team 2 appeared to have just arrived, carrying Sato with her armour in stretcher mode. This mode locked the armour flat, extended small grips out of the side of the armour’s ribs and legs, and extended support braces out of the back to support the head. Sato’s helmet was off, being carried by PFC Ali, and there were narrow streams of blood appearing to come from the back of Sato’s head running towards her face. Whatever happened, she was face down at some point. Somewhere in her subconscious, Romanov also noticed the cube-shaped container Warsame pushed on a cart.
Piling into the elevator, Corpsman Okafor tapped into Sato’s suit and started assessment while Romanov looked to Novak for answers. “Report, Lance Corporal.”
Novak took a breath as he looked at his injured squad leader, then looked at his Lieutenant, “We made entry into the hidden lab and started checking for intel. Andersen came across that device first,” Novak gestured at the cube-shaped container Warsame was guarding in the corner. “As he investigated the device, the outward facing side opened, and a robotic arm flashed out and gripped him around the neck. Sato was the closest.”
As Novak explained, everyone looked to Sato and the field medicine Okafor was applying.
“What happened next, Novak?” Romanov asked to prod him forward.
“The robotic arm just…released Andersen and latched onto Sato. We were all pulling on Andersen so hard we fell back. Before we were on our feet, the arm pulled Sato’s head into the device. It closed around her neck, and somehow unlocked and removed her helmet. We’re not sure what happened next, but Sato’s screams were…” Novak’s helmet hid a pained look that his voice betrayed, “We tried everything we could To get her out short of blowing the device up, since that would absolutely kill her. I was about to start shooting the damn thing, when it opened and released her.”
Romanov stared at Novak a moment longer, then at the device Warsame guarded, then turned to the corpsman, “What can you tell me, doc?”
Okafor was studying a holographic readout hovering above her arm computer, “Life signs are stable. If I didn’t know any better, I would think she’s sleeping, but it’s not normal sleep. I’m seeing overlapping delta and theta waves, which shouldn’t be happening.”
“Plain English, doc.” Romanov had a tone of impatience in her voice.”
“She’s somehow both in a deep sleep where no dreams occur and a light sleep or meditative state where dreams can occur. That shouldn’t happen, but it is.”
Romanov gestured towards the back of Sato’s head, “What about the blood?”
“Head wounds bleed more even when they’re small,” Okafor said, “But whatever that machine did, it was precise…surgical. I’ll need equipment on the Embercrest to get a better picture though.”
Romanov continued to ask questions of Team 2, hoping to fill in some gaps she could use to form a better idea of what happened. Five minutes before they reached the surface, the radio came to life again.
“Alpha 1 Actual, Alpha 1-5. We have a fast moving humanoid heading our way.” The implacable voice was al-Faraj, “Firebird and Blackbird detected them leaving OBJ Charlie, but can’t reach them on the radio and can’t detect a transponder, over.
“Alpha 1-5, Alpha 1 Actual, copy all. We’re five minutes from the surface. ETA for target, over?” The voice in the back of Romanov’s head chastised her further for wishing for some excitement.
“Alpha 1 Actual, Alpha 1-5. Target ETA is six minutes. Out.”
“Copy all, out.” Romanov skipped the radio etiquette, choosing to focus on preparation. “Team 2, I want that device along with Corporal Sato loaded on the HoeDog as soon as we reach the surface. Team 3, reinforce defensive positions.”
The remaining minutes rising to the surface were agonizing and quiet, but the second the gates opened at the top, both teams went into action, fulfilling their orders. Romanov went straight to al-Faraj to request an update. “Any change in ETA?”
“Negative, sir.” al-Faraj said, “But both ships detected additional humanoids leaving the facility shortly after the first. They appear to be chasing, or following.”
“So someone from Bravo 1 might have survived.” Romanov ruminated on the new information, then keyed her comms, “Alright First Squad, that initial incoming may be friendly, so you hold fire unless fired upon or ordered to do so. Trailing targets may be friendly or enemy. No itchy trigger fingers.”
Romanov switched her bucket sight over to magnified, scanning the edge of the forest to the northeast, the direction of OBJ Charlie. A tense several seconds past, counting down to the ETA of the first incoming. There was a brief rustling of the foliage, and then a small figure in Alliance standard armour came bursting out of the tree line. The figure’s movements were a bit to fast for standard humans, which told Romanov they were likely using the boost function of the suit. Useful in tight situations, but hard on the body over extended periods.
