Fantasy Starfallen

[Corrosion]

UEG COLONY WORLD TRIBUTE, IOTA DEVOLIN SYSTEM
JUNE 14, 2848
FOUR YEARS AFTER FIRST CONTACT

The colony world of Tribute was considered by many to be a great green jewel. Terraformed more than three hundred years ago, the once-barren and lifeless world had been transformed into a lush paradise. The barren rock and rolling sand dunes were now covered in vibrant meadows, great lakes, and breathing forests that stretched on for miles and miles. And then there were the cities. Hundreds of them, ranging from small settlements to massive megacities that went on for many miles and skylines were dotted with towering spires of metal and glass that split the clouds.

It was a prosperous colony at the fringe of human space, home to billions. Its landscape and economy made it a popular holiday destination for all. Many memories were to be made on this vast, peaceful paradise located in an otherwise lonely and isolated star system lightyears away from any other colony.

That was before the vaskrans came.

Its pristine surface had been ravaged by weeks of nonstop fighting. Untold millions of soldiers on both sides of the conflict fought tooth and nail to gain an advantage over the enemy. Human soldiers of the United Earth Government fought the invaders, the lizard-like race of aliens known as the vaskrans. Entire cities were turned into battlefields, soldiers fighting in the rubble of fallen buildings as they did through burning forests and mountainous peaks. The detonations of fusion and plasma warheads could be seen from space, bright flashes of light appearing all over the planet as their massive mushroom clouds erupted through the clouds, shockwaves rippling through the atmosphere.

The battle in space above the planet was just as messy and chaotic. Hundreds among thousands of missiles streaked through the vacuum, as did thousands of Gauss cannon rounds. Lines of point-defence rounds snaked and waved around each human ship as they intercepted enemy missiles and small craft. Most obvious were the massive red beams of light that shot through faster than the eye could see. Returning were the red-white streaks of vaskran energy weaponry and pencil-thin beams from laser defence systems.

Every now and then, a ship would take a finishing blow and erupt into a massive explosion of blue and white ripped through the darkness of space, creating an intense miniature star for a few seconds, before receding. When it did, all that was left in its wake were several pieces of red-hot metal and the charred and broken skeleton of a warship. Several bodies tumbled out into the vacuum; the hull of the ship their grave. The remains of the ship began to fall into the atmosphere of the planet down below as it was pulled into it due to its gravitational field, burning up as it did. Several of the smaller and lighter components went the other way, shooting off into space. Several others that were in orbit around Tribute remained, their lifeless wrecks staying there until their orbit decayed.

A human ship, one of the largest of the ships in the battle at more than five kilometres long, sat behind the front lines. The Filial Piety, as an Accolade-class assault carrier, wasn't meant for direct combat like the frigates and battleships and cruisers. Rather, it was designed and built to transport and support troops planetside. Despite its primary role, it was still equipped with a fair amount of weapons such as several Gauss cannons, missile pods, and a single Mark VII Particle Cannon with a total output of some five hundred megatons at full power.

On the remarkably spacious bridge of the Filial Piety, Captain Anthony Decker stood behind his command holotable. It displayed a holographic three-dimensional representation of the ongoing battle, projecting accurate representations of the ships moving around as several blinked out of existence. Further in front of him, through the large windows of the bridge, was the battle in full detail. While other commanders would be coordinating their fleets, that wasn't his responsibility. His orders were to oversee the deployment of troops and provide them with orbital support.

"Miller," Decker spoke. "Status on the troops?"

"Kicking lizard ass, sir." A voice spoke, accent reminiscent of that from the Massachusetts of the the United States of old Earth. A second later, a miniature army green hologram of a young man dressed in World War II-era US Army fatigues appeared. "Everything's going according to plan. The 281st and 414th Battalions are moving in to rendezvous with the 36th Division to retake Chimis. They've sustained minimal casualties so far, but then again, there aren't a lot of vaskies in this area."

Decker nodded. "Proceed with phase two."

"Aye, sir."

However, before that could happen, in the space behind the Filial Piety, several pinpricks of white light appeared. They seemed to pulse once. Then a second later, half a dozen enemy ships blinked into existence. Alarms immediately went off in the bridge of the assault carrier as the bridge crew frantically went to work analysing the situation. "Sir!" An ensign cried out. "New contacts right behind us!"

Decker glanced at the report and cursed. Behind his ship were six vaskran ships: one cruiser and five frigates, a strike group. A typical vaskran technique the aliens seemed to love. In layman's terms, the vaskrans would hyperdrive several ships directly behind enemy lines at a less-defended spot, taking human ships by surprise. Since UEG ships were particularly vulnerable from behind due to the lack of weapon systems there, it was easier to disable shields by concentrating at a single spot.

And that was exactly what the vaskrans did.

They opened fire with everything they had, missiles streaking towards the lone human ship along with energy weapons fire. The Filial Piety's point-defence guns (PDGs) immediately sprang to life, the network of guns swivelling to face the threat. Then they opened fire.

A massive torrent of magnetically-propelled 30mm armour-piercing high-explosive rounds was spewed forth from each PDG turret's twin barrels. The turrets were computer-controlled, and could react and respond faster than a human ever could. They jerked here and there, adjusting their aim and picking new targets. The APHE rounds pierced through the relatively unarmoured vaskran missiles and detonated inside, destroying them before they could reach their target.

However, while the PDGs were incredibly effective, the vaskrans loved to send out massive swarms of missiles, even more than the UEG. As such, the PDGs were simply overwhelmed, unable to successfully intercept each one, and several made it past the defensive grid.

Yet the moment the missiles seem to find their mark, they suddenly detonated harmlessly as a grid of translucent blue hexagons suddenly flared to life. The ship's Generated Intelligent Defence (GRID) shielding activated, protecting the ship from harm. The shielding technology was designed to absorb and dissipate energy across the shield. It was highly effective against kinetic weapons.

Unfortunately, it didn't fare as well against directed energy. The energy lances had a far more adverse effect on the shield. Arcs of electricity seemed to form with each hit, unlike the calmer ripples of kinetic fire.

The entire ship shook rather violently from the impacts. While it wasn't enough to throw someone off their feet, it was enough for the crew to hastily grab on to something to avoid losing their balance. "Shields at seventy-four percent!" Miller reported.


Captain Decker cursed under his breath and hastily sat down. "Get some retaliatory fire on those ships!" He barked. "Open up with the Gausses and launch missile pods C-7 through E-4!"

