Ref No: 3021 April 6th 2143

United Terran Naval Command

Office of Wartime Affairs

Subject: Experimental Frontline Units Codename ‘Reaper’

To: Lord General Hirad Qaisrani

UTNC Fortress Station Indomitable

In addendum to our prior correspondence, I regret to report a glaring flaw observed in the newly deployed ‘Reapers’ against Hostile Species Gamma in the Alpha Centauri Cordon. While the first iteration of these augmented soldiers proved to be a major boon to operations for the ultimately disastrous effort to contain destruction to New Eden and Adonis Prime, these second generation soldiers are regrettably more a liability. Now, I do understand that the war being the way it is, we lack the timeframe required to avoid cutting corners, please do not mistake my concern for naïveté. These soldiers, if I may even call them that, are a result we must not accept. While their combat capabilities are admittedly leagues beyond those of an enlisted man or woman, their mental faculties have very clearly suffered degradation. This is not to say they are infantile or imbecilic, but that they are well and truly Mad.

I have on my desk no less than eighty reports from my officers in the field, many of whom are veterans of our continuing war with the enemy, locally known as ‘Ravagers’. These officers all report much the same thing to my office, that these second generations are barely controllable, incoherent and unpredictable. They tell me that any and all sense of discipline and self control that were abundantly present in the first generation has drastically degraded to the point that many of my officers have taken to simply ‘pointing and shooting’ the Reapers at the enemy, specifically at hostiles that are not in active conflict with standing troops. As by report the Reapers are highly efficacious against the enemy, but once the fighting has ceased, they continue to look for conflict. This has resulted in 309 individual incidents of friendly fire committed by new Reaper units within a span of two and a half months. In addition to this unbecoming berserker nature, these new units have repeatedly shown a range of worrying mental disorders; including symptoms such as violent mood swings, acts of vigorous self harm, sociopathic tendencies, schizophrenia, dissociative states, and in 29 cases psychotic episodes resulting in termination of the soldier.

While I am grateful for all the aid that can be afforded to the Alpha Centauri Theater, I believe that the central office should cease production of these soldiers, at the very least until the leading cause of this weakness is identified and removed. As I understand, all of these young men and women are volunteers, by reducing them to these violent, vicious, unhinged and morally bankrupt weapons, we are committing a grave injustice upon them. Battle Group Demeter is more than capable of containing the enemy to Alpha Centauri without stooping to such lows. After all, what good will it do us as a species when the Galactic Council looks upon our actions and bear witness to the sum of Human wretchedness?

Blood & Honour,

Admiral Constantine Kofod Lassen

UTNC Flagship Perseverance

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September 23rd 2150, 5 Years after the Loss of Sol

The press of bodies amid the refugee camp was a constant source of annoyance, one could hardly shrug their shoulders without hitting somebody else. The world they resided on was a foul one, long abandoned by the greater powers after it had been poisoned by industry. Above sat a darkening emerald sky, its expanse choked with roiling black clouds that threatened a storm. The prefab huts below were squashed together well outside of code, and the muddy paths between them were currently jammed with bodies that did little to alleviate the uncomfortable muggy heat of the world. Alien refugees clad in thin acid-proof raincoats squawked and warbled at each other as they all tried to get out of the camp, away from the landing pads. The fading and flickering neon lights cast pallid shadows across the crowd, the light dispersed by the heavy fog that began to thicken as the acid rain fell. Many present in the crowd were family units struggling to stay together, while others were sole stragglers long abandoned by their fellows. Some carried luggage, others held their young close to keep them from being swept away or crushed in the press. Sickly lightning peeled across the sky, ripping open the clouds to release a torrential downpour of caustic rain.

Above the raucous din of the crowd and pouring rain carried a whistle, a haunting melody that made the skin and scales of many crawl with anxiety. The main road in split down the middle around a large prefab building that had meter high plascrete barriers erected before it. The building was weather beaten and faded, a left over from those who had stayed in the camp prior. It was just another building among many, and yet the stream of refugees gave it a wide berth. They kept their heads down and their eyes averted, they hugged their children close and whimpered in fear of the creature that sat before the building, whistling as it ran a thick bristled brush down a heavy weapon barrel.

Red eyes flicked up as weapons fire snap-cracked through the air, prompting alien screams and more hurried shuffling. They're getting closer, Gabby. She thought to herself as she cleaned her weapon, casually lifting the detached barrel to check the bore for any built up carbon. The acid rain pitter pattered off her bare shoulders and the barrel in her hands, leaving little discoloured splotches on the metal.

