Space E-war Reloaded

[The Kingpin]

Another half hour passed before the sector sweep had been completed. Khuurava stared patiently at the planet from the darkened interior of the Marauder as he awaited the Seeker's return. For security reasons, he didn't dare start up a communications connection with the AI's ship, to avoid giving away either of their positions. Looking at the planet's surroundings, it painted a grim story. As far as could be discerned from the long range visual scans, the ruined husks of literally millions of ships encircled the planet, shrapnel and still-smoldering reactor remains forming a choking noose around the planet's atmosphere. Some of the ship profiles looked absolutely ancient, matching descriptions of ships belonging to ancient civilisations that had disappeared long ago. Others still matched no known records of any race the galaxy had ever seen. The oldest looking of them were colossal capital ships on the brink of disintegration, several of them filled with massive holes and cloaked in clouds of debris from the countless meteor strikes they had suffered over the eons. Regardless of what this planet was now, it seemed likely it once held great importance. And if some of that importance still remained, pirates, treasure hunters and private corporations would be swarming the place. No wonder he was being hired for a job here...

Once the Seeker ship's signature came up on the Marauder's sensors, Khuurava reopened the cargo bay door, before turning and heading out of the cockpit and towards the lift, descending to the cargo deck, most of the ship remaining in darkness and silence...the less energy used internally, the less strain it put on the stealth systems...and the longer they could remain concealed should the need arise...

[C S]

The Seeker exited his ship and dropped down to the hold's floor. The expansive metal chamber was lined with dull orange strips of light, causing the dark gray interior to take on strange shades. Khuurava's arrival was marked by the yellow warning lights that surrounded the bottom of the elevator, spinning and reaching across the whole room, reflecting off of the crates fastened into their platforms. Ecliptor made his way towards it, his peripheral eyes opening slightly and projecting a lime green pane of light in front of him. His main eye darted from corner to corner of the window, adding blocks of text and imagery to his report.

[The Kingpin]

Khuurava strode out of the elevator calmly, narrowed eyes examining the AI almost as if inspecting it for damage, or worse, blood stains. Seeing none, he shifted his focus to the glowing field of data. "What did you find?" he asked calmly as the low drone of the cargo bay doors sealing beneath the docked scout ship died out with a hiss, the enviro-field running across it dissipating now that there was no longer a risk of vacuum sucking the contents of the cargo hold out into space...

[C S]

Ecliptor stopped in front of Khuurava and the window disappeared momentarily when his secondary set of eyes "blinked". It reappeared when they opened again, flipped around so that the mercenary could read what was displayed before him. In addition to the messages he gathered from his search, pictures of the station were available for Khuurava's perusal. "This one has detected signs of an occupation force on the planet. Those that have requested our service have gone silent. This one infers that they have gone into hiding to avoid attention," Ecliptor stated.

[The Kingpin]

Khuurava analysed the information Ecliptor gave him thoughtfully, mandibles clicking as he considered the situation. "Then we will have to enter stealthed" he said calmly as he thought back to the message that had brought him here. Coordinates had been absent, but a compilation of images had been included. Most likely to prevent the occupiers from immediately locking onto and bombarding them from orbit. His plan now clear, the Khurakra turned back towards the elevator, intent on reviewing and tracking down the location he was to meet with his employers...

[C S]

"This one will return to its post," Ecliptor replied as the projection flickered out of existence. He turned and started to make his way back to the scout ship, awaiting his next deployment.

[The Kingpin]

The Marauder steadily drifted towards the planet, moving on momentum alone, the ship's stealth systems keeping it under the radar as it drifted through the endless black, Khuurava watching from the cockpit. The ship drifted past the debris field slowly, moving as close as was safe in hopes of using the wreckage to obscure its form from any sensors powerful enough to see through the stealthing until it was within reach of the planet's inner orbit. Throughout the approach, small recon drones deployed by the vessel had been mapping the planet's surface, relaying information back to the Marauder to help it track down the meeting location. It wasn't long before a promising location came up, an overlap of the images confirming the location as the ship pulled away from the debris ring with a flare of its engines, shutting down once more as the ship closed in on the location, steadily accelerating as gravity did its job...

