“Holy Shit,” Aidan breathed as he stared up at the magnificent aircraft in front of him.
“It’s definitely beautiful in a deadly sort of way,” Pierre agreed.
“Your team outdid themselves this time,” Aidan commented.
“Well, we learned the appropriate lessons from the Ibises, Banshees, and Ghosts,” Pierre said. “We took the firepower and stealth capability from the Banshees, combined it with the troop sideloading of the Ghosts, and included a few amenities inspired by the Ibises.”
“Amenities?” Aidan questioned.
“Yes, Commander. The Ibises have small crew quarters for the gnomes and their human protectors. They pull such long flights that they need places to sleep, somewhere to use the bathroom and freshen up and small onboard replicators.”
“So what does the Wraith have?”
“Well, the Spectres don’t need a place to sleep, they can always rest in their armor, and you have much higher attributes than the gnomes, but we added small food replicators aft of the cockpit, a small trauma bay for emergencies.”
“That’s handy,” Aidan commented.
“We thought so. A Wraith should be able to support a team of Spectres or Shades for as long as they choose to remain in the field. They’re also equipped with a dozen TODs. The Wraith will be able to hang in the air for as long as you need it to and serve as a Command and Control center for operations on the ground.”
Aidan eyed the new aircraft. The XMG-1 Wraith the two men were studying looked like an F-35 Lightning had made love to a V-22 Osprey, and the resulting offspring was more prominent, stealthy, and lethal than both the platforms combined.
It sat in the Camp’s most secure hangar like a deepsea shark conserving energy before the hunt. It resembled an aquatic predator over regular planes more avian design theory. In a general sense, it had two wings tipped in stationary horizontal nacelles and two forty-five-degree horizontal stabilizers in its empennage, but its resemblance to a typical aircraft ended there. Each wing carried a horizontal nacelle that ended in two predatory-looking double-barreled psi cannons. The cannons were mounted on rotating ball turrets that allowed them to be used for practically any engagement.
Under those wings, doors would slide open to reveal the troop bay within. The bay could hold twenty-four fully equipped Spectres or Shades.
With the doors opened, the warriors within could either rappel down from a dedicated mount in the wing or leap out and trust their heightened attributes and advanced power armor to shelter their fall. Agano had even taken the liberty of installing the newest version of their Spectre armor with a low-powered anti-grav system. When a Spectre leaped from a Wraith, they could kick on the anti-grav and fall to a soft landing near the ground.
The operatives weren’t the only people the design took into consideration. There was no glass cockpit typical of other aircraft. Instead, the metal shell of the Wraith boasted embedded cameras that relayed all exterior images to the two highly-trained pilots within. The lack of glass and heavy armor of the Wraith meant that the pilots were just as impervious to small arms as the rest of the bird.
When the pilots were connected to the Wraith, they simply had to look around them to see clearly through the exterior. The strange sensation of looking at the open air took some time before the pilots were used to it, but once they mastered the skill, it was like looking through the eyes of an eagle augmented by modern sensor technology.
Their view was aided by the forward-looking sensor suite under the cockpit. It boasted hyperspacial sensors, wide area surveillance imaging sensors, a multi-spectral targeting system, and LIDAR. When the sensor suite was networked to Astra, there was nothing built by man or God the Wraith’s eyes couldn’t find, identify, and destroy with overwhelming firepower.
Its charcoal gray skin obscured the sharp, angular lines of its airframe. Subtle hexagon patterns in the skin hinted at the active camouflage feature that the Shades used to virtually disappear from the visible eye. Panels, flush with the exterior, hid missile batteries and point-defense laser turrets. Due to the angular shape, advanced coating, and concealed weaponry, the Wraith was completely invisible to radar. With its active camouflage enabled, it could hover over the battlefield on nearly silent gravitic engines, utterly undetected by an adversary.
The Wraith’s few test operations had ended in stunning success. Fortunately, or maybe, unfortunately, it was Gray’s Shades who saw the most action with the fantastic new plane. They had been used to spy on the Canadians, Mexicans, and gnomes. Meanwhile, the Spectres had been relegated to a quick reaction force or an executive protection detail. Aidan’s team was chaffing to get in on the action.