The massive Gauss cannons swivelled to face the vaskran ships and opened fire. A series of powerful electromagnets in the barrels of each turret propelled a single ferromagnetic tungsten projectile down a long shaft, increasing the projectile's velocity until it carried an incredible amount of kinetic energy. The projectiles were launched out of the barrels at a fraction of the speed of light, so fast that they appeared to be bright bolts of pure energy. They streaked towards their targets.

But just like the UEG vessels, a golden shield flared to life around each enemy ship, more bubble-like and spherical in shape compared to the second layer of the human ships. A frigate's shields flickered and died in the opening volley, before a second barrage of hypersonic rounds pierced right through its armour. One must have hit its power generator, as it erupted into a massive fireball. However, the strike group still outnumbered and outgunned the lone assault carrier.

Captain Decker gripped the armrest of his command chair as he watched the battle. "Turn this ship around now!"

As the massive warship slowly began to swivel on the spot, Miller suddenly flashed red with alarm. "Captain!" He cried. "I'm picking up a massive amount of energy originating from the cruiser! It's an energy disruptor!"

Decker's eyes widened. "Brace for impact!"

A massive bolt of arching energy streaked across the void at the speed of light. The moment it struck, it covered the entire surface of the Filial Piety.

The effects were instant. The massive surge of energy immediately overloaded the assault carrier's shield capacitor, causing it to explode, taking several unfortunate technicians with it. With the power cut, the shield generator ceased functioning, and the GRID shield that surrounded the vessel vanished in an instant. With its shields gone, it only had its duratanium battleplating for protection, and while the heavy alloy was tough and durable, it wasn't indestructible.

"We've lost our shields!" An officer cried.

A second barrage struck the bare armour plating of the ship, carving ugly streaks of molten metal across the drab grey surface. Some shots melted right through the thinner sections and punched holes into the inside. Several crewmen were blown through the holes to suffer an ultimate fate to asphyxiation before the blast doors sealed.

"Hull breaches in multiple sectors!"

Decker gripped the armrests with white knuckles. He knew his ship couldn't take much more punishment. "Emergency RIFT, now! Get us to the nearest colony!" He cried.

"Aye, sir."

In front of the ship, a tear suddenly seemed to appear, a jagged line of blue light. Then, it ripped open, tearing a hole in the fabric of space itself. Inside was a void of black and blue. The Filial Piety's massive engines glowed even brighter than before as they pushed the massive weight of the assault carrier into the hole.

However, just before it could enter, the bridge shook incredibly violently, and this time, crew members were thrown about. "What the hell was that?" Decker barked.

Miller materialised in front of him. "We just took a direct hit to the RIFT drive! It's setting us on a random course!"

"Shut it down, now!"

"I can't!"

Decker could only watch helplessly as arcs of lightning began to cross the surface of his ship from the portal itself, the ship unable to stop itself now that it was beginning to enter the tunnel itself. "Aw, hell."

And just like that, the Filial Piety vanished into the RIFT tunnel, the portal itself ceasing to exist a second later.

 

[Corrosion]

CHAPTER ONE
FALLING SKIES
​

Inside the bridge of the ship that was getting flung through the white and blue void of a RIFT tunnel, its crew was desperately attempting bring the Filial Piety out of FTL, though none of their attempts seemed to be working.

"Bring this damn ship out of RIFT!" Cried Captain Decker, gazing out the massive viewscreens at the swirling mass of colours.

Miller was frantically typing on a set of holographic panels. While he didn't actually need them, they served as a representation of what he was actually doing, just like his avatar itself. "I can't!" The A.I. grit out. "The RIFT drive isn't responding. The hit must have severed its connections or something, because I can't get a read on the system." He squinted his eyes. "Wait, I'm detecting the exit." He said, looking over to Decker. "Coming out of RIFTSPACE in five... four..."

The ship suddenly began to shake, unusual and a clear sign that something was terribly wrong. Normally, the most that would be felt when a vessel exits a RIFT tunnel would be a very slight vibration. The violent shaking meant that the Filial Piety's stabilisation fields were malfunctioning or even offline. Though given the current status of the RIFT drive, they probably were.

In front of the ship, the tunnel split open suddenly, a tear to the black void of realspace at the end, growing larger and larger as the ship rapidly approached it. A second later, it was launched out at great speed. The portal disappeared moments later, leaving the Filial Piety floating in space, surrounded by millions upon billions of twinkling stars. However, directly in front of the ship was a planet, a continental world of lush green and deep blue shining in the light of the solar system's star.

The ship was also hurtling directly towards the planet, having exited in the planet's gravitational field.

"The planet's gravity is pulling us in, sir." A bridge officer reported as the planet began to grow larger and larger.

Decker gripped the rests of his chair. "Reverse thrust, now!"

"Engines are offline!" Miller shouted over the panic.

The exterior of the Filial Piety began to burn and glow red-hot as the ship entered the planet's atmosphere, becoming a vibrant fireball as it streaked forwards. Several chunks of armour were ripped right off as a deafening boom that resonated for miles was produced by the ship breaking the sound barrier.

It shot over the rolling hills and forests, lighting up the evening sky like a second sun.

"Estimated time to impact: ten seconds," The Filial Piety's A.I. reported as impact sirens went off. "You might want to hold on to something."

The captain nodded as he strapped in. "All crew, brace for impact!"

The ship slammed into the grasslands and kept going, carving a deep trench longer than the width of the ship in the soil and scorching the surrounding grass. It left bits and pieces behind, ripped off from the impact. Finally after more than a kilometre, the Filial Piety came to an uncomfortable stop next to a winding stream. It sat there, smoking and steaming with fires burning in exposed portions.

Captain Decker coughed once, as did the rest of his crew as they slowly got to their feet. Some didn't at all, attended to by fellow crewmates. Others were slumped over at their stations, unmoving. There were also a few lying face-down, pools of crimson forming beneath them. "Is everyone okay?"

The reactions were mixed, with some replying affirmative, others muttering a negative, and others merely groaned.

Decker unlatched himself at got to his feet, stumbling slightly. He slowly made his way to the holotable and leaned on it with one hand, the other massaging a pain in his side. "Status report."

"Not good, sir." Miller appeared in front of him. "Catastrophic damage to multiple areas, fires on basically every deck, antimatter generator primary is gone. Ship's royally fucked, pardon my French."

The captain rubbed his temples. "Casualties?"

"Two hundred and twenty-three at the moment. Oh, make that two hundred and twenty-four. Estimated two hundred and thirty-one in the next hour even with medical support."

