The Interlopers

Humanity. The hot shit of the galaxy, or so we thought. We were a warrior race, always fighting, always killing. We had some pretty high tech stuff: giant ships that could link two stars gravitational fields to create channels for FTL travel, the ability to terraform habitable planets, colonize star systems, store and transfer terabytes of data with devices that fit in our palms and develop Virtual Intelligences that were almost human like.

But you know how we killed each other still? We launched chunks of metal at high velocities. And we were damned good at it. And I was one of the best, a Ranger. A guerrilla hit-and-run demon. Masters of disappearing after fucking shit up.

I wish we could've said the same about our Naval Corps. Dont get me wrong, we thought they were hot shit too. Especially the Marines, crazy bastards with big brass balls that would have the Navy launch them from orbit to establish a planetary beachhead. But the Navy realized they were a small fish in a REALLY big pond during the Contact War.

Let me give you a brief history of the Contact War: humanity thinks it's all alone in the galaxy, a small Periphery planet has a small Army Guard and Naval Reserve force garrisoning it, the planet is relatively low on the totem pole of importance since it's a low population agricultural planet. Some alien force calling themselves the Conglomerate shows up with tech about 150 years more advanced than us and rocks the few Naval vessels in orbit in mere minutes, makes planetfall and chases the Guard elements out of their facilities, and occupies the cities.

Well, the 1-302 Rangers didn't like that too much. So upon realization it'd take a good, long minute for the rest of the Republic to realize what was going on, the Rangers began doing what they do best: sneaking in, killing a bunch of bastards, tearing shit up, then leaving as suddenly as showing up.

The aliens didn't know how to handle that apparently as the rest of the Conglomerate decided to call a truce and begin peace negotiations. The Contact War was a "mistake" as the race of Aurelians the Conglomerate's self appointed enforcers, "jumped the gun," as they said. Well, we figured out the Conglomerate's military has sweet tech and archaic tactics such as having a FLOT and utilizing massive units. Whereas our military utilized primitive tech (hell, we still used gunpowder for everything) but cutting edge tactics, like taking out logistical targets and letting the combat units starve, dehydrate, and run out munitions before dropping the hammer on them. So in agreement, we got the Conglomerate Security Forces up to speed for some sweet tech. All in all, a fair trade. We got better ship tech like magnetically accelerated cannons, true Artificial Intelligence, some crazy translation software, and energy shielding as well the little convenient items that jumped our military ahead 50 years, such as optical and cochlear implants. The Dresari took to our methods like stink to fecal matter, and the Kruzans integrated some units with those tactics, and the Aurelians thought our war fighting method was dishonorable. However, I've learned that honor does the dead nothing.

Again, humanity thought it was hot shit, especially during the Colonial Insurrection. Rebel forces using older tech were swamped, with the main portion of fighting beginning and ending in 2248 and all hostilities ceasing with the Colonial Treatise of 2251. All in all, humanity was chugging along pretty well.

Then in 2254, we lost contact with Eisenwuld. An entire military garrison of close to three million troops wiped out entirely. The 3rd Battlegroup stationed there lost all five dreadnoughts and over fifty smaller vessels, the 5th Battlegroup sent to reinforce lost three of theirs and took 70% materiel losses and 35% personnel losses. Only one week of fighting and the unknown force took the planet with only small pockets of resistance futilely holding on for Dustoff, it took the 5th BG two weeks to arrive in system for Dustoff. By then the Army only had 29,000 personnel to evacuate. Most of the units were 100% losses as they sacrificed themselves to evacuate civilians. After the Fall of the Iron World, 13 million civilians and a total of 148,000 military personnel escaped the wrath of the Coventry out 57 million inhabiting the planet.

I was 19, fresh out of Basic Soldier Training and Advanced Military Occupational Training, and I still vividly remember everything. I was Airborne Artillery, a Gun Bunny. We tried to provide fires but were overwhelmed and forced to abandon our guns. We linked up with, correction, saved by the 34th Marine Lightning Infantry. And we headed to the city Littzenpanner to help the 2-501st and 1-103rd Rangers evac civilians. As we dusted off the last civilian, they opted to stay behind and cover the remaining 2-114FA and 34th MLI retreat.

That was their last heroic act as the Coventry eventually just glassed the majority of the planet a few weeks later.

It's now 2260, humanity has lost 22 worlds and roughly 12 billion lives. The Conglomerate refuses to come to our aid with anything more supplies for relief efforts. And I'm no longer a fresh faced Private in an artillery section. I've since fought in dozens of battles. I'm now an NCO of the venerable and infamous Rangers. The Notziy Achat (the 'feathered ones') call us "Spectres," the Urchins call us "Demons," and the Jormungandri call us "Death's Touch." We are A Co 3-503rd Rangers, the Interlopers.

I am part of humanity's hope in this dark time, a beacon of courage and character. The War of the Tears, a vicious Jihad committed by a hierarchical group of alien religious zealots. We are their infidels, demons of their gods, an affront to their very existence. And they mean to wipe us from the history books in the name of their gods, the Precursors.

I am Sergeant Dietrich Steiner and this is my story.

Author's Note

Yep, first story. Been working on creating a universe out of boredom. I'm used to writing technical papers (which are boring and dry) so I'm trying to learn to write more fluidly. Also had a long series of dreams for 2 weeks while on leave, so I'm attempting to convert these dreams to writing. As well as fleshing out the base universe for this spawn of Satan story.

If you care, head here for the Tears of the Republic:
http://johanssenjr.deviantart.com/gallery/47310068

Special shout out to Maromar for cleaning up my mess of a story!