Fallen Stars

Chapter 4: Chain reactions.

Darkness...Sirens...Static and a freezing, searing cold surrounding me...Not a great way to wake up from cryosleep.

“C-C-C-CoooOOoorrpppp---Edw...Yle.Y-Y-Y-YOOOOO…Des-s-tinn-nn-aation...WARNI-I-I-I:...M-Multiple hull fract-...Live support...Power rapidly-seek technical and...Immediately!” A loud, cracked and distorted voice blared at me before suddenly dying as the hatch on the front of my pod slowly, loudly and violently snapped open and off onto the floor with a dramatically loud clang. Aside from a loud, grating sound similar to crunching metal and a giant plume of dust nothing else was moving or making a sound.

“Gah...W-What happened?” I asked myself as I slowly regained control of my shaking body and scanned the dark, barely lit room. There was nothing in here. The other pods were broken, decaying or missing, evident from the large chunks of metal and circuitry lying limp on the floor. The door to the room was barely open allowing, a sliver of silver, faded light to seep in. As I fell out of the pod and onto the floor with a loud outcry of agony next to my pod’s door I realized something was horribly wrong. I’d need more than a technician to fix this mess. As I rose to my ungainly feet I feverishly checked the pods next to me.

“God...No, no, no, no, no! Please god no!” I shouted out in despair, pain and anguish overpowering my confusing and delirium. In the heavily damaged and dimly lit cryostasis pod rested a beautiful, sleeping woman with perfect hair and features...She was the love of my life, but as I whipped the dust off of the small electronic panel my fears where confirmed.

‘Sierra Doyle, 27, spouse of Edwin Doyle, current status: deceased. WARNING: power loss imminent.’ (What the fuck is this,Fallout 4?)

I could barely move, think or speak. Shock and misery overpowered my sense and I just...collapsed and fell onto the broken pod behind me, my body feeling like it was going numb. Nothing was right...This was meant to be a new life, a new start away from the war. Away from everything, away from all this. How did it all go so horribly wrong...I don’t know how long I sat there in disarray, my eyes bloodshot and tears staining my plain white singlet, but I tried desperately to stand up and continue on. I couldn’t give up here, surrounded by dust, debris and darkness. I stood up, walked back to her pod and searched for the emergency release latch. It was designed to snap off the pods door but could harm or cause the people inside to go brain dead, but clearly neither were an issue anymore. After finding the rusted, fire red handle I pulled it out shakingly and stepped back as the pod door detached itself and fell to the floor like my own. With quivering hands, I caught her body and softly rested her on the floor. Her body was cold to the touch, covered in small ice crystals, and lifeless, but her crimson hair, delicate features and cheerful smile seemed all too real and alive. I tried so hard to take off the golden, ruby encrusted ring I gave her and eventually it came off but it felt almost wrong to change her appearance in anyway, and my stomach churned nauseatingly.

“I’m so sorry...God, it should’ve been me…” I lamented as I cradled her pale body and weeped. I couldn’t leave her here, not like this, but I still had no idea where I was and as much as it pained me to leave her behind even temporarily. With equal amounts of hesitation and regret I softly rested her on the floor with her hands resting on her body. I was going to come back for her, I refused to let her rot away on a dust covered grated floor in nothing but a singlet and underwear. Looking around, I could confirm that every other pod in the room was either destroyed somehow, abandoned or had brain dead crew members inside...With a sense of relief and dread I saw my son’s was empty. It was the only other pod that was both open and not in a state of disrepair. Slowly, I walked up to it and examined its panel.

‘Charlie Doyle, 12, son of Edwin and Sierra Doyle, current status: Awoken.’

If he had awakened before me, where was he? His pod was empty and from the looks of the small room no one had been here for years...

I couldn’t stand in the dark and wait for answers to come to me, so I walked over to the busted door and slowly forced it all the way open and flooded the room with light, making me shield my eyes to let them adjust. The hallway outside the room was barely brighter than the one I woke up in but it was something. The once pale white panels and blue doors were either stained and rusted or had fallen off and exposed the rooms and wiring behind them. As I walked down the long corridor, stepping over any debris I can upon, I looked into every room and noticed they were all empty and all pitch black. There was no noise sans my own footsteps and breathing, even the seemingly ever present hum of the reactor and engine was silent. The silence rang in my ears. As I walked forward I came across a corridor intersection. Behind me were the various rooms for multiple purposes and the cryostasis chamber, in front of me rested the bridge behind a sealed door, to my left an open door leading into the decontamination chamber and beyond that...I had no clue. What had once been the hallway to the kitchen and below the engine room was collapsed and full of jagged rubble, loose wiring and...What looked like a crushed skeleton with scraps of clothing left on it. With nowhere else to go I walked up to the bridge door and was happy, if surprised, when the door opened when I approached it.

Like the rest of the ship, the bridge was empty. The once cramped cockpit and control room of the ship, barely able to seat four people, had a single skeleton in the pilot’s seat...Along with a dust coated laser rifle in it’s skeletal hands. The dashboard was layered with dust and completely dead...Aside from a single flashing light next to a small digital panel that said ‘three incoming transmissions from: Earth command center.’ With nothing else to do, I sat down in the chair behind the pilot’s, wiped the dust off and pressed play all.

“This is General Adam Summers to the crew of the U.S.A.F Second Sun congratulating you on your brave and daring mission; if I’m unlucky then you’ve all probably gone into cryostasis for the long journey ahead of you and if that’s the case then it’ll be a long time before you hear this. The war is going well back on the homefront, the so called ‘Royal Trade Armada’ has been sieging a few colonies on Mars and her moons but they can’t go anywhere near Earth, not while Luna base still stands. Don’t worry, when you wake up there’ll still be a world and a home standing behind you waiting for you to either make contact or for us to send in some new colonists. We all wish you and your families a safe and fast journey, eh at least you’ll be able to sleep through the war while we’re stuck doing all the hard work. General Adam Summers ending transmission, log date: October, 28, 2257.” The distorted and cracked voice said finally. With a sigh, I hoped they’d send help or more colonists to wherever we are. I prayed that I wasn’t stranded in deep space and listened as the next message played.