Sadly, Aidan wouldn’t get the chance to ride in a Wraith for today’s mission. He turned to look out the open hangar doors at the actual chariot that awaited him. The newly manufactured XCG-2 Ibis bore minimal resemblance to its predecessor despite sharing the same name.
If the Wraith was a shark, then the Ibis was an orca. It was still clearly a vast military craft and bore a similar style to the Wraith, but it had two pairs of wings where the Wraith had one. It bore no weapons or advanced sensor suites. However, it possessed the embedded cameras to inform the four-person crew of gnomes who piloted the craft.
Additionally, there were no sideloading troop bays. Instead, a large cargo container was mounted to the bottom of the airframe between the fore and aft wings. It led to a rear troop bay with a loading ramp that could be used to store more materials but, more often than not, held a couple of troopers for protection. In times of war, the container could be swapped out with a side-loading crew bay that, combined with the rear portion, could hold as many as forty-eight soldiers.
The container itself was a breakthrough in System storage technology. In their initial testing, the camp engineers had thought of welding multiple caches together to create one sizeable consolidated storage. Their ingenuity was rewarded with an engram for mass storage. Now the container held twenty-five hundred inventory slots. It was a massive amount that allowed them to ship tons of goods around their part of the continent in no time.
The Ibis didn’t even need to land to deliver their goods, making the craft popular with the dwarves and gnomes in their underground homes. Instead, the Ibis would hover over a drop location and lower the cargo hold on anti-grav boosters. Goods would be exchanged, and then the cargo hold would float up to reconnect with the aircraft.
The twenty-four Ibises were nearly in constant use, ferrying trade goods between the various factions. They were reliable craft, and crews were swapped between Ibis long before they had to land to receive maintenance from their Azapazil mechanics and engineers. To maintain their monopoly over the growing shipping industry, Aidan had declared the design and manufacture of the Ibis a national secret.
As he studied the bird, he saw his team walking toward him. They were kitted up in their Spectre Assault Armor and Armored Battle Suits. They made Aidan feel naked in comparison. Their mission today was supposed to be diplomatic, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to go garbed for war.
Pierre turned to see what the commander was looking at, and when he realized the Spectres had arrived, he decided to see himself off.
“Thanks for the time, Commander,” Pierre said while shaking Aidan’s hand sheepishly. “I just didn’t want to go to the damned meeting with Baker.”
“Yeah, he’s kind of a dick,” Aidan agreed. “Trust me; I would rather be checking out the cool new aircraft than hanging out with the Chief of Staff too.”
The Commander waved off the Director of Research and Development. Pierre shared a wave with Guman as he passed them by the hangar entrance.
The team passed into the hangar and greeted their Commander. Guzman, Doc, Weir, Wang, and Agerwal were all present. Yanovna was nowhere to be found, but Aidan knew that was because she was likely hidden somewhere in the hangar, ready to protect him if necessary.
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“Damn, those birds look amazing,” Agerwal said excitedly.
“I know,” Aidan lamented. “I’m sad I won’t be able to ride in one today.”
Guzman chuckled. “That’s okay. We’ll let you know how it feels, Commander. You’ll have to ride shotgun with the gnomes. Besides, Yanovna and a couple of troopers will be along for the ride just in case.”
“Do you think we’ll run into trouble?” Wang rumbled.
Aidan shrugged. “It’s unlikely,” he answered.
Guzman’s eyes roamed over the Wraith before he added, “I don’t think so. I know we’re waiting on Gray to share any official intelligence, but I heard from Kari that the diplomatic request came from our world. Apparently, the Central and South American countries have banded together into a new coalition. They’re calling it Gran Colombia.”
“Kari,” Aidan snickered. “Since when do you call Director Ostlund, Kari?”
Guzman looked embarrassed even behind the blank faceplate of his helmet. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck with a gauntleted hand.
“Oh shit, boss,” Agerwal grunted. “Are you and Ostlund a thing now?”
“You guys worry about yourselves,” Guzman roared. “I misspoke, that was all. Besides, don’t think I don’t see women trailing in and out of your quarters.” Guzman pointed the finger at Weir, whose body language remained nonplussed.
“Those are just friends,” Weir commented cooly. “They like to come to my quarters and play chess.”
“Is that what you call it?” Nikita seemed to appear from nowhere, causing the whole team to jump.