Decker sighed. "Could have been worse." He muttered. "Where are we?"

Miller paused for a second, seeming unsure himself. "I have absolutely no idea, sir." He said, glancing around. "I can't pinpoint our stellar position anywhere on the galactic map. I don't know where the RIFT spat us out, but if there's one thing for certain is that we're a long way from home."

 

[Corrosion]

Both Decker and Miller watched with amazement as the princess suddenly disappeared from all visual feeds with a snap of her finder and a flash of light. She hadn't cloaked, that was for certain, as she would emit at least some form of emissions that could be picked up by the ship's scanners. No, she had literally vanished into thin air. "What in the..." Decker began, only for the princess to reappear a second later at a small makeshift camp of several tents around a kilometre and a half away.

The two stared, obviously amazed. "Quantum position displacement," Miller began, breaking the silence. "Particles transmitted from one exact location to another. Teleportation, in layman's terms." The A.I. brought up several reports on the subject. "It's a topic our best minds have spent decades working on, yet still haven't gotten anywhere. We've tried, but we still can't transport anything larger than molecules."

Decker was of course impressed. He'd never seen anything like it. Of course, he'd read research reports and articles about researchers on various scientific institutes experimenting with functional teleportation technology and if the rumours were true, SHADE operatives getting deployed through miniature atmospheric RIFT portals, which explained how they seemed to be able to be anywhere at any time.

But these primitives having access to that? Perhaps they weren't so primitive after all.

"Incredible." Was all Decker could say. He almost didn't notice Captain Morlock inquire about the status of his ship. Decker brought up a report on the ship's status.

The Filial Piety had suffered some serious damage from both the prior battle and crash, but all the fires that had broken out on the affected decks had been put out, although exposed sections were still spewing columns of black smoke. Repair drones had been dispatched, the lot of them racing about both inside and outside. Smaller ones repaired damaged sectors on the inside of the vessel, while larger ones swarmed the ship on the outside, cutting away broken and wrecked areas and replacing them with new ones.

By Miller's estimations, the factories only had enough materials to repair 72% of the vessel, which wasn't very good. Once they run out, the crew had to start harvesting materials from outside sources, and that would probably mean talks with local leaders if they wanted access to the planet's natural resources. There was no duranium here, although titanium alloy could do the trick, if somewhat less effective than duratanium.

Supplies were also an issue. A number of supplies such as ammo and weapons were destroyed in the crash. However, the ship, being an assault carrier, still had a plentiful supply, but even that could run out. The factories had enough resources to produce at least a million 8.41x63mm AP rounds for the assault and battle rifles, half a million for the PDGs, and a couple hundred Gauss cannon projectiles. At least food wasn't, however. The ship had enough food supplies to last the crew six months, in access of a year if rationed properly. The abundance of fauna and flora around them meant that food could be hunted, harvested, and collected. Military vehicles such as Pitbulls and Pumas could be repurposed to suit the needs.

Positrons for the antimatter generator could be easily harvested from lightning bolts, although it was nowhere near the amount spaceborne vessels collected from radiation belts and solar winds. However, the Filial Piety was on a low-power state, and the current amount of energy the generator was producing could power the ship for at least a century at the rate it was going. That was taking into account the magnetic weapons that drew the most power after the engines and particle cannon weren't fired once.

All in all, things were looking pretty optimistic, all things considered. The crew could probably consider themselves lucky that they didn't exit in front of a star or something. That would be an awful way to go, although quite a few crewmen found it awesome to die by getting incinerated in the solar flares of a sun.

"My ship doesn't have enough resources for a full repair, but with what we have, repairs should take a little more than a week. The fact is, we've been grounded, permanently, from the looks of it." Decker told Morlock. "Even if we were to get off the ground, we'd still have no way of getting back to UEG space, since our faster-than-light drive is damaged beyond repair, and we lack replacements."

The Marines were beginning to set up shop around the perimeter of the ship, mostly moving vehicles and supplies outside before they could set up proper emplacements and fortifications.

Captain Decker turned back to the holodisplay. He glanced at the rough map of the area. "Deploy Argus squadrons one and two. Get they to cloak immediately and survey the planet's surface."

Miller nodded. "Aye, sir."

Twelve drones much larger than the smaller recon drones and much more comparable in size to a Warhawk fighter were vertically launched from the top of the Filial Piety, cloaking as soon as they left. They split up a second later, climbing upwards until they reached the upper stratosphere, and then they deployed their scanning and recording equipment.

----------------------
CHAPTER TWO
BRAVE NEW WORLD
----------------------
​

Apex Squad's Pitbull continued on its drive through the hills at roughly eighty kilometres per hour. The grassy terrain was not a problem for the vehicle, as it was built for these kinds of conditions. Through thick and thin the Pitbull had remained in service for more than sixty years, upgraded countless times. It was perhaps an icon of the Marines, as the UEGMC was the branch that operated the largest number of Pitbulls, the Federal Army coming in second place.

Its headlights were on, illuminating the path ahead in the setting sun. In low-light conditions, its low-visibility mode would activate, highlighting the path ahead and obstacles. The entire view would also be shown bright as day. There was still enough sunlight not to warrant any of those, so the vehicle kept cruising forwards in the fading orange glow.

The Marines had mostly traded jokes on the short journey, as was tradition. It also helped take their minds off the fact that they were effectively stranded on an uncharted world with possibly no chance of going back home.

Ever.

Conway didn't find the situation that bad. Back home on Pavonia, he didn't have much purpose, constantly drifting between jobs. His relationship with his parents were also rather strained, and he hadn't been in contact for years. When the vaskrans invaded Cascade in '43, he finally found something worth fighting for. He joined the Corps, and the rest is history.

The designated meeting point was practically a single jump away, so the Pitbull arrived in only a minute. It pulled into the campsite, and came to a stop right in front of it.

"That the princess?" Private Samuel Pierce asked in the backseat through squad comms. His British accent was quite distinctive. A much more regal-looking woman dressed in full plate armour minus the helmet with blue and gold highlights was standing in front of the vehicle.

Conway checked the image that had been given to them. "Yeah, she is."

Pierce whistled quietly. "She's quite a looker, isn't she?"

Conway had to admit, she was. She was quite attractive with her long and braided platinum blonde hair that was accented by her blue eyes. Her armour seemed to perfectly compliment her slender figure. "She is." He agreed after a moment.