“This is General Adam Summers to the U.S.A.F Second Sun, protocol Black Dwarf; I repeat, protocol Black Dwarf is in effect! The Trade Armada somehow bypassed the Luna base and it’s defenses and have attacked America directly! As I speak I can hear their constant bombardments. Washington is gone and everywhere between Maine to Alabama has fallen, most of the East Coast is either under siege or has been captured or scorched. We’ve received no word as to the current state of our colonies or our allies planetside but we imagine it’s the same overseas as it is here. We’re fighting off these traitors as best we can but for now radio silence is in effect, until we broadcast the all clear you’re not to contact us or any colonies and ships located within the solar system or it’s surrounding colonies. Don’t worry, we’ll beat these bastards off our world and take their flagship down; you’ve still got a planet waiting for you. General Adam Summers ending transmission, log date: February, 4, 2258.” The message ended in a tired and worried tone. The idea that my home world and my country was under attack was terrifying and a pit of fear opened up in my stomach, I hoped that the next and final message was an all-clear and a notice that the war was over…

“This is the Archduke Vladimir Zigfried of the Royal Trade Armada to the unknown crew of the Second Sun, Earth has fallen under the Empire’s jurisdiction and the United States of America has been annexed completely; your country and her leaders are no more. If you do not transmit your location and your destination to us we will register you and your crew as hostile holdouts of the American military and fire on sight but if you agree to cooperate and join us peacefully we will send trade ships and supplies to your fledgling outpost or ship. You’ve been granted an offering of peace and a place among the Imperial colonies, I’d suggest you strongly consider your options. Archduke Zigfried ending transmission, log date: September, 13, 2258.”

So that was it, Earth was now in their hands and the chain of command was gone. There’s no one coming to help me and since the ship looks beyond repairable I doubted I’d even be able to communicate with them or send out an S.O.S…

There was nothing left to go home to. Earth, Sierra, Charlie...All gone. No, Charlie had to be still out there, his pod was empty so that means he had to still be around...Wherever I am. Barely able to walk straight, I stood up and walked towards the decontamination chamber. Before I walked into the padded, secured room I walked up to a small doorway near the doorway and inputted the ship’s storage room password and stepped inside. The room was mostly untouched despite the layers of dust over seemingly everything. The room was one of many near the exit of the small ship and as such it didn’t take me long to find my family’s lockbox. The small vault was quickly losing power and as such I didn’t waste time to input the small 4 digit password and opened it up. The inside of the box was full of personal momentos, clothing, charlie’s toys and my old equipment. I slowly and carefully pulled out all of the safe's contents. A small photo of all three of us and the dog we had to leave behind, hopefully Jack found him a new owner...Hopefully Jack was still alive. A few of Charlie’s old toys he couldn’t live without, I figured he’d want them back when I found them so I pulled a large backpack out of the preserved and completely sealed vault and placed his toy cars, baseball, plastic dinosaurs and the handheld console thing he kept playing...Before I seized up in memory, I pushed the thoughts out of my mind and placed the toys carefully at the bottom of the bag. I pulled out my wife’s old golden necklace...She wouldn’t need it anymore and she wouldn’t want it rusting on an abandoned ship so I delicately placed the small chain necklace around my neck and placed her ring on it like a pendent, keeping it above my collarbone. The rest of it was mostly Sierra’s and Charlie’s sentimental mementos, they weren’t really noteworthy but they meant something to them and that was good enough of a reason for me to save them for both of their sakes. All of the smaller, personal items were gone and all that was left were my old armour supplies the higher ups allowed me to bring.

I grasped my brown and green military fatigues, complete with grey polymer and kevlar armour strapped on and placed over the arms, legs and chest like plates of armour. The helmet was still intact and although the batteries were dead, rendering the flashlight strapped to the side of it redundant, it would still save me from falling debris or a bullet if the Trade Armada came for me and this pile of nothing. The fatigues fit snugly yet didn’t weigh me down or make me feel warm or uncomfortable. My old military boots were still in tip-top shape thanks to the airtight and shock proof lockbox. I quickly pulled out my leather utility belt containing multiple pouches for supplies and tools. The tools would need inspection for slight damage but they were still mostly usable. Aside from my old clothes, helmet, utility belt and boots my rifle also rested inside.

‘Ol Reliable was a standard issue serviceman rifle capable of long ranged combat and accuracy while also offering little recoil thanks to its utilization of the relatively old laser weapon systems. The frame of the gun was made of grey metal making it a decent club when it was out of juice, but the boxy barrel, capacitors and focussing lens at the end of the long barrel were dark green and dull yellow. The capacitor was overcharged causing it to do greater damage and burn through layers of armour by consuming more energy, the stock was padded and thick causing it to absorb most of the recoil and making it measurably easier to fire. The small, 1x scope at the top of the gun was still intact despite a small dent in the side of its metal frame. I grabbed the rifle and placed it on my shoulder using the leather strap connected to its stock and the underside of the barrel. The A9 rifle was considered the standard of the US army and it was built to last on any front line or frontier.