No sooner had Romanov thought that, than the figure caught their foot on a small outcropping, and face planted into a three-meter slide. “Team 3 on me.” Romanov started moving toward the downed soldier.
She focused her sight on the figure as she closed in, then looked to the side of her HUD for identification information. The readout provided truncated info for review.
LCpl. Sato, A.
Unit: 6th Reg, 1st Batt, Bravo 1-2-1
Blood Type: AB Neg
As Romanov approached with Team 3, she could see the Aiko twitching, while a groans came from the suit external speakers. She called out on her own externals, “Lance Corporal Aiko Sato, status report!”
Another groan came from the Bravo Company soldier before transitioning into words every soldier in history has said at some point, “Ugh, I’m never doing that again.”
Reaching Aiko, Romanov prodded her to stand, “Get up soldier, where is the rest of your unit?”
“Huh?” Aiko sounded a little dazed still, “I don’t think I can move my limbs…I used the suit boost for too long.”
Romanov flagged another member of Team 3 to help get Aiko to her feet. They each got one of Aiko’s arms around their shoulder and started to carry her toward the defensive position, when rustling from the tree line drew her attention.
Three more soldiers in Alliance armour, minus the helmets, along with five civilians, all came to a stop just outside of the forest. She immediately recognized Lieutenant Gao Yu, Aiko’s immediate superior. Something about him tickled her fight-or-flight response, but it was the other two soldiers that confirmed her intuition. One soldier was missing half of his left arm, and both of the subordinates had disturbing smiles on their faces, like they were forced to keep that appearance.
As if that wasn’t a big enough red flag, everyone in this new group held a Bravo in one configuration or another. Civilians shouldn’t even be able to operate the military weapons without Alliance armour.
“Sergeant,” Romanov keyed her comms, “This is about to get very messy. We need evac yesterday.”
“Already on the way, LT.”
Gao and his entourage had not said anything when they exited the forest, but as Romanov and Team 3 started back stepping toward the defensive position, his voice broke the silence in a disjointed pattern, “I…see you…found…our wayward…soldier…Romanov…”
Romanov had no doubt, whoever was standing before her was not the Gao Yu she knew. In the back of her mind she wondered if the machine had done the same thing to Fumiko Sato, or if Aiko Sato was a trojan horse, but she pushed those thoughts aside in favour of acting only on what she knew.
“Hey Gao, buddy, you feelin’ alright? Sounds like you might have caught a bad case of the Denobulan Flu down here.” Romanov tried to stall for time as her team continued a slow, non-threatening movement backward.
“This…body…is aware…that…is a…fictional…reference.” Gao’s entourage started to spread out at this point.
Romanov gave a fake chuckle, “Oh, you know me too well Gao. I do like to joke.”
Before Gao could reply, Romanov keyed squad comms, “Down! Now!” Team 3 dropped onto their backs alongside her, giving the rest of first squad clear lines of fire. They didn’t hesitate to open fire, cutting down each of the intruders nearly simultaneously.
What happened next though, made Romanov’s blood run cold. Each of the eight bodies twitched slightly before colourful gas clouds erupted out of every orifice. The individual clouds twisted and writhed in the air as they accelerated toward the members of first squad, brushing over their armour. Finding no entry, they continued on until the physical manifestation of evil that was humanities greatest enemy flew off back in the direction of Objective Charlie.
Everyone sat frozen for a moment, each experiencing their own existential crisis from what they saw, until it was broken by Aiko, whom Romanov was starting to believe might be concussed from her trip and slide, blurting out “KEEP YOUR HELMETS ON!”
Romanov patted Aiko’s leg armour, chuckling humourlessly as she said, “Good advice, Lance Corporal. I’ll pass it around.”
Getting her feet under her as she heard the engines of Bug 1 approaching, Romanov keyed her mic once more, “Vacation is over folks, get back to work.”
As the transport landed and they squeezed a squad plus a HoeDog into the hold, Romanov called up her suit recording of the encounter with what she thought of as Meat Puppet Gao. She shuddered, feeling her fight-or-flight response kicking in, even from a recording.