For the first time since he was accused, Weir looked shaken. He raised his hands in mock surrender. “For real, Yanovna.” He stuttered. “I like to play chess. Those women like to play with me.”
“Among other things,” the shadow trooper’s tone was ice cold.
“Yeah, I mean, we do other things too, but chess is one of the few games I’ve been able to recreate in the system. Besides, it doesn’t matter, does it?”
“It doesn’t,” Nikita agreed. “I just don’t like to see you so relaxed when the only ones on the team without an unending trail of women to and from their quarters are our illustrious Commander and Faraj.”
“Don’t bring me into this,” Faraj said with a smile in his tone. “I have a wife and a family on the other side. I have no desire to bring misfortune into my life. Aida would kill me.”
Aidan remained silent during the exchange. He did not need his team prying into his love life or lack of one. He wasn’t so lucky.
“Wait, Commander,” Agerwal began. “Why aren’t you sleeping your way through the camp? If I were you, I’d be taking every advantage of your position.”
Aidan raised his brows but didn’t respond. How could he tell them that Nikita had been his constant shadow for the last six months? He couldn’t escape to pursue a love life even if he wanted to. His bodyguard had never implied that he couldn’t, but it felt awkward. Speaking of which, Nikita’s coal-black eyes were searching his face and looking for an explanation as well, but the commander had none to give.
Whatever she saw elicited a tiny smile that vanished as soon as it appeared. Instead, the shadow trooper’s form blurred, and she cracked the hilt of her sword into Agerwal’s helmet right above his temple in one beautifully violent motion. The combat engineer didn’t see it coming and crashed to his butt with a pained growl.
“What the fuck was that for Yanovna?” He cried while rubbing the outside of his helmet.
“Worry about your own dick, Agerwal,” Nikita said cooly. “Besides, with the explosives you like to carry around, I’m surprised you haven’t blown it off.”
Agerwal hauled himself to his feet. “Everyone knows those two things don’t mix, Yanonva. Even if they both explode.”
The engineer cackled at his joke while everyone else rolled their eyes.
“So what are we waiting for?” Agerwal asked after he finished laughing.
Aidan was thankful for the opportunity to change the subject.
“We’re waiting for Gray. He’s leaving a board meeting with Baker,” he answered.
“Oh, that dick,” Agerwal commented.
“Yeah, I’m surprised you can stand him, Commander,” Guzman said flatly. “Kari said he’s constantly trying to undermine you in every meeting.”
Aidan shrugged. “He is, but I’m not sure what to do. He is here representing the President’s interests. He may be a political appointee, but he’s an important one. He doesn’t have the experience to take my command away from me, but I also can’t shove him in a broom closet to play with himself like I did all the other watchdogs.”
“He’s quite large; I’m not sure he would fit.” Faraj cracked a rare joke.
“It is crazy,” Weir agreed with the doc. “How is it that he enters the System and stays an old, fat politician?”
“A deficient constitution score,” Guzman answered. “The System only enhances what’s already there and the work you’re willing to put in. It can’t create miracles.”
“True,” Aidan agreed. “Also, I asked Kuhar to include Baker in his training plans, but the bureaucrat has refused to join. It’s a shame because I was hoping some PT would tire the man out and keep him from sniffing where his nose doesn’t belong.”
“Hah, no luck there,” Guzman laughed.
The shock trooper cut off as Gray swept into the hanger wearing his typical infiltrator skinsuit. The man had worn it all the time even though he rarely left the camp. Somehow the Director of Intelligence was just as high-level as the rest of them, so Aidan had to assume he was going on operations that weren’t making it into the official training plan put out by Suhar.
“Hey, Gray,” Aidan greeted the spook.
“Good Morning, Commander,” Gray said, professional as ever. “Sorry for the delay; I got stuck in the meeting with Baker.”
“We were just talking about that,” Aidan told him. “I’m glad I had the opportunity to miss it.”
“You were lucky,” Gray agreed. “He did his usual bullshit and tried to undermine a few of your decisions. Thankfully, Cooper and Kuhar were having none of it.”
Aidan merely shrugged. “What can you do?”
“Nothing, it appears,” Gray said noncommittally. The spook pulled out a datapad and started gesturing. He sent intelligence files to each of the assembled Spectres.
