ISSUE 8: OPERATION CARTER
“In accordance with Terran Alliance Protocols, the Anomalies on the Red Planet must be addressed, per protocol we are sending an advanced scouting force to secure the future site of OutPost Serria. May you find safe passage in the Dark.”-General Tobias Cole, TASF Commandant.
“Highmaker is right to be concerned. It is too soon for the Terrans to know what is under the surface of Mars. I will assist in any way I can. The Forger High Council approved of the authorization even as their Curiosity Rover hit the Red Planet. Even in the space of 200-300 years, humanity has made great strides since I began my vigil.”-From the Archives of Observations, Horus.
“I have 2 lovely grandchildren. I won’t let their mother change that for me. To be frank, I had a bad feeling about that woman from the start. My boy deserves better than that withered old hag. If it wasn’t for prolong her insides would match the outside.”-From the journal of Eleanor Murphy.
“On one hand, it was good of us to tell Thomas what we do at “work.” On the other, now he has to cover for us as well. It’s a hard thing: to keep it from our grandchildren but considering the position their mother has on demis and the fact that she has main custody of them, we have to keep that part of ourselves from them.- Abraham Murphy.
BS LSVs. The Joint Brain Child of the US Army, NASA, and the Terran Alliance. Unlike the old versions, these battlesuits were made for extremely hazardous conditions and the vigors of space. Battle Suit Land and Space Revision V, most just call them Poppin Tops. Due to the ability to shed damaged components. –T.A. Tech Manual preface.
TASV Barsoom, Sol System
Mars (Terran Alliance Space)
June 8th, 2070
Col. Thomas Murphy grunted as the drop pod containing himself and his unit hit the hard atmosphere. The vidscreens gleamed with the void of space that eventually gave way to the rusted hues of martian landscapes. His erstwhile cohort, Argus Paxon, just let out an undignified whoop as their vehicle rumbled about. Vibrating enough to make his teeth chatter. But he couldn’t help but shoot his friend a slight grin. Major Paxton leaned back and shouted, “It’s time to wine and dine boys and girls! Let’s see if there are green men and red women on this planet!”
Various jeers and catcalls resounded throughout the cabin. Thomas stifled a groan. Ever since his divorce, his friend was doing his utmost to hook him up with proper wife material. The thought of Anna was still a sensitive subject. Thomas pinched the bridge of his nose. Don’t think about it. Argus pinged him on a private channel. Murphy activated his earbud:
“Hey, oh fearsome leader! Met some nice ladies at the Demeter Hab Ring. Maybe get something rolling?” He gave Thomas a set of finger guns. The absolute glee in his voice was obvious. A half-hearted smile formed then disappeared as quickly as it came. A decidedly haunted look came into his commanding officer’s eyes.
Thomas found himself dwelling on the most important things in his life:
His children’s bright faces. Swinging Samantha around the house, “Higher daddy!” She would exclaim. Building models with his son. Picnics in the backyard. Holding his daughter’s hand as she climbed up on her bike for the first time. Water pistol fights. Jacob’s peel of laughter as he swung him around by his ankles then the splash of water as he sailed into the pool.
Anna’s face took center stage for a moment. Her lips curled in disdain. “Why no time for me? All you care about is our children.” Dark hair, blazing gray eyes, a real handful.
The mounting sorrow, the yelling, and fighting. That wasn’t the healthiest position for a child to be in. He would have to work hard to repair his relationship with his son, being only 8, this event was especially hard on him. His daughter was slightly younger. At 5, she thought she’d just be able to put a band aid on her parents, then surely everything would be better. He wished he could have left primary custody to his parents but considering their jobs, there was no feasible way to make them the primaries. Anna, frustratingly enough, was the most “stable” environment for them to be with.
She lived near New Ashbury’s university. In a nice townhouse, with Thomas still providing a DSI, Divorced Stimulus Income for his children. The US Army made sure that his overall officer salary would stay the same. They knew this life wasn’t the easiest on most serving, so alternate finances were made available in the type of situation he was in. At least it wasn’t like coming home from a deep-space patrol and finding out your wife was seeing someone else. Plus he was also attached to the T.A for the duration so they got more funds on top of that.