[C S]

Eyes much higher above the planet peered down upon it, the very satellites used to call the Marauder now tracking its descent into the atmosphere. A few of the geosynchronous spy-stations focused their coverage when unaccounted for movement was detected, honing in on the source of the alert and magnifying their imaging systems to gain visual confirmation of the military ship. Lenses twisted on their mounts, telescoping and dilating, sending the information to the overseeing intelligence. There was no immediate hostile reaction, however. The pests on the surface were clever, but the powers they contested were far greater than they could have imagined.

[The Kingpin]

As the Marauder descended through the atmosphere, vents opened up along the front of the wings and hull, reverse thrusters roaring to life as the main engines inverted the thrust, the ship slowing down before it's descent drew too much attention. Remaining vigilant, Khuurava made sure the scanners continued operating, albeit passively to avoid making it too painfully obvious to outside forces...

[C S]

In time the ship came across a temperate region on the surface of the planet. It was a place of timbers, large alien species of trees covering a vast spread of land. The trees had leaves that were deep shades of purple and branches that stretched straight out from their corkscrew-shaped trunks in a spiraling pattern. The leaves were large, broad and flat in shape and because of this, the forest floor was completely obscured from view when seen from above, and the sunlight was blocked from the ground almost completely. The only place where the trees did not have unquestioned dominance was where the land started to rise high into the sky, at the base of a large, domed mountain.

[The Kingpin]

"Preliminary scan: COMPLETE. Traces of numerous cave networks detected" came the results of the Marauder's search, Khuurava looking over a series of other less prominent results of the search as they appeared on the display. The ship's auto-pilot was already scanning for an adequate place to land, several potential landing spots appearing that fit the bill, the AI selecting one reasonably close to a cave entrance and navigating towards it...

It wasn't long before the ship landed, heat dissipators boring into the earth below the vessel and expelling the ship's excess heat as the engines powered down. Khuurava meanwhile descended towards the cargo bay, priming the APC for a manual expedition across the area. Without any more accurate details, the Khurakra headhunter had no choice but to manually hunt for his would-be employers...

[C S]

In the cockpit of the scout ship, Ecliptor was strapped in, completely encased in machinery. There were few exposed instruments to look at. The cockpit was sparse and seamless except for indentations in the panels where bulky components pushed outwards at drastic angles. There were a few lights, some blinking, others constantly shining inside the cramped metal space. Several cables and other connections were hooked up to a hub interface, a central control unit, which in turn Ecliptor had connected himself to. It was far cry from what the original setup was like. Over time, the modifications made to the operation of the ship changed it from advanced difficulty to potential pilots to nigh impossible to anything but AI. The Seeker was practically docked into its own specialized component in the cockpit, only his head visible amongst various devices and housing.

He awaited the opportunity to deploy and do his rounds planetside. There were discoveries to be made.

[The Kingpin]

"Proceed to search. I'll scout the immediate vicinity of the ship and establish a secure perimeter" came Khuurava's voice on the comms as he descended from the elevator, fully equipped and with his helmet in place. The cargo bay door opened with a hiss as gatling guns unfolded from the ceiling, scanning the exterior for potential threats...

[C S]

Ecliptor's engine fired up as soon as its holding clamps deactivated. The scout ship hung in the air for a short time before dropping beneath the Marauder and speeding off, flying towards the forest before rounding about and flying towards the mountain. The purple ship raised its altitude over the rocky, alpine region before leveling out at one of the exposed cavern entrances, flying into the darkness beyond with the light of its thrusters trailing down the passage. The pinkish rocks reflected the harsh light, shining with a slight lustrous quality.

[The Kingpin]

Shortly after the Seeker's ship left the cargo bay, Khuurava himself walked out into the dusty wastes of Aurora. Glimmering stones and spiral trees dotted the landscape around him, and the mountain extended to wrap around the small patch of even ground where the ship had landed. The Mercenary had sent out drones to scout the surrounding area and check for threats, and for the most part, nothing had turned up. Khuurava wanted to be certain however. He would not let this be the day a reckless lapse in security got him killed...