“Alright, for today’s mission,” he began. “You’re going to meet up with representatives from a new faction who have called themselves Gran Colombia. We don’t have eyes on them in the System, but agents on the other side have been able to collect a few bits of information.”
“Your network exists on the other side?” Aidan interrupted.
“Yes, Commander,” Gray affirmed. “After talking with Marsh, he gave me full access to the entire weight our combined intelligence agencies can bring to bear. I can’t abuse my authority, but he lets me take a peek behind the curtain.”
Seeing the Commander’s thoughtful look, he continued his brief.
“Gran Columbia is a large faction encompassing modern-day central America and half of South America. Even Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay are slowly coming under their sway.”
“That’s a huge stretch of territory,” Aidan noted.
“Yes,” Gray agreed. “We don’t know how they’re doing it, but they’ve completely closed off their northern border. They have troops constantly patrolling the area. I’ve sent Shades to investigate and trace them back to their cities, but it’s like they can vanish into thin air. My Shades haven’t been able to find a single city of theirs. We’re hoping that by opening up trade relations, we’ll be able to get spies inside and figure out the internal dynamics of their alliance. As it stands, we see Gran Colombia’s territory slowly expanding southward. They make no secret of the fact in international news. On the other side of the system, South American countries are practically lining up to join the coalition.”
“That’s worrying,” Aidan noted. “Has the President or his lapdog said anything?”
“No,” Gray said, annoyance tinging his voice. “Baker has seemed opposed to entering into a trade relationship since we brought it up.”
“That’s weird, right?” Agerwal voiced what everyone was thinking.
“Yeah, it doesn’t make any sense. The only reason Baker wouldn’t want me to bring Gran Colombia into the fold is if he’s worried about my personal influence,” Aidan hypothesized aloud.
“Correct,” Gray agreed with his assessment. “The President wants to exert control, but is too busy on the other side, so he’s having his Chief of Staff do it. Politics are coming at the expense of our faction’s strength.”
Aidan sighed heavily. “I’ll worry about the problem later. Is there anything else you can tell us about Gran Colombia?”
“Beyond the political situation? Not much.”Gray answered his own hypothetical question before continuing. “Their equipment is nothing to write home about. They look about as advanced as the PRC forces you destroyed. We also haven’t detected any strange technology like the Chinese hybrids.”
“Doesn’t mean there aren’t any,” Wang commented.
“That’s true,” Gray said. “Regardless, as soon as we have a trade agreement, I’ll be embedding Shades in our trader corps.”
“Alright,” Aidan said finally. “So basically, it’s on me not to fuck this up.”
“We’re screwed,” Guzman groaned.
Aidan punched him in the arm and laughed. “We’ll be fine. I made friends with the minotaurs. They were far scarier than a bunch of Colombians.”
“No, they weren’t,” Guzman soberly disagreed. “My home country, Panama, was one of the first to join Gran Colombia. I haven’t heard from my family the half a dozen times I’ve logged out to talk to them since they joined the coalition.”
“Is that weird?” Aidan asked.
“Very,” Guzman said flatly.
Aidan nodded his understanding. His friend knew better than he did. Instead, he changed the subject.
“Gray, who are we taking on the mission?”
“You’ll be onboard an Ibis with Yanonva, two troopers, and the gnome aircrew. Two Banshees will escort you for air support. Your team of Spectres and two Ghosts full of troopers will serve as your quick reaction force.”
“That’s quite the escort,” he said with raised eyebrows.
“You’re a powerful head of state now, Commander. This is less than we’d bring to bear on the other side of the System. Your capture would be a disaster.”
Guzman nodded, and the rest of the Spectre’s body language indicated silent agreement. The spook was more right than he knew, and only Aidan’s friends knew why.
“Alright,” Aidan decided. “Let’s load up then. We can hash anything else out on the flight over.”
Gray left the hangar, followed by Nikita and Aidan. The other Spectres boarded their Wraith and waited for their pilots to show up.
Aidan’s pilots were already in their places, and his Ibis was already loudly thrumming on the tarmac. Nikita and Aidan ascended the access ramp and nodded at the waiting troopers. He pulled two quantum communication buds from his inventory and put them in his ears.
“Alright, Guzman.” He said. “Let me know when you’re ready to take off.”