He shuddered. Anna was many things but thank goodness it wasn’t that.
He rested his face in his hands. Trying to rub away all the bad memories.
Sam sent him vid coms nearly every day, talking about school and other things, everything and anything but her mother. Sometimes she’d rope Jacob into giving some sort of quick message but his parts always felt detached.
He felt movement then Paxton was sitting right next to him. The Major glared at some inquisitive Private First Class. Causing the young man to scurry back to his fellow NCOs. The soldier gave his superior a quick salute and mumbled an apology.
Argus pitched his voice very low: “Hey man, sorry to bring up that old stuff. Maybe we can do something fun on Mars, like find some hidden treasure or something. Besides, we know crazy lizard people wouldn’t be there right?” He gave a friendly punch on the shoulder.
Col. Murphy sat up in his seat. Shaking off the woolgathering of the past. His men needed him. Plus he sincerely hoped that no Jurassic level events would appear on Mars. He quirked an eyebrow and proclaimed,” Who knows, we might indeed find some interesting women on the surface.”
Maj. Paxton chuckled, “That’s the ticket! Silver lining. We could all bring nice souvenirs home. Maybe even a Robodog or ten. Bet Sam would love that.”
The intercom blared to life, relaying the following: Now approaching landing site.
Landing Site for Outpost Sierra, Sol System
Mars (Terran Alliance Space)
June 8th, 2070
Miles and miles of orange-rusted dust.
The Alliance wanted a stable area for the settlement so the lack of craters was a good thing. As a kid, Thomas loved to read the older stories. In a way, he was thankful. Those early days of John Carter and Barsoom lit his imagination. Now, 40 odd years later, he was living his boyhood dream. Walking upon the surface of other worlds. Following the echoes of giants. He motioned for Paxton and the others to fan out. Even if it felt routine to some, he wanted to make sure nothing surprised them, even the wandering rovers of Mars.
*****
Horus was operating in full stealth mode. Well beyond what Terran standard tech could ever pick up on. That didn’t mean he wasn’t cautious. He trailed Thomas Murphy and his men at an optimal distance. He ran his scanners over all of them once more. Updating his databases as he went. Underneath everyone, far far below, the Marvkav sentinels units were busy masking the outer regions of Tarsis. The Last Basion.
The hidden dreams under the surface of this war-torn planet. Even after all these years watching Earth, the Forger probe still found himself wondering what would happen once the Hegemony awakened. From what he could see, there was a good chance Humanity would help, especially since they got to a respectable point already. Unified govt. A sense of wonder for discovery. Granted, not all demis acted with a sense of nobility but by far, most of them were naturally inclined to defend the greater good. His iris swerved to focus in on the young Murphy.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
That one was especially noteworthy. Even though personal pain, that human kept going forward, just like his sire, “JUSTICE SHOOTS EVER FORWARD!” The Golden Bulleteer’s most recognizable phrase. Horus estimated that he sold countless breakfast boxes on the pale blue dot. Rather endearing. He often wondered what those sugary cereals tasted like. Highmaker politely pinged him. Requesting access.
Horus opened a link, <
Highmaker made a series of tones. If Horus didn’t know any better, he could almost feel the other’s frustrations. After a brief set of computations, Highmaker retorted, <
The F.R.A.M paused. Then shot out a small visual emitter, hooking onto Col. Murphy’s helm and coms. He repeated the process on the whole unit.
<
Highmaker pondered this for a moment.
Taleer broke into the conversation, “Why not mix some truth into it? Show them the Last Stand of the Hightower. It is not part of the main city. But it will show them the dangers of the Keepers.”
*****
Thomas readjusted his HUD to marker 128 Alpha. Motioning for Argus to double-time it to his position. Major Paxton saluted then said, “Well, what now bossman?” Murphy tapped the side of his helmet. Then indicated the target sector. His voice was nearly incredulous. “I don’t know how our birds in the sky missed this but there’s some sort of artificial cave a few clicks north. Let’s go.”