Switching off the headlights, Apex Squad exited the vehicle, rifles gripped. They moved, Conway in the lead and flanked by Corporal Reyes and the rest in tow. "Alright, guys." He said over the squad comms. His external speakers were muted, so the natives couldn't hear a word. "I don't want any incidents, so keep your ACARs powered but your safeties on. Only shoot in self-defence and if your life is in danger." He paused and glanced at the primitive weaponry. "...Which I don't think will happen. But be ready for anything."

He moved towards the princess in a non-threatening way, his rifle lowered. "Greetings, Princess." Conway greeted. "My name is Sergeant Elias Conway, commander of Apex Squad, 227th Infantry Battalion, United Earth Government Marine Corps." He introduced, gesturing to the rest of his squad. "I'm the acting representative of Captain Decker and the crew of the Filial Piety."

 

[Corrosion]

----------------------
CHAPTER THREE
ARBITRATIONS AND NEGOTIATIONS
----------------------
​

No one spoke throughout the long walk to the throne room. The Marines had dropped all conversations on their comms, and each one occasionally threw Nakier an incredibly hostile glance, fingers tightening around their coilguns. Their heavy, metallic footsteps reverberated throughout the halls, noticeably much heavier than before. More... stompy this time round.

Luthien had taken Fawkes off somewhere, probably because she didn't want him to be with the Marines. Conway couldn't blame him. The peaceful introductions in the dining room had almost been ruined all because a member of the planet's native lizard people bared a passing resemblance to the vaskrans the UEG had been fighting. Besides, he was just a kid, so what did he know about interstellar warfare?

He realised that when the crew met the cat people Anice had spoken about earlier, it would probably provoke a similar reaction. Humanity was understandably xenophobic considering how the first intelligent alien race they had encountered after over eight centuries of searching turned out to be bloodthirsty and hostile.

On the other hand, the war united most of humanity. Where they had been divided before, humans had the natural tendency to put aside their differences and fight against a common enemy, one bigger than anything faced before.

Conway turned his attention to the princess. She was walking ahead and hadn't turned back once. In fact, she seemed to be deep in thought, given by her general posture. The sergeant wondered what about. Most probably, she was dwelling on the incident, perhaps wondering if she should report it or not, and to the king, no less.

God, Conway really hoped she wouldn't. Torres had already very nearly fucked up first contact not even five minutes after meeting each other. If she did, well, that would probably ruin whatever chances of peaceful cooperation the crew had. Not only that, but he'd probably have brass up his ass and be knee deep in shit.

The group eventually came to a set of double doors, very ornate ones decked in gold. A pair of guards stood on both sides, their armour bearing the same colours as the princess. They both bowed as she approached. Probably elite guards of some sort, considering how their armour seemed to be much higher quality than the soldiers the Marines had encountered earlier on.

Before going in, the princess stopped and turned to the Marines, informing them what to do. Kneel, don't make eye contact with the queen or prince, and get straight to the point. The first two didn't make much sense, really. No one kneeled when facing superiors, even the president, and why weren't they allowed to make eye contact with the queen or prince? It was standard to look a superior in the eye in order to show sincerity.

Conway wasn't in the mood to argue, not did he think it was appropriate to. So he simply nodded. "Understood, ma'am." He turned back to his squad. "Be on your best behaviour, guys. Don't do anything stupid, or so help me."

With that, the princess led the Marines into the throne room. It was rather large, that was for sure, and probably the fanciest and most elegant place he'd ever been in. The floor was covered in the same blue carpet that seemed to cover the entire floor of the palace, leading up to the throne. The throne, or thrones considering how there were four chairs in total, were on a raised platform, with black stairs leading up to them.

Sitting on the chairs at the very top were what Conway was very sure was the royal family. King, queen, prince, if he recalled correctly. The last throne was empty, though that was probably Anice's. Oddly enough, Fawkes seemed to lack a throne for himself. Wasn't he a prince too? Maybe he was simply too young, or something like that.

The princess made her way to the stairs and kneeled, addressing her father and showing him the Marines.

Conway took a breath and made his way forward. However, before he could, his helmet beeped once, indicating that he was receiving an incoming transmission.

"This is Captain Decker." Came the voice of Captain Decker through his helmet. Of course he'd been listening in. "We may be guests on this planet, and you may be meeting with the king of this nation, but you are Marines of the United Earth Government, and the UEG does not bow to any foreign power, and never will. You will not kneel to anyone."

Conway paused for a bit and seemed to be quite confused, before nodding slowly. "Understood, sir."

The transmission was ended, and he continued his way forward. He stopped at the base of the stairs but did not kneel like Anice. Instead, he simply stomped his right foot once and went to parade rest, waiting for the king to speak first. Several minutes passed without any comment. Was the sergeant supposed to speak first?

He got his answer when the king finally spoke up, introducing himself as King Ramus the... Valiant? Was that a title? A description? That was rather odd.

"My name is Sergeant Elias Conway, NCO of Apex Squad, 227th Infantry Battalion, United Earth Government Marine Corps. Acting representative of the crew of the United Earth Government Naval Command vessel Filial Piety." He introduced, like he had done many times before when addressing superiors, excluding the last part.

Get straight to the point. Don't drone on.

"I'll get straight to the point, sir." He turned to his holotool and detached its holographic projector. "My squad and I are only here to act as representatives of the crew of the Filial Piety. Captain Decker will do the diplomacy."

He tossed the disc-shaped projector onto the ground in front of him. A second passed with no activity. Then, the disc suddenly lit up. A swarm of holographic particles swarmed around the area above it. Then they all seem to condense in the middle, and soon enough, a perfect scale model of Captain Decker appeared dressed in his clean and crisp grey naval uniform highlighted by golden streaks. He was standing still with his hands behind his back, an impassive expression plastered on his face. The hologram was slightly translucent and had a blue tint to it.

"King Ramus," Said Decker, his voice even grainier than the king's front decades of yelling orders to his crew. "My name is Captain Anthony Decker. I'm the captain of the United Earth Government Naval Command ship Filial Piety.

 

[Corrosion]

Apex reappeared back at the campsite with a flash, the same as before. Conway didn't feel the same wave of nausea as he did before, so that was good. The stims must have kicked in. What wasn't good, however, was the fact that the electromagnetic interference caused by apparent quantum fluctuations still persisted, and his HUD and other vital systems in his armour still needed to reboot when he went through. Everyone else reported the same problem.

Oh well. The eggheads in engineering would probably come up with a fix soon enough when the Miller completed his scans on the anomalous energy.

