Darius muttered something under his breath, wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand.
"Yeah, yeah, Captain Safety. We get it."
"Strap in, boys. We're gonna need another burn to get to Med Karash I. You'll want to be buckled up for this one."
The two groaned but did as I said, strapping into their seats Inside the bridge as Invicta geared up for another burst. I keyed in the coordinates and checked the systems, everything was green.
"Engaging second burst in three, two... one."
The ship lurched forward, engines roaring as we performed another burst towards the Med Karesh I the sounds of thrusters gushing out with blue flames reverberating through the hull. This time, Darius and Robert kept their mouths shut, holding on tight as Invicta surged ahead.
...
Thirty four days later...
"Beginning reverse burn,"
I announced, flipping the switches and easing the throttle back. Invictas thrusters roared to life, blue flames bursting from the nozzles as we began to decelerate.
The ship shuddered, the artificial gravity compensating as the forward momentum slowed, pulling us steadily toward Med Karash I.
The molten terrain of the planet became clearer as we approached, its rocky surface bathed in the dim light of a distant Class F star.
The star shone with a pale, bluish-white light, casting a cold glow over the barren, lava-scarred surface below.
Occasional volcanic eruptions dotted the landscape, sending plumes of ash and molten rock into the thin atmosphere.
With a series of controlled bursts from the secondary thrusters embedded around the hull, Invicta flipped itself smoothly into position as we settled into a stable orbit.
"Alright, engage the active radar. Let's see what's out there,"
I ordered.
Airid nodded, fingers dancing over the controls as the radar initiated its sweep. A soft hum filled the bridge, growing louder as the radar scanned not just the planet but the entire solar system.
"Radar active,"
Airid reported.
"Scanning now."
The display lit up with the information from the scans. The system's central star was a bright Class F, hotter and larger than E*rth's sun but not by much an old star that still had plenty of life left.
Several planets orbited the star, with Med Karash I being the closest, a molten, hostile world.
Further out, Med Karash II, a primitive, habitable world, orbited in the system's temperate zone.
Scans indicated that Med Karash II was host to a pre-FTL species under Galactic Council observation, with a small, outpost filled with the councils scientists keeping tabs on the species' development from orbit just like the one that kept tabs on us E*rthlings as we murdered, plundered and r*ped each other.
Beyond that, the twin colonies of Med Karash Prime and Secundus orbited on opposite sides of the system, bustling with activity.
UNOE had established its presence there, with settlements and industrial complexes supporting mining operations and other ventures.
The traffic in the solar system was a chaotic mix of merchant ships, freighters, and the occasional UNOE patrol craft.
Cargo haulers shuttled between the colonies and distant asteroid fields, while smaller vessels ferried supplies and personnel between the observation outpost and the colony's starports.
Airid's display suddenly pinged, drawing our attention.
"Uh, Drac"
Airid said, his voice tight with urgency.
"We've got something."
The screen zoomed in on a large transport ship, its dull, gray hull marked with the insignia of Urian Prime a bunch of stones stacked on top each other.
A squad-sized dropship had just exited its hangar, detaching from the transport and making a direct descent toward our mission target on Med Karash I.
"Get me an ID on that transport ship, now,"
I barked, eyes locked on the descending dropship.
Airid worked quickly, tapping into the identification protocols. A few tense moments passed before he spoke.
"Got it. It's a merchant ship, registered under the Urian Prime merchant guild. No sign of military grade hardware looks like these slugs were too poor to afford a personal spaceship"
"Thank the g*ds"
Julian muttered, his eyes narrowing.
"There's no way we would come unscathed from space combat against somenthing that big"
I turned to the others, my voice sharp and commanding.
"Alright, gear up! We're not gonna let a bunch of slugs get the drop on us. Move it double time you lazy f*cks!"
Darius, Robert, Airid, Paul, and Julian sprang into action, bolting from their seats and racing toward the armory.
The adrenaline was palpable as we sprinted through the narrow corridors, the familiar thrum of the ship's engines vibrating under our feet.
We entered the armory, a room lined with racks of advanced weaponry and combat gear. Each of us moved with practiced efficiency, suiting up in our full body combat armor.
Darius grabbed his light laser machine gun, checking the energy pack before connecting It to his machine gun.
Julian equipped his mass accelerator sniper rifle, his expression focused as he calibrated the scope.
Airid, our paramedic, donned his med pack.
Paul and Robert put on the RPG pack and RPG launcher.
I suited up in my own armor, securing my smart rifle with Its tactical belt and grabbing extra ammo, and stuffed It Into my harness pouches over my uppers bodies upper plate.
As the fully enclosed helmet sealed around my head, the HUD flickered to life, displaying data feeds from my and my battle brother's vitals, status indicators glowing green.
"Sitrep"
I said, my voice echoing through the comms.
"Ready"
"Good"
"Ready"
My battlebrothers answered one by one as they gave me a thumbs up seeing this I bolted out from the armory while barking out my orders.
"On me!"
We sprinted to the dropship bay, the lights overhead flashing red in preparation for launch. The dropship itself was an utalitarian, armored craft, painted in our armors black, red, and white camo though it was barely armed.
We filed in through the lowered back ramp, strapping ourselves into the seats as the ramp automatically closed behind us.
The hum of the dropship's engines filled the cabin as I powered It up, ready to take us into the heart of Med Karash I's molten landscape.
"Alright,"
I said, settling into the pilot's seat and gripping the controls.
"We've got competition down there, so stay sharp. This is what you trained for the last three months so don't you f*cking dare die on me got It you c*nts?"
I barked as I sent out a command to Invicta to open the bottom hangars doors.
"Dont worry vamp we go this"
Airid declared proudly but the slight shake In his voice betrayed his nervousness, which I chose to Ignore.
The dropship's engines roared, and with a jolt, we launched from Invictas bottom hangar which split open, descending rapidly toward the planet's surface.
Outside the cockpit, the glowing orange landscape rushed up to meet us, the intense heat and volatile atmosphere causing the dropship to shudder as we punched through the upper layers.
"Eyes on the prize, gents,"
I called out, scanning the radar.
"We're going in hot so strap In and dont bite off youre f*cking tounges."
Darius grinned through his visor, clenching his machine gun.
"Can't wait to kick some slug ass."
We descended toward our mission target, adrenaline surging as the dropship streaked through the sky like a comet.
Below us, the Slug mercenaries dropship had already touched down, their crew disembarking in a scramble of motion.
"Eat lead, f*ckers!"
I snarled, flipping the safeties off and slamming my thumb down on the missile launch button.
A salvo of missiles streaked out from under the dropship's forward wings, leaving a trail of blue exhaust in their wake.
At the same time, I squeezed the triggers for the dual 20 mm coaxial autocannons. The cockpit shuddered as the guns spat out a hail of armor piercing explosive rounds propelled by mini chemical thrusters that activated after the casings detonation, their distinct thumping echoing through the hull.
The missiles struck first, slamming into the enemy dropship's deflectors that materialized as a blue bubble, the deflectors flared brightly, absorbing most of the impact, but I kept the cannons trained on the target, pouring a relentless stream of APHE rounds into its deflectors.
The deflectors began to sputter and flash, struggling to keep up with the barrage.