I pocketed the multiple spare capacitors and estimated they would give me about 360 shots before I’d have to find someway to recharge them. Along with the rifle I’d also packed a standard, if antiquated, wrist mounted personal computer that most people simply called a WMPDA. It was bulky, weighed my hand down slightly and could break a jawbone or two if I’d hit someone with it but it allowed me to check my vitals, time of day and so much more. I couldn’t live without it...And it was dead. Thankfully it was solar powered and hopefully we’d crash landed on an alien world and not a rock in outer space. With nothing else to stand between me leaving, I quickly walked outside and into the decontamination room. The circular, padded room was in rough shape but still did its job. All of the ‘walker’ suits, oxygen tanks and rebreathers were gone so I hoped to God the air was breathable. As I approached the exit of the ship I was incredibly relieved when I saw the small, barely lit panel was still powered and showed me that the air outside was breathable and the door still had power. Pressing the panel, I stepped back and watched the door ascend slowly. I tried to keep my breathing even as I watched sunlight shine in.

The outside world was...Stunning. Our ship, The ‘U.S.A.F Second Sun’, had crash landed in a small clearing in what looked like the outskirts of a massive forest. The trees were dark purple and the leaves a almost blueish shade, the sky was so familiar yet completely alien, the mountains that bordered the forest and went on far behind me seemed to pierce the sky and the ground felt so...Normal. Everything felt normal, not at all like the alien world so many of us had imagined and dreamed of conquering in the name of our old, fallen country. Everything seemed so familiar yet everything was radically different. As I scanned the forest I saw something that would’ve caused even the most hardened soldier to step back in shock and fear, a gigantic, heavily armed and armoured Royal Trade Ship unlike anything the United States, nay, no country or colony could’ve built. Despite being further on the horizon and entrenched in a bold forest that looked ready to swallow it up I could clearly see it in the morning light.

“W-What the fuck…” I muttered in alarm and fear. Nothing I’d ever seen could have amounted to this...Behemoth.The thing was easily ten times bigger than the our greatest destroyer. the weapons I could make out were years ahead of anything I’d seen before and glowed intensely. The ship must have crashlanded because there was no way in Styx they could make it land and take off without some kind of assistance. On the side of the ship in big, bold white lettering was the name of the ship ‘The R.A.D.C Southern Cross’ in English, what I assumed to be Chinese, what looked like binary code and some strange, tribal looking symbols and runes. Along with the name there was a large emblem of a large raven bearing a sword and scroll in set in front of a kite shield with a line of latin writing beneath it. Neither of these things seemed standard for the Royal Trade Armada, but then again nothing about that day had been standard. Tearing my eyes away from the colossal ship I examined my own ship and I was perplexed once more as I examined the outside of the broken ship. The inside might’ve been falling apart, but the outside had been ensnared by nature. Panels of metal were thickly covered in moss and blooming wildlife, the reinforced windows were covered by wood and some strange, blue weeds and the ship's name was beyond recognition. Either the planet’s vegetation grew at an alarming rate or I’d been asleep for much, much longer than I’d previously thought.

With nothing else to do and with no direction I checked the floor for track or a faded trail and, just as I was hoping, there was an old, imprinted track of what looked like footsteps and...Hooves? They weren’t natural horse tracks, they were far too small and different, much more rounded, but it was the closest I could compare it too. The tracks led into the surrounding foliage; I turned my rifle on, steadied my breathing and walked into the otherworldly forest, towards the enemy ship, in pursuit of what was left of my broken life.

I’m coming, Son, don’t you worry…

Hidden by layers of dense plant life, mud and other bits of woodland scenery, four sets of slitted eyes peered deep into the overgrown foliage, closely observing the approaching figures. The deafening roars that awoke the slumbering hive angered the Queen immensely and she demanded whom or whatever caused it to answer for their threat and possible damage to the fledgling community. They may’ve been smaller and malnourished compared to the others but this particular hive were renowned for their skill in reconnaissance and stealth. And so, they and dozens more were sent out well equipped and fed to seek out whatever caused such sonorous noises, and it didn’t take them long to find the great...Metal hive that had seemingly appeared along with its massive glowing walls. The thing towered above the trees and animals below it and if the reports from the other packs were accurate then it was also capable of destroying dragons, the bane of all unaware or new hives.

Most of the packs were now observing the hive from great distances and studying the bizarre and diverse beings that emerged from within, many were pale or fleshy creatures with strange metallic limbs or features but there were also walking trees and impressive, non-organic creatures that acted similarly to the ‘carriages’ the Equestrians loved so much. They were so alien and unnatural yet familiar and unique, when the Queen heard this she became deeply intrigued and amused; she demanded an audience with their Queen and as such had sent them to find out what their Queen looked like and if it would be possible to commune with her. As one might expect, the eyes wouldn’t be able to go within their hive, but reports from other packs suggested a small band of these interlopers were travelling into the nearby marshlands and they weren’t wrong.

“They look so shiny…” One of the eyes clicked, it's impressed tone echoing through their collective thoughts. There were a few large, metal creatures adorned in camouflage that poorly disguised them, some of the walking trees, a drone that looked like an amalgamation of flesh and metal and two larger, brawnier metal drones. One had layers of chitin and plates covering it and the other looked a lot more exposed and protected at the same time. The figues had been trailing these drones for about half an hour but this was the closest they'd gotten to them without them somehow sensing them.

“They seem formidable.” Another one hissed in suspicion and concern. They'd witnessed the aftermath of the dragon attack. And the figures knew full well the dangers posed by attacking it...they needed to wait for a chance to approach them.

“We much keep watching them, these drones are quite peculiar.” One set ordered as they slowly crept along the marsh floor, far behind them but close enough to see them growing more and more alert to something.

“Be advised: We are being followed.” 366 repeated around 30 seconds after a previous warning, quickly irritating the other members of the small party. With the Chemtrail rifle in it’s hands readily heated, every now and then a leaf or two from the surrounding foliage would onto the top of the rifle where it would promptly be either instantly seared black on one side, or almost completely disintegrate, both leaving a small plume of smoke to curl upwards from the point of contact.

