Rise of the Kirin 29 - 31

[Cmdr Wyvern]

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Chapter 29 (ghosts in the mist)
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Captain Reese Mintel's last moments where ones of confusion and mindless pain. With the disappearance of the General Senior, the chain of command had been reduced to autonomous Captains and their troopers. One commander and eight men. Lots of little groups of headless chickens all squawking to the same tune. Then the bounty hunter had come over the station comm. Reese thought it was a trick at first, a massive Thargoid fleet in system? Now, after hearing the massive mechanical impacts on the outside of the stations hull and seeing the slow change in colour of the outer corridor wall, from grey, to blue, to dull then ruby red; He wasn't so sure. "Squad echo-charlie-sigona pull back to the main intersection, I want three men covering each side of the T-junction, ten feet apart, everyone keep a bug out clip in reserve to get you back to the pressure doors." It was a judgment call to defend the intersection, he figured that he could used the room, turn it into a two way bottlenecked kill zone for whoever or whatever was trying to tear it's way through the walls.

The paint was bubbling now. Sending acrid smoke into the corridor. The troopers kept low to avoid it. Within seconds the cutting lasers began carving arching holes in the outer walls. Mintel reassured his marines, "flechette rounds only lads, I don't want to go space walking without a suit." Gallows humor yeah, felt kind of right, right about now. With a creaking slam the cut out chunks of metal began dropping musically into the aging walk way. A menacing green glow filled the frame made by the rapidly cooling metal. Almost immediately smoke began billowing through the opening. "Dark veils and respirators!" The troop flicked down their visors, but it wasn't smoke it was fog. The air coming out of the breach points in the walls was at least minus twenty. Instantly crystallizing the humidity maintained by the station. The frigid blast hit Reese squarely chilling him to the bone.

"visibility down to eight feet, can't see any heat traces. Wait, movement! Left to right, low!" The marine manning the right forward firing position squeezed off several rounds, causing the mist creeping towards him to spin and swirl. No cries, no blood, nothing.

"What did you see soldier?" Mintel demanded.

"I don't know sir, something black, something big. Its difficult to see, visors getting fogged up."

This was not good. They were having their senses systematically crippled and they hadn't even seen the enemy yet. "Marines fall back to the junction, we're leaving this section. We'll establish a perimeter behind the pressure do....." Thats when Captain Reese Mintel stood up into the flowing river of near pure ammonia that was pouring into the station, from the breaches in its walls. It was then, his now near blind men started to die. As their staggering, screaming bodies were pulled back into the fog by the predatory forms of their Thargoid counterparts. To his left one marine's trigger finger spasmed as a Thargoid claw ripped through his belly spewing steaming guts into the now frigid deck plates. Turning as he fell, the feline peppered the corridor with flechettes one of which cut neatly through Reese's right femoral artery. His now useless leg buckled under his weight, he hit the ground hard.

Despite suffering a mortal injury, Mintel managed to reach down his shaking hand, found and detached the side arm resting there. They were close now, he could hear them.

Still monitoring marine comms traffic from the bridge of the Kirin, Ramania listened grimly to the final broadcast of Troop E.C.S. "Thargoids have breached the station, squad dead. Get out, Get OUT! Come on then you son of a...."Reese's last few words were punctuated by three muffled hand laser blasts making him barely audible as they crackled across the channel. Then, silence.

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Chapter 30 (Bugout)
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Roh'i had brought Mima to the infirmary to get her wound tended to, when Ramania's voice came over Roh'i's headset, "Boss, we got trouble. I'm monitoring the combat channels, and the word is the Bugs are cutting their way into the station. The troopers can't hold them."

Roh'i sighed, "Dammit, that's worse than I feared."

Mima asked, "What's wrong?"

"Trouble. The Thargoids are boarding the station. That's a new one, seems they're trying to take the station in more or less one piece. Usually, the Bugs destroy GalCop property and replace it with their own tech."

"I saw a Thargoid device of some kind earlier, in the fat bastard's quarters. I wonder if that has something to do with their change of tactics."

Roh'i nods, "I'd say that's pretty likely, Miss. No time to worry about that now, though. Time has run out, we've got to escape. I'll leave you in Dr. Pachensen's care, while I see to getting the hell off this station. Oh, Udian recorded this for you..." Roh'i passes her a data disk.

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Roh'i made his way aft, "Kitten, patch me through to the Marines."

"A moment... You're on, Boss."

"Troopers, this is Captain Roh'i of the /Therenback/. I'm given to understand that the situation has become untenable. Looks like we're the last ride out, and I don't intend to stick around. Everybody that can walk, grab everybody that can't and is still breathing, and double time it. All aboard!"

As the marines started running for the ship, Roh'i switched to internal intercom, "Rupert, prepare to give those guys some cover fire. I recon the Bugs are gonna be hot on their heels."

As the troopers boarded the ship, the rattle of chain gun fire spraying into the mists pouring onto the deck, Roh'i greeted them, "Welcome aboard, folks. Sorry about the lack of seating. Make yourselves as comfortable as possible."

"Hey Captain! What about this thing?" A trooper had found the improvised minitank. "Let's push it down the ramp," Roh'i said. "There's enough fuel and ammo on it to make a big bang." With the help of two of the soldiers, Roh'i shoved the forklift-come-assault vehicle down the cargo ramp and into the vapor cloud, then tossed a plasma grenade after it. "Fire in the hole! Kitten, seal all hatches and fold the ramp. Prepare for departure." Roh'i made his way forward, towards the bridge.