"But they're not here, yet." She responded jovially as she hummed in approval, slotting the barrel back into the receiver. With a counter clockwise twist it clicked into place, earning a beaming smile from Gabby as she tossed long gold hair over her shoulder. Lightning cracked again, illuminating the slaver vessel that loomed in the distance. The sound of its teams capturing aliens for livestock echoing across the massive camp, with gunfire intermingling amid alien screams. She continued to whistle, even as the weapons fire drew closer.

"Do you think we found them all? All of the little ones? We don't want to leave them behind. Nobody gets left behind."

I know, Gabby. We've combed the camp multiple times over, we're sure to have found them all.

Her features twisted briefly in painful grief. "So rude of those other people, leaving so much behind. It's wasteful, and now look! Pests have filled the camp, making it so much harder to find who was left behind!" She huffed in irritation, brushing hair over her other ear as the downpour began to plaster it to her neck.

"It's perfectly fine though." She said resolutely as she pulled on a little ball cap to help keep her long hair from her eyes. "The Captain agreed to fly out here and pick us all up for a good price, and he should be here today. All we have to do is sit tight and they'll be sleeping in a cozy cargo bay with plenty to eat." A crystalline shot whizzed over her head as the remaining refugees overcame their fear and began to flood around her temporary home in effort to escape the slavers.

"Aha!~ There you are! Finally, I’ve been waiting so patiently!" She called out with jubilation as she racked the thick charging handle of her weapon twice, cycling the heavy 13.5x90mm round in. The slaver scouts casually strolled onto the wide avenue; firing stunners at the valuable targets while raking the non-profitable with crystalline shards. The shots tore through the tightly packed crowds of aliens, easily shredding through soft flesh and protective raincoats. Those not slain outright by tearing shots through vital points swiftly fell to the deadly neurotoxins that filled the porous daggers. Standing to her full height, Gabby loomed over the refugees, causing many to scuttle away from her out of fear.

"Six bodies, two hundred meters. One in the open, one behind light cover, four entering partial concealment." She murmured to herself as the alien slavers illuminated in her eyes. "Mostly Trivanni. Soft targets. Engaging~" She whistled to herself as she brought her sights over the end of the avenue.

The heavy weapon chattered and thundered out a cacophonous roar of anger at the slavers, the fat tracers cutting bright lines through the fog as they blew the leader of the slaver scouts in half before they knew they were in danger. The other five froze, a split second hesitation that cost three their lives as the heavy bullets perforated their concealment. One had the presence of mind to dive behind cover, while the one already there returned fire. Whizzing crystals briefly flashed in the fog as they impacted the prefab behind her, while one buried itself in her side.

"Geheehe~ My turn!" The gun sights slid over the light cover the pair of slavers were cowering behind, and with a squeeze of the trigger the cover blew apart under a hammering assault of automatic kinetic fire. The two slavers behind it fared no better, their bodies coming apart at the seams as the rest turned to offal. "Targets are flatlined, Gabby!~"

"Aha, not so fast!" She let out a barely suppressed burbling giggling as she moved behind the heavy barricades, more crystals whizzing overhead. "Reinforcements, four Trivanni and three Gorsians, mix of soft and hard targets." She sprinted across the open ground, away from her cover as the quadrupedal Gorsians opened fire with their plasma suppressors, melting deep divots into concrete where she had been. A grenade detonated behind her, washing over prefabs with crackling energy. The alien slavers barked in their guttural tongues, splitting up in an attempt to surround her.

Almost, cover here. She thought as she ducked her head and began creeping about the muddy paths. Her combat boots made quiet little splish-splashes through the caustic puddles in the mud as she walked on the tips of her toes, sneaking up to a wall. Bad choice for you, little pest~ Badbadbad!~ Reeling back a fist she drove it through the thin material dividing her and the slaver who was hunting for her. There was a brief shout of alarm before she grabbed the small Travanni by the face, ripping it backwards into thin wall’s support beam. The whole structure shook on impact and unleashed a small cascade of pooling rain, but the alien slaver had the gall to still squirm in her hand. Another three slams had the slaver's skull turned to mush in her grip, putting an end to the annoying squirming and gurgling noises the pest made. She abandoned the now dead slaver, continuing to move around the new squad as shots perforated the wall where she had been standing moments prior.