Taskforce Alpha broke out into an enhanced run. Paxon was like a kid in a candy store.
“Man, love these upgrades to the Poppin Tops. Feel like the old Looney Toon's roadrunner. Meep meep!”
Col. Murphy gave his friend his first genuine smile of the day. “With the way your odds work, you should be the Coyote.”
Argus’ tone held a note of false indignation, “You wound me, sir! I win half the time! And look good doing it!” The Major gave a private sigh of relief. It had been a brutal 5 months since the divorce. That harpy had done enough damage to Thomas. Not to mention his parents. Plus the kids. He had been the Best Man at that wedding. At the time, only Eleanor Murphy had a real sense of misgiving.
He would be the rock for his friend. Battle brothers to the end. A shrill sound cut through the unit’s feed as they came to a stop before a darkened opening. The youngest of them, the inquisitive private from earlier, gave his superiors a questioning glance. Thomas looked at his people, “Alright! Everyone form up! In groups of four, we will form a chain. The anchor will remain outside of this opening.
*****
A handful of silver-hued worm-shaped Sentiles watched the Terran unit from the artificial ceiling. Their chatter encoded within Markav protocols.
<
The Markav VI computed the various outcomes. He sent a signal to Horus. <
Taleer focused on Paxton, a seeker? Interesting. For his race, seekers held a special role. They could sense spoken lies. That would make this venture even more important. He would be able to tell from the translated audio that this event was a true one. The other, yes. He remembered that incident with the Orb. As Horus told it, the taller Human had quite the bloodline. Even if he didn’t possess demi powers. He wished he could tell his sister a part of him lived within Highmaker as an advisor but the caretaker insisted on keeping it hidden.
*****
Col. Murphy and Maj. Paxton ventured deeper into the cave. From what they could see, it was completely artificial. Too perfect. No jagged pieces. With strange symbols along the walls at intervals. After a while, they came upon a large door. About 20 feet high. Ringed with more lettering they couldn’t identify. Murphy opened his mic:
“Taskforce Alpha, remain within coms range, the Major and I found some sort of structure. If we aren’t back in 20 mins, rally at point Charlie for evac.”
Both men put their hands on the door. Looking for a mechanism or codifier to gain entrance. Its surface was mirror-like in its makeup. They could see the black of their visors reflected within its surface. After a brief moment, the metallic entryway hissed open, both stepped cautiously across the threshold. Weapons at the ready.
The door behind slammed shut and the room darkened. Thomas and Paxton clutched their heads as a high pitched sound penetrated their brains. The darkened room faded. Shifted. They tried to grab their weapons but they found they were immobilized. Helpless to the slaughter they saw unfolding. Strange tall beings were shouting at one another. Paxton recovered first, muttering, “How are they speaking English?”
Thomas replied, “Its not English. I think this place is translating for us. My head is pounding like it's about to implode though.” Paxton surveyed the battle. The taller figures came into sharper focus. A mix of blue and green battle gear. Strange poles that fired beams of light cross-crossing the chamber. Paxton gaped at the green within green eyes of the fighters. Their brownish-gray faces. Pronounced foreheads. “Hey Tom, I’m not drunk am I? Those faces look kinda familiar.”
Murphy studied them closer. “Dear god. The Easter Island statues.”
One figure passed through both men. Then spoke:
“Evacuate the Admiral and---“
Northern R’thath, Hightower
Illarium (The Heart of the Markav Hegemony )
Recorded Time Marker: 100 AFC (6 billion years ago)
Executor M’tak reached the threshold of Hightower. The hidden research bunker housing the Light of Emris and the last remaining Markav Military hierarchy within the Hegemony.
With a clipped command, “Evacuate the Admiral and senior Muthra Staff! Now! The Keepers have breached the Last Bastion!” All stared at him in despair and shock. The ancient Markav bared his teeth, “NOW!”