“We know Robo, you’ve told us multiple times.” John mumbled in annoyance as he checked over his shoulders and clearly saw....Something morph into the fog covered landscape.

“Our route is unnecessarily tedious, we could’ve simply carved a way through the swamps.” Deckard suggested, bored and quickly growing agitated by the large and peculiar bugs that had taken a liking to his exposed face.

“The Imperium’s colonial code clearly states we’re not to disrupt the native ecosystem unless we have to or it’s for the betterment of the Empire, so no we’re not aiming your cannon at the treeline so your feet don’t bilster.” Xexes reminded as he checked to make sure he was topped off on rounds.

“Okay for one, I don’t have feet that blister anymore, they’re cybernetic, and two, a team of shock troopers were shot down near here; if that isn’t dire enough then I do not know what is.” Deckard countered as he scanned the shallow swamp near the tiny group and became increasingly suspicious of a black lump in the water.

“It’s a Griffon VTOL, they’re built to withstand crashes like that and lock up to prevent injury to the occupants; if we burnt our way through the woods we’d only make the situation worse.” John stubbornly retorted, hiding his worrying thoughts.

“Be advised: We are bei-”

“We know 366, please stop-”

“Be advised: Persistent, unknown entities are observing us…” 366 dryly continued, cutting off the Machina medic. “Recommend immediate offensive action.” It continued as the scouting party faced where the unit had highlighted on the group’s collective map using its sensors. Just as soon as they turned to the marker the pale green eyes blinked out of existence without a sound or a single leaf rustled.

“What the Styx…” A female Hybrid muttered curiously as they turned back to the trail and kept walking while 366 would silently point out any anomalies only for them to vanish instantly.

“I suggest we grab the Commander and get the fuck out of here, the less time we have to spend in these damn swamps the better.” The medic stated as they closed in on the crashed VTOL.

“Well put.” Deckard simply said in response, barely paying attention to him as he begrudgingly stepped into the murky, green and brown water of the swamp and waded through the thick water. A few dozen yards ahead, illuminated by a massive ray of light piercing through the treetops, rested the smashed up craft; smoke billowed from the damaged engines and the panels and windows were sealed tight. It’d swerved through the branches and leaves and had crashed into the center of a mostly shallow bog and aside from the occasional splash of something crawling out of the murky waters or the sound of something snapping down on a bug or technicolored fish it was mostly silent as the band approached.

“Robocop, keep an eye out.” Xexes ordered as Deckard approached the side of the VTOL with a large plasma cutter in hand.

“Affirmative.” It agreed as it turned around and raised its rifle, scanning the large bog keenly while the various Hybrid and Machina crew aided in removing the emergency panels.

“...Something’s approaching fast!” John alerted rhetorically as a rhythmic pounding drew closer and closer, the team reeling and readying their weapons.

“Empress damn it! Not again.” A Hybrid cursed as he pulled out his plasma rifle and searched for the sound of the noise.

“Alert: Unknown entity within 30 yards of-” 366’s notification was cut off by the sound of what sounded like lasers discharging and a primal wolf cry.

“What the Styx? We should be the only soldiers out here!” the field medic said with a confused tone as Deckard continued his work of cutting a hole into the ship.

“Keep your guard up, that thing is still approaching.” Xexes ordered as everyone took cover behind either the downed craft or a rock protruding from the water.

After a series of roars, laser fire and what sounded like bugs flying away the giant wolf monster from before burst into the marsh; it seemed to be in distress as four large, chitin plated and...laser firing bug things swooped it while staying away from its massive claws.

“What are those!?” A Hybrid scout asked in alarm as she aimed for the wolf and fired.

“Don’t know, don’t care; if they’re pissed at the beast then I guess they’re on our side for now!” The heavy assault trooper rationalized as he laid suppressive fire on the beast causing it to stumble into laser and plasma fire that quickly scorched or melted its wooden body.

“Operative: Deckard, status update?” 366 inquired as it quickly calculated a pin-point strike and tore a hole through the left shoulder of the monster using it’s high powered rifle; the beast stumbled over allowing two of the newly discovered natives to fire two small beams of energy into its right eye, blinding the frenzied wolf.

“Almost ther-” The augmented engineer was interrupted by the panel sliding off and revealing the inside of the small VTOL. The crew seemed mostly conscious, there were one or two shock troopers that must’ve hit their head on something but aside from minor injuries and damage to their armour they were fine. Upon opening the impromptu door a scuffed up and bleeding Commander and pilot stumble out, gun in hand and more than a little dizzy.

“About time you lot showed up, Command said you guys were coming but they didn’t mention you were dragging your damn feet.” Sam complained as she leveled her sidearm, an automatic plasma pistol with an extended barrel and magazine, at the roaring primitive and opened fire.

“We came as fast as we could Sam!” John yelled over his continuous fire, his mask hiding his cheerful expression at seeing his friend by his side.

“Do better next time trooper.” Daniel simply said as he crouched down behind a log, levelled his rifle and firing controlled bursts that ignited wooden lumps periodically. As the rescue team continued their attack, more and more Shock Troopers filled out of the crashed craft and took up position anywhere they could; the small pieces of land around the craft or any loose piece of cover were quickly taken as the marsh was filled with smoke, laser ignited fires and thunderous noise while the four, strange oversized bug things disengaged the monster as it roared and charged the band of soldiers.

“Rogers, light it up!” Commander Grayson ordered as a heavily armoured, pack mule of a soldier ran to the front of the firing line, grabbed the massive, white and black missle launcher off his pack and slung it on his burly shoulder.