They shouted more, the thunderous Gorsians taking point as they began to demolish the prefabs with their weapons. With a wicked grin and another burbling giggle, Gabby exited cover to their flank, and opened fire with no warning. The smaller Travanni came apart like the others, their light armour and soft bodies doing little to stop the anti-material rounds. The Gorsians however turned their bodies even as one of the trio fell, letting heavier angled armour absorb the blows as they attempted to return fire. Hot plasma cut through the dense fog, acting like brief flares of teal blue that devoured the diffused light of the surrounding fading neon.

Her weapon's barrel glowed in the low light as motes of steam rose off it, the heat cooking off the ambient moisture. Her barely suppressed giggles turned to laughter as the onslaught of rounds hammered down on her targets, the belt chattering through the receiver as brass piled up around her feet in the mud. One of the Gorsians fell as its heavy energy resistant armour failed, allowing its vitals to be turned to viscera slurry. The attempts at returning fire made by the two survivors were abandoned in favour of hunkering down to weather the barrage. Moremoremore! Come on come on!~ twenty-ten-five-empty. "Oh dangit!"

The weapon in her hands let out a heavy metal *chunk* as the action locked open, the last rounds in her belt now a steaming pile of brass below her. Two Gorsians still stood, braced against the torrential lead rain that had been keeping them from firing. The leading alien was slower than the one behind it, its armour beaten into an uneven valley around its chest and thick skull. The second pounced out from behind its comrade, belying skill and greater agility than most would expect. Plasma bolts began to stream by Gabby as she surged forward, a blast finding purchase across her shoulder as it boiled off flesh and ignited an acid washed tank top. She impacted the alien like a freight train, impact blowing the collected rain off its armour and lifting it off all its feet. The glowing hot barrel of her weapon was shoved under buckled armour plating, stabbing into what passed for a stomach. Flesh sizzled and the Gorsian screamed, its weapon forgotten as it tried to bludgeon her to death with an armoured gauntlet. A three fingered fist crashed into her cheek, the Gorsian's hydraulic powered armour giving it more strength than its burly frame already provided.

The taste of copper blood on her teeth proved a fantastic anchor into reality, and fully earned Gabby’s ire. Releasing her piping hot weapon she grasped the heavy mask protecting the alien's face, and promptly ripped it free. The slaver's multi-jowled grey face snarled at her, beady black eyes glaring holes into her own. It brought its fist back again to drive her off, but this time it met her open palm instead of cheek. With a wild grin full of teeth, Gabby twisted the Gorsian's arm until a hydraulic line buckled and burst, before cracking the limb like a whip. The alien howled in agony, stumbling back as its arm hung loose against its side.

Now the last of the trio was beginning to move, bringing its plasma caster to bear. Reeling back with the ripped off mask, Gabby flung it at the unwelcome third, causing the armoured faceplate on its helmet to shatter and the alien to reel from impact as the destroyed hunk of armour flew off into the foggy rain. She launched at the wounded one, hands grasping its exposed face. The unintelligible curse it uttered was short lived, swiftly replaced by a shriek as Gabby plunged her thumbs into its sunken eye sockets. She let out cackling happy laughter as her hands yanked in opposite directions, shattering the Gorsian's skull where it stood.

Ripping her weapon free from its melted skin, Gabby grasped the hot barrel, twisting it clockwise until it clicked and popped free as it scalded the skin of her palm. Now armed with a ten kilo bludgeon, she turned on the wounded third Gorsian with a wicked grin. The alien lasted a fraction of the time its fellow had, a leg folding the wrong way as she brought the club up in a sweep. The slaver toppled, its last action being to lift its weapon and vaporize her head. The alien was unsuccessful as she brought the club down on its helmet, stoving it in.

Another! Hit him again!

She struck the fallen alien twice more, ensuring it would not rise again as the contents of its brainpan scattered across the mud like grey wriggling worms.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Two was too many. Mhm.

"Shush! Two was a perfect amount of blows!" She argued before the tingling sensation in her stomach caught her attention again.

"Toxshard has penetrated the biosteel weave layer, remove shard and seal with medflex." She murmured, looking down at the wound. A brief glance at her shoulder already saw the damaged muscle growing back, the biosteel cover slowly slithering across the angry burn with skin stitching back together behind it. "I liked this shirt." She complained as she hefted up her barrelless weapon, returning to the prefab shack.

Shouldering open the door and ducking to fit her athletic 7’2” frame through the opening, all eyes inside the structure fell on her as she shook off the rain. A melody of barks and howls greeted her as she beamed brightly, setting her abused weapon down on the table as she spread her arms wide and squatted down. "Babies!"