Still, the feeling of essentially getting turned into his component molecules and catapulted dozens of kilometres in an instant didn't get any better, and still felt really fucking weird.

Conway made his way out the circle tent, pushing the flap that acted as a door to the side. It was night outside, and the camp was dimly illuminated in orange by the fire from several torches. The native soldiers who had made camp here were still milling around, the ones standing by the tent moving away when the Marines made their exit.

The Pitbull was still parked where he'd left it. The squad moved towards it to head back to the Filial Piety, but were stopped by the princess. Come to the camp if they needed to contact the palace again. That was easy enough to follow. "I understand, ma'am." He nodded.

The sudden arrival of the city-sized (by native standards at least) ship causing quite a bit of panic in the nation was sure to be expected. Having crashed just a few dozen kilometres outside Arcadia's capital city in a blinding fireball that was visible for practically everywhere in the area, it was hard to miss. "I understand. It's likely that the captain is already planning our... uh, reveal."

Decker was a smart man, and fair, too. But Conway didn't exactly have that much confidence that the captain would actually abide by the rules. He was the pragmatic sort.

"Understood, ma'am." He nodded a final time. He suddenly seemed to remember something. "Oh, and before I forget," Conway reached behind him and pulled out a small, elongated boxy metal object with a screen and pair of buttons on the side. He held it out and gave it to the princess. "Commlink. Allows for two-way vocal communication. If you need to talk with the captain, push the button on the side. It's already been formatted beforehand. Incoming transmissions will cause a blinking green light and beeping sound to appear. All you have to do is tap the screen."

With that done, he took a step back and snapped up a salute. "Good night, princess." He turned and headed to the vehicle and got into it, as did his squad. The engine started with its signature growl, and the vehicle was off, back towards the massive ship. Its headlights illuminated the grassy surface, joined by the light from the moon.

----------------------
INTERLUDE
LEST WE FORGET
----------------------
​

EDREIGN, UNCHARTED SPACE
JUNE 15, 2848 (MILITARY CALENDAR)
1100 HOURS

​

"...And thus we lay to rest these valiant men and women who gave their lives in the field of duty to protect their homes, their people, and the human race. They will be remembered as heroes, those who fought what they loved so much, and so that the rest of us may live to fight another day. Lest we forget, we shall remember the fallen."

Captain Decker finished his eulogy, standing in front of two hundred and thirty-one fresh graves, each one marked by a simple headstone where their names, rank, and service number were engraved into, and their faces in hologram. Where the hill was barren the day before was the final resting place of the crewmen who'd died in the crash. Not all the graves had bodies buried in them, of course, for some were unrecoverable, or there simply wasn't enough to bury.

Facing Decker was a good portion of the ship's surviving crew, all gathered to respect the dead. Traditionally, it would be a burial at space, but that was obviously out of the question, since the ship was permanently grounded. Furthermore, manually taking the bodies into space itself and released there would simply be too time-consuming and impractical. Thus the men were buried the way humanity had been doing so for thousands of years: six feet under.

Seven Marines had formed a rifle party, ACARs gripped in hands. They were in their ceremonial dress blues, a uniform that bore much similarity to the ancient apparel worn by national militaries of old Earth.

"PRESENT... ARMS!" The platoon sergeant leading the rifle party yelled.

The men of the rifle party all turned ninety degrees in unison and held their rifles in front of them.

"READY!"

They gripped their rifles to their chests.

"AIM!"

They adopted a firing position, rifles aimed towards the clouds at a forty-five degree angle.

"FIRE!"

They fired at once. Blanks, of course, special rounds designed to disintegrate in the barrel. They produced a sound a flash, but nothing more than that. They performed this procedure two more times.

Next was the traditional playing of Taps on trumpet. The somber and slow notes resonated throughout the area.

Conway was behind the crowd. He was quietly thankful that none of the guys he knew had perished the previous day. Adler and Ash, on the other hand, were quite upset. They'd lost a few friends.

He wondered if he'd been too hard on them. He'd given them a dressing-down when they got back, ripped Torres a new asshole especially. But he wondered if he'd do the same thing if he were them, someone who hadn't been fighting as long as him. Torres hadn't seen combat yet, and the others had only been in a few battles. Conway had the experience they lacked, but he supposed nothing could prepare him for coming face to face with a non-human lizard race that looked strikingly similar to the one they'd been taught to hate and trained to kill.

He gazed towards the horizon, at the direction of the palace, and quietly wondered what the princess was doing and what she was thinking.

 

[Corrosion]

The crowd began to disperse after the ceremony was wrapped up. Much shorter than official burials for such a large number of casualties (most burials at space only involved a few dozen or so), but the crew still had more important matters to deal with. From what Conway had heard, the captain was planning to send a small contingent of troops into Windcrest itself and set up an FOB within the confines of the city. Mostly to make communication easier and facilitate relations, but he knew that it was also to gather as much data as possible.

Rule One: never underestimate an enemy, no matter how weak they seem.

"So... that's that, huh?" Conway turned to see Ash seated next to him, staring straight ahead with her elbows on her knees. She was out of her armour, and so was he, and so was almost everyone else. Dressed in her dress uniform and with her shoulder-length dirty blonde hair kept in a messy ponytail and light blue eyes, she looked beautiful. Tired, but beautiful nonetheless. It was no wonder the guys liked her.

The sergeant pulled out a chair and sat down. "I guess."

"Yeah." Ash muttered.

The two sat in silence for a while. "I heard you lost a friend." Conway spoke, breaking the silence.

"Friends." Ash corrected, turning to him. "Parson, Lang, Sprat, all gone." She sighed.

"Aw, shit. Sprat?" Conway asked. "That's a shame. I knew him. He was a good Marine."

"Yeah."

The awkward silence returned. Longer this time, and would've continued for much longer if Ash hadn't sighed and stood up. "I'll see you back at base, sarge."

Conway watched her leave. He remained where he was, reflecting on things.

"Sergeant Conway?" The gruff voice of Captain Decker snapped him out of his thoughts, and he immediately shot to his feet and spun around, before saluting.

"Sir!"

Decker made a slight gesture with his hand. "At ease, son." He said. "I want to commend you for initiating a successful first contact."

The sergeant was confused. "Sir? But we nearly caused a—"

"And you prevented it from happening." Decker cut him off. "I was worried that we would have another war on our hands. It was quick thinking on your part, and you showed restraint and disciplined your men afterwards. Those are the traits of a leader, and why you were promoted in the first place."