[C S]

The tunnel meandered into the depths of the mountain. It wound left and right, up and down; it would have been very easy for the uninitiated to get lost amidst the darkness. Ecliptor, however, mapped out the cavern as he flew through it, spectral scans identifying mineral and ore composition of the surrounding strata. He had a 3D map constructed in his field of view, a model that was all black save for green lines warping to form the contours of the passage and various color-coded areas denoting concentrations of base elements.

After a short while of flying, the Seeker came to a point where the tunnel converged with several others. This larger section was unnaturally straight, lacking the winding randomness as the previous tunnel. Scans showed signs that this passage was specifically dug out, such as the spiraling grooves in the rock walls where a bore was put to work. Ecliptor made a note of this. Whoever constructed the tunnel probably created the dummy-entrances with a less precise method so as to drastically reduce the chance of unintended parties discovering it.

Ecliptor flew down the straight at cruising speed for a moderately long time, descending even deeper into the base of the mountain. Eventually, the pink walls transitioned to dull gray and white metal sheets. There was still no lighting this far down, despite the change. After yet another stretch of time flying straight ahead, Ecliptor came to a massive circular door. He slowed to a stop and hovered before it. At his appearance on the other side of the door, red lights lit up, forming a ring around the edge of the entrance. The door had no markings or other identifying features. Instead, there was only a wireless comm-link tied to the door lock system. There was nothing that he could access to bypass it by hacking. With nothing else to go on but the information sent to the Marauder, the Seeker transmitted various bits of data. Locations, images. It was only when he sent the broadcast signal did the red lights flash green and the door let out a loud, echoing hiss.

Six metal bolts slid outwards from the central locking mechanism before spinning several times with a motorized drone. They stopped abruptly with a resounding thud and the metal plating on the door started to split apart, releasing high pressurized streams of vapor. The plates slid over each other in a sweeping fashion clockwise, revealing the actual door that was beneath the armored layer. The door split in two, the halves and the collapsed plating slowly being pried apart by concealed machinery in the walls. A low hum was audible in the tunnel as the hulking construct opened and there was a tremendous boom when the halves were locked in place, out of sight in the huge slots on either side of the tunnel.

Ecliptor flew into the chamber, strips of white light lining the walls activating one after the other ahead of the scout ship. It was a short flight until Ecliptor came to the central area. There were no signs of light inside the expansive room, lit by powerful lamps in the ceiling. The walls were covered in scaffolding and large, bulky machinery littered the place. However, it was clear the most noteworthy thing inside was the large terminal in the middle of a raised platform. The machine had giant cables extending from it, connecting it to the roof of the chamber.

The scout ship's null-field pylons extended, the orange, insect-like wings keeping the ship suspended next to the platform while Ecliptor accessed the terminal. His clawed fingers twitched as he perused the console's data, his cables connected to the computer's hardware. It quickly became clear that the terminal was indeed an access point for Khuurava's employers, so top secret that it hadn't been accessed until now.

It also became clear that Khuurava's services were not requested on any personal level.

Inside the terminal, there was a list of prospective mercenary forces recruited for the job. The list came complete with status updates on these individuals or groups, apparently maintained by cyclical contact with their ships. After his time in the ring of debris over the planet's skies, Ecliptor was not surprised to find that many on the list were listed as deceased or missing in action, their whereabouts unconfirmed beyond that.


With this new discovery, Ecliptor wiped the terminal's databanks and stored its contents onto his own. He disconnected from the computer and made his way back to the scout ship, knowing now that deep in the mountain there was a network with broadcasting access to the system's interstellar communication relay. This could prove useful to him, and endlessly frustrating to any others to find the terminal after he departed.

And depart he did, pointing the scout ship back to the tunnel, retracting the pylons and zooming off with a burst of light from the ship's engine. When he shot out of the chamber, the two halves of the door began sliding back into place, thudding together before the armored plating spread back into place and the locking bolts spun back into position.