The pack of dogs swarmed in, each jockeying for attention and affection as Gabby put her hands to work on ears and muzzles. "Did you miss me? Hm? Were Gabby's precious babies worried?" She cooed as she ruffled a military working dog's fur. "Don't worry little ones! Help is coming soon, and then you'll all be safe!"

It was hard to hear herself think when so many dogs were barking and yipping in her ears, a welcome reprieve from the constant barrage of thoughts she usually dealt with. Still, in times like these some thoughts slithered through like snakes in the gardens of Eden. You're still leaking, Gabby.

"I know I know! I'm going!" She continued to ruffle another dog's ears, its fat tongue lolling out of its mouth making her smile ear to ear. "Such a handsome boy!"

If the wound seals up with the shard inside, you'll need to cut it open and dig it out.

So what? Cut it open, peel it out! A little blood never hurt anybody!~

She let out a grumble of annoyance, pulling her hands away from the many dogs surrounding her. Wading through the crowd, she made her way to the battered industrial sink at the side of the kennel. The medical kit thumped on the steel counter and was easily peeled open to reveal its contents. Retrieving forceps, medflex, and slap patch she looked down at her side to inspect the damage. Twelve centimeters of the crystalline shard was sticking out of the wound, blood staining the now mangled tank top and her battered uniform pants. She pinched the shard between two fingers, and gave it a tug to test its depth.

The shard cracked under the pressure, splitting in two as she cursed. "Fudgecrackers!" A trickle of blood leaked out as the fractured shard shifted and slid under the skin, which was already sealing over the wound. "Ugh, why?" She complained as she retrieved the forceps, digging them into the oozing hole. "Come on, come to Gabby… come on you little-" The forceps slid across the crystal, unable to gain purchase as the edge jostled across her liver. "Oh fffrig it all." Tossing the bloody forceps into the sink, she plunged two fingers into the wound, swirling them around to open it up and push back the encroaching biosteel. Ignoring the blood now freely pouring out, Gabby dug into her abdomen with a look of annoyance, before her blood slick fingers finally pinched the fractured end of the crystalline dart. "Gotcha!" Tugging it free, she tossed the shard into the sink and grabbed the heavy injector.

The dual chamber vial hissed as she primed both sides, giving the medflex vial a hard shake to mix up the potent chemicals. The vial then slotted it into the injector, which hissed as it pressurized. It was an easy tool to use, just requiring the nozzle to be inserted deeply into the affected tissue, and slowly pulled out as the trigger was squeezed. Off-white foam sputtered out, soothing the unpleasant tingling the neurotoxin had left in her side. Once it began to bubble and hiss out passed her skin, Gabby set the injector down and pressed a self sealing slap-patch against the wound, giving it an affectionate pat once it had flattened. "You all go back the way you're supposed to, got it?"

The tinkling melody of her commlink set several of the dogs to barking, causing her to smile as she approached it, picking the device up with bloody fingers. "That'll be the Captain here with our-" She paused, reading the message. "Regret to inform you… transport contract canceled… area more of a threat than previously stated… full refund…" She sank against the sink, a breath escaping her lips.

It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room, and now she was struggling to breathe at all. Blood pounded inside her skull as her lips curled into a hateful sneer. The anger bubbled in from her belly to her chest, welling up and building in pressure until it felt like she was about to explode. She was acutely aware of every last detail in her immediate surroundings, from the drip of the tap, to the whines of the twenty three dogs that waited for her. The lights ahead buzzed on and on, while kennel doors creaked and squeaked amid the patter of acid rain against the roof. The bulky ammunition cans near her bunk all lay empty, her ration packs consumed and stacked in a neat trash pile. Turning away from it all, she set her hands on the rim of the sink, forcing herself to breath as her head filled with noise.

Exhale, count to four.

Inhale, count to four.

Exhale, count to four.

Inhale, count to four.

Movement on the outside perimeter, likely slaver reinforcements. Vibrations and impact indicate light bipedal walker. No ammunition, will need to engage in close quarters.

"I need a plan, Gabby…" She whispered to herself, as if worried she'd be overhead. "I need a miracle from God… God."

Engage hostiles, slaughter to the last. Orbiting frigate will either cut loses and run, or give us an opening to board and take control. Send message to UTNC, they never turn down offers for cheap warships. If frigate has fled, call back Captain and inform him the area is now free of hostiles. Maybe wring his neck when he has landed.

