Post by atriangle on Feb 7, 2022 4:05:41 GMT
Above Hilid.
Fire reigned across the night
All from across the day
And in space above
Sat all of the wrecked hopes
The burning dreams of men
“I have just one question for this. All of this wanton mad violence in their hands. Why. What philosophy, religion, would bring someone to do this in cold blood.”
Valerius looked in shock at the sight unfolding in the inky abyss, and still a very active operational zone with more and more vessels from the Aespa Ohykryan being deployed to fully lock down the Hilid system. Nothing was moving here save for the Wrecker brought up to move the coffin that is the freighter ‘Mine is Bigger than Yours’ far out of orbit. Engines the diameters of lakes were shot out on it, railgun slugs shattering holes dozens of meters across to try and stop it when things got desperate.
And desperate measures were needed.
“Those rat fuckers killed every single one of those captives. Our people.” Muttered Artyom, the ships second in command who looked up to Valerius from the cockpit floor, the mood in the ship had turned sour, bitter.
Similar sentiments were muttered from the handful of other cockpit officers as they continued on their ongoing mission. Valerius looked at the radio controls and leaned over from her flight chair to flip off the flight recorders and called up the boarding squad.
“1st Platoon this is Valerius, what is your status over?”
After a short crackle of the radio Tassou’s voice echoed over it, he sounded winded and tired on both a physical and mental level. The sound of a man who had seen too much.
“There are so many of them…. So many people just trying to get home, refugees, international travelers, our own citizens getting the cheap seats home. All of them gunned down once we cleared the breach and the Minevans deactivated the weapon.”
“It is alright now… What is your platoons status over?”
“Half are dead, another quarter with mild injury, only 10 or so of the bots are still working…. The H-I hostiles on the bridge surrendered, even that ugly Dreft fucker, he’s a real piece of work. We’re taking them to the cargo bay now… Barret got real messed up from that device, he went in alone to disarm it, he is living but psionic matters are outside my understanding. Aimans still up here with us escorting them”
“There’s a relief team coming in, 500 strong, to clean up the resistance and do any rescue they can… Only their leader matters, reinforcements will be getting here in 10 minutes. You know what must be done, only their ‘leader’ and our guys are coming off that ship. Smoke the rest.”
Valerius cut the comms and looked down on the crew staring up in silence at what was said here and now. Everyone had heard, and had sort of expected it. One could only assume what rampant gunfire and heavy tranquilizers were used to make it quick.
“This conversation never happened and you heard nothing. Do you understand?”
Nods were made in agreement before Valerius switched back on the flight recorder, a discrepancy that hopefully will go on for a while before its properly noticed.
One of the first blatant attacks on Hilid had been stopped, yet it was no victory. There would be a search for answers. A change in the violent winds was coming to the galaxy, and the last days of autumn before the long winter of a coming war were being felt, the first frost of a long cold.
Three days later.
Everything was still on lockdown in Kepler territory, nothing was going in or out, the grim visage of the bloodied freighter was being fully locked into the skeletonized wrecking rig and was slowly burning out of the system to the asteroid field, a final resting place for research later on in life. But for now, it was a time of shock and mourning, over 15,000 had died in less than a span of two hours. An eerie silence permeated the Hilidian ring station, the only activity being the constant influx of transport shuttles from the wreck on its long journey bringing back filled coffins and the occasional flight of survivors, yet they were lesser than the body transports.
Barret had been moved to the temporary care ward of the hospital on the Hilidian ring, most of the minor physical injuries had been mended and on the way to a speedy recovery, the psionic side of things however was out of their control, it was stable yet there was no available knowledge or doctors who knew how to handle such a thing on the station. Ellie was sitting in a chair waiting for him to wake up, watching a small portable projector with the Killian Independent broadcasting on low volume.
“...... The perpetrator of the attacks, Havoth Jaros, was captured during the boarding action that left thousands dead by his soldiers' hands. He is known to be an active member in the political sphere of the Imperium…… Council Chairman Andrev Balinsti’s memo two days ago states that there will be no extradition of him back to the High Imperium, and that he is being kept in a secure facility awaiting trial….”
“Seems like we didn’t all die.” Barret said as he came from a nap.
“Not all of us at least, disarming the device that the Imperial roach tried to set off did a number on you… A bit beyond what we can do here with what we have. One of your people are being brought in off world.” Valerius replied back, she was wearing normal plainclothes, not a sight of any uniform or hint of being on duty.
“This will not be the end of it. Where’s Aiman?” He scooted up in his bed to sit up properly and looked at one of the wires feeding into his arm.
“Still in the process of debriefing and all of that fun jazz… I feel like this is only the beginning of something I can’t finish”
She looked back over at the projector and the live feed of the wrecker pulling the freighter out into the abyss. The pictures of body bags lined up in the hundreds, mass graves being dug into the landscape of Hilid for those unidentifiable bodies. It sent a shiver down her spine and she turned it off
“Why aren’t you there?... Everyone on Hilid and your people are safe. You did the right thing.” Barret tried to show compassion and help, this was a very clear hard week for everyone. From the people who had to do the dirty work up close and those who had to stomach the orders that needed to be given.
“I am no longer a part of the Aespa Ohkyran, I took a permanent leave of absence yesterday… All of this just needs to end.”
She paused and looked back at where the projector was formerly sending up the news broadcast.