Conway wanted to say that the only reason why he was given a battlefield promotion was because Sergeant Nichols was killed in action, and he was trust into the role of squad leader. But he also knew that the captain was right.

"I... thank you, sir!"

Decker merely nodded. "I'm sending in three squads and an engineering team to establish an FOB in Arcadia's capital city. We'll be establishing the base of operations in the poorer district of the city, repurposing a set of abandoned buildings. Lieutenant Camilla Sharron will lead the operation, but your team will take charge. The royals will likely be more comfortable seeing a familiar face."

Conway nodded. "I understand, sir."

"Then you're dismissed."

The sergeant saluted and this time, Decker returned the salute. As he turned to make his way back to the ship, he noticed two figures standing on a nearby hill. Had they been watching the whole time? Conway squinted, and could barely make out the familiar armour the princess wore. That was definitely her. But he didn't recognise the other figure. She was a woman, but she didn't look like the queen.

Staring for a moment, he then gave a short wave.

----------------------
CHAPTER FOUR
SETTLING IN
----------------------
​

The doors of the elevator slid open with a hiss, and Decker stepped out and onto the bridge. The bridge crew immediately paused what they were doing and stood at attention and saluted. They had all recovered completely, and Decker was thankful none of them had perished like the two hundred thirty-one that had just been laid to rest. He sipped the cup of coffee in his hand (unsweetened again; he'd grown to appreciate the caffeine) and motioned for the crew to return to their duties.

As he stepped towards the holotable, Miller materialised in the middle. "Welcome back, sir."

"As it is." Decker said simply and immediately got to work. A series of images and videos and scans of the surrounding settlements, terrain, and inhabitants appeared. They were what the drones had gathered since they were grounded.

"If I may ask, sir," Miller spoke up. "Have you actually asked the king or anyone else if we could, you know, basically use a bunch of old buildings as a base for the troops?"

Decker didn't look up. "No."

"I... well, how are you gonna explain that?"

The captain's response was to simply tap on a holographic button.

Elsewhere, the commlink Conway had given the princess began to beep.

​

 

[Corrosion]

Conway had heard Nakier's explanation, to add to what he already knew the night before. Master engineers, it seemed. However, what he really wanted to know was Luthien's rather... bitchy attitude. "If you don't mind me asking, I'd like to know, too." He said, making his way towards the lieutenant and the guards. "Ma'am."

Sharron folded her arms as she listened to the words of the two non-human guards and their explanation. "Well, glad to hear that humans aren't the only species with extensive xenophobia." She paused for a second, recalling some facts she knew of. "You know, if my facts are right, elves were always portrayed as haughty and arrogant. In the books and fiction, I mean. With what you just said, it just seems to match up perfectly."

Conway spoke next. "Ma'am, this whole place seems like we've crashed on your average high-fantasy world." He told her. "I mean, magic, princesses, elves, and castles? It sure as hell seems like it. What's next? A rogue faction led by evil sorcerer trying to take over the world and instill chaos?"

There was a single minute of silence. Then the two Marine commanders shared a laugh.

"Like hell."

----------------------
CHAPTER FIVE
AD REFERENDUM
----------------------
​

WINDCREST
JUNE 15, 2848 (MILITARY CALENDAR)
1800 HOURS

​

The sun was beginning to set over the horizon and the skies had turned a vibrant shade of orange when the captain made his appearance. A single DTT-143 Vulture dropship soared over and above the city of Windcrest, accompanied by a pair of AF-29 Warhawk aerospace fighters flying in a tight V formation. The roar from their repulsor engines emanated throughout the city streets and alleyways and districts the craft passed by, thrusters producing jets of bright blue flame.

They continued forwards until they reached the royal palace, upon which they swooped down. The palace's central courtyard had been designated as the ideal landing zone due to its open space. And so the Vulture descended, rotating around so its rear was facing the palace's entrance. It deployed its landing legs and touched down several seconds later, the downdraft from the engines blowing loose blades of grass and dirt around.

The engines were shut off as soon as the Vulture had landed. Moments later, its ramp lowered.

A squad of Marines exited with their rifles in hand to secure the landing zone and scan for potential hostiles. These were wearing armour that looked quite different from the ones the more run-of-the-mill Marines wore and the ones the royal family had already seen. Their armour looked somewhat lighter than standard armour, more attuned for scouting, and was a drab shade of olive green with red highlights.

For good reason, too. The men wearing the armour were members of Advanced Reconnaissance, Special (ARES), the Marine Corps' special operations capable force. Tasked with performing special reconnaissance, direct action, and force support, their missions were oftentimes incredibly risky, and yet they had an incredibly high success rate despite all odds. They were the elite, the best of the best, being handpicked from only the most capable. They were among the most respected special forces group, among others such as Navy EVAS troopers, Army Rangers, and SHADEs (the last of which was a real mystery that involved highly classified information).

Next out was a pair of Marine Heavy Assault Troopers (HATs), their heavy metallic footsteps echoing throughout the area. Clad in much more armour than their grunt counterparts, they towered over the average man, standing at seven to eight feet tall. Their powered armour was also much tougher and stronger, allowing them to lift their gigantic dual-barrelled .62 caliber heavy automatic coilguns with ease, weapons normally mounted on vehicles or affixed to stands.

Once the Marines had all exited, the Vulture's final passenger stepped into the light.

Captain Decker stepped out of the darkness and stood at full height, stopping to take a look around him. He was wearing a different outfit than the one the royal family had previously seen him in. Gone was his standard officer's uniform, and in its place was a far more elaborate ceremonial garb. It was pure white with blue and gold trimmings and even more crisp than his usual attire. His cap remained the same.

The dark blue shoulder boards on both sides displayed the four golden bars and single star of his rank, his sleeves having the same number of golden stripes. There was his rank insignia on the left side of his chest, an eagle with its wings unfolded grasping the Compass and Continents. Below that was a large number of service ribbons and medals, showcasing Decker's many awards. They ranged from more mundane action ribbons to prestigious awards such as the Distinguished Service Medal.

He stood with his hands behind his back. Then he made his way down the ramp and towards the royal family and saluted in respect. "King Ramus. It's good to finally meet you in person." He greeted and offered a hand to the king.

As the captain made his moves, the Marines accompanying stood at attention with their rifles lowered. The heavy troopers meanwhile hefted their massive weapons harmlessly towards the sky.

 

[Corrosion]

By the time the conversations and dinner had wrapped up, around three hours had passed, and a whole lot of information had been shared. Miller was already having a field day with all the information gathered, and was now in the process of putting together a comprehensive codex of everything.