Maybe.

"Simple. Simplesimplesimple." She murmured to herself, releasing the sink's edge. Furrows lay in the metal where she had squeezed, deforming the lip of the sink. "Just gotta kill 'em all." Plucking up the barrel of her empty weapon, Gabby rolled her head from side to side, popping her neck audibly. "Kill em all and let their Gods piece em back together."

A tittering giggle escaped her lips as she turned for the door, briefly looking at the pack of hounds. "Babies stay inside and be good, Mommy needs to problem solve~"

The night had only grown darker, with the fading neon glow of dying lights illuminating the wide muddy street. Slavers had filled in the darkness with their shapes, taking cover amid the prefabs and abandoned belongings of refugees long gone. A bipedal scout machine stood at the end of the avenue, weapons primed as she stepped out. "Two- six- nine- twelve- fifteen… fifteen hostiles. Four Travanni, six Gorsians, four Del'Çoursec, and one unknown in the mech." She squinted, narrowing her eyes as she glared down at the collected aliens. "A good old Mexican standoff…" She grinned at them as weapons were aimed at her through the gloom and rain. An alien shouted demands to surrender through a shoddy translator, earning a snicker of amusement from her. "You're all dead, you just don't know it yet~"

The first stunner shot came in the form of crackling lightning from a bold Travanni lurking in the shadows, clearly eager to bag a valuable catch. Gabby darted to the side, easily evading the first shot, and the second, then the third and fourth as they coloured the heavy fog. The fifth however skimmed her arm as she grasped a prefab, using it to catapult herself around the corner at speed.

Pins and needles! Gah!

Giving her arm a shake to remove the nerve jangle, she engaged the first of the slavers in the tight confines of the side alleys that filled the refugee camp. A Gorsian shouldered its way into the alley, lighting up the night with vibrant balls of plasma that washed over prefabs and ignited them readily against the downpour. The sound of a heavy launcher chugging away pricked her ears, and the area was swiftly illuminated by roaring flames that fought the ongoing rainstorm.

Not flares, phosphoric incendiaries. Burn the camp down and flush us out? Not a bad idea. The- wait…

Her eyes bulged in realization as she slammed into the Gorsian, bowling it over as she rammed her bludgeon into its throat. Gabby hammered on it with the butt of her hand, impacting the muscular flesh into the ground. The Gorsian began to thrash and gurgle as she whipped around toward the kennel. The flames were rising over the roofs of the surrounding prefabs, lighting up the night with her horror.

The pounding in her skull returned alongside the feeling of her heart trying to evacuate her body via her throat. She wanted to scream, but her body refused to let out more than a croak. The desperation and rage quickly flooded in, fueling her onward as she turned away and grit her teeth. All the world’s noises came together as a deafening roar that threatened to drown her entirely.

Can't go to the babies, they're expecting that! Can't get them to safety with all these pests shooting at us- She shoulder checked a Travanni into a corner, her outstretched hand catching it by the chin as she smashed its skull into a load bearing post. The alien’s skull squashed like a bug under her palm, bright orange eyes popping into its goggles amid a torrent of braincase fluid. How did they know about the babies!? How did they-!

They didn't. They're torching what they take to be a den in an effort to drive us to ground, out of our territory.

They'll pay.

She tackled another Gorsian into the mud, her hands ripping at the protective casing around its weapon as it tried to buck her off. She felt the skin on her hands cook off as she traced the fuel cells, hot from multiple recent shots. Ripping them free with a shower of sparks, she shoved the trio of cells into the Gorsian's armour, before bringing both fists down on the spot like hammers. She was off and running again when the flare of detonation cast her shadow into the avenue for a brief moment, the prismatic cascade of colours on the neon lit fog making her look elongated and demonic.

The slavers were yelling, barking orders and firing their weapons, but the impacts were nowhere near her. The roar of blood in her ears distorted the sounds, making the alien weapons fire sound meaty and heavy as it echoed through the camp. Pests. Stupid little pests! She thought as she bolted into the main avenue, finding most of the slavers already dead.

Her eyes widened only briefly, before spying the cause. More contacts, Human! Captain must have returned, good. Might not flagellate him with his own spine. Skidding across the mud, Gabby turned to face down the enemy mech as human shadows became apparent in the darkness with flickering flames reflected off dark armour and illuminating grey urban camouflage fatigues with orange piping. They moved with killer purpose, lancing down the slavers as the aliens attempted to flee, with weapons that emitted whip crack reports and flashed with bolts of discharged energy.