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Thorn moved back to the tactical station as the Captain arrived and took the helm. "Liftoff," Roh'i commanded. "Autolaunch?"

"Not responding, Boss."

"Are we clear for manual launch?"

"I got a jam condition on the station doors."

"Dammit. We're going to have to make our own door. Arm the nukes, dumb fire mode."

"You got 'em, Cap."

Roh'i rotated the ship around to face the back wall of the station, then launched the nukes. The torpedoes sped across the central axis of the station, then detonated against the back wall, blasting a large hole outward. A volley of fire from the plasma turrets and forward laser cut the hole larger.

"Shields down, no damage," Ramania reported. "EMP effect," Roh'i rumbled. He pushed the throttle forward, and snaked the ship through the hole. Almost immediately, hostile lasers started striking the hull. Roh'i slammed the throttle to full, "Let's give those Bugs a parting gift! Esei, dump the remaining cascade canisters."

With Thargoid battleships in pursuit, the canisters drifted away from the Kirin, spreading in a loose pattern. "Wait for it..," Roh'i rumbled. "Detonate!"

Roh'i punched the injectors as the cascade detonations behind them swallowed the Thargoid ships and slammed the remains of the station, knocking the aging and battered hulk into a rapidly decaying orbit.

"Damage?"

"Energy unit offline, E-bomb offline, shield systems offline, and ECM off-lined. Four turrets disabled, fuel exhausted."

Roh'i sighed. "Oh well, could've been worse." He turned the ship towards out system, to rendevue with the Hammer.

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Chapter 31 (Revelations)
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Mima sat in the infirmary of the Kirin. Turning the data disk over and over in her hands. Dr. Pachensen was busy treating the half gassed casualties of the battle for Tibecia Station. She had been helping where she could, administering mildly acidic drops to blood shot eyes and binding wounds. In many ways this hands on approach was quite refreshing if a little odd. She was used to her families ways of fixing such things. This was different in the same way a watch maker would find car mechanics familiar but at the same time strange. A fix is a fix at the end of the day and this was no time to be playing fast and loose with bio-nanites.

That wasn't the main thing worrying her. From the day of her birth, Chimera had always been a commanding presence in her life. He was the patriarch of the family. Always sure, like an immortal rock in a endless sea of change. Ruthlessly and fearlessly he put things right. The data disc spoke volumes even before it was played. It meant he was worried, worried that even he wouldn't be able to fix things this time. That this system in all likely hood would be his grave. A shiver ran down her spine as she inserted the data disc and pressed play. There he sat, on the bridge of the Hammer, a king on his throne. He looked older, tired, like the weight of several worlds weighed heavily on his shoulders.

"My dear Mima, if your viewing this then you at the very least are safe. The shock of the past few months has probably left you feeling quite estranged from me right now. You've probably realized that despite your fathers wishes a dormant base survival formula was inserted into your genetics. I'm sorry if it caused you pain but I couldn't take the risk of you being left with mere human abilities in a life threatening situation like this one.

I owe you an explanation for my actions up to this point. Especially considering the probable forces involved and the odds of my survival. I hope I am wrong, but if not then it would be hateful to me, if you were mislead or manipulated regarding my reasons and intentions. Before you were born your uncle, Gardon. Once tried to impress me by taking on a large invading Thargoid force, when he could and should have flown away. He had an endearing petuousness that was unfortunately over encouraged.

He saved a great many lives and caused a lot of damage. Although I had built him a strong ship, The Point Of Action wasn't invulnerable and despite being a good pilot he was far from invincible. He died with his friends saving traders, bounty hunters other citizens of the universe. My loss fueled rage focused wholly on the Thargoid race. I killed their warriors and workers by the million. Waded waste deep through their black blood as we brought their mile high hatcheries crashing down around them. The still living larve were collected by the billion just so I could see their reaction as they burst and burned when we ejected them in front of their attacking ships shields. I was free, free to be an abomination a mass murder of breath taking proportions. I sterilized whole systems, no pity or mercy just endless endless death and destruction. In short I became my father, forging again everything I used to fight against, worse in fact. Mirias send death out into the world, I had to to see it, taste it, make it and see its culmination. Gardons death made me the son of a monster Mirias always knew I was. That's why the Thargoids would invest such a force in killing me and allow themselves to be manipulated by that nothing General.

Yes the general. His father was a good friend to Gardon. They shared the same talent for foolishly rushing in. Just as I blamed the Thargoids for my personal tragedy, Cheem blamed me for his. Some how he managed to find the one group that would stop at nothing to see us all dead. If I do not survive, I leave it up to you to convince Aantar, Mishmon and the others not to seek further retaliation for my death. Too much blood has been spilled over this already. Which is where the Kirin comes in. It is much more than just a bargaining chip I used to try and secure your release. With it in mass production, both military and traders alike will be able to do more, go further and defend themselves better than ever before. It is my, no, our gift to the citizens of the universe, a tool for building, defense and I hope in some small way it will make up for our families petty barbarisms.

By now Commander Roh'i is busy trying to lock onto my ships beacon. If he can't find it then I fear, there will be nothing left to find. He is a good friend. He didn't have to come for you, but he did so any way without any hesitation. He reminds me in many ways of Gardon but his self confidence is tempered by experience and common sense. He is someone to be trusted. I hope to see you soon."

Mima wiped away a tear as the image faded from the view screen.

[Commander Learner]

Excellent piece of reading material for Oolite fans. Exceptional effort put in. Well done and congrats I'd say..... Lizard's mark upon the Ooniverse? A huge mark indeed.