The powerful launcher was almost a perfect cylinder with a large trigger and handle at the front and a padded rest for the user’s shoulder, a square, holographic screen extended from the side of the tube and was positioned in front of the user’s left eye, it was used to lock onto a target of some kind and alert the user of anything ranging from an ammo count or malfunctions with the weapon. The weapons exterior had a large vent at the back and along the left side of the launcher to expel excess heat after firing a missile. Atop the missile, a large port for feeding the instrument various missiles, which Rogers quickly shoved a large, silver rocket propelled cluster bomb into.

“Locked on…” He simply stated as he aimed for the left front leg, hoping that one good shot to the heavily damaged limb would either kill or incapacitate it. As he braced himself, he pulled down on the trigger and let loose a massive missile at the monster rapidly approaching the platoon. Due to the intense, continued barrage aimed at it’s head from the gathered soldiers it was unable to see the burning missile. Right before it impacted with the smashed limb, the missile split off into multiple smaller pieces and devastated the blistered appendage; the wolf yelped in agony as it smashed into the bog, unable to stay upright with only three legs. The missing leg was split apart instantly, green gooey blood and viscera flew all over the marsh, large chunks of wooden flesh crashed into the treeline and blood spraying out of it’s veins rapidly congealed and attempted to stem the loss of blood.

“Cease fire, cease fire!” The Commander ordered as everyone halted and began reloading. “The scientists will no doubt want a living specimen to study and I think this is as lively as it’s going to get.” He continued as he looked around the marsh for any sight of the strange bugs from before but found nothing.

“Heh, hell of a day huh?” Sam asked John as she sat down and rested on a tree stump as her buddy replaced his box magazine.

“Starting to feel like home. Are you alright? That was a Styx of a fall.” John asked, his voice a mixture of concern and excitement from the recent firefight.

“I’m fine, just a few scrapes and bruises.” She replied with a smile as she pulled a cigarette out of the pack hidden in her pocket. “Fuck, I really liked that Griffon...So how’re we getting back to the ship? Seems like a hell of a hike back to base.” She inquired as Deckard examined the clearing.

“They said they couldn’t land because of the foliage, so we simply need to clear them a landing zone big enough for multiple Griffons and something to transport that wooden abomination.” the engineer answered as he began charging his force cannon.

“Hm, seems reasonable enough. Alright boys, no rest for the wicked, we gotta clear some of these trees so Command can send in an evac. If you can still walk or don’t have a concussion then you’re helping.” Grayson ordered as he began sizing up trees either small enough for his axe or big enough for his rifle.

“New operation sub-parameters accepted.” 366 announced as it walked into the small wreckage of the Griffon and searched for the few survival kits included within many of them. It didn’t take it long for it to find the protected kits and began searching for the necessary tool within; it was rare for a crew member or expedition team to be stranded planetside but when they were they were given all the tools necessary to survive long enough for someone to find them, and an ax capable of chopping down trees was tantamount to surviving for long periods of time. 366 barely registered the small, barely big enough, red ax as it stepped outside and joined the crew members chopping down trees while the recovered crew members either rested or joined in.

As the small platoon of tired and injured soldiers got to work four set of slitted eyes watched them from afar, greatly enthralled.

“My lord, progress is moving swiftly along and I suspect we will have a proper perimeter established before nightfall.” My uptight and kind of annoying Guard Captain informed me with a salute as he looked down at me. The older, wiser, and rather threatening man stood a foot taller than me but in his armour that number rose to almost two. Like all of the Royal Guards his armour was heavily built, durable and opulent but he radiated a sense of stoic strength and order that reflected on those around him.

The noticeable differences between the Captain and his acolytes, aside from extensive training and a much more empowering presence, was his armour and weapons. His armour was layered in thick and reinforced silver plates capable of deflecting almost all projectiles and melee weaponry aside from super heated plasma and artillery. Sapphire veins ran through the chest plates and added a regal flair to the already fantastic armour. His pauldrons were bigger and seemed capable of acting as a small shield if held. His right pauldron proudly displayed the Alexard family crest, a roaring manticore set in front of a kite shield. The other one was chained to his armour and had various inscriptions etched into its surface. Along with the etchings, a large, royal blue cape cascaded downwards behind him that connected to the back of the shoulder and covered parts of the plating. The ends of the cape were singed from laser fire but still seemed flawless in their ripped ends. In his left hand he gripped the large, iconic tower shield the guards were known for wielding and in the other he grasped his plasma lance. On his back rested the powerful, and extensively modified, handheld Gauss Rifle. It was an ugly weapon compared to the gleaming and plated weaponry the Guards were known for but the effects of a single .45 ACP round was incredible as it often pierced armour and ripped through flesh. He’d switched out the ammo type from the stock standard 2mm rounds because he recognized the added armour piercing potential and saw the added maintenance required as a bonus. The bulky, dark grey metal was dull and lifeless compared to the armour of the Guard Captain and the wooden stock and handle seemed almost archaic for a Imperial weapon but he prefered the rustic look. The main drawback of the weapon was its open nature with a vented barrel atop the many capacitors and electronic parts to properly propel the ammunition. He also carried around a few spare energy cells which were usable both for his energy consuming rifle and the electronic parts of his layered, heavily polished and opulent armour.

For some reason he’d forgone wearing his helmet as he inspected the crowd of confused and excited colonists piling out of the ship in large, neat lines. His short, clean cut light brown hair blew gently in the wind and he squinted his stone coloured eyes slightly as he watched on. His sturdy, muscular features were a testament to his endurance and physique and the small scars along his bottom lip and nose combined with the shadows casted by his harsh brow made him all the more intimidating.

“Finally, some good news. Thank you Captain Lock.” I said with a small smile as I straightened my uniform and put my cap on as the grav lift hit the ground with a soft thud. The grass underneath my shoes was lush green and wild and stood defiant of the approaching masses; the land was rough and wild and we were perhaps the first to ever walk on the land. This truly was the frontier colonists dream of.