His deafening bellows brought the others out of their shock and they immediately set to work. He could hear Sul’Sandra cries of frustration and anger from here. She would be the last. His mouth set in a grim line. He grabbed the closest Seeker. A very young female. Her eyes widened, “Ye-yes Executor?” Her words were jumbled. He shoved her across the archway. Through the umbilical cord connecting the facility to the ship. “GO! Make sure the Admiral has everything she needs. We will hold the line here. Keepers be damned.” They would not get his niece. Nor any more civilians if he could help it.
At this point, the buried heart of the Last Bastion, At’lan, and the Emris were their final hopes of rebirth. He released the cord, watching as it cut his niece off from everyone. She met his gaze across that gulf. Gave him a final salute, tears running down her face as the doorway shut them away, with a solid thunk.
“Highmaker, start final sequence.” His tone was iron. He would not break.
His gaze turned towards the blast doors. Already the Keeper’s weapons were pecking at it like the void hounds of hell.
<
“TO me! WE STAND HERE! The enemy will fall upon our Simbaks like crushed dirt. For every minute we buy here, our women, children, and families endure. To be reborn in the Convergence. This was promised by the Scholars. We must not break. TO ME!”
He glared at the door.
Aiming his weapon.
“Today we burn all the brighter. Today they will regret setting foot upon Illarium. TODAY THEY DIE! TO KISS THAT UNITY THEY LOVE SO DAMNED MUCH!”
His battalion gave a thunderous roar.
Grey elongated figures phased into view. Black eyes filled with the dull thudding of their Unity addled brains. The fires of Illiarium burned. But for every soul the Void Walkers took, they lost twice that amount, with his final breath M’tak beheaded the remaining Keeper. Spitting upon its disintegrating body for good measure.
“The Seekers of Aden will unmask your unholy works.” The light of his eyes faded. His hands curled around his Simback, defiant to the last.
*****
Thomas and Paxton came back to themselves. Turning in circles. The door and the cave were gone. Only the red haze of Mars remained. Murphy spoke first, “Pax, we stay nothing for now. Understood?”
Paxton muttered back, “That was the truth, Thomas. Those damn gray things exist. So do these Markav people.” For his part, he nodded then clicked his com array, “Alpha! Respond!”
Private Henderson responded, “We are at rally point Charlie as requested. Nothing to report. No unstable elements for the Founding site. Outpost Sierra is a go for launch.”
Col. Murphy examined his audio and visual records. He tapped Argus into it. They both saw how things played out. Ordering the team to survey the area instead. No mention of a cave or recon. Or even saying anything was there. Something wanted them to see that event. Only them. A message appeared on their HUDs, then phased out like it never existed.
Beware those that walk in the void between stars.
Paxton crossed himself. “Thomas, how about we get a nice whiskey? Pour one out for the Hightower?” Thomas gazed at the horizon. Trying to imagine what this place looked like when it was a living and breathing world. “I think that’s an excellent idea my friend.” The soldier in him commended the courage of those defenders. The father in him was poised at the edge. Those things would not get his world and his children. He would defend Earth to his last breath if need be.
*****
Horus watched them all gather. The future site of a new beginning. He knew it would take years for this to bear any fruit but it would be worth it. Mars would need all the Allies she could get. This whisper of a bygone age would stay with the young Arbiter and his compatriot. The tunnel system and doorway to it were intact. That part was the truth. An annex to the Last Bastion. Eventually, it would re-surface.
For one other. Her time was yet to unfold.
Highmaker finished sealing off the last entryways. Only the Sentinels and Horus would be able to transverse its halls now. A silent tomb awaiting the dawn of a new age.
Taleer sent his consciousness to the stars. He could feel them. The Typherians were nearly here. With it, the future beckoned. In his era, they had still been bound to their home system. Unlocking the beginning secrets of the sea of stars. Now, masters of the Multiverse. Soon Humanity would also feel that burden. He re-oriented his mind, seeking one other, as the Earth came into view, he plunged into the depths of its oceans. Reaching for his sister. He found her at At’lan’s command deck once more. Even though many eons had passed, with her periodically taking rejuvenating injections and hypersleep, she still looked nearly as he remembered.
Older but still displaying that fire he knew so well.
Soon, we will meet again.