The captain had exited the palace along with the rest of the royal family and advisors, and Marines. The sun had already set and the courtyard lit by the moonlight and torches and those balls of light. The Vulture was where it had been left when it touched down. Exterior lights illuminated the area surrounding it. The two ARES members left to guard looked mighty bored, but quickly snapped back to attention when Decker and the others exited.

As the ramp of the dropship lowered and artificial light poured out from the inside, Decker turned round and retrieved a black briefcase from one of the Marines. "Before I leave, I'd like to present you with a gift of appreciation." He swiped his holotool across its front, and its magnetic locks disengaged, the case opening up.

Inside held several objects. The first was at first glance a simple UEGMC-issue 12-inch durasteel combat knife. However, upon closer inspection, it was of much higher quality, with far more decorative and intricate details such as chrome on the handles and solid gold on the guard. The pommel held a sapphire, dug up from the mines earlier in the day.

It contained all the trademark colours of both the UEG and the royal family.

Engraved on its side were the words 'United Earth Government', and below that, 'Praeterea et ultra'. On the right next to the words was the Compass and Continents; the insignia of the UEG.

Above the knife was a disc holoprojector that activated a second after the case was opened, displaying a three-dimensional and incredibly detailed model of the ship. Engraved on the projector, around its sides was the name of the ship, and below that 'CAG-410'.

The last object was a vaguely L-shaped device. "This is a holoreader," Decker explained. "It contains an entire library's worth of books, right at your fingertips. Miller downloaded the Filial Piety's archives into it earlier."

With that done, the lid was closed but left unlocked. "Take this as a token of gratitude and a gesture of friendship." Decker handed it to the king. He then took a step back and saluted. "I must take my leave for now. Goodnight, and goodbye."

The captain and the Marines stepped into the aircraft, the ramp closing as soon as everyone had gotten in. Its engines roared as jets of blue flame erupted out of each thruster nozzle, pushing the dropship upwards. It slowly began to ascend, then it rotated around and then boosted away, back to home base.

----------------------
CHAPTER SIX
A TOUR AROUND TOWN
----------------------
​

WINDCREST
JUNE 16, 2848 (MILITARY CALENDAR)
1700 HOURS

Most of the Marines and crew went straight for the bars and taverns within the city the moment shore leave was declared. Course, they'd been given the usual briefing they had every time before going out and having fun. Be on their best behaviour, report back before curfew, no fraternising with the locals, blah blah blah. Usual boring shit they already knew.

Conway had already spent quite a bit of time wandering around the city. He was still wearing his armour, since Windcrest didn't exactly meet every safety regulation set by the UEG. Besides, most Marines wore their armour everywhere, anyway. They'd been thought since Basic that their armour was their second skin, and most than just a suit but their home.

Right now, he was heading to join the rest of his squad. They'd found some bar called The Dashing Huntress or something like that, invited him for a drink. He was more than happy to oblige of course.

The rest of the crew were elsewhere, wandering around just as he was or getting drunk or starting fights. Or something. Probably both.

 

[StarryKnights]

Anice turned back when Conway called out to her, a curious frown on her face. She was treated to the most awkward and clumsy bow she’d ever seen, yet it made her heart skip a beat.
Clearly such displays were not common in the UEG.

She blinked, and then let out a short laugh before responding with her own curtsy. She crossed one leg in front of the other and bowed low and made the motion of lifting a skirt with her left hand. This was the proper bow that a princess would show a high-ranking member of society or visiting nobles from another country.

“Goodnight sergeant”, she smiled at the man before departing. Though she tried to ignore the fluttering in her chest, she found that the sensation wouldn’t go away.
Anice had never felt such a…spark before and it both excited and worried her. She was excited at the prospect of feeling such a primal and strong attraction… but worried because it could only lead to heart ache.

Even if Conway felt similarly, her hand was all but promised to another. This thought brought a small, sad smile to the princess’s face, one that persisted once she returned home and headed to bed for the evening.
Not even a visit from Fawkes could brighten her mood.

----------------------
CHAPTER SEVEN
AN UNEXPECTED COMPLICATION
----------------------
​

In the early morning hours, the following day, a small army was mobilizing. Dressed in black, gleaming armor the regiment of say, thirty soldiers advanced through the fields toward the capital city.
The field hand and farmers, who woke early to get a head start on their chores, cowered inside as the men tramped through their crops.

About two miles from the city wall, this regiment broke apart, with half the troops marching on toward the city while the other half trudged in the direction of the crashed ship belonging to the UEG.

Armed with swords, lances and their own spells it was clear that these soldiers meant business.
But who they represented and why they were attacking were mysteries, mysterious that Anice was presented with as she woke that morning.

Seated at her dresser brushing out her hair, she was interrupted by a frantic knock at the door.

“Enter”.

She was surprised when Morlock opened the door.
“Princess, I’m sorry to disturb you so early this morning, but I’m afraid that we have a situation”.

Frowing, Anice rose, tying her hair back into a bun she strode toward the door. She was still dressed in her night clothes, but that didn’t phase her. She could change into her armor at the guard’s barracks.

“What’s the situation?”, she asked as she walked. Morlock followed alongside her.

“Early this morning we received word of an unknown regiment of soldiers advancing for Windcrest. The city has been put on lockdown, and an evacuation of the farmers has been started.

Anice nodded. The safety of the people was paramount.
“And the city gates?”.

“Sealed of course, we’re waiting on you to organize a counter strike to intercept this unknown threat”.

Though Morlock was the captain of the guard in name, he often deferred to Anice in situations like this. If she was going to succeed him, then she needed practice in taking charge in these scenarios.

“Do we have visual omformation of the threat?”.

“Not yet Ma’am, we working on it”.
Anice frowned, the pair arrived at the barracks, Anice slipped into her private office to prepare.
For what exactly she didn’t know, but it seemed that she’d have a fight on her hands that morning.

 

[StarryKnights]

Luthien frowned at Miller.

“They aren’t exactly conscious…but…”, she rubbed her eyes. “It’s difficult to explain, they aren’t conscious in a normal sense, nor are they in control of their bodies. It’s more like they are…watching things from a third person view”, she waved her hand dismissively.

“I don’t have the time or desire to explain it in detail”.

What she’d found wasn’t exactly useful by any means, a dark-haired woman who was a talented mage?