“The reports are coming in from the Scouting party and rescue team. The scouting party is being airlifted out as we speak with the wrecked Hydra in tow and the rescue team is clearing a landing zone for the downed Griffon.” Lock reported as stiff and calm as always, his commanding and booming voice demanding attention.

“Wonderful, have the Hydreas responsible for checking the perimeter and setting up the walls reported anything strange?” I asked as I looked back at him before turning my attention back to the rolling fields of grass before me and the trees further away.

“No my lord, aside from detecting small creatures burrowed underground and animals running along the treeline nothing out of order or undesired.” He continued as I approached the gathering colonists, all of them lugging their bags, supplies, tools and personal effects with their families and friends as well. They were still shocked from the failed terrorist attack but they’d come to start a new life away from the restrictive Armada and crash landing or not they were going to settle down.

As I stood in front of the gathered crowd of thousands with my Guard Captain, Second Officer and a small squad of Guards behind me I addressed the curious audience.

“As we’re all aware, the landing was less than optimal. We were ambushed and set on a collision course with this planet; this didn’t change much in the end. We’re here to colonise this world and if anything the H.U.A made getting down here slightly easier.” I said with a small smile. “This new world is more than just a planet, it embodies what we’re all here for: it’s the future of our families, the future of our empire, the key to understanding more in the universe, a potential goldmine and above all else it’s an opportunity to realize the hopes and dreams of every citizen of the Armada: a new Earth. We may not have been prepared for the crash but when has any colonization gone smoothly? Mars was a potential death sentence, Ferrusola was a toxic world, Styx...Well, we all know about Styx and so many other colonies all had their harsh starts and anomalies. But, we’re not just colonists and we’re not just soldiers: we’re the best of the empire, we’re the smartest citizens the Armada had to offer and we’re the bravest and most daring of the lot! When our children’s children look back on this day they will proudly say that their family was there when the Royal Human Trade Armada founded the greatest hope for Humanity! We won’t back down because the wildlife doesn't like us or the weather is disagreeable, we’re Humans! Well, most of us anyway, and Humanity has never stepped down from an opportunity like this. We will colonize this new world, we will tell the Armada of our success and we will pave the road for the future of Humanity! Long live the empire!” I finished with a triumphant roar as the gathered crowd cheered in applause and began working with the construction workers and soldiers to establish the soon-to-be colony.

“A rousing speech Sir, but ultimately pointless if we don’t begin construction of the colony immediately.” Diane reminded as she began ordering various buildings to be constructed through her PDA and walked off to guide the colonists.

“I thought it was rather patriotic and to the point, my lord.” Lock praised with a faint smile as he and his guards continued to tail me as I began looking around for something to do.

“Well, moral was getting pretty low and I thought a pep talk would help.” I said with a small chuckle as I began to walk up to one of the many Machina construction workers before two figures ran up to me.

“Captain, a word please.” One of the many colonists asked as she approached me. She was...Odd to say the least. She wore a mixture of modern and old attire consisting of a grey vest, white puffy shirt, somewhat baggy pants and a pair of boots. She wore a black bowler hat and seemed like she either walked out of a different era or was some kind of recreationist. She spoke with a faint, Earth accent; it sounded faintly British with an air of poshness and nobility. She had pale skin and calm, greyish blue eyes and was only slightly shorter than myself. Her light brown hair was contained by her hat and overall there was nothing overly remarkable about her appearance, she was a Pureblood Human. Strapped to her hip rested an archaic, primitive black powder revolver from times before space travel was even a dream. Colonial gun laws were strict but due to how outdated and harmless it is to many, it was considered more of a threatening antique then a lethal weapon. She also carried a carbide lantern on her hip for some reason.

“Of course, and you are?” I asked as I held out a hand for her to shake, which she did with vigor.

“Eppie Arrington, a mechanical engineer from Earth.” She answered with a nervous look and a slight studder.

 “Hm, don’t get many of engineers who’re not already a part of the crew on a colonial mission. What’s wrong?” I started to ask as DAYNE, the other person who wanted to bug me, butted in.

“Whatever she has to say can wait Captain, what’s more important here is the fact that the scouting party has found some-” I coughed and gestured towards the colonist, protocol dictated that potentially harmful or sensitive data was to be classified from the colonists until it was deemed harmless enough to not worry about or harmful enough to warrant caution.

“Ah, yes of course my apologies. As I was saying-” It continued with a chipper tune.

“Before you ask, yes you may.” I interrupted and gestured for him to stop talking.

“Wonderful! You have your mother’s appreciation for science you know!” DAYNE said as it cheerfully hugged me in excitement, putting Lock on edge.

“Step away from my lord, Machina.” Lock ordered with a stern tone as he tightened his grasp on his weapons and frowned deeply.

“There’s no harm done, simply showing my appreciation! Anyway, duty calls!” DAYNE declared as he ran off back to the ship, leaving mild confusion in his wake.

“...As I was saying, I’d like to request to be able to oversee the construction of my new home and store.” Eppie propositioned after coughing to get my attention.

“Well, normally you’d have to wait for the construction crews to do their job; why do you think you should be allowed to do something like that?” I asked, confused and surprised.

“Well, as a mechanical engineer my job consists of building, maintaining and theorising new machines and repairing old ones and as such I’ve brought many of my pet projects and pieces with me; how can I trust those workers to not scuff up my precious engines or machines?” She asked getting right to the point.

“Look, everyone’s brought their toys or work with them but they know the crew won’t break them because they’re taught and hammered the point that if they break something it comes out of the Empress’ coffers; if they break something you’ll be compensated.” I informed as began to walk towards some of the aforementioned crew laying out the groundwork for a rather large building.

“Compensate? Some of my engines are centuries old! How can they compensate an old steam engine? O-or a black power weapon?! I simply must make sure they don’t break anything...Sorry, I’m rather attached to them.” She shouted before blushing slightly and apologising when she noticed my irritated look.