The mech fired on her, plasma cannons punching twin holes in the fog as they turned the mud at her feet into glass and steam. She could feel the skin on her calves melting off from the heat as she dove and rolled, moving fast to get under the machine's firing arc before the weapons could cycle. The smooth rounded armour on the mech's legs provided convenient hand holds as she grasped it, heaving herself up toward the sealed cockpit. No time to play, make it fast.

Flipping onto the top hatch of the mech, Gabby rammed the edge of her bludgeon into the cupola, repeatedly beating at the metal until a hiss of nitrogen escaped through a broken seal. The chirping of alien alarms inside the mech became apparent as it slammed into a nearby building, trying to scrape her off on the prefabs.

"Oi! Lassie!" An unfamiliar voice called out, drawing her attention up in time to spy the grenade flying toward her. Her free hand snapped upward, catching the device out of the air. A bright smile touched her lips when she found the pin and spool still inserted. What a thoughtful gift! Ripping the pin free, Gabby shoved the grenade inside the breach, letting it and the spool clatter down into the interior. A more mortal chirping shriek competed against the alien alarms inside the mech as she heard it rattle down and bounce off metal.

Leaping from the mech as the grenade went off with a muted thump, she rolled on impact with the ground and came up sprinting. The temporary kennel was fully ablaze now, the phosphoric incendiaries doing their job well as it cast a hellish orange glow against the sickly night sky. The Humans called out to her, but the roar of the flames had filled her ears as she slammed into the front door. The steel buckled from the impact, the frame shattering as she crashed inside.

"Okay babies, everybody follow-!" She stopped mid sentence, finding the kennel empty as the roof began to collapse in on itself with a shower of phosphoric shards and burning materials. A hand then grabbed onto her belt, pulling her back as the prefab collapsed in on itself.

Voices echoed around her, human in tone but in a language she didn't recognize. Find the babies, Gabby. Make sure they're okay. She nodded sharply, pulling away from the soldier who had yanked her to safety as she began to search relentlessly. A bark drew her attention like a target lock to her pack of rescues surrounding an odd man. They sat huddled at his feet, under an awning and out of the rain, though many looked up at the man, and not at her.

Taking several strides forward, Gabby found herself faltering as she approached. The man was much, much bigger than was human norm, dwarfing even her in height. Lanky and wearing a smooth domed helmet over a long armoured trench coat, the man exuded an aura that made her feel very small. It felt like she was sheepishly approaching her father again, a little girl looking for approval. The grey-orange clad soldiers approached the man, snapping salutes as they gave their reports in the strange language. One in heavy powered armour carrying a claymore sword gestured to the ship in the distance. Battlecant, has to be. Need to… Need to get the babies.

Swallowing thickly, Gabby began to march forward once again. The tall man at the center of the collected soldiers lifted his head to regard her, and everything went quiet. Stumbling to a stop again, Gabby lifted a hand to her head on instinct, feeling for a wound. The voices were gone, all the needless and unwanted thoughts were gone, all the noises in her head were… Gone. Silent. For the first time in years, she could think clearly and not have to shout over herself. At the same time, the man with the smooth domed helmet had drawn a revolver from within his coat, aimed into the distance before firing off a shot. The light of the weapon was blinding, the detonation from the barrel so forceful it threw up a plume of dust and debris from the surroundings as it shattered windows across the camp. Gabby chanced a glance over her shoulder, only to find the slaver ship splitting in half within atmosphere, the very clouds it had sat in now suffering a circular wound. It crashed to the ground outside the camp as it rippled with secondary detonations, the noise of it all taking a pair of seconds to reach them. The man then holstered his weapon and made a simple gesture, a knife hand aimed at the crash site. The soldiers around him immediately set off into the camp, weapons raised and hunting through the fog and slackening rain.

"Corporal Gabriella Du Gaulle of the New Eden, Third Division, Second Military Working Dog Battalion, Bravo Company. Service Number 924-289-219" The man spoke in a gentle tone that still demanded complete and utter attention from her. Gabby stiffened immediately, standing up straight, sucking in her gut as she puffed out her chest. The man approached her as she stood at attention, her whole body coiled like a spring under pressure. She found herself stealing a look upward, and a strange combination of sensations fell upon her as she regarded the towering figure before her. She felt small, anxious, excited.

Humbled.

"I heard you needed a miracle."