There was likely countless young woman who fit that description, and Luthien couldn’t tell if they were an elf or not. No doubt this ordeal would exacerbate the relationship between elves and humans in the city.

What a mess this was turning out to be.

Fawkes stared at Miller with awe apparent on his face, even though he’d seen some of the UEG’s technology before it was still super exciting.

He giggled at the AI’s words.

“I’m the best little sneak ever, right sis?”, he beamed up at her.
Anice flashed a rueful smile.

“Indeed, you are, but you must stop sneaking off when there’s a security threat”, she tousled his hair.

A servant arrived, they bowed before the princess before speaking. “Princess, the King is preparing to give his speech. Your presence has been requested
The princess nodded. “Right”, she looked to Luthien. “Look after Fawkes, ensure he stays out of trouble”.

“Of course,” the elf looked to the AI. “What about the machine?”.

“It is observing our treatment process and is assisting us in solving this matter. So, he will stay with you”, she looked to Miller. “I trust that is agreeable?”.

Once that was squared away, Anice departed, leaving Luthien, Fawkes and Miller to continue looking after the survivors.

----------------------
CHAPTER EIGHT
A TREACHEROUS PLOT
----------------------​

Anice stood on the balcony, off to the right of her father, her expression was stoic, her hands folded in front of her.

The king stood at the railing, addressing the crowd of clambering citizens waiting in the courtyard below.

She recognized many of the faces as members of the upper echelons of Windcrest, and all of them looked confused, scared and angry. Not the best crowd to be speaking to.

Better him than me, she thought as Ramus began.

“Citizens and countrymen”, the king began, quieting the crowd. A nearby mage projected the king’s voice, so that it boomed out over the crowd.

“As we all know, there has been a terrible tragedy one that had claimed the lives of our country man”.

The crowd grew silent, but Anice could see the anger in the closer faces.

“Earlier today, an insidious plot was put into motion by outside forces, one that pitted us against the new forces that reside in our lands”.

There was a great deal of booing here, Anice winced as some choice insults were hurled at her father.

“Betrayer! You serve these outsiders rather than your own people!”, one voice shouted out.

Remaining stone faced and impassive during such speeches wasn’t easy for the princess, the trained observer might notice how tightly she gripped her folded hands.

Ramus was far calmer and more continued on after a moment.

“These outsiders were used as a tool, as were our country men. Now is not the time to be at each other’s throats my citizens. Now is the time to come together, to find the snake in our midst”.

Anice scanned the crowd again, wondering if that snake was in this crowd now. There were plenty of dark-haired females on the crowd, as it was a common enough trait found across the elven and human populations in Edreign. Still, Anice stiffened as she counted more and more young women who could potentially be the target.

She was so focused on that, that she didn’t notice the young man standing in the middle of the crowd.

He was rather plain looking, with brown hair and pace skin. The only notably thing about him was his dark brown eyes, which shone with an amused light. He regarded the king with a bemused expression.

The tottering old fool, the people won’t be bought with pretty words this time.
He glanced around the crowd, which was growing more and more restless as Ramus spoke.

It was about time to give them something else to worry about. The people’s faith in the royal family was waning with each passing second.

He couldn’t wait to see how one going missing would affect things.

All is moving along smoothly; a smirk came to his face as he reached into the pocket of his pants. Pulling out a small, softly glowing stone, he uttered a quick spell before dropping it at his feet.

The second the stone hit the cobblestone below, it exploded into a thick, bright blue dust. Screams echoed through the crowd, the acrid smoke rose higher into the air, and quickly obscured the entire court yard in a thick blue haze.

For the poor bastards caught in the smoke coughed and hacked, as the magical cloud stole away their breath.

The king was quickly shuffled away, with Anice close behind.

“Security breach! Secure the king!”, Anice barked at the guards, who swarmed the old man, escorting him deeper into the palace.

She didn’t see who’d caused the choking mist, but with all the chaos she doubted that they’d escaped on foot. So, either they left through some kind of magical means…or they were still present.
Anice had a sinking feeling it was the latter, she followed after the guards, who were taking Ramus to the panic room, a secure area where he would be safe.

Once he was secure, she would head back out to the scene.

 

[Corrosion]

The captain nodded. Now that the princess was secure, they could move on to the next stage of the operation. Whoever was responsible for the taking of the princess was sure to leave some traces of organic material behind. Sweat, skin cells, and other bodily fluids. Sources of DNA that could be used to track him... or her, if Anice was right about the whole disguise thing.

Not only that, but with some searching, there was bound to be another energy surge similar to the one earlier, and if the patterns matched up, that would be where the target ended up.

"Understood. I'll be waiting." Decker said as Morlock ended the transmission. He turned to Miller. "Miller, see if you can scan for a signature matching the one in the building."

The A.I. nodded. "Way ahead of you, sir. This shouldn't take long."

----------------------
CHAPTER NINE
GETTING TO THE BOTTOM
----------------------
​

By the time Morlock had called back, the Marines had combed through the entire building the and surrounding area. The place was secure, and there wasn't much else to be done, so they packed up and returned back to the FOB. There was increased drone coverage, however, just in case the priority target made a return this way.

That wasn't to say that the Marines hadn't come home empty handed, however. They'd recovered the material needed to track the target.

Miller had analysed the material and managed to gather sufficient DNA, but as with before, there was no way to know who it belonged to without a composite database.

Still, at least he could perform a systematic comb through of the population. Likely as it was that the target had gone into hiding by now, it was worth a shot.

On the other hand, he had no idea whether the disguise or shifting process would also alter the subject's DNA makeup, so it was also likely the target could be another face in the crowd. Hell, he or she could even be one of the civvies who'd walked past FOB Windcrest, or even one who came by to have a conversation with the Marines on station.

That worried him. Miller assigned a certain amount of his processing power to calculate the probability of that occurring, and also to locate signatures that matched that of the target.

Decker, on the other hand, was focused on the meeting currently going on. "We're not a hundred percent certain," He said. "As you said, most of the blood had... vaporised by the time the Marines got there, but there was enough residue to get by, along with remnant energy signatures." He turned to Miller. "Miller?"

"This is the clearest I could get, given the situation." The A.I. said, gesturing to the image. "I've calculated a 96 percent certainty, sir."

"We've also managed to gather some DNA samples from the scene and are attempting to locate the target," Decker followed up. "But as of now we still haven't managed to detect any energy signatures matching that of the one made using the pattern. We have no idea where the target was transported to. However, I hypothesise that it's somewhere related to princess, somewhere she knows given how it was made from her blood."