“As I said, the compensation will come out of the Empire’s money and we can cover the cost of an archaic steam engine. Sorry, but permission denied.” I finalized as I went back to overseeing the construction of the main colony buildings and generators.

“I understand. Sorry.” She said with a sigh as she walked off, presumably to her soon-to-be home.

“Hm, the colonists seem to be getting a bit more demanding.” Lock stated with an agitated look.

“Can’t blame ‘im, they came here to get away from the Armada...Who they Styx are they?” I asked suspiciously as I looked at the small group of heavily armed colonists.

Standing around and surveying the colony stood three, strange looking colonists in customized armour and utilizing weapons unauthorized for civilian use. They were out of place and clearly not a part of the ship's crew. I nodded slightly to Lock and he and his guards discretely readied their weapons.

“Hey, mind telling us what you’re doing with those weapons? As you know customized, high powered weapons are illegal.” I integrated with a stern look as Lock stood slightly in front of me so his shield could cover me if they opened fire.

“Certainly sir! Victor Isaac Volkov reporting for duty! We were simply waiting for an order or for someone to request aid, sir.” The man in the middle said, his gruff and jovial voice muffled by a black rebreather attached to his helmet. He was lean and tall man who was covered in extensively customized armour that covered most of his body. His tanned face was obscured by a large black helmet, his eyes and nose were visible as his reinforced visor and frame was open and allowed him to breath normally until he deemed it necessary to lower it. The sides of his helm had a torch and sensor built into it and seemed thick enough to stop a few bullets. Around his neck rested a grey scarf that seemed to only act as an added aesthetic. His metallic, thick and painted armour resembled a operatives set of armour but his left arm was significantly protected in comparison; the metallic and augmented arm stuck out from the armour and had added metal plates to act as dermal plating along with the massive pauldron he’d attached onto it.His legs were as equally armoured as his torso and right arm and he was covered head to toe in black, grey and silver metal.

In his hands he held what looked like the base model for a Hybrid weapon called the Black Sun. Utilised only by the Ferrusolian Guard; it was big, long, painted black and dark green and had a large, weighted barrel that allowed for modified slugs to be propelled at high velocity. It was fairly devoid of added features and he utilized the normal iron sights and the standard type of ammunition; noticeable by the glowing magazine sticking out the side of the gun. Used to gun down large game, criminals and light armoured vehicles, it was adored by PMCs and Ferrusolians alike. Attached to his belt were two satchel charges, four HE grenades and a small box containing what I’d recognized as motion sensing, camouflaged trip mines.

“Drop the formalities please, you’re not a member of my crew and you’re no colonists; who are you three and what do you mean waiting for orders?” I questioned, slightly irritated and annoyed.

“You don’t know? Our employer assured us he’d clear up any issues with you, names Aster Lansing by the way.” The second, and youngest, of the three insisted; his jovial and calm voice catching my attention. He was fairly short and I had to look down to look him in the eyes and was rather pale and skinny.

He was a lot more recognizable thanks to his unique but identifiable armour. He wore the standard black and gold armoured jumpsuit of an Imperial Corsair. His smooth and young face was barren of injury and he seemed far too young to be a privateer or any kind. He had a simple and neat black hair cut, cool, crystal blue eyes and a slight smile on his thin lips. His body was encased in a tight fitting, slightly armoured pilot suit. The standard black suit had multiple flexible and lightweight plates and padding around key parts of his body and protected his helmet when not activated. He was thankfully nowhere near as armed as his companion but had a slender and small laser pistol on his hip. The Quasar is a corsair favourite, it’s slick, smooth and compact. The black pistol had a long, see through barrel that when fired, depending on the ammunition used, would change colours. It was reliable, energy efficient and was quick to draw; not as overtly threatening as the Black Sun but nearly as lethal.

“No, I wasn’t informed that there were mercenaries on board my ship. Who authorized this?” I asked, emphasising the my in the sentence, as I looked at my guards.

“Nobleman Woolsworth said he’d need ‘extra muscle’ and help with starting his colony. I’m sorry he didn’t inform you but we were employed to do our job. Oh! I’m Alfred Hutama,” The third and final merc said with a smile.

He looked...Strange. He looked fairly normal and was about average height, only a few inches taller than Aster and about a foot shorter than Victor. He had long, straight white hair that cascaded down his back and the side of his head and had light brown skin; I’d wager he came from a warmer or perhaps a desert planet. It was hard to pinpoint his age but I would’ve guessed he was in his thirties. All of this looked normal enough but the rest of his body was purely machine. His metal  body was mostly black with thin blue lines that start at his shoulders and streak down to his arms and feet. His armoured body was covered in light plates that would deflect or absorb small arms fire but would do nothing against high powered or armour piercing ammo. Around his waist he carries a series of grenades, flashbangs and smoke bombs and if the concealed plates around the top of his wrists were anything to go by his arms hid two short blades. Like all people extensively augmented  he most likely possessed unnatural strength and possibly speed seeing as how aerodynamic and lightweight his body looked. Around the sides of his head rested two large plates that look liked they could lock together to form a mask and quasi-helmet. His feet were weirdly designed and looked more like serrated hands capable of gripping the ground and I had no doubt in my mind he could use them as weapons. I was rather amazed that I could note all this because my mind was filled with murderous thoughts as I thought about how badly I wanted to choke out Pat.

“Check them for permits to carry their weapons and any legal documents that prove what they’re saying…” I said between grinding teeth as my burning golden eyes scanned the colonists for the fat fuck. After failing to find him in punching distance I tapped the com device in my ear and checked my PDA for his number...Only to see he was redirecting all his calls to Heilda. Begrudgingly I called her and hoped she was near him.

“Hello, this is Heidegrade Adoniram; how may I-”

“Why the FUCK did that cunt hire mercenaries?!” I screamed in rage before I could control myself. My guards looked at me funny and the few colonists near me were taken aback.

“Oh, hey Captain. I’d thought he’d told you about the four mercs he’d hired.” She replied after a short pause.

“There’s four of them?...Empress have mercy...Put that bastard on the com please.” I asked, my voice taking on a somewhat more sinister tone towards the end.

“Fine…’ She said finally as there was a faint sound of something unclipping and clipping back on.

“Hey Captain, what’s ‘a matter now?” Pat’s voice ringed in my ear.

“The ‘matter’ Governor, is that there’s four mercenaries running about the colony without my knowledge!” I yelled in annoyance as Lock tapped me on my shoulder and showed me the three mercenaries IDs and their legally signed documents that give them permission to operate within the boundaries of the new colony signed by Governor Patrick M. Woolsworth.

“I don’t see the problem bud, I’m allowed to employ outside help and they’ve worked with the Empire before.” He defended with an annoyed sigh

“We’re establishing a colony Pat, and to do that we need to COMMUNICATE! Next time could you please tell me about the unknown mercenaries carrying high powered weapons?!” I yelled as I pulled my faintly glowing hair in frustration.

“No problem Cap, unless someone tries to punch me they won’t cause trouble; anything else you want to yell at me?” He asked, wanting to end the call swiftly.

“Just that you’re a cunt and that I hate you so fucking much.” I replied as I began to terminate the call.

“Yeah? Well tell-” Pat’s annoying voice was cut off early into his comeback. I breathed in heavily, breathed out and waited till my voice returned to its normal tone and my features stopped glowing. As I adjusted my stainless, gleaming uniform I turned back to the mercs with a forced smile.

“Everything checks out, sorry for the inconvenience.” I begrudgingly forced out so they wouldn’t hate me.

“No need to apologise Captain, just doing your job.” Victor said with a salute, he seemed calm but his voice sounded somewhat agitated.

“Yeah, I figured our boss was gonna screw up sooner or later.” Aster said with a shrug as he seemed to wave it off.

“ S’all good, Styx of a first impression huh?” Alfried joked as he hid his smile behind a metal hand.

“If your business with my lord is finished would you please move along?” Lock insisted as he and his guardsman formed their protective formation around me.

“Certainly sir.” Victor replied as he and his two friends walked off.

“At least he knows his place, mercenaries are too unruly for my liking.” Lock exclaimed as we began to move deeper into the planned colony.

“Agreed, hopefully that’ll be-”

“Hey Matt? Monty here, hey.” The charming voice of Monty blared through my Com piece, surprising me.

“Monty? How did you-?”

“I’m an engineer with the brain of a supercomputer and an intimate understanding of the ship, after a few fuck ups I managed to connect myself to the ship’s com system...Man, your crew loves talking about a lot of dumb stuff.” Monty explained, it was very bizarre that Monty had hacked himself into the ship but at least he hadn't fucked with anything.

“Fine, just don’t touch anything or the crew’ll get suspicious as to why the airlocks keep opening  and closing. What’s up?” I asked curiously.

“I’ve been receiving multiple reports of alien activity outside the colony’s parameters. It seems to be mostly standard stuff but I’d advise buffing up the patrols.” He warned with a hint of surprise.

“Okay, noted, thanks.” I replied simply as I looked around at the colonists giving me dirty looks; most likely because of my amazing features and glowing body.

“Cool, I’ll keep you advised if something else happens boss. Later.” He said as he disconnected from the call.

“Hey Lock, increase the amount of guards on patrol in each squad from four to 6 and supply them with advanced scanners; the animals in the forest seems to be getting pretty active.” I ordered with a voice that demanded authority.

“Of course my lord.” He said as he began issuing orders and bolstering the squads numbers. As I scan the distant forest treeline, I swore I’d saw something moving. With a stern look, I made a mental note to get the walls erected sooner.

“Sir, are you seeing this?” Private Lionheart asked in shock and awe as she laid down in the dirt and scanned the aliens in front of them. Everypony in Equestria heard what’d happened last night and almost instantly after it impacted into the forest the Princesses had ordered a scouting party to discover what’d happened and nothing could’ve prepared us for this.

“I’m seeing it Private…” I simply reply, my gruff voice muffled by the camouflaged cloth around my mouth. I could just see her faint brown fur underneath the layers of fake foliage. The shining airship was monstrously tall and the strange, fleshy, metal and plant like creatures were unlike anything anypony had ever seen. Their machines crushed the plant life underneath it, their weapons were strangely shaped, their bodies were similar to a Minotaur's than anything else and they spoke...Equestrian. These aliens were unlike anything we’d ever seen.

“Private, the messenger.” I requested simply as she passed a small, glowing blue gem. I channeled a small beam of magic into it. After a short while, the gem shined slightly brighter and a soft voice flowed from it.

“Commander Marygold, report.” A soft spoken mare ordered.

“Have made visual contact with the strange airship, there’s thousands of unknown creatures speaking Equis and they seem like they’re establishing a town of sorts inside the Everfree. How should we act?” I asked, needing some direction.

“Fall back, you’ve done enough for today and the Princesses will want to know what you’ve found along with the other scouts. Be advised, two Pegasi have gone missing in the Everfree and it’s believed they’re both close friends of Princess Twilight; they’re not your priority but if you can retrieve them.” She ordered as I simply replied with a ‘yes ma’am’ and handed the gem back to Lionheart.

“We’re pulling out Private, let’s move.” I ordered as we slowly crept back into the forest before getting back up onto our hooves and softly galloping back through the dark, haunting forest.

Equestria had never seen anything like this and no one knew what would happen, but both of us knew anything could happen at such a pivotal moment of our collective history.