“That Imperial won’t be alive by the end of this month, by then I can rest easy.”
Fire reigned across the night
All from across the day
And in space above
Sat all of the wrecked hopes
The burning dreams of men
“I have just one question for this. All of this wanton mad violence in their hands. Why. What philosophy, religion, would bring someone to do this in cold blood.”
Valerius looked in shock at the sight unfolding in the inky abyss, and still a very active operational zone with more and more vessels from the Aespa Ohykryan being deployed to fully lock down the Hilid system. Nothing was moving here save for the Wrecker brought up to move the coffin that is the freighter ‘Mine is Bigger than Yours’ far out of orbit. Engines the diameters of lakes were shot out on it, railgun slugs shattering holes dozens of meters across to try and stop it when things got desperate.
And desperate measures were needed.
“Those rat fuckers killed every single one of those captives. Our people.” Muttered Artyom, the ships second in command who looked up to Valerius from the cockpit floor, the mood in the ship had turned sour, bitter.
Similar sentiments were muttered from the handful of other cockpit officers as they continued on their ongoing mission. Valerius looked at the radio controls and leaned over from her flight chair to flip off the flight recorders and called up the boarding squad.
“1st Platoon this is Valerius, what is your status over?”
After a short crackle of the radio Tassou’s voice echoed over it, he sounded winded and tired on both a physical and mental level. The sound of a man who had seen too much.
“There are so many of them…. So many people just trying to get home, refugees, international travelers, our own citizens getting the cheap seats home. All of them gunned down once we cleared the breach and the Minevans deactivated the weapon.”
“It is alright now… What is your platoons status over?”
“Half are dead, another quarter with mild injury, only 10 or so of the bots are still working…. The H-I hostiles on the bridge surrendered, even that ugly Dreft fucker, he’s a real piece of work. We’re taking them to the cargo bay now… Barret got real messed up from that device, he went in alone to disarm it, he is living but psionic matters are outside my understanding. Aimans still up here with us escorting them”
“There’s a relief team coming in, 500 strong, to clean up the resistance and do any rescue they can… Only their leader matters, reinforcements will be getting here in 10 minutes. You know what must be done, only their ‘leader’ and our guys are coming off that ship. Smoke the rest.”
Valerius cut the comms and looked down on the crew staring up in silence at what was said here and now. Everyone had heard, and had sort of expected it. One could only assume what rampant gunfire and heavy tranquilizers were used to make it quick.
“This conversation never happened and you heard nothing. Do you understand?”
Nods were made in agreement before Valerius switched back on the flight recorder, a discrepancy that hopefully will go on for a while before its properly noticed.
One of the first blatant attacks on Hilid had been stopped, yet it was no victory. There would be a search for answers. A change in the violent winds was coming to the galaxy, and the last days of autumn before the long winter of a coming war were being felt, the first frost of a long cold.
Three days later.
Everything was still on lockdown in Kepler territory, nothing was going in or out, the grim visage of the bloodied freighter was being fully locked into the skeletonized wrecking rig and was slowly burning out of the system to the asteroid field, a final resting place for research later on in life. But for now, it was a time of shock and mourning, over 15,000 had died in less than a span of two hours. An eerie silence permeated the Hilidian ring station, the only activity being the constant influx of transport shuttles from the wreck on its long journey bringing back filled coffins and the occasional flight of survivors, yet they were lesser than the body transports.
Barret had been moved to the temporary care ward of the hospital on the Hilidian ring, most of the minor physical injuries had been mended and on the way to a speedy recovery, the psionic side of things however was out of their control, it was stable yet there was no available knowledge or doctors who knew how to handle such a thing on the station. Ellie was sitting in a chair waiting for him to wake up, watching a small portable projector with the Killian Independent broadcasting on low volume.
“...... The perpetrator of the attacks, Havoth Jaros, was captured during the boarding action that left thousands dead by his soldiers' hands. He is known to be an active member in the political sphere of the Imperium…… Council Chairman Andrev Balinsti’s memo two days ago states that there will be no extradition of him back to the High Imperium, and that he is being kept in a secure facility awaiting trial….”
“Seems like we didn’t all die.” Barret said as he came from a nap.
“Not all of us at least, disarming the device that the Imperial roach tried to set off did a number on you… A bit beyond what we can do here with what we have. One of your people are being brought in off world.” Valerius replied back, she was wearing normal plainclothes, not a sight of any uniform or hint of being on duty.
“This will not be the end of it. Where’s Aiman?” He scooted up in his bed to sit up properly and looked at one of the wires feeding into his arm.
“Still in the process of debriefing and all of that fun jazz… I feel like this is only the beginning of something I can’t finish”
She looked back over at the projector and the live feed of the wrecker pulling the freighter out into the abyss. The pictures of body bags lined up in the hundreds, mass graves being dug into the landscape of Hilid for those unidentifiable bodies. It sent a shiver down her spine and she turned it off
“Why aren’t you there?... Everyone on Hilid and your people are safe. You did the right thing.” Barret tried to show compassion and help, this was a very clear hard week for everyone. From the people who had to do the dirty work up close and those who had to stomach the orders that needed to be given.
“I am no longer a part of the Aespa Ohkyran, I took a permanent leave of absence yesterday… All of this just needs to end.”
She paused and looked back at where the projector was formerly sending up the news broadcast.
“That Imperial won’t be alive by the end of this month, by then I can rest easy.”