[The Kingpin]

Khuurava meanwhile had been circling the vicinity of the Marauder in search of potential clues and threats, coming up with little as he roamed the hilly terrain. It had proven to be barren of signs of activity; whoever was here had hidden themselves well. Sensors within the Marauder meanwhile picked up seismic activity, which quickly drew the Mercenary's attention. "Ecliptor, do you read?" asked the Khurakra over the comms, sent to the Marauder and then transmitted to the Seeker ship's unique frequency. When no response came, the Khurakra snarled. "I'm picking up seismic activity that doesn't match natural quake behaviour, do you read?" he continued. When he was responded to with nothing but static, the Mercenary cursed his luck. Either Ecliptor had stumbled upon something and had gone into radio silence, or there was genuinely sufficient interference to prevent his communications from reaching the Seeker. Wrapping up the perimeter sweep, the Headhunter headed back to the ship, turrets still scanning the terrain beyond the ship's cargo bay, perimeter defence guns sweeping back and forth from above and beneath the ship's wings, a couple of the more powerful plasma cannons on the ship assisting in monitoring the area above...

[C S]

As the scout ship ascended from the hidden facility, others were descending from the contested heavens. A single large ship a couple classes smaller than the Headhunter's own was entering the atmosphere along with an escort group numbering five. The escorts flew in a circular formation, one above the larger class, one on either side of it and two below it. The large ship was bulky and compact. Its main engines were side-mounted and concentrated roughly center to its blocky form, belching out white-blue exhaust. It had many command areas, denoted by the glass bubbles that dotted its orange hull. Some of these cockpits were situated on turrets sporting hulking guns with long barrels and stocky mounts, telling of high powered, long range weaponry. Though it had no wing surface to speak of, the ship handled just fine in atmospheric conditions.

The escort ships were another matter entirely. They were small things that were delta shaped, mostly comprised of the size of their wings. They had one bubble cockpit situated near the rear of the ship with a single thruster blasting through the air. Light wing mounted armaments pointed to the ground. The only thing they had in common with their bigger support was the orange hull, in addition to a dark green emblem on the sides of them: a circle with a section missing, where a line ran through to the opposite edge with the words "Inscribe Co." on it.

Well before they reached the thicker portion of the atmosphere, the smaller ships rolled so that their top-sides were facing the larger spacecraft and a section of hull plating on the bottom side of them retracted. Descending from the compartments were five cylindrical missile pods, each carrying a payload of five explosives. The red tips of the slender missiles protruded from their holds, pointing down in the general area of the clearing where the target vessel was. At once, twenty five missiles were launched with bright flame and hissing noise, the warheads spread out a fair distance from each other to have a considerable area of effect.

Delivered from an internal silo in the larger vessel was a much more intimidating missile, more of a rocket than anything else. The giant explosive did not launch with a plume of fire. It slid out of its housing at the front of the ship, its angular guidance fins extending outwards after it had cleared the attack force. Thin white trails formed at the edges of them as the rocket fell high above the barrage, almost as if it was taking its time compared to the smaller, faster weapons, the spears of flame closing in on the Marauder.

[The Kingpin]

Alerts blared throughout the ship as Khuurava ascended to the cockpit, already relaying commands to the defence system. Immediately, several more turrets went online, the ship's entire arsenal coming to bare, locking onto the incoming threats and opening fire, autocannons spewing streams of plasma in rapid succession as a volley of EMP missiles erupted from the rocket-bay with a roar, accelerating to a blistering pace as they arced into the atmosphere, their powerful micro-fusion reactor engines releasing a whitish blue trail. In moments, the incoming missiles were cut down by the defence system, EMP missiles closing on their mark from either side as the Marauder roared to life, lifting off the ground, landing gear folding into place and getting sealed off...

[C S]

The escort ships broke formation, sweeping outwards in rolling maneuvers. Two angled their guns to intercept the EMPs, blasting each one mid-flight with ace precision while the other three accelerated, pulling out of their dives and banking in unison so that they were following each other like vultures flying over a carcass. Their guns were aimed at the Marauder's hull, firing rapidly. Explosions of red and white dotted the ship's hull as they rained plasma on it, covering a wide surface area with their sweep and disabling several of the point defense turrets while they were locked onto the initial barrage.

It was at this time that the rocket's engine started to engage, turbines within turbines spinning up, creating a high pitched whine as heat rippled along the edge of the jet. As the engine glowed orange it started to screech, white hot flames erupting from the back of it. The guide fins tilted as the rocket sped past the Marauder, pulling it out of its dive and sending it on a course right for the underside of the port wing.

All the while, the largest of the assaulting ships was swiveling its cannons, dialing in for the first